Balance of Terror // Star Trek: The Original Series Reaction // Season 1

Thanks for watching Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1 "Balance of Terror" with me!
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[@bunnytailsREACTS]

Please no spoilers! So that I can provide my best and most honest reaction, please do not mention the names of any future characters, events, or episode titles (this goes for future series as well). Please do not say which upcoming episodes are good or bad, otherwise I will have trouble forming my own opinion! Thank you, and enjoy!

[@michaelmarsh9367]

Shatner's acting in the episode may have been his finest hour on television.

[@Bar-Lord]

This episode is top tier Trek. It really isn’t afraid to give the audience a few things to think about. It’s easily in my top 5 TOS episodes.

[@DayTrooperGW]

Yes, this episode is universally accepted as one of Trek's best 👍

[@McMahonHater]

It's Shatner at his best, that scene with Kirk and McCoy is brillan, and a precursor to Kirk/McCoy in Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan.

[@mygeekdom4414]

This is on my short list I of best TOS Episodes. One of my favorites.

[@travisboyle285]

It's also awesome how they make you sympathetic to the villain.

[@kacornish1]

Love this episode… It’s my second favorite of all time, only behind The Doomsday Machine. Great reaction, I love seeing new people enjoying classic Star Trek.

[@bewilderedbeest]

This is my absolute favorite episode from the Original Series. Favorite line: "In a different reality, I could have called you friend."

[@randallphobia8698]

That’s the best line.

[@rrmemphis427]

I think it's one the top few best lines. I'm also a big fan of "You offered me...the lives of my crew."

[@bewilderedbeest]

@@rrmemphis427 Is that from "The Savage Curtain"?

[@dr.juerdotitsgo5119]

My absolute favorite TOS episode ever. It's like TNG's Yesterday's Enterprise, DS9's Die is Cast, and Voyager's Scientific Method.

[@DocMicrowave]

Same, one of my top favorite episodes. Right up there with The Doomsday Machine, Space Seed, Journey to Babel, and the Enterprise Incident.

[@christopherferrarelli2262]

This is a quintessential episode in the history of The Original Series. Great acting from the cast, and from Mark Lenard as the Romulan Commander.

[@glennwisniewski9536]

Actress Barbara Baldavin who played Angela the bride just passed away on March 31, 2024 at the age of 85.

[@FallenHellscape]

No spoilers about performances.

[@glennwisniewski9536]

@@FallenHellscape Fixed. Not sure that really was a true spoiler. It really doesn't give away anything significant. Went to the same reactor doing "Shore Leave" and a comment was left by someone (not me) making the same connections. No one had a problem with it there. Just sayin'.

[@huskerjpg]

She also appeared in the series' finale as Communications Officer. I don't believe she had any dialogue, but a couple of closeups on the bridge at her station in that episode. Pretty girl.

[@VideoTelegram]

McCoy's speech to Kirk was telling Kirk he was unique ("3 million, million galaxies", "and in all of that only one of each of us". Every person in all the universe is unique and therefore precious, so "don't destroy the one named Kirk." Basically, telling Kirk to not be hard on himself. If you'd been having a tough day, McCoy would have said, "don't destroy the one named BunnyTails."

[@paulwalsh2344]

LOL

[@davidwright9166]

That speech was used by a different doctor to Captain Pike in the pilot, I believe. Wasn’t McCoy for sure originally

[@gnericgnome4214]

This is probably my favorite soliloquy from all of Star Trek. A reminder that people are not, in fact equal. Each of us is unique, and has inherent value due to our uniqueness.

[@ticklicker11]

The helmsman steers the ship after the navigator plots the course. Love the necklace.

[@oobrocks]

Concur

[@andrewgurudata2390]

I came here to say almost those exact same words. :)

[@flatline8580]

Also, in this case, Sulu is 3rd in the line of command, after Kirk and Spock. Scotty is 4th, and I think it's Uhura as 5th.

[@ticklicker11]

@@flatline8580 Scotty comes before Sulu

[@NPCRR]

In TOS, the Helmsman controls locking and firing the weapons (though the Navigator can do so also, and sometimes does).

[@karlsmith2570]

I had actually met Mark Lenard at a Star Trek Convention in Montgomery, Alabama and he was just as down to earth any personable as could be

[@stern12akachris32]

Bigotry and Paranoia was a huge part of the politics of that era . Star Trek always has a message underneath it and this one had a huge one hidden under one of the best episodes that Star Trek ever had !!!!!!! Great action you get to learn how good a Captain Kirk was when the battle is at hand !!!! Plus a giant Smoke ring never was a better weapon !!!!!

[@PenneySounds]

It's particularly interesting that Kirk's little lecture to Stiles, about not being prejudiced towards Spock because he happens to look like the people they're fighting, happens with Sulu sitting right next to them. George Takei spent his childhood in an internment camp because of the very attitude this episode was speaking out against.

[@ThatsMrPencilneck2U]

@@PenneySounds At the time, the studios wouldn't tolerate message concerning the racial problems of the day. Now, the studios insist on rubbing "straight white male privilege" in the face of every impoverished white male loser that relies on fantasy as an escape from his miserable existence.

[@carlossaraiva8213]

The romulan commander is one of the most fascinating characters from Star Trek and actor Mark Leonard played him brilliantly.

[@wkanost]

This is a fantastic episode. I always enjoyed watching this one growing up. It’s essentially a remake of the film, “Enemy Below” which was a World War Two submarine film with very similar themes. The characterizations in this episode are terrific and set the tone for much of the series.

