The Empath

There's a lot of criticism of Star Trek's third season, and deservedly so. And, among those stories, this one seems to have gotten its share of bashing for the skeleton like production values.

Where I agree with the thrust of a lot of the reviews I would like to point out some of the more redeeming aspects of this episode. To me it seems more of a dramatic exercise for the actors. We're witnessing performances, not so much a plethora of adventure and special effects.

It's the kind of thing a university acting class would do. It's the kind of thing a local theatre troupe would conjure to keep their creative and performance juices fresh and active. That's the charm of this episode. The ability to pull off a story with a fraction of the budget.

Regrettably there's only so much frugal art that the audience (in this case the Trek fan base) can take. Without offering something more meaty for us to chew on, Trek was doomed with continued efforts like this one.

Still, for me at least, this episode has a certain charm to it. The theme of intellect-verse-emotion is abundant, and how one collides and synergizes with the other is made all too plain. The story shows an imbalance of sorts, but then shows the audience the true meaning of who and what we are, and what it is to be human.

It's an interesting episode. It lacks gloss and punch, but from a dramatic point of view it is an interesting exercise.

Thought this was an above average episode. Sometimes less is more, IMO the lack of the usual cheesy and laughable special effects, props and costumes was a huge plus. I found Gem's performance absolutely mesmerizing.

Kathryn Hays' mime portrayal of Gem ranks with the finest of the silent actresses, such as Lillian Gish in her work for D.W. Griffth ("Broken Blossoms" is what comes to mind}. This is some of the finest true ACTING I've seen in a sound film! Don't know why she wasn't at least nominated for the Sci-Fi version of the Academy Award for this performance, she's quite good in all her other work as well, even though her voice doesn't quite live up to her acting ability. This episode remains among my "top 10"list of TOS favorites. The interplay of emotion between McCoy & Spock truly brings forth the camaraderie they shared, and the feelings, respect, and admiration they felt toward each other. But again, if you've never seen a silent classic, or a character portrayal By the like of Lillian Gish, take time to watch an old silent, and see just how beautiful they were!

I realize that they had budgetary issues that might be evident in it,but I must agree that the theme of self-sacrifice was indeed a valid one,regardless of any script opinions.The way the empath showed compassion,projected the pain of others on herself,and even healed.Hmmm..theologically mirrors a similar character that we all know who Im referring to!(and it's a Good thing!)True,with all the dark corners of this "underground lab..cost-cutting could easily be inferred,but..how many other 60's shows did the same thing?Irwin Allen's sci-fi series were notorious for this.Anyhow..it's interesting what can be redeemed in spite of working with limited raw materials.

One of the best of Star Trek episodes is this one when the Enterprise comes upon a superior alien race that select the landing party of William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley and a pair of unnamed crewmen as guinea pigs in a psychological experiment. The aliens look like second cousins to the Talosians and we know what intellects they had. You also know what happens to unnamed crewmen in any Star Trek episode.

This crowd is almost as good or bad depending on your point of view. The three regulars are put into a room together with a deaf mute named Gem played by Kathryn Hays. She cannot speak, but her facial expressions tell much because Hays is a total empath with healing powers. As all the series regulars are tortured, Hays heals them. But like that other healer from the big screen, John Coffey in The Green Mile it takes a lot out of Hays every time she heals. It's soon clear she's the object of the alien experiment.

As Kirk tells them at the end these experiments are futile because these aliens have evolved into pure intellect, way beyond even that noted Enterprise intellect Spock. Empathy is not something you can objectively analyze. You either have it or you don't. A little more empathy, a little less intellect without sacrificing too much is what this old world needs.

Nice issues are developed in this fine Star Trek story.