In honor of the 50th anniversary of Star Trek: The Original Series, I am celebrating my five favorite episodes from the series. #1 was “The Doomsday Machine.” #2 is ……. cue dramatic drum roll, please ……
The Corbomite Maneuver. If you’re at all acquainted with the show, you might know that in 1965 Gene Roddenberry created a pilot episode for a proposed new science fiction series called Star Trek. NBC rejected the pilot but tied to that disappointing rejection was a request for Roddenberry to create a second Star Trek pilot, reflecting certain changes that they wanted made. That second pilot, titled “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” did the trick- and Star Trek was born!
The first regular episode to be filmed was “The Corbomite Maneuver,” and that was no coincidence. According to author Marc Cushman, Gene Roddenberry believed that Jerry Sohl’s script would be the perfect way to introduce viewers to the world of Star Trek. Unfortunately, the special effects required for the episode forced postponement upon postponement, and by the time “The Corbomite Maneuver” finally aired on NBC, nine other episodes had aired before it. But needless to say, it was worth the wait.
I should also mention that NBC itself didn’t want this episode to be the first one to air because it was a “bottle show,” meaning that it basically took place entirely aboard the Enterprise, and NBC seemed to have a strong preference for “planet shows.” If I could wave a magic wand and change anything about how the original series was handled by its network, it would be to somehow eradicate the network’s strange preoccupation with having planet shows- because almost without exception I liked every single “bottle show” that they ever made. There was something about confining the action to the ship that somehow heightened the sense of interpersonal drama and tension and kept the show from verging into “Lost in Space” / ‘creature-of-the-week’ territory. And what better way to introduce the viewing audience to this show, the ship, and its crew than with this sort of episode? But unfortunately the top brass at NBC didn’t ask for my opinion. Of course, I was 6 years old at the time, which might have had something to do with it why they proceeded with their plans without consulting me.
The episode opens with the Enterprise mapping a part of the galaxy never before explored. The ship suddenly finds its way blocked by a large, rotating cube – the origin and purchase of which is completely unknown.
Eventually, Kirk decides that the ship will attempt to fly around the cube- but it blocks their way and begins emitting dangerous radiation that eventually forces them to destroy the cube with their phasers. They proceed further into this uncharted sector of the galaxy, only to be confronted by something still more astounding and frightening- a strange and gigantic ship that dwarfs the Enterprise and holds it in an unbreakable tractor beam. The first time I watched this episode and saw this moment of confrontation play out is still indelibly burned in my mind- and in some ways when I watch it again, decades later, it still gives me the same chills.
The strange ship is commanded by a fierce-looking figure named Balok, who announces to the crew (in the massive voice of the towering actor Ted Cassidy) that the Enterprise is to be destroyed for having both ignored and then destroyed the warning buoy – and are given ten minutes to prepare for their imminent destruction.
All pleas for reason or mercy are ignored as the countdown continues, and the fate of the Enterprise seems to be completely sealed – an utterly hopeless scenario. And in a series where one knows full well that the Enterprise will not really be destroyed, it is not easy to create a genuine sense that the ship and its crew are truly perched on the brink of annihilation. But that’s exactly what is accomplished in these few minutes of the episode.
The moment of ultimate despair comes when Kirk mutters to Spock that there must be something that he has overlooked. Spock replies in hushed tones “Chess. When one is outmatched, the game is over. Checkmate.” Kirk hisses back “Is that your best recommendation?” To that, Spock replies “I’m s….” before catching himself, cutting off his all-too-human- sounding apology, and regains his composure to say “I regret that I can find no logical alternative.” But something about that tense exchange gives Kirk an idea – to engage not in chess but rather in poker. He communicates to Balok a warning that the ship has a device aboard comprised of a substance called Cortbomite which repels any attack and sends that destructive force back on to the attacker.
Balok seems to believe the ruse, which buys them some time. And when the Enterprise is towed away by a smaller ship, they are able to break free. It is only when Kirk, McCoy and navigator Bailey board the alien vessel that they come to discover that the horrific-looking creature they saw on their view screen was nothing but a puppet-
and that Balok in fact has the appearance of a young human child (but with an adult voice.) It turns out that Balok never intended to destroy the Enterprise at all but was merely testing them. “I had to discover your real intentions,” he says.
Aside from the alien commander Balok (portrayed by child actor Clint Howard), the only unfamiliar character in this episode is the Lt. Bailey, the navigator- who is somewhat volatile and immature, and whose conduct actually prompts Kirk to relieve him of duty at the height of the crisis. But by the end of the episode (by which time, Bailey has been permitted to return to duty) Kirk has realized the wisdom of Dr. McCoy’s earlier observations that perhaps Kirk had driven the young officer too hard and that perhaps he had been promoted too abruptly. As if to make amends, Kirk decides to include Bailey in the landing party to the now-disabled ship, and once they know who Balok is and his desire to come to know the humans better, Bailey eagerly agrees to stay behind. It’s one of a number of moments in the episode when we have a true sense of being in the far reaches of the galaxy, deep into the realm of the unknown.
There are technical limitations to the program- the worst of which are when the three Enterprise crewmen board the alien vessel. From the looks of it, the alien ship was created out of strange odds and ends just sitting around the set. There is almost nothing to suggest a truly alien vessel from an unknown species. But because everything up until that point is so masterfully crafted and executed, I’m more than willing to overlook the visual rough edges of this final scene. And by the way, this episode features one of the finest musical scores heard in the entire Star Trek canon. Sol Kaplan was the composer and what he created here is nothing short of a masterpiece. By the way, there are moments in his score that may remind you of John Williams’s dramatic music for Jaws. What is important to note is that Jaws came eight years after The Corbomite Maneuver. So if there was any borrowing, it was Mr. Williams from Mr. Kaplan.
Above all, I love the rich authenticity of this script – especially the plethora of fascinating little details that make it feel like this is a real ship with a real crew living real lives. The only science fiction work I can think of that equals this episode in this respect would be the first two Alien films. And if you know those films, then you know what kind of praise I’m heaping on “The Corbomite Maneuver.”
It deserves it.