Obsession (2)

DVD, Star Trek S2 (Obsession) (2)

I probably should expound upon how this story is inspired by 'Moby Dick,' the classic book about Captain Ahab who thrusts his heart and soul into bringing vengeance upon the white whale (white whale, white smoke creature…), a theme more famously picked up in the films 'Star Trek II' and 'First Contact,' where they directly reference the book, (and previously in 'The Doomsday Machine'), but the most dramatic development of this episode for me is they killed Mr. Leslie! That unassuming background character who's so often to be spotted at a station on the Bridge is one of the security team who are preyed upon by the vampiric dikironium cloud creature (or the honey monster as I like to call it). He's summarily led to his red corpuscle-stealing death without any ceremony (unless you count the honour of his name being spoken by the Captain), as so many Redshirts have been before him, and he is gone… Except he'll pop up again when they forgot he'd been killed off, one of the most enjoyable gaffes of 'TOS,' though it can be explained away by speculating he was one of a set of brothers; twins, triplets or perhaps even more considering we see him in so many different places on the ship. Or perhaps he was a clone? Do we know the status of cloning at this time in Federation history?

Another character to be summarily sidelined in this episode, though not in his case, unto death, is Chekov whom I associate with Security, though I'm not sure why as he's usually most visible in the navigation department. There was a moment on the Bridge when both his and Sulu's stations (George Takei still absent), were manned by complete strangers, not even a Mr. Hadley as familiar stand-in (though he does take the post later in the episode, alongside Chekov as usual), while Chekov himself was at Spock's station. Where was Spock at that juncture? I can't remember, that may have been the time he went down to Ensign Garrovick's Quarters to set the young man's emotionally charged human mind at rest on the subject of his dereliction of duty, or whatever his hesitation was designated when he should have been firing at the honey monster. For Garrovick appears to be the lead Security Guard in this episode, a somewhat convenient situation considering it was his own Father, Captain Garrovick, and the young Kirk's commanding officer from the day he left the Academy, serving under him on his first deep space assignment eleven years previous on the USS Farragut when he first encountered this creature and behaved exactly as the young Garrovick did here: faltering, apparently causing the deaths of half the crew and his Captain, those two hundred lives on his conscience.

It's easy to see why he becomes obsessed with killing the creature here, to the point where Dr. McCoy and Spock come to his Quarters to 'go by the book' and respectfully demand an explanation for his actions in order to decide if he's fit to continue being in command. Earlier he'd flown off the handle and accused Scotty of conspiring, and it was only in the previous episode that Spock discusses with McCoy and Scotty whether they might be about to mount a mutiny, so it seems to be a common theme at the moment! Kirk hasn't lost all sense of perspective, however, unlike the raging Captain Ahab, and despite doubting himself in his logs, is rational enough about it all to be able to level with his First Officer and Ship's Physician. It's not like talking down a nutty artificial intelligence, he has to make a reasonable case, and he can, explaining the creature is a danger to the galaxy at large - it's capabilities are manyfold, we see it outrun a starship at Warp 8, travelling in and out of the atmosphere of planets, and even able to shift its form to be impervious to both Phaser fire and Photon Torpedoes! This is quite some opponent, and one that is also impervious to our Captain's usual resources of verbal sparring and physical combat. What else does he have as a weapon against it? His mind, a mind that is thrown into disarray by the horror of the past caused by the creature, so is Kirk vulnerable? Therein lies the drama.

That's one of the best things about the episode, that it's another attempt at filling in some of the blanks about a character, in this case Kirk, bringing new information about his past career in Starfleet that is a hugely satisfying addition to his growing background. It's sad that we didn't have so many details about the other crewmembers, only Spock able to rival the Captain for personal history. Here, Kirk's mental health is at issue, haunted as he is by those events so many years ago. It's entirely possible this isn't the same creature, though they do like to have monsters be the last of their kind, or an isolated incident, be that the salt vampire, the Horta or the Gorn. But we know, somehow because Kirk believes it to be the case, that the creature is about to spawn and that it will metamorphose into a multitude of death for the galaxy when it does. On top of this there's a ticking clock with vital medicines needed for another planet and all it required was for some undiplomatic diplomat to be on the ship warning Kirk that no matter what they only have 'x' time before they must resume their mission, for it to be a complete set of problems. That the questioning of Kirk comes from his friends and fellow officers makes it that much more personal, suiting the experiences he's going through, but while an outsider would have caused him more trouble, Spock and McCoy are there to support him once they understand his motivations and the danger posed by the creature.

