Star Trek TOS S2E1: Amok Time

Star Trek figures out it's all about the slash.

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

“AMOK TIME:” Rating: 10/10

The original series Star Trek consists entirely of standalone episodes; there are no plot arcs. But that doesn’t mean there’s no development.

On the contrary, the first episode of the second season, “Amok Time” demonstrates that the show’s creators learned a lot over the course of the first season, and are determined to build on it.

Mainly, they learned that everything is Spock, Spock, and more Spock. Great SF writer Theodore Sturgeon and director Joseph Pevney lean so far into Leonard Nimoy love they just about fall into the Vulcan soup, and then they lean in even more. Then they grab hold of threads of characterization from past episodes—Nurse Chapel’s attraction to Spock, Spock’s occasional use of Captain Kirk’s first name, the series’ insularly obsessive celebration of masculine relationships—and tie them all into beautiful bows of emotional payoff.

And there’s more! The introduction of Navigator Chekhov (Walter Koenig), the last member of the core bridge crew. A wildly over the top score by Gerald Fried. Great guest stars. And some of the series most breathtaking cinematography. Put it all together and you have one of the all-time, all-time Treks.