‘Star Trek’ Retro Recap: ‘The Squire of Gothos’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Over the course of its fifty-three-year run, the Star Trek franchise as a whole, has accomplished a great many things. So many in fact, that it would probably take years to examine and analyze all of them here. But while it’s handled social commentary in masterful fashion, and offered up a powerful vision of a future where mankind casts off its petty differences, one thing that it has always excelled at over most science fiction franchises, is the saga’s ability to make the truly fantastical, digestible for its audiences. Because we have seen some incredible aliens pop up throughout the years, the kind that should make our eyes roll since this is a series grounded in science, but we love these quirky aliens none the less.
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If anything, I’d like to think that such a feat is possible, because of The Original Series. Because the more I watch the opening season/chapter of this storied franchise, the more I’ve come to realize that writer’s room really did throw caution to the wind from time to time, just to see what would stick and for proof, of all of this, look no further than the next episode of this series, ‘The Squire of Gothos’. For this is a tale that truly introduced one of the wildest characters the saga had ever seen in Trelane, a cocky and arrogant and petulant child that truly wanted everything at his fingertips and oddly could have it with a nod or a wink thanks to the powerful technology available at his disposal.

Which, obviously paved a path for the Q Continuum and Q himself to appear on later iterations of the series and the comparisons here between Q and Trelane are obviously undeniable since neither of them are too concerned about the consequences of their actions, and both relish in pushing the envelope when it comes to tormenting their respective targets. If anything, the only real differences between the two of them is the aforementioned technology Trelane uses, and the fact that I wasn’t joking when I called him a child, because he is, and it is his parents that oddly save the day when things get dire. But all comparisons and setup present in this story aside, it’s the fantastical elements present in Trelane’s arrival that truly fascinate me because none of this should work in the slightest.

I mean come on, a being that can just wish whatever it wants into existence? That just doesn’t seem all that Star Trek in the first place, but it’s not the first time we’ve seen it here since ‘Charlie X’ and ‘Where No Man Has Gone Before’ featured characters that could also make wonders happen at the whim of a thought and I think those experimental stories are what allows for Trelane to work here. Because the crew has seen this before, so it’s nothing new for them and honestly, when one considers the over the top nature of Trelane and his sheer arrogance, I honestly wonder if this episode would have worked in the slightest had it premiered before those other episodes. But that’s pure conjecture, because what matters more here, is that this does work, and this is effective storytelling and we accept it because the crew does as well.

In fact, that’s precisely why the fantastical works in this franchise. Because the crew of the Enterprise and I would imagine Starfleet as a whole, have their minds open to endless possibilities in the universe and making that a standard, makes the audience comfortable and I won’t lie, I enjoy these stories a lot when it comes to this show and the franchise as a whole. For they really do offer up a different kind of tale for these intrepid crews to work within, and you really haven’t a clue what will come next from the omnipotent being or beings in question when they appear and in the end, I suppose my only complaint here is that Trelane never shows up in the series again. Because it would have been cool to see an older and more mature Trelane square off with Kirk again, but alas it is what it is and Q fills in nicely down the line. But in the here and the now, this was one amazing, off the wall story and I cannot wait to see what other omnipotent beings the crew of the Enterprise will run into down the line. Until next time. 

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