I've just watched this for the first time as an adult- pretty sure I wouldn't have found it too interesting in the eighties as a child, so it seems like the actual first time seeing it. I also don't remember being so distracted by Chekov's wig, which from some angles unfortunately looks like a headless chicken nesting on his head.
The remastered effects are done nicely in my view, not overdone- thankfully they don't seem to have done a "Lucas" on any of the episodes I've seen so far. The hand force-field effect would have been considered a bit corny back in the sixties even, but I guess it's making a statement of some sort - The God Apollo able to grapple a whole spaceship in the fingers of his hand.
The writer Gilbert Ralston has done a good job I think, considering at the time, he was writing for children's show Gentle Ben (a nice little connection, Clint Howard was in the more highly-acclaimed episode "The Corbomite Maneuver" as the Tranya-drinking Balok).
Anyway, I won't give away much, but it's the idea that mythological Gods were real, in human form and demanded worship from us mere mortals, plus maybe steal our girlfriend in the process. Is he really who he says he is, or just a lyre? (one for Greek myth fans) But, as perhaps expected, this "God" certainly turns out to be more "myth- illogical". Incidentally, this episode is a little Spock-light as he's stuck on the seized ship giving orders, but Kirk gives us some marvellous full-on Shatnerisms. A few nice lines from McCoy as usual, especially his almost affectionate utterance of one of Spock's favourite words. Fascinating, and I'd give it an 8/10.
The remastered effects are done nicely in my view, not overdone- thankfully they don't seem to have done a "Lucas" on any of the episodes I've seen so far. The hand force-field effect would have been considered a bit corny back in the sixties even, but I guess it's making a statement of some sort - The God Apollo able to grapple a whole spaceship in the fingers of his hand.
The writer Gilbert Ralston has done a good job I think, considering at the time, he was writing for children's show Gentle Ben (a nice little connection, Clint Howard was in the more highly-acclaimed episode "The Corbomite Maneuver" as the Tranya-drinking Balok).
Anyway, I won't give away much, but it's the idea that mythological Gods were real, in human form and demanded worship from us mere mortals, plus maybe steal our girlfriend in the process. Is he really who he says he is, or just a lyre? (one for Greek myth fans) But, as perhaps expected, this "God" certainly turns out to be more "myth- illogical". Incidentally, this episode is a little Spock-light as he's stuck on the seized ship giving orders, but Kirk gives us some marvellous full-on Shatnerisms. A few nice lines from McCoy as usual, especially his almost affectionate utterance of one of Spock's favourite words. Fascinating, and I'd give it an 8/10.