[@CFWhitman]

Yes, that is the movie I always singled out as a parallel to this episode. This is one of the episodes that I particularly have to curb my tendency to recite dialog just before or as it happens when I'm watching it. 🙂

[@dalehager3911]

Run Silent Run Deep too@@CFWhitman

[@randallphobia8698]

Even as a kid I thought of this as the “submarine episode.”

[@mrcapra]

I refer to "The Enemy Below" (1957) as the war movie for people who don't like war movies. I highly recommend it. If you're alert you'll catch a glimpse of a young Clint Eastwood.

[@kevinmoore2929]

The battle scene in the nebula from The Wrath of Khan ties into this as well.

[@sebastianblack6506]

Kirk walking out of the chapel and down the hall like a boss is one of my favorite Trek closing scenes.

[@dlove032002]

Mine too!

[@SBrundle]

It also speaks volumes about the character, as he straightens his posture, buries his emotions, and resumes his aura of command and composure while walking the corridors with his crew.

[@Mal1234567]

That's because Kirk is the hero of the series. There are no heroes in the later Star Treks series.

[@sebastianblack6506]

@@SBrundle Exactly. Good writing/directing.

[@greenacres1909]

Absolutely!!

[@robertstephens1203]

This is my favorite episode of any trek. It really highlights Shatner's acting. I love the scene where Styles is glaring at Spock and Kirk walks to the front of the helm and raps on the control panel. No words. No speech.

[@mohamad-ms2pb]

You'll notice Scotty was watching Styles also.

[@robertstephens1203]

@@mohamad-ms2pb Yes, Scotty was mature enough to keep his mouth shut. He knew Kirk was well able to deal with him.

[@CJRamos-jv3pb]

Shatner's acting in S1 was spot on - Before Shat's well known acting idiosyncrasies could fully surface.

[@mem1701movies]

@@CJRamos-jv3pbyeah and season 2. Then in season 3 super hammy. Then the movies really hammy. Nimoy lost charm as Spock in season 3 too.

[@dandeliondown7920]

Some of the staging (actor positioning and movement) in TOS is brilliant. Just after we see the Romulan Commander for the first time, we see a close-up of Kirk looking forward: we know that Kirk is looking at the pointy-eared enemy on the screen; as he does that, right behind Kirk's left shoulder, we see Stiles glaring in Spock's direction. That one camera shot tells a whole sub-plot in a moment.

[@suflanker45]

This episode shows that it wasn't all happy flowers exploring space in peace and harmony. Sometimes the aliens don't want to play nice.

[@deanhirasawa1414]

Glad to see she especially noted Uhura taking over as navigator. Fifty plus years after B of T, we learn Uhura, like all starfleet cadets are highly trained for a number of ships functions - in her case not just linguistics.

[@indetigersscifireview4360]

When you watch the series you'll notice that, after Kirk and Spock, Uhura is the most competent bridge officer. Scotty not being a bridge officer of course since he is Chief Engineer.

[@davidclough3951]

The Chief Engineer does have an engineering console on the bridge. FYI

[@technofilejr3401]

@@indetigersscifireview4360 Scotty is third in the rank structure on the ship. He will take over if both Kirk and Spock are away. To be in that position he would have to know how to pilot a starship.

[@indetigersscifireview4360]

@@davidclough3951 Yes I know. But as Chief Engineer his primary posting is in engineering, not on the bridge.

[@indetigersscifireview4360]

@@technofilejr3401 Scotty is third in command. But he is not currently a bridge officer like Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Sulu, or Chekhov. His primary position is to be in engineering. The others are posted on the bridge. That is why I made the distinction.

[@Polymathically]

This is easily one of the best episodes of TOS. Seeing the Enterprise in combat, the perspective of the enemy, the theme of morality vs duty in regards to war, dealing with prejudices... Looking back, it's so interesting how certain aspects introduced here impacted later stories. You'll see how eventually.

[@alangil40]

What makes this episode great is the fully developed characterization of the Romulans and in particular their commander. In lots of sci fi or even regular shows and movies, the villain is often just a 2-dimensional character presented as simply evil. Here we see an enemy commander who is weary of war, skeptical of his leader's ambitions, trapped nevertheless the politics of his world, confiding in an old friend and sparring with an ambitious junior officer. And yes, showing mutual respect to his adversary. And it highlights the folly of war with the line "In another reality, I could have called you friend". On the "good guy" side, it shows the humanity of Kirk and the stresses of dealing with life and death consequences. No to mention the subtext of bigotry and the emotional loss of a crew member. And again, I first saw all this at the age of 9 or 10 in 1975 on re-runs where it left a lasting and important impression. That is why the show is so treasured by so many of my generation.

[@blakemeads9225]

This is possibly my favorite episode of Trek ever. It’s such brilliant storytelling.

[@dennismason3740]

Run Siulent, Run Deep was a popular submarine WWII suspense thriller movie in the fifties. This episode borrows heavily from that film. It was one of a few classic submarine adventures. The Germans made a terrific submarine film in the eighties called Das Boot - The Boat, which has a very sad ending.

[@hawkmaster381]

I think you meant “The Enemy Below”

[@bewilderedbeest]

@@hawkmaster381 “The Enemy Below” was released in 1957, "Run Silent, Run Deep" in 1958. While "Balance of Terror" follows the plot of the first film more closely than the second, it shares plot points with both. It's possible that writer Paul Schneider saw and was influenced by both.

