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Recap / Star Trek S1 E20 "Court Martial"

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Original air date: February 2, 1967

After having gone through a severe ion storm, the never-before-mentioned Records Officer Lt. Comm. Ben Finney is dead. Now safely at Starbase 11, Kirk is filling out the necessary paperwork and chatting amiably with Commodore Stone. Suddenly, Finney's teenage daughter Jame ( pronounced "Jamie" ) bursts in and starts calling Kirk a murderer at the top of her lungs for no particular reason. It's after this that Stone notices the Enterprise computer's transcript suggests Kirk is guilty of culpable negligence in Finney's death.

Kirk soon finds himself facing (you guessed it) court martial, and who does the prosecution turns out to be? Areel Shaw, one of Kirk's old girlfriends! For his own attorney, Kirk gets Samuel T. Cogley, a crazy old Luddite who doesn't use his computer, insisting that the law "really" exists in books. This is a bit like a modern-day lawyer insisting that the law really exists on papyrus scrolls, but never mind. Cogley decides to build his case on Kirk being a human and the computer being a soulless machine. It was mentioned prior to this that Finney had a huge grudge against Kirk, but this apparently isn't considered relevant.

Shaw starts off by questioning Spock, Bones, and the ship's personnel officer. Jame is also present, constantly scowling and getting the odd cutaway shot. Cogley argues that Kirk is innocent because machines are inhuman, and Shaw shows a video from the day which seemingly proves Kirk's guilt. Somehow, her case goes over better and Kirk finds himself in deep doo-doo. Meanwhile, Jame decides Kirk is innocent just about as arbitrarily as she decided he was a murderer, and apologizes. Back on the Enterprise , Spock notices that the computer isn't as good at 3D chess as it should be, and realizes someone tampered with it. Before making use of this evidence, Cogley, of course, has to go into a rant about the wheels of progress being out of control.

It's quickly deduced that Finney not only messed with the computer, but faked his death and is hiding on the ship when the Enterprise computer detects the sound of his heart beat. Kirk sets off to confront Finney alone since This Is Something He's Got to Do Himself , leading to the obligatory fight scene with the crazed Finney complete with yet another one of Kirk's uniform shirts being torn in the process. Finney admits to sabotaging the Enterprise , causing the ship's orbit to decay. Kirk fixes this up with a stop by the Jeffries Tube and the bridge.

All is resolved. Cogley plans to defend Finney, Shaw (obviously happy she lost) kisses Kirk, and the Enterprise sets off on her next adventure.

Court Tropes:

• All There in the Script : A scene in the script, but cut from the episode, would have revealed that Jame Finney's change of heart was due to reading her father's old letters and realizing that he might pull something like this to get revenge on Kirk.
• It should be noted that in military courts, when you are ordered to act as prosecutor, you don't get to recuse on the grounds of familiarity, you follow orders and a failure to do so to the best of your ability is considered dereliction of duty. However, at the same time, Commodore Stone acted as both a member of the board of judgement AND as the officer who leveled the charges in the first place, which DOES present a conflict of interest, as his making of those charges does actually mark him as biased in favor of the charges.
• It may also be, in 23rd-century Starfleet, that officers take their duties seriously and simply don't allow such relationships to be a hindrance. Commodore Stone has no difficulty acting as an impartial judge; Lt. Shaw pulls no punches as she lays out a devastating case against her former lover.
• Spock, McCoy and the personnel officer are all present as witnesses in the court. They should not be sitting in court before their respective testimonies to avoid collusion.
• Cogley had rested his defense just before Spock and McCoy entered with the exonerating evidence. So his impassioned plea to allow Kirk to "face his accuser" should really mean nothing considered he'd already announced for the record that he'd finished his case.
• Artistic License – Space : The orbit of the Enterprise begins to decay ridiculously quickly . In the absence of any velocity change, the only factor which can cause this rate of decay is atmospheric drag, which would mean the ship is already burning up in the atmosphere of the body it's orbiting.
• Beard of Sorrow : Albeit self-serving sorrow, Finney probably didn't get a chance to shave while skulking around the engineering decks working on his madman act.
• Bling of War : There are some pretty nice-looking ones on the panel.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer : Cogley, who rejects computers for books, is depicted as eccentric at the very least but proves to be a competent and imaginative lawyer.
• Caught on Tape : Captain Kirk is brought up on charges of causing the death of a crewman. The main evidence against him is the Enterprise computer log. It's later determined that the log was altered to frame Kirk for the crewman's death.
• Character Witness : Spock and McCoy both try to tell the courtroom that Kirk couldn't have committed this kind of crime, but it does no good.
• Clear My Name : Kirk attempts to do this, but it does no good. It's up to Spock to do it for him .
• Clothing Damage : Kirk's shirt gets torn during his fight with Finney.
• Convicted by Public Opinion : Timothy from the bar makes it clear that he thinks Kirk is at fault for Finney's death, while Mike backs Timothy up. Maybe they're just bitter because Kirk is a captain and they're still wearing lieutenant's stripes, despite the fact that they were all in the same class at the Academy.
• Court-martialed : Kirk gets put on trial for causing the death of a crew member through negligence. The crewman faked his death because he believed Kirk cost him a starship command by reporting him for an incident when they were both junior officers. Kirk is cleared of all charges.
• Courtroom Episode : Captain Kirk is accused of negligently causing the death of a crewman and perjury.
• Crusading Lawyer : Cogley. Shaw recommended Kirk to him because "if anyone can save you, he can." At the end of the episode, Shaw tells Kirk that Cogley is now defending Ben Finney, and confident he can get an acquittal there too.
• Deadpan Snarker : Cogley has caused Kirk's room to look like a library threw up. Kirk : I hope I'm not crowding you.
• Distinction Without a Difference : This exchange when Spock is trying to defend Kirk. Shaw : Are you disputing with the computer? Spock : I am not disputing with the computer; I am merely stating that it is wrong.
• Dropping the Bombshell : Late in the trial, Cogley stuns the courtroom by announcing Finney isn't dead.
• Drowning Their Sorrows : After some planned solace with Shaw goes awry, Kirk plans to drink brandy straight from the bottle.
• Spock calls himself a Vulcanian. Also his ID says he's in the Vulcanian Scientific Legion of Honor, and Kirk says he hasn't seen one of the guys at the bar "since the Vulcanian Expedition."
• When Doctor McCoy scans Spock to mask out his heartbeat from the sound detector on the Enterprise, he does so across the chest region. It is later established that a Vulcan's heart is located in the lower right area of the torso.
• Also averted. After half a season of "Space Central," "The Star Service," "The United Earth Space Probe Agency (UESPA)," and "The Space Fleet," Court Martial finally settles on the name of the service that Kirk and his crew belong to: Starfleet . note  UESPA will turn up here and there in later franchise installments, to help retcon its repeated mentioning in the first half of Trek TOS .
• Easily Condemned : Kirk easily ends up Convicted by Public Opinion for negligence leading to a crew member's death, despite his stellar reputation up to now. Only his True Companions insist he couldn't have done it. The supposedly dead crew member, Ben Finney, framed him by altering security footage as revenge for Kirk daring to mention a mistake he made that could have resulted in an entire ship blowing up with all hands.
• Easily Forgiven : Lt. Shaw, a former flame, is appointed to prosecute Kirk. She does set him up with who she believes to be a good defense attorney, but in court she pulls no punches and presents a devastating case. When all goes Kirk's way, they, er, make up fairly quickly. On the Bridge.
• It's Kirk's offhanded comment that Spock "may be able to beat [his] next captain at chess" that sets the Vulcan on the right track.
• Similarly, Kirk has one when he works through that searching the ship for a missing crewman presumes that said crewman wishes to be found.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones : Finney may be batshit crazy to the point that he's prepared to destroy the Enterprise — and kill the entire court-martial board in the process — for the sake of getting revenge on Kirk, but he loves his daughter Jame. After he learns she's on board the ship, he's horrified, and ultimately tells Kirk which part of the ship he sabotaged so Kirk can repair it.
• Faking the Dead : Finney, to get revenge on Kirk.
• Famous, Famous, Fictional : Cogley's list of famous declarations of rights— the Magna Carta, the US Constitution, a Declaration of Rights from the Martian Colonies, and the Statutes of Alpha III.
• Fan of the Past : Samuel Cogley seems to be an amateur historian. During his closing arguments, he refers to fundamental declarations of rights made in the Magna Carta, the US Constitution, a Declaration of Rights from the Martian Colonies, and the Statutes of Alpha III. Justified, as lawyers need to be familiar with precedent cases, and history is one of the most common undergraduate majors for law school applicants.
• Fighting Your Friend : Areel Shaw has to take on the role of the prosecution despite being Kirk's ex-lover and friend.
• Frame-Up : You didn't think Kirk was actually guilty , did you?
• Good Old Ways , aka Technophobia: Kirk's "brilliant" defense counsel has access to all legal precedents from history catalogued on his computer system, but casts it all aside for... books! Books which could be, and surely are , ON that system, with the addition of indexing and annotation... note  Apparently whoever wrote this assumed that computers in the future would have as extremely limited storage space as they did in the 1960s, so the books you would find on computer would be more like a summary or Reader's Digest condensed version.
• Informed Ability : Downplayed. Samuel T. Cogley is stated to be a good lawyer. In-episode, he does well enough until the video log by the computer, at which point it boils down to the point of 'the computer is never wrong', something he can't argue against with no reason to suspect otherwise. Once Spock gives him evidence that the computer is in error (indirectly), then he appeals to the court and succeeds, going on with some help to showcase the real truth of the matter. Not exactly brilliant, but he does show some chops.
• Insult Backfire : When McCoy discovers Spock playing chess during the latter stages of Kirk's trial, he calls him, "the most cold-blooded man I've ever met." Spock's response? "Why, thank you, Doctor."
• Ludicrous Precision : Damn that's creepy. Someone get her away from the calendar. Areel : "Four years, seven months, and an odd number of days."
• Mildly Military : Inverted. Finney complains that he should have been a captain, except for his "one mistake." IRL, that is all it takes to stall the career of a military officer, not only the mistakes he makes, but those over whom he has command (and responsibility). Although the show sometimes makes the claim Starfleet is not military (or is not merely military).
• Never My Fault : Finney blames Kirk for the damage done to his career, but Kirk simply reported his mistake. Finney was the one who made a mistake that could have destroyed an entire ship with all hands. Perhaps he thought that Kirk should have protected him because they had been friends and when Kirk naturally didn’t do so, Finney blamed him for the fallout.
• Obvious Stunt Double : The fight scene, where seemingly two random guys fight in place of William Shatner and Richard Webb.
• Off-the-Shelf FX : The device McCoy uses to mute everyone's heartbeat is obviously a microphone. To be fair, that's what it is in-universe too (recording each heartbeat so the computer can filter it).
• Once Done, Never Forgotten : It's made clear that Finney believes the mistake he made (which Kirk mentions would have endangered the ship they were on if he hadn't reported it) was disproportionately small compared to the punishment he received (reprimanded and dropped to the bottom of the promotion list) and that their entire class, who made captain before him, constantly mocked him behind his back. He believes it enough to have gone obsessively insane, rant about it constantly to his own daughter, and try to commit murder when finally confronted.
• The Pigpen : Hiding from everyone aboard for several days took a toll on Finney's hygiene. He's pretty gamey-looking with a decent amount of stubble by the time he confronts Kirk in Engineering.
• Reasonable Authority Figure : Commodore Stone isn't out for Kirk's hide— he's doing his duty as a flag officer when evidence implicates one of the captains in his sector. Once it's clear Kirk was framed, he immediately agrees to drop all charges.
• Recycled Soundtrack : Several musical scores are reused in this episode, including some cues from " The Naked Time " by Alexander Courage, romantic themes by Joseph Mullendore from " The Conscience of the King " (used for Kirk and Areel Shaw), and music from " The Enemy Within " by Sol Kaplan (accompanying the fight between Kirk and Finney).
• The Resenter : Finney. Ben Finney and James T. Kirk were friends when they were younger, until Kirk logged a mistake Finney had made aboard the Republic that could have blown up the ship had it not been discovered. This caused Finney to be reprimanded and dropped to the bottom of the promotion list. Years later Finney, still secretly burning with resentment of being denied the captaincy he believed Kirk had taken from him out of jealousy, faked his death and framed Kirk for it. When discovered, Finney breaks into a tirade about how he has "killed" the Enterprise (by causing the ship's orbit to decay) and that he doesn't care about the people he'll kill as they are "officers and gentlemen, Captains all... except for Finney, and his one mistake!"
• Sailor Fuku : Jame Finney's attire is a "futuristic" version of this.
• Scare Chord : The prosecuting attorney badgers McCoy into admitting, "Yes, it's possible" — whereupon we get one of the series's trademark overly-dramatic musical stings.
• Self-Serving Memory : Finney blames Kirk for his not getting a promotion , conveniently forgetting that all Kirk did was inform their superiors of an act of negligence by Finney that could have destroyed the ship.
• Simple Country Lawyer : Cogley has elements of this.

