Posted on by mbkc2020

Microreview: Balance of Terror

This entry is part 8 of 12 in the series Minireviews

Minireviews

One Sentence Synopsis

Kirk must handle another thorny HR incident while avoiding interstellar war.

Scene setup

Earth and the Romulan Star Empire fought a vicious war one hundred years before the events depicted here. Neither side saw the other during that war: the technology of the time did not permit video ship-to-ship communications or the ability to take prisoners.

Among the victims of that war were several relatives of Stiles, our Navigator Of The Week. Stiles carries bitterness towards the Romulans for his family’s loss in that distant war. When the Enterprise encounters destroyed Earth outposts along the Earth-Romulan Treaty Boundary, Stiles immediately blames the Romulans.

Then this happens…

Kirk, it may be time for some sensitivity training.

Should you watch it?

Absolutely, this is the first “must see” episode of the Original Series. We get our first look at the Romulans who serve as a recurring adversary throughout the franchise, we see Kirk and the crew react realistically under stress and get some excellent ship tactics.

As the cherry on top, the writers give us a study on war’s impact at a psychological level- no one in the story is “evil” or “bad” despite the actions they take. It all flows from places any of us could find ourselves in: duty bound soldiers fighting people who are not their personal enemies for reasons they can’t control- or in Stiles’ case a man trapped by his own memories of a war he never even fought in.

Vital Statistics (This episode / series to date)

What Happened?This adventureAll timeNotes
HR Incident18Stiles is totally bigoted and contemptuous towards Spock in this episode and all Kirk can muster in response is commanding Stiles to keep the raycess in his quarters.
Shirtless Kirk02.5Ship to ship combat requires full uniforms. No shirt, no shoes, no war.
Hookups?02Weapons Officer Tomlinson almost gets married but there’s no combat nookie to be seen.
Encounters with exes?01
Redshirt Kills?00OMG get it over with!
Non Redshirt Kills?17Weapons Officer Tomlinson (OUCH) and Commander Hansen on Outpost 4.
Offscreen Federation Kills?3974Three other outposts destroyed with an estimated 10 crewmembers each.
Non Federation Kills?170171All Romulans die when the Bird of Prey’s captain fulfills his Final Duty.
This must be the worst run ship in Starfleet
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