Requiem for Methuselah

"Requiem for Methuselah" (Feb. 14, 1969) Old TV Guide synopsis: 'The crew intrudes on a private paradise inhabited by two individuals: a man of extraordinary accomplishments; and his ward, superbly educated - but unacquainted with human emotions.' Another conflicting episode (the last of four written by Jerome Bixby) that presents Kirk as a captain who can forget about the fever aboard the Enterprise to inexplicably fall in love at first sight. Louise Sorel is fine as Rayna, but the standout is James Daly's emotionally wrenched performance as Flint, and his various guises throughout human history, from Da Vinci to Brahms, still composing after an astonishing lifetime of 6000 years. A great confrontation between Spock and McCoy, who laments that the Vulcan won't be able to share Kirk's experiences regarding both the pain and joy of love; once the doctor is out of sight, Spock uses a quiet mind meld to ease his captain's anguish, a nice touch to close things out.

Arguably the last good episode of Star Trek ("All Our Yesterdays" features an interesting plot line with Spock and Mariette Hartley), "Requiem for Methuselah" is among the more literate scripts the series offered. Jerome Bixby demonstrates his considerable science-fiction writing ability in his well-drawn Flint character, adeptly brought to life by veteran TV actor James Daly. While this episode is almost farcical in its accelerated Kirk/Rayna love-story arc, the concept of Flint as an immortal conglomeration of the some of the greatest minds in human history and Spock's gradual realization of this secret are intriguing and engaging. What also makes this episode memorable is that it stands out so far above the largely forgettable third season, and a touching scene between Kirk and Spock helps an otherwise schlocky ending. "Methuselah" belongs nowhere near the pantheon of the likes of "Naked Time" or "City on the Edge of Forever," but it was a final reminder of what made the series so special.

Very rarely does a STAR TREK episode live up to the memories of fifty years ago. I saw this one as a tiny tot, and remember just swooning over the "confession" of the wise old Mr. Flint -- "yes, I was Brahms. And DaVinci. And Merlin, and Alexander . . . and many, many more." This episode is refreshing, in that the focus is not on Kirk's macho daring, but on art and music, thoughts and feelings, philosophy and loss. Kirk and the boys are amazed to meet a fascinating wise old man in the remotest possible corner of the galaxy, whose companion seems to be an adoring and cultivated young woman. But all is not as it seems! Mr. Flint has secrets, and so does his companion Rayna. Ultimately Kirk "loses" one of his few fights and Mr. Spock shows an unusual amount of understanding and concern for his captain's human emotions.

This episode owes a lot to Shakespeare's THE TEMPEST. Mr. Flint is a retired magician, like Prospero. Rayna is as innocent and charming as Miranda -- and as eager to meet attractive men. The M4 Robot flits about running household errands, just like Ariel.

But this episode goes further. "Miranda's" isolation has tragic costs, which Shakespeare doesn't acknowledge. And Prospero's wisdom is flawed, making him both more tragic and more human. Shakespeare's magician was rather too pure -- betrayed by his brother, by Milan, by the tiresome demands of real life. Mr. Flint is far more accomplished, and also admits to having made his own share of mistakes. This episode is everything STAR TREK ever set out to be -- original and exciting entertainment, and a doorway to new worlds of art and thought.

O Brave New World!

In desperate need of a crucial antidote ingredient to fight a plague overtaking the Enterprise, Kirk, Spock & Bones beam down to a planet where the ingredient can be found in abundance. They find one lone man, Flint (James Daly, "Planet of the Apes"), and one young woman, Rayna (Louise Sorel, 'Days of Our Lives"), living there, accompanied by a helper robot called M-4. Initially quite hostile, Flint soon welcomes their presence, and it's clear he has some ulterior motive for making them stay - especially Kirk, who goes hilariously gaga over the lovely young lady.

Well-written by Jerome Bixby (it's to be expected, as he also penned three other episodes, including the very fun 'Mirror, Mirror'), and intelligently executed, this has some brilliant plot twists which I dare not reveal here. But the plot does revolve around love, one of the most powerful of human emotions that can give us real highs or real lows. (Near the end, Bones bemoans the fact that Spock will never be able to experience this kind of feeling.). Certainly it causes Kirk to behave irrationally here, and to forget about his actual mission.

Superb performances by guest stars Daly & Sorel, an obvious appreciation for art & literature, and a compassionate final gesture from Spock help to make this an episode that will linger in the memory.

Eight out of 10.

Kirk, Bones and Spock visit a planet to obtain a cure for Rigellian Fever.

I found this to be a mixed bag of an episode that starts off painfully slow but gets more interesting as it goes on.

Many writers have observed it's connections to the movie 'Forbidden Planet' and indirectly Shakespeare's 'The Tempest', but it also contains plot elements used in other Star Trek episodes such the super-powerful character, the female companion, and the connection to real-life Earth history.

I enjoyed the latter half of the episode when the away team discover the truth about Rayna. There are a number of compelling moments, such as her becoming self-aware and having deal with emotions regarding both Flint and Kirk. Plus Flint witnessing and reacting to his master plan backfiring is good. My favourite scene and something I did not expect was the final scenes involving Spock and Kirk.

That being said the notion of Kirk falling for Rayna in such a big way is as implausible as most romance plots written in Star Trek. In fact you might be forgiven for wondering if Spock used this same technique after the events of 'City on the Edge of Forever', 'The Paradise Syndrome', and 'Elaan of Troyus'.

As a character I can take or leave Flint. I think the psychology around creepy father-daughter-future-lover relationship with Rayna is good, as is the idea about the use of Kirk to his advantage. However, the idea of him within Earth's historical context as Brahms, Da Vinci etc is a bit silly. James Daly is pretty forgettable in the role.

Generally the cast is fairly good with the three stars all solid and Louise Sorel decent as Rayna.