Kirk and his crew are waylaid by a powerful alien who claims to be the ancient Greek god Apollo. Apollo demands they abandon their ship and become his worshipers like the Greeks of old Earth had been, and Apollo is not taking no for an answer. Kirk and Co. have to figure out how to escape his clutches without falling victim to his extraordinary powers and his violent temper.
At first glance, this seems like a too-goofy premise. They encounter a Greek god replete with laurels on his head living on a planet replete with marble temple and statues. It seems like something out of Lost In Space. But closer examination reveals a deep, meaningful character study of a being who is either unwilling or unable to accept that the world has left him behind.
Apollo, wonderfully and sympathetically played by guest star Michael Forest, is a powerful creature who masqueraded as a God on ancient Earth and obviously thinks it is his right and duty to continue to serve as a God to Earthmen. And at one point in the dialogue he indicates that his kind, of which he seems to be the last, need worship and attention. Perhaps it is a form of sustenance for them, or maybe Apollo just has a deep-seated neediness, it's never clarified. Either way, it is an important feature of what drives him. Another fascinating part of his character is shown when he suggests he disapproves of the clinical, dispassionate creatures he might think Earthmen are becoming as they continue to learn about the universe: to him, they have lost their passion and character as they have grown in power. And it seems his interpretation of reality is different from that of the Earth men, although at one point in the dialogue he seems to suggest he knew his God status was always just a masquerade. But finally, it's clear Apollo really believes he is doing the right thing by Kirk and Co.
When he is finally defeated, his sense of hurt, his broken-heartedness, and his sense that all that he looked forward to and believed in are destroyed, is genuinely affecting. You understand why he commits suicide at the end, and I for one felt sorry for him. He never meant any harm.
Also this is the episode where Walter Koenig gets to be vintage Chekov: irreverent, effusive, but very capable.
The thing that keeps the episode out of superb territory is that the premise, although it sets up such a good character study, is still unavoidably just a little on the goofy side, but that should not stop you from enjoying it, and should not stop you from feeling sorry for Apollo at the end, just like Kirk and McCoy did.
At first glance, this seems like a too-goofy premise. They encounter a Greek god replete with laurels on his head living on a planet replete with marble temple and statues. It seems like something out of Lost In Space. But closer examination reveals a deep, meaningful character study of a being who is either unwilling or unable to accept that the world has left him behind.
Apollo, wonderfully and sympathetically played by guest star Michael Forest, is a powerful creature who masqueraded as a God on ancient Earth and obviously thinks it is his right and duty to continue to serve as a God to Earthmen. And at one point in the dialogue he indicates that his kind, of which he seems to be the last, need worship and attention. Perhaps it is a form of sustenance for them, or maybe Apollo just has a deep-seated neediness, it's never clarified. Either way, it is an important feature of what drives him. Another fascinating part of his character is shown when he suggests he disapproves of the clinical, dispassionate creatures he might think Earthmen are becoming as they continue to learn about the universe: to him, they have lost their passion and character as they have grown in power. And it seems his interpretation of reality is different from that of the Earth men, although at one point in the dialogue he seems to suggest he knew his God status was always just a masquerade. But finally, it's clear Apollo really believes he is doing the right thing by Kirk and Co.
When he is finally defeated, his sense of hurt, his broken-heartedness, and his sense that all that he looked forward to and believed in are destroyed, is genuinely affecting. You understand why he commits suicide at the end, and I for one felt sorry for him. He never meant any harm.
Also this is the episode where Walter Koenig gets to be vintage Chekov: irreverent, effusive, but very capable.
The thing that keeps the episode out of superb territory is that the premise, although it sets up such a good character study, is still unavoidably just a little on the goofy side, but that should not stop you from enjoying it, and should not stop you from feeling sorry for Apollo at the end, just like Kirk and McCoy did.