• Stock Footage : A clip " The Naked Time " is used on the viewscreen shots as the Enterprise re-establishes its orbit around Starbase 11. A close-up of Spock from that episode is also reused. We also see a stock shot of the Enterprise moving through a starfield when she should be in orbit around the Starbase.
• Switching P.O.V. : The main evidence against Kirk is the view of him pressing the button that jettisons the pod when Finney was still inside. However, the view of the action only shows a man's arm in a captain's uniform pressing the button, not that the arm is actually Kirk's. More damaging would have been the ability to see his face at the same time.
• This Is No Time for Knitting : McCoy is aghast at seeing Spock playing chess while Kirk is losing his trial, but of course our favorite Vulcan knows exactly what he is doing. Namely, Spock was playing chess to confirm that the computer has been tampered with.
• Title Drop : Because the title is "Court Martial" and it's about a court martial .
• Villainous Breakdown : Finney has one at the end when Kirk confronts him, particularly when Kirk reveals that Jame is aboard the Enterprise after Finney told him he sabotaged the ship to burn up in the atmosphere.
• We Will Not Use Photoshop in the Future : This episode was ahead of its time considering Spock finds out that the damning security cam footage had been deliberately altered to implicate Kirk.
• We Used to Be Friends : Kirk and Finney were apparently on good terms as junior officers... until Kirk logged a dangerous negligence that Finney committed.
• What Happened to the Mouse? : Despite being set up as a major guest character, Jame sort of just disappears halfway through the episode. There was supposed to be a scene in which she reunites with her father at the end, but this was deleted, resulting in her subplot going nowhere.
• Writers Cannot Do Math : On the Bridge, Kirk says they will be employing a sound amplification that will magnify all sounds aboard ship on the order of " one to the fourth power"— which equals... one (and somehow the system only registers heartbeats ).
• You Killed My Father : Sorry, Jame, we didn't quite get that. What are you accusing Captain Kirk of doing?

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“Court Martial” Remastered Review + Video & Screenshots

| May 11, 2008 | By: Jeff Bond 101 comments so far

REVIEW by Jeff Bond

“Court Martial” demonstrated about halfway through Star Trek ’s first season just how flexible the format designed by Gene Roddenberry was: far from a “planet of the week” or “monster of the week” show, the original series’ characters and the world created for them could support many kinds of stories, from horror to comedy and in this case, a combination of courtroom drama and mystery that also delves into the character and mystique of Captain Kirk.

Things start with a bang as Kirk is accused not only of incompetence but perhaps willful murder for jettisoning the ion pod manned by officer Ben Finney before circumstances seemed to warrant it. Starfleet Commodore Stone (Percy Rodriguez) suggests Kirk simply resign to prevent embarrassing Starfleet, but Kirk, knowing he’s in the right, demands a court martial. To add to the fireworks, one of his old flames, Ariel Shaw (Joan Marshall) is put in charge of his prosecution, and she suggests colorful and experienced trial lawyer Samuel Cogley (Elisha Cooke, Jr.) for his defense.

As is so keenly illustrated by Spock, the episode plays on our certainty that a man like Kirk could never act “out of malice or panic”—clearly there’s something more here than meets the eye, or in this case, the computer record scanners.

“Court Martial” is full of nice moments despite a few raw performances and plot holes. Even on the show’s limited budget, the look at a starbase, and views of Starfleet personnel on shore leave there, is a fascinating change of pace from the usual shipboard scenes and there’s a nice sense of a large and complex organization and civilization sketched out in a few broad strokes. Shatner is subdued and convincing, in his early scenes playing against Percy Rodriguez, later smiling grimly through a strained confrontation with some fellow officers in a bar, ruefully getting to know Sam Cogley and facing cross examination. Rodriguez is a powerful, stalwart presence—this is the actor who became famous for his foreboding voiceovers for movie trailers like Jaws in the Seventies and his casting here, as one of the most powerful men in Starfleet, was both daring for its time and entirely convincing. Veteran character actor Elisha Cooke Jr. brings the same sweaty, irascible quality he brought to his many film appearances, and when all is revealed at the story’s climax Richard Webb, once TV’s Captain Midnight, delivers a crazed tour-de-force as Kirk’s bitter nemesis Finney.

The show is practically a primer in how the character of Kirk is to be viewed, from the laundry list of medals and awards that even his defense lawyer finally cuts off in court to Finney’s simmering jealousy (“I’ve watched you for years…the great Captain Kirk!”). And the teleplay by Don Mamkiewicz and Stephen Carabatsos has some great lines, from McCoy’s introduction to Areel Shaw (“All my old friends look like doctors…all his look like you.”) to Finney’s deranged manifesto in engineering (“Innocent? Officers and gentleman…captains all! Except for Finney, and his one mistake…”). It also shows Spock’s understated concern for his friend Kirk’s reputation and the Vulcan (or Vulcanian, as this still-developing series refers to his race at this point) working coolly to solve the mystery at hand.

There are a few clunky elements: the performance of young Alice Rawlings as Finney’s daughter, a difficult role not quite pulled off; the multiple angles of the computer file records of Kirk’s actions during the ion storm, which always read more like dramatic footage than surveillance camera recordings; and the cheap microphone “white sound device” prop used by McCoy near the show’s climax. And most of all, the manipulation of Areel Shaw’s character, who surely would not have been assigned to prosecute Kirk given their former relationship ( Trek tried this same gimmick in TNG ’s “The Measure of a Man” when Riker has to prosecute his pal Data)—and who engages in something like criminal negligence herself by meeting with the subject of her prosecution, revealing her trial strategy and arranging for Kirk’s defense. You also have to love Kirk’s log entry (presumably a supplemental) after he’s taken out Finney: “Beaten and sobbing, he told me where he’d sabotaged the main energy circuits…”—talk about adding insult to injury!

Two other observations: the added detail of the remastering gives fans a great view of Commodore Stone’s repair chart of all 12 starship registry numbers (although I’m not sure there’s a clear view of any ship names there). And if you hadn’t noticed it before, that odd-looking plant in Stone’s office is one of the pod plants from “This Side of Paradise.”  Maybe they were setting up for a sequel there.

The CBS-D treatment of “Court Martial” has to stand as the ideal for what this project was trying to achieve: Not only does it visually answer one of the longest-standing technical questions about the Enterprise ever (where in Hell is the ship’s ion pod?), but it shows us a TOS-era starbase for the first time as we always imagined it—as a hub of activity for numerous starships and support craft as well as personnel. The treatment here, compared to a lot of other episodes, is luxurious, from the opening orbital shot of the storm-damaged Enterprise moving past several other starships and an Antares-style cargo vessel, to the enhanced matte paintings of Starbase 11, with added vehicles and even an office building peopled with multiple levels of visible personnel.

The original, striking Albert Whitlock matte painting from the opening of the episode is retained and so enhanced, but CBS-D doesn’t stop there. They add a night scene with a different angle of the base (culled from a shot originally designed for “The Menagerie, Part 1”) that adds a ringed moon to the planetscape, then consistently add the moon into a later shot of the Whitlock painting as well as several orbital shots, all while retaining the purple/magenta color scheme of the original matte job.

After the first commercial break the episode opens with a zoom in past and under the Enterprise warp nacelles downward to focus on the shuttle bay area and a new ion pod being positioned by some kind of repair crew. The storm damage shown on the ship and the specific look at the ion pod are the kinds of details that would have been impossible to achieve on the original series budget and schedule, and their addition here is the best kind of payoff to the Remastered project. As much as this effort has had its highs and lows, the extra effort made on specific episodes like this one still makes the project worthwhile in my opinion. Before this job was undertaken it would have been considered remarkable to have even a handful of episodes enhanced in this way—the fact that all of them have been tackled is still rather amazing, and given the limitations of time and money, the batting average hasn’t been all that bad.

( higher quality version at YouTube )

SCREENSHOTS

Remastered (in HD) v Original

Screenshots via the fine folks at Trekcore.com

Seasons One and Two discounted at Amazon The Season Two box set is now available at Amazon for pre-order, discounted to $63.99 (Amazon has a low price guarantee that if they drop the price before ship date of August 5th you will get that lower price). Amazon has also discounted the Season One DVD / HD DVD combo disk is to $96.95 (retail is $194.99).

Very nicely done effects here. The originals were very good too.

I, like others, was interested in the actual location of the Ion Pod. The Remastered Team’s area selection makes sense.

Was there ever an explanation (or rationalization) posited for the ion pod, beyond a plot device?

Why would it be so important to have it manned only during an ion storm? And what danger does it pose to the ship that not only it has to be jetisoned but also that it warrents a dedicated button on the Captain’s chair?

Shatner’s stunt double in this one looks about 15 years old. Seriously, did they ever expect anyone to buy that guy as Kirk? Heh.

Probably my absolute favorite TOS episode besides COTEOF, despite the macguffin of the ‘Ion Pod’ and McCoy’s microphone masquerading as a medical device. Really solid character moments here, especially between Kirk and Spock. And a nice remaster to boot!

