Star Trek (TV Series) Patterns of Force (1968) User Reviews

Kirk and Spock vs. the Nazis

[Bogmeister · 7/10 · 3 December 2006]

Following on the heels of "A Private Little War," this is another serious stab at presenting the dire consequences of interfering with the natural progression of a culture. This time, the contamination is Nazism, a plague of thought / speech spread on a planet called Ekos. The Ekosians, a warlike primitive people, are subverted to channel their aggression against their peaceful neighboring planet, Zeon. The Zeons were more advanced up until a few years ago; but now, Ekos has the same technology and plans are made to exterminate the Zeons. It all started innocently enough. It's a bit strange. The Federation has had this non-interference directive, the Prime Directive, in place for at least a century or more. I understand a sometime aggressive hotshot like Kirk rationalizing around this directive at times of intense situational imperative, but now an elderly Federation historian, a supposed expert on what tampering with history means, decides to re-arrange a culture's status quo on what appears to be a whim - a chance to play God, as McCoy puts it.

The main problem with episodes such as this has to do with constraints related to budget, make-up and so forth. The show is unable to capture the atmosphere of an actual alien planet or culture. Rather, it appears as if Kirk and Spock have transported themselves into Earth's past yet again, to Europe during World War II when it was dominated by Nazi Germany. There is no make-up involved for the supposed two alien races here; they are, for all practical purposes, other humans. The Ekosians are the Nazis here, where-as the Zeons are stand-ins for the persecuted Jews. The episode does succeed in capturing some of that brutality associated with the Nazi regime and there's plenty of suspense as Kirk & Spock attempt to infiltrate the Nazi HQ to see their Federation rep, now Fuhrer. If anything, this is the serious version of "A Piece of the Action" - the scary contemplation of how an entire society can be deluded into following a certain doctrine. But, did we need a sf version of actual history to get the point across? The most intriguing aspect is Melakon, the deputy Fuhrer who is, in fact, the actual incarnation of Hitler or Himmler - take your pick.

"You should make a very convincing Nazi"!

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 16 December 2010]

This is probably the most overtly political Star Trek episode, wearing it's anti-Nazi theme boldly on the sleeves of those German officer uniforms. Not much is left to the imagination regarding historical analogies, as the Ekosians as presented are the ultimate anti Zeon-ists, inspired by a former Federation cultural representative who wound up violating the Noninterference Directive. Funny, this was the second mention in the series' run as the ND, (#2.17 - 'A Piece of the Action' was the first), and I've got my ears peeled for it's initial description as the Prime Directive.

An interesting takeaway for me in the early going was Spock's observation of Professor Gill's (David Brian) method of history, directed at causes and motivations rather than a dry reading of dates and events. The 'causes and motivations' idea led me to consider how liberal writers and analysts of present day use America's history as pretext for claiming why terrorist nations hate and want to destroy us - presumably because we're the bad guys. You can buy that argument if you want, but it makes no sense at all. Present day bad guys, like the Ekosians, are evil because they want to instill their ideology on the rest of the world, destroying anyone or anything that stands in their way.

With frequent use of terms like Fuhrer and Fatherland, the story leaves little to the imagination regarding Roddenberry's analysis of Nazi attempts to exterminate the Jews (anti-Zeon/Zion). Where the story gets murky is the ease with which various Ekosian revolutionaries managed to infiltrate the party hierarchy. One wonders how far they might have gotten had Kirk and Spock not appeared on the scene. Certainly John Gill would never have been revealed for his Earth origins, and Deputy Fuhrer Melakon (Skip Homeier) would have eventually achieved supremacy. Consider the Enterprise intervention a reminder of America's entry into World War II, assuring the defeat of Nazi Germany and it's Axis allies. The troubling aspect of this episode however, is the idea that history doesn't learn from it's mistakes of the past, as all one needs to do is observe the ascendancy of tyrannical regimes around the world today, while inattentive nations make the same mistakes in dealing with them all over again.

Strong Entry, Based on Ludicrous Premise

[mstomaso · 7/10 · 25 June 2007]

The Enterprise is approaching two inhabited planets, Ekos and Zaos, hoping to find out what happened to Anthropological Historian John Gill (David Brian). Kirk is a former student of Gill's and Spock is duly impressed by Mr. Hill's teachings, but nobody has heard from him for a long time. A nuclear warhead is the Enterprise's welcoming committee, and the ship fairly quickly comes to understand that Gill has become involved in the creation of a cultural duplication of Nazi Germany on Ekos. So, the conflict seems to hinge on TOS' most powerful self-created cliché – Morality and the prime directive.

