The Squire of Gothos
- Episode aired Jan 12, 1967
- TV-PG
- 50m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
4.2K
YOUR RATING
A being that controls matter and creates planets wants to play with the Enterprise crew.A being that controls matter and creates planets wants to play with the Enterprise crew.A being that controls matter and creates planets wants to play with the Enterprise crew.
Barbara Babcock
- Trelane's Mother
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
Bill Blackburn
- Lieutenant Hadley
- (uncredited)
Frank da Vinci
- Lt. Brent
- (uncredited)
Carey Foster
- Enterprise crewmember
- (uncredited)
Bart La Rue
- Trelane's Father
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
Eddie Paskey
- Lieutenant Leslie
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWilliam Campbell's first wig was a French hairpiece. He demanded that an English barrister's wig be found to fit his character. William Shatner complained that precious production time is going to be wasted for something he found to be a minor and unimportant detail. Director Don McDougall didn't want a conflict with the series star, so he called producer Gene L. Coon to the set to arbitrate the matter. Coon decided in favor of Campbell, and filming was halted until the English wig was found.
- GoofsThere seems to be some confusion as to the pronunciation of Lt. Jaeger's surname. Spock pronounces the name in the German manner, i.e. "Yay-ger", but later on, McCoy and DeSalle both use the "J"" pronunciation, i.e. "Jay-ger". However, this is not uncommon. Many European names are mispronounced by English-speaking people, bit the fastidious Spock is more likely to pronounce them properly.
- Crazy creditsThe closing credits are set against a combination background of stills from that episode and previous episodes.
- Alternate versionsSpecial Enhanced version Digitally Remastered with new exterior shots and remade opening theme song
- ConnectionsFeatured in William Shatner's Star Trek Memories (1995)
- SoundtracksTheme From Star Trek
Written by and credited to Alexander Courage
Featured review
Intellect Without Discipline, Power Without Constructive Purpose
An apt description by Spock of an all-powerful fop into whose clutches fall the crew of the Enterprise. This was one sector of space our starship should have avoided: first Sulu & Kirk simply disappear off the bridge; a landing party follows them to the surface of an unknown planet and encounter Trelane, a seemingly aristocratic man dressed in attire from an Earth of many centuries past. But he demonstrates abilities of someone or something far beyond human and doesn't register on McCoy's medical tricorder. The officers manage to escape back to the ship but, like some bad cosmic penny, Trelane keeps popping up. He brings them all back, including some female companionship, to continue his games. The dilemma now takes on elements of 'The Most Dangerous Game' out in space and there's an exasperating, even infuriating aspect to the crew's utter helplessness before such unbridled power.
What really makes this a great episode is the memorable performance by guest star Campbell as the overpowering but not all-knowing alien. His character is obviously an early version of Q, who was introduced 20 years later in the pilot for the TNG series. Trelane's confrontation scene with Spock stands out among all the strange drama which unfolds. As usual, Kirk quickly begins to look for possible weaknesses in his new nemesis, despite being quite outmatched. The answers to exactly what or who Trelane is are right in front of us the whole time so, when we do learn the truth, it makes complete sense in view of Campbell's pitch-perfect acting. He indulges himself constantly, preening before some unknown audience, remarking on things with a flair which is infectious but not quite right - we can't quite pin it down at first, but there's something missing here. Every few minutes, his tone becomes sinister and the crew now appears to be in serious danger. In a way, you can't take your eyes off him, always waiting to see what he does next. Actor John de Lancie captured that similar tone as Q on the Next Generation series.
What really makes this a great episode is the memorable performance by guest star Campbell as the overpowering but not all-knowing alien. His character is obviously an early version of Q, who was introduced 20 years later in the pilot for the TNG series. Trelane's confrontation scene with Spock stands out among all the strange drama which unfolds. As usual, Kirk quickly begins to look for possible weaknesses in his new nemesis, despite being quite outmatched. The answers to exactly what or who Trelane is are right in front of us the whole time so, when we do learn the truth, it makes complete sense in view of Campbell's pitch-perfect acting. He indulges himself constantly, preening before some unknown audience, remarking on things with a flair which is infectious but not quite right - we can't quite pin it down at first, but there's something missing here. Every few minutes, his tone becomes sinister and the crew now appears to be in serious danger. In a way, you can't take your eyes off him, always waiting to see what he does next. Actor John de Lancie captured that similar tone as Q on the Next Generation series.
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- Bogmeister
- Jul 7, 2006
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