I’ve always loved this episode, mainly because of Stone and the Court Martial scenes (a lot of non-white Starfleet higher ups, compared to all the old tubby white guys seen in most TNG episodes). It really gave a great sense of a larger Trek universe (but not a really boring one like TNG’s and Voyager’s, where they all just seemed to hang around with mostly white people and take learning annex courses). I was like 9 going “hey, why would a captain’s log have all those camera angles… hey, couldn’t they just find Finney with a tricorder… hey that’s a microphone!” and so on until my little brother punched me for stating the obvious. Apparently I was a genius at 9. It didn’t last.

Once again, Max Gabl, the matte artist proves his mastery over the craft! A+ Max.

If only all episodes got this level of treatment.

Great episode too.

Good job CBS-D. Now we know where the Ion Pod is located.

Nice Starbase shots as well.

Beautiful episode perfectly executed by the CBS guys!!! Print never looked nicer. Funny how Shatner did most of his own stunts even the more dangerous ones fighting in Vasquez Rocks ect but to my knowledge the two most glaring incidents of not Shatnerian stunts were both in the Engineering bay??? Khan fight and Finney fight both the same stunt double. That closeup of the E with the shuttle zooming past and the two spaceuited techs angling the new pod looked so real and positively cinematic!!!! God I wish they could redo Balance of Terror And I always love “Beaten and sobbing!!!” One of the best Trek lines ever!!!

Seeing all those clips back-to-back made me notice that the stardates are actually sequential, not just random numbers – shows they obviously put some thought into the stardates.

It’s a common mistake that the term “Vulcanian” was used until they decided to “retcon” it to “Vulcan,” but if you pay attention to a few of the early episodes, they used BOTH terms within the same episode. That happened a few times.

For years I always assumed that the infamous “ion pod” was that glowy half-sphere right above the shuttlebay. It was never clearly stated (to my knowledge) what that half-sphere was anyway, so I’m surprised they didn’t come right out and establish it AS the ion pod. I like the new one, though, especially the detail of the four burn marks around the pod hatch, showing where the quad thrusters obviously made their mark while rocketing away from the Enterprise.

As a final note, I’d like to point out that “Jamie” is misspelled to say “Jame” in the image caption up there…just rendering a little helpful editorial assistance… :)

No, she spelled it “Jame” despite the pronounciation. The credits say “Alice Rawlings… Jame Finney”.

Too bad they abandoned the bustling space port idea after two shots. The rest of the E shots are her completely alone in orbit like all the other episodes.

Nice review. I agree there’s too much D bashing. Team Okuda should be given more time and dough to pimp our E in the eps where it really needs a second pass, but overall the remastering is a fun reason to watch these great stories again.

You mention plot holes. To me, this is another example of Roddenberry et al playing with our knowledge of what the Enterprise’s technology can do. Here, we’re at the low end. You’re telling me there’s NOTHING on board besides a Mister Microphone that can reveal Finney’s been playing Pleiadese Cluster Possom? Hey, I know… why not ask someone on that big honkin’ Starbase to shine a beam onto 1701 and see how many humanoids on board. I won’t even go into the other ships, since they’re not shown in the original. As I say, this is Starfleet Tech at its most limited. I wish they’d kept it limited, as opposed to Nemesis, where we can cross the Alpha Quadrant before breakfast and find Data’s spare bits and target (!) every ship in Starfleet without getting up from a chair.

Anyway — good ep. Great Kirk / Spock / McCoy moments. And, agreed, Alice doesn’t star here anymore.

Oh, one other silly question… Why DID Kirk have to jettison the ion pod? I mean if the ship is under severe stress, would a tiny pod be causing more headaches than say… two nacelles or a deflector dish or any of the other big chunks?

I know I’m going to get a meanie award for this gripe, but I always liked the ring around the glowing object I shall assume is a star in the original matte painting. You can see a similar atmospheric artifact around the moon sometimes here on good old Earth. I don’t know why they got rid of such coolness in the “improved” matte.

That aside, I do like all the nifty things they did with this episode. Jeff Bond’s review is on-target all the way around.

Great episode.

Scott B. out.

Great review and a great episode. The burned look of the Enterprise + ion pod replacement and matte shots were very well done. This is a case where the remastering really made this episode even better.

You havt to be an obbssive crack pot who escaped from his keeper or samual t cogley attorney at law. Your right on both counts.Need a lawyer. Im afraid so. That was and is one of the best line from tos. I also loved the shot of the ion pod and the burn marks and all the activity at the start of the episode. This was cbs at there best on the remastering. I loved the new shots and loved how everything looked and all the court room drama. I think gene took some things fom perry mason on this episode. Now wheres all my books. not that hamonginised and pasterised and synthiseisd computer.Books!!!

For all of its apparent flaws, this remains to be one of the better episodes of TOS.

I’ve gotta believe that this only going to make Finney’s record look worse.

Man just watching the youtube clip of the new effects makes me really think again how good the music was on the original series. Why they could not get as good as music in the other series always made me wonder. Sure I will not say it was all bad music in the later series. It just to me did not have the power and mood setting of the original series music. I can here just snippets of the musical cues from the original ST and really get emotionally moved in some way or another. I really hope the new film gets some of this. Although I have to say I do like the composer they have working on it.

I’m definately with you on that.

During the Next Generation, there was a directive from Rick Berman (I think) to dtone down the themes in the music, so that every episode would have the same basic sound.

The Star Trek features, before Generations, are some of the best scores in my collection.

Giacchino could do a lot worse than to write something in this vein.

#19 and #20 i completly agree with you. The music on tos was great and it always stuck to you. The first 6 movies and generations to some extent had great music. But the new series even though were good and great was lacking in the music. I think only in the first season of the next generation and the borg episodes did they have great music scores.Can you imagine tos or movies like top gun or flash gorden and other movies not have great music. So lets hope that the new movie has great music to go along with great writing and directing and we will have another great movie.

Any one have any idea will might play finney in the new movie.

Finney’s in the new movie? :)

I don’t know how the new movie will turn out but there’s one element I have great faith in: Michael Giacchino’s ability to give it a great score. Check out his work on Lost, which is the best dramatic scoring done on television in years, or his Speed Racer score–which not only plays with the original theme song brilliantly but also inserts elements of the original cartoon underscore into the new score in very entertaining and exciting ways. For my money Giacchino is the most exciting film composer working today and no one has greater respect for the scoring traditions of the Sixties and Seventies than he does.

Now this is one CBS-D’s better efforts This is one that they thought out. I’m only going to nitpick two details, but don’t get me wrong, still a job well done. #1 For the tallest building on the starbase, the people should have been made smaller. The size that CBS made the people in the windows made the scale of the building look smaller. #2 I agree that there should have been more ships in every shot.

However, I am left with a couple of questions (not necessarily related to the plot). #1 I wonder how crazy the gravity on this planet would be, considering the proximity of the 2 planets. And #2 Where is it that the Enterprise is getting fixed? The starbase is on the earth, but there was never any sort of space station shown.

To answer the half-sphere on top of the shuttle bay, I think that “In a Mirror Darkly pt. 2” made that a rear photon torpedo launcher on board the Defiant. Though it was never established on TOS, I consider Enterprise to be canon, and therefore, now consider that to be a rear weapons launcher.

From the review: “…moving past several other starships and an Antares-style cargo vessel…”

I didn’t see a cargo vessel anywhere in the episode or in the FX video above. A few shuttles and another Constitution-class starship but no cargo vessels.

But I agree, this is one of CBS-D’s better efforts.

I thought it was odd that McCoy had to use the Mister Microphone thingie to “mask” the sound of everyone’s heartbeats on the bridge, yet he could use the computer to do the same thing for the transporter tech! And they had to beam everyone else offboard to accomplish this, as well?!?

Except for the few clunkers like that, and as mentioned above, overall a great episode! Another great job by cbs-d on picking up the loose ends, and filling in the blanks for us! Much appreciate the superb effort here! It really made this into an outstanding episode!

I also really enjoyed the portrayals of Lt. Areel Shaw, and Samuel T. Cogley! What a delight they were! Strong performances indeed! And Areel had a way cool “off-duty” outfit, and her Starfleet uniform was one of the nicest ones I’ve seen!

Poor Finney… you don’t really get much to appreciate about him since his character isn’t really actually seen until the very end. But at least what we do get to see of him and his paranoid madness is played well enough.

In his novelization of this episode SF author James Blish had Kirk testify at his preliminary hearing that the ion pod picks up its own electrical charge during the course of the storm, making it a danger to the rest of the ship and requiring that it eventually be jettisoned. A reasonable explanation for the show’s plot-driver that may actually have been included in the original script and cut for time.

Agreed that this was a nice job on the part of CBS-D, but an orbital repair facility would have solved the mystery of how the Enterprise gets a new paintjob (let alone repaired) in so short a time–even the suggestion of a few drydock girders behind the ship in those close-ups would have done the trick.

Wonderful episode with some particularly impressive scenes and memorable lines.

An orbital platform would have been awesome. Check my name link for an example.

#24. OR Coast Trekkie I agree that the people seemed oversized for the building…unless they just happened to be extra tall humanoids passing by the window at that moment! ;)

#25. Izbot Yes, the Antares-style cargo vessel was there. I saw it. It is in that first opening shot at the very top of the screen, somewhat far away and tiny, and you can only see it momentarily before the Enterprise blots it out of view.

Anyone notice the rings on that planet are tilted the opposite way when seen from space? Oh, unless the Enterprise is upside down and the ringed planet is on the other side of the planet than it was in that establishing shot.

My powers of observation have been increased by a factor of 1 to the 4th power!

8. Lord Garth – “print never looked nicer…”

Am I the only one who’s noticed the flickering brightness of the film stock in the scene where the court martial officers are in the briefing room aboard ship? This goes on interminably and on in to the next scene on the bridge. The film stock quality is poor and is made glaringly so by the great special effects in this episode. Pulsating brightness even more apparent on the dvd. In comparison, the film stock in the dvd release from 2004 doesn’t have this flickering brightness. At first I thought it was just the lighting of the episode, but it’s not. Jeff Bond…Anthony…comment??

“My name is Jame Finney. You killed my father. Prepare to die. ”

LMAO!! Nice job on the Princess Bride ref. :-)

I’ve always wondered about the wrench Finney picked up during the fight scene with Kirk in Engineering. A wrench, just laying there…always seemed strikingly anachronistic for the 24th century.

CBS pulled out all the stops on this one. It’s a beauty to behold in HD.

Kirk explains that the computer can amplify the sounds on the ship to “1 to the 4th power.” So that would be 1X1X1X1=1 correct?

I enjoyed the re-do of this one, as well.

One thing I CAN’T stand is how edited these are to allow for commercials. Especially on dialogue-heavy episodes like this one. There was so much chopped out from the original, the story barely made any sense.

Luckily, I’ve seen it about 655 times, so it wasn’t a big deal, just annoying.

32 – I noticed that flickered brightness as well. You’re not the only one..

# 24, I agree … The first thing I noticed was that the figures moving around in the main Star Base 11 building appear to be too big. They sure would have a tough time fitting in the round building in the foreground. Maybe that structure was designed by Balock of the First Federation and they have to bend over to get around. What would have been really cool would have been to see either the Intrepid or the Enterprise in an orbital dry dock. Overall a nice job.