This background is very pithily crammed into the five minute opening sequence. The episode proceeds somewhat more leisurely afterward, but remains, essentially, an action/adventure story. Kirk and Spock are captured and have to escape, as usual, but the plot does involve a couple of nicely executed twists. The support cast deserves special mention here. This episode could not have been as successful as it was without really nice performances by Richard Evans, David Brian, the mysteriously MIA Valora Noland (not seen in film since 1971), and Skip Homeier. The sets are also excellent and very convincing.

There are a couple of troubling and interesting points that this episode, whether intentionally or not, raises. Aside from the usual clichés about absolute power corrupting absolutely, etc, the episode praises Naziism for its efficiency (a compliment somewhat at odds with the real economic and political history of Nazi Germany) and seems to suggest that in the hands of a benevolent dictator, totalitarianism isn't necessarily a bad thing. Also, I wasn't sure whether to be amused or disturbed by the fact that the most Aryan looking actor in the entire cast – by far – Skip Homeier – was cast in the role of the of a scheming, manipulative, sociopath. I am not sure what statement, if any, this was intended, but it certainly was affective. Homeier's performance is very memorable.

All considered, this is a memorable episode for its difficult and intelligently handled subject matter, strong acting and sets. The script and directing are sort of average for TOS, but nevertheless adequate. Director McEveety would later make a name for himself with the TV show Dallas.

Patterns of Seriousness

[BrandtSponseller · 10/10 · 11 August 2006]

This is the episode that somewhat undermines my theory that a lot of the cheesiness and campiness of the series was unintentional. Roddenberry and company get very serious in Patterns of Force, and understandably so--this is the episode about Nazism.

Nazism is broached through a very common theme for the series--an alien culture has been corrupted by an outside force. In this case, as in many others, the outside force was a previous explorer from the Federation, one who chose to ignore the Prime Directive of non-influential interference.

For most of the episode, Star Trek doesn't have anything very unprecedented to say about Nazism. It's a fairly literal presentation/examination, with a race from a neighboring planet serving as a barely veiled representation of Jews. Towards the end of the episode, however, there is a pretty controversial stance taken towards Nazism--it arrives in the justification for breaking the Prime Directive. Scripter John Meredyth Lucas and Roddenberry are clever enough to wrap their controversial point in an undermined character who is potentially interpretable as a villain for his decisions.

But the reason this episode is so good and unusual isn't because it has profound things to say about Nazism. It's because it does a lot of typical Star Trek things--like Kirk and Spock being held captive, having to bluff their way out of jams, and so on--in a very unusual, very serious way. We usually have little worry that Kirk and Spock will be shortly out of a locked cell, but here, director Vincent McEveety films a very familiar scene so that it is very suspenseful. Likewise, Spock in incongruous disguises or modes often causes laughter, and frequently the threat of him being revealed when he needs to be disguised is just as promising of humor as tension. Here, there's nothing funny about it, it's instead nail-biting. With laudable help from the make-up department, McEveety also manages to truly make Spock feel alien. Even Shatner gives a serious, intense performance rather than hamming it up this time around, and the same goes for DeForest Kelley. In fact, McEveety so successfully achieves a weighty mood that even the typical, somewhat comical bickering between Spock and McCoy takes on an edge of nastiness in the final scene.

I love Star Trek's normal campiness and cheesiness, but Patterns of Force goes to show that it's just as excellent when they try to keep everything on the straight and narrow.

The usual Star Trek 'Why?'

[gerry-636-868677 · 29 July 2011]

I enjoyed this episode but throughout I was distracted by the usual Star Trek question 'Why?'

For instance, Kirk and Spock beam down to face the unknown (like in most episodes) yet THIS time Kirk order transponders to be injected into the skin and to be beamed up automatically if they lose their communicators and do not answer after 3 hours.

Are you ready?...... WHY don't they do that all the time? How many episodes had them losing their communicators and not being able to beam up when that would have been a very good thing to do?

Also, Kirk cut out the transponders from their arms using a bed spring and attached them to the spring in order to cut their way out of the cell. But then they throw the spring AND the transponders away, before steeling themselves to fight their way through many guards to reach the Fuhrer.

Are you ready?........WHY didn't they keep the transponders, beam up, quickly get their wounds cleaned , then beam down into the Fuhrers office,thereby bypassing all the guards?

I know, I'm picky aren't I.

