Spectre of the Gun

This unusual episode might well have been subtitled "Enterprise meets 'Twilight Zone' "---there are a number of such elements here. It's also a provocative and intriguing exploration of the nature of reality vs. illusion, and as I watched it, not just once but many times (which goes to show just how hooked I am on this original series), I found myself speculating on various aspects of this exploration---not the least of which was the stupidity of the Melkotians for not doing their homework! They should have known that the information they gleaned from Kirk's mind was erratic and inconsistent, so they could only come up with an illogical scenario in which to throw the landing party. Fascinating (in Vulcan the word is "sem-rik".) And speaking of Vulcan---I was thoroughly intrigued by the triple mind-meld, which was actually a beautiful demonstration of one of Spock's unusual and little-known abilities: telepathic hypnosis. I noticed that he worded his spoken suggestions differently for each member of the rest of the command crew---each one a bit different, but the end result was the same: the idea that the bullets were unreal, they did not exist. The only thing damaged in the shootout was the wooden fence! As for the question of whether the review contained any spoilers, I would have to say " no". Something to think about.

I think what has stayed with me all these years are the cold fish-eyes of the Earps and Doc Holliday. Normally portrayed as heroes, these black clad, cold blooded killers face off against the Enterprise principles. A planetary people, the Melcotians, are angry with Kirk and the gang for crossing into their territory. He proceeds anyway because of his basic bullheadedness. The crew find themselves in Tombstone, Arizona, on the day of the Gunfight at the OK Corral. They are recognized as the Clantons and their ilk (normally the bad guys in the story). I always get a kick out of guys like Chekov (and even Kirk in some episodes) when, in the most dire circumstances, they are taken in by their human weaknesses. Chekov gets himself killed because he can't wait three hours (make that five minutes) to hook up with a saloon girl, ticking off Virgil Earp, who has desires for her. Their lives are at stake; what is he doing? What is weird is the Enterprise crew continues to wear their regular uniforms, yet the townspeople and the Earps see things differently. They have old western gun belts, but the rest of their attire is their day-to-day clothing. Why didn't the Melcotians go the extra step? All that aside, it is a pretty entertaining episode.

The best thing about a beloved show from your childhood is watching it over and over and finding things you missed. I've lived in Taos New Mexico for over a decade but recently rewatched this episode and realized the McCoy makes a reference to a style of whiskey known as Taos Lightning which has recently been resurrected by some local distilleries... Taos Lighting can also be seen written on the blackboard menu of the dining room of the hotel in the show Deadwood.

It seems like a lot of people pan this episode for its bare bones approach in terms of production values. To me that's part of its charm. It's looks like an offbeat play that's character focused, with the threads of a story to tie it together.

There's an existential quality to this episode that, for me at least, brings out an ethereal plane for Kirk and crew. It's surreal. It's a puzzle within an enigma that pits the mettle of the bridge crew against an alien race that is trying to evaluate Star Fleet's finest.

I have to admit, the whole Western thing seems pretty cliché, particularly for the time when this show was being made. Westerns were all the rage in the 50s and 60s, and I suppose Star Trek had to pay homage to the genre in some form or fashion. "Spectre of the Gun" offers that, just as other episodes touched on medical and courtroom drama formulas.

Another positive about this episode is that the creative team really had to be inventive to make this Alien Western feel both Alien and Western. The cinematography is yet again a little more daring and inventive than in the previous two seasons. Shatner is challenged to carry this episode with his thesping, as he was called upon quite a few times for the third season.

In my personal opinion this episode might have really shined had the whole Western thing been dropped, and replaced with some strange alien culture. But, as others have mentioned, the Western theme was brought in to save dollars.

In spite of the low budget feel of this episode, I still find it intriguing in much the same lines as "The Empath", which as I pointed out was more of a theatre exercise where the camera was more focused on the actors than the actual story.

Take it for what it's worth. It's a little more dramatically inventive if somewhat on the cheap side. Give it a shot.

Supposedly the third season's budget cuts resulted in the very abstract Wild West town setting. I am skeptical of that because any major Hollywood studio of the era would certainly have a Wild West setup on their back lot.

Plus, the story itself is explicitly about all of this being an illusion.

Spock knowing about Wyatt Earp, etc, was more of an issue for me. However, the reason that's even in the script is a side effect of so much Wild West production of that era.