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Star Trek
S1.E14
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IMDbPro

Balance of Terror

  • Episode aired Dec 15, 1966
  • TV-PG
  • 50m
IMDb RATING
8.8/10
6.3K
YOUR RATING
Mark Lenard in Star Trek (1966)
ActionAdventureDramaSci-Fi

The Enterprise must decide on its response when a Romulan ship makes a destructively hostile armed probe of Federation territory.The Enterprise must decide on its response when a Romulan ship makes a destructively hostile armed probe of Federation territory.The Enterprise must decide on its response when a Romulan ship makes a destructively hostile armed probe of Federation territory.

  • Director
    • Vincent McEveety
  • Writers
    • Paul Schneider
    • Gene Roddenberry
  • Stars
    • William Shatner
    • Leonard Nimoy
    • Mark Lenard
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.8/10
    6.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Vincent McEveety
    • Writers
      • Paul Schneider
      • Gene Roddenberry
    • Stars
      • William Shatner
      • Leonard Nimoy
      • Mark Lenard
    • 59User reviews
    • 14Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos31

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    Top cast26

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    William Shatner
    William Shatner
    • Captain James T. Kirk
    Leonard Nimoy
    Leonard Nimoy
    • Mr. Spock
    Mark Lenard
    Mark Lenard
    • Romulan Commander
    Paul Comi
    Paul Comi
    • Stiles
    Lawrence Montaigne
    Lawrence Montaigne
    • Decius
    DeForest Kelley
    DeForest Kelley
    • Dr. McCoy
    Grace Lee Whitney
    Grace Lee Whitney
    • Yeoman Rand
    George Takei
    George Takei
    • Sulu
    James Doohan
    James Doohan
    • Scott
    Nichelle Nichols
    Nichelle Nichols
    • Uhura
    Stephen Mines
    Stephen Mines
    • Tomlinson
    Barbara Baldavin
    Barbara Baldavin
    • Angela
    Garry Walberg
    Garry Walberg
    • Hansen
    John Warburton
    John Warburton
    • The Centurion
    John Arndt
    • Ingenieur Fields
    • (uncredited)
    Bill Blackburn
    • Lieutenant Hadley
    • (uncredited)
    Robert Chadwick
    • Romulan Scanner Operator
    • (uncredited)
    Frank da Vinci
    • Crewman
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Vincent McEveety
    • Writers
      • Paul Schneider
      • Gene Roddenberry
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews59

    8.86.2K
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    Featured reviews

    8Xstal

    Das Romulan Boot...

    Somewhere in space, cloaked and unseen, a metaphorical, figurative, space submarine, that hides and evades all enterprising eyes, waits patiently to snare its most treasured prize, with two chess players pitched toe to toe, second guessing what each other does, or does not know, a waiting game with everything to lose, the aim to deceive, and then confuse.

    The Enterprise and Captain Kirk go head to toe with the Romulans and their cloak of invisibility.
    10planktonrules

    Possibly the best Star Trek episode ever

    Despite all the hoopla about THE TROUBLE WITH TRIBBLES episode, THE BALANCE OF TERROR might just be the best episode of the series. And, while I have always loved A PIECE OF THE ACTION because it is so much fun, I really do have to cast my vote as this Romulan episode as being the very best.

    The episode interestingly enough, is really like a WWII submarine movie in that it bounces back and forth between the cloaked Romulan ship and the Enterprise as it seeks to destroy the Romulans before they sneak back across the Neutral Zone after a raid on Federation outposts. In so many ways, the show is much like the film THE ENEMY BELOW--where the American Captain (Robert Mitchum) and the German Captain (Curt Jurgens) are shown in counter-point as they both try to outwit the other--and in the process develop a grudging respect for their foe.

    Interestingly enough, the episode is confined to the Enterprise--and this is amazing because an episode on board ship could easily have been static and dull. But, because the writing was so fantastic and the main characters written and acted so well (Shatner and Mark Leonard as the Romulan leader). Overall it's very tense and exciting. Oddly, for the die-hard Trekkers out there, they'll recognize Leonard as the same actor who later played Spock's father.

    The bottom line is this is simply a great and extremely engaging episode that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
    9Mr-Fusion

    Balance of greatness

    At face value, 'Balance of Terror' is as straightforward as they come; this is a classic submarine movie, complete with cat-n-mouse and silent running. Enterprise faces off with a Romulan warbird on the edge of the Neutral Zone; it's uncomplicated, but makes for some tense television.

