Heyo we are back... with more Star Trek! And another original series review at that. What better way to stay on top of modern relevant pop culture than by diving into a show that aired half a century ago!
"The Mark of Gideon" was a request by a friend (not exactly sure why this particular one) and it finds us immediately returning to TOS season 3... which as I discussed in my look at "Savage Curtain" was the chaotic and uneven final gasp of the series. No need to rehash that here, although the inconsistency and underdeveloped plots are again very noticeable in "Gideon".
The episode begins with the Enterprise in orbit for a diplomatic mission to Gideon, a reclusive world. Gideon is so socially insulated that, by negotiation and Federation orders, only Captain Kirk is to beam down to meet their ruling council. After transport, Kirk is back in the same transporter room except the entire ship is empty and abandoned. Opening credits! An effective teaser, jumping at you with some suspense and mystery. Being alone in space is a well-worn science fiction premise for a reason.
Granted, watching William Shatner alone on a ship for 45 minutes would be a pretty grating experience, and this comes from someone greatly fond of his Captain Kirk portrayal. The problem with this episode is that it mostly disregards mood or tension for... well frankly I'm not even sure (more on that later).
While the next scene out of the credits is Kirk alone, trying to contact Starfleet or see if anyone is still aboard while his unease visibly grows (and the shots of empty rooms are dramatically effective)... the episode switches to Spock and crew on the bridge (revealing that the crew is actually fine) contacted by the Gideon council asking why Kirk hasn't transported down yet. Keep that nugget in mind for later.
Kirk encounters a strange woman (of course) on the Enterprise, named Odenna or something? Whatever. Anyway she claims to not know why she's here, although the emptiness of a deserted Enterprise is very pleasing to her, as she explains how desperately overcrowded her world is. This episode was partially written by Stanley Adams, best known for playing the Tribble slinging huckster Cyrano Jones in that famous episode. Adams was concerned about over-population and so pitched this story idea to Roddenberry... and supposedly was not pleased with the final result.
Skipping the whole synopsis, I'll say that this episode executes some thoughtful ideas either bizarrely or without the necessary gravity. It is the kind of story Next Generation could have handled with its better characterization and less reliance on cheesy love plot (it's Kirk alone with a female alien, what else you think is gonna happen).
There's a lot going on here: the planet Gideon is behind the abduction and Odele? (whatever) is the council leader's daughter who has volunteered for a mission of intentionally getting a rare disease from Kirk so to bring it to their people. Insert your own joke here. Their overpopulation is so bad it has drastically reduced their quality of life, their physiology so perfect that they do not develop deadly diseases amongst themselves anymore... thus why they've infected Kirk with one to transfer to Onalla? (whatever) to alleviate the populace burden. This will kill the two of them as test subjects but the council leader argues it will save their civilization. Kirk asks why they simply can't, ya know, keep it in their damn pants if things are that desperate (and if Captain James T. Fucking Kirk is telling you that, wow)... or suggests subtly that the Federation can help with contraceptives. Alas, they explain Gideon is very much a free love society and that is too much a part of their identity to surrender. That last point is such a Gene Roddenberry rewrite I need a new Bingo card.
What saves the episode from being truly bad are the interesting concepts to chew on: a world so desperate to combat overpopulation yet also cannot die, so are willing to resort to such measures and regard it quite patriotically. Onatta? (whatever) is quite convinced she is fulfilling some great duty to her people even while dying in agony. Frankly if her character had been fleshed out with more thought instead of the tedious scenes of her telling Kirk how she wants to be alone with just him forever... this might've been something. Keep your romance, just don't make it 95 percent of what she does. Likewise the parts of the empty Enterprise are unsettling, and the slow reveal of the crammed Gideon people watching through the lab window is really creepy... their deathly stares adding this inhuman, faceless presence. Genuinely chilling!
The elements are in place for a compelling story but the pacing and script just can't balance them. Spock's odd moments like "diplomacy's purpose is to prolong a crisis" jump out in how random his disdain seems... getting more bizarre when he compares diplomats to bureaucrats. I get much of the secondary plot is Spock dueling the council leader with well placed words (and those parts sorta work, although the number of times Nimoy says "your excellency" would make a dangerous drinking game). This part of the story needs less of Spock expressing his emotionless contempt and more of him figuring out what has actually happened to Kirk, as he suddenly just seems to know everything in the span of a missing cut scene. Likewise the ending is frustratingly lacklustre: Spock beams down, finds Kirk and ladygirl, they three beam up... everything resolves! She's now cured but desires to transport back down and begin this new era for her people. This all happens in like two minutes.
So many logical holes! If curing her didn't make a difference in saving their race, why didn't they just do that in the first place? If the Gideon's plan was to hold Kirk indefinitely (they were content for him to die of infection also) why were they the ones to contact the Enterprise to announce Kirk had not yet arrived, clueing in the crew that he was missing? Why would completely isolating Kirk in his most familiar place make him understand the plight of having so many people around that you can never be alone anywhere? Why wouldn't Kirk bring a communicator with him in the first place? Even for a Sci-fi show my suspension of disbelief cannot abide all of these.
Most importantly, you've brushing a seriously heavy subject under the rug here: a society that willingly wants to kill portions of itself off because their quality of life has become so desperate by extreme overcrowding. They're a reclusive and proud culture, fine... that's the only clever thing the episode does to over its bases (otherwise I'd be screaming "JUST MIGRATE TO ANOTHER PLANET, MORONS" the entire last 20 minutes of this). For a 60s show to address suicide directly... probably a bit too much to ask but if you don't want to give the subject at least some acknowledgement or debate then why even make this? Hell... "A Taste of Armageddon" did (people willingly entering disintegration chambers) and while that episode's debate is presented very one sided (rightfully so within its own context) it is still a very damn fine outing of TOS.
"The Mark of Gideon" has that same elephant in the room, probably an even bigger one since their crisis is much more real... but it dances around it and instead pets the pretty trunk. There's enough to make it watchable, but I don't particularly like it much. Some really good ideas that were begging to be explored more... with no natural buildup and a rushed, corny and terrible conclusion. A Warp 4 at most, though the more I think about it the less I feel generous.
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