This is a good episode. The series was renewed for another year and began with a very original tale. Spock's physiology demands that every seven years he must mate. This requires a trip to Vulcan. When Spock and his crew mates arrive, it becomes obvious that Spock must be a very important figure because he is in the presence of the matriarch ruler, T'Pau. Unfortunately, his trip proves a difficult one in that his betrothed has decided, according to Vulcan law, to choose a different mate. She also has the privilege of choosing someone to fight for her. Instead of choosing a Vulcan hero, she picks Kirk. It is required that he fight to the death, which proves to be a no-win situation. Kirk is doomed to failure because he has no experience in this type of fighting. The interesting things about this episode are, first of all, the lack of knowledge of Vulcans and their habits. Since Spock is a major figure in Starfleet, why isn't this known. The other is the utter unfairness of the situation. As we learn more about Vulcans, we come to realize that many of their traditions are grounded in a time before they became the stoic people we are used to. The other thing has to do with the conclusion, which I will withhold. It concludes with one of McCoy's best responses to Spock. Watch this episode just for this.
