2.12 — “The Deadly Years”
Plot: Five members of the landing party on Gamma Hydra IV find themselves experiencing accelerated aging upon returning to the Enterprise–30 years for each day. The residents of Gamma Hydra IV are dead, or dying, from old age, although none of them are over 29 years old. The afflicted include Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Scott. Visiting high muck-a-muck Commodore Stocker calls a competency hearing to relieve Kirk of command as his faculties begins to fail. But without its top officers, who will be left to command the Enterprise when the Romulans attack?
Thoughts: There are 6 researchers populating the outer space colony of Gamma Hyrda IV, and every one of them are under 30? What is society like, that we fill offworld colonies with such children? The Enterprise‘s annual checkups on scientific outposts are back, last seen in episode 1.1 — “The Man Trap.”
I can’t help but feel that there is some ageism going on in this episode. Apparently, old people are dolts. There is a strong sense of “I hope I die before I get old.”. I love Kirk’s horror-struck delivery of the line, “What a way to die.” Imagine having to die from old age! Spoiler: none of us are getting out alive.
Fear of confronting mortality is threaded throughout. Even Jan Wallace wants to get away from her husband who is 26 years older than she is–a quarter century closer to death.
Some scenes in “The Deadly Years” play out like incidents in a marriage. For example, Commodore Stocker is under the mistaken impression that the only reason any person could possibly disagree with him is mental incompetency. I bet the person who wrote the scene where Kirk is being cross-examined over small mistakes in his memory was married.
Chekhov and Sulu at the navigation console are a bit like Statler and Waldorf. Nurse Chapel, unfortunately, is just wallpaper in this episode. I find it interesting that all of the Yeomen on the Enterprise are young females now, although in first season Kirk was grousing “Can you believe they assigned me a woman?” referring to Janice Rand. Repeat anything enough times and it becomes a convention.
I heard before watching that there would be Romulans in this episode. I was disappointed to find out it is just ships, not actors.
The makeup work with Bones, Spock, and Kirk is terrific, and their performances sell it perfectly. It makes sense that the arthritis would turn Kirk’s arm into a claw, considering the sudden onset, with no time to gradually limber up the extremity. Bones just gets more irascible and Southern. I could watch DeForest Kelley all day.
I agree with the point that there is more to command than quick reflexes and instant recall. Kirk is brave to the end, demanding to take the potentially deadly shot first. When Spock comes in, saying “I produced the serum. It’s crude and dangerous but we have no time for refinements,” I hear Gimli from The Return of the King: “Certainty of death. Small chance of success. What are we waiting for?”
Assuming that the serum halts the aging effect, however, I don’t see why the effects up to that point would be reversed. The aging was caused by radiation, not a magic spell.
I appreciate the callbacks to “The Corbomite Maneuver” and “Balance of Terror.” The writer of this episode had clearly studied his Star Trek.
Observation: William Shatner is now 82 years old, and looks more healthy now than they envisioned him in his makeup back in the day. In 2 days, it will be 46 years since this episode first aired.
4 out of 5 bad backs and cans of silver hairspray.
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