‘Star Trek’ Retro Recap: ‘Balance of Terror’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

It may be an uncomfortable fact to acknowledge, but our modern society does get a kick out of glorifying war and combat on the small and silver screen. Which, I know, it sounds like I’m about to go on an annoying rant that calls for zero violence in film and T.V. and that’s simply not the case, just, take a moment and think about it. Because when we realize we are about to see some serious combat in any particular story, we are immediately on the edge of our seat, ready to see what happens and that also means that any concern about character development or what the good guy or gal stands for, goes right out the window. Because we just want to see them kick some serious ass and getting jazzed for that, is a glorification of violence any way you slice it.
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Is that bad? Well, that’s where the great debate stands, one we won’t solve today. But it does make one wonder if it is possible to tell a story that features combat of any kind that also features a moral center to add thoughtful depth to the situation, and it just so happens that Star Trek managed to pull this off in its next episode, ‘Balance of Terror’. For this particular tale saw the Enterprise and its valiant crew square off against a mystery opponent that would later turn out to be the Romulans, and rather than go in guns blazing, Kirk and his senior staff took the time to truly calculate their options here and ponder upon whether or not war was the right solution and in all honestly, I loved that. Because genuine consequences were discussed here, and Kirk didn’t come to the decision to fight without fully understanding the situation at hand and that is different.

Plus, I also thoroughly enjoyed how this episode continued to show hesitance from both sides when it comes to the fight in question. Since Kirk truly wanted to bring this entire showdown to a stalemate to minimize a potential loss of life. But truly the centerpiece of this part of the story was everything we were witness to aboard the Romulan ship since the vessel’s mysterious commander was clearly sick of war and combat and it was fascinating to hear him speak of how this mission would likely lead to more bloodshed and sorrow since bad guys and gals rarely do anything but relish in chaos, making this villain about as refreshing as they come. But perhaps the most poignant part of this tale, is how it ends. For while the Enterprise prevails over their foe, they lose a crew member, one who was set to be married on this day and that just serves as a fine reminder that war is deadly and costly.

But all philosophical and brilliant writing aside, there’s a lot to geek out about in this episode as well. Because this is the true first appearance of the Romulans and the Romulan Star Empire, and really our first genuine recurring villain in general, and that’s breathtaking to say the least. And it is also quite cool to see how many important canon points are set up here when it comes to the Romulans, such as their look, their dedication to combat and underhandedness and of course, their relations to the Vulcans and the wonder of this tale doesn’t end there. For this episode also features the first appearance of Mark Lenard, who plays the mysterious Romulan Commander in this tale and he would go on to play as Sarek, Spock’s father, a character that made multiple appearances in film and television, including two Trek franchises and the original cast’s motion picture run, and he also pops up as a Klingon captain in Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

If anything, this was truly a brilliant episode through and through. Because not only did it add genuine consequences to war and de-glorify violence, it was a damn intense watch through and through. I mean, it’s been years since I watched this episode and I was unprepared for its intensity and incredible pacing and quite frankly, top notch acting. For Mark Lenard and William Shatner really shine in this one as two hard-nosed commanders playing a deadly game of chess and I loved how they oddly found a way to play off of one another, while only sharing one scene together, really. Plus, there was also some fine commentary present here on why one should never assume that anyone who resembles your enemy, is your enemy. Which I’m sure was poignant for the times with Vietnam going on and well, when all is said and done, everything we’ve discussed today, speaks volumes as to why this is a celebrated classic from The Original Series and it just feels wonderful to be in the midst of genuine Star Trek storytelling at last, and I am beyond excited to hit play once again and see what powerful adventures still await me. Until next time.

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