Star Trek The Original Series Ruminations S1E26: The Devil In The Dark

[@SchneeflockeMonsoon]

I love the idea that the Horta Ideal is how the Federation is so strong. The Klingons ship prisoners En masse to Rura Penthe to mine their dilithium, but if the federation has Horta who naturally displace those kinds of things just by being alive: they can get the resources way faster, and they probably have dozens of species they know or have within them which do stuff like that.

[@johnbockelie3899]

" I'm a DOCTOR, not a BRICK LAYER ." McCoy's first of many excuses.

[@johnbockelie3899]

" NO KILL I" The Hortas message to Kirk and Spock is quite moving.

[@johnbockelie3899]

"Mr.Scott, this is Doctor McCoy, ....send down a few bags of cement, a trowl, and a mixer. I've got a patient to save here."

[@johnbockelie3899]

"Smithers ,........dead, just like the rest of them.......BURNED TO A CRISP.!!". My favorite line.

[@doktor_ghul]

One of my favorite McCoy lines is here, as he's standing there with his hands and arms covered with thermal concrete, " By God, Jim, I'm beginning to think that I can cure a rainy day. ".

[@stevena488]

Death by killer pizza. One of my absolute favourites and MAN do I love the ending where McCoys saved the pizzas life using polyfiller. I just absolutely love that hey? We saved a sentient intelligent species and we have a new friend and ally. I love the positivity of it.

[@donovanbradford8231]

You are not lieing growing up as little kids we couldn't remember the episode name or species so this episode for many years was called the Pizza Minster episode😂

[@lancebaylis3169]

I always thought of the alien pizzas episode as being "Operation: Annihilate" 🤣🤣

[@EnvisionerWill]

By my reckoning this is the second-best-made TOS episode ever, exceeded only by Mirror Mirror. I would agree with Lore that this is one of the best episodes for introducing a new viewer to the show, since Mirror Mirror is a little more reliant on you being familiar with the characters and concepts, to understand how they're being inverted. But Devil in the Dark is magnificently well-encapsulated. It's sad to hear that Shatner lost his dad while making this masterpiece; I wonder if there's any relationship between his grief and the quality of his performance here.

[@thrashtilupuke]

Is this the first time McCoy says “I’m a doctor not a ….”?

[@quasimodojdls]

This episode is so cool, so thoughtful, and so iconic. Its exploration of how we demonize what we don't understand is spot-on. And there are so many wonderful character bits here -- Kirk's sense of command, Spock's mind meld with the Horta, and McCoy's "surgery". But the Horta herself is probably the best character. It's nice to learn that the Enterprise has a security chief of commander's rank, although we don't see him again. The end of this episode is remarkably uplifting and life-affirming (just putting this out there.... the message is "you shouldn't kill unborn children".... make of that what you will). And it's really nice to see another alien that actually looks alien. Good thing they got rid of that in the later series, right? I said it before and I'll say it again.... I'd rather have something hokey/chessy like the Horta or Gorn costumes than yet another humanoid alien with something glued and/or painted on his forehead. Really there is only one thing that holds this one back from a higher score. And that's the fact that the mystery really isn't a mystery. I mean, come on, did anybody really not immediately see that those silicon spheres would end up being eggs? Really? And yet the episode plays it off like its some grand mystery of the ages and an amazing discovery when "truth is made plain". Also, I've always thought that the episode was idealistic to a fault, but given how cynical and depressing Trek has been since ENT ended, I'll let it pass from now on (can we PLEASE get some idealism like this back into Trek? PLEASE?!). 8/10

[@davidkoritan1692]

As I remember the episode, the tunnels were what was left behind as the Horta ate. So the Horta are basically getting an "all you can eat buffet" out of the deal in exchange for not eating certain things. Also, I listened to this episode in the background while doing my STO dailies.

[@mepoindexter]

When I saw the line up of anonymous redshirts, my first thought was "They're dead."

