******FESARIUS-SIZED SPOILERS!******

As a kid watching Star Trek out of broadcast order in reruns during the 1970s and 1980s, I could always tell earlier episodes by their ‘growing pains’; uniforms without black collars, different paint/layout scheme for the ship’s interiors, Spock’s makeup tweaks, various terminology differences (“United Earth Space Probe Agency,” “Vulcanian” ), etc. First broadcast as the original series’ (TOS) tenth episode, “The Corbomite Maneuver” was actually the first episode produced after the show’s two pilots, “The Cage,” (starring Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Pike), and “Where No Man Has Gone Before”; the latter being the one that sold the series. In the second pilot, William Shatner replaced Jeffrey Hunter as James T. (R?) Kirk, the new captain of the starship Enterprise. Leonard Nimoy’s half-Vulcan/half-human Mr. Spock would be the only character to survive from “The Cage” to the end of TOS, albeit with some changes.

As the first regular episode of the series in production order, “The Corbomite Maneuver” also saw the return of James Doohan as Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott and George Takei as Lt. Sulu, who made a lateral career move from ship’s physicist to helmsman (easier way to keep him visible). “The Corbomite Maneuver” also marked the first appearances of series regulars De Forest Kelley as Dr. Leonard McCoy, and Nichelle Nichols as Lt. Uhura, who wears a gold uniform for the first and only time. With the exception of Ensign Chekov (who would join the cast in season 2), the band was put together for this “fascinating” tale of the USS Enterprise and her crew being unwittingly tested by a superior intelligence during a first contact in unexplored space.

Broadcast on November 10th 1966, “The Corbomite Maneuver” was directed by veteran TV/film director Joseph Sargent (1974’s “The Taking of Pelham 123,” 1987’s “JAWS: The Revenge”) and written by Jerry Sohl, who was also credited with TOS episodes “This Side of Paradise” (originally titled “The Way of the Spores” and smartly rewritten by Dorothy Fontana) and “Whom Gods Destroy.”

“The Corbomite Maneuver” (1966)

Note: This episode opens with the Enterprise carrying out a mission of pure exploration–even if it’s only updating star charts. Of course, with current imaging technology, cataloging stars can be more easily done from a telescope in Earth orbit (or an orbit further out). But in 1966, large space telescopes were almost as fanciful as a manned starship. Even in his opening scene, bored malcontent Bailey (Anthony Call) feels somewhat disharmonious with the Enterprise crew.

Note: The colorful spinning cube was a practical miniature created for the episode. That same miniature would be repurposed as the computer core behind the holographic “Losira” (Lee Meriwether) in season 3’s “That Which Survives.”

Note: Why wasn’t there an audible alarm in sickbay to prompt Kirk? Not to mention McCoy ignoring the red light just to finish Kirk’s physical could’ve endangered the ship. This was McCoy’s first outing, and writer Jerry Sohl tried to give him a recurring catchphrase with “I never said that.” Staff writers later settled on “He’s dead, Jim” and “I’m a doctor, not a (blank).”

Note: The episode gives too much screen time for Kirk making his way to the bridge. We see Kirk sweaty and shirtless in the turbolift and his quarters (a bit of beefcake for Shatner fans) as he calls Spock several times. When I used to watch Star Trek in syndication, the episodes usually had a minute or two trimmed off of them to drop in more commercials. These scenes of Kirk’s slow return to the bridge were often cut.

Note: Once on the bridge, Kirk gathers his senior officers just to hear them say they have no idea what the cube might be, before being relocated to the briefing room. As much as I enjoy “The Corbomite Maneuver,” its first act does feel somewhat padded.

Note: The captain’s log narration before the briefing room scene establishes that the ship has been held motionless for 18 hours, and actors George Takei and Nichelle Nichols really sell their characters’ tiredness too, as Sulu rests his head on the table, while Uhura props hers up with her elbow.

