The Tholian Web

An away team boards the USS Defiant to find the crew all dead.

This is a strong character episode that has a few story issues but is well made.

The plot has a decent ticking clock premise and contains a few interesting concepts, slightly too many, but it is told in an entertaining way due to the focus on characters.

Spock and Dr McCoy have most of the limelight, as Captain Kirk is absent for a large part of the episode and their dynamic is quite compelling. Bones is slightly infuriating at times, but that makes it all the more satisfying when Spock puts him in his place with some calmly delivered reminders of who's in charge.

U'Hura, Chekov and Scotty have some decent moments, particularly Nichelle Nichols getting a rare opportunity of do more than just open hailing frequencies. James Doohan has some funny moments and so does Walter Koenig (albeit some unintentional).

Visually it works wonderfully well, as there is a lot of storytelling done with the camera. I love the scenes on the Defiant, and the odd camera angles indicating the perspective of characters suffering space madness. The effects used for the web and the interspace phasing are also good.

A web that was thoroughly bare, I'm not sure that anyone cares, laddered, crosshatched, in need of a patch, to plug everything that just isn't there.

Fading in and out of phase with the Enterprise, the captain is caught interspace while a pair of alien vessels take up cross stitching.

The Enterprise enters a region of space where space itself phases in and out. Another starship, the Defiant, and her crew have already fallen victim to this spatial malady. Kirk beams over to the shifting Defiant with Spock, McCoy and Chekov; we get to see the crew wearing funky spacesuits in this one. In an eerie sequence of scenes, we see that the Defiant's crew appears to have killed each other. This shifting space also affects the brains of humans, causing a degeneration into insanity. These and later scenes recall the bouts of insanity in "Is There in Truth no Beauty?" earlier this same season. Unfortunately, Kirk should have left Chekov on the Enterprise; Scotty is able to beam back only 3 of them at a time and the Defiant fades away before they can get Kirk back - he's gone, all the way gone (there's something about the number 3 on this show). They even hold a funeral service for Kirk later; yes, this is Kirk's final episode...just kidding. Then the Tholians show up. They're territorial and want the Enterprise outta there!

Like about half of the 3rd season episodes, this is saddled with a snail pace in spots, but the alien Tholians almost make up for this. While we were still seeing actors in lame appliances 20 and 25 years later on the later series (TNG, DS9, etc.) to display alien reps, here we see a truly innovative attempt at visualizing an alien race, complete with an unusual audio signature. You won't soon forget the Tholians. Their energy web - well, that's another matter: seems to me this tactic would work only if an enemy vessel sat unmoving for an hour or two, not using its weaponry. How often does that happen? This episode is also unusual in that Kirk shows up only in the pre-credits scenes, the first act and then disappears until the last 5 minutes (not counting his shots as a ghost). Hence, we observe a new group dynamic shifting into place to fill in the gap: Spock & McCoy further their tense relationship, while Scotty moves in to complete a new trinity. There's an interesting scene with the trio in Spock's quarters near the end, just before final maneuvers are to be made and Scotty walks off with obvious plans to get drunk.

One of the best episode, The Tholian Web put Captain Kirk out for 40 minutes and give Mr Spock and doctor McCoy a run for their money. The feud between the two is back and still fun to see. McCoy Always test Mr Spock decision and leadership but Mr Spock just dont Care and do what he have to do ! He Always do the right thing the logical thing, what a legend... Love the moment when they listen to Kirk tape and in the end when they denied having listen to it, so Funny. A great episode of TV 9/10.

Season 3, episode 9. The Enterprise in previously uninvestigated territory run across the USS Defiant, a ship that is considered derelict and it vanished 3 weeks prior. Space is essentially breaking up, according to Spock's readings and logic. Sensors do not pick up the Defiant but they see it on their viewing screen, and their is no response from the ship when hailed. Kirk, Spock, Chekhov and McCoy board the Defiant wearing protective gear - they find 2 crew members dead, one seemingly about to chock the other when they died... looking like maybe a mutiny was about to occur. McCoy examines them and finds the Defiant's captain's neck broken. Kirk calls for some security because they fear that mutineers are aboard the ship and have all area of the Defiant searched... then he cancels the the security crew orders to Mr. Scott. All are dead on the Defiant when the ship is searched. While searching the area Chekov is overcome by something, almost fainting. Bones reported that all appeared to have killed each other on the Defiant. Then McCoy reports that the ship is dissolving, his hand just went though a solid object. The Enterprise can see the Defiant dissolving and is happening to the Enterprise as well. Only 3 can be beamed back aboard the Enterprise, Kirk decides to beam back last and he his disappeared along with the Defiant before Scotty can get him back to the ship. All contact with Kirk has been lost, with Spock in command of the Enterprise they must find away to get Kirk back before the Enterprise and crew disappears as well. Another problem: they must do this before all crew members go mad and kill each other or they will have the same fate as the Defiant. Time/Space fabric is ripping apart at that part of the Universe so it's a race against time - and space. The Tholians have taken over at area of space and will tolerate deceit - they are also punctual as Spock pointed out.

This is an episode that I recall rarely being shown on TV in the 80s when I was watching Star Trek fairly regularly. Having acquired all the Star Trek episodes recently, I am very pleased to see this one again. The Tholians are indeed a good foe and they are up against the always logical Mr. Spock acting as captain of an excellent starship crew. A very exciting episode.

9.5/10