‘Star Trek’ Retro Recap: ‘The Tholian Web’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

There are people in our lives that we hold in high regard in our minds, and with good reason. Because these are the folks who inspire us to be better people with their actions and their words, and these magnificent mentors are people that we would do anything for, because they are genuinely good human beings who want to make the world a better place. If anything, our only real struggle when it comes to people like this, is how we honor their teachings and the good vibes they engender and it just so happens that the next episode of Star Trek, took the time to explore how we pay tribute to these individuals in fascinating fashion.
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For ‘The Tholian Web’ saw the intrepid crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise run into quite the surprise. For the U.S.S. Defiant was adrift in space and phasing in and out of our universe. Which put the away team on urgent notice to get off of that ship before it went to a destination unknown, and unfortunately since Kirk loves to command every single away mission, he disappeared with this mysterious vessel when this strange interphasing messed up the transporter. And while that is quite the devastating problem for the crew to deal with, there were plenty more waiting for them in this tale. For Mister Spock was certain he could rescue the captain easily, by patiently waiting for the Defiant to reappear. But the arrival of the Tholians and a quick weapons exchange with them, ended any hopes of that.

Because the fight with the Tholians not only motivated them to build their web, but it left the NCC-1701 badly damaged and without her captain. For the crew was unable to rescue him thanks to the battle and that forced Spock to declare his captain, his mentor and his friend as dead. And to make matters worse, some members of the crew were starting to lose their minds thanks to this odd area of space and well, with a ship in tatters and without a clear leader aboard, Spock and Bones were at one another’s throats and were unsure of how to proceed. Which brings us to the lesson of this tale, since Spock and McCoy came to realize that their infighting wasn’t the best way to honor Jim, and with a few final recorded words from their captain, they finally figured out a way forward and how to pay tribute to the man that taught them so much.

As it turns out, the best way to do that was through their actions, and to embody everything that Jim taught them, and that motivated Commander Spock to become an impactful and inspiring leader, something that brought out the best in the crew. And McCoy took a step back from his aggressive stance and quickly became the emotional guiding hand that the ship needed and used his vast stores of medical knowledge to cure the mental health problem plaguing the crew. Plus, we also came to learn that the captain wasn’t lost to the multiverse after all and with everyone working together under the strength of the right leaders, they were able to rescue Kirk and get him back in the big chair, where he belongs, meaning that this episode ends in a delightfully uplifting fashion.

If anything, this is once again, the Trek we’ve been waiting for. Because it focused heavily on a wonderful lesson in regard to the human condition and it also took the time to flesh out more of the dynamic between Kirk and Spock and Bones, something that every fan out there loves and honestly, there are no complaints when it comes to this tale. Because it really did offer up a perfect story, one filled with action and adventure and emotion and that’s really all you can ask for from this series and it is wonderful to see that this hot streak of wonderful episodes is continuing along in season three, and that definitely gets one excited to settle in and enjoy another adventure in the five-year mission. Until next time.

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