“Day of the Dove” is a strong episode that present a typical Trekkian theme of non-violence. But the episode’s success isn’t as a result of innovation or revelation, rather it does an admirable job of showing the audience its message, with a minimal amount of preaching or pontification. This “show-not-tell” approach is the difference.

The episode begins with the Enterprise crew on an alien planet investigating a distress call – investigating what happened to a colony of humans. While there, a Klingon ship arrives, fueling suspicions about whether or not the Klingons are indeed at fault. But the Klingon ship is severely damaged and the Klingons have their own suspicions about the Enterprise’s complicity in the attack on their own ship.

What unfolds is a story that plays upon the inherent suspicions of the two factions, quite deftly and plausibly creating a commentary about not only violence in general, but also on the underlying psychological motivations behind conflict, such as racism. To do this, the story introduces a Plot Device by way of an alien entity which feeds off of aggression, hatred, and conflict. This entity simply enhances the natural prejudices of the two crews to trigger a never-ending conflict on board ship.

The strength of the episode, then, is in how it portrays the various characters confronting and rejecting their own inner prejudices. The truth is, we all have prejudices. But the difference comes from how well we manage to overcome them. In this case, the prejudices are enhanced in a bit of hyperbole – to more dramatically demonstrate the point – but it works quite well.

Another strength of the episode is the acting – particularly from the principle cast. Kirk is very compelling. More importantly, though, is the character of Kang, the Klingon commander. His character is likewise compelling and plausible. He appears ruthless and calculating enough to be a natural foil for Kirk’s own prejudices against Klingons, making Kirk’s triumph over his inner demons all the more important.

About the only real letdown is the episode’s final climactic moments. For most of the episode, the pacing is quite brisk, allowing for a steady, unfettered buildup to the tension. But the Kirk’s fake laughter (subsequently joined by Kang) feels empty and anticlimactic. That being said, the fact that the alien entity simply leaves the ship allows for the continued danger of further bouts of aggression throughout the galaxy – a decidedly praiseworthy decision.

“Day of the Dove” is a solid episode for exploring themes of hatred, violence, prejudice and the need for reason to overcome all of these pitfalls.

Filed under: Original Series