There are things that made no sense in this episode. For one thing, They knew how dangerous an Ion Storm was so why even go in it in the first place. Another thing is, Kirk could issue alerts with buttons on his chair? Why was he never able to do that before or since? Also is an Ion Pod something that can only be used once?

Another thing that made no sense. There was a whole bridge full of officers and nobody could vouch for Kirk that the ship was on “Red Alert” when the pod was jettisoned?

Where is picture #4 supposed to be taken from, in relation to picture #5? It doesn’t look like it’s the same base, unless the base stretches for miles behind the camera, for pictures #2 & 5.

That kind of bothers me, as well as the fact that this remastered planet doesn’t match the remastered planet in “The Menagerie”. It’s supposed to be the same planet, right?

Other than those things, I didn’t really have a problem with this one.

The stately Constitution class ships, the spry little shuttles, the camera’s (“camera”) slow approach of the Enterprise hull—the old gal’s never looked so real. Great job.

eagle219406 — You’re thinking with your brain. Stop that. Think with your pancreas. Then, Trek is wondeful.

Bond, Jeff Bond (sorry, couldn’t resist – I ‘m sure you have heard that too many times) I always enjoy reading your reviews. Thank you.

Samuel T. Cogley, esq. Space Attorney at Law – I was thought he was the guy who aimed Kirk down the road of loving books.

As Spock later sez in ST2WOK: “I’m aware of you fondness for antiques…”

Also Finney – was he William Dafoe’s example for the Green Goblin in Spiderman?

Hey, it’s Monday morning – Gimmie a break!

If that’s where the ion pod is, then where is the starboard side blinking running light located???

#24 – To answer the half-sphere on top of the shuttle bay, I think that “In a Mirror Darkly pt. 2″ made that a rear photon torpedo launcher on board the Defiant. Though it was never established on TOS, I consider Enterprise to be canon, and therefore, now consider that to be a rear weapons launcher.

“Enterprise” ain’t canon, son. It started out as a non-canon show, and as far as I’m concerned it ended as a non-canon show. You’ll pardon me if I disobey your order to consider the half-sphere a torpedo launcher.

#34 – A wrench, just laying there…always seemed strikingly anachronistic for the 24th century.

I might agree, except for the fact that we’re talking about the 23rd century, not the 24th. The 24th century is inhabited by old bald white guys floating around in their Hilton Hotel equipped with stubby, deformed-looking warp nacelles, with soap-opera crews obsessing over virtual reality, since space obviously isn’t exciting enough for them.

One must remember that Star Trek was made when small televisions were the norm. When I was a kid in the mid-70s, I watched Star Trek (uncut, I might add) on a 19 inch television.

Bad day today?

THIS JUST IN:

THE 24TH CENTURY IS INHABITED BY OLD BALD WHITE GUYS IN HILTON HOTELS…WITH SOAP-OPERA CREWS.

“Yes, Katie, it’s true. Modern demographic research has shown that, by the 24th Century, we’ll all be old bald white guys. And we’ll be sitting, or even floating, in the lobbies of Hilton Hotels as our soap-opera crews obsess over virtual reality-based situations instead of their shipboard duties.”

Commander LaForge of Enterprise: “I’d rather watch Oprah than deal with my stubby, deformed-looking warp nacelles.”

The Doctor: “Please state the nature of the medical emergency”

Picard: “Come out, come out, wherever you are…”

Court martial

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A court martial (pl. "courts martial") referred to a judicial proceeding within a military or quasi- military organization , or the officer (s) who sat as a court to conduct the proceeding.

Offenses tried before a court martial ranged from insubordination to culpable negligence to violations of Starfleet General Orders . Refusing to abide by the Endangered Species Act was also a court martial offense . ( DIS : " Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad ") Striking a fellow officer was a court martial offense. ( TOS : " This Side of Paradise "; VOY : " Parallax ") A member of the service who stood accused was presumed innocent until proven guilty, and the service member was entitled to counsel at the preliminary hearing as well as the general court martial. That right could be waived, or the accused could elect to retain counsel. If this initial inquiry determined that a general court martial should be convened, the prosecution was conducted by a Starfleet Judge Advocate General officer.

No fewer than three officers of command or flag rank comprised the court. The senior officer of the court martial acted as the President of the Court . This officer controlled the mode and order of presentation of evidence, as well as making evidentiary rulings. Proof was presented through oral testimony and exhibits, including record tapes . The accused had the right to face his accusers, cross-examine witnesses, as well as to testify.

After finding of guilt was entered, or if the accused had pleaded guilty, the defendant was allowed to introduce evidence that either mitigated or explained guilt. ( DIS : " Battle at the Binary Stars ", TOS : " Court Martial ", " The Menagerie, Part I ", " The Menagerie, Part II ")

Alternatively, Starfleet could convene a board of inquiry to engage in fact-finding. ( TNG : " Allegiance ", " Suspicions ", " The Pegasus ")

In the 23rd century , some Starfleet starships carried a court reporter for the purpose of recording statements, presumably for later use at an official inquiry or court martial. ( Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country )

Despite being a secretive black ops organization, even Section 31 had courts martial. ( DIS : " Saints of Imperfection ")

• 1 General court martial
• 2.1 Michael Burnham
• 2.2 Una Chin-Riley
• 2.3 James T. Kirk and Spock
• 2.4 Jean-Luc Picard
• 2.5 Ro Laren
• 2.6 Michael Eddington
• 2.7 Raffaela Musiker
• 3 Humorous references
• 4 External links

General court martial [ ]

Kirk facing the general court

A general court martial was the highest form of court martial proceedings an individual might face. ( TOS : " Court Martial ", " The Menagerie, Part I ", " The Menagerie, Part II ", " Turnabout Intruder "; TNG : " The Pegasus "; DS9 : " The Die is Cast "; VOY : " Year of Hell ")

Notable defendants [ ]

Michael burnham [ ].

In 2256 , Commander Michael Burnham faced a court martial following the Battle of the Binary Stars as Burnham had disobeyed the orders of Captain Philippa Georgiou while serving as first officer aboard the USS Shenzhou . Burnham's actions subsequently resulted in the aforementioned battle, the death of Captain Georgiou, the abandonment of the Shenzhou and the outbreak of the Federation-Klingon War , for which she was stripped of rank and sentenced to life in prison. ( DIS : " Battle at the Binary Stars ")

Six months into her sentence, at the request of Captain Gabriel Lorca , Burnham was posted to the USS Discovery as a science specialist with no official rank in order to assist in the successful activation of the Discovery 's experimental spore drive propulsion system. ( DIS : " Context Is for Kings ")

At the end of the war, Sarek informed her that she was pardoned for her crimes by the Federation President , and restored to her former rank of commander. ( DIS : " Will You Take My Hand? ")

Una Chin-Riley [ ]

In 2259 , Lieutenant Commander Una Chin-Riley was court martialed after it was discovered that she was actually an Illyrian who were forbidden from serving in Starfleet due to the law against genetic engineering . During the trial, it was revealed that Chin-Riley had turned herself in rather than someone else exposing her. Her lawyer successfully argued that Chin-Riley had effectively sought asylum in Starfleet from persecution for her biology and that Captain Christopher Pike had essentially granted it to her when he chose to allow Chin-Riley to remain in Starfleet after she revealed her status to him. Chin-Riley was acquitted, formally granted asylum, and allowed to return to duty. ( SNW : " Ad Astra per Aspera ")

James T. Kirk and Spock [ ]

In 2267 , Commodore Stone served as President of the Court in the court martial of Captain James T. Kirk , on Starbase 11 , over the alleged death of his records officer , Lieutenant Commander Benjamin Finney . This marked the first time a Starfleet starship captain stood trial in a court martial. Kirk was cleared of all charges when it was revealed that Finney had actually faked his own death. ( TOS : " Court Martial ")

Also in 2267, Lieutenant Commander Spock requested and received an on-board court martial for his actions related to hijacking the USS Enterprise and violating General Order 7 . The court consisted of an illusion of Commodore José Mendez , Fleet Captain Christopher Pike , and Spock's commanding officer , Captain Kirk. Although Mendez was never actually present, he did receive the images transmitted by the Talosians , and he ordered that General Order 7 be suspended on that occasion. ( TOS : " The Menagerie, Part I ", " The Menagerie, Part II ")

In 2269 , Janice Lester , while inhabiting the body of Captain Kirk, charged Commander Spock and "Janice Lester" (who was actually Kirk), with mutiny and convened a summary court martial. The proceedings were bizarre and none of the usual procedures intended to protect the accused's rights to due process were in evidence. In fact, the other members of the trial board – Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott and Doctor Leonard McCoy – were similarly charged during the court martial and found guilty of mutiny along with Spock and Kirk. Lester then ordered their immediate execution . Ultimately, it was revealed that Lester had transposed her consciousness with Kirk and the orders of the sham court martial were never enforced. ( TOS : " Turnabout Intruder ")

In 2286 , then- Admiral James T. Kirk and his subordinates expected to face a court martial after stealing the starship Enterprise in order to "rescue" Captain Spock. However, after the officers engaged in a successful effort to save Earth from an alien probe , the Federation Council instead tried the accused. The Council summarily dismissed all charges but one; Kirk alone stood accused of disobeying a direct order of a superior officer. His guilty plea was accepted and for this, Kirk was reduced in rank to captain , assigned to command the newly commissioned USS Enterprise -A . ( Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home )

Jean-Luc Picard [ ]

In many cases, the loss of a starship automatically triggered a court martial of the ship's commanding officer. In 2355 , the USS Stargazer was lost in the Maxia Zeta star system . During his court martial, Captain Jean-Luc Picard was prosecuted by Phillipa Louvois . Picard was cleared of all charges. ( TNG : " The Measure Of A Man ")

Twenty years later , having been captured by the Son'a while helping the Ba'ku prevent a forced relocation so the Son'a could harvest metaphasic radiation in their planet 's rings , Picard was told by Admiral Dougherty that, should he order the Ba'ku to surrender , the admiral would make sure he wouldn't be court-martialed – to which the captain responded that, if it took a court martial to expose the injustice occurring on Ba'ku to the people of the Federation , he looked forward to such a hearing. Seconds later, however, a furious Ru'afo stormed in, thundering that the USS Enterprise had destroyed one Son'a warship and severely damaged another – actions Picard knew Commander Riker would only have taken if the Son'a had attacked first. Since Picard was aware that Ru'afo would never have ordered such an attack without approval from Dougherty, he asked the admiral who would be facing a court martial now – though Dougherty was murdered by Ru'afo before any action could take place. ( Star Trek: Insurrection )

Ro Laren [ ]

Sometime in the mid- 2360s , Ensign Ro Laren of the USS Wellington was court-martialed after disobeying direct orders on an away mission to Garon II . Her disobedience was alleged to have led to the deaths of eight of her crewmates. Ro refused to speak in her defense, and the court found her guilty. She was imprisoned in a stockade on Jaros II until her release in 2368 . ( TNG : " Ensign Ro ")

