"The Enterprise Incident"
Airdate: September 27, 1968
60 of 80 produced
57 of 80 released
Click here to watch on CBS.com
Introduction
The Enterprise, on Captain Kirk's orders, crosses the Romulan Neutral Zone. It quickly finds itself surrounded by several Romulan warships. The danger is compounded by Kirk's seemingly increasing irrationality. Adding to the danger is the commander of the Romulan vessels. She holds the fate of the Enterprise in her hands, but seems as interested in its first officer as the ship itself. Have the stresses of the job finally broken the captain? Offered a privileged life with his Romulan cousins, will Spock be able to resist?
Conclusion
Love. This. Episode. No two ways about it. The writing is definitely well above average. A few minor plot annoyances don't detract from the solid political thriller or the character development in this story. Acting and production values are nigh on perfection. Leonard Nimoy and Joanne Linville as the Romulan commander turn in some fantastic performances. As I do in the podcast, I am going to heap some fawning praise on the Romulan commander's evening gown. Minor quibbles about Romulan shipboard security protocol don't keep this episode from a 5 from both us. This episode gets a total of 10 and has a more than average chance at the top ten of TOS episodes. Enjoy the podcast, everyone.
