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Star Trek - Shore Leave
episode 1.15
Raumschiff Enterprise - Landurlaub
USA 1966
produced by Gene L. Coon, Gene Roddenberry (executive) for Desilu, Norway Corporation/NBC
directed by Robert Sparr
starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Emily Banks, DeForest Kelley, George Takei, Oliver McGowan, Perry Lopez, Bruce Mars, Barbara Baldavin, Nichelle Nichols, Marcia Brown, Sebastian Tom, Shirley Bonne
written by Theodore Sturgeon, created by Gene Roddenberry, music by Gerald Fried, theme by Alexander Courage
TV-series Star Trek, Classic Star Trek, Star Trek (original crew), Alice in Wonderland (cameo)
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Looking for a peaceful and tranquile planet for shore leave, Captain
Kirk (William Shatner) of starship Enterprise has sent a survey team down
to an earthlike planet that is rich in plants but devoid of animal life or
any humanoids or stuff ... however, once down on the planet, Doc McCoy
(DeForest Kelley) stumbles upon a talking white rabbitt and a little girl
(Marcia Brown) who wants to catch up with him ... yup, just like Alice
in Wonderland. Mr Zulu on the other hand finds an antique gun he
promptly uses for target practice and is later attacked by a samurai, and
other crewmembrs are threatened by a tiger. And when Captain Kirk beams
down with Yeoman Tonia Barrows (Emily Banks), she is attacked by
Don Juan but a short time later finds herself in the dress of a fairytale
princess, while Kirk himself is first driven to the limits by Finnegan
(Bruce Mars), a practical joker he knows from the academy who has no
business to be on the planet at all, then he meets his lost love (Shirley
Bonne) from 15 years ago who hasn't aged one bit since then and who seems
to be still very much in love with him.
Things take a turn for the worse though when McCoy is killed by the
Black Knight when trying to defend Yeoman Barrows (the two have since
become romantically involved), and pretty much everyone and everything
seems to attack the survey team all at once, including another tiger (or
the same one actually) bomber planes from the Second World War, a samurai
warrior, ... you name it.
In the end though, it is revealed that everything was just an elaborate
and technically highly advanced show put on by the planet's well-meaning
caretaker (Oliver McGowan) with the sole purpose to entertain the planet's
visitors as they can make all their dreams reality. And even McCoy wasn't
killed for real as he returns to live with two showgirls in his arms.
Having learned all that, Kirk decides the planet is ideal for shore
leave - everybody just has to be careful what he wishes for ...
Mainly because of some truly over-the-top concepts, this episode is
highly amusing ... but that said, it lacks any real suspense or tension,
and the very upbeat ending is a bit of a letdown. But then again, Kirk and
McCoy going after Alice and the white rabbitt, that's a laugh, no doubt
...
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