Spock's Brain

It's certainly one of the loonier plots, especially when McCoy wires the brainless Spock body for remote control.

But the great thing is how the whole thing is treated completely seriously by all the actors. Even Shatner plays it straight for the most part and only really hams out on some of the more outlandish lines, like "What have you done with Spock's brain?!"

The weird thing is this could have been easily made into a flat out comedy.

If this were made today, certainly the characters would have had some meta lines acknowledging the absurdity.

It's not a masterpiece but I think it's still very good. Certainly never boring.

And playing a ridiculous concept straight and not self aware can really work sometimes. For example the film Point Break has an absolutely ridiculous plot but it's played so earnestly that it's endearing. And like original Trek, that film has a hammy cast with chemistry, Reeves, Swayze and Busey.

Why the low rating? OK, I know it's not City on the edge of forever, but Spocks Brain has got a lot going for it. There's the attractive subterranean alien girls who's only ability to be intelligent lies in putting on a big football helmet with Glowy things sticking out of it. Let's not forget the 7 foot tall cavemen with funny haircuts who live on the planet surface. And best of all, and I mean this, how great is it to see Spock being remote controlled around by Dr. McCoy?

In all seriousness, Spocks brain is not the apex of Star Trek. But it is definitely entertaining and I demand it be given a little more respect :-)

Taking this episode's side in all fairness there are legions of original series Star Trek stories way worse than this, for some reason there's been a kind of social media pile-in on poor Spock's Brain and it doesn't deserve all of it!

This is an episode from the wonders of the starry cosmos for little children. And viewed as such no harm in being so, and it has a lot - actually quite thoughtful on science and exploration, as indeed on whether a body can exist separately from a mind, and on declining, pampered civilisations clinging to former sophistication - going for it.

Perhaps the actors had just been told about some more cuts in the Star Trek Season Three budget, I will admit that....

But plot-wise and ideas-wise, wallops possibly a good third of all TOS Star Treks out of the ballpark.

OK, so it's not the greatest of the original trek's, & for what it's worth i don't think that "City on the edge of forever" is either, but it's not as bad as some would have you believe! Synopsis: female organ-snatchers filch yer fave science officer's cranial organ. Crewmates, well Kirk & McCoy really, go on "great quest" to re-unite said missing mind with original owner.

Ummm, thats about it...

Bearing in mind this is a 3rd season episode, AKA Fred Freiberger's death-knell, it could have been worse. Yes there is some eye candy. Yes, there is something for De Kelly to do other than pronounce another death.

Deep meaning: No, not really.

Deus Ex machina: not so much..........

Cheerful resolution: for Spock, yes. For Fred, go watch The way to Eden...

Mindless fun(sorry, i'm so, so sorry): well, yeah.

It's camp, Technicolour & entertaining. Not every hole can be a goal. But at least it's not too insulting. That's to follow in later episodes!

This is one of my favorite episodes simply because it's one of the goofiest. Spock's brain is stolen, and the crew go in search of the brain. What makes the episode so amusing is McCoy using a remote control to drive Spock's body -- sit, stand, go forward, turn.

No, this episode did not push the boundaries of science fiction. It did not feature amazing acting talents, riveting dialogue, nor astonishing plot twists. But it was damn funny, and not because it was trying to be.

And the "teaching" helmet is a gas too. Kudos to the props department.

Don't skip this one!