Star Trek 'Patterns of Force' use of Nazi terminology

[philkfi · 9/10 · 2 September 2006]

The Star Trek study of how Nazis happened was just on G4TV. The show's use of terminology is skillful and usually meant to disguise something not exactly tasteful for 1960's TV. Like the "Komms" vs. "Yangs" in one other episode which were yoofamisms for Communists vs. Yanks. This episode was about "Zayans" vs. "Ekosians". The Zayans, the Jews, is obviously a reference to "Zion", but can anyone help with how "Ekosians" refers to Aryans, Germans, etc.?? Oh, by the way, Star Trek isn't like any of 'the other 1960's sci-fi shows' such as Voyage to Bottom of the Sea, Time Tunnel, or anything else. It was beyond television, beyond pop culture, and would be ahead of its time by a few centuries if it came out today.

Star Trek: The Original Series - Patterns of Force

[Scarecrow-88 · 7/10 · 26 September 2016]

Although I'm not sure the conclusion would have finished as neatly (two leaders are killed and all of a sudden those behind them decide to invest in peace after behaving so hostilely), I think the concept was indeed compelling: the Enterprise are searching for historian/scholar, John Gill (David Brian), who went to a world occupied by warlike Ekosians and peaceful Zeons to observe their cultures, with no intent to interfere with how they ran their lives. But Gill brings the Nazi "efficiency" to the Ekosians, hoping to perhaps stabilize them, but soon the power of his position as this outside influence and intellect corrupts him, with a second in command, Melakon (Skip Homeier), taking advantage, slipping him a drug until he's a puppet to use in order to further the cause of this "Nazi regime". The Zeons are to be exterminated by the Melakon-led Ekosian regime, not what Gill envisioned before being drugged into a stupor. It takes major McCoy hypo-injecting and the Kirk face slap(s) to sort of awaken Gill enough to spirit the Ekosians out of their kill-mode and focus on how Melakon muddied the waters of the real intentions. Seeing Spock and Kirk in Nazi garb is surreal, but the laser prison escape by Spock was neat, even if having to stand on the whipped back of Kirk (who, like Spock, had to take some whips to the back from one of Melakon's Nazi interrogators). Richard Evans as Zeon underground prisoner of war, Isak, and Valora Noland as Zeon spy, Daras, really contributes to the episode, bringing the integrity and dignity that exists in those who defy sadistic ideology, resistant towards those who attempt to use "patterns of force" in order to gain power and rule a world. The script pushes as close as it can on a television show, with machine gun fire assassinating one leader, and a pistol eliminating another. A haunting final words for Gill speak about "non-interference" in the Prime Directive, how this situation proves that point. It all got out of hand. Good parting comments from Kirk when Bones and Spock debate about Earth and its history of evil rulers and corrupt power corrupting absolutely…one civil war was averted, no need for another on the Enterprise!

Breathtaking Lead Performances

[kellyadmirer · 10/10 · 5 July 2011]

Science fiction is usually about the present or the recent past. Fanciful new technologies are used, and mis-used, just as real ones have been exploited in the real world, setting up moral paradigms for our heroes to resolve correctly this time. Setting a story on some alien world and changing the names of the players usually doesn't hide the underlying message to anyone mindful of the historical parallels.

"Patterns of Force" follows in this tradition, though it takes the somewhat unusual route of transplanting real situations of Earth's past to the requisite alien world. Skirting the risk of taking the easy route and simply condemning the unredeemable, making the lesson a bit too didactic, the episode instead veers in another direction entirely and becomes a wonderful critique and examination of enduring human nature and frailty.

The Starship Enterprise, lead by the redoubtable Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), is looking for lost historian John Gill (a barely-there David Brian) when it is fired upon by a missile from a planet that shouldn't have that capability. Kirk and his Vulcan sidekick Spock (Leonard Nimoy) beam down to investigate. In rapid sequence, they find out that the planet is controlled by real, honest-to-goodness Nazis, are captured and almost killed, and then find themselves in cahoots with an active resistance movement.

So, we have the set-up, that this is going to be an examination of bad, bad Naziism, right? Well, perhaps, but that is not the episode's real target. Wisely taking the brutality and illogic of Naziism for granted, instead, our heroes use that system's inherent weakness against it as they retain focus and search for the lost Gill.

