“The Galileo Seven” is an intriguing look at “Spock’s first command.” And in that sense, watching Spock try and use his unrelenting logic to solve an irrational problem, the episode is quite valuable. But there are a number of issues – mostly in terms of pacing and the overall premise – which greatly diminish the overall episode. But even as the episode unfolds, it takes a very inconsistent approach toward Spock – both his character and the logic he uses. The result is an uneven episode that is only suspenseful because of a poorly contrived plot device.

The story begins with the Enterprise en route to deliver medical supplies to a plague-ridden planet when it encounters a mysterious quasar-like object in space. Despite the time constraints on the medical supplies, Kirk decides to dally around and investigate the phenomenon, before resuming his original mission. The problem is one of plausibility. It’s not like the space phenomenon was going anywhere. It’s not like it was hidden and couldn’t be found again (the episode makes a point of describing how big it is).

The proper course of action would have been for Kirk and his crew to deliver the time-sensitive supplies, and then go back and investigate at their leisure. But Kirk decides to forget any semblance of, oh I don’t know, intelligence? And he decides to investigate because of some previously nonexistent standing order to investigate such phenomena – regardless of the jeopardy in which it might place a planet full of sick people.

I generally object to episodes which rely on the stupidity of its main characters simply in order to generate story ideas – especially when the consequences of such stupidity are completely ignored. In this episode, Spock’s actions garner far more scrutiny in the episode than Kirk’s. But in fact, the episode treats Kirk like some kind of hero for his unyielding dedication to searching for his missing shipmates when it is Kirk’s decision that leads to the tragic events of “the Galileo seven” far more than any logical decision Spock makes while in command.

Because, predictably, when Spock and the Galileo shuttle are investigating the quasar, the shuttle is damaged and makes a crash landing on a remote planet within the phenomenon. The bulk of the episode is taken up by Kirk’s search (while an annoying commissioner takes every possible moment to remind Kirk of the plague) and Spock’s attempts give his crew their best possible chance at being located by the searching Enterprise. And for what it’s worth, the search sequences are compelling, and the danger on the planet (represented by ridiculously large Yeti-like creatures) is palpable. But because the entire scenario is purely the result of Kirk’s stupidity, the entire enterprise (pun intended) is wasted.

It’s a shame because watching Spock deal with his “first command” is quite intriguing – especially when his purely logical decisions seem to go awry. But the truth is, Spock’s “logic” is inconsistent – at times he displays and acts on emotion – which also undermines the episode. The result is that, by the time Spock and the remaining survivors are ready to make a desperate attempt at escape, Spock is inexplicably the “bad guy” to most of his crew. I certainly understand and appreciate the lesson that logic isn’t always the best answer in a situation. But the setup and execution of the story is so lacking, that it is self-defeating.

“The Galileo Seven” has many elements that are noteworthy – and ought to have led to a truly classic episode. But in this case the whole is much less than the sum of its parts. It’s an illogical result from an episode that tried to logically present an argument that logic doesn’t always work. Logically speaking, this one doesn’t live up to expectations.

Filed under: Original Series