Court Martial

Season 1, Episode 20, Aired
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Episode Summary

Captain Kirk's career is at stake when he is put on trial for the loss of a crewman during an ion storm.
8.1
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Fan Episode Reviews (7)

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  • Almost two different shows, the beginning is excellent, the end is rushed and sloppy.

    7.0
    "Good"
    By Mac-Ale, Nov 17, 2010 Report Abuse
    Kirk is put on trial for the deliberate killing of one of his crew members.

    There is so much that is really well-done in the first two thirds of this episode that I actually get sad that it falls apart at the end. The characters are nicely drawn, the dialog crackles. Another lost love of Kirk is a great idea as the prosecutor, Cogley is suitably dramatic as a defense attorney. The issues are fun and still ring true. Lots of details about the Starfleet legal system are revealed and we get more of Kirk's history. I have some minor quibbles, the first being that a computer record is far more than a log tape, many other data logs should have confirmed when the observation module was really jetissoned (of course, in the 60s, audiences would be mostly stricken with "the seeing is believing" approach), the second is that while I like the idea of Spock playing chess with the computer - it's a little incredible to believe that he initially checked the hardware but none of the software.

    One of the great cuts to commercial on TV is Sam Cogley's demand that Kirk be able to face his accuser (the computer itself). Sadly, when we return, we get a descent into formula and sped-up plot devices. The ship monitors and can amplify noises on the order of "one to the fourth power"? No editor could see that this equals one? Finney has sabotaged the ship without detection, surely he could have done that without the elaborate hoax in the first place. Or did he intend that the trial actually come aboard ship? There is so much action to squeeze in that the odd convention of having Kirk "narrate" a sequence needs to be used. There is some satisfaction in having Kirk yank power cords out of the Jeffries Tube while the ship lurches - but only in a cheesy affectionate sense.

    The end is a shame, because most of this episode is one of the best human dramas of the entire series.moreless

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    2 1

  • Kirk is infuriated at his court hearing because the computer neglected to mention his medal for 3rd place in the 100 yard dash from his academy days.

    7.2
    "Good"
    By hrtonslv, Nov 17, 2010 Report Abuse
    I think when I was younger I didn't appreciate this episode for it's lack of action. It is however quite well written and a good plot. I do however agree with one of the comments in the Trivia sections about close up shots of Kirk pressing the yellow alert and red alert buttons. How did the ship make such detailed achieves? And furthermore, since when has Kirk ever pressed a button to go into any kind of alert? He always just orders it. With all those discrepancies, I easily looked passed them and enjoyed the episode very much.moreless

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    4 0

  • Captain Kirk is court martialed for causing the death of a crewman.

    7.0
    "Good"
    By Celedorian, Sep 29, 2010 Report Abuse
    This seems like Part 2 of a nonexistent Part 1. First, the good: it's got a great original score, plenty of courtroom drama, and a fun twist ending. It's a Kirk show, and William Shatner handles it pretty well. Now the bad: the guest stars suck. The worst is Joan Marshall, who plays a Starfleet JAG officer. The character comes off as part idiot, part floozy. (Of course, the character is a former love interest for Kirk, so maybe this was the way to go!) It's not a bad episode, but it falls short of its potential and is a bit rushed at the end.moreless

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  • Captain Kirk stands trial accused of not only negligence and incompetence, but possibly deliberately causing the death of a crewman, who had a long-running grudge against him, during an ion storm. An interesting, well written and well acted instalment...moreless

    8.5
    "Great"
    By Jay-Spacedust, Nov 12, 2008 Report Abuse
    This review contains spoilers.

    After quite a long run of great episodes, things come down to Earth slightly with this episode. Bad that's not to say it's bad; just different.

    At first, I thought I wasn't going to like this episode much at all. Certainly when I was younger it wouldn't have been one of my favourites. But I have to admit, it wasn't bad at all. It has a very interesting plot, and is well acted out by all of the main performers.

    We all know that Kirk couldn't be guilty of the crimes of which he is accused, but watching it for the first time, you really have to wonder just what is going on and what is behind the false records.
    Of course, with some of the God-like entities encountered by the Enterprise, anything could have tampered with the records, but the cause here is more human.