In 2370 , Picard threatened Ro with a court martial if she failed to follow her orders to lure Maquis members into a trap, but was ultimately unable to take any action following her defection to the Maquis. Prior to this, Ro related her story of having been court martialed and sent to Jaros II in order to get in with the Maquis. ( TNG : " Preemptive Strike ")

At some point after 2370 , Ro, having deserted Starfleet and joined the Maquis, turned herself in and was court-martialed a second time. After some time in prison, she was ultimately recruited by Starfleet Intelligence , with her rank restored. By 2401 , she'd risen to the rank of Commander . ( PIC : " Imposters ")

Michael Eddington [ ]

When the Maquis leader Michael Eddington defected to the Maquis in 2372 , Captain Benjamin Sisko vowed to track him down and see him court-martialed. After his capture by Sisko and the crew of the USS Defiant the following year , Eddington was indeed court-martialed, convicted, and later imprisoned for treason against the Federation. ( DS9 : " For the Cause ", " For the Uniform ", " Blaze of Glory ")

Captain Sanders of the USS Malinche – which had been attacked by Eddington's forces – asked Sisko to save him a seat at Eddington's court martial. ( DS9 : " For the Uniform ")

Raffaela Musiker [ ]

In 2385 , Raffaela Musiker was charged with thirteen court martial offences, among them were commandeering a ship, child endangerment, hacking the Starfleet Intelligence databases of Romulan contacts, appearing at work intoxicated , and stalking Admiral Kathryn Janeway . Starfleet concluded her actions to be indicative of a nervous breakdown , and ordered her to compulsory drug rehabilitation and psychotherapy on Betazed . After one year without improvement, Musiker requested a dishonorable discharge and returned to Earth. ( PIC : " The End is the Beginning ", " The Next Generation ")

In 2258 of the alternate reality , Spock ordered Montgomery Scott to explain how he had beamed onto the USS Enterprise while it was at warp , threatening him with court martial should he refuse to do so. He was about to comply when James T. Kirk ordered him not to. Spock tried to override Kirk's command, but Scott sheepishly said he'd rather not take sides. ( Star Trek )

Failure to comply with the Endangered Species Act was grounds for a court martial in the Federation. This was pointed out to Gabriel Lorca during a time loop in 2256 . ( DIS : " Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad ")

In 2367 , Picard threatened Data with a court martial, and probable dismantlement, in order to find out what had happened to the crew of the USS Enterprise during a missing day they'd experienced. ( TNG : " Clues ")

An ensign who injured himself deliberately to avoid having to fight the Klingons on Ajilon Prime expected that he himself would be court-martialed. ( DS9 : " Nor the Battle to the Strong ")

Shortly after B'Elanna Torres assaulted Joe Carey in the USS Voyager 's engineering in early 2371 , Tuvok mentioned to Chakotay that Torres had performed a court-martialable offense. ( VOY : " Parallax ")

In 2368 , Picard speculated that Vice Admiral Kennelly would at the very least face a hearing for involvement in a conspiracy with the Cardassians to eliminate their Bajoran enemies and could very possibly face a court martial. ( TNG : " Ensign Ro ")

Later that year, Tuvok said he expected to be court-martialled, upon returning to Federation space , for his part in procuring a Sikarian spatial trajector . ( VOY : " Prime Factors ")

In 2370 , Picard, posing as a smuggler named Galen described Commander William T. Riker as a Starfleet officer with a history of insubordination, stating that had not he and his fellow smugglers captured him that he probably would have ended up before a court martial. Riker responded that he had gotten out of them before. ( TNG : " Gambit, Part I ") Later, after affairs were resolved, Lieutenant Commander Data told Riker that if they were adhering to Starfleet regulations , he was facing twelve counts of court martial offenses. ( TNG : " Gambit, Part II ")

In an alternate 2374 , Captain Janeway 's refusal to obey The Doctor 's order for her to be relieved of command would have been met with a court martial. However, Janeway pointed out that, compared to the damage and hardship that Voyager had endured over the course of the year, "a court martial would be a small price to pay" and claimed she'd be "happy to face the music " if they ever made it back to Federation space. ( VOY : " Year of Hell, Part II ")

In 2380 , Ensign Brad Boimler learned at the end of the holo-novel program Crisis Point: The Rise of Vindicta that fellow ensign, Beckett Mariner , was the daughter of Captain Carol Freeman and the latter threatened anyone with a court martial should they learn about it. ( LD : " Crisis Point ")

In 2381 Admiral Vassery threatened to court martial Freeman for violating a direct order not to get involved with Nova Fleet due to the vast number of races that were a part of it that could cause a diplomatic incident. However, because the incident allowed Starfleet to start dialogues with the Orions , he decided to let it go. ( LD : " Old Friends, New Planets ")

Humorous references [ ]

In 2154 , Commander Charles Tucker III joked that he would save Lieutenant Reed a seat at his court martial after Reed expressed particular concerns. Reed's doubts were about how Admiral Gardner would react to Tucker having informed the Andorians , as Tucker planned to do, that the Vulcan High Command was planning to invade Andoria . ( ENT : " Kir'Shara ")

In 2155 of the mirror universe , when Commander Jonathan Archer was caught following an attempted mutiny on the ISS Enterprise , he asked Captain Maximilian Forrest , " You going to shoot me now or wait for court martial? " ( ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly ")

In 2369 , Major Kira Nerys refused the order of Commander Benjamin Sisko to leave him and Jadzia Dax in a cavern and take the way home. After Sisko repeated that this was an order, Kira simply answered, " Court martial me. " Sisko responded that he couldn't, as she wasn't in Starfleet. ( DS9 : " Move Along Home ")

In 2371 , Commander Sisko told Miles O'Brien that it seemed like Jake Sisko was worried the commander was going to court martial Mardah . ( DS9 : " The Abandoned ")

After Benjamin Sisko returned from rescuing Odo and Elim Garak from the Gamma Quadrant , Admiral Toddman sternly told him, " If you pull a stunt like that again, I'll court martial you… or promote you. Either way, you'll be in a lot of trouble. " Prior to this, Sisko had warned anyone joining him on the mission that they faced the possibility of a general court martial. ( DS9 : " The Die is Cast ")

In 2375 , Janeway commented that there were grounds to court-martial Chakotay after he deliberately left his colleagues in the holodeck , watching an uninteresting presentation by The Doctor, when he'd been given orders to interrupt by initiating yellow alert at 2100 hours. ( VOY : " Nothing Human ")

In 2375, after Worf , undergoing jak'tahla due to the metaphasic radiation from the Ba'ku planet below (which the Enterprise crew was not yet aware of), overslept into his duty shift at tactical , Picard paged Worf to wake him up and mentioned, during their discussion, that they would "skip the court martial this time." ( Star Trek: Insurrection )

External links [ ]

• Court martial at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Court-martial at Wikipedia
• General court-martial at Wikipedia
• 2 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

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Court Martial (Episode)

Stardate 2947.3 : Kirk is recalled for a potential court-martial.

During an ion storm, the Enterprise takes a severe buffeting and Records Officer Ben Finney enters the starship's ion pod to take important readings. When the storm makes it necessary to jettison the pod, Captain Kirk follows normal procedures and warns Finney to evacuate. The pod is jettisoned, with Finney apparently still inside. At Starbase 11 , Commodore L.T. Stone institutes a court martial against Kirk after discovering that computer records show that the captain did not give Finney an adequate chance to escape from the pod. Lieutenant Areel Shaw , the prosecuting attorney and an old girlfriend of Kirk's, retains the brilliant but eccentric lawyer Samuel Cogley to defend the captain. Although the evidence is against Kirk, Mr. Spock refuses to believe that his captain did not go by the rules. The Vulcan decides that the Enterprise computer's evidence is wrong. He plays chess with the computer, winning several games, and thereby discovers the machine's programming has been altered. Finney is actually alive, in hiding aboard the ship: due to an old grudge, he had hoped to fake his death to discredit Kirk.

Image Gallery

Starbase 11 planet

Starbase 11 at night

Captain Chandra

Samuel T. Cogley

Lieutenant Commander Ben Finney

Jame Finney

Lieutenant Hansen

Captain James T. Kirk in dress uniform

Captain Krasnovsky

Space Command Representative Lindstrom

Doctor Leonard McCoy in dress uniform

Enterprise personnel officer

Lieutenant Areel Shaw

Commander Spock in dress uniform

Commodore Stone

Commodore Stone in dress uniform

court martial

Starfleet Commodore rank insignia

ion pod under repair

Type 2 phaser

white sound device

U.S.S. Intrepid NCC-1631

Starship status chart (Enhanced; Original version )

Administration insignia

Dress uniforms

Kirk 's ribbons

McCoy 's ribbons

Spock 's ribbons

Stone 's ribbons

Yellow Alert

Related Data

Starring William Shatner

Also Starring Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock

Directed by Marc Daniels

Teleplay by Don M. Mankiewicz and Steven W. Carabatsos

Story by Don M. Mankiewicz

Produced by Gene L. Coon

Executive Producer Gene Roddenberry

Created by Gene Roddenberry

Associate Producer Robert H. Justman

Script Consultant Steven W. Carabatsos

Co-Starring Percy Rodriguez as Portmaster Stone Elisha Cook as Cogley Joan Marshall as Areel Shaw

Music Composed and Conducted by Alexander Courage

Director of Photography Jerry Finnerman

Art Directors Rolland M. Brooks and Walter M. Jefferies

Film Editor Bruce Schoengarth

Assistant to the Producer Edward K. Milkis

Assistant Director Gregg Peters

Set Decorator Marvin March

Costumes Created by William Theiss

Post Production Executive Bill Heath

Music Editor Robert H. Raff

Sound Editor Douglas H. Grindstaff

Sound Mixer Jack F. Lilly

Photographic Effects Film Effects of Hollywood

Script Supervisor George A. Rutter

Music Consultant Wilbur Hatch

Music Coordinator Julian Davidson

Special Effects Jim Rugg

Property Master Irving A. Feinberg

Gaffer George H. Merhoff

Head Grip George Rader

Production Supervisor Bernard A. Widin

Makeup Artist Fred B. Phillips , S.M.A.

Hair Styles by Virginia Darcy , C.H.S.

Wardrobe Mistress Margaret Makau

Casting Joseph D'Agosta

Sound Glen Glenn Sound Co.

A Desilu Production

In Association with Norway Corporation

Executive in Charge of Production Herbert F. Solow

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Star Trek: The Original Series/Court Martial

Court Martial is the twentieth episode of the first season of Star Trek .

Starring : William Shatner ( Capt. James T. Kirk )

Also Starring : Leonard Nimoy ( Mr. Spock )

Co-Starring : Percy Rodriguez (Portmaster Stone), Elisha Cook (Cogley), Joan Marshall (Areel Shaw)

Featuring : DeForest Kelley ( Dr. McCoy ), Nichelle Nichols ( Uhura )

Additional Cast : Richard Webb (Finney), Hagan Beggs (Helmsman), Winston DeLugo (Timothy)

and Alice Rawlings (Jame Finney)

with Nancy Wong (Personnel Officer), Bart Conrad (Krasnovsky), William Meader (Board Officer), Reginald Lal Singh (Board Officer)

Plot Overview

Kirk's old flame, now a Star Fleet lawyer, prosecutes when he is accused of murder.

