This episode opens with the Enterprise heading to the world of Organia to prevent the Klingons seizing this harmless but strategically important planet. Kirk and Spock beam down and are surprised at the level of passivity displayed by the locals; they are totally unconcerned about the prospect of a Klingon invasion. They insist they are in no danger but have no obvious means of defending themselves. When the Klingons arrive in force Kirk orders the Enterprise to retreat back to Federation space. Trapped on the planet Kirk pretends to be a local while Spock poses as a Vulcan merchant. Kor, the leader of the Klingon invasion is disgusted by the way the Organians don't fight back but respects Kirk's anger and makes him his liaison officer. With nobody else offering any resistance Kirk and Spock destroy a Klingon munitions dump which leads to reprisals. Kirk can't understand why the Organians continue to remain passive but it turns out that they are far from the backward people everybody thought them to be.
This episode's main claim to fame is the introduction of Star Trek's best known villains; the Klingons. Here they are merely rather swarthy men rather than the heavily made-up characters viewers of latter series will be familiar with. John Colicos does a fine job as Kor; he makes a great antagonist without making the character a pantomime villain. The Organian's prove to be more interesting than they first appear although I'm sure most viewers will have guessed that they aren't quite what they seem long before the reveal. The episode is also notable for showing that there can be a degree of hypocrisy from the Federation; Kirk is happy to pressure the Organians to do as he suggests yet is outraged when it is they who interfere in the conflict between the Federations and the Klingons an hypocrisy he acknowledges later. This is an episode all 'Star Trek fans' will want to see both for the story and the introduction of the Klingons.
This episode's main claim to fame is the introduction of Star Trek's best known villains; the Klingons. Here they are merely rather swarthy men rather than the heavily made-up characters viewers of latter series will be familiar with. John Colicos does a fine job as Kor; he makes a great antagonist without making the character a pantomime villain. The Organian's prove to be more interesting than they first appear although I'm sure most viewers will have guessed that they aren't quite what they seem long before the reveal. The episode is also notable for showing that there can be a degree of hypocrisy from the Federation; Kirk is happy to pressure the Organians to do as he suggests yet is outraged when it is they who interfere in the conflict between the Federations and the Klingons an hypocrisy he acknowledges later. This is an episode all 'Star Trek fans' will want to see both for the story and the introduction of the Klingons.