[@christopherconard2831]

I was also reminded of The Bedford Incident (1965). Along with a battle between two ships, showing both commands and what they were dealing with. But also the ramifications of the wrong choices with the possibility of two empires being dragged into a war.

[@dennismason3740]

@@hawkmaster381 - yes. I couldn't remember the title!

[@technofilejr3401]

Oh yeah this is a fantastic episode that displays Kirk’s tactical prowess

[@user-ii2ix2qe3x]

This is among the greatest, and arguably the greatest, of all the episodes Star Trek has ever done. An absolutely timeless morality play -- terrific. Every single performance in this is flawless. Shatner at his very best.

[@brom00]

Mark Lenard, the Romulan commander, one if a handful of actors to play multiple roles in TREK, one role happens to be very iconic.

[@Madbandit77]

Lenard.

[@docsavage8640]

Part 6

[@zoppie]

@@docsavage8640🤣

[@joeconcepts5552]

This episode now has a bunch of reactions to it, but I noticed one little detail people overlook. It's easy for anyone to overlook. When that comet comes up, Kirk hands Spock a book as if he wants him to look up the details of that comet in it. Then Spock just pushes it away and starts talking, because he already knows all about it.

[@mohamad-ms2pb]

You'll notice that when Spock pushes the book away, Scotty gives a certain facial expression.

[@bewilderedbeest]

You're not the only viewer who noticed.

[@dalehager3911]

That part makes me chuckle every time.

[@davidmarquardt9034]

The scene at 16:20 when the Roumlan captain says "This earth captain, he is a sorcerer, he reads my very thoughts", as Kirk anticipates and counters each move he makes. This situation, even though it take's place in space, uses many Naval ASW (Anti Submarine Warfare) type tactics. This would be familiar to people some 20 years after WW 2, as many movies in the 50's were made about this. The most well known example is: "The Enemy Below" from 1958. Another one that was made long after TOS aired was: "Das Boot (or "The Boat", as all Navy's refer to subs as Boats). This is one of the rare few movies that tell the war from the German perspective, it's from 1982. The cut I saw was about 2 1/2 hours long, but it went by faster than many 90 minute movies I've seen. It is widely considered to be one of the best sub movies ever made.

[@mohamad-ms2pb]

@@davidmarquardt9034 There's also "U-571", My favorite scene is the exploding depth charges which includes severe vibrations.

[@reubencarter3004]

Romulans are the distant ancestors of Vulcans. They were opponents of peace/logic and preferred the militant approach to interstellar relations. They left Vulcan in ancient times and eventually formed the Romulan Star Empire. The show creators viewed the Romulans as a futuristic Roman society that strived for war and conquest.

[@dandeliondown7920]

6:53 "I don't know too much about Romulans ..." None of us trekkies knew anything about Romulans when this episode first aired in 1966. When the Romulan Commander appears for the first time, we were all genuinely shocked. It was truly a WTF moment!!!

[@MDSlatanica]

I'm happy to see a younger person watching, appreciating, and understanding the meaning of each episode.

[@luminiferous1960]

According to Memory Alpha: The helmsman (or helm officer) was the Starfleet crewperson who operated the helm console on 22nd and 23rd century Federation starships. The helmsman of those vessels worked in concert with the navigator, who plotted the ship's course. On the USS Enterprise, the helmsman controlled both the speed and attitude of the ship, as well as the ship's weapon and shield systems.

[@asterix7842]

This is one of the better episodes of the entire series. The emphasis was on the writing and the acting, not so much the action. I'm so glad you're enjoying these as much as you are. Mark Lenard, who played the Romulan Commander also was a Klingon in the first ST movie, but is best known for playing Spock's father in multiple ST series and movies.

[@FallenHellscape]

So you felt it necessary to spoil both the casting of Mark Lenard as Spock’s father and that Spock’s father actually appears in a future episode. You stole that surprise from her for zero reason. Zip your mouth.

[@AstroXeno]

This episode has a very similar storyline to The Enemy Below (1957)- The Romulan ship is like a submarine (slow moving, cramped interior, and with a powerful weapon, but one which it has to be near the surface to use) and the Romulan commander uses the same kind of tricks to escape the Enterprise as a U-boat captain would to elude an allied destroyer.

[@GentleGiantJason]

I loved Legend of the Galactic Heroes! It’s a slow drama with strategic space battles intermixed. I loved the conflicting perspectives of the two sides and the mutual admiration of the two commanders. It’s very similar to Kirk and the Romulan commander. Good parallel!

[@toddkurzbard]

This is ANOTHER one of the best. I can NEVER watch that final scene with Lt. Martine WITHOUT crying. If you haven't encountered it yet, the Romulan Commander becomes Spock's daddy.

[@torbenkristiansen2742]

Thanks for watching. Best Romulan episode ever made. Not going to back down on that! :-)

[@Robert_Douglass]

A hundred Kroner.... who'd say no to that?

[@bunnytailsREACTS]

Thanks very much ❤️

[@oobrocks]

One thing I appreciate about TOS, Kirk is shown to make errors especially in the beginning but he learns fast and never repeats mistakes

[@justinplayfair4638]

You'll need to be a little careful on spoilers here...not being specific, an element of this episode resurfaces later... This is considered one of the original series all-time great episodes! Mark Lenard played the Romulan Commander and is one of the series' best guest performances. Great to see you finally react to this one!

[@PenneySounds]

Mark Lenard returns for a few roles across the franchise too, though hopefully commenters will refrain from spoiling which ones.

[@justinplayfair4638]

@@PenneySounds yup, hopefully folks will restrain themselves...