Valora Noland, born the day after Pearl Harbor to parents who had fled Wiesbaden after Kristalnacht, and named after a speech by Winston Churchill, reportedly (understandably) hated playing a Nazi figure. However, she is the episode's blazing star. She plays Daras, a Nazi propaganda hero. However, is she really a Nazi, or something else? That answer is provided quickly, and emphatically, and thereafter Daras becomes more of a meditation on the media than anything political. Watch her preen as Kirk holds a camera in her face, and flounce up the stairs of the Nazi headquarters as if going up the red carpet at the Academy Awards (almost an inside joke there, I think). Valora knew how to act with her eyes, watch them closely throughout for some real emoting. Some may decry the lack of facial prosthetics and so forth (so painfully over-used in later incarnations of the series) to make the aliens look "different." However, this supposed negative turns into a major asset when it permits you to experience the emotions flitting across Valora's face as she first holds a gun on Kirk, then abruptly and surprisingly turns and fires at someone else. Strong females on Star Trek seldom fared well in the final analysis, but Daras defies that peril against all odds. A fabulous role played fabulously.

A fascinating aspect is the casual, almost backhanded slap taken at the reality of Naziism. For instance, the Nazis are shown to be infiltrated with the very people they were persecuting. Many real Nazis had, for example, Jewish origins, including perhaps Hitler himself, and they wasted a great deal of time investigating or justifying each others' phantom racial purity. This subtly supports the series' recurring message that we are all morally interchangeable and thus responsible for our moral choices. The absurd use of physiognomy to categorize and denigrate is completely sent up when arch-villain Malakon (Skip Homeier, in one of his several awesome guest star turns in the original series) pompously derides the smartest man on the planet (Spock) for his "low forehead, denoting stupidity." But the target is much wider than simply an indefensible political system and its self-serving justifications. The ending takes a sharp jab at modern media in general as being simply a tool to be mis-used even with the best of intentions. Daras is hailed for the cameras as a great hero (again) despite the fact that everyone in the room knows that she indeed may be a hero, but certainly not for the reasons the media will state.

The episode is about Nazis, yes, but that is just the launching pad for the real insights. Everyone in the cast gives a rousing performance, and I wouldn't be surprised if they felt something personal about the entire experience. This wasn't the only time TOS Star Trek mentioned Nazis (see "The City on the Edge of Forever,") and its treatment of them is extremely honest and, dare I say it, even-handed as a sort of aberration that somehow crept out of the Id's cage. Some will decry this episode as politically incorrect and the notion that anyone at any time could fancy Naziism as "efficient" as completely insane, but it certainly is possible that some future (and possibly wacky or senile, we learn absolutely nothing about the man) historian could completely misread history. And that reveals another point to this tale, the danger of misreading history from a distant vantage point. Never forget.... Human nature and enduring reality is the larger target, one that is hit dead center by a stellar cast and script.

I Want to See the Fuhrer: Ignore the Man Behind the Curtain

[Hitchcoc · 6/10 · 3 May 2014]

This is the famous planet evolves into Nazi Germany episode. An envoy comes to a planet whose government structure is in disarray. The man, Gill, decides to implement a new world order based on the National Socialist Party of the 1940's. It's quite efficient for the powerful, but, as usual, there has to be a scapegoat. This is a peaceful civilization which becomes the target of the final solution. There are so many things that make one's eyes pop in this episode. For one thing, the Nazi's are an intercontinental organization (stock footage of thousands greeting the Nazi leadership). Yet, Kirk and Spock beam down, are picked up by a single soldier, and demand to see the Fuhrer (who just happens to be around). Eventually, the get hooked up with an underground movement and use them to infiltrate the headquarters. Even more amazing is that Gill has been drugged and his body propped up in a chair, a microphone concealing his mouth. He supposedly is the source of the usual hate talk. It really looks ridiculous as is the conclusion. It's an interesting idea, but way too much. Oh, for fun, watch the escape from the jail and how it is attained.

Planet of the Nazis

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 16 July 2015]

The Enterprise has been sent to find out what happened to John Gill, a cultural observer who had been visiting the planet Ekos. As they approach the planet they are surprised when a nuclear missile is fired at them; the people of Ekos are known to be war-like but their technology shouldn't be anywhere near that advanced, even the more advanced but peaceful neighbouring planet of Zeon doesn't have the ability to make such devices. Kirk and Spock beam down to Ekos and make a startling discovery; their society is clearly modelled on that of 1930s Germany; right down to the uniforms and insignia… as well as the xenophobia, this time aimed at Zeonian members of society. They have an even bigger shock when they learn that the Führer of this world is none other than John Gill. Wearing stolen uniforms they attempt to get to Gill but are soon captured and tortured. They manage to escape with a Zeonian who is a member of the resistance. With the help of a resistance that includes a noted member of the Nazi party working to bring the party down from the inside. As they get close to the Führer they learn of the Nazi's proposed 'Final Solution' to the Zeonians.

