Believe it or not, “Spectre of the Gun” is a classic episode, one of the most memorable and enjoyable of the series – if you can accept its primary conceit. The problem is, the premise is likely to prove insurmountably abstract to many viewers, especially those who may only have a casual interest in Star Trek. But if you can indeed get past the episode’s inherent weirdness, then you’ll be in for a real treat.

The premise of this episode is that the Enterprise is on a mission to contact with the planet Melkot. But on their way there, they are intercepted by a strange probe which warns the crew to stay away. Of course, Kirk won’t be deterred so easily. He presses onward and beams down to the planet only to find himself in the middle of what is, essentially, a test. In this way, the episode is a bit like some of the sequences we will later see from Q in TNG.

The test itself is modeled on one of Kirk’s memories: a story about the shootout at the O.K. Corral between the Earps and the Clantons. Of course, Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Chekov and Scotty are on the losing side of the battle as the Clantons. Their task then is to figure some way out without being killed. This sets up the main portion of the episode and, despite some repetition in dialogue and the caricatures of the Earps as bad guys, the sequences are fairly successful.

Perhaps what contributes most to the episode’s success is the very surreal presentation of the city of Tombstone. There’s a red backdrop instead of a sky. Buildings show only the storefronts and minor decorations within. It’s a bit like walking into an abstract painting. And because it’s so bizarre, it lends a very spooky and ominous mood to the entire story, effectively ratcheting up the suspense without resorting to melodrama.

This is important because the events that transpire are so inherently implausible. In this world, none of their instruments work, their guns shoot blanks, they cannot leave town, and a tranquilizer they make ends up to be ineffective. Oh, and Checkov dies.

As it turns out the trick is to believe that the world around them is, well, surreal. And in so doing, the bullets fired by the Earps will be rendered harmless. In that sense, this episode is a bit like Matrix – learning to see beyond the “reality” surrounding our heroes. And by not killing the Earps after they killed Chekov, Kirk demonstrates that humanity has indeed learned to control its more primitive (and brutal) urges.

They past the test. (And Chekov turns out to be alive.)

“Spectre of the Gun” is a remarkably memorable and enjoyable episode.  Considering the rather inconsistent nature of the third season, this is a welcome installment.

Filed under: Original Series