Kirk, U'Hura and Chekov are abducted, enslaved, and made to fight gladiatorial battles with other captives.
The Gamesters of Triskelion is a wonderfully entertaining episode with a number of ridiculous but memorable moments.
The main themes of the story are the oppression, slavery, and bloodlust enjoyed by ruling classes and is a great concept. Unfortunately it contains some rehashed elements of other episodes like 'Arena', 'The Cage' and 'The Squire of Gothos'. It also has a multitude of ridiculously camp sequences that to me are thoroughly enjoyable, but may annoy those who like a polished production.
To be fair there are too many funny moments to talk about them all. For me the ones that stand out generally involve William Shatner's overacting, the fight scenes, love scenes, a 'menacing' voiceover, and that epic moment when Kirk kisses Shahna then chins her.
Some scenes are genuinely well made. There are some nice heroic moments of selflessness, where Kirk puts the safety of others first and places himself in harms way to ensure he alone endures any suffering. Also there is a sequence involving U'Hura done with shadow and sound effects that is very cinematic.
Everything unfolds in a rather predictable way. Kirk could talk his way out of death row at times and this episode is a perfect example.
I enjoyed the visuals. The costumes, props, and general art design are loaded with plastic, colourful, sixties fun. Although the fight choreography could be a lot better, it is still enjoyable to me.
The acting is quite hit and miss. Shatner strays over the top in several scenes. Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, Leonard Nimoy, James Doohan and DeForest Kelley are all solid. Joseph Ruskin and Angelique Pettyjohn feel more like they are there for their physical presence.
The Gamesters of Triskelion is a wonderfully entertaining episode with a number of ridiculous but memorable moments.
The main themes of the story are the oppression, slavery, and bloodlust enjoyed by ruling classes and is a great concept. Unfortunately it contains some rehashed elements of other episodes like 'Arena', 'The Cage' and 'The Squire of Gothos'. It also has a multitude of ridiculously camp sequences that to me are thoroughly enjoyable, but may annoy those who like a polished production.
To be fair there are too many funny moments to talk about them all. For me the ones that stand out generally involve William Shatner's overacting, the fight scenes, love scenes, a 'menacing' voiceover, and that epic moment when Kirk kisses Shahna then chins her.
Some scenes are genuinely well made. There are some nice heroic moments of selflessness, where Kirk puts the safety of others first and places himself in harms way to ensure he alone endures any suffering. Also there is a sequence involving U'Hura done with shadow and sound effects that is very cinematic.
Everything unfolds in a rather predictable way. Kirk could talk his way out of death row at times and this episode is a perfect example.
I enjoyed the visuals. The costumes, props, and general art design are loaded with plastic, colourful, sixties fun. Although the fight choreography could be a lot better, it is still enjoyable to me.
The acting is quite hit and miss. Shatner strays over the top in several scenes. Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, Leonard Nimoy, James Doohan and DeForest Kelley are all solid. Joseph Ruskin and Angelique Pettyjohn feel more like they are there for their physical presence.