"Errand of Mercy" is the twenty-sixth episode of the
first season of the American
science fiction television
Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary ...
series ''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
''. Written by
Gene L. Coon and directed by
John Newland, it was first broadcast on March 23, 1967. It was the first episode in which the
Klingon
The Klingons ( ; Klingon: ''tlhIngan'' ) are a fictional species in the science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''.
Developed by screenwriter Gene L. Coon in 1967 for the original ''Star Trek'' (''TOS'') series, Klingons were swarthy humanoids c ...
s appeared.
In the episode, with a war with the Klingons declared,
Captain Kirk
James Tiberius Kirk is a fictional character in the '' Star Trek'' media franchise. Originally played by Canadian actor William Shatner, Kirk first appeared in '' Star Trek'' serving aboard the starship USS ''Enterprise'' as captain. Kirk lea ...
and his First Officer,
Mr. Spock
Spock is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. He first appeared in the original ''Star Trek'' series serving aboard the starship USS ''Enterprise'' as science officer and first officer (and Kirk's Second-in-command) and ...
, attempt to sway the incomprehensibly placid population of a planet near the Klingon border to resist an invading military occupation.
The Klingon governor,
Kor (played by
John Colicos
John Colicos (December 10, 1928 – March 6, 2000) was a Canadian actor. He performed on stage and television in the United States and Canada.
Career
Colicos was born in Toronto, Ontario, to a Greek father and a Canadian mother.
In 1957 he app ...
), would return decades later in the ''
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' episodes "
Blood Oath", "
The Sword of Kahless
"The Sword of Kahless" is the 81st episode of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', the ninth of the fourth season. It originally aired on November 20, 1995, in broadcast syndication. The story was ...
" and "
Once More Unto the Breach". In "
The Sword of Kahless
"The Sword of Kahless" is the 81st episode of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', the ninth of the fourth season. It originally aired on November 20, 1995, in broadcast syndication. The story was ...
",
Worf
Worf, son of Mogh is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise. He appears in the television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (''TNG'') and seasons four through seven of '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (''DS9'') as well as t ...
mentions Kor's encounter with Kirk.
Plot
Negotiations between the
United Federation of Planets
In the fictional universe of ''Star Trek'' the United Federation of Planets (UFP) is the interstellar government with which, as part of its space force Starfleet, most of the characters and starships of the franchise are affiliated. Commonly refe ...
and the
Klingon Empire
The Klingons ( ; Klingon: ''tlhIngan'' ) are a fictional species in the science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''.
Developed by screenwriter Gene L. Coon in 1967 for the original ''Star Trek'' (''TOS'') series, Klingons were swarthy humanoids ch ...
have collapsed, and the
USS ''Enterprise'' is sent to the world of
Organia, a non-aligned planet near the Klingon border, to prevent the Klingons from taking advantage of its strategic location. As the ''Enterprise'' approaches Organia, the ship is attacked and destroys a Klingon vessel.
Upon arriving on the planet's surface, Kirk and Spock find a peaceful but technologically primitive town. Kirk appeals to Ayelborne, the head of the local council to allow the Federation to help them resist Klingon occupation, but the Organians adamantly oppose any use of violence. When a Klingon fleet appears in orbit, Kirk orders the ''Enterprise'' to withdraw, which strands himself and Spock on the planet.
Ayelborne disguises Kirk and Spock to avoid suspicion and the Klingons seize control of the planet without resistance, installing the ranking Klingon officer, Kor, as the military governor. Kor has Spock questioned with a "mind sifter" device to confirm he is not a spy and designates Kirk as the Organian civilian liaison with the occupation force. Spock uses his mental discipline to withstand the scrutiny of the device.
That evening, in an attempt to inspire the Organians, Spock and Kirk sabotage a munitions dump outside the town. Ayelborne reveals the true identities of the Federation officers to Kor. He and the council then mysteriously free the two before the Klingons can torture information out of them. While Kirk and Spock try to comprehend the council's contradictory actions, Kor orders the execution of two hundred Organians, yet the council seems unmoved.
As the Federation and Klingon fleets ready themselves for a confrontation in the system, Kirk and Spock raid the Klingon headquarters in hopes of rousing the population into resistance. They capture Kor and prepare to make a last stand. The Organians then reveal their true nature: they are highly advanced incorporeal beings. They instantly incapacitate both sides, forcing them to agree to a cessation of hostilities. The Organians predict that the two sides will work together in the future.
Production
Story editor
D.C. Fontana
Dorothy Catherine Fontana (March 25, 1939 – December 2, 2019) was an American television script writer and story editor, best known for her work on the original ''Star Trek'' franchise and several Western television series.
After a short ...
said she thought the Romulans were much more interesting than the Klingons but the Klingons were chosen as the regular adversaries of the series because they did not need any special makeup like the pointed ears for the Romulans.
The Klingons' dark-skinned, mustached look was the idea of
John Colicos
John Colicos (December 10, 1928 – March 6, 2000) was a Canadian actor. He performed on stage and television in the United States and Canada.
Career
Colicos was born in Toronto, Ontario, to a Greek father and a Canadian mother.
In 1957 he app ...
who played Kor. Makeup artist
Fred Phillips agreed that they should have a "Genghis Khan" look. In
Gene L. Coon's script the Klingons were described as simply "Oriental, hard-faced."
Reception
Zack Handlen of ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' gave the episode a 'B+' rating, describing it as "fun" but noting "logical holes throughout".
Hollywood.com said "Errand of Mercy" was among the best of ''Star Trek'' episodes about the Klingons, noting in this episode the war-craving Klingons thought the Organians were peasants. A ranking of every episode of the original series by
''Hollywood'', placed this episode 25th out of 79 episodes.
In a review of fictional Star Trek aliens in 2018 by ''
CBR'', the Organians were noted as a powerful species. They were particularly impressed with the Organian character Trefayne, who was one of the Organian council members that talks to Kirk.
In 2016,
SyFy
Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...
ranked guest star John Colicos's performance as Kor (the Klingon leader), as the 13th best guest star on the original series.
Colicos went on to reprise his role as Kor decades later on the Star Trek spin-off ''
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine''.
The franchise was trying to do numerous cross-overs whenever possible to enhance franchise continuity.
Directors were happy with enhancements to continuity, such as actors reprising their roles as characters the audience was already familiar with.
Being consistent with continuity and bringing back old characters meant the audience would feel familiar with what was being presented.
A 2018 ''Star Trek''
binge-watching
Binge-watching (also called binge-viewing) is the practice of watching entertainment or informational content for a prolonged time span, usually a single television show.
Statistics
Binge-watching overlaps with marathon viewing which places mo ...
guide by ''
Den of Geek
''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gan ...
'', recommended this episode as part of the "foundations of ''Star Trek''".
See also
*
Observer Effect (Star Trek: Enterprise)
References
External links
*
"Errand of Mercy"Review of the remastered version at
TrekMovie.com"Errand of Mercy"Screenshots before and after remastering
{{Star Trek: The Original Series episodes, 1
Star Trek: The Original Series (season 1) episodes
1967 American television episodes
Television episodes written by Gene L. Coon