Arc Advancement

Behind the scenes, allusions and references, memorable moments.

• Episode Stubs
• Star Trek: The Original Series/Episodes

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Star Trek Re-Watch: “Court Martial”

Season 1, Episode 20 Production episode: 1×14 Original air date: February 2, 1967 Star date: 2947.3

Mission summary After the Enterprise encounters another dangerous ion storm, it puts in at Starbase 11 for repairs. Unfortunately, the damage to the ship is the least of their problems; the records officer, Lieutenant Commander Benjamin Finney, was killed when Captain Kirk was forced to jettison an ion pod with him still inside. You wouldn’t believe the amount of paperwork this creates! Kirk even has to wear a fancy shirt to deliver his sworn deposition to the grim-faced Commodore Stone, who is probably the longest-surviving red shirt in Starfleet. Spock beams down with an extract from the ship’s computer logs to supplement Kirk’s report, and a moment later a girl cosplaying as Sailor Mercury bursts into the room. This is Jame (pronounced “Jamie”) Finney, and she accuses Kirk of murdering her dad. After Spock escorts the sobbing girl out of the office, Commodore Stone accuses Kirk of perjury, since the computer records indicate that the captain jettisoned the pod before calling for a Red Alert. He’s confined to the starbase while they decide whether he’ll face court martial.

Kirk and McCoy walk into a bar, but this is no joke. The captain gets the cold shoulder from his graduating class, who all seem a bit miffed that he’s killed their friend Ben. Kirk calls BS and takes off, leaving McCoy without a wingman. He flirts with a lovely lady in a hideous dress and learns she’s already an old flame of Kirk’s: Areel Shaw. Damn, turns out McCoy’s a doctor, not a lover (at least for tonight).

Kirk is questioned in a pre-court martial inquiry on the charges of “perjury and culpable negligence,” with the computer recording his responses. We find out that Kirk and Finney had a history together; they were once good friends at the Academy, close enough that Finney named his daughter Jame after Kirk. But when they were both assigned to the U.S.S. Republic , Kirk discovered a mistake of Finney’s that could have destroyed the ship, and reported it—sending Finney to the bottom of the promotion list. Finney resented Kirk for ruining his chances at a command of his own.

Kirk then describes the events that transpired during the ion storm, and why he chose to place Finney in the ion pod:

He may have blamed me that he never rose to command a ship, but I don’t assign jobs on the basis of who blames me. It was Finney’s turn, and I assigned him. He had just checked in with me from the pod when we hit the leading edge of the storm. Not too bad at first. I signaled a Yellow Alert. Then we began encountering pressure, variant stress, force seven, the works. I finally signaled a Red Alert. Finney knew he had a matter of seconds. I gave him those seconds and more. But apparently it wasn’t enough.

But there’s still the matter of the computer records, which show Kirk is either mistaken or lying, since “computer transcripts don’t lie.” Stone offers him an out, by copping to physical exhaustion and a mental breakdown and accepting a ground assignment, but this is more to protect Starfleet’s image than Kirk, since apparently he is the first captain to be on trial. Kirk is insulted and demands an immediate general court martial.

Kirk runs into Areel Shaw at the bar (still in her ugly green dress) and tries to pick up where they left off “four years, seven months, and an odd number of days” ago. She reminds him that she’s a lawyer, which should really interest him right now, but Kirk is more drawn to her other talents at the moment. She tells him that they’re going to make an example of him to clear the service of the scandal and recommends a good defense attorney, Samuel T. Cogley. Then she finally admits that she’s the prosecutor who has to disgrace Kirk. She doesn’t seem terribly happy about it.

Kirk returns to his quarters and discovers he won’t have to spend the night alone after all: Cogley is waiting for him there to offer him his professional services. As an attorney at law, that is. And he’s brought some bedtime reading, piles and piles of legal books.

Finally—the court martial! With Stone presiding over the trial and three of Kirk’s peers on the court, the computer reads off the charges: “Charge, culpable negligence. Specification in that on Stardate 2945.7, by such negligence, Captain Kirk, James T., did cause loss of life, to wit, the life of Records Officer Lieutenant Commander Finney, Benjamin.” Kirk pleads not guilty and prosecutor Shaw calls Spock to the stand. She asks him some questions about the Enterprise computer, which he is qualified to answer because he sounds like a computer himself. Though he agrees that the ship’s computer seems to be functioning correctly, he maintains that it’s wrong anyway and insists that Kirk is incapable of acting “out of panic or malice,” according to his “half-Vulcanian” logic.

Shaw then calls the nameless personnel officer from the Enterprise. The nervous ensign establishes that yes, Kirk’s report on Finney’s negligence is in Finney’s service record. She actually apologizes to Kirk as she leaves the stand. Finally, Shaw calls McCoy as an expert on psychology, and twists his arm into admitting that theoretically, a person who becomes aware that another person hates him may begin to reciprocate those feelings; however, like Spock, he claims that Kirk isn’t “that kind of a man.”

Throughout these three witnesses, Kirk’s lawyer Cogley waives his right to cross-examine. He’s been waiting to question Kirk himself. Once on the stand, the computer begins relaying a lengthy list of Kirk’s commendations. Shaw wants to skip to the good part, but Cogley demands to hear it out to establish the captain’s character and history. Then Kirk is given a chance to explain the situation for the court:

Firstly, I am at a loss to explain the errors in the extract from the computer log. We were in an ion storm. Everyone here in this court knows the dangers involved. I was in command. The decisions were mine, no one else’s. Charges of malice have been raised. There was no malice. Lieutenant Commander Finney was a member of my crew, and that’s exactly the way he was treated. It has been suggested that I panicked on the bridge and jettisoned the ion pod prematurely. That is not so. You’ve heard some of the details of my record. This was not my first crisis. It was one of many. During it, I did what my experience and training required me to do. I took the proper steps in the proper order. I did exactly what had to be done, exactly when it should have been done.

He continues to stand by his actions and take responsibility; more than that, he says he would do it again, exactly the same way, because, he says, “nothing is more important than my ship.” Presumably he also means the Enterprise’s crew, most of them anyway.

Shaw cross-examines and presents a particularly damning piece of evidence: a visual log from the Bridge that clearly shows Kirk pressing a button marked “jettison pod” while the ship is still at yellow alert. (Now we know another of the yeoman’s important duties, running around with a label maker to update the button when its function changes in each episode!) Oh crap . For a moment, even Kirk seems to doubt himself, and Cogley is really confused.

When the court adjourns to arrive at their verdict, Cogley tries to convince Kirk to change his plea, but the captain is still certain of his actions. Spock contacts him to tell him that a megalyte survey on the computer failed to turn up any problems. (When even the megalyte scan fails, you know you’re in trouble!) Kirk thanks his first officer and shows he can still make light of the dire situation: “It’s not all bad, Mr. Spock. Who knows. You may be able to beat your next captain at chess.” Of course! CHESS. Or is it…poker? No, it’s chess! And it gives Spock an idea: they can blame it all on corbomite. No, wait. That would never work.

On the starbase, Jame visits Kirk and apologizes for blaming him for her father’s death. She’s reconsidered, now that she knows they used to be good friends. On the Enterprise , Spock has been playing chess with the ship’s computer. McCoy discovers him and calls him cold-blooded for playing games while Kirk’s career is on the line, which Spock naturally takes as a compliment. He explains that he’s just won four games—make that five—which shouldn’t be possible because he programmed the computer himself. Unless he foolishly programmed it to create an adversary capable of defeating him , which is impossible, the best he could have hoped for is a draw in each match.

Spock and McCoy run to the court room to share their new evidence of computer tampering, just in the nick of time. Cogley launches an impassioned plea, asking to reconvene on the Enterprise so that Kirk can face his accuser: the ship’s computer itself. He argues that it’s his right as a human, and Stone grudgingly agrees.

On the ship, Spock explains his findings and concludes that someone has messed with the memory banks of the computer. The only individuals who could have accomplished such a feat are himself, Captain Kirk, and…the records officer! But that would be Benjamin Finney, the man who died. Kirk says that they searched for the man after the pod was jettisoned, but Cogley really starts to run with the case. He suggests that they might not have found Finney if he didn’t want to be found, and submits that Finney is not only alive, but he’s still aboard the Enterprise .

They conduct a simple experiment to test out that theory: they evacuate everyone on the ship aside from Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Cogley, Shaw, Stone, the judges, and the transporter technician. Then they use the ship’s auditory monitors to listen to every heartbeat on the ship and systematically eliminate those of the known parties with a white sound device (aka, a microphone)—and there’s still one left unaccounted for! The tell-tale heart is beating under the floorboards…Engineering section, Deck B. Kirk heads down there alone to confront Finney, while Cogley heads back to the starbase to bring back Finney’s daughter, Jame, in case the man who faked his death is crazy or desperate. Meanwhile, Enterprise ’s orbit begins to decay, as it’s wont to do.

Kirk finds a grizzly Finney on the Engineering deck, where all madmen hide. Finney accuses Kirk of ruining his life, denying him command of the Enterprise, so on and so forth. Knowing that Kirk’s death would mean less than the death of his ship, Finney has sabotaged the “primary energy circuits,” which is causing it to lose power and its ability to maintain orbit. When Kirk tells him his daughter is on board, the man freaks out and they fight. Even though Finney has a wrench, Kirk knocks him out easily, though his torn shirt is an unfortunate casualty. The captain manages to “effect repairs” by tearing some power cables out in a Jeffries tube, and orbit is soon stabilized.

With no one dead, the case against Kirk is dismissed. Before the Enterprise leaves the starbase, Shaw says goodbye to the captain on the bridge, leaving him with a book (from Cogley), and a little something from her; she says, “Do you think it would cause a complete breakdown of discipline if a lowly lieutenant kissed a starship captain on the bridge of his ship?” Kirk’s definitely up for this experiment. After they kiss, he replies, “See? No change. Discipline goes on.“ That’s because Kirk runs a tight ship. She leaves and he swaggers back to his seat, where he is flanked by Spock and McCoy who are wearing their poker faces. (Or is it chess?)

KIRK: She’s a very good lawyer. SPOCK: Obviously. MCCOY: Indeed she is.

This episode was a delightful surprise. I had all but forgotten its existence, but as soon as it came back to me, I also remembered the twist ending. I suspect it was predictable anyway, but I’d love to hear from someone who just watched this for the first time, or people who remember what their original experience of it was.

Admittedly, this one is a bit drier than more action-oriented episodes, but it’s still engaging and it’s interesting to see the military protocol and several aspects of both the operation of a starship and Starfleet Command in general. (Who knew there was a records officer or a personnel officer? Or ion pods, for that matter?) We’d seen a court martial already in “The Menagerie,” but there’s more of a sense of “authenticity” and formality to these proceedings, possibly because of the presence of defense and prosecution attorneys.