A quest for redemption is one of the most attractive kinds of stories, and the poignant parallels with his own younger self mirrored in Ensign Garrovick are what make the episode more than mere action adventure: the stakes are higher than that, greater than a galactic terror because they're as intimate as our own inner thoughts. We feel bad for Garrovick as he's relieved of duty and confined to Quarters, this is his first encounter with a Captain who served under his Father and naturally he'd wish to prove himself worthy of both, so it's more affecting when he appears to have let them down so badly to the tune of two men's deaths. Will he in turn become a capable commanding officer aboard another ship in a decade's time, haunted by the creature once more? No, the cycle of defeat ends here with Kirk able to pull himself together, realising the truth that Phasers wouldn't have made any difference even if he and Garrovick had fired promptly and with deadly accuracy, so the vindication is clear and a new plan is formulated. Even then, Garrovick, young and inexperienced as he is, makes a grave error that could have jeopardised his Captain's plan: thinking Kirk is going to sacrifice himself to lure the creature to its end, he tries to knock him out, but fortunately Kirk is the superior fighter - just then, at a moment of greatest tension, when Kirk's concentration is all on this precise course of action, and assuming complete compliance from the man he'd handpicked to join him in this redemptive action, he's sucker-chopped, and a lesser man would have let all the pent up frustrations out on Garrovick, but he stays in control, even the physical attack of a subordinate not enough to sway him from the critical course!

This was another of those terrific moments in the episode, although I didn't see it that way until I was writing this review, because it really does show how strong a leader Kirk is. Sure, he does throw back some warning at Garrovick, but he also quickly assures him he has no intention of sacrificing himself and goes straight on with the plan. Another great moment is when he earlier went to Garrovick after the attack on Spock in Garrovick's Quarters and reassures him that there was nothing either of them could have done in their solitary confrontations with the creature on the planet, faith in the young man restored. That he shows this faith in the man as his chosen partner in the mission to kill the creature, only makes it sweeter. And this is after Garrovick almost caused the death of Spock, too! It was only his green, copper-based Vulcan blood that made him distasteful to the creature which hungers for iron-based blood, that saved his life (although I do wish he'd pulled the blanket off the bed to use as a block on the vent through which the creatures flows instead of using bare hands, though perhaps those thin, sparkly futuristic coverings aren't much use in that regard - actually, I don't think we've ever seen ventilation in any Quarters before, but it was necessary for the story so we can let it pass). I'm not sure it was that advisable to flush the system with radiation waste, but then the vents were supposed to be closed.

It was only Garrovick's fit of pique, flinging the lid off the coloured square food he'd been left and hitting the vent's switch that prevented it closing as it should have! Nurse Chapel was very kind to visit the young man in his turmoil under the guise of medical care, bringing him food, but not indulging in his well of pity (at least he didn't fling the soup through the doorway as Spock did in 'Amok Time'!), and it's implied they know each other reasonably well as he calls her Christine, so although he's been on the Enterprise a short enough time for Kirk not to know about him being there, it was also long enough to establish some kind of friendship with Chapel. She also has a great character moment when she uses psychology on him to get him to eat and so feel better, claiming the order from McCoy to eat is on this record tape, which we later find out is just some report she'd borrowed from the Doctor's office! Well done Chapel, we need more of these little scenes, both amusing, but also necessary and kind, as she is. It would have been improved the episode (any episode), to allow something like that for some of the other characters, too, Chekov, Scotty and Uhura reduced to professional roles only in this episode (we actually see Uhura writing with a stylus on the PADD she's got, taking Kirk's message down).

Spock performs admirably, informing both Jim and Garrovick on separate occasions that their guilt is unwarranted with the evidence they've found. He does it in that Vulcan way, that it is correct and so he must pass it on, but you know he cares about Kirk and he knows that Garrovick needs the knowledge to end his wallowing, so though he claims not to understand emotion, he has a detailed grasp of psychology and proves a good friend, too. I especially appreciated the deferential, respectful way he confronted his Captain over his behaviour. McCoy's usual irascibility comes out, but only because he has his duties to the crew as much as his loyalty to Jim and wants to see neither destroyed. He accuses him of being so obsessed that he could destroy himself (and he didn't even knock or buzz the door when he marches into the Captain's Quarters! At least Chapel had the grace to buzz first before bringing the tray of dinner in to Garrovick). McCoy is the one to bring up the parallel of young Kirk and Garrovick and a discussion about guilt ensues. In the personal and psychological department the episode excels, perhaps only slightly let down by the less realistic planetary environments we see.

So often this season they've made terrific planet sets, but the ones we see here, while functioning adequately, appeared very confined and almost claustrophobic. They obviously wouldn't have been able to film on location as indoor set conditions were required for a creature partially created from smoke - it would be no good if it was blowing all over the place, though a wider coverage wouldn't have gone amiss (think 'Catspaw'). When it shifts into a visual effect it was very reminiscent of the Companion in 'Metamorphosis,' so there was a slight sense of reusing old effects rather than creating something new, but I wouldn't say it hurt the episode as it's much less about the creature itself than the effect it has on those who encounter it. That it could travel in space at such speeds (it had travelled over one thousand lightyears from where the Farragut's encounter occurred), is easily explainable as being just part of its unknown alien nature, Spock tying the fantasy nicely to some scientific theory by suggesting it used gravitational fields for propulsion. The episode that came to mind was 'Vox Sola' from 'Enterprise' which was also about a strange white floating creature that could travel through space, although that episode was a lot less interesting because it didn't have the personal drama and stakes this one did. It successfully tied in character history with a chance at redemption for two different people, navigating the waters of distrust from others and in oneself, but never preventing the Captain from showing what a great leader he is.

