2.11 — “Friday’s Child”
Plot: Kirk is dispatched to Capella IV to secure a mining treaty from the inhabitants, who are tall, tribal, warlike, and, based on their style of dress, more in need of a visit from the Queer Eye for a Straight Guy crew than from the Federation. This would all be fine, were it not for the Klingons. Dah-DUM! Nobody expects the Klingons! Agent Kras is trying to secure the same mining rights for the Klingon Empire, which means we’re in for an episode full of bitter rivalry and dirty tricks. Before it’s over Kirk and Spock will invent bows and arrows, and McCoy will be forced to deliver a baby.
Thoughts: This is episode 40 of Star Trek, out of 79. Thirty-nine episodes to the left of us, 39 to the right, and here we are–stuck in the middle with “Friday’s Child.” Happy halfway episode!
Eugene and Torie over at The Viewscreen (http://www.theviewscreen.com/fridays-child/) really dislike this one. Oh, I don’t know. This, too, is Star Trek.
I prefer episodes that go a bit deeper into questions of human psychology, science, or philosophy. But, as I observed during first season, part of Star Trek is using the flexibility of the format to tell stories borne out of a lot of different genres, e.g., war stories, courtroom drama, psychological horror, adventure, and comedy. “Friday’s Child,” unapologetically, is a Western (as were about half of the shows on TV in 1967). K, S, and M are the morally-principled outsiders visiting the frontier town where they must contend with a black hat scoundrel peddling false promises. When the black hat gains the upper hand, it’s time to retreat to the hills and hold out until the cavalry arrives, although Kirk wryly observes that the cavalry seems to be running late.
The Western flavor may account for Kirk’s endorsement of revenge as a motive for hunting the Klingon. That’s not great. It was established in “Errand of Mercy,” however, that the Klingons had at this point committed atrocities on numerous worlds, so perhaps this is a realistic character moment. I was surprised at the light touch Kras was taking with the native population compared to the all-guns-blazing invasion in “Errand of Mercy,” but apparently Kras is only travelling with a lightly-manned scout ship (which also explains why the ship backs down so quickly once the diversion tactic fails).
This is the first time any alien race from Star Trek apart from the Vulcans has made a return appearance in the series. Like “Journey to Babel,” then, this is a transition episode, from Star Trek as an anthology show with disparate science fiction stories told each week, with vague hand-waving references to overarching continuity (terms like Federation, Starfleet, and Vulcan don’t even get settled for about 20 episodes), to a series operating in a relatively defined universe, which includes ongoing competition between the Federation and the Klingons and Romulans over relatively defined goals. So, while “Friday’s Child” may not be a classic, it does represent a leap forward in the evolution of Star Trek. There’s a tradeoff between the creative rawness of early Trek and this more pragmatic heroes vs. villains approach, but since this kind of world-building is the foundation for the longevity and versatility of Star Trek, I call it welcome. True, “Errand of Mercy” is based on a critique the Vietnam war, while “Friday’s Child” has only the meaner ambitions of telling a good story involving Klingons based on the conventions of the Western genre, but at least we’re still having fun.
I read that some people disapprove of “Friday’s Child” on the grounds that it ignores the prime directive. I can’t really say that I understand the prime directive, because it hasn’t yet been coherently explained (which means the producers hadn’t worked it out yet). The Cappellans may be primitive, but they are apparently considered to be sufficiently advanced for the Federation to make first contact and bargain with them for mining rights. Kirk and Spock probably should not be feathering them with arrows–that doesn’t seem very characteristic–but they were being hunted at the time with murderous intent.
I was amused when McCoy said the Cappellan’s throwing weapon, the kligat, was almost as effective as a phaser at distances less than 100 yards. Oh really? It can totally disintegrate an opponent and cut through metal bulkheads?
“I’m a doctor, not an escalator” is a funny line. I was also amused by Kirk’s use of the “Well, if you don’t think you can do it…” motivational tactic, last seen in “The City on the Edge of Forever.”
Visually, I appreciated the different uses of light in this episode–both the brazier-lit tent interiors and the dark shadows inside the cave where K, S, and M take refuge with Eleen. I also liked the big wide shots establishing the search party’s progress, so characteristic of the Western format. Good job, also, with the rockslide.
Julie Newmar–better known as Catwoman–plays Eleen. D.C. Fotana’s original script had her attempt to sacrifice the life of the baby at the end in order to regain admission into the tribe. Fontana wanted to make the point that women could be more than just mothers. Gene Rodenberry nixed this idea, and rewrote the ending.
3 out of 5 drapery tassels sewn onto the front of contrasting-color jerseys.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday%27s_Child_(Star_Trek:_The_Original_Series)
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