I was also excited by the themes explored through the course of the episode. Shaw describes the trial as “Kirk vs. the Computer,” the first of many such encounters in the series. We know he will always win against the machine; even though the Kobayashi Maru test hadn’t been introduced into continuity yet, Kirk’s very character is based on his ability to cheat and best a computer program.

The accuracy and value of computers is questioned several times. Some consider them to be infallible, while others, like Cogley (and even Spock!) don’t trust them and assume they are just as flawed as humans. There seems to be a very real fear, as has been mentioned before, that humans are in danger of becoming machines themselves, as demonstrated by Cogley’s speech near the end of the episode:

My client has the right to face his accuser, and if you do not grant him that right, you have brought us down to the level of the machine. Indeed, you have elevated that machine above us. I ask that my motion be granted, and more than that, gentlemen. In the name of humanity, fading in the shadow of the machine, I demand it. I demand it!

And in this case, they’re right not to trust the computer after all, a scary proposition when so much of their lives is controlled by them.

There’s even the still-relevant debate over the value of print books over electronic:

COGLEY: What’s the matter? Don’t you like books? KIRK: Oh, I like them fine, but a computer takes less space. COGLEY: A computer, huh? I got one of these in my office. Contains all the precedents. The synthesis of all the great legal decisions written throughout time. I never use it. KIRK: Why not? COGLEY: I’ve got my own system. Books, young man, books. Thousands of them. If time wasn’t so important, I’d show you something. My library. Thousands of books.

It’s apparent that Cogley’s a bit of a Luddite when it comes to computers, which is probably a bit rare in the times he lives in, though a hundred years later Captain Jean-Luc Picard still owns physical books, too. Cogley gives Kirk a book at the end of the episode, perhaps a message not to hurry along progress too much and to hold onto what it represents—humanity. The sentiment seems to stick, since Kirk later receives a copy of A Tale of Two Cities from Spock for his birthday in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . (Then again, in “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” Mitchell characterizes Cadet Kirk as a “walking stack of books,” so we know he already likes to read.) I’d really like to know what the title of Cogley’s book is…

Another timely topic touched on is the question of human rights, which again, Cogley adamantly defends:

Rights, sir, human rights. The Bible, the Code of Hammurabi and of Justinian, Magna Carta, the Constitution of the United States, Fundamental Declarations of the Martian colonies, the Statutes of Alpha Three. Gentlemen, these documents all speak of rights. Rights of the accused to a trial by his peers, to be represented by counsel, the rights of cross-examination, but most importantly, the right to be confronted by the witnesses against him, a right to which my client has been denied.

Human rights were of course a huge issue in the 1960s, and we’re still struggling with them today, too. Hopefully we’ll have it all sorted out in another 200 years, but preferably sooner.

Overall, “Court Martial” is an interesting mystery/court procedural with a sense of jeopardy and tension, excellent characterization, and thoughtful themes. But I still find all those references to “Vulcanians” a bit funny now.

Eugene’s Rating: Warp 5 (on a scale of 1-6)

Torie Atkinson: Like in “Conscience of the King,” this episode questions the image of Kirk as a white knight untarnished by the vices of jealousy or revenge. Is it possible that Kirk, the strength of the Enterprise and its crew, is fallible? Could he have folded under pressure? Or worse, did he maliciously send Lt. Commander Finney to his death? Shatner and Percy Rodriguez (who plays Commodore Stone) give stand-out performances and create a tension that is palpable.

I didn’t believe for a second that it was possible for Kirk to be a murderer, and the episode brilliantly toys with that assumption. The computer recording didn’t persuade me, though it planted the seed of doubt, and the video really surprised me. I did a double-take (as did Kirk!). But whether it was true or not, the idea—the possibility—that Kirk could have done something like this is just as damning. When he enters the bar and gets the cold shoulder from all of his classmates, we can see that the real damage is not in the conviction but in the accusation. Kirk’s nobility of spirit and purpose have been poisoned by this event.

Reputation plays a big role here, and not just for Kirk. This whole thing happened because Kirk ruined Finney’s reputation so long ago. Well-earned or not, it prevented the man’s promotion, and in many ways ruined his career. It’s clear with Kirk how incredibly valuable it is to be trusted, and how central that idea is to the goals and image of Starfleet as a whole. Areel Shaw makes it very clear to Kirk that the institution of Starfleet is greater and more important than any individual, and that they would sacrifice him on the altar of loyalty “for the good of the service.” It’s a testament to Starfleet’s supposed perfection as an institution that Kirk believes completely and unreservedly in the system, and is utterly convinced that a court martial will vindicate him. His unwavering faith in transparent justice (he refuses to allow them to “sweep it under the rug”) and commitment to truth demonstrate a nobility that’s difficult to see cracks in, even with damning video evidence.

The big thing that didn’t work for me at all was the trial itself. Shaw is a stupendously bad lawyer, with a weak prosecution—all she’s got that is that since Finney didn’t like Kirk then maybe possibly it’s likely that Kirk could have not liked him back? Please. Kirk’s counsel, Mr. Cogley, is like a senile Matlock—I expected him to start rambling about his youth (or hot dogs) any second. And the conflict of interest with Areel was totally unbelievable. I will say that I didn’t guess for a second the twist ending (my guess was either that Jame set Kirk up or that Finney committed suicide because of his disgrace and framed Kirk for it). Wrong on both counts, and pleasantly surprised that I got a half-naked man-wrestling fight out of it. Simple pleasures, you know.

One final note: kudos on Star Trek for the racial diversity of this episode. In addition to Commodore Stone, the episode included a South Asian man on the court martial panel and an East Asian woman as the personnel officer. Forty years later and our courts still don’t look like that.

Torie’s Rating: Warp 5 (on a scale of 1-6)

Best Line: McCoy to Shaw: “All of my old friends look like doctors. All of his look like you. Well, you might as well join me for a drink.”

Syndication Edits: Initial chitchat between Kirk and Areel Shaw; Spock’s statement during the court martial that he is “part Vulcanian”; two sections from Cogley’s speech on human rights (though it doesn’t note which ones…); the entire sequence at the end of the Enterprise establishing a stable orbit.

Trivia: Commodore Stone’s office is the same one used in “The Menagerie.” This is the first episode to use the term “Starfleet Command,” which became the standard in the Star Trek universe, and also the first appearance of dress uniforms in the series. This episode is later referenced on Deep Space Nine in the episode “Far Beyond the Stars,” as a short story titled “Court Martial” by Samuel T. Cogley in the September 1953 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction magazine, which features the beautiful matte painting of Starbase 11 on the cover.

Other notes: Richard Webb (Benjamin Finney) was best known as TV’s Captain Midnight (1954-1956). The excellent Elisha Cook, Jr. (Cogley) may be remembered for his performance in The Maltese Falcon and many other film noir and crime films, as well as a long career of television guest roles.

Previous Episode: Season 1, Episode 19 – “ Tomorrow is Yesterday .”

Next Episode: Season 1, Episode 21 – “ The Return of the Archons .” US residents can watch it for free at the CBS website .

This post originally appeared on Tor.com.

About Eugene Myers & Torie Atkinson

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Star Trek: Court Martial

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"Court Martial" is the twentieth episode of season one of the original science fiction/adventure series Star Trek , and is the twenty-first episode produced in the series overall. It was directed by Marc Daniels with a teleplay written by Don M. Mankiewicz and Steven W. Carabatsos based on a story treatment by Mankiewicz. It first aired on NBC on February 2nd , 1967 .

• 2.1 Starring
• 2.2 Co-Starring
• 2.3 Featuring
• 2.5 Uncredited cast
• 3 Notes & Trivia
• 4 Home Video
• 6.1 Star Trek
• 6.2 Star Trek: The Next Generation
• 6.3 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
• 6.4 Star Trek: Voyager
• 6.5 Star Trek: Enterprise
• 7 External Links
• 8 Series links
• 9 Episode links

Synopsis [ ]

Starring [ ], co-starring [ ], featuring [ ], uncredited cast [ ].

Note: The following is taken from the full credits list for this entry on IMDB. As it is a website with user-submitted information, some of the data listed here, including character names may be inaccurate.

Notes & Trivia [ ]

• Star Trek was created by Gene Roddenberry .
• " TOS: Court Martial " serves as a shortcut to this page.
• Actor Leonard Nimoy is credited with an "Also starring" prefix in the opening title credits, as well as his character's name, Mr. Spock.
• Music for this episode was composed and conducted by Alexander Courage.
• Mister Spock is the only non-human character featured in this episode.
• The setting for the main timeline is the 23rd century in the year 2267 ; Stardate: 2947.3.
• Teleplay writer Don Mankiewicz is credited as Don M. Mankiewicz in this episode.
• Actor Percy Rodrigues is credited as Percy Rodriguez in this episode.
• Actor Elisha Cook, Jr. is credited as Elisha Cook in this episode.
• Actor Win De Lugo is credited as Winston DeLugo in this episode.
• DeForest Kelley 's character is identified only as Dr. McCoy in this episode. The character's full name and rank is Chief Medical Officer Doctor Leonard "Bones" McCoy .
• Nichelle Nichols ' character is identified only as Uhura in this episode. The character's full name and rank is Lieutenant Nyota Uhura .
• Spock's race is once again identified as Vulcanian, rather than Vulcan . This is to distinguish between his race and the planet of his birth. In future stories, Vulcanians are referred to as just Vulcans.
• Bart Conrad (Krasnovsky) is the only other board member other than Commodore Stone to speak. His single line is "and when the orbit begins to decay?"
• Despite having dialogue, Tom Curtis who plays Mike receives no credit for his role.

Home Video [ ]

• This episode is included on disc seven of the Star Trek: The Original Series: Season One high-definition DVD collection, which was produced by CBS Paramount International Television and released in Region 1 format in the United States on November 20th , 2007 .
• Captain Kirk : You have to be either an obsessive crackpot who's escaped from his keeper, or Samuel T. Cogley, attorney at law.
• Mister Spock : Lieutenant, I am half-Vulcanian. Vulcanians do not speculate. I speak from pure logic. If I let go of a hammer on a planet that has a positive gravity, I need not see it fall to know that it has in fact fallen.
• Doctor McCoy : Mister Spock, you're the most cold-blooded man I've ever known.
• Mister Spock : Why, thank you, Doctor.
• Captain Kirk : It's not all bad, Mr. Spock. Who knows, you may be able to beat your next captain at chess.
• Captain Kirk : Given the same circumstances, I would do the same thing without hesitation. Because the steps I took, in the order I took them, were absolutely necessary, if I were to save my ship. And *nothing* is more important than my ship.

See also [ ]

Star trek: the next generation, star trek: deep space nine, star trek: voyager, star trek: enterprise, external links [ ], series links, episode links.

