Episode Title: The Alternative Factor
Air Date: 3/30/1967
Written by Don
Ingalls
Directed by Gerd
Oswald
Cast: William
Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk
Leonard Nimoy as Lieutenant Commander Spock DeForest Kelley as Dr. Leonard H.
McCoy AKA “Bones” Nichelle
Nichols as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura James Farley as Lieutenant Lang Eddie Paskey as Lieutenant Leslie Janet MacLachlan as Lieutenant Charlene
Masters Bill Blackburn as Lieutenant
Hadley Frank Da Vinci as Crewman Arch Whiting as Assistant
Engineer Christian Patrick as Transporter
Chief Vince Calenti as Security
Guard Ron Veto as
Security Guard Tom Lupo as Security
Guard Richard Derr as
Commodore Barstow Robert
Brown as Lazarus Al Wyatt Sr.
as Anti-Matter Lazarus Being #1
Bill Catching as Anti-Matter Lazarus Being #2
Ships: USS
Enterprise NCC-1701, Lazarus's ship
Planets: Unnamed maybe a Fake Earth
My Spoiler filled summary and review: The episode begins with the USS Enterprise doing a routine survey on
a newly discovered planet. The planet is
itself unremarkable then however everything shakes and everyone sees
stars. As far as they can tell, Mr.
Spock explains, it seems reality itself ‘blinked out.’ Spock is at lost to
explain how that is even possible. Sensor readings now show a life form on the
planet below. Captain Kirk decides to
go down to investigate. He forms an away team consisting of himself, Spock, and number of redshirts then transports down to
the planet where they find a type of space ship and a man screaming about stopping a murder before he then falls down unconscious. When the man comes to he identifies himself as
Lazarus, who comes off as a kind of wacky figure. He claims he is fighting an evil force that
is a destroyer of worlds.
With Scotty apparently on vacation
the engineering officer in charge, Lt. Masters, informs Kirk and Spock that the
“blink” caused the dilithium crystals to be drained and they need to be
recharged. Despite Lazarus’s oddness
given he showed up right as this happened.
They have to take him more seriously.
Starfleet issues a General Alert Code 1, which
is an order for all ships to prepare for an invasion of the Federation. The Enterprise
receives a communication from Commodore Barstow, he and Kirk discuss
worst-case scenarios. The Commodore
informs them that “the blink” they’ve been feeling has been felt all across the
entire United Federation of Planets. He
also tells Kirk as the rest of the Starfleet prepares for whatever might be coming through the Enterprise will be facing
the initial wave alone.
Kirk talks with Lazarus, who
doesn’t seem any more rational that he was earlier, he continues to insist that
he has an enemy who is responsible for all this. He keeps referring to the monster as the
destroyer of worlds. Kirk decides that
they should go to the plant to investigate his claims and beams down to the surface with Lazarus. When they get to Lazarus's ship Spock informs him
that there is no evidence that anyone else was here and he outright accuses
Lazarus of lying to them. Before they
get into the consequences of Spock’s revelations reality blinks again. Lazarus
is injured and they have to bring him back to the ship.
McCoy treats Lazarus and reports to
Captain Kirk that symptoms including an injury on his head simply disappeared. When Kirk inspects this the injuries have
reappeared making him think McCoy was laying a joke on him. Which is an odd character moment for Kirk as
McCoy doesn’t typically lie about such things.
Mr. Spock appears to have solved at
least part of the question, he still does not know what is causing the reality
“blinks,” but he does know where the cause is. The ship’s sensors have discovered what Mr.
Spock could only describe as a “rip in space”: a place with the normal laws of
physics would not apply. He is also
discovered that dilithium crystals could be used to open or alter the “rip.”
This is music to Lazarus’s ears and he wants the crystals right away. Kirk refuses, of course we know from earlier episodes how important the crystals are as they power the Enterprise. Lazarus responds
by going to the engine room and stealing two of them.
Kirk confronts Lazarus about the theft but he
denies it. Once again he brings up his
rival as the one responsible for all this and is wacky as his story still is the
two missing dilithium crystals are not on his person nor on his ship. Kirk demands the truth from him and Lazarus tells
a new origin story for himself. He
explains that he is a time traveler and the dead world that they are orbiting
is his world, his “Earth.” However he is
from the past he traveled here to what was his time's distant future to stop the madman who is
responsible for destroying his world.