[@singularrookhart7501]

I always assumed that what the Horta got in return was access to the galactic community. Abstract, to be sure, but often portrayed in Trek as a big and wonderful deal.

[@singularrookhart7501]

And as for the Prime Directive, it is probably also one of those situations where the cat is out of the bag and damage is done, so let's just move forward rationally.

[@rmsgrey]

Not only does Kirk's standoff and phaser-based communication with the Horta illustrate clear non-verbal communication, it also establishes the possibility of negotiation - I should say further negotiation. Which means that Spock is wrong in another way - not only is immediate violence likely to result in (further) losses to both sides, but it would also be premature - while both sides remain peaceful, they have time to investigate and pursue other possibilities; the moment they resort to violence, they lose those alternatives. As for what the Horta could get out of the deal, one obvious possibility is transportation - contact with the Federation means the ability to colonise other worlds (or places on the same world that were inaccessible to them) and ensure species survival. It's also worth considering what the mining costs the Horta - if it's as simple and easy for them as walking and eating in one particular direction rather than another, they could also consider that what they get from full access to the Federation is a lot more than what they give in letting people walk their tunnels. Which is the definition of trade - both parties feeling they're getting more value than they're giving.

[@TheRealityJack]

I am glad you like this episode, too. It's one of my favorites! I've actually been showing Star Trek to a friend of mine and she likes it, but we've only watched TNG so far. I think I'll choose this episode as her introduction to TOS.

[@francoislacombe9071]

The title of this episode has a very interesting ambiguity. The devil it speaks of is, of course, the Horta, but it can also be seen from the Horta's point of view and refer to the humans and their machines destroying her eggs. I also wonder what they used as the props for those eggs.

[@NanNaN-jw6hl]

@18:18 - No, actually. Type 1 and 2 phasers are brought up again. Specifically, you'll note that the intro segment has a large number of folks with type 1 phasers in hand (and also, clearly, ignorant of weapon rules, as they point those phasers at each other as they chat before the cold open ends). The type 2 phasers, which are a composite of a type 1 phaser and an extended power-pack-handle which makes it look more like a traditional gun, is what they are referring to.

[@NanNaN-jw6hl]

@18:26 - Go look at the TNG technical manual. TNG type 1 and 2 phasers look more similar than TOS type 1 and 2 phasers, but the concept is the same. Larger power source, circuity, and focus crystal. Phaser rifles are sometimes shown as a superset of a type 2 phaser, and sometimes shown as distinct weapons.

[@videogenics86]

I've always wanted to see a Horta as a main cast member. In fact I remember reading a novel that featured a Horta crewmember on the Enterprise, though I can't remember the title.

[@Hans_Niemand]

"My Enemy, My Ally" by Diane Duane. The character you're looking for is Ensign Nahrat.

[@tlewis171]

Diane Duane had a Horta crewmember in 'My Enemy. My Ally' and its sequel; there are likely others as well.

[@Thunderwing88]

Gulf and Western is what you were probably trying to think of.

[@joluoto]

This is the seminal monster episode. Every other monster episode tries to be this one.

[@donovanbradford8231]

For me I think Spock knew they were being watched probably because of his Vulcan hearing. As we see at the end of Operation Annihilate he hears McCoy whisper something into Kirk's ear from across the bridge. We also get that impression from The Apple as Acuta follows them Spock knows he is in a bush behind them. So in the case I think at times Spock hears the Horta moving around.

[@johnbockelie3899]

"The Devil in the dark" Count up the red shirt deaths.

[@gallendugall8913]

This is the episode that made me afraid of dogs under bathmats.

[@olympicnut]

Desilu could not greenlight a season 2 of Star Trek. That was NBC's job. Highly recommended: The three volumes of "These are the Voyages".

[@christheghostwriter]

Definitely in my top ten As a kid, I loved every episode. As I got older and more discerning, I realized that some episodes (and some entire seasons) were stronger than others. This is definitely one of the strong ones.

