"Spectre of the Gun" is the sixth episode of the
third season of the American
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
television series ''
Star Trek''. Written by former producer
Gene L. Coon (under the pseudonym of Lee Cronin) and directed by
Vincent McEveety
Vincent Michael McEveety (August 10, 1929 – May 19, 2018) was an American film and television director and producer.
Career
Vince McEveety directed numerous Emmy Award-winning television series, including ''The Untouchables'', '' Gunsmoke ...
, it was first broadcast on October 25, 1968.
In the episode, having been found trespassing into Melkotian space, Captain
Kirk
Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning "church". It is often used specifically of the Church of Scotland. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it.
Basic meaning and etymology
As a common noun, ''kirk' ...
and members of his crew are sent to die in a re-enactment of the
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
The gunfight at the O.K. Corral was a thirty-second shootout between law enforcement officer, lawmen led by Virgil Earp and members of a loosely organized group of outlaws called the Cochise County Cowboys, Cowboys that occurred at about 3: ...
.
Plot
The
Federation
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government ( federalism). In a federation, the self-govern ...
starship ''
Enterprise
Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to:
Business and economics
Brands and enterprises
* Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company
* Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company
* Enterpris ...
'' has been directed to make contact with a reclusive species known as the Melkotians. As they approach the Melkotians' planet, they encounter a probe carrying a warning for them to stay away. Crewmembers hear the warning in their native languages, suggesting that the Melkotians are
telepath
Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic ...
s. Despite First Officer
Spock's warnings about the formidableness of telepaths, Captain
Kirk
Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning "church". It is often used specifically of the Church of Scotland. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it.
Basic meaning and etymology
As a common noun, ''kirk' ...
orders the ship to remain on course. Once in orbit, Kirk, Spock, Chief Engineer
Scott, Chief Medical Officer Dr.
McCoy, and Navigator Ensign
Chekov transport to the surface.
They are met by a Melkotian emissary, who declares that they have been condemned to death for trespassing. The landing party then find themselves in an abstract landscape that resembles an
Old West
The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...
ern town, though many buildings are only simple wooden facades. Furthermore, they find their phasers have been changed into
six-shooters, and they cannot contact the ''Enterprise''.
Exploring the town, they find a newspaper dated October 26, 1881, the date of the infamous
gunfight at the O.K. Corral
The gunfight at the O.K. Corral was a thirty-second shootout between law enforcement officer, lawmen led by Virgil Earp and members of a loosely organized group of outlaws called the Cochise County Cowboys, Cowboys that occurred at about 3: ...
. The townspeople believe the landing party are members of the
Cowboys
A cowboy is a professional pastoralist or mounted livestock herder, usually from the Americas or Australia.
Cowboy(s) or The Cowboy(s) may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Cowboy'' (1958 film), starring Glenn Ford
* ''Cowboy'' (1966 film), ...
: Kirk as
Ike Clanton, Scott as
Billy Clanton
William Harrison Clanton (1862 – October 26, 1881) was an outlaw Cowboy in Cochise County, Arizona Territory. He, along with his father Newman Clanton and brother Ike Clanton, worked a ranch near the boomtown of Tombstone, Arizona Territor ...
, McCoy as
Tom McLaury
Tom McLaury (June 30, 1853 – October 26, 1881) was an American outlaw. He and his brother Frank owned a ranch outside Tombstone, Arizona, Arizona Territory during the 1880s. He was a member of a group of outlaws Cowboys and cattle rustlers t ...
, Spock as
Frank McLaury
Frank McLaury born Robert Findley McLaury (March 3, 1849 – October 26, 1881) was an American outlaw. He and his brother Tom owned a ranch outside Tombstone, Arizona, Arizona Territory during the 1880s, and had ongoing conflicts with lawmen W ...
, and Chekov as
Billy Claiborne
Billy Claiborne ( – November 14, 1882) was an American outlaw cowboy, drover, miner, and gunfighter in the American Old West. He killed James Hickey in a confrontation in a saloon, but it was ruled self-defense. He was present at the beginnin ...
. The crew soon discovers that men dressed as the
Earp brothers;
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: th ...
,
Wyatt
Wyatt is a patronymic surname, derived from the Norman surname ''Guyot'', derived from "widu", Proto-Germanic for "wood".
Notable people with the surname "Wyatt" include
A
* Aaron Wyatt, Australian musician
* Addie L. Wyatt (1924–2012), Amer ...
, and
Morgan, as well as their deputy
Doc Holliday, are preparing to fight them at the appointed time.
