Season 1
Episode 12: The Conscience of the King
Filmed: September 1966
First Air Date: December 8, 1966 (13th episode aired)
Karen: "The Conscience of the King" is an episode I happen to like that seems to not be very popular, and I can understand why. It is talky. There aren't any space battles, and not any real fist fights to speak of. But this story gives us a glimpse at Kirk's past, and also shows us how Kirk responds when faced with choices -about justice, and vengeance. This is also a story about the burden of guilt.
Karen: "The Conscience of the King" is an episode I happen to like that seems to not be very popular, and I can understand why. It is talky. There aren't any space battles, and not any real fist fights to speak of. But this story gives us a glimpse at Kirk's past, and also shows us how Kirk responds when faced with choices -about justice, and vengeance. This is also a story about the burden of guilt.
Karen: Kirk gives passage to a travelling band of actors, although he has suspicions that one of them, Anton Karidian, is actually Kodos the Executioner, a man who ordered the deaths of 4,000 people on Tarsus IV some 20 years prior. Kirk is one of the few survivors of the incident, along with Lt. Kevin Riley, also among the Enterprise crew. While Kirk investigates Karidian, he finds himself attracted to Karidian's daughter, Lenore, also part of the acting company.
Karen: This is a murder mystery -one of Kirk's old friends, another survivor, is killed early in the episode -and Kirk proceeds on his own with his investigation, until Spock confronts him regarding it. Kirk is not even sure at first that there is anything to it, until someone attempts to murder Riley. Once convinced, he relentlessly pursues his investigation, even using Lenore, although he had genuine affection for her. It isn't a good side of the Captain.
Karen: Karidian, played by Arnold Moss, is a hollow, haunted man. For a while, we are left to guess -is he or isn't he? Kirk eventually confronts him, and we know -yes, this is Kodos. But far from being a ruthless killer, this is a man who made a terrible decision as governor of a starving colony planet, resulting in the deaths of half the colony. He has changed his identity, gone into hiding, but his actions have destroyed him. It is only his daughter Lenore that keeps him going now.
Karen: Lenore, played by Barbara Anderson, is certainly one of the more enchanting women the Captain has romanced. The brilliant Jerry Finnerman, director of photography, again sets a romantic mood on ship. Although there might be some eye-rolling at Lenore's remark to Kirk, "And this ship, all this power, surging,and throbbing, yet under control. Are you like that, Captain?"
Karen: This episode also sees the second (and last) appearance of Lieutenant Kevin Riley (Bruce Hyde), who we met in the episode "The Naked Time." There, a temporarily unhinged Riley drove everyone on the ship nuts by singing -badly - the song "I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen" over and over. Here, he is serenaded over the intercom by Uhura, who surprisingly is playing Spock's Vulcan harp. It's a nice chance for Nichelle Nichols to show off, and again, we get to see some of the crew in their off-duty hours.
Karen: This is also the last episode that Yeoman Rand would appear in. Returning to Marc Cushman's excellent sourcebook, These are the Voyages, Vol.1, there's a complicated picture of what happened to Rand and the actress who portrayed her, Grace Lee Whitney. On the surface, the problem appeared to be financial: Desilu wanted to cut costs, so they were looking at reducing the cast. Rand seemed like an obvious choice. Many were not happy with the character anyway, as she seemed to put a hamper on Kirk's romantic proclivities. But Whitney had stated that a studio executive had made sexual demands of her, which she refused, and she believed that was why she was let go. Like so many things, we may never know the whole truth. But for her final episode, she is barely noticeable in a scene on the bridge.
Karen: I think there are a lot of effective moments in this episode, which I have to credit to director Gerd Oswald. Oswald had fled Nazi Germany and came to Hollywood, where he was constantly in work. Before Star Trek, he had helmed 14 episodes of The Outer Limits, so he knew a thing or two about science fiction. The ending, when Kirk confronts father and daughter, is particularly thrilling. When Lenore grabs the phaser and there is a tight focus on her eyes, it appears as if there are tiny stars of light in them -again, I'm sure Finnerman had a hand in this -and her madness is palpable. I love the attention to detail that went into these first season episodes. They weren't just cranking out shows -they were making beautiful shows.
Karen: I think there are a lot of effective moments in this episode, which I have to credit to director Gerd Oswald. Oswald had fled Nazi Germany and came to Hollywood, where he was constantly in work. Before Star Trek, he had helmed 14 episodes of The Outer Limits, so he knew a thing or two about science fiction. The ending, when Kirk confronts father and daughter, is particularly thrilling. When Lenore grabs the phaser and there is a tight focus on her eyes, it appears as if there are tiny stars of light in them -again, I'm sure Finnerman had a hand in this -and her madness is palpable. I love the attention to detail that went into these first season episodes. They weren't just cranking out shows -they were making beautiful shows.
