“The Alternative Factor” is a mess of an episode. Very little, from pacing, to acting to the very premise itself is worthwhile on any level. Indeed, this episode is just one small introspection away from complete and utter failure.

The premise of the episode is that a character, named Lazarus (Robert Brown) is locked in an epic struggle against a “monster” which threatens the entire universe. As it turns out, Lazarus has been battling a version of himself, from an alternate reality. The concept of facing one’s own shadowy reflection is a familiar archetype. Unfortunately, presenting it with a kind of multi-dimensional, techno-babble explanation saps the any measure of legitimacy for this idea in the episode.

It doesn’t help, either, that Lazarus’ mad ravings are so grating. Ditto for the bizarrely trippy effects used to depict the battle between Lazarus and his other self. The effects don’t exactly convey anything other than a mild sense of vertigo at best and at worst a very strong desire to return one’s dinner back onto the dinner plate.

The episode’s pacing is likewise problematic, thanks to the overly ambiguous explanations for the poor visuals and poor acting. There’s very little that actually works. And the whole idea of “the entire universe will be destroyed” is better suited for cartoons than a show that is intended to be a quasi-serious drama. In fact, the narrative only gains a measure of traction when we get a very obvious expository scene between Kirk and the “sane” Lazarus just before the end of the episode. Otherwise, the rest of the story is so obscure and amorphous that viewers can easily lose any measure of interest.

About the best that can be said for the episode, aside from the references to the shadow archetype, is the final resolution in which the sane Lazarus sacrifices himself – essentially accepting an eternity of conflict with his other self – purely for the sake of two universes. It would make for a fairly interesting myth. But then we’d be delving into fantasy, not science-fiction.

“The Alternative Factor” is a terrible episode, with little redeeming value. And what there is that is worthwhile is nearly inaccessible due to the atrocious story and performances. Not even Kirk or Spock manage to register anything close to a strong performance. Both are competent, but hardly transcendent. And this episode clearly needed a strong character to compensate for its most glaring errors.

Filed under: Original Series