This is one of the classic episodes of Star Trek, like the mob themed 'A Piece of the Action' it is based on an alien society that has deliberately copied part of Earth history. This time it turns out the changes have been deliberately made by Gill who thought he could use the Nazi's efficiency but neglected to curb its darker elements. Some of the parallels to 1930s Germany are a bit too obvious; if uniforms and xenophobia weren't enough the subjugated people's role as the Jews in this tragedy are from Zeon (Zion) and they even have Jewish sounding names… I doubt many viewers would have missed the parallels without them being driven home so hard. Despite the lack of subtlety this is a fun episode; the bad guys are genuinely bad and our protagonists undergo torture rather than just getting into danger. It is also entertaining to see Kirk, Spock and McCoy dressed in Nazi uniforms; uniforms that once brought terror to millions now seem surprisingly camp. The regular cast all perform well and guest star Valora Noland is great a 'good Nazi' Doras. The final resolution is a bit weak; as soon as the main villain is exposed everybody seems to give up their Nazi views instantly. Overall though this is pretty good episode; definitely one you'll remember.

"We just ended one civil war. Let's not start another."

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 31 March 2024]

Once again, we get a case study in what happens when an outside force interferes with the natural progression of a people. The people of the planet Ekos have begun patterning themselves after, of all things, Nazi Germany! And now one party is intent on committing genocide, utterly ridding themselves of the other! Kirk & Spock and the victimized Zeon people (and later, Bones) team up to prevent the worst from happening - as well as finding out where that outside force, an old mentor to Kirk, could have gone so wrong.

Interestingly, Roddenberry and episode writer John Meredyth Lucas take a rather controversial stance on how Nazi Germany could be seen as a model of efficiency. Kirk is aghast, while Spock considers the "practicality" behind such an approach: it might have worked with a much more benevolent leader at the helm.

'Patterns of Force' is another good example of how this series could maintain its appealingly campy, cheesy qualities while also ruminating on various serious issues in an intelligent, provocative way. It's an entertaining story that does offer some humor (the sight of Kirk, Spock & Bones in Nazi regalia, Bones' strained efforts to get his boots on, etc.) as well as the presence of the sexy Valora Noland ("The War Wagon"), some real tension, and a final message about the way that "absolute power corrupts absolutely"; in other words, that old mentor of Kirks' couldn't resist the chance to play God. It does suffer from a typical low episode budget. (You don't ever really believe that the principals are on another planet; it simply looks like they're revisiting Earths' past once again.)

Also guest starring Richard Evans ("Dirty Little Billy"), Skip Homeier ("The Ghost and Mr. Chicken"), and David Brian ("Flamingo Road").

Seven out of 10.

Benevolent Fuehrer

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 22 February 2014]

The wisdom of Star Fleet's Prime Directive never had a better example in the history of the Star Trek franchise than in this episode where an earth cultural observer played by David Brian decided to play God with a warlike people and introduce Nazism into the population. He had intentions of being a benevolent Fuehrer, but some very ambitious underlings led by Skip Homeier turn the Nazi movement on their planet of Ekos to what it resembled on Earth. They're also more powerful than what they were on Earth as witness by the fact that the Enterprise is attacked with hydrogen bomb missile.

That's a taste of what the Ekotians plan to do to their neighboring planet of Zaon. Zaon hating and scapegoating is the favorite past time of the Nazis of Ekos.

After that attack and seeing how the Prime Directive has been violated the mission and the duty of the Enterprise is clear. William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy come down to investigate and if possible stop a wholesale slaughter. Later on they're joined by DeForest Kelley.

Can a totalitarian type movement ever be benevolent? Turn that one over in your minds when you watch this Star Trek story.

I Did Nazi This Episode Coming

[Samuel-Shovel · 6/10 · 22 June 2018]

In "Patterns of Force", the Enterprise is searching for a missing historian who has been serving as a cultural observer for two neighboring planets. One is more technologically advanced and peaceful. The other is more crude and prone to violence. When the Enterprise arrives, it has found the primitive race has taken on the role of oppressors. The Ekosians have somehow learned about the Nazi party and have used its ideology to control and slaughter then peaceful Zeons. The Federation's historian John Gill is now serving as the Ekosians' leader in this genocide. Kirk and Spock must head down and figure out what has happened to Gill and this society. They need to figure out a way to reverse the current path.

