Episode Review - Shore Leave (Original Series - Season 1)

For those who are new to my episode reviews, you can find the post where I establish my point criteria here

Straight out of Wonderland

Episode Overview – Needing a much needed break Captain Kirk sends an away team mission to an unknown planet. The away teams soon discover some unusual appearances that seem to appear right out of their imagination. As Kirk and his crew face off against deadly perils, the true nature of the planet reveals itself, and it is not what they expected.

Even the Captain needs a back rub

Episode Score – 7/10. This was a fun episode, full of fantasy and mayhem. There are a number of crewman featured (Barrows, Rodrigues, Martine) and everyone’s fantasy is played up. Starting off with McCoy’s vision of Alice and the White Rabbit from Wonderland, Kirk faces off against his old Academy foe, Finnegan (which led to some great musical scores and comedic moments), Sulu finds the perfect addition to his firearms collection, and McCoy gets to be the brave knight as he attempts to woo the beautiful Yeoman Barrows. There is a great deal of suspense, especially when McCoy is seemingly killed. The end reveal that the entire planet is some sort of large-scale amusement park that brings your every daydream to life and that nobody is truly harmed is fun.

The rascal, Finnegan

Relevance – 2 points. One point scored for the sequel episode “Once Upon a Planet” in the animated series. Another point is scored as we see the second and final appearance of Angela Martine, who was first seen in an earlier Season 1 episode “Balance of Terror”. Apparently she has recovered from the personal tragedy that she faced in that episode.

The mission takes a deadly turn for McCoy

Continuity – 3 points. We get full marks for having everything happen the way that we would expect it to happen. Character continuity might have suffered in this episode happened immediately following “Balance of Terror”, as Angela Martine lost her very recently wedded husband in that episode, and she seems to have emotionally recovered from her loss. Story and universe continuity both check out.

Sulu finds the perfect collector's piece

Character Development – 2 points. Some more insight given to some secondary characters, mainly Sulu and McCoy. We learn that McCoy has a romantic side and gets some much needed love interest.  

Back from the dead, and with some explaining to do

Social Commentary – 1 point. There is not much that can be said as far as social commentary, other than the power of imagination. Still, it’s a fun episode.

Living the fantasy

Cool Factor – 2 points. The entire planet being a large holodeck type shore leave planet is cool, and scores a point. The different fantasies played out by the crew members is also cool.

Enjoying the fresh air

Rank – Captain (17 points). A light-hearted episode that mixes fun with excitement. We are originally led to believe that the crew was at risk, and this turns the fun into tragedy when McCoy dies. It’s a good twist for its time.

Not sure if his eyes can be believed