The Devil in the Dark

Enterprise visits mining colony Janus VI.

This is a classic episode with a brilliant message and a number of strong character moments.

The plot is simple and highly effective with a powerful statement on humanity that embodies the best themes of Star Trek. It unfolds in a compelling way with Kirk and Spock at the heart of it, well supported by Bones and Scotty.

Kirk is fantastically written, behaving in a way you would want someone of senior authority to act. There are no rash decisions. He is the ultimate cool head in a difficult and pressured situation.

Spock is the catalyst for everything positive that happens. These are great moments that define his character. His level of humanity is laid bare in his compassion for life and his protective instincts towards his Captain. I love how he spins his obvious emotional response as defending science.

Bones has rarely been cooler, particularly in his transition from seemingly lacking the confidence to do something to an almost god-like belief in his own abilities.

I think what makes it great is that it is so different from most other creature-based sci-fi and adventure stories. It would be so easy to give in to the blood-lust of most film and television consumers and make it a 'fight the monster' story, but this one could not be more opposite.

The visuals are mostly great. I love the set design, props and cinematography. The creature effects are very Star Trek. There's not much to say other than it is a stuntman underneath a what looks like a Persian rug decorated with foam pizza toppings. All part of the sixties charm.

William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy both give strong performances, particularly Shatner under the circumstances of his personal life at the time. DeForest Kelley has a smaller role, but he has some classic lines. James Doohan is entertaining as ever and the guest performers are solid.

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

Kirk and the crew are visiting a federation mining colony on a remote planet rich in mineral resources. The Devil in the Dark is the Horta, a very unusual silicon based life-form which tunnels through solid rock. The Horta has been killing miners and, it is decided, must be destroyed. But how?

It is hard to continue this review without writing a spoiler, so instead I simply concentrate on the technical aspects of the episode and touch on its themes. The special effects are OK, but many of the scenes with the Horta look a little absurd. The acting is fairly average for TOS. Some of the miners are a little awkward. Nimoy has the most difficult role of all in Devil in the Dark, and he pulls it off well.

Why is this still a favorite of mine?

Devil in the Dark is really an anthropological and ecological morality play disguised as an adventure. More than many episodes of this great TV series, it brings home the importance of maintaining an open mind and at least some degree of empathy toward others. Plus, it involves one of the most interesting, if not probable, plot twists in the original series.

Enjoy!

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.