[@jimrocks22]

And ofcourse Mark plays Spocks father Savvak in Search for spock and other movies

[@PenneySounds]

@@jimrocks22 ....Read the room

[@justinplayfair4638]

@@jimrocks22 this is the kind of spoiler I was talking about...

[@KneelB4Bacon]

This episode reminds me of two excellent WWII submarine movies, "The Enemy Below" and "Run Silent, Run Deep." The part in the episode with the debris was a real trick WWII submarines would do to try to fool surface ships into thinking their depth charges had destroyed the submarine.

[@CL4MP]

Very important episode that establishes a lot of Star Trek lore. Thanks for the reaction :)

[@TheJokerAkaCirque]

this is such a good episode. Bigotry subplot notwithstanding, just watching Kirk and the Romulan commander try to predict the other's moves is so much fun.

[@JasonRule-1]

This episode was modeled after the old World War II movies of a Navy destroyer tracking a submarine, including the analogy of phasers being used in a way that depth charges would have been and the submarine jettisoning materials to try to convince its pursuers that it had been sunk.

[@MGower4465]

Sulu is the helmsman, on Kirk's left. As on oceangoing ships of today going back to the sailing sjips, the helmsman actually maneuvers the ship per the Captain's instructions. Sulu also has control of the weapons, though we as pons control does sometimes switch over to the other side of the console. On thst other side is the Navigator, who sets the course and feeds it to the helmsman's instruments. The large panel between the two positions is also part of the Navigator's controls since the Navigator has to plot a course in three dimensions, not just keft or right, but up or down as well. The Navigator is a rotating post for a while until Chekov joins the ship - Chekov was actually added as a nod to the hippy crowd with his Beatles-esque hair, and also because the Soviet Union had denounced the show for not having any Russians. So Chekov is played way over the top with his Wussian accent and his national pride that frequently clashes with actual history. When Chekov joins, the weapon control seems to transfer to his panels. Chekov also fills in at the science station if Spock is unavailsble. The other visible stations are Spock's science station to Kirk's right, Uhura's station behind him, and the Engineering station to Kirk's left, sometimes manned by Scotty, but usually by a generic redshirt. Unseen are 3 or 4 additional stations to each side for Environmental services (ship's air, sanitation, etc) and support stations for the Science and Engineering posts. These are essentially never seen as they are not part of the set, though occasionally you see crew come into frame from where those might be, usually to relieve Chekov if he moves to the science station, or to replace someone who is hurt. Also never seen, but per the blueprints, there is a bathroom located to the left of the viewscreen, and an emergency access hatch located on the floor (deck) just in front of the helm/nav console to allow access to and exit from the bridge in the eventvthe lifts aren't working. There are also removable panels on either side of the turbolift alcove leading to a corridor behind all the bridge stations to let people go behind them to perform repairs when needed.

[@willot4237]

17:07 In fact there is an episode in the Animated series where she had the Captain's chair (Kirk, Bones, Scotty, Spock, Sulu where all on a planet's surface; she was next highest-ranking officer left on the bridge). It was early 70s and the only reason the writers "got away with it" (Woman of color in charge) was because the Network Execs weren't paying attention to an animated "kid's" show. And the writers knew it!

[@davegutierrez387]

The phrase "balance of terror" was commonly used to describe the Cold War. The Soviet Union had enough hydrogen bombs to destroy us, and we had enough to destroy them. The theory was that we had to keep building more bombs to keep up with them and maintain the balance of terror.

[@jamesbrown4092]

6:21 - The idea of Romulan spies aboard Enterprise is a hold over from an early draft of the script. In that script, the Romulan ship resembled the Enterprise’ saucer with engines attached, implying that the Romulans had established a spy network inside Starfleet. If you keep this in mind then Stiles animosity toward Spock makes more sense.

[@georgemartin1436]

After this, the Romulans stopped storing ENGINE BLOCKS on the top shelf on the bridge.

[@leibmoshe]

The guy playing the Romulan captain also played Spock’s father in other episodes and movies

[@VincentMaroldi]

This episode was based upon a '50's WWII movie called THE ENEMY BELOW starring Robert Mitchum and Kurt Jurgens! Highly recommended!

[@tofersiefken]

I really love the design of the Romulan ship in this episode. I remember the plastic model set of this one when I was a kid in the 1970s. I had already completed the Enterprise and a Klingon battle cruiser as well as the plastic models of a communicator, phaser and tricorder. The design of the Romulans in this episode is based upon the Roman Empire. Where its world-building goes throughout the entire franchise is complex and unfolds in bits and pieces along the way. A truly fascinating species.

[@royroblox]

I completely agree, how cool the design is. I had the little Micromachines resin toy and stupidly colored it with a green Sharpie lol. Always a blast when it showed up in some of the TOS games. I was always sad we barely saw the Romulans in the rest of TOS and the movies until TNG.

[@MGower4465]

In Trek canon, the Romulans split off from the Vulcans centuries ago when the Vulcans abandoned warlike aggression and embraced logic (the teachings of Surak) and founded their Empire per those old values.

[@firegod001]

Awesome reaction. It's a pleasure to tag along on your Star Trek journey.

[@Asher8328]

There's a lot of great things to say about this episode, but I would say its biggest strength is allowing you to see things from the enemy's point of view and even empathize with their leader. That doesn't happen a lot in storytelling at all, at least not as well as what you see here.

[@TheHulk2008]

This one is pretty bad ass. This one introduces you to the Romulan Empire.

