Shore Leave (Star Trek: The Original Series)

"Shore Leave" is the fifteenth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series, Star Trek. Written by Theodore Sturgeon and directed by Robert Sparr, it first aired on December 29, 1966.

"Shore Leave"
Star Trek: The Original Series episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 15
Directed byRobert Sparr
Written byTheodore Sturgeon
Featured musicGerald Fried
Cinematography byJerry Finnerman
Production code017
Original air dateDecember 29, 1966 (1966-12-29)
Guest appearance(s)

In the episode, the crew of the Enterprise visits a bizarre planet where the fantasies of the landing party become reality.

Plot

The USS Enterprise arrives at a planet in the Omicron Delta system. Scans reveal the planet is congenial, and the crew is exhausted after three months of operations. Captain Kirk announces shore leave for off-duty personnel.

Dr. McCoy sees an anthropomorphic white rabbit, and a moment later Alice, from Alice in Wonderland, asks McCoy if a rabbit passed by. Lt. Sulu finds a Colt Police Positive revolver and is attacked by a katana-wielding samurai. Yeoman Tonia Barrows is attacked by Don Juan.

Kirk disbelieves the landing parties' reports; Science Officer Spock persuades Kirk to beam down by pointing out that his performance has deteriorated. After McCoy shows Kirk large rabbit tracks, Kirk is accosted by Finnegan, a cocky practical joker who tormented Kirk during his Academy days; and a former girlfriend, Ruth. Kirk orders a halt to the beaming down of personnel. Spock reports that the planet is emanating a force field that is drawing energy from the ship's engines. The energy patterns suggest industrial activity.

Spock beams down to gather sensor readings as communications between the ship and planet degrade, stranding himself. After Yeoman Barrows changes into a medieval dress, a knight on horseback charges her. McCoy protects her but is impaled by the lance. Kirk shoots the knight with Sulu's revolver. Kirk and Spock analyze the knight's body; it is composed of the same material as the planet's vegetation. A World War II fighter plane strafes the landing party; during the commotion, the bodies of Dr. McCoy and the knight vanish.

Spock asks Kirk what was on his mind before his "vision". Kirk recalls thinking of his academy days; as Spock expected, Finnegan reappears. Finnegan taunts the Captain before running off. They have a fistfight and Kirk knocks out Finnegan. Spock and Kirk realize their thoughts are dictating their fantasies, but also that the visions are increasingly deadly. Kirk orders everyone to stop thinking about anything.

An elderly man appears: the "Caretaker". Accompanying him is Dr. McCoy, revived by the planet. McCoy shows off the two Rigelian cabaret girls he conjured up. The planet is an "amusement park"; its constructs are not intended to be harmful or permanent. The Caretaker apologizes for the misunderstandings and offers the planet's services to the Enterprise's crew, cautioning that they must choose their amusements carefully. Kirk accepts the offer as Ruth reappears, and authorizes the crew to beam down.

Production

Gene Roddenberry had been running flat out for two years without a break, first producing The Lieutenant, then selling Star Trek to NBC, and finally getting the series into production. Just after "Shore Leave" was approved for preproduction, his wife and doctor insisted that he take a vacation.

The script turned in by renowned science fiction writer Theodore Sturgeon had emphasized the importance of fantasy as a component of relaxation, and the network was concerned that the script might be too surreal. Roddenberry assured the network that the script would be rewritten and the fantasy would be de-emphasized before he went on vacation. However, this was not made clear to incoming operational producer Gene L. Coon, who did the rewrite and emphasized the fantasy aspect even more. Roddenberry returned the day before shooting was due to begin and realized that he had a problem. Sturgeon particularly objected to McCoy's bringing back two women to the ship, believing it undermined the emotional tension between McCoy and Tonia.[1]

Even with Roddenberry's rewriting, many of Coon's and Sturgeon's fantasy aspects remained, from an encounter with a samurai, to meeting a tiger (though the idea of Kirk wrestling the tiger was deleted, initially to the annoyance, but later to the relief, of William Shatner), and a scene using an elephant was cut before filming. (Gregg Peters, newly promoted to the rank of assistant director, had been detailed to take care of the elephant. During the shoot, the cast and crew teased him about the pachyderm, asking when it would be used. For many years thereafter, when Peters attended Star Trek conventions, the fans would greet him with a chorus of, "Say, Gregg, when do you get to use your elephant?")[2]

Reception

Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club gave the episode an 'A-' rating, describing the episode as "a lot of fun" and noting "a strong hook to keep the camp from descending into self-parody."[3]

In 2016, Hollywood Reporter rated "Shore Leave" the 82nd best episode of all Star Trek episodes.[4]

In 2018, PopMatters ranked this the 14th best episode of the original series.[5]

Revisit

The animated Star Trek episode "Once Upon a Planet," written by Leonard "Len" Janson and Charles "Chuck" Menville, two veteran Filmation staff writers, involved the Enterprise returning to the amusement park planet for another rest. However, the Caretaker has died, and the computer left to run the planet, a fairly intelligent machine, now resents its role as servant and turns against visitors, using the props and personalities the visitors think about against them.

References
  1. Hageman, Andrew (October 2016). "A generic correspondence: Sturgeon–Roddenberry letters on sf, sex, sales and Star Trek". Science Fiction Film & Television. 9 (3): 473–478. doi:10.3828/sfftv.2016.9.15.
  2. Whitfield, Stephen; and Roddenberry, Gene. The Making of Star Trek (New York: Ballantine Books), 1968. ASIN: B001KNSTY0
  3. Handlen, Zack (March 5, 2009). ""Shore Leave" / "The Galileo Seven"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
  4. Hollywood Reporter 'Star Trek': 100 Greatest Episodes
  5. "The 20 Best Episodes of 'Star Trek: The Original Series'". PopMatters. July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
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