Shore Leave

It's a known fact in human life when were all come to a stressful state of mind, we all need to take a breather, to load up on energon otherwise we won't be able to continue functioning well, get whatever needs to be done or even do what we want to do.

This episode is another honorable mention, this one is a bit of a light one though at the same time a bit of a fantasy suspense thriller which is part of what makes the episode unique for once getting a toe into the fantasy genere. I really like how we're all on the same boat as everyone else, as there are a bunch of things just appearing out of nowhere, I remember when McCoy was seeing the White Rabbit and Alice, I thought "What the Hell?" That of course is Kirk and the crews first step down the rabbit hole.

Just a lot of crazy things are happening like we this young couple Angela and the guy in the blue uniform forgot his name. We see a couple of World War 2 planes appear and shoot at them; though the weardest thing about it how they just apeared and reacted once the blue guy thought and said it.

Same with Kirk when he recalls someone at the Acadamy whom beat him in a fist fight, that guy appears. This is the highlight of the episode as it results in probably one of the best one on one fights in "Star Trek" in my book it's also one of the longest up there with the street fight in the film "They Live". I really like that this fist fight is fun and funny because both guys in the tussle look like their having fun. You just see the guy constantly goating Kirk and seeing that firery look on Kirk's face I thought "Ah, man your just asking for it."

You might be able to figure it out a little earlier before the end what's going on but it didn't deter anything where just like in any recreation time actually gave me a good feeling.

Rating: 3 and a half stars.

Probably one of the prime examples of following a suspenseful, dramatic episode (in this case, the superb Balance of Terror) with a lighter affair, Shore Leave is the first true attempt on behalf of the Star Trek writers to produce a more entertaining piece of sci-fi, and while the formula isn't quite right yet in this entry (the true triumph is Trouble with Tribbles, in Season 2), the laughs come pretty fast as long as the viewer is willing to allow for all the silliness.

Diverting from the show's tradition, the Enterprise isn't on any proper mission in this episode. Instead, Kirk has found a perfect planet for his crew to spend some time off duty: a well deserved break after three months of incessant work. The Earth-like planet (a budget-related fact) is very appealing, but it only takes a few minutes before something weird happens: Dr. McCoy starts having visions of a white rabbit that seems to come straight out of Lewis Carroll's work. Soon, other people begin experiencing similar things: a woman meets a Don Juan-like character, Sulu has a run-in with a samurai, and Kirk faces a double encounter with the past, in the shape of almost love and the guy who used to pick on him at the Academy. Throw in a freakishly real-looking tiger, and it's easy to see why Kirk and Spock are determined to figure out what's going on before anybody gets hurt.

The idea is a classic one: idyllic place turns out to be far from heavenly. The episode's humorous take on the topic is rather successful, weren't it for a dark turn of events that doesn't sit well with the rest (of course, everything works out fine again come the end) and the cast's general unwillingness to show a funnier side of themselves (most notably, and ironically, the otherwise hilarious William Shatner). And yet Shore Leave deserves recognition for being another good example of the writers trying new, previously unseen things: the definition of Star Trek's success.

7,5/10

When I was a kid of 12, I didn't pay "Star Trek" any attention at first. I have no idea why. Maybe "Lost In Space" was more up my alley. But I do remember tuning in for this episode and really liking it. There was whimsey but also the mystery of what the heck was going on.

Some viewers might think it was too silly, but like shore leave itself, it did give the series a rest from the serious stuff. Not that I would have known that at the time. All I know is that this episode hooked me and I became a fan for life.

Right now, I am watching this episode on Blu-Ray. The Finnegan character is wonderfully over the top, and the music that accompanies him is perfect.

To easily sum it up, this is a very swiss-cheesy episode. The cheesy part is easy to see, with what the limited number of manufactured units show themselves to be... dangerous-- the samurai, the bomber plane, the tiger, the knight; antagonistic-- Don Juan, Finnegan, the revolver; earth-reality-- the birds; child's fantasy-- the white rabbit and Alice, and the damsel outfit; and sexual pleasure-- Ruth and the fan-girls.

Interesting. But the holes in the swiss cheese begin with trying to sort out how the particular thoughts are selected to be 'manufactured.' The first products, the rabbit and Alice, must come from Dr. McCoy's saying the place makes him think of something from Alice in Wonderland. But before then, he and Sulu were talking about there being no animal life on the planet. Why didn't all kinds of animals suddenly come out of the bushes? Perhaps the thoughts were not specific enough?

Obviously, whether they were thinking about something real or something fictional did not matter. But if it were a question of specific overriding thoughts at the time, one would think a counterfeit Enterprise would show up. And as their communications were jammed, they were thinking strongly about renewing contact. Wonder why that 'wish' wasn't granted-- well, for a while. And before Spock beamed down, he would have been Kirk's thought, as least as much as Finnegan or Ruth; yet a manufactured Spock didn't appear. Perhaps the manifestation had to be something completely unavailable in reality to avoid making that planet a universal crime source?

But maybe the biggest hole is in knowing the personality and operations of the manifestations. From viewer's perspective, the parts are 'all there.' Else, Kirk might have been in for some big surprise when he got 'Ruth' all alone. I suppose we can acquiesce that his thoughts of the female body were quite accurate, but to what extent was 'she' a living being who would have been better than the real thing? Better in that there was no disagreement to win, nothing contrary to what he wanted her to be... but if he kept her long enough, could she have actually have gotten pregnant with a human child? I assume not, as we learn from their analyzing the knight that his tissue was the same as the plant life there. But if a woman's fantasy there was to be impregnated by Mark Antony or Elvis Presley, could she have been? On that I also assume not, as the caretaker declared, "None of this is permanent..."

Well, as I title this, "Just for fun." You can't think too much about it. Like an earth amusement park (as Spock mentioned), you can retain the experiences in your memory, but you can't take home the monsters from the fright house.

In the Omicron Delta space system, there's a planet that's a bit of a gem, conjures up your desires, all of your best aspires, beware chaos, conflict and mayhem.

An uninhabited planet delivers more than rest and recuperation, especially for those with more vivid imaginations.