[@jamesaugust7498]

A great episode to show the military side of Starfleet. Yet, one of my favorite aspects of Star Trek comes out: The everyday life of the crew(s). Always great to see. By the way, I am changing the world by calling the "original series" the "5 year mission". Let's make it happen.

[@justinplayfair4638]

Ah, Legend of the Galactic Heroes! The distribution model for this anime was pretty unusual...it was a *subscription* anime series. You actually subscribed to get the episodes through the mail in Japan! It was directed by the famous anime director Noboru Ishiguro, who also directed Super Dimension Fortress Macross as well as many other classic anime. He also worked on Space Battleship Yamato, which I think you might also enjoy if you're unfamiliar with it. What a delight to find out you love Galactic Heroes - you have good taste Bunnytails!

[@Madbandit77]

That distribution model sounds like Netflix's early days.

[@justinplayfair4638]

@@Madbandit77 a little yeah, and I was certainly a customer. It's too bad it's gone because the Netflix DVD service was the only way to catch some rare, hard to find titles, like Alphaville. I got to see many classic films for the first time through Netflix DVD!

[@staggchannel1517]

Are you talking about the animated Japanese series called Robotech in the 1980s ???

[@justinplayfair4638]

@@staggchannel1517 no, Robotech itself was never sold out that way. However, one of its three progenitor series, Macross, was available only through the mail in the US in dubbed form, one episode per cassette I believe. That so was a marketing test to see if it would be possible to sell the entire series this way. Then Robotech happened and those plans were cancelled.

[@staggchannel1517]

Thanks for the info .@@justinplayfair4638

[@ChrisReise]

Fun Fact: Director Vincent McEveety had seen the 1957 film "The Enemy Below" but only noticed the similarities between its plot and this episode later. He admitted "Obviously, it's the same story."

[@mjbull5156]

It is pretty much beat for beat the same story except for the final resolution and the wedding, though condensed for the Star Trek version into less than an hour.

[@melchiorvonsternberg844]

German here. That was exact my impression, when I saw this episode back then. What I didn't know is the fact that the director of this episode, take the idea from a WWII destroyer/ U- Boat duell movie...

[@bryanhathaway8750]

This is why i signed up with you is to watch you go through all of star trek.

[@michaelhotard1557]

The Romulans were patterned after the society of Ancient Rome. Their home planet are Romulus and Remus, the names the the legendary founders of the city of Rome. They are a militaristic society. Their military has Centurions. Their government has a Senate.

[@carlossaraiva8213]

Bones is the kind of friend one wants to have for all their lives.

[@Ya_Mosura]

I love the mood lighting that highlights Kirk's eyes and everything else is in shadow. It's one of the only things I'll give JJ Abrams credit for picking up on when he did his reboot.

[@mohamad-ms2pb]

The facial lighting you described was done to a higher degree in "Charlie X". That's when Kirk and Charlie face off at the gym.

[@JamesC1981]

@@mohamad-ms2pb thats the most intense example i can think of

[@user-ii2ix2qe3x]

ST:SNW does a kind of alternate version of this episode, and while it is excellent, it isn't quite as good as this one. I was THRILLED to see that episode because this one is one of my alltime favorites.

[@dmanorozco]

Hands down my favorite Classic Trek episode. Mark Lenard was amazing in this. I know he is forever known for portraying Spock’s father but here is awesome as Romulan Commander. Favorite part is his description of how worn out he is from countless campaigns and wars. Love these reactions you’re doing. 💙

[@lucasdeaver9192]

This is the space equivalent of a WW2 destroyer hunting a submarine.

[@UnderDriven17]

Great reaction! We cannot forget that this series took place during the Vietnam war. The death of Tomlinson, the weariness and sadness of the Romulan commander, and the "...in another reality I could have called you friend" statement highlight the tragedy of war. It would have been impossible for any television show of that time to make an explicit anti-Vietnam war statement, but Roddenberry was able to criticize war in an oblique way in Star Trek. A few years later M*A*S*H took it to another level, using the Korean War as an example of the brutality, calamity, and absurdity of war--amazingly through the vehicle of a comedy.

[@kieronball8962]

This episode of Star Trek the original series, actually reflects a submarine warfare campaign, similar to those fought during the second world war and makes you feel that Starfleet is a modern version of the American Naval Forces.

[@docsavage8640]

Given that the Federation = U.S., Romulus Empire = Red China, and Klingon Empire = Soviet Union, of course.

[@charmlessman1]

@@docsavage8640 and by extension, the Vulcans could represent Japan, with a similar look to the Chinese (to American eyes), so they experience prejudice.

[@skywise001]

When the original author of the sub book was told they were refrencing his work he got very upset. :P

[@garyarnett1220]

And since Roddenberry served in the Navy in WWII

[@tofersiefken]

The helm, usually Sulu's position, is the person who is actually "flying" the ship. They use course information provided by the navigator, but when it comes time to maneuver the ship, whether with maneuvering thrusters when in "tight quarters" such as the shipyard, maneuvering within a planetary system using impulse drive, or interstellar travel using warp drive, the helm enters the commands and sometimes is shown using manual controls such as a "flight-stick" controller. A helmsperson should be adept at making quick decisions about evasive maneuvers when given the order by the captain or commander. Generally, the helmsperson is skilled at piloting a variety of different vehicles and may occasionally need to pilot vehicles from alien civilizations, so a basic understanding of the control lay-out used in both ally and enemy ships is a big asset.

[@gallendugall8913]

Just adding that the navigator is responsible for keeping track of space weather along with other space hazards and charting courses around them. So, it's usually the navigator who takes over the science station when Spock is unavailable.

