The Return of the Archons (TOS episode)
Encyclopedia
"The Return of the Archons" is a first season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series
. It is episode 21, and was first aired February 9, 1967. It was repeated by NBC
on July 27, 1967. The screenplay was written by Boris Sobelman, based on a story by Gene Roddenberry
, and directed by Joseph Pevney
.
Overview: The crew of the Enterprise
encounters a world controlled by an unseen leader.
3156.2, the starship
USS Enterprise, under the command of Captain James T. Kirk
, arrives at the planet Beta III where the USS Archon was reported lost nearly 100 years earlier.
Only Sulu comes back from the first landing party, exhibiting strange behavior, and Kirk beams down with another party to investigate. They find the inhabitants of Beta III (who seem to be modeled after 19th-century Earth) are a very static culture, with little or no individual expression or creativity. The entire culture is ruled over by cloaked and cowled "lawgivers", controlled by a reclusive dictator known as Landru. The only time the people "let loose" is at the striking of "The Red Hour" (at 6:00pm), starting "Festival": a period of violence, destruction and sexual aggressiveness which apparently is the only time Landru does not exercise control over them.
Kirk's landing party beams down just before the festival, and they seek shelter from the mobs at a nearby boarding house. Landru seems to be "all-seeing" and "all-knowing" with spies everywhere, one of whom turns in the party when he does not recognize them as members of "The Body": the telepathic
collective being
, symbiotic with Landru, that most of the inhabitants belong to.
Kirk and his team are eventually rendered unconscious by ultrasonic waves and captured. However, Reger, the owner of the house, is a resistance member and offers protection to Kirk and his team. Reger reveals that Landru "absorbs" selected people into The Body, which was the fate of the Archon's crew, and will also be the fate of the Enterprise's landing party. The Enterprise itself is now stuck in a decaying orbit as intense heat beams prevent it from using its engines.
Kirk and Mr. Spock, his first officer, discover that the reclusive Landru is actually a computer sealed inside an ancient chamber, created 6,000 years ago by a Betian scientist and philosopher. The original Landru only wished to create a way to help his failing society achieve peace. The computer that bore his name was the solution - but it performed its job soullessly and ruthlessly.
Kirk and Spock manage to convince the machine that running the planet as it has been is wrong and the people are being kept as uncreative slaves. They manage to convince the machine that it has violated its own prime directive. The machine realizes its mistake and self-destructs, thus freeing the people of Beta III. Kirk agrees to leave Federation
advisors and educators on the planet to help the civilization advance, free of Landru's dominance.
gave the episode a 'B' rating, describing the episode as having a "loose, unpolished feeling" and lacking "the force of the series' best storylines", but praised the story's ambition.
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
. It is episode 21, and was first aired February 9, 1967. It was repeated by NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
on July 27, 1967. The screenplay was written by Boris Sobelman, based on a story by Gene Roddenberry
Gene Roddenberry
Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry was an American television screenwriter, producer and futurist, best known for creating the American science fiction series Star Trek. Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up in Los Angeles, California where his father worked as a police officer...
, and directed by Joseph Pevney
Joseph Pevney
Joseph Pevney was an American film and television director.-Biography:Pevney was born on September 15, 1911 in New York City, New York.He made his debut in vaudeville as a boy soprano in 1924...
.
Overview: The crew of the Enterprise
Starship Enterprise
The Enterprise or USS Enterprise is the name of several fictional starships, some of which are the focal point for various television series and films in the Star Trek franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. It is considered a name of legacy in the fleet...
encounters a world controlled by an unseen leader.
Plot
On stardateStardate
A stardate is a date in the fictional system of time measurement developed for Star Trek, commonly heard at the beginning of a voiceover log entry such as "Captain's log, stardate 41153.7...
3156.2, the starship
Starship
A starship or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between the stars, as opposed to a vehicle designed for orbital spaceflight or interplanetary travel....
USS Enterprise, under the command of Captain James T. Kirk
James T. Kirk
James Tiberius "Jim" Kirk is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. Kirk was first played by William Shatner as the principal lead character in the original Star Trek series. Shatner voiced Kirk in the animated Star Trek series and appeared in the first seven Star Trek movies...
, arrives at the planet Beta III where the USS Archon was reported lost nearly 100 years earlier.
Only Sulu comes back from the first landing party, exhibiting strange behavior, and Kirk beams down with another party to investigate. They find the inhabitants of Beta III (who seem to be modeled after 19th-century Earth) are a very static culture, with little or no individual expression or creativity. The entire culture is ruled over by cloaked and cowled "lawgivers", controlled by a reclusive dictator known as Landru. The only time the people "let loose" is at the striking of "The Red Hour" (at 6:00pm), starting "Festival": a period of violence, destruction and sexual aggressiveness which apparently is the only time Landru does not exercise control over them.
Kirk's landing party beams down just before the festival, and they seek shelter from the mobs at a nearby boarding house. Landru seems to be "all-seeing" and "all-knowing" with spies everywhere, one of whom turns in the party when he does not recognize them as members of "The Body": the telepathic
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
collective being
Collective intelligence
Collective intelligence is a shared or group intelligence that emerges from the collaboration and competition of many individuals and appears in consensus decision making in bacteria, animals, humans and computer networks....
, symbiotic with Landru, that most of the inhabitants belong to.
Kirk and his team are eventually rendered unconscious by ultrasonic waves and captured. However, Reger, the owner of the house, is a resistance member and offers protection to Kirk and his team. Reger reveals that Landru "absorbs" selected people into The Body, which was the fate of the Archon's crew, and will also be the fate of the Enterprise's landing party. The Enterprise itself is now stuck in a decaying orbit as intense heat beams prevent it from using its engines.
Kirk and Mr. Spock, his first officer, discover that the reclusive Landru is actually a computer sealed inside an ancient chamber, created 6,000 years ago by a Betian scientist and philosopher. The original Landru only wished to create a way to help his failing society achieve peace. The computer that bore his name was the solution - but it performed its job soullessly and ruthlessly.
Kirk and Spock manage to convince the machine that running the planet as it has been is wrong and the people are being kept as uncreative slaves. They manage to convince the machine that it has violated its own prime directive. The machine realizes its mistake and self-destructs, thus freeing the people of Beta III. Kirk agrees to leave Federation
United Federation of Planets
The United Federation of Planets, also known as "The Federation" is a fictional interplanetary federal republic depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures...
advisors and educators on the planet to help the civilization advance, free of Landru's dominance.
40th Anniversary remastering
This episode was remastered in 2006 and aired December 8, 2007 as part of the remastered Original Series. It was preceded a week earlier by the remastered version of "The Alternative Factor" and followed a week later by the remastered version of "A Taste of Armageddon". 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 planet Beta III has been given a more realistic appearance and some dramatic orbiting shots of the Enterprise were established.
Reception
Zack Handlen of The A.V. ClubThe A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
gave the episode a 'B' rating, describing the episode as having a "loose, unpolished feeling" and lacking "the force of the series' best storylines", but praised the story's ambition.