Kirk and Spock sit together alone and
chat. Between the two of them they figure out everything that is going on. They reason that there is another antimatter universe and
if the two universes would connect they would see a disruption similar to what
they were now seeing. They also realize the
reason Lazarus’s injuries seem to come and go is that there are actually two of
him.
Lazarus starts a fire in the engine
room and steals the remaining crystals and beams down to the surface. Kirk follows him through the transporter. He finds Lazarus in his ship. As
Kirk tries enter it he finds himself sent to the other universe. In the other universe he meets with the other
Lazarus. The calmer nicer Lazarus
explains that scientists on his world found a gateway to the matter
universe. In the gateway no harm is done
to either universe, if you open the gateway however it can be like dropping a bomb. When the Lazarus
of our universe learned of his counterpart he went insane and had to destroy
him. It was he that led to the
destruction of their worlds and if the doorway remains open it could lead to
the destruction of both their universes.
If they could repair the nice Lazarus’s ship he could send Kirk back and
Kirk could force his counterpart into the doorway with uniting the two and then by
destroying the two ships it would close the doorway forever. Nice Lazarus would destroy his ship and the Enterprise with its phasers could destroy the other. This would have the effect of trapping the
two men in there forever a sacrifice that nice Lazarus is willing to make for
two universes.
Kirk agrees to help the nice
Lazarus. When they finish repairs Kirk goes
back to his universe where he tackles the evil counterpart with his amazing
fighting skills unparalleled anywhere in this galaxy. While Mr. Spock and other crewman are looking
on Kirk throws the evil Lazarus into his ship sending him into the
gateway. They grab the remaining crystals
go back to the Enterprise, put the
crystals back, and destroy Lazarus’s ship.
Kirk is then left wondering about the fate of the good Lazarus.
Additional thoughts: Okay
what the Hell just happened? I've watched this episode number of times over the years, I have just reviewed it, and for
the life of me I still don’t understand it. This episode seems to be one with a lot of
potential but it just falls apart with its execution. When the good Lazarus explains things it
seems to make sense, but a good twist is one that surprises you the first time
but when you re-watch should seem obvious and this twist never does. Except for the end, I can never tell which Lazarus
we are dealing with. The injuries are
not obvious, it seems sometimes his beard is a little thinner but I can’t make
out for certain whether not the thin beard belongs to the good or the bad one,
and there’s no reward at the end.
What was Lazarus? Either one. He described his planet as his “Earth” was he
speaking metaphorically or literally? Is
this one those fake Earths like we saw in “Miri?” According to Spock the sensor readings have
him as human. How does he know how to work a Starfleet transporter?
Another narrative fail in this
episode is the very minimum security assigned to Lazarus despite that he is a
clear and obvious danger. The one guard
can’t keep up with him and Kirk let’s McCoy talk him into letting Lazarus go without
the guard at all. And the dilithium
crystals are so easily stolen not once but twice.
The Antimater universe so how does
it work? Shouldn’t antimatter be destructive to any form of matter not just the matter of your doppelgänger? I don’t see
how the antimatter people could come into our universe and vice versa if
contact should be so destructive. Again
this episode fails from start to finish.
On a lighter note Mr. Scott had
chosen a great time to go on vacation.
With all this action in engineering is so strange not see him
there. Lt. Masters does fine, I suspect
Mr. Scott must’ve stole her for Mr. Spock’s science division considering she’s
wearing a blue uniform. She is also
referred to as being a lieutenant despite the fact she has no rank insignia on
her uniform. I think I can safely assume
her transfer and promotion were recent hence why she hasn’t gotten the upgraded
clothing materials yet.
I usually don’t vocalize why I give
a certain final grade or not as think the review should just speak to it, however
I feel I need to directly justify my decision here. I’m giving it three but it is a low three if
I did pluses and minuses I’d give it a three minus. This was going to be a two but there were
some great character moments between Kirk and Spock that it actually saved the
episode for me but of the episodes reviewed so far this is clearly the
weakest.
FINAL GRADE 3 of 5
Are you gonna describe Kirk as having "amazing fighting skills unparalleled anywhere else in the galaxy" every time he fights someone?
ReplyDeleteDoes Shatner talk slowly when excited? When you see great art you have give it praise!
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