Far out, man.

“The Way To Eden” is the way to madness – if you try and take the episode seriously, that is. I mean, there is at least some attempt at a message and a purpose. But the episode is simply all over the place in its attempts to convey any meaning or significance. And the sheer ridiculousness of the characters, and caricatures, is, simply, embarrassing. It’s a shame because the notions of a utopian society, free from the corrupting influence of high technology, is certainly worth exploring. Too bad this episode is presented as poorly as it is.

The episode is, essentially, about a group of space hippies looking for a place called “Eden” which, they hope, will be a place free from the burdens of a technological society. The motivations and implications of such a movement are certainly noteworthy. Indeed, this is where the episode maintains (at least somewhat) a semblance of legitimacy. Otherwise, it’s an exercise in everything that could (and does) go wrong on the Star Trek series.

What we get is a series of cringeworthy scenes in which the hippies act like a bunch of spoiled children, and sing very bad musical numbers. They flail about, chant and perform all manner of hippie cliché. It is, truly, a very poor performance.

The implications of the story are certainly interesting, particularly considering the fact that the “Eden” the hippies find actually turns out to be a deadly planet. But the fact that we had to endure yet another “take over the Enterprise” plot (why on Earth would the auxiliary control room override bridge functions anyway?) makes it all as nonsensical as the costumes and behaviors of the hippies.

Without question, “The Way To Eden” is one of the worst episodes of the series – on a variety of levels. That it manages to elude failure seems almost an accident. But at the very least, we can credit the need to imbue Trek episodes with a “purpose” for giving this one just enough to lift it out of the muck.

Filed under: Original Series