I love the little touches of this episode. We see a little of what normal life is like in the Star Trek Universe. We see the theater, we see a cocktail party (complete with a swingin’ lounge version of the Trek theme in the background) and we get our first glimpse of an Enterprise Observation Deck. There are also hints as to the history of Earth’s colonial expansion and its controversies. And I love that we see Lt. Reilly again. Too bad this will be his final appearance. On the other hand, the actress who plays the hot young thespian is just atrocious, and her big finish on stage is a disaster. Also of note: bad guy named “Kodos?” Where will we see that again? And Kirk’s murdered friend is named Thomas Leighton — you might remember him as a candidate for mayor on the Marijuana Reform Ticket!
Barbara Anderson’s performance as Lenore Karidian was “atrocious”? Nonsense. Her acting was more than adequate for the role. And her dramatic skills improved markedly by the time she was cast as Officer Eve Whitfield in “Ironside,” which premiered a year later.
And give her some credit for playing the whole Trek episode with a nasty cold sore on her lip. It’s plainly visible in some shots.
She was HOT in her micro mini skirt mink outfit you gotta agree!
This an unusual stylistic drama, even for Trek. When the BluRays came out, this was the first episode I watched, and I was stunned at how outright gorgeous it looked, and how the tension of the drama just cooked. From then on, I couldn’t wait to re-watch the rest of the entire series. (And, no, I hate the remastered effects!)