‘Star Trek’ Retro Recap: ‘The Enemy Within’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

The duality of man is something that has managed to fascinate writers and storytellers for as long as I can remember, and I fully understand why. Because our ability to instantly switch from kindness to unrestrained evil is fascinating to say the least, and fiction allows for a safe and quality exploration of what drives our ability to flip between both extremes on a moment’s notice and that’s led to some intriguing tales, the kind that demonstrate the dangers of dipping into and/or indulging our darker side, since it has quite the power over all of us. But not all stories subscribe to notion that evil must be abandoned by man. Some tales instead dive into the concept that perhaps balance is what we should seek instead, and that both halves of the equation are paramount to a happy existence, and one such show that I didn’t expect to explore such matters, was Star Trek.
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But, the next episode of this stunning saga jumped right into those proverbial waters since ‘The Enemy Within’ provided us with a transporter accident that managed to split Captain Kirk into an inherently good version of himself, and one made of pure evil, which made for quite the surprising tale when all is said and done. Because Richard Matheson’s script goes all out in showing us the evil that men are capable of, in uncomfortable fashion, since there is quite the disturbing scene between Evil Jim Kirk and Yeoman Janice Rand, one where he basically assaults her in the comfort of her own quarters and really, this completely took me off guard when I was watching it. Because sexual assault just seems so out of place in this franchise, and my problem with it, is that it was totally unnecessary to see in this tale, for there were other ways that the show could have established the cruelty this iteration of Kirk is capable of, and while I understand it’s a product of the times, this scene really has not aged well in the slightest and it definitely crossed a line.

To make matters worse, it really does draw you out of the story, which is quite the shame. Because this episode really does have some fascinating things to say about the human condition and how keeping the light and the dark in balance is the key to making us better people, so we can draw upon the right parts when necessary, and it also featured a quality race against time as well to figure out how to recombine the two Kirks since a failure to solve the transporter problem would result in a loss of life. Plus, there are some technical marvels to be found in this tale, since The Original Series didn’t receive the kind of money Star Trek: Discovery or Star Trek: Picard are getting in the modern era, which means the special effects crew needed to pull off some wonders with the cameras and with body doubles to make two Kirks work on screen and I have to give it to them, they pulled it off in magnificent fashion here. In fact, the scenes present in the lower decks as Kirk hunts evil Kirk were of note because it all worked together, seamlessly.

If anything, I suppose it’s just best to declare this episode as uneven at best since it clearly had some great ideas in place, the execution just leaves something to be desired and oddly enough, the uneven nature of this tale doesn’t end with its two strange extremes storytelling wise. Because, let’s be honest, at times it gets a little hammy acting wise and yes, that’s due in large part to William Shatner’s performance in this tale. For when he gets the opportunity to ham it up, he wastes no time in letting loose and that makes for some supremely cheesy moments as Evil Kirk unleashes his ‘fury’ in private, which is ironic in its own right. Because at the same time Shatner also turns in some great acting moments here and there as well. After all, it takes some skill to create subtle changes in an established character and Meek Kirk and Evil Kirk are easily spotted thanks to Shatner’s ability to transform as an actor here.

If anything, I suppose I’m just splitting hairs and letting my mental conflict over this tale shine through. But it’s hard to not drift back to the stuff that bothers me in this episode. After all, this is a franchise that tried its best to show us the best parts of mankind at every single turn. So, to see it use shock value to tell its story, and allow an evolved alien who believes in logic to fire off a sexist remark, is just stunning and out of place for this franchise, and it amazes me that this one is consistently regarded as one of the best that the saga ever offered up, because it really isn’t. But, while I’m sure my thoughts here will draw disagreement, what’s done is done, and nothing can be done to change this episode’s missteps. All I can do at this point, is suffer through the growing pains of this young franchise, and hope we get to the good stuff soon because the beginning to this storied franchise, has been a bit rough for certain. Until next time.  

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