[@alexbruce9499]

Simple analogy: the helmsman is the one driving the car, while the navigator is the one reading the map.

[@j.j.scotch4207]

A little more to add. On modern warships, it is an enlisted member who handles the actual steering. On a submarine, there will be two enlisted members handling things: one handling the rudder and one for the planes (which are a big part of how submarines change depth). However, there are two officers running things on the bridge or in the control room (on subs). The senior one is the officer of the deck (OOD), and they are overall responsible for the ship for the watch period. The junior one is the junior officer of the deck (JOOD), or diving officer aboard subs. The JOOD/diving officer is the one who gives commands to the sailor on the helm (and to the sailor on the planes aboard subs). Aboard USN vessels, the person who is OOD "has the deck", while the JOOD/diving officer "has the conn". The CO and XO could potentially take one of those roles at their discretion, e.g., from the CO, "I have the conn", to which the JOOD responds, "Captain has the conn". The sailor(s) handling the steering jobs only respond to whoever has the conn. In Star Trek, there is no one in the JOOD role. The helmsmen handle that part themselves. They also use "having the conn" to mean what current USN ships call "having the deck", which isn't a problem since there is only the one role. Given the destressing on officers vs enlisted members that we see in Star Trek, this actually makes a lot of sense, and computer assistance probably makes the whole job simpler as well. Also, in TOS, the helmsman is also the weapons officer. By the time we get to STTMP, they have split that off. Chekov is the Weapons/Security Officer in TMP. When we get to STTNG, they call that role "tactical officer". I'm not sure that it is such an automatic thing that the navigator is kind of the back-up science officer. Chekov has a talent for it and was trained for it. We see that in Star Trek 3, when Chekov, at one point, identifies himself as "acting science officer" (intentionally vague to avoid spoilers). This last is in response to a different comment that says the navigator who takes over the science station when Spock is unavailable. I vaguely recall Uhura doing it once as well.

[@baron7755]

never, in any Trek, has it been called "helmsperson"

[@modeler308]

Balance of Terror was based on a movie starring Robert Mitchum called 'The Enemy Below', a 1957 American DeLuxe Color war film in CinemaScope about a battle between an American destroyer escort and a German U-boat during World War II. Produced and directed by Dick Powell, the movie stars Robert Mitchum and Curt Jürgens as the American and German commanding officers.

[@JohnRodriguesPhotographer]

His compassion makes him a better leader and captain

[@bunnytailsREACTS]

For sure!

[@noneya3635]

Yeah buddy! This is how I will spend my last 1/2 hour writing reports today. Love your work BT.

[@TheStammzilla]

I was about to do something else, I'm doing this now. 😊

[@MrGadfly772]

Well done as usual. Thank you do much for sticking with this!

[@socksumi]

This episode is, by some people's reckoning, the best ST TOS ever produced. Definitely a firm fan favourite.

[@bryanhathaway8750]

One of the best episodes of the original series.

[@Belzediel]

Aw, yiss! First of the really really good episodes... Hikaru Sulu is the main helmsman, and basically he does the steering. He kinda shares a few other duties with the second chair, which is where they keep the guns and a bunch of other stuff as needed. I think there's an espresso machine in there somewhere but it doesn't appear in any 'official' paperwork. Steering a starship is a tad tricky since they're going many times the speed of light, which, in turn, means they can only see out the windows thanks to special Space Glass. On the plus side, since gravity also operates at the speed of light, they don't have to worry about going into a gravity well when they're at warp speed, except for the times when they do have to worry about it. In Star Trek terms, impulse speed is like the pedalling around on a bicycle, whereas warp is still being on a bicycle but one where you've accidently got your hair caught in the undercarriage of a fighter jet. This is often unimportant, later series get a little more uptight. The ship is often going in more or less a straight line so Sulu is frequently just sat there making sure they don't fall out of cruise control, so he gets a bit of chatter from time to time. We know that the Enterprise doesn't have that thing where it makes a beeping noise when it's going backwards because in [SPOILER] we see it [SPOILERING] Everybody is going to point out that Takei and Shatner didn't get on very well. This is true, but what is untrue is that they were often found between takes slapping each other on the backside. The plot of this episode is fairly heavily based on the movie The Enemy Below. Not especially relevant, although that's a pretty good movie. The Romulans are the first big bad guy, and my preferred ones, the most famous enemy of Captain James R until it is T Kirk are seen later, the dreaded [SPOILONS]. There is a kick-ass Romulan story coming up which features, shock horror a [SPOILER]. I remain convinced that the Romuloids uniforms were the direct inspiration for British Rail's second class carriage upholstery for several decades. This is the first episode (I think) where they mention photon torpedoes, a weapons system much beloved. The slightly amusing thing is that, since photons are the elementary particles that make up light, whenever they fire one they're kinda saying they're throwing a really, REALLY bright flashlight at the bad guys. "In this galaxy, there's a mathematical probability of three million earth-type planets… and in all the universe, three million million galaxies like this one. And in all of that, and perhaps more, only one of each of us. Don't destroy the one named Kirk." "I hear you, Bones." "Or the one named McCoy." "I get it." "Sulu, Chapel, Scott..." "I understand, Doctor, each of us is unique and valuable." "And when I say only one of each of us, I don't mean transporter clones." "No, no, of course not." "Or android duplicates, doppelgangers created by lovecraftian deities, shape-shifters, chameleon creatures, telepathy induced illusions or the undeniable fact that a multiverse of possible universes exist, all but guaranteeing each of us has an infinite number of identical versions of ourselves kept distant by the width of a single quantum brane." "Do you keep a list, or was that improvised?" "I'm just saying, Jim, if there's a choice between living and dying, it doesn't make much of a difference in the face of the infinite cosmos." "Doc..." "I've been drinking, Jim, don't fret the little stuff."

