‘Star Trek’ Retro Recap: ‘Requiem for Methuselah’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

At some point or another in our lives, we’ve taken the time to ponder upon what life might be like, if we were able to live forever. Because sometimes the thought of the end is overpowering and terrifying. So, taking the time to think about a future where we are still apart of the world and living our lives to the fullest is quite comforting. But while this is nothing more than a fantasy, television shows and movies have discovered ways to make this a reality and that’s led to some powerful tales involving immortals throughout the years. The kind that tend to question the dangers that come with seeing endless sunrises, since we would in fact, see everyone we love fade away from this world while we stay youthful and healthy. 
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But while that is a fascinating and powerful concept in its own right, it just so happens that the next episode of Star Trek felt the need to explore the notion of immortality in greater detail. By pondering upon the long-term mental effects of immortality, and this exploration was initiated by way of a crisis aboard the Enterprise. For a case of Rigelian Fever is working its way through the crew, prompting the ship to find a planet rich an in element known as ryetalyn so that Bones can synthesize a cure and well, what they find when they beam down to a planet that meets their needs, is quite the surprise. For a man named Flint lives on this planet, and wants the crew off of it immediately, prompting a bit of a stalemate before Kirk’s threat to end them all finally relaxes him, and this newfound peace leads to some interesting surprises.

For while Bones works to gather enough ryetalyn to synthesize the necessary medicine, Kirk and Spock spend time with Flint’s surrogate daughter Rayna and well, while Kirk puts on the moves on her because… it’s Kirk, Spock begins to notice something quite interesting about Flint’s home. Specifically, that it is filled to the brim with rare works of art from da Vinci and even music from Brahms, but there is something odd about this collection. In that, all of these works are brand new in nature, in fact, some of them have been created in the past few weeks and after a grand confrontation in a hidden portion of the house, it is finally revealed that Flint is immortal. And he just so happens to be Brahms and da Vinci, because he saw an opportunity to contribute to the arts and the betterment of mankind from time to time and was quick to fade into the background before his secret was discovered. 

But while that makes for a fascinating plot, the kind filled to the brim with fascinating surprises, it takes the grand reveal to bring us to the exploration of immorality in question. And as it turns out, the show theorizes that immortality could have quite the impact on one’s mental health by giving a person a God complex and understandably so. After all, if death cannot claim a life, and that person has experienced great loss through the years, it may prompt them to try and create an equal. Which is why Flint gave life to Rayna and used Kirk to teach her love, so that he could create the perfect mate all while enjoying the power and the thrill of creation. But alas, his plans failed, and he never once accounted for the power of emotion, leaving him alone and slowly dying on a planet far from home. Since his departure from Earth, removed his ability to live forever. 

If anything, this is quite the powerful episode when all is said and done. Because it really does question the nature of mortality, albeit in subtle fashion. Plus, it offers up a fascinating new twist on immortality stories and it engages the viewer by providing them with a grand and detailed mystery in regard to Flint’s true identity. But if there is any complaint to regard into this tale, it would have to be the Kirk/Rayna romance. Simply because, Kirk playing the role of the ladies’ man, really is getting to be a bit of a cliché in season three, and there likely could have been another way to handle Flint’s desire to activate Rayna’s human programming. But alas, what’s done is done and while that is indeed a goofy part of the story, it thankfully doesn’t overshadow a quality tale, one that reminds us of what it means to be human. Until next time.

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