Note: Bailey jumps the gun (almost literally) by assuming Kirk’s next order is to blast the cube out of existence; a suggestion Bailey himself made earlier on the bridge, before Kirk reminded him the Enterprise isn’t a democracy. In the briefing room, Kirk cuts Bailey down a bit harshly in front of the other officers, creating an unnecessarily tense exchange that McCoy picks up on.

Note: Excellent miniature shots of the cube spinning out of control on the viewer before it’s destroyed are made more vivid with colorful interactive lighting on the bridge set itself. This scene showcases some of the best optical (and lighting) effects done for the series. Kudos to the Howard Anderson Effects Company and director of photography Jerry Finnerman (“Planet of the Apes” TV series, “Moonlighting”). Excellent accompanying music by recurring Trek composer Fred Steiner, too.

Note: Granted, Bailey does freeze during a critical moment, but Kirk dressing him down in front of the other officers (again) is bad for crew morale. Any halfway decent leader (in any capacity) knows that.

Note: The episode also marks the introduction of season 1 semi-regular Yeoman Rand (Grace Lee Whitney), who is little more than Kirk’s personal secretary; fussing over his meals and supplying him with coffee as needed. I have nothing against the late Whitney (who underwent some terrible personal ordeals during the series’ production), but it’s easy to see why her character was written out of the show. Fortunately, Rand (a fan favorite) did return to the Star Trek universe (with greater rank) for cameos in the movies (TMP, “The Search For Spock,” “The Voyage Home,” “The Undiscovered Country”), and for the Star Trek: Voyager episode “Flashback.”

Note: A catchphrase is born. According to William Shatner’s book, “Leonard” (2020) Nimoy struggled with his delivery of the word “Fascinating,” as it repeatedly came out too cool and flat. Spock is supposed to be awestruck by the enormous scale of the Fesarius, so director Joseph Sargent suggested that Nimoy embrace his character’s passionate curiosity. The result implies that Spock’s burning curiosity sometimes slips through his cool Vulcan exterior.

Note: The Fesarius miniature is a large spherical shape comprised of smaller, interlinked spheres which vaguely resemble the rounded ‘solar granules’ on the surface of our sun. Those solar granules are actually the tops of rising plasma plumes from fusion reactions on the sun’s surface. As a kid, those granules in my astronomy books reminded me of popcorn.

Note: It’s a small moment as we see Sulu reach across the helm/navigation console to work the main viewer controls after the awestruck Bailey freezes again. Ever the professional, Sulu does this without prompting several times throughout the episode, because he’s just that kinda guy.

Note: After the crew is handed a collective death sentence by Balok, Kirk addresses them on the intercom to sooth their fears, and to deliver what becomes a mission statement for the series:

“Those of you who have served for long on this vessel have encountered alien lifeforms. You know the greatest danger facing us is ourselves, an irrational fear of the unknown. But there’s no such thing as the unknown, only things temporarily hidden, temporarily not understood. In most cases we have found that intelligence capable of a civilization is capable of understanding peaceful gestures. Surely a lifeform advanced enough for space travel is advanced enough to eventually understand our motives. All decks stand by.”

That same speech was almost delivered verbatim by the Kelvinverse-Kirk (Chris Pine) in 2016’s “Star Trek Beyond.” Nearly 60 years later, and that remains some elegant scripting by Jerry Sohl.

Note: The Balok ‘puppet’ was designed by the talented Wah Ming Chang (1917-2003), who designed the communicator, tricorder and other props, ships and creatures for Star Trek; including the Salt Vampire from “The Man Trap” and the Romulan Bird-of-Prey from “Balance of Terror.” Chang also worked for fantasy filmmaker George Pal, designing the titular creation from 1960’s cinematic adaptation of H.G. Wells’ “The Time Machine” (1960). The Balok puppet’s deep, menacing voice was supplied by the late Ted Cassidy (1932-1979), who also played the android ‘Ruk’ in the episode “What Are Little Girls Made Of?” The actor filmed a hilarious blooper for the episode “Bread and Circuses” too, where he hoisted William Shatner over his back and carried him off-camera. Cassidy was most famous for playing the towering butler ‘Lurch’ in TV’s “The Addams Family” (1964-1966).