[@fredrikcarlstedt393]

" Work is the best antidote against sorrow" ; Sherlock Holmes, the Empty House .

[@tiffanyshank8837]

From my very limited sources (aka devouring "I am Spock,") I think your assessment of Shatner and Nimoy is correct -- I think Leonard Nimoy is the kind of person who it's very hard not to be friends with if he decides to be yours! Actually just to add to your point, too. The fact that Xena and Gabrielle were friends (however the individual fan defines it) was important to Xena: Warrior Princess in -- this is debatable, but I'd argue in the same way that the fact that Kirk and Spock are friends is important to Star Trek. I've seen Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor together onstage, and I think that it's really difficult to play those kinds of scenes without also forging a kind of bond with the other actor or actress along the way -- just a human connection that happens invisibly and without being recognized. One of the novels (IDIC Epidemic) postulates that the Horta aren't the only beings with silicon-based blood -- it's actually a plot point whether individual characters have blood based on iron, copper, or silicon, and I believe the virus itself doesn't affect the silicon beings (that'd be something to reread in light of current events lol, it's been a number of years and maybe it's time to read it again!). I enjoyed this Rumination, as always. If you think about it, that's actually one of the central ideas Star Trek is based on -- there's a monster out there, and that monster can become an ally if we understand. Star Trek isn't always as, um, careful about initiating contact and protecting the other as people generally are within the Extant, but I still see the similarity.

[@harrypothead42024]

The automatic censor deletes any comment that tries to say the name Gene L C**n or point out that the automatic subtitles are censoring it every time you say his last name.

[@fredaf3700]

This is why Kirk is known as a 'ladies man'. Even a female Horta can't hurt him. Had the Horta been a male, well... there might have been a different ending.😉

[@gpfoster1966]

Except... until Spock explains to Kirk that although Mama Horta finds human appearance revolting, she thought she could get used to it; oh, and by the way, it was actually Spock's ears that she found the most attractive, a fact that Spock found as proof of the Horta's remarkable intelligence. So, Mama Horta wasn't as in to Kirk as she was to Spock.

[@fredaf3700]

@@gpfoster1966 Yes, but she encountered Kirk first. Momma Horta killed other men, but not Kirk. She only allowed Spock's touch, because Kirk told her to. Also, as for what Spock said, we only have his word for it. Interpretation is a matter of perspective, isn't it? Maybe Spock heard what he wanted to hear, everyone wants to be loved.

[@tbk2010]

First time I have seen this episode... maybe? I have seen TOS only once as a Kid and I could have missed it. Glad to have seen it now, it truly is everything Star Trek should be.

[@kevinrussell3501]

The Iconian War in STO is one of the best stories of all time. It might be the best time I ever had playing a video game

[@kimdawcatgirl]

I just found your channel. I thought you were going to discuss the episode details more as this was my favorite as a kid! I had so much empathy for her it made me cry when she said, No kill I!

[@athrunzala6919]

(That episode with Sulu freezing is why they have the thermal concrete on board now)

[@thrashtilupuke]

Whenever anyone who has never seen Trek asks me where to start; I point to this episode. It’s not my favorite but it’s sooooo Star Trek!

[@loislane7482]

My favourite TOS episode and the one that really sold me on the show, so totally agree that it's a good intro episode

[@Aloyhero]

Horta is also the name of a port town of Portugal. this episode will inspire movies like Jaws and Alien.

[@mr51406]

Totally agree it’s the perfect introductory episode to Trek, and with the other commenters (you’re awesome btw!☺️) that it’s an iconic episode. I too remember it seeing when I was young, early 1970s (CFCF-12 Montreal!). But I’ve always seemed to have missed the teaser with miner Scmmitter and his awesome Williamsboig/Greenpernt accent.

[@johnbockelie3899]

" These are the Hortas eggs, Captain, a whole generation of them." " You know Mr.Spock, ..... The Enterprise needs a lot of new bowling balls for the alley.......er, About those eggs you were mentioning ? ."