    But then there's the sympathetic opponent, less a villain and more a like-minded captain on the opposite team from Kirk (Mark Lenard plays this well, and I can see why they brought him back to play Spock's father; the two don't seem all that far apart). These are two evenly-matched adversaries sizing each other up. This episode focuses on the profound responsibility of being a starship captain, the immense weight of some of these tactical decisions; and it's a great example of the Kirk/Spock/McCoy dynamic as they hash this thing out from all angles.

    In the end, it's just a riveting episode from start to finish; the grudges run deep, the conflict's great, and it's one of the more accessible episodes I've seen.

    9/10
    9andycottier

    In alternative timeline Pike messed this right up!

    I hadn't seen this episode in a long time. Watched it again after the S1 finale of Strange New Worlds.

    This is of course a really great episode in its own right but is even better when watched along side the SNW finale.

    If you haven't arched any SNW and you like this episode you really should check the finale out. Its excellent Trek.
    9Bogmeister

    The Face of War - and it's Romulan!

    When the Romulans come, they will not be bearing gifts; no, they bring with them war - war and conquest. As any familiar with this episode know, it is a redux of the war film "The Enemy Below" from the fifties. The obvious difference is that instead of a battleship and a submarine (or an American Destroyer & German U-boat) engaged in lethal war games, it is two starships in outer space. In Trek history, about 100 years before the events here, according to this episode, Earth fought the Romulan Wars. After about 5 years of conflict, a stalemate brought about a treaty and the institution of the Neutral Zone, a boundary between us and the Romulan Empire. Now, on this stardate, the treaty appears to be broken, as our outposts are being attacked and destroyed by some weapon of immense power. Yes, the Romulans are back, testing their new war toy, and Kirk must now earn his pay: he must make decisions that would affect this sector of the galaxy, such as figuring out how to avoid a...oh, I dunno - an interstellar war, maybe?

    I think what makes this episode so effective is that it doesn't shy away from the grim aspects of war, as one would expect of a mere TV episode from the sixties - especially an episode from a science fiction show. It's all very tense and gripping, like the best war films, such as when Kirk sits down with his key officers for what amounts to a war council. The writers and the actors aren't kidding around here: this is all preparation for a ghastly conflict, potentially the beginning of another years-long battleground. In the final analysis, Kirk's aim is to keep this battleground to just the two ships - but even then it's an endeavor fraught with peril and probable casualties. In fact, I believe this episode holds the record for ship casualties by the end of it. Right at the start of the episode, we see the devastation such battle can produce, in that supposedly well-protected outpost. Then begin the cat-and-mouse war games between the Enterprise and the Romulan ship - it's as exciting as any conflict we've seen on the big screen. Of course, if you're not into war films, you'd have to look for other things to admire in this episode.

    What elevates this episode even further is the revelation of just what and who the Romulans are - it's an electric shock of a sort. Now we have even further inter-crew conflict on the bridge of the Enterprise - war does tend to bring out the worst in some people. Due to still nasty attitudes about race in this future, the tension is ratcheted up even further - Kirk has his hands full in this one. I suppose the one weakness in the story is the convenient relenting of the bigotry issue by the conclusion. On the Romulan side, actor Lenard makes his first appearance in the Trek universe as the Romulan commander; he's terrific in the role, the flip side of Capt. Kirk or Capt. Pike, take your pick, done up to resemble Spock more than a little. Surprisingly, his character is not war hungry as we would expect, another eye-opener for this episode. The actor would next return to this universe as Sarek, Spock's father, so he's nothing if not versatile. It's also telling how the first appearance of such characters as the Romulans is usually their best shot, as it is here. They showed up in "The Enterprise Incident" next.

    Related interests

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    Action
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    Drama
    James Earl Jones and David Prowse in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
    Sci-Fi

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Budgetary and time constraints prevented the make-up and costuming departments from dressing up each Romulan in Vulcan ears as it was such a lengthy process applying them. So they hit on the idea of giving the lesser Romulans helmets, which were manufactured by Wah Chang. Mr. Chang was responsible for creating many iconic Star Trek hand props.
    • Goofs
      When the nuclear device is detonated and Enterprise crew members are thrown about the bridge, Lt. Uhura is "thrown" in the opposite direction from all the other crew.
    • Quotes

      [after his ship has been disabled]

      Romulan Commander: I regret that we meet in this way. You and I are of a kind. In a different reality, I could have called you friend.

    • Alternate versions
      Special Enhanced version Digitally Remastered with new exterior shots and remade opening theme song
    • Connections
      Edited into Star Trek: The Deadly Years (1967)
    • Soundtracks
      Long, Long Ago
      [Opening of the wedding ceremony]

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 15, 1966 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • handitv
      • Official Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • Desilu Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Desilu Productions
      • Norway Corporation
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 50m
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 4:3

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