[@docsavage8640]

They're traveling far faster than light when they warp

[@Belzediel]

@@docsavage8640 "since they're going many times the speed of light," I mean, I like literally said that.

[@rayharley597]

Fifty years of watching this show, and this is still the moment, for me, we truly get to see what Trek could be. Easily in my top five Trek episodes; original series of course, but in my all time top ten of ToS / TNG / DS9, kerk

[@THEBURNETTWORK]

There I was watching you review one of the greatest TREK episodes ever...you finish and bust out LEGEND OF THE GALACTIC HEROES, my very favorite anime of ALL TIME?!?!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? You're a JEWEL of KZbin. I bow to you.

[@michaelhall2709]

This may not be my absolute favorite episode of TOS, but it very possibly is the most perfect. With its cinematic lighting and editing it plays more like a mini-feature film than a typical episode of ‘60s television. You might want to check out THE ENEMY BELOW, a 1957 World War II epic featuring a duel of wits between the captain of an American destroyer and the commander of a German submarine, which very heavily influenced this episode.

[@visionaryventures12]

One of my favorite episodes of any Star Trek! 💜 A crowning example of what’s best about the series!

[@leftcoaster67]

This is one of the best Star Trek episodes. Not just in TOS, but all Trek.

[@mythdusterds]

I never realized the Romulan Commander yelled out “there firing at Us!” I never made out exactly what he said when Kirk was making the final blow to the Romulan’s.

[@richardw64]

This episode is a good copy of the old WW2 movie, "The Enemy Below." starring Robert Mitchum as the Destroyer captain and Curt Jurgens as the German submarine captain. It was dramatic episodes like this that make you want to see more of Star Trek.

[@jamesstutz6907]

This episode introduced the first look of the cloaking device. You are going to be shocked to see what a Romulan looks like. Romulans are like cousins to the Vulcans.

[@user-bq5ch2wl4e]

this episode is an interpretation of the WWII movie "The Enemy Below" about a clash between a US Navy destroyer and a german U-boat in the Atlantic. some of the dialogue is almost word for word from the movie.

[@scottmitchell3641]

6:41 One of my favorite moments in TOS Star Trek ---with the music playing like it is while at the same time the camera zooms in on Spock's face as this absolutely startling, astonishing, shocking discovery is made. Iconic.

[@gainz4dayz576]

This is my favorite episode of TOS! Great reaction and glad you’re enjoying Star Trek. I hope you watch all of the other series in future! I’d do anything to experience them for the first time again.

[@mem1701movies]

I don’t love this episode. It’s good but there are others much better.

[@gainz4dayz576]

@@mem1701movies We all have our favorites and this one happens to be mine.

[@technofilejr3401]

3:07 Kirk is prohibited from messing with people within his crew. Which is pretty much how most militaries are supposed to work. But alien babes are fair game! 😉

[@mohamad-ms2pb]

Well in the episode "The Enemy Within" The evil/wild Kirk disregarded that restriction and tried to rape Janice Rand.

[@mjbull5156]

​​@mohamad-ms2pb Yes, but that Kirk contained his desires unrestrained by conscience or reason. Though they were setting up shipping Rand with Kirk. Notice in that one scene on the bridge in this episode she snuggles up to him for comfort?

[@drewskull5181]

I think there's alot of Balance of Terror in Star Trek 2, especially the battle in the Mutara Nebula. It's Run Silent, Run Deep in space.

[@scottcook2839]

The helmsman of a starship is responsible for directional control as well as engine settings for warp, sub-light and maneuvering. He/she also has access to navigational and tactical sensors along with shield and weapons' controls. Many of the stations do this, as redundnancy is built in. For example, the navigator is responsible for plotting and updating courses, of course. yet he/she can also handle the tactical systems, as you saw Stiles doing and will see others do later on.

[@telephotousa]

@bunnytailsREACTS In the final scene with Angela and Kirk, after she leaves the chapel you see a bit of sadness as Kirk turns toward the altar, and then he reestablishes his grim face Captain-like demeanor as he goes back out into the corridor. Very underappreciated subtle acting by Shatner here in the unspoken form that gets little mention.

[@carybrown851]

Yep, Shatner's acting is always better than we're told to pretend it is. The "Saturday Night Live Parody" version of Shatner isn't really who he is. Really bad actors never reach the level of success he achieved, after all.

[@telephotousa]

@@carybrown851 Agreed. In fact Roddenberry himself said more than once that acquiring Shatner to replace Jeff Hunter was a big score as Shatner was a sought after actor at that time and was frankly taking a bit of a gamble, as sci-fi was not considered serious material back then.

[@watchmanschannelofdespair]

This episode is a homage to those WWII submarine films of old. PS. Although post WWII, the 1981 German produced _'Das Boot'_ is an excellent U-boat film. I have to edit my reply to add the PPS. I'll be sure to check out that 80's anime you suggested- _Legend of the Galactic Heroes_thanks for the sharing. 😃

[@mohamad-ms2pb]

Also the recent film "U-571". Especially the depth charge scene.

[@watchmanschannelofdespair]

@@mohamad-ms2pb I'm sure you're right, as I don't have any negative feelings reading the film's title, It's been so long since I've watched that film (twenty years), I don't remember much except for it being a success (mission wise).

