As Kirk, Chekov and Uhura stand of the transporter pad waiting to be beamed down to the surface of an uninhabited planet they suddenly vanish then just as suddenly reappear on what appears to be an arena. They have no idea where they are but the planet's three suns means they are many light years from where they intended to be. They soon learn that they are to be trained as Thralls on the planet Triskelion. Thralls are gladiators trained to fight for whichever of the unseen 'Providers' buys them. Collars are placed around their necks and any infringement of the rules leads to severe pain. Each of them is given a trainer Thrall; in Kirk's case Shahna; a green-haired beauty in a silver bikini! After impressing the Providers the trio are purchased and trained further. Meanwhile back on the Enterprise they are searching for the missing trio; there is no sign of them in the local area so Spock orders the ship to follow an anomalous reading. When the Enterprise arrives at Triskelion it loses power and the providers threaten to destroy it; Kirk has a proposition though
the providers like to wager and he suggests one that could see the end to these brutal games. The only problem is he will have to face three Thralls in a fight to the death!
This episode doesn't have the deepest of plots; it could easily be summarised as 'Kirk, Chekov and Uhura are kidnapped and forced to train as gladiators while Spock and the Enterprise look for them'. That doesn't mean it isn't fun though. The fight scenes are entertaining and it was amusing to see Kirk flirting with his trainer. When we finally learn the true nature of the Providers it is laughable to say the least but somehow it suited this rather camp episode. There is more humour provided by Chekov's reaction to the formidable woman who clearly wants to do more than train him. The regulars do a decent job but the guest stars are a bit wooden. Overall an episode that is a lot more fun than one might expect.
This episode doesn't have the deepest of plots; it could easily be summarised as 'Kirk, Chekov and Uhura are kidnapped and forced to train as gladiators while Spock and the Enterprise look for them'. That doesn't mean it isn't fun though. The fight scenes are entertaining and it was amusing to see Kirk flirting with his trainer. When we finally learn the true nature of the Providers it is laughable to say the least but somehow it suited this rather camp episode. There is more humour provided by Chekov's reaction to the formidable woman who clearly wants to do more than train him. The regulars do a decent job but the guest stars are a bit wooden. Overall an episode that is a lot more fun than one might expect.