‘Star Trek’ Retro Recap: ‘The Devil in the Dark’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

​While humanity has accomplished some absolute wonders in its short time on this magnificent planet, we still have a long way to go when it comes to treating one another and our planet with complete and utter respect. For there are segments of humanity that still deem other races and creeds to be inferior and we still exhibit a sense of arrogance and dominance when it comes to nature. Because we truly believe that we are the masters of this planet and that every species of animal is beneath us intelligence wise and cannot feel what we do and that prompts us to sometimes treat wildlife differently and coldly, and it just so happens that the folly of this line of thinking served as a fascinating focal point for the next episode of Star Trek.
 
For ‘The Devil in the Dark’ brought Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise to a mining colony on Janus VI where miners were being attacked and killed in savage fashion by an unseen creature and really, before we dive too deep in to the story’s commentary on how we interact with nature, let’s take a moment and celebrate the sheer brilliance of this particular tale when it comes to the mystery it builds. Because we truly haven’t a clue what the monster is, in the opening part of this tale and it’s quite cool to see the crew work to try and discover what kind of predator can in essence melt a man into nothing but steam, and it is this mystery that instantly draws you into the story. Because you are compelled to learn about this potential new form of life and why it kills with wanton abandon and that is what helps to explore the message in question.
 
Because it doesn’t take long for us to be introduced to the iconic Horta and learn that this being is merely trying to defend itself and its young and that’s when the episode takes a more philosophical turn. For it quickly helps the audience to realize that there is no such thing as a truly wild animal, they attack and they feed for varying reasons, and sometimes they do so because we are the ones causing harm to them as we encroach upon their natural habitat. And while that is a heavy handed message in its own right, there’s really no other way to get the point across that we sometimes let progress take precedence over compassion, and I love the fact that this particular tale offers up a simple solution to this problem in that; we need to slow things down and understand and care about nature before we choose to tear through it.
 
Yet while that was all wonderful in its own right, what I truly appreciated about this episode was the on-screen growth present from Captain Kirk. For early on in this tale he’s gung-ho about killing the Horta, and he even works to put a little fear and question into Spock’s mind in regard to the danger it represents. But the instant he stands face to face with the creature and sees it working out the situation, he quickly comes to realize the Horta is more than a mindless predator and he instantly shifts gears and works to save its life instead, and that is just phenomenal. Because it demonstrates the fact that Kirk has an open mind and is willing to change his stance based upon the facts and that’s a wonderful thing to see from a leader, and that’s oddly satirical of modern times since the planet is missing leaders who seem capable of that kind of thinking.
 
Yet the environmental message is what really holds all the weight in this story and it too is relevant to modern times since we are still having a debate fifty-some odd years later about our role in nature and how we should treat it. If anything, all of these elements make for one entertaining and powerful episode, one that definitely gives you pause after it has come to an end since it has so much to say and this is really Star Trek at its finest. Because this is the kind of commentary and thoughtfulness that we expect from this series and when one considers how smooth everything was handled in this story, it’s obvious that the tail end of season one is when everything came together for this show and I really enjoyed the heck out of this one and I do hope there’s more thoughtful storytelling waiting for me as I close in on the season one finale. Until next time. 

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