The Devil in the Dark

Everybody likes to say how cheesy the monster looks. But I'll be honest. It still gave me nightmares at age 10.

I also didn't like this episode much as a kid because we hardly see the Enterprise, and how can that be Star Trek? Eventually I learned that good science fiction, like all drama, is about characters and ideas, not sets and costumes and special effects. And so "Devil in the Dark" is now one of my favorite Star Trek episodes.

I sometimes wonder if it was done as penance for "The Man Trap". That episode also featured an intelligent creature, native to the planet and the last of its species, who began murdering humans for no apparent reason. But that episode doesn't fit the Star Trek philosophy at all, while this one is among the very best examples of that philosophy in action.

Leonard Nimoy's Vulcan mind meld proves of invaluable assistance in this Star Trek episode. Life may not look anything like it does on earth and it may not even function bodily as we do on earth. But life can be found in the strangest of places.

Consider this planet which looks to be made of solid rock, yet something is killing off the miners in Ken Lynch's crew. Which is why he sent a distress call and the Enterprise responds.

Lynch's men are not being killed, in fact they're being burned to a crisp. It's being done by a creature we learn calls itself a Horta and to our eyes it's not aesthetically pleasing.

This Star Trek story reduces life to a problem of communication. The Horta has a very good reason for doing what it does.

It's a good moral this story has, all we need in the Universe is better communication.

This may not be the most exiting or incredible episode they've made, but in my opinion it remains as one of Star Trek and the Sci-Fi genre's most original episodes. Most ideas from retro Sci-Fi series especially including Star Trek has been reused several times, this one the other hand remains mostly as a one time triumph. This among the episodes that impressed me the most towards the end.

Another thing I like with this episode is how it has accomplished to create such and exiting and captivating story with such few special affects. Now without criticizing the episode I must admit the effects are very dated, but then again what can you expect from a TV show from 1967? But still the creature ("Horta") in this episode is basically just a carpet with some coloured rubber on it. Yet you forget this after about 1 minute and you only start thinking about it as what it's supposed to be. Also the caves don't exactly look like rock, but again you forget it after a few minutes. This episode is a living proof on how good acting and a good story, can make you ignore the visual effects.

The acting from the main cast is as usual great. This episode features the series second mind meld by Spock and is one of my favourites. So to say it simple Leonard Nimoy is definitely a scene stealer here, and his acting is excellent. Not that Kirk or Bones don't get their share of the episode but Spock is the most intriguing in this one. i like the fact that the episode is not about one specific character but evolves around the trio handling an alien problem. Also it's nice to see an episode who doesn't only happen on the Enterprise.

Like most Star Trek episodes this episode tells us to have an open mind. I won't spoil the story, but evolves around what in the start seems like a typical monster story. It has killed several humans and therefore must be killed. But is that really all there is to it? I can assure you that the explanation in the end, will not disappoint you. This is still my favourite Star Trek TOS episode and i give it a 10/10.

Enter the Horta, possibly the show's ugliest prop, but still manages to convey an alien presence. Or in this case, a monster, one who's terrorizing the grunts in a mining colony. It's an extermination mission and that episode-long buildup is how the creature takes on a life of its own, no matter the level of production values. And it's a story of hard-won tolerance, thanks to that twist ending.

But it's also a good showcase for the Kirk-Spock-McCoy relationship. Isolated from the rest of the crew, this mystery is left to them to solve. All kidding aside, it's a great episode all around.

8/10

Season 1, episode 25. The Enterprise is called to Janus 6, a mining colony there are being attacked and killed by a mysterious creature. Kirk, Spock and McCoy beam down to the planet's surface with a small away crew to investigate. Upon arrival they met with Chief Engineer Vanderberg who tells them what has been going on in more detail. The search begins for this creature that can kill a person with a strong corrosive substance. The crew learn that the miners have found seemly useless silicon nodules and the creature is a silicone based lifeform. Kirk and Spock search for the creature while McCoy beams back up to the ship. Kirk and Spock find the creature hurt and Spock conducts a Vulcan mind-meld with it to learn more about it - it is called a Horta. McCoy is called back down later to help this unusual patient while the miners are ready to destroy it.

An episode that is hard to forget. I used to describe the Horta as a bubbly burnt pizza-like creature but watching it again all these years later I would say it looks more like a meatball with sauce on it. That's OK though because the Horta thinks that humans are hideous looking but the Vulcan is pleasant looking to it. lol.

7/10