[@NPCRR]

This episode was very much based on the WWII movie "The Enemy Below" with Robert Mitchum, a captain of an American destroyer, vs a German U-Boat submerged beneath them. Great WWII movie well worth watching!!

[@NPCRR]

From busi magen dwight ennis In most TOS episode, it is done from the navigator's position (note the many times Sulu or Kirk have to reach over to the navigator's panel to fire weapons because the navigator isn't there or not responding), however the primary control for weapons and shields is supposed to be along the back wall of the bridge. The helmsman is supposed to concentrate on handling helm and lee-helm. It is usually not a good idea to have your helmsman having to split his concentration between targeting and firing a list of weapons systems while at the same time trying to "drive". In real Navy ships, when at general quarters, the helming jobs will usually get split so that helm and lee-helm get manned separately so each function gets full concentration (and the extra hands needed for some lee-helm situations), but I do not recall ever seeing that in Star Trek. Not sure why this reply didn't appear here, but by the time of TOS (22nd Century), the Ship's Computer was well able to autonomously control an attack (see the Gorn episode), helm, navigation, and weapons. By the time of the ST:TMP, a dedicated weapons station had been added to the Bridge, and in TNG, that dedicated Weapons Station had been added to the Security Station centered at the "arc" behind the bridge. This IS, after all, SCIENCE FICTION! :)

[@SatoshiMatrix1]

The helmsman is the guy who actually drives the ship, telling it what direction to go, how fast, and so on. In a ship on the sea, they're the ones with the wheel and such. The Navigator is a similar role, but they just plot the course and monitor the course. It's the helmsman who actually does the work of driving.

[@carlossaraiva8213]

Or to use a nautical term, pilot the ship.

[@benjauron5873]

My favorite episode of the Original Series.

[@johnpooky84]

Bunny, if you saw my comment on your last ST video, I'd like to add that your commentary is SUPERB. You are thoughtful, insightful, and provide a very neat perspective on this show! Also, and I just realized this...I don't think I've EVER heard you swear on any of these, which is so refreshing (trying to find KZbinrs who DON'T swear every 5 minutes is....tricky at best). "Balance of Terror" is one of my favorite ST: TOS episodes. It's actually based off of a non-ST movie called "The Enemy Below", and if you haven't seen it, I strongly recommend checking it out. Thank you for, and please keep, taking us "Where no Bunny has gone before"! 🖖

[@SuperDave1426]

Sorry if I missed anyone already posting this, but one thing to clear up - no, Enterprise was not actually hitting the Romulan ship. It was laying down a blast pattern near where they were tracking the ship to be. The explosions were causing some damage to the ship, but a *direct* hit from Enterprise's phasers would have done a lot more damage to the Romulan vessel.

[@bunnytailsREACTS]

Ohh that makes sense, thanks!

[@sseltrek1a2b]

have to say: re-visiting the original series is making me appreciate it all the more...it was great to watch this show as a kid...

[@edmunddantes6971]

The helmsman of a ship is the pilot and steers the ship (typically Sulu). Next to the helmsman is the operations office, who monitors the primary ship systems and acts as the ship’s navigator (usually Chekhov). Love your reaction videos.

[@mem1701movies]

Not in TOS. The NAVIGATOR plots the course. They both seem to operate weapons.

[@technofilejr3401]

8:07 Romulans are descended from Vulcans. When Surak began spreading the philosophy of logic on Vulcan, some folks said “Heck no” and left. They went out into space and founded their own militaristic empire that in some ways mirrors Ancient Rome. So they are as strong and long lived as Vulcans but don’t suppress their emotions.

[@Madbandit77]

I thought the Romulans were like the Japanese for their military aspects while the Vulcans were like the Chinese for their benevolence. Boy, am I dopey.

[@technofilejr3401]

@@Madbandit77Centurions, Praetors…Romulus?

[@mohamad-ms2pb]

​@@technofilejr3401Also the Roman salute that was seen on screen by the people on the bridge.

[@bewilderedbeest]

@@Madbandit77 Your metaphorical comparisons are as good as anyone else's. I remember back in the 1960's when the Cold War was going on, it was common for viewers to see the Klingons and the Romulans as stand-ins for the Russians and the Chinese, respectively. Boy, were we dumb.

[@jerrykrautman6795]

One of the very best episodes of any Star Trek series. They did a take for take version of it on Strange New Worlds. I have been a Star Trek fan for a very long time. I really enjoy watching you discover it and your reactions to it. Keep up the great work. Live long and prosper.

[@bunnytailsREACTS]

Thanks :)

[@starclone4]

This is one of my all time favorite episodes !!!! Weĺl written, and well acted..😊

[@kieronball8962]

Mark Lenard was a very talented actor, who featured in many American tv shows, during the 60's and 70's. Here he plays the Romulan Commander, but he went on to play Sarek, the Vulcan father of Spock, in the original Star Trek tv show, Star Trek TNG and in the Star Trek movies.

[@AstroXeno]

The final interaction between Kirk and the Romulan commander was memorable enough to have been spoofed at least a couple of times.

[@UnclePengy]

The cinematography in this series was top-notch. One scene stood out on this rewatch: At 19:50, the girl is crying in the chapel, the light illuminating her face when the door opens behind her and Kirk is standing there, partially silhouetted and out of focus, square-shouldered in a superhero stance. Shot from a low angle, making him seem to tower. Perfect staging, lighting, framing and composition.