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TOS TOS Season 1

Balance of Terror – Ft. Clay

When the Enterprise encounters a powerful Romulan ship, Kirk engages that ship’s commander in a battle of wits and explosions! Balance of Terror is a Trek take on submarine battle films, and has the important job of introducing the Romulans, Trek’s longest running antagonist. Clay joins me to discuss Romulan motivations, racism on board the Enterprise, and unfortunate deaths!

When the Enterprise encounters a powerful Romulan ship, Kirk engages that ship’s commander in a battle of wits and explosions! Balance of Terror is a Trek take on submarine battle films, and has the important job of introducing the Romulans, Trek’s longest running antagonist. Clay joins me to discuss “Balance of Terror” and Romulan motivations, racism on board the Enterprise, and unfortunate deaths!

The Wikipedia plot summary for “Balance of Terror”:

The USS Enterprise, under the command of Captain Kirk, is investigating a loss of communication with a line of Earth outposts near the Romulan Neutral Zone, formed under the terms of the peace treaty that ended the Earth–Romulan War a century earlier. Because there were no visual communications at that time, the two races have never seen each other. While Kirk officiates at the wedding of Lieutenant Tomlinson and Ensign Martine, Outpost 4 comes under attack. The Enterprise comes to Outpost 4’s aid and contacts the base commander, Hansen, who reveals he is the only survivor of an attack by an unknown enemy with weapons of immense power. A single shot destroyed the base’s shields and killed the phaser crew. As they speak, the enemy ship reappears. The ship fires before disappearing again. The shot destroys the outpost and kills Hansen.

The ship’s sensors locate the attacker, which remains invisible. Kirk surmises that the attacker is equipped with a cloaking device. A coded message from the intruder provides a view through one of its internal cameras, revealing humanoids with an appearance like VulcansLieutenant Stiles, the navigator, son of a service family that lost several members in the Earth–Romulan War, begins to question the loyalty of the Enterprise‘s half-Vulcan first officer, Mr. Spock.

During a discussion of the Romulan ship’s capabilities, Stiles suggests the Enterprise attack the vessel before it can reach the Neutral Zone. Spock agrees; he reasons that if the Romulans are in fact an offshoot of the Vulcan species and have retained the martial philosophy of the Vulcans’ ancient past, they would surely take advantage of any perceived weakness.

cat-and-mouse game ensues. The Enterprise is faster and more maneuverable, while the Romulan ship has a cloaking device and immensely destructive plasma torpedoes. However, the range of these torpedoes is limited, and firing one requires so much power that the ship must decloak first. When the Romulans head into the tail of a comet, Kirk tries to head it off: when the Romulan ship emerges on the other side, it will be visible and can be targeted. However, when a subordinate manning the scanner reports that the Enterprise is gone, the commander guesses Kirk’s plan, and takes evasive maneuvers. The Enterprise, waiting on the other side of the comet, sees nothing and Kirk realizes what happened. He orders phasers to be fired blindly before the Romulans can counterattack.

The Romulans, almost beaten, plant a nuclear weapon amidst jettisoned debris. When Spock detects a “metal-cased object”, Kirk orders a point-blank phaser shot that detonates the device. The Enterprise is shaken by the blast and much of the phaser crew are incapacitated, requiring Stiles to act as backup. Kirk orders operations to work at minimal power to exaggerate the apparent damage and lure the Romulans in for a kill shot. Although the Romulan commander suspects Kirk’s trap, Decius, a politically well-connected member of the command crew pressures him to attack the Enterprise. When the Romulan ship decloaks to launch a torpedo, Kirk tries to spring his trap, but a coolant leak in the phaser room incapacitates Stiles and Tomlinson. Spock rescues Stiles and fires the phasers in time to mortally wound the Romulan ship. Kirk hails the Romulans and at last communicates directly with his opponent, offering to beam aboard survivors. The Romulan commander says that it is not the Romulan way to be taken prisoner and triggers his ship’s self-destruct system.

The battle’s casualties include Lt. Tomlinson. Kirk goes to the chapel to provide some comfort to a grieving Ensign Martine.

You can find “Balance of Terror” and every other episode of the show at ThePenskyPodcast.com and you can follow me on Twitter at @ThatPenskyFile!