Synopsis (from the official website):
Twenty-two years before stardate 2817.6, the governor of Tarsus IV, Kodos, evoked emergency martial law and ordered half of the planet's population executed. His intent was to address a severe food shortage on Tarsus IV, and it earned him the name "Kodos the Executioner." It was believed that Kodos died on the planet, but there is some belief that he may have escaped and assumed another identity. James Kirk, Lt. Kevin Riley, and Dr. Thomas Leighton are the only surviving witnesses to Kodos' previous evil deeds; others who might have known Kodos have been mysteriously killed in various accidents.Conscience of the King is a superb Star Trek episode, and I want to get that out of the way first. I am trying to remain impartial during The Star Trek Project, and it has been far more difficult than I thought it would be. When you have seen so much of a show and know so much about the series and the background you tend to have very set opinions about each episode and it can be hard to break free of that bias. Luckily with The Original Series it has been long enough since I have seen each episode that I can approach them with a mostly fresh perspective. With that being said, Conscience of the King is still one of the absolute best episodes of Season One, marred only by the unnecessary and poorly concieved "love story" sub-plot.
A traveling theatrical troupe arrives at Planet Q, and a Dr. Leighton contacts the U.S.S. Enterprise regarding a new synthetic food concentrate. When he is beamed aboard, he tells Kirk that his real reason for contacting him was to tell the captain that he suspects Anton Karidian, the head actor in the theater troupe, is really Kodos.
When Dr. Leighton is murdered, Kirk agrees to transport the Karidian Players to the Benecia Colony on board the U.S.S. Enterprise. His real motive is to study Karidian and his daughter in an attempt to learn if he is, indeed, Kodos and responsible for Leighton's death.
This episode helped to provide some of the backstory for Kirk's character. At this point we knew little about the young captain, and this was our first glimpse into some of the formative events of his youth. It also allows him a chance to show a greater depth of emotion as a character-first his desire for revenge, and eventually his need for justice as a starship captain. It gives us a clue as to what might have helped created the indominable will of the adult Captain Kirk, and it provides a story that has been elaborated on in several expanded universe books.
Conscience of the King is more of a mystery or thriller than most Star Trek episodes, and it is entirely predictable-but it is supposed to be, and it succeeds marvelously in what it sets out to do. I am not entirely sure if the writers of the episode ever intended the outcome to be in question, but they wanted to plant just a glimmer of doubt in the viewer's mind, just enough to offer some moral ambiguity about the actions of Kirk and Riley in trying to expose Karidian.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Conscience of the King is the skill with which the writers created a sympathetic character in Karidian/Kodos. He was now a broken, tired old man. He had completely immersed himself in his life as an actor, trying only to forget the memories of what had happened 22 years ago on Tarsus IV. He did not necessarily renounced his actions however; to the day he died he believed he had done the only thing he could have at the time. The saddest thing of all was that Anton Karidian was Kodos the Executioner, but was no longer the same man.
The only notable failing in this episode was the sub-plot with Karidian's daughter and Kirk. While the twist at the end involving Karidian's daughter was both unexpected and clever (as was her shockingly slavish devotion to her father's past life). The issue was with her totally unnecessary romance with Kirk. While television of the 1960's seemed to push hokey romances for the leading characters whenever possible, I have never liked the abundance of it in Star Trek.
I have no issues with Kirk being a ladies man-in fact it helps define his character for decades to come. The problem is that the writers and producers chose to force it on us constantly, in badly concieved circumstances, with poor actresses playing his love interests, and in unbelievable settings. There is no reason Kirk would begin a relationship of any type with a woman he thought might be the daughter of a mass murderer. There is little reason Kirk would fraternize with a girl who was likely in her late teens, either. While he was a ladies man, he obviously had some sense of propriety. This and the fact that the end of the episode features McCoy and a throwaway line about Kirk "really caring about this one" add to the absurdity of this sub-plot. It truly is the only thing that mars an excellent episode.
Continuity:
- This episodes helps establish Kirk's age as in his early thirties.
- This character of Kodos would be revisited in later series and expanded universe literature.
Fun Facts:
- This episode was the last appearance of Kevin Riley.
- This episode is the first that provides back
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