As it turns out, teaching brimming societies about the efficiencies of WWII-era Germany doesn't work out as planned. Gill's message is perverted by his second-in-command who drugs Gill and uses him like a puppet. This new despot embraces Nazism to the extreme and begins to systematically capture and kill the Zeons. Spock and Kirk disguise themselves as officers to infiltrate the party and find Gill. They run across a group of rebels who help them. In the end, they snap Gill out of it for long enough that he spills the beans. Both Gill and his second-in-command are killed in the melee and the two races are left to pick up the pieces of their now ruined society.

Sometimes I think Kirk makes dumb decisions when dealing with interference on an evolving planet but Gill might be as dumb as they come. Why would he ever think mirroring a culture with two distinct races (one peaceful and one violent) after Nazi-era Germany would be a good idea? Of course it went sour! Leave to the Federation to come into a planet and muck things up!

The amount of times Spock's ears have gotten him and Kirk in trouble is absolutely comical. They keep ending up on these humanoid planets with no notable differences from Earthlings. Spock sticks out like a sour thumb.

While this episode's plot is okay once you get into it, it's the getting into it part that's difficult. I'm growing tiresome of these aliens that have zero distinguishing characteristics from humans. I know money is tight but come on guys, maybe just a few blue dots on the forehead or something? Anything! Also, the entire premise of a historian doing this is laughable (as I've mentioned above). Despite this, the plot moves along at a good pace and we get to see TOS's take on Nazism in the modern age.

Note: Chronologically, this isn't the Enterprise's first run-in with Nazis. Archer got sent back in time to deal with aliens helping the Nazis try to win WWII. A bit of a role reversal here as it's the humans coming in and tipping the scales this time.

Goose Waddling...

[Xstal · 5/10 · 16 February 2022]

A Vulcan in Nazis uniform, illogical, absurd, not the norm, but Spock carries it well, this costume from past hell, could troop at the head of this storm.

If only we could get the mobsters from Sigma Iotia II to fight off against the Nazis Ekos.

Space Nazis!

[Blueghost · 1 February 2013]

When I was younger and first saw this episode I was watching a lot of "Hogan's Heroes", catching "Tobruk" and "Guns of Navvarone" every now and then, and a number of other films and TV shows that had Nazis as the bad guy dujour. I drew American tanks and planes and all other manner of things kicking the crap out of Nazi this and Nazi that. Cool huh? And when you see Kirk and crew take on the space Nazis, it just drives home the point that much more.

"Patterns of Force" explores the notion that fascism itself was not the lead cause of the diabolical industrialized slaughter of a people that had done nothing but to help a weakened Germany develop. It offers to the audience that it was not the leadership of the national socialist party that lead them to murderous policies, but the centralization of power that could not be checked nor questioned by anyone. True.

The episode parallels the formula that lead Germany to war under the Nazi regime, and also parallels the policy of mass killing of the Zaeons by the Ekosian military leadership. The episode suggests that under the proper leadership things could get done, and for the benefit of all, but, when the wrong leadership gets into power, even those who are benign but are surrounded by "self seeking adventurers" like Melakon (probably a sociopath), things go awry, and common people, people who are too busy putting bread on the table to think about national policy, will blindly follow that twisting of leadership.

True, but under the condition that the people in question know not enough to question the leadership's roles and policies. But, that's what the ceremony of the Nazi regime is designed to do; unify the super- majority of the masses into a cohesive unit that trumps and dominates all.

Kirk reminds the characters and professor who and what the Nazis were, and where he doesn't destroy the Nazi regime, he helps remove the cancer within, and steer a totalitarian state towards a more moderate existence. Good? I have my doubts, but there's only so much a starship captain can do.

Me, I'm a little tired of hearing about Nazis in movies, TV shows, comic books, radio, novels and even on the net. My personal commentary is that maybe we should move beyond obsessing about Nazis, and learn to avoid unchecked power structures. I think that was missed in this episode of Trek, for even though Kirk sets things aright, things could go wrong once again. But, is that a result of the power structure or the power base? Is is the supporters who fail to check their own social order to correct and remove malefactors, or is it really an unsolvable problem with that kind of social regime?

Me, I really don't care to dedicate too many brain cells to the problem, but, needless to say, Kirk and Spock have yet to come across a corrupt parallel of the United States of America ("The Omega Glory" not withstanding).

