Arena (Star Trek)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Star Trek: TOS episode
"Arena"
Image:STArena.jpg
Kirk duels with the Gorn.
Episode no. 18
Prod. code 019
Remastered no. 7
Airdate January 19, 1967
Writer(s) Gene L. Coon
story by Fredric Brown
Director Joseph Pevney
Guest star(s) Carole Shelyne
Vic Perrin
Gary Combs
Bobby Clark
Ted Cassidy
Grant Woods
Sean Kenney
Eddie Paskey
Year 2267
Stardate 3045.6
Episode chronology
Previous "The Squire of Gothos"
Next "Tomorrow is Yesterday"

"Arena" is an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. It is a first season episode, #18, production #19, first broadcast January 19, 1967 and repeated on July 6, 1967. It was written by Gene L. Coon, based on a short story of the same name by Fredric Brown (see Trivia below), and directed by Joseph Pevney.

The episode introduces the Gorn.

Overview: While pursuing an unknown enemy for an apparently unprovoked attack, powerful entities make Captain Kirk fight in a bare-handed duel with the opposing captain.

[edit] Plot

On stardate 3045.6, the starship USS Enterprise, commanded by Captain James T. Kirk, arrives at the Cestus III Outpost, where Kirk is invited to a dinner engagement with Commodore Travers, a man renowned for his hospitality and friendship. Upon beaming down to the planet, the landing party, consisting of Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, McCoy and three crewmembers, finds the outpost nearly obliterated. A lone survivor is located, and he tells them the outpost came under heavy attack, bombarded by an unknown enemy. Suddenly, the landing team comes under fire themselves, and one of Kirk's crewmen is killed.

Simultaneously in orbit, the Enterprise comes under attack by an alien warship of unknown origin. The Enterprise raises its shields which prevents the landing party from returning. Kirk manages to locate the outpost's arsenal and retrieves a mortar which he uses to drive off the alien invaders.

The aliens also break off their orbital attack giving the Enterprise a moment to drop shields and beam Kirk and the survivors back to the ship. They soon give chase to the alien warship at Warp factor 8, leading them into an unexplored sector of space. Before Kirk is able to destroy the aliens, both the Enterprise and the alien craft are scanned and suddenly both ships are incapacitated.

The Enterprise is then contacted by forces who identify themselves as the Metrons, omnipotent beings who zealously guard themselves against the intrusion of "lesser" races. The Metrons force Kirk to a "trial by combat", a one-on-one duel with the captain of the alien vessel (identified as the reptilian Gorn). The purpose of the fight is to solve their dispute, and the loser of the match will be destroyed while the winner goes free.

Before he can even reply, Kirk and the Gorn captain are simultaneously teleported to an unknown desert planet somewhere nearby. The terrain of the planet is harsh and rugged, and the two are completely stranded without communication to their ships. The only thing Kirk and the Gorn are equipped with is a device which Kirk mistakenly believes is some kind of recorder. Kirk begins to chronicle his situation with the device, all along the device is sending the translated audio of Kirk's words to his Gorn adversary who learns not only where Kirk is, but what he's planning.

The Gorn tracks Kirk down, but the alien's hissing noises alerts Kirk that his opponent is coming closer and he prepares an ambush. Kirk manages to push over a large boulder which rolls down an embankment and crushes the Gorn. To Kirk's surprise however, the alien pushes the heavy rock off himself and gets up unscathed. Kirk observes that the Gorn may be physically strong; however, it moves rather slowly. Kirk makes a run for it, but ends up caught in a rope trap set by the Gorn. He is able to make an escape, but he injures his leg in the process.

Back on the Enterprise, Spock and the rest of the bridge crew get a camera view of the action via the bridge monitor. Unable to help their Captain, all they can do is watch and hope the Captain survives.

Kirk soon discovers that there are plenty of natural resources lying about to craft a weapon. He finds elements needed to make some gunpowder. Then he finds a bamboolike plant and cuts a portion of the wood to form a makeshift gun barrel. He also finds diamondlike shards of crystal to use for the projectile.