[@catherinetheegreat8742]

side note about them not splitting up, you brought up the fact that it shot as a horror/monster show at first which is funny because, in those types of shows, the main characters ALWAYS end up splitting up and getting picked off one by one, so besides the fact that this was made BEFORE that particular trope, it's entertaining to see them make the.... excuse my wording - logical decision

[@thedragondemands5186]

[spit take] a NON-humanoid alien? On a Star Trek show?!

[@gm2407]

I am sure I have come accross this somewhere online. Language and the brain are funny things as scans seem to indicate that concepts seem to be stored in the same place, even if words in other languages are different. Seems super strange to me. However might be useful as a handwave for Spock translating the Horta's thoughts.

[@lancebaylis3169]

This one is just iconic.

[@5ynthesizerpatel]

Loderunner nails it for me - there's better episodes, but this is the episode that made me a Star Trek fan.

[@athrunzala6919]

There were a few ads with "Captain we are being watched" in them. Anybody remember them?

[@Isuzu81]

Spock should have asked the Horta if it could help mankind solve our age-old mystery - which came first, the Horta or the silicon nodule?

[@harrypothead42024]

This I think is the first episode of Star Trek that I ever saw.

[@Eelco_de_Boer]

Summary: The Enterprise arrives at Janus VI, where an unknown creature is destroying machinery and killing miners. Kirk and Spock track the creature down and try to communicate with it, discovering an ancient culture. (Fascinating episode, one of my favorites)

[@bad-people6510]

It's not so much a "more powerful phaser" as just outlining a distinction between the type one (garage door clicker) and type two (pistol) phasers. There's also the type 3 (rifle) phasers which are even more powerful.

[@comentedonakeyboard]

First alien Alien in Trek. Unfortunately the last Time we see it (even in the animated Series).

[@jonathansoko1085]

Am i the only one that seems to prefer the later Original Series episodes? I notice alot of people put the first season on a trophy stand in awe, but as a later fan rewatching this stuff i thought the second and third season blew it away (except for 2 or 3 episodes in the first). This is just my opinion, i feel like people let the "lore" around the show and the happenings, color their take. Just my opinion, but when i found out yall feel the way you usually do about this, i was a bit surprised.

[@drunkemonke1995]

Lore you should bring the beard back

[@athrunzala6919]

I tried watching this episode as if it were the first time the last time I watched it, but the orbs still seemed too obvious

[@kellinwinslow1988]

Another great episode that proves strong acting and storytelling will overcome limited effects. This is something the best of Trek has in common with The Twilight Zone, although it didn't pull it off as often as Zone did. I'd love to see Lore tackle some of Rod Sterling's show. I'm going thru the Blu Ray set and it really is sad that that show is still better than most TV now. Nimoy really went for it in his performance and it works. You actually feel for the Horta. We watched this with my 11 year old niece and she really liked it. It felt more real than anything Star Trek has done in the last 10 years. Interesting to note that Horta's were crewmen on a ship in the D.C comics Star Trek comic by Peter David.

[@therealhardrock]

What's really not Trek about this episode is the fact that all of the speaking roles in this episode are doughy middle-aged white guys. Star Trek had been known for putting non-whites and women in places you wouldn't normally expect to see them at the time.

[@stanislavkostarnov2157]

as to the last joke... - they are "his workers" not "his people" he simply effectively traded one set of (if well cared for) slaves, with another... & yes, in this time of The Federation cooperate indentured servitude effectively exists on some worlds....

[@harrypothead42024]

If you want to see something funny try to post a comment with Gene, not roddenberry's last name in it. His full name not just his last name is what I mean.

[@PapaRoboto]

So, I’ve really been digging the parallel Earths trope, for some reason, and I’ve come to somewhat of an epiphany, though it creates many plotholes. The Federation from TOS stems from a parallel Earth. That’s why its so different from the Federation in latter series, this also explains why we never saw TOS species in TNG. This obviously doesn’t make much sense, but I really do like this theory.