The Devil in the Dark

I sympathized with the plight of the first man, Schmitter, we see killed in this episode. He reminded me of the trepidation associated with being a lone security guard at night somewhere - the type of work I did briefly about 20 years ago. Of course, I was never in danger of being burned to a crisp, as the colony chief (Lynch) is fond of describing. The monster in the dark here, murdering members of a deep mining colony, creates a scary impression in the first act. We don't really see it in the early scenes and, as many of us realize, the best monsters are sometimes left to the imagination. 'Big and shaggy' is one voiced description, but it actually turns out to resemble a big, lumpy pepperoni pizza, skittering along the ground like a silicon centipede - a limitation of the show's budget, unfortunately. This also shows in the latest matte painting, famous to Trek fans, the only way to convey a long shot of the mining operations.

But, the whole theme of this episode is about what's on the inside, rather than outward appearances, anyway. Sure, this Horta, a newly-discovered silicon-based life-form, looks like a mindless monster at first glance. Thanks to Spock's telepathic ability (probably the best use of a Vulcan mind meld for plot purposes), we learn it's a highly intelligent, even sophisticated creature. Besides Spock's instrumental use of his talent, McCoy gets to supersede his usual medical routine - healing a creature resembling rocks or asbestos. He also gets to utter one of his most famous lines, "I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer!" I found it very true-to-life in his scene where he exults in his success, though he's unable to get Kirk to share in his enthusiasm - Kirk's too busy organizing results. The episode throws unexpected turns in character & motivation at the audience as the story progresses; Spock champions the need to possibly preserve this discovered life as Kirk takes his usual stand on preventing the deaths of any red-shirts (no half measures, as in "The Man Trap"). But later, it's Kirk who, for some reason, holds back on firing a killing blast, as if the heat of the hunt had worn off and he'd had time to reflect on Spock's point (I believe it was during this episode's filming that Shatner learned his father had died). Uncharacteristic for most of the first season, this has a happy ending. The conflict stems from the needs of basic capitalism, such as meeting standard quotas, versus protecting the natural environment and its inhabitants - a space age version of protecting owls from the tractors of modern advancement. Somehow, despite many killings and a sense that everything could go to hell at any moment with one raised phaser, Kirk and Spock manage to broker an agreement which satisfies everyone. I guess people and silicates are more reasonable in the 23rd century.

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.

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

The Horta is a globular mass that turns out to be thinking, feeling being. If, indeed, a crew such as those of the enterprise were to exist, they would need to be sensitive to the complexities of various life forms. A miner has died a horrible death, bathed in acid. The other miners, searching for some really valuable ore, have encountered this creature who seems to be able to meld itself with rock. The minders seek assistance and Spock, McCoy, and Kirk come to the rescue. There is the obligatory confrontation with phaser fire and injury. However, things get much more complicated as the actions of the Horta seem to be stimulus/response. The creature seems to understand. Spock uses the Vulcan mind meld to find out what is going on. The creature is badly hurt by the phaser fire and McCoy is asked to heal, leading to one of the best lines, "Dammit, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer." The creature is silicon based, hence the reference to repairing rock. It's a sort of touching episode in some ways and has a satisfactory lesson.

In 1975 a friend of the family took me to a local JC in Sacramento for one of the first "Star Trek" conventions. I remember someone had taken some electrical tape and spelled out on the floor in the foyer at the convention entrance "NO KILL I".

The homage paid by this act reflects the importance of the social trend and awareness happening at the time. The country (the western world in fact) had just come off of one social upheaval in the midst of the Cold War, and was entering another. Trek was ahead of the curve by telling another great parable regarding not just a conservationist message, not just an environmental message, but one that levels a finger at mankind in his treatment of other living creatures.

This episode hits empathetic folks on a gut level. My mother included (or especially I should say), for while watching this episode with me (one of the few times she and I watched Trek together) she sternly agreed with Captain Kirk when Shatner's character berates Jarvis for the wanton and irresponsible acts of destruction.

It's not just a warning for today's companies and their forefathers, however still relevant and timely. It's more than that. It's a future warning to mankind, and any sentient who would mindlessly exploit that of which they knew nothing.

Another review comments on the thesping by Shatner and Nimoy. I agree that it's high caliber. The matte painting of the mining facility is what it is, as is the Horta itself. It is, after all, 1960's sci-fi TV. Even so, I'm hard pressed to find better props used in today's TV offerings (part of the reason I don't watch too much contemporary television anymore). Good shots, good dialog, good story, and a profound theme.

Enjoy.