Kirk lies in wait for the Gorn and when he shows up, he points the weapon at him and fires, which quickly takes his menace down. Kirk decides against finishing off his enemy.

With the duel over, the Gorn disappears and a white-robed Metron appears to "congratulate" Kirk not only for his victory, but also for displaying the advanced trait of mercy to his enemy. When Kirk turns down the offer to have the Gorn ship destroyed, the Metron is impressed enough to note, "You are still half savage, but there is hope".

Requesting that Kirk's people seek the Metrons out in a few thousand years, the entity returns the bewildered Captain, with his injuries healed, to the Enterprise which has been returned to a position near Cestus III.

[edit] Production

Brown's story was not actually the basis for the episode (though it may have been an unconscious inspiration). After Coon had written what he thought was an original script, Desilu's research department noted the similarity. A quick telephone call to Fredric Brown got him to agree to accept story credit. However, in the original Brown story, the losers were eliminated.

"Gorn Rock"
"Gorn Rock"

The episode was filmed in part on location at the Vasquez Rocks, in particular around a rock spur now known as "Gorn Rock", where Kirk fought the Gorn.

Actors William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy suffer from tinnitus (ringing of the ear) due to the noise from the explosions during the filming of the attack scenes at the "Cestus III outpost".

The Gorn captain's growls were provided by actor Ted Cassidy, who also appeared in person in the Star Trek episode "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" and provided the menacing voice of Balok in another episode, The Corbomite Maneuver. There is an urban legend that the Gorn was played by Tom Selleck[citation needed]. He was actually portrayed by Bobby Clark.

[edit] 40th Anniversary remastering

This episode was remastered in 2006 and aired October 21, 2006 as part of the remastered Original Series. It was preceded a week earlier by "I, Mudd" and followed a week later by "Catspaw". Aside from remastered video and audio, and the all-CGI animation of the USS Enterprise that is standard among the revisions, specific changes to this episode also include:

  • The Cestus III planet has been given a CGI makeover, appearing more realistic. The surface shot of the ruined base has been given an open mountain backdrop instead of an enclosed rock cliff.
  • The Gorn ship can now be seen, however it is very small on the view screen. CBS Digital closeup render of the Gorn ship
  • The Gorn's eyes have been animated to blink.

[edit] Trivia

 Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
  • The following aspects of Arena are similar to the TNG episode "The Last Outpost":
    • The violation of Federation space by an unknown species.
    • The Enterprise chasing the alien ship past a solar system.
    • The logical officer stating that the best knowledge the Federation has of the aliens is rumor and speculation.
    • Both ships being stopped dead in space.
    • The humans fighting their opponents on a hostile world.
    • An ancient race challenging the two opponents, deeming them both barbaric.
    • The humans reasoning with the ethereal race.
  • Gorn Rock is referred to in the following:
    • Bill and Ted watch the episode sequence involving Gorn Rock in the movie Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey; they are then kidnapped by their evil robot duplicates and taken to Gorn Rock itself (roughly 60 miles from their home town) and hurled to their deaths.
    • The Star Trek fans in Free Enterprise do re-enactments at Gorn Rock
    • The diner in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is called the "Arena Diner" since that particular scene was filmed at the Vasquez Rocks.
  • The Nerf Herder song "Mr. Spock" references this episode, with the lines: "Captain Kirk went to the planet / And there he fought the man-lizard / He saved the ship, invented the gunpowder."
  • The Duck Dodgers episode "Deathmatch Duck" parodies this episode, with Taz in the role of the Gorn.
  • The plotline where major characters are seized by powerful aliens and made to fight hand to hand duels with their enemy appears frequently in TV science fiction. Before this episode, an Outer Limits episode, Fun and Games used a similar plot.
  • The Vasquez Rock site is revisited in the romantic comedy Star Trek homage movie Free Enterprise.

[edit] External links


Last produced:
"The Squire of Gothos"		 Star Trek: TOS episodes
Season 1		 Next produced:
"The Alternative Factor"
Last transmitted:
"The Squire of Gothos"		 Next transmitted:
"Tomorrow is Yesterday"