Note: Kudos to Anthony Call for his portrayal of Bailey’s breakdown. It’s so believable in fact, that it’s downright uncomfortable to watch. Call was a veteran of many TV shows, including “Combat,” “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” and Rod Serling’s “The Twilight Zone,” where he played a haunted US Navy crewman in the hour-long episode, “The Thirty-Fathom Grave” (1963).

Note: When Kirk turns to Spock for advice, Spock begins to say “I’m sorry,” before catching himself. Early episodes see Spock struggling more with his human tendencies, such as his early first-season shouting. A non-canonical Star Trek novel I once read attributed younger Spock’s shouting to an assumption that his human colleagues had less sensitive hearing. Logical…

Note: One of Captain Kirk’s signature moves is first used here; his tendency to bluff his way out of a tight spot. Kirk also bluffed against equal/superior adversaries in “Arena,” “A Taste of Armageddon,” “Journey to Babel,” “Let That be Your Last Battlefield,” “The Deadly Years” (which specifically references ‘corbomite’) and more, including “Star Trek: The Motion Picture.” After Kirk’s successful bluff, McCoy half-jokingly tells Spock that he’d love to teach poker to him. Spock would be a natural, given his ready-made, Vulcan poker face…

Note: While a bit too much of the episode’s action is claustrophobically centered on the main bridge, Balok’s minute-by-minute countdown to the Enterprise’s destruction is genuinely nerve-wracking–creating an almost palpable tension in the air. Many of the actors are glistening with sweat. This was probably enhanced by the fact that the episode was shot under hot studio lights in late spring of 1966, when temperatures in Southern California begin to climb.

Note: New shots of the USS Enterprise models made for this episode (there were several, including the 11 ft. ‘hero’ model) were incorporated into a stock footage library of Enterprise fly-bys that could be matted over different backgrounds and planets throughout the series. Of course, the remastered Blu-Ray editions from 2007 replaced most of these painstakingly-made shots with CGI.

Note: The rising beeps used for the engine-overheat warnings were also heard as part of a launch countdown sequence for “Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women” (1968); a Roger Corman-reedit of the Soviet sci-fi movie “Planeta Bur” (1962), aka “Planet of Storms.”

Note: Another moment that would define the series; Kirk chooses to rescue a seemingly vulnerable alien that just moments earlier had sentenced his entire crew to death. Kirk justifies this action to McCoy by emphatically stating, “What’s the mission of this vessel, Doctor? To seek out and contact alien life, and an opportunity to demonstrate what our high-sounding words mean.” Kirk would famously do the same for his injured Gorn opponent in the similarly iconic episode, “Arena.”

Note: After coming down on Bailey like a ton of bricks earlier, Kirk realizes his error in pushing the nervous young officer too hard, and makes amends by adding him to the boarding party (“The face of the unknown. I think I owe you a look at it”).

Note: It’s amazing what a huge difference a little dramatic colored gel lighting and optical shimmer can do for a lifeless prop (a lesson I actively demonstrate every Halloween). Behind the Balok puppet, we see a generic status panel that would be repurposed for the Enterprise’s engineering set, which was not yet completed as this episode was filmed.

Note: Embodying the real “Balok” was Clint Howard; child star of the TV series “Gentle Ben” (1967-9) and longtime TV/movie veteran with a long list of credits, including A-list movies (“Apollo 13”) and Z-grade horror flicks (“Ice Cream Man”). The adult-Howard would later return to Star Trek for Deep Space Nine’s “Past Tense,” Enterprise’s “Acquisition” and Discovery’s, “Will You Take My Hand?” Balok’s adult voice was dubbed by actor Vic Perrin, also known in Star Trek as the voice of the Metron in “Arena,” the murderous space probe Nomad in “The Changeling” and the leader of the Halkan Council in “Mirror, Mirror.” Perrin was perhaps best known as ‘the Control Voice’ from TV’s The Outer Limits (1963-1964).

