Star Trek TOS S1E20: Court Martial

Computers don't take over. They just make us lie to each other better.

See the Star Trek TOS Rewatch Index page for links to all the episodes covered so far.

“COURT MARTIAL” Rating: 7.0

Star Trek’s first courtroom drama serves up one giant slice of ham after the other. It cheerfully tosses aside legal procedure and logic itself in the pursuit of melodrama and scenery chewing. It’s also, almost by accident, a prescient exploration of the dangers of computers. “Court Martial” is an incoherent mess of an episode which somehow, amidst the lurching improbability, manages to be both entertaining and intelligent. It’s not the best Trek, but it’s a good summation of why fans love even Trek that is not the best.