Another history was present in a different way as we hear of the USS Yorktown which the Enterprise is due to rendezvous with in order to pass on essential vaccines for a planet in needs - Yorktown was the original name Roddenberry planned to call the ship before settling on Enterprise (and even as late as 'Star Trek Beyond' it was referenced in that alternate universe when the large space station was also given that name in tribute to fifty years of Trek). It wouldn't be the last time we heard of the ship, either, as it was mentioned the Yorktown was incapacitated by the whale probe in 'Star Trek IV' - hang on, whale probe? Are we back in 'Moby Dick' territory again? While the episode is good at filling us in on some history it also works well with throwing in technology and reusing sets: we get a fancy anti-grav unit to carry an antimatter bomb with which the creature is eventually taken care of, Kirk and Garrovick seen to trundle it along from a handle on each side - I didn't realise we ever saw that kind of tech in 'TOS,' such units much more associated with 'TNG,' and I loved the design (it even says 'anti-grav' on its side so there can be no mistaking!). Then there's the use of shipboard visual communication as Kirk talks to Spock from the monitor in McCoy's office (and Scotty, also seemingly at his Bridge station, cuts in, though there's none of that rare split-screen seen later - I recall it happening in 'DS9,' and now of course 'DSC'). There also appeared to be some new background graphics added to the coloured block monitors around the Bridge, including such additions as engine schematics which I hadn't noticed before, adding colour both literally and technologically.

No mention of technology can pass without McCoy's hatred of Transporters and their unnatural scattering of a man's molecules across the galaxy, as he puts it, something I don't remember coming up often, but was a healthy part of his character, which is part of the lighthearted way the episode closes out - not with any particular joke, just a sense of comradeship, especially between Kirk and Garrovick, whom the former invites along to hear stories about his Father, ending things in upbeat style with a job well done. The young Garrovick wouldn't be seen again, so perhaps after his experiences here he requested a transfer - it was already going to be stressful dealing with the Captain as it was (he didn't expect special treatment, but neither did he expect as harsh a treatment as Kirk meted out early on!), and then to have to face such a draining test on your first mission must have been more of a challenge than even his eager desire to serve anticipated! Kirk, too, is really put through it, and I love that shot early on when this terrible memory is being dredged up by the clues and hints of the honey odour, and he sits in the Briefing Room as we hear his log, wondering why he's keeping the ship here and questioning himself - this self-doubt is a sign he hasn't lost his command ability. As well as that room we also see the Science Lab adjoined to McCoy's office again, and even better, a new cubbyhole in that office, further out from where the camera usually stands looking in, a more private area for Spock and McCoy to discuss their Captain.

On the first planet where they encounter the creature we see them collecting a sample of Tritanium which is apparently at least twenty times as hard as diamond - Spock has an interesting way of Phasering off the specimen: rather than slice a piece off an edge, he burns straight into it, so maybe the Phaser has a setting where it can burn a circle around a target without vaporising what's in the centre, a nice chunk certainly falls neatly to the ground! I didn't see the connection before, but this could be setting up how powerful a Phaser is so that we assume it would have devastated the creature, which we later learn is impervious, making it seem even more dangerous. I don't think we'd ever heard of 'Disruptor B' setting which Kirk instructs his men to switch their Phasers to, either before or since, so it appears even this late in the series they hadn't entirely settled on consistent terminology, or you could look at it as an expansion of what we know and this is a specific function that wasn't spoken onscreen at other times. Another detail like that is Kirk telling the Landing Party they're on Red Alert! I had no idea you could put a planetary team on that status - why were they not wearing little red lights with miniature klaxons? And as for him telling Scotty to lock onto them for a medical emergency, how do you lock onto two corpses - their Communicators?

There weren't many guest credits for this episode, but Rizzo (nothing to do with the rat from 'The Muppets'), was played by Jerry Ayres who'd previously played O'Herlihy in Season 1's 'Arena,' where he also died shortly into the episode! At least in this his character had a little more life afterwards as we hear that Garrovick was good friends with Rizzo and they'd been to the Academy together, making his moment of indecision more understandably guilt-stricken in the light of that. But it's really an episode for the main cast, specifically the big three where their friendship and command structure is tested in a different way by the protocols and adherence to regulation that makes Trek seem so real. Kirk must have really been affected as I thought I detected him sounding a little coldy sometimes, so perhaps the stress was taking its toll and he didn't feel able to go to the Doctor for relief, or didn't have time to spare on personal ailments, which makes him look even stronger. It could be questioned why more wasn't made of the decision to execute the creature, especially as it seemed to be sentient, but then it was also attributed as being malign and evil and could have spread that predatory horror outwards exponentially once it had successfully spawned, so it's hard to argue they had a humanitarian duty to it: sometimes a monster is just a monster and needs to be dealt with, and that includes personal ones like guilt and vengeance.

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