Note: The episode shows off Kirk’s shrewd side as he solves two issues at once by nominating his subpar navigator Bailey as ambassador to the First Federation–not to be confused with the United Federation of Planets, which wasn’t yet established at this early point in the series.

Note: I wonder if Balok’s generosity to his guests extended towards repairing the damage his little ‘tests’ caused the Enterprise’s engines…?

The End.

Summing It Up

“The Corbomite Maneuver” is quintessential Star Trek in many respects. During the episode’s first contact scenario, the Enterprise and her crew are tested by a superior intelligence before ultimately receiving a passing grade. This was in keeping with creator/producer Gene Roddenberry‘s concept of humanity as a juvenile species reaching maturity among the stars. The ‘humanity-on-trial’ idea quickly became a trope throughout multiple incarnations of Star Trek, but it was first tried-and-tested (forgive the pun) with this early episode. Unlike the ulteriorly-motivated telepathic Talosians of “The Cage,” the First Federation’s Balok is more of a good-natured imp who seems overjoyed that the visiting starship passed his exams.

Veteran director Joseph Sargent does a fine job with his cast, particularly with Spock (Leonard Nimoy), McCoy (De Forest Kelley) and guest star Anthony Call as the emotionally turbulent navigator, Bailey. Spock still shouts some of his lines (a carryover from the first two pilots), but his logical demeanor and emotional suppression continued to evolve. Lovable curmudgeon Dr. McCoy acts as a perpetual irritant to his already stressed-out captain regarding Bailey’s mental state (though he apologizes later on). Despite the supporting cast, this is truly Kirk’s episode; not only in defining his relationship with the crew, but in defining his style of command. When trapped by an unreasonable foe, we see that Kirk will bluff his way out–even when his hand is weak. This is a tactic Kirk uses against many adversaries throughout the series and movies, including ‘V’ger’ in the aforementioned TMP.

Also in the pluses column for “The Corbomite Maneuver” is the massive spaceship Fesarius–a truly alien design more akin to something from 1977’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” than the simpler ships of Star Trek. For then and now, it remains a solid mix of scale and spectacle. While the 2007 Blu-Ray set of TOS revamped the visual effects with CGI, this is an episode I prefer to watch with the original 1966 optical FX work. The massive size of the Fesarius is in stark contrast to its sole occupant; the playful Balok (Clint Howard). Balok is an otherwise benign alien who takes a perverse delight in toying with the Enterprise and her crew–nearly driving poor Bailey into a nervous collapse. Once again, a massive alien vessel with a single, lonely occupant at its core is something else this episode shares in common with 1979’s TMP (as well as Star Trek: The Animated Series’ “Beyond the Farthest Star”).

As much as I enjoy this episode, I’m not immune to its faults. Beyond the sexism and other inherent issues of the mid-1960s (the era in which I was born), there are a few other snags with the episode as well. The pacing is a bit uneven, with Kirk wasting valuable screen time getting back to the bridge after his physical in sickbay. And like 1979’s “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” (TMP), much of the episode’s ‘action’ is confined to the main bridge, giving it a slightly claustrophobic feel. Despite the dollops of color added to the Enterprise sets, lighting and uniforms after the 2nd pilot, “The Corbomite Maneuver” is largely a bottle episode. This may be why it wasn’t chosen to be broadcast first (a distinction given to the otherwise mediocre “The Man Trap”).

For whatever its flaws, this episode remains an archetypal specimen of classic Star Trek storytelling; an encounter with a scrutinizing alien presence reveals underlying issues within our characters before a peaceful and mutually beneficial resolution is reached. That’s the series in a nutshell. While “The Corbomite Maneuver” might not be an all-time greatest episode, there’s much to enjoy with this groundbreaking step in Star Trek’s evolution.

Where to Watch

“Star Trek: The Original Series” can be streamed on Paramount+ (along with most other Star Trek series). Individual episodes or seasons can also be purchased on Prime Video or YouTube. The series can also be purchased on physical media (DVD/Blu-Ray) from CBS Home Video (the Blu-Ray sets offer a choice between original and remastered FX as well).