Well acted, so-so typical 1960's era Trek SFX, some outstanding thesping (as usual from the series), with a great plot but iffy execution. I'm tempted to call it hackneyed because of the use of Nazis, but that's the 2013 person speaking here, and not the younger 1968 viewer.

Give it a shot.

Art Imitating Our Kafka-esque Life?

[56E478 · 10/10 · 9 October 2021]

No...No, I didn't think about Joe Biden once during this episode.

Dark Subject, Classic Trek, Even With Punches Pulled

[Dan1863Sickles · 8/10 · 9 November 2009]

As a boy I rated this as one of my favorite TREK episodes, just because there's plenty of action, lots of gun play and because Kirk genuinely does make (in Spock's words) "a very convincing Nazi." Interestingly, when I began to recreate my Star Trek collection on video, twenty years later, I found that PATTERNS did not live up to my memories. I think part of the problem is that the treatment of Nazism is meant to be challenging and serious but actually pulls some punches.

Several reviewers correctly pointed out that the real Nazi Germany was in fact NOT "the most efficient state earth ever knew." But the differences between the "real" Nazi Germany and Professor Gill's Ecosian variety are also interesting. The horror of the real Holocaust is toned down in several ways.

1.) The Zeons have a planet of their own, and presumably could always find some way to hide and/or fight back in an emergency, (such as an extraterrestrial invasion) however "peaceful" they might be.

2.) The Zeons we meet on this planet, Isok, Abram, and the rest, are all openly militant, determined to fight back, well organized, and completely un-intimidated by Brown Shirts and SS. There's not even a hint of passivity, terror, or a state of denial comparable to what crippled Europe's Jewish population with such tragic results. (i.e. "this too will pass, they can't be serious, they really need us.")

3.) The anti-Nazi resistance in Germany was pathetically ineffectual (with apologies to the brave Von Stauffenberg.) But the story line here softens the historical truth. It seems the Ecosian Nazi party is riddled with resistance members, double agents, and free spirits of all types. One minute it's lovely Dara who's switching sides, and the next thing you know Party Chairman Enig is "one of us" too. Kirk and Spock could have stayed on the Enterprise and "phoned it in" if they had known defeating the Nazi menace would be this easy!

4.) Given that there are plenty of heroic Zeons and noble Ecosians to do the heavy lifting, it's a real shame Kirk couldn't have had a love scene or two with Dara, the ultimate Kitten With A Whip. Come to think of it, if SHE had been in charge of the "whipping" scene this episode would have definitely broken new ground!

Interesting to watch,...but the Enterprise facing Nazis?!

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 8 December 2006]

It seems that a Federation social scientist came to the planet years before and found it embroiled in wars and chaos. So, in order to promote unity, he re-created the Nazi empire. After a while, the militaristic planet began attacking and scapegoating a neighboring planet of peaceful humanoids (like the Jews). The crew, upon discovering this hell, know it is incumbent upon them to put things right and stop the madness! Only on Star Trek would you have seen an episode where a Nazi planet would be encountered! This isn't really a huge criticism, but obviously this sort of ultra-fanciful episode could never have appeared on most other sci-fi series that were more attempting to give a more "realistic" view of the future. So, provided you can completely suspend disbelief and try to enjoy the show on a purely non-aesthetic level, it is very interesting and entertaining.

Yummy Spock

[gjenevieve · 10/10 · 11 April 2016]

I watched this show when it was first on TV back in the 60s. I was born in 1961, so I was quite young when this was on. However, I immediately fell madly in love with Spock.

Today, now being an adult, I really appreciate this episode even more with Spock running around without a shirt on. Mmmm he is so handsome. All that wonderful chest hair.

Now to the actual episode: I liked how they explored how it isn't necessarily just a particular person that is the cause of an entire society getting to the point of wanting to stay separated from other groups, even to the point of wanting to kill anyone that is not the same, but that it takes a situation where the entire power structure has nothing to keep it in check. They were given carte blanche and this allowed the whole thing to get completely out of control. There could have been a lot of good to come from the setup of the type of government that Gill was trying to accomplish. But, he had people that had other ideas that were in power with him. The citizenry was too easily persuaded to go along with this madness and the whole thing got out of hand.

Spock and Kirk were finally able to get access to Gill. They find out that Gill was just trying to unite a divided planet. If it had all been kept benign as he intended, it would have worked, but his second in command (Melakon) was power hungry. He drugged Gill and took over and perverted the plan for his own ambitions. They were finally able to get Gill alert enough to let people know the true message of what he was trying to do and Melakon was killed. Both peoples were now going to be able to work together and would try to find ways for both cultures to live in harmony.

