In the seventeenth episode of the first season of Star Trek, I ACTUALLY GUESSED THE ENDING AND DIDN’T EVEN REALIZE IT. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Star Trek.Â
Trigger Warning: For discussion of racism and cultural appropriation.
Seriously, it’s been so rewarding to see Star Trek settle into a groove like this. It had a bit of a rough start at times, but the last eight or nine episodes have been a wonderful surprise for me. Again, it’s hard to parse my own expectations for this show because I knew so little about it. I suppose that I lowered my own standards in terms of like… special effects and pacing. I assumed that the acting would feel different, too, especially compared to what I’m used to. And yes? I’m constantly surprised by this show. I’ve written openly about the challenge of reviewing Star Trek, and I’m trying my best to keep those things in mind. I suppose that’s why episodes like this one and many more of the recent ones are so fulfilling to me. I know I’m watching a piece of history, something millions of people have watched over the years, and I’m beginning to get a chance to understand why Star Trek is such a beloved science fiction icon.
So let’s start this review properly: I ACTUALLY FIGURED OUT WHO TRELANE WAS. Oh my god, INCREDIBLE. This was not a victorious case of me being prepared for the eventual reveal, oh no. But William Campbell’s stunning portrayal of Trelane was just SO GOOD that you could see the core of his character in the way he interacted with the Enterprise crew. Initially, however, I spent most of this episode convinced that “The Squire of Gothos” was the most brilliant commentary on cultural appropriation ever. And you know what? This episode still works that way. When Sulu and Kirk are kidnapped by Trelane, the crew that comes to rescue them is forced to be involved in Trelane’s extended misinterpretation of Earth culture. We’re never told how Trelane was ever able to view the history on Earth that he absorbed, but that’s immaterial to what unfolds here. The point is that Trelane was an outsider to Earth culture. He could never participate in any of the cultural traditions because of this. All he could do was observe.
This is the result of that. In some ways, what we see here is accurate. He’s got the pieces right. He’s got the look and feel of the things he’s cherry-picked from our planet. His outfit looks as if it belongs in that time period… sort of. And that’s ultimately what Sulu and Bones figure out: nothing feels authentic or genuine because it can’t be. When they try the food Trelane has prepared, it is bland and boring because HE CANNOT FULLY UNDERSTAND THE INTENSE CULTURAL AND GENERATIONAL PRACTICES THAT BROUGHT THESE FOOD ITEMS ABOUT. He simply saw people enjoy them, and the replicated them for himself devoid of any of the context.
We see even more of this behavior when he speaks to Uhura, De Salle, and Yeoman Ross. He objectifies all three of them IMMEDIATELY. He sees Uhura’s blackness, regurgitates the slurs and stereotypes he thinks are accurately describing her, and in the process makes her want to MURDER HIM WITH HER EYES. (I do wish that we’d gotten more than just Kirk’s exasperation here. Uhura clearly gave him that look that was a sign for him to help defend her, but nothing is said.) He offensively assumes that De Salle is a stereotype of a Frenchman, and then he tries to flatter Yeoman Ross through objectification.
Did he mean well? Of course he did. Did it hurt any less? NOPE. Throughout his horrific interactions with these people, he’s cruel, he’s immensely entitled, and he acts like… well, a petulant child. OH, MARK, HOW CLOSE YOU WERE TO THE TRUTH. It’s Spock’s dramatic and BEAUTIFUL rejection of Trelane that summarizes why he’s such a terrifying villain. Whatever he is – alien or superhuman or some other creature – has allowed him to wield this power of instant expectation for long enough that the idea of anyone rejecting him or contradicting him sends him into a rage. He does whatever he wants whenever he wants, and to anyone he wants. He is unrestrained power without any sense of intellect, and he’s the polar opposite of Spock.
I got some serious The Prisoner vibes during the courtroom sequence, which also hinted at what Trelane was. (Of course, The Prisoner aired later in the year after this episode, and the specific scene I’m referring to, “Fall Out,” wouldn’t air until 1968.) (Let me take a moment to give a huge middle finger to the American remake. Must my country ruin everything it touches?) Everything he did was a gross approximation of the truth, and Trelane plays this with a mixture of brattiness and whimsy. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if y’all told me that Trelane is an iconic Star Trek character. HE’S SO MEMORABLE TO ME.
Anyway, I don’t always find myself all that amused by the deus ex machina ending, but it works perfectly here. It gave this episode an almost Twilight Zone feel to it. Trelane really IS a petulant child of some mysterious beings, who apologize to Kirk for their child’s horrible behavior. Plus, it shed light on another aspect of Trelane’s personality: he thought these humans were like pets. Again, that fits so well within the framework of cultural appropriation. There’s a difference between appreciating a culture and respectfully taking part in cultural traditions that outsiders are allowed to share in, and what Trelane does here. He views these people as objects of his entertainment and nothing more.
I LOVED THIS EPISODE SO MUCH.
The video for “The Squire of Gothos” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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