• 1 Tales of the Unexpected: Shatterproof
• 2 Denise Cloyd
• 3 The Invaders: The Pursued

Court Martial Stardate: 2947.3 Original Airdate: 2 Feb, 1967

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Flashback | Recap | Star Trek: The Original Series S1E20: “Court Martial”

The  Enterprise  arrives at Starbase 11 in desperate need of repairs. They rode through an ion storm, which left the ship damaged and a single crewman, Lt. Ben Finney (Richard Webb) dead. However, due to a discrepancy in the ship’s log and Captain Kirk’s (William Shatner) report, Kirk demands a trial by court-martial to clear his name.

Let’s Dig Deeper

Though it’s not the most amazing episode of Star Trek to ever air, what I love about “Court Martial” is its demonstration that science fiction doesn’t always need to be esoteric or extra-terrestrial-filled. A show like Star Trek that’s nearly an anthology series, with its supremely episodic nature and nearly no serialization (thank you, Deep Space Nine and Discovery for forging your own paths!), is supremely pliable with regards to its format. It can do just about anything: one week it’s a duel to the death with a gigantic green lizard, another week it’s a tale of gods and men (also duelling, with swords !), or a submarine battle among the stars , or time travel, or even a courtroom drama. And each format can be utilized to get across a message, or even to compose a nice character portrait.

This time, that character we explore is Captain James T. Kirk, but we do it not as much through his bravado and his command (though we get those obligatory moments). We get a glimpse as to how difficult command actually must be, the decisions he must make and the ramifications that those choices have. We see Kirk standing up for what he knows is right, defending his innocence (because of course he’s innocent!). Moreover, we see Kirk through the eyes of someone passed over for command, someone who has not had the fortune or the good instincts that Kirk possesses. And that person has faked his own death in order to make his erstwhile friend pay.

It sounds like Court Martial has the makings of a great episode – what’s the catch?

The plot isn’t terribly exciting – Finney is just hiding in engineering and the sensors can’t find him? Come on. Plus, some of the contrivances they (Spock) employ to suss out the truth are just bonkers-bad 1960s science fiction (they use a microphone to not hear things at some point, making a huge show of walking up to each officer to eliminate his heartbeat from the sensors, before Spock reveals he could do the whole process remotely…). It really took me out of the episode, overall.

What about the performances?

The saving grace of this episode, in addition to the great character study of Captain Kirk, are the performances. This episode boasts a phenomenal ensemble of guest actors. Elisha Cook as Samuel T. Cogley, the book-obsessed lawyer who takes over Kirk’s case, is both funny and quirky in equal measures, underscored with a gravity that grounds the levity. Joan Marshall as Lt. Areel Shaw, Kirk’s old flame (I should be keeping count of the many women of James Kirk, but it’d depress me), is saddled with a difficult job as Kirk’s prosecutor and paramour lover (does Starfleet HQ know about this? I’m fairly sure that shouldn’t be allowed…). Yet she’s not the hard-nosed villain. She’s genuinely conflicted about her task and takes it up with professional gusto. Speaking of hard-nosed, Portmaster Stone ( Percy Rodriguez ) isn’t really a villain, but he’s a bit too *ahem* stony for my liking, falling almost into caricature territory.

Lastly, Richard Webb as Lt. Finney is just nuts. He’s way off Barney Stinson’s crazy eyes chart (sorry Ted, he’s just not for you!) This is exactly what the episode needs, though. In the midst of all the stoic courtroom shenanigans, there needs to be an explanation for the inexplicable here: why is someone trying to frame Kirk? Because there’s a crazy guy.

Random Thoughts

At Starbase 11’s Officer’s Club, McCoy first spots Shaw and uses Kirk’s reputation to try to pick her up, only to discover she knows him, leading to the quote below.

Jamie Finney is named after James T. Kirk – she is  not a good actress.

Kirk’s ripped shirt count: 1

Memorable Quotes

“all of my old friends look like doctors. all of his look like you.”.

–Bones says this to Shaw. I love that at least the show is somewhat self-aware that Kirk’s past is filled with droves of beautiful women who are all still madly in love with him, just waiting for him to swoop back into their lives.

Kirk: “So that’s the way we do it now – sweep this whole thing under the rug and me along with it! Not on your life. I intend to fight.” Stone: “Then you draw a general court!” Kirk: “Draw it? I demand it! And right now, Commodore Stone, right now!”

–Kirk standing up for himself against Stone’s accusations

Shaw: “Do you think it would cause a complete breakdown if a lowly lieutenant kissed a starship captain on the bridge of his ship?”

Coming up next….

“Court Martial” works on a character and a performance level and not on a plotting or a production level all that well. The courtroom is trying to be fancier than it is, without everything working the way that it should. Plus, the stupid microphone gizmo… However, this episode gives us a glimpse into the pressures of Kirk’s command, and a taste of the loyalty that Kirk’s crew truly feels for him (which will become a theme throughout the remainder of the series and the films).

Next is “Return of the Archons,” an episode which takes crazy to a whole new level, and where Kirk continues his motif of out-logicking a supercomputer. I can’t wait!

Article by Tyler Howat

Tyler Howat joined Ready Steady Cut in November 2017, publishing over 100 articles for the website. Based out of Wenatchee City, Washington, Tyler has used his education and experience to become a highly skilled writer, critic, librarian, and teacher. He has a passion for Film, TV, and Books and a huge soft spot for Star Trek.

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Star Trek: Discovery's Commander Rayner Is The New Riker

WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5, "Mirrors "

• Rayner in Star Trek: Discovery shows reluctance to lead, akin to Riker in The Next Generation, emphasizing the importance of strong leadership dynamics.
• Similar to Riker on the USS Enterprise-D, Rayner's style proves valuable in solving critical issues in "Mirrors" episode.
• Burnham's mission and leadership choices parallel Picard and Riker dynamics, showcasing a balance of risk-taking and bold decision-making in Star Trek lore.

Star Trek: Discovery 's new Number One, Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) has a lot in common with Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) from Star Trek: The Next Generation . In Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5, "Mirrors", written by Johanna Lee & Carlos Cisco and directed by Jen McGowan , Rayner has to reluctantly take the center seat while Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) is on an away mission. Rayner's reluctance to take the conn, and his insistence that he lead the away mission in Burnham's stead, draws similarities between him and Will Riker.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5 , "Mirrors" reveals that Rayner, formerly the captain of the USS Antares, is unsure that his style will gel with his new crew. However, by bringing the Discovery's bridge crew together, Rayner is able to solve the problem of how to drag the ISS Enterprise out of interdimensional space . With Burnham back on board, Rayner is back to being the USS Discovery's Number One, but satisfied that he can lead from the center seat, much like Riker at the end of Star Trek: The Next Generation season 4, episode 1, "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II"

Jonathan Frakes Is In Star Trek: Discovery Even If You Dont See Riker

Star trek: discovery's commander rayner is reluctant to be captain - like riker in tng.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation , Riker turned down several opportunities to become captain, preferring to stay aboard the USS Enterprise-D as second-in-command to Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). However, Riker was often placed in charge of the starship Enterprise , most notably when Picard was assimilated by the Borg Collective. After rescuing Captain Picard from the Borg, and saving the Federation from the Collective, he was happy to step down from Captain to Commander Riker, satisfied that he'd proved his worth as a captain. For Riker, serving as Number One on the Federation flagship was just as huge an achievement as his own command .

Riker finally accepted a promotion to captain of the USS Titan in Star Trek: Nemesis .

Rayner in Star Trek: Discovery was demoted from Captain to Commander in season 5, episode 2, "Under the Twin Moons". The USS Discovery is Rayner's last chance, which is presumably why, like Riker in TNG , he's keen not to chase promotion. His reasoning is different to Riker's because Rayner had already been a captain for years before becoming Burnham's Number One . Rayner is reluctant to take charge in "Mirrors" because it's not his crew, and his command style is very different to Burnham's.

Commander Rayner Is The Riker To Burnham's Picard In Star Trek: Discovery

One of the reasons that Rayner gives for not wanting to take the conn is that Burnham's away mission is " too risky " for the captain of the USS Discovery . Riker leading the away missions in Star Trek: The Next Generation became such a trope that Picard jokes about it in his Star Trek: Nemesis wedding toast . Burnham explains why she and Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) are the best crew members to take on the mission, forcing Rayner to concede that she's right. Picard would do the same in later seasons of TNG as he took a more active role in away missions.

Discussing Riker's replacement aboard the Enterprise, Commander Data (Brent Spiner), Picard jokes: " I will be training my new first officer. You all know him. He's a tyrannical martinet who'll never, ever allow me to go on away missions! "

When Burnham offered Rayner the role of second-in-command in Star Trek: Discovery she made it clear that she didn't want a " yes man ". Picard didn't want Riker to be one either, which is why he was so impressed by his fierce opposition to Captain Robert DeSoto (Michael Cavanaugh) leading an away mission on Altair III. Riker risked court martial to convince DeSoto that his away mission was " too risky " for the captain of the USS Hood, something that ultimately led to him becoming the second-in-command of the USS Enterprise-D in Star Trek: The Next Generation .

Star Trek: Discovery streams Thursdays on Paramount+

All episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation are streaming now on Paramount+

Star Trek: Discovery

Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: The Next Generation is the third installment in the sci-fi franchise and follows the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew members of the USS Enterprise. Set around one hundred years after the original series, Picard and his crew travel through the galaxy in largely self-contained episodes exploring the crew dynamics and their own political discourse. The series also had several overarching plots that would develop over the course of the isolated episodes, with four films released in tandem with the series to further some of these story elements.

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Rayner’s Command Starts Soon in ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Season 5 Episode 5

Having established itself as one of the premiere sci-fi TV shows around, Star Trek:Discovery has been praised for forging its own path and character development. With four episodes of season 5 out, fans are looking forward to the events of the fifth episode.

Star Trek:Discovery season 5 episode 5 will release on Thursday, April 25, 2024. As per the synopsis, Captain Burnham and Book will travel in extra dimensional space with the objective of finding the next clue to the location of the Progenitors’ power, while Rayner begins his first mission as the commander of the USS Discovery.

Created by Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman, Star Trek: Discovery stars Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Shazad Latif, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, Jason Isaacs, Wilson Cruz, Anson Mount, and David Ajala in key roles across the five seasons. The show was announced in November 2015, providing respite to millions of Star Trek fans, who were made to wait 12 years for a new series after Star Trek: Enterprise concluded in 2005. The fifth season will be the final one of the series, as confirmed by lead star Martin-Green in March of last year.

Star Trek:Discovery follows the events that take place a decade before Star Trek: The Original Series , which is based in the 23rd century. By the end of the second season, the crew of the starship Discovery travels to the 32nd century, which becomes the setting for the rest of the show. Michael Burnham (Martin-Green) is the central character of the show; her court-martial and subsequent exploits as a member of Discovery become the crux of the now-Paramount+-produced TV series.

The show has had its own share of problems at different points; Bryan Fuller’s exit in the initial stages due to creative differences was one of them. His replacements, Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Haberts, were then fired during the second season, with Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise taking over by the start of the third. Production costs of the show are quite high, with each episode approximately costing between $8 and $8.5 million.

Star Trek: Discovery is available to stream on Paramount+.

(feature image: Paramount+)

Star Trek (TV Series)

Court martial (1967), full cast & crew.

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