    This episode was filmed directly before the two-part "The Menagerie", which also featured a court martial. Although "The Menagerie" is a very popular Original 'Trek' story, I personally much prefer "Court Martial".

    Of particular note regarding the guest cast is Elisha Cook Jr. as attorney Samuel T. Cogley, giving a really good performance. And Joan Marshall, playing Lt. Areel Shaw yet another of Kirk's old flames is another of the series' beautiful guest females.

    Like some others, I wasn't too sure about the on-screen footage of the bridge during the matter in question. Since when had such detailed archives been kept? Since when has Kirk manually pressed buttons on his chair to signal alerts and suchlike? And how could a computer even one as advanced as the Enterprise's change visual evidence?

    I agree with some other reviews that the first half of the episode is great, and only the final conclusion is slightly disappointing, and maybe not all that convincing.
    Singling out the heartbeats on the Enterprise is a bit dubious (and McCoy eliminates everyone on the bridge with a very unconvincing device that is clearly just a standard microphone, in one of the weakest 'Trek' props ever), and it is maybe a bit hard to fully believe that Finney could have got away with his plan so easily. (Also, during the climatic fight, there was some very evident stunt double work that I found distracting).

    But for the niggles I've mentioned against this episode, and as debatable as the ending is, it doesn't completely let the episode down, and still makes for an interesting outcome. There is better in the first season, but to my pleasant surprise this is still a reasonable episode overall.moreless

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  • In the name of humanity, fading in the shadow of the machine

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By amazingwebhead, Nov 10, 2007 Report Abuse
    Now here's an underappreciated episode if ever there was one. 'Court Martial' plays out like any other well conceived court room drama except with excellent sci-fi twists and with characters who we have had many hours now to get to know. It has to be said, for a science fiction show that rarely ever left its genre; Star Trek did well here, never seeming amateur or silly. It also greatly expands on the rather simple judicial system seen during 'The Menagerie' and uses guest and recurring characters well throughout, creating a very memorable episode.

    The premise of the show (Kirk being accused responsible for the death of a crew member) finally gives the show a little bit of grounding at least when it comes to all those red-shirt deaths. Many people have remarked that it is strange that this one case is investigated when in fact many people have died at Kirk's command before. I however don't find this a problem: The problem with this crew member's death is that Kirk essentially shot the man between the eyes by jettisoning him out into space without any real reason. Other deaths on the show haven't been as directly linked with the Captain and have usually been at the hands of another force. The very beginning of the episode in which Kirk and Commodore Stone are conversing establishes that these people know each other and that they have been through this before (with the other deaths). The big shock this time though is that Kirk is seemingly to blame, and so he goes on trial. I apologise for that long winded explanation but I feel that it is something that needed to be cleared up (there will be another one later too I'm afraid). The devil's in the details, someone said.

    The initial questioning of Kirk from the Commodore is a brilliantly performed scene from both Shatner and Rodriguez, eventually escalating into a whirlwind exchange of angry and passionate words. The back-story told by Kirk never bores and has a definite interesting nature to it. It also sets up the rest of the episode and establishes a more emotional motive to be found under the events that have transpired. It also helps to have a former lover of Kirk on the prosecution side, acting against Kirk. Just a simple small detail such as this really goes a long way in furthering the conflict during the court room scenes.

    Perhaps my favourite set of scenes during 'Court Martial' involves the testimonies of Spock and McCoy. Spock at first testifies that he believes his Captain to be even more reliable than a computer and that he has no reservations about trusting his word over that of a machine. McCoy in a much similar vein goes on to say that he believes Kirk to be far more reliable and unlikely to break-under-pressure than any other man might; Two statements that may not scratch any of the trio's personal relationship's surface, but it certainly does show how these two have grown to admire Kirk, in a professional sense.

    Essentially, 'Court Martial' isn't an episode about character development, it's about character establishment. It fills in the little cracks of knowledge that we don't know and it reaffirms certain qualities that we may have already known. Kirk in particular is shown in definite Captain-mode, stern, confident and always in command. It's a side that Kirk will often tone down when on general duty, but in situations such as this, it's good to see him take charge; realise what the problem is and do what has to be done. What the episode does best however is that it shows us the strings that bind Kirk, Spock & McCoy together. It shows their closeness and absolute trust in each other, never stopping in trying to prove Kirk's innocence.

