Metamorphosis

Zefram Cochrane was from Alpha Centauri, getting old outer space the man did flee, met a cloud made of sparks, of energy and arcs, now he doesn't look a day over forty three.

A mysterious cloud of energy pulls the shuttle Galileo onto a rocky surface where a rejuvenated inventor of long ago has been unintentionally making sparks fly.

The Galileo space shuttle and is taken to planet by a mysterious entity.

This an enjoyable episode that has a slightly awkward plot but strong character moments.

The story involves an introduction to one of the most important names in the fictional world of Star Trek. The captivity situation works well for the themes of the episode but for me it is resolved in a slightly unsatisfactory way.

I enjoyed the focus on Kirk, Spock, Bones, and the guest characters. Themes of love and companionship within humanity are explored nicely in their actions and dialogue. Some of it feels somewhat out of sync with modern attitudes towards love and intimacy between individuals that are quite different, but it depends on how liberal your point of view is on these things.

It ends in a somewhat contrived circumstance as the backstory of the female guest character is paid lip service by Kirk in a rather throwaway line of dialogue.

I enjoyed the acting, particularly by DeForest Kelley, James Doohan (I love Scotty in command) and Elinor Donahue.

The visuals are all excellent when you consider the time period the episode was made. The wide angled shots, purple sky, set design, and special effect sequences of 'The Companion' all work for me. I particularly liked the scarf pattern filter shot used to show Hedford's perspective.

I personally rate it as a 7.5/10, but like to round upwards.

Zafram Cochrane, one of the pioneers of space science is on a planet. He has been for more than a hundred years. He has been kept alive by his association with an entity that looks like a little whirlwind that encompasses him, sparkling and turning. This turns out to be an act of passion and love. The problem is that Cochran is stuck there, not only because he is not allowed to leave but because he has feelings for this entity. Kirk and his crew come along, accompanied by a young woman who has been given a death sentence. She is played by Elinor Donahue, who played the eldest daughter on "Father Knows Best" and one of Andy Griffith's girlfriends on his show. She is bitter and angry, which is natural. Cochrane is attracted to her, but she is too into her misery to really allow this. I always liked this episode because there is a real humanity to it. A gentleness. Glenn Corbett, a guy we used to see all the time does a nice job of playing the low key Cochrane.

One criticism of Science Fiction, especially by non-sf people, is that not only is SF labeled as "unrealistic" (as if any movie or show can be "realistic") but it tends to be cold and emotionless. A Kleenex box might come in handy when viewing movies like "Casablanca" or "Kramer vs Kramer" but not typically for SF films. Science Fiction often deals with the wonders of futuristic technology or the fascination with the outer reaches of the universe. The invention of machines that transport molecules and the study of black holes and nebula are fascinating but not heart-wrenching. SF rarely explores the limitless realm of the inner heart. Certainly, there are times when space-suited characters might fall in love, but typically any love interest takes a back seat to the main thrust of the action.

However, there are a few notable exceptions. "Metamorphosis", a Star Trek offering from the second season, deals directly with the emotional phenomenon of love and affection without lapsing into contrived sentiment. The story even propagates the universality of love while being at its essence pure science fiction. The usual trio, Kirk, Spock and McCoy are aboard the shuttle craft with precious cargo, a woman ambassador whose negotiating abilities are regarded as the only hope in stopping an interplanetary war. Simultaneously, the woman is afflicted with an uncommon illness that needs to be treated on the Enterprise. The three enterprise crew members are on a mission to bring the woman to the Enterprise and treat her so she can return to the negotiating process that will hopefully end the conflict. Their course is thwarted when a strange energy field appears to take control of the craft and send them onto a tiny planet.

They find a human being, Cochran, who claims he was marooned there many years previous. And residing on the planet is the strange energy field that is determined not only to be a living entity but also having sentience. He calls the energy creature "the companion". At first we are led to believe "the companion" is keeping Cochran prisoner. But as the story unfolds, we learn that the companion is even more than sentient. It has true human-like emotions for Cochran.

A wonderful episode that can stand up to the best love stories with a wonderful unexpected turn-of-events. And highest marks for the two guest stars, Elinor Donahue and the late Glenn Corbett. Only the superb acting of this episode makes it work. Not to be missed, and can be enjoyed by even non-sf viewers. And it probably is the only Star Trek episode that requires a box of Kleenex!

I'm glad the special effects were weak when this series came out. This forced the writing staff to come up with great story lines rather than rely on ships blowing each other up and other pointless action. Sure Star Trek also needs action, but great love stories also carried this series. Kirk, Spock, and Bones, are accompanied by a dying female diplomat, and are forced by an unknown being to remain on a lonely planet. They discover an astronaut who was believed to be dead many years earlier. The astronaut has developed an unusual relationship with the unknown being which keeps him from dying, but keeps him from leaving. There is no action or fighting in this episode, no great tension, it's just all about love. This is definitely a "sleeper" episode than is greatly under-appreciated.