Knowing that in real history the gunfight was fatal to most of the Cowboys, the ''Enterprise'' crew try to change their fates by getting the sheriff and the townspeople to stop the fight and even attempt to negotiate with the Earps, but nothing works. However, when a barmaid, Sylvia, gets close to Chekov, a jealous Morgan Earp shoots him dead. Spock remarks that the real Billy Claiborne had survived, suggesting that the day's events could be changed in other ways. To that end, Spock creates an improvised tranquilizer
gas grenade to subdue the Earps before the shootout and is surprised when the gas fails to work.
The time of the shootout draws near; a defiant Kirk and the landing party suddenly find themselves at the O.K. Corral, with the Earps approaching. Spock realizes from the failure of the gas grenade and the "death" of Chekov that the world they are in does not conform to the laws of reality and persuades the others that as long as they are convinced of that they cannot be harmed. Kirk has Spock
mind-meld with the rest of the team to imbue them with absolute conviction. Thus, when the Earps and Holliday open fire, their bullets pass harmlessly through.
Kirk beats Wyatt Earp in a fistfight and disarms him, but when given the chance to kill him in revenge for Chekov, he instead throws his weapon away. The crew find themselves, along with a still-living Chekov, on the ''Enterprise'' bridge (Chekov having survived only because his mind was on Sylvia and not dwelling on the fact that he could be killed). The Melkotians make contact, inquire about Kirk's refusal to kill, and finally welcome the ''Enterprise'' to approach their planet.
Production
In ''Star Trek 3'', author
James Blish
James Benjamin Blish () was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He is best known for his '' Cities in Flight'' novels and his series of ''Star Trek'' novelizations written with his wife, J. A. Lawrence. His novel '' A Case of Conscie ...
's novelization of this episode was called "The Last Gunfight".
The show was the last episode to air on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
at 10 p.m. on Fridays.
DeForest Kelley had played Morgan Earp in the 1957 film, ''
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
The gunfight at the O.K. Corral was a thirty-second shootout between law enforcement officer, lawmen led by Virgil Earp and members of a loosely organized group of outlaws called the Cochise County Cowboys, Cowboys that occurred at about 3: ...
''.
As money was not available for a full set, director
Vincent McEveety
Vincent Michael McEveety (August 10, 1929 – May 19, 2018) was an American film and television director and producer.
Career
Vince McEveety directed numerous Emmy Award-winning television series, including ''The Untouchables'', '' Gunsmoke ...
was asked to use a stylized Western street of false building fronts and no sides.
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, marking it down for loose writing but praising its impressive final showdown and "weird, arrhythmic vibe working for the show for once".
In 2012, ''
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 ...
'' ranked this episode as one of top ten "must see" episodes of the original series.
In 2012, ''
Christian Science Monitor
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρισ ...
'' ranked this the ninth best episode of the original ''Star Trek''.
Keith R.A. DeCandido of
Tor.com
''Tor.com'' is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine published by Tor Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers. The magazine publishes articles, reviews, original short fiction, re-reads and commentary on speculative fiction.
From 20 ...
initially criticizes the episode for its historical inaccuracies, but then praises it on a philosophical level, noting that Kirk and company never fight when provoked, don't kill for revenge, and ignore the initial warning in favor of carrying out their directives to seek out new life.
In 2016, ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...
'' ranked "Spectre of the Gun" as the 20th best episode of the original series, and noted its western style gunfight. In 2017,
Den of Geek
''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a bi-annual magazine.
History
''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ...
ranked this episode as the 10th "best worst" ''Star Trek'' episode of the original series.
Home media releases
This episode was released on
LaserDisc, paired with "Day of the Dove" in 1987 in the United States.
This episode was released on
VHS in the United Kingdom, paired with "
Assignment: Earth" (Season 2 Episode 26).
This episode was released in Japan on December 21, 1993 as part of the complete season 3 LaserDisc set, ''Star Trek: Original Series log.3''.
A trailer for this and the other episodes was also included, and the episode had English and Japanese audio tracks.
The cover script was スター・トレック TVサードシーズン
References
External links
*
"The Last Gunfight"Script review and analysis of "Spectre of the Gun"'s first draft by
Dave Eversole
{{Star Trek: The Original Series episodes, 3
1968 American television episodes
Science fiction Westerns
Star Trek: The Original Series (season 3) episodes
Cultural depictions of Wyatt Earp
Cultural depictions of Doc Holliday
Television episodes directed by Vincent McEveety
Television episodes written by Gene L. Coon