    Eventually the team's combined effort pays off, refuting the otherwise very shocking and convincing evidence of Kirk jettisoning Finney whilst on yellow alert (Daniels does a brilliant job directing very tense scenes as usual, and this was particularly well-done). This paves way for an unexpected twist in the plot that utilises a strange but completely believable sci-fi plot device: The scene where there is only one heartbeat left beating for the bridge to hear is extremely effective and a brilliant way to certify the episode's eventual outcome.

    So in the end we learn that Kirk is innocent; it was all an elaborate sabotage, masterminded by the supposed victim himself. Finney is now painted in a tragic light, shown to be a man driven crazy by lost ambition, refusing to accept responsibility and blaming others for his mistakes. Here is a man that is so tormented by his failure that he decides he cannot rest until both Kirk and the Enterprise go down with him; until Kirk's glorious name is shunned and he becomes a mere shadow of his former glory. Perhaps this is what I loved most about 'Court Martial'; it is rich in back-story but is never over-indulgent; It knows what is essential to conflict, suspense and drama and it uses it wisely, eventually climaxing with a fantastic battle between the two men in conflict. When I talk of the battle I'm not referring to the mediocre fist fight with obvious stunt doubles, I'm talking about the battle of words that occurs between them. It reminded me somewhat of 'Where No Man Has Gone Before' and comes to a close just as well. My one problem with the 'Court Martial' is that it is undoubtedly dry. There is next to no humour or internal or personal conflict until the last ten minutes. Plus, I didn't quite appreciate the Absolute Final Ending, but nevertheless I tend to enjoy this one a lot more than others. With some great performances, a solid script, intense direction and a focus on human conflict rather than extraterrestrial, 'Court Martial' is definitely a well-made hour of TV, and an original one for Star Trek at that.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • During the court martial, Spock's ranks is listed as Lt. Commander. After moving the court martial to the bridge, Spock is wearing Commander stripes. Edit
    • It's very dramatic, but why does Stone insist on staying aboard the ship because the court hasn't reached a verdict and they want to "hear the witness out"? Finney is alive: that renders the whole trial a moot point. Edit
    • For some reason they shut down the impulse engines. The implication is the noise would render it impossible to detect Finney's heartbeat but they display they have the ability to filter noises out, and there must be thousands of other equipment noises aboard the ship. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • Starfleet, the agency that the crew serve in is mentioned for the first time in this episode. Earlier episodes made vague and conflicting references to what service the Enterprise operated in including Space Command, Space Central, the Star Service, and the United Earth Space Probe Agency (or UESPA). Edit
    • In this episode we get to see Kirk not only get the girl, but get the prosecuting attorney and kiss her on the bridge. Edit
    • Dr. McCoy's handheld "medical scanners" were actually modified salt and pepper shakers. Another medical device, seen in the episode "Court Martial" is obviously a hand-held microphone. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • McCoy: Dr. Leonard McCoy. And you? Areel: Areel Shaw. And I'm a friend, too--an old one. McCoy: All of my old friends look like doctors. All of his look like you. Edit
    • Kirk: Dr. McCoy said you were here. I should have felt it in the air like static electricity. Areel: Flattery will get you everywhere. Kirk: It's been... how long has it been? Areel: Four years, seven months, and an odd number of days--not that I'm counting. Edit
    • Kirk: What is all this? Cogley: I figure we'll be spending some time together, so I moved in. Kirk: I hope I'm not crowding you. 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, a 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. Kirk: What would be the point? Cogley: This is where the law is, not in that homogenized, pasteurized, synthesized... do you want to know the law, the ancient concepts in their own language, learn the intent of the men who wrote them, from Moses to the tribunal of Alpha 3? Books. Kirk: You have to be either an obsessive crackpot who's escaped from his keeper or Samuel T. Cogley, attorney-at-law. Cogley: Right on both counts. Edit

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