In which Kirk stands trial for the death of Records Officer Finney.
Kirk’s chickens really come home to roost here. First he’s confronted by Finney’s distraught daughter (in some odd future attire). He then drops in on an old flame only to learn she’s the prosecutor.
The case hinges on whether the Enterprise computer’s evidence is more reliable than Kirk’s.
As sometimes happens when genre shows drift into the courtroom, the legal scenes are somewhat dry. Kirk’s lawyer Samuel is a bit interesting in that he is clearly not Starfleet but is instead part of the supportive economy you would get around a military base. He’s also quite a combative soul and puts up a decent fight for an unlikely case.
Speaking of unlikely, the resolution of this is nuts. Just because Spock can beat the computer at chess, the court goes to the Enterprise following a logic-defying speech from Samuel citing Magna Carta to show that the computer needs to be tested. It seems like a wild hunch and, even more improbably, it turns out Finney is alive and plotting an elaborate revenge on Kirk. It’s a hard twist to sell, hindered by how much of a cartoon villain Finney is shown to be. Points though for Samuel apparently becoming Finney’s attorney almost immediately. It’s a nice comic moment even if it is probably legally dubious. In fact, while it is good to see that Starfleet does have the ability to hold people to account, there are some oddities about the trial. Surely an ex of Kirk shouldn’t be allowed as a prosecutor? Also, why does the head judge insist on the trial for Finney’s murder continuing even when it’s shown he is still alive? Questions questions questions….
Final Thoughts : Some nice touches, especially the black Starbase commander (a rare sighting of a non-white authority figure) as well as Kirk’s graduation class cold shouldering him in the bar, but this does begin to fall apart as soon as the dull trial starts.
Crew deaths so far
Blue-shirt deaths : 5
Yellow-shirt deaths : 8
Red-shirt deaths : 3
Space-suit deaths : 1
Bare-shirted deaths : 1
Unspecified off-screen : 11
Episodes in which no crew-member dies : 11
Remarkable habits of Sulu : 2
Space-games : 3 (three dimensional chess – THE way to prove your Captain’s innocence)
Vulcan mind-meld : 1
Uhura musical interludes : 3
Caravan Of Awesomeness 