‘Star Trek’ Retro Recap: ‘The Lights of Zetar’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Thus far, these season three Retro Recaps of Star Trek have focused a lot upon the deeper meaning present within year three’s episodes and there’s good reason for that. Because the writer’s room of this dynamic series was trying to do something quite special in season three, all in the hopes of generating another renewal to let the five-year mission live on. But while is indeed important to have thoughtful stories in a franchise focused upon the future of the human condition, sometimes a show like this simply needs to let loose and have a little fun and provide us with a story that’s either silly or grounded in the roots of science fiction, and it just so happens that the next log entry in the five-year mission accomplishes the latter of those options.
​
For ‘The Lights of Zetar’ is a story that is devoid of social commentary and deeper meaning, so that it can instead bring us to strange new worlds and introduce us to new lifeforms as well and making that the focus surprisingly made for one entertaining tale. One that featured danger and intrigue and even a little romance, courtesy of Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott. Because there was a new scientist aboard named Mira Romaine and this Lieutenant was tagging along to Memory Alpha to do some work at this iconic world and of course, she caught the eye of the Enterprise’s chief engineer. In fact, he wouldn’t leave her side, even when they were on duty aboard the bridge and that would turn out to be a good thing in the end. 

But before the benefits of that connection came to fruition, there was quite the problem for the ship to deal with. For a strange cloud of energy, makes first contact with the NCC-1701, and the strange powers that this cloud of light possesses causes all kinds of trouble for the ship. For it leaves everyone but Lieutenant Romaine paralyzed momentarily, and it even goes so far as to wipe out all life and all data at Memory Alpha. Leaving everyone to wonder what the purpose of this strange phenomena is, and it turns out that the only person that might have the answers, is the new Lieutenant. For she sees what the cloud sees, plus a little more, since she was able to predict that Memory Alpha was going to be assaulted and that the cloud was going to make another pass at the Enterprise and that prompts the captain to push everything to a stalemate to figure out how to communicate with or defeat this being.

Which was a brilliant move on Captain Kirk’s part. Because it really did give Bones and Spock time to figure out that this cloud, which turned out to have living beings within its structure, were trying to merge with the Lieutenant and that perhaps such an act might lead to their defeat. For they might be vulnerable as they begin to merge with a corporeal being, but this plan was not without its risks. Because there was a strong possibility that Romaine would die in the process, but like any brave Starfleet officer, she stood tall and accepted that possible fate. And with a little effort, and Scotty’s feelings for her, the plan went off without a hitch and at long last, these strange beings from Zetar found peace and it would seem that Scotty finally found himself a lovely lass. 

If anything, it really was quite the delight to just enjoy a run of the mill science fiction story, one that forced Kirk to think on this feet and remind us of his prowess as tactician, and it was also quite nice to see the crew work together once again to figure out how to save the young Lieutenant from a horrible fate. Plus, it was equally as delightful to unravel the mystery surrounding the Zetarians because all of these elements made for an adventurous tale, the kind that felt like vintage Trek in a way, since the discovery and wonder we felt in season one was present here. Which made this story a lovely palate cleanser and with only six episodes left, it should be interesting to see if the show is going to have a little more fun with its storytelling, or if it is going to continue to dive deep on more cerebral concepts, as we barrel toward the series finale. Until next time.

---