Spock's Brain

Season 3, episode 1. The Enterprise encounters an ion-propelled craft. A female appears on the bridge and uses a device to knock them all out, when they awake Spock is not moving. McCoy takes Spock to sickbay, examines him only to find Spock's brain missing - surgically removed - all nerve endings are repaired -- Spock's Vulcan body is fine just his brain is missing. Kirk and crew follows the ion trail to the 6th planet in that solar system. Kirk takes a gamble and beams down with Chekov, Scotty and a couple of red shirts to inspect the icy planet. They run across a primitive group of humans - they refer to the others as bringers of pain. Kirk then has McCoy to beam down to check some remains and when he does, he brings Spock's remote controlled body along. Kirk okays Spock's body with them and they do some investigating to find a large underground facility. Kirk uses his communicator and picks up Spock's brainwave thoughts, Spock responds to Kirk and search crew. As they move along to find Spock's brain they are captured by the aliens. The aliens seem to know nothing when they speak to Kirk and crew... but eventually get information about a controller. It seems Spock's brain is the controller and Kirk and crew want to speak to the Controller. It's a matter of finding Spock's brain and putting it in Spock's body but McCoy's medical knowledge is limited and Spock will have to help him with the surgery.

It's not a great episode kinda on the silly side but fun to watch.

7/10

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 :-)

I get why many Trek fans don't like this one -- it's beyond daft -- but I actually enjoyed the silliness of the episode. And the fact that it features several really hot, young women in skimpy outfits means that I don't have too many complaints.

The episode begins as the Enterprise approaches an unidentified craft. As the crew try to communicate with the ship, a beautiful woman in a purple mini-dress and thigh high PVC leg wear (like go-go boots crossed with suspenders) beams aboard and renders everyone unconscious. When they wake up, they discover Spock's body in the sick bay -- minus his brain!!!

By following the ion trail left by the woman's ship, the Enterprise arrives at a class-M planet; a landing party led by Kirk beams down to the surface, determined to find Spock's brain and restore it to its rightful place.

There are savage cavemen on the surface, and hot women down below. Kirk and his crewmates are fitted with pain belts. McCoy controls Spock's brainless body via remote control. Spock's brain is used to control the women's underground complex. And McCoy tries on a technologically advanced helmet that increases his knowledge so that he can plug Spock's brain back into his body. It's incredibly camp and utterly goofy, and clearly not to everyone's taste, but I had a lot of fun.

7.5/10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

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!

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.