COURT-MARTIAL
STAR TREK, The Original TV Series

GUEST STARS...

Elisha Cook Jr. , Percy Rodriguez, Joan Marshall

PLOT SUMMARY...

When a crew member a killed aboard the Enterprise during an emergency, Captain Kirk goes on trial for negligence.

QUICK SCAN...

This episode features brilliant courtroom speeches. Kirk's defense attorney, Samuel Cogley, is memorably played by veteran character actor Elisha Cook, Jr. ("The Maltese Falcon"). The attorney is an old girlfriend, come back to haunt him. The paintings depicting the exterior of Starbase 12 are particularly good. Truly a classic!

SYNOPSIS...

During a space storm, Kirk is forced to eject a pod with a crewman, Ben Finney, aboard. Later, because the crewman died, Kirk is slapped with a court-martial.

During the court-martial, it's learned that Kirk has received many commendations for good conduct by Star Fleet. The prosecutor, Lieutenant Areel Shaw, Kirk's old girlfriend, attempts to nail Kirk's hide to the wall. His defense attorney is an eccentric, old fashioned lawyer who actually owns real books, as opposed to computer tapes.

The court-martial inquiry ends up on the Enterprise. It turns out that Finney, man whose death Kirk is being blamed for, is still alive. He blames Kirk for ruining his career, and faked his death in order to get back at Kirk.

Review...

Director Marc Daniels,' "COURT-MARTIAL," is a fascinating courtroom drama in space. Daniel's other directing credits include: "Mirror, Mirror", "The Changeling".

Elisha Cook Jr. ("The Maltese Falcon" and "Rosemary's Baby") as lawyer Samuel T. Cogley, gives a top drawer performance. His courtroom speech, late in the episode, on the subject of human rights, is my favorite scene in the episode.

Fans of the old TV series, "Captain Midnight," will enjoy seeing that series star, Richard Webb ("Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea") in the role of the presumed dead crewman, Finney.

The episode's premise allows us to watch the inner structure of Star Fleet in action. We also learn that Kirk has received many commendations from the Federation.

Late in the episode, a gizmo is used to remove the sound of the heartbeats of those on the Enterprise from the ship's sensors. The unimpressive prop looks like a microphone, which is what is probably was.

"COURT-MARTIAL" should be highly watchable for most Sci-Fi viewers. Elisha Cook Jr. fans will get a kick out of this episode.