The very end was quite amusing. The banter between Spock and Bones was great. I have always really liked the relationship between those two and the little "arguments" they have.

Some important messages but it feels quite contrived to me

[snoozejonc · 6/10 · 10 September 2021]

Enterprise visits a planet where the inhabitants follow a regime based on the Nazi party.

This a mediocre episode that is (and shouldn't be) enjoyable for it's camp value, but lacks any reasonable plausibility or quality writing.

The plot is a recycled concept that was done fantastically for laughs in 'A Piece of the Action', but when tried here with a more serious tone and a Nazi theme, for me it comes across as notably contrived. The way everything unfolds is comically convenient and quite enjoyable in an unintentional way.

There is no particularly memorable dialogue or visuals either. Although I think the escape from the jail cell is good and the scene with Bones struggling to get into his Gestapo outfit is great.

Everything is laid on so thick and carefully explained in the script, probably not to cause offence with their historical interpretations, it feels distinctly non-cinematic. On the other hand there are some important points made about societies uniting in hated towards specific groups of people which is always a relevant point, particularly in the past few years when we have seen leaders of democratic nations engaging with right wing politics for their own personal gain.

All that being said the performances from all are pretty solid. Costuming and set design is also quite good.

Kirk and co meet the Nazis.

[alexanderdavies-99382 · 8/10 · 14 November 2018]

"Patterns of Force" could have been dismissed as a more goofy and quirky instalment of "Star Trek," given the episode's subject matter. The story is written so as to be taken seriously and that was the right approach. Occasional humourous touches don't hamper the dramatic tone. We have alien beings who are Nazi soldiers in all but name as the Enterprise is ordered to locate a missing Starfleet officer. The one scene that causes me to chuckle, is when the alien Nazis whip Kirk and Spock when they are topless. The look on everyone's face when Spock feels no ill effects, is priceless!

Oh, it's that episode.

[thevacinstaller-03350 · 6/10 · 26 December 2022]

My suspension of belief was strained in this episode and ultimate broke under the weight of the explanation that Profession Gill who taught at Starfleet (!) would defy the none interference policy and then come up with the idea that adopting Nazi principles was a great idea for a society that had warlike tendencies!?

I have to give points for the budget saving idea of heading over to another movie lot and borrowing the Nazi uniforms for the WW2 movies. I am a crazy idea aficionado and give them a few points for that but could the story have been told with a real antagonist with motives and reasons that are tangible?

What is the message here? Nazi Germany was evil? Come on Gene ---- take those gloves off and hit hard. Any sane thinking human being knows about the horrors of that time period and this feels like being beaten over the head with it.

Very important for today

[davidldaggett · 10/10 · 28 February 2017]

Ludicrous plot? Take a look at this episode and the political situation that is developing today. If you want to take a closer look, read Hitler's book "Mein Kampf" and see how many similarities you see to today's trends. Although the Nazi regime made some marvelous technical progress, hate seeped in. Maybe we can't have a nationalist movement in the US without hate seeping in again to spoil everything (as evidenced by the recent toppling of Jewish tombstones that POTUS doesn't support). That's what this episode is about, and just maybe ... our present political situation.

A memorable episode.

[mm-39 · 7/10 · 9 November 2017]

Kirk as a Nazi is a visual Sci-fic imprint of Patterns of Force episode. Star Trek has another troubled planet patterned aka the Nazis. Why and how and what does a former Star fleet commander is the new leader? Spock and Kirk get out with tricky, smarts and actually solve this problem. Much like a Piece of the Action episode, but with a social message. The usual all the problems become all resolve and tie up in the last five minutes! Formulated but memorable. 7 out 0f 10 stars.

With a historical error at its core, not one of the better episodes

[newsjunkie356-1 · 5/10 · 16 June 2008]

This is, arguably, the most disappointing of Second Season episodes. Not only for its poor execution and bad special effects (see the ridiculous flogging "wounds" on Spock's and Kirk's backs), but for the flaw at the heart of the story.

Also naming the victims of the Ekosian Nazi's "Zeons" (as in Zion, a Jewish term for Israel) could hardly be more transparent. Star Trek fans don't need road signs telling them who the players are supposed to be.

But it's just a mediocre episode, not even relieved by the usual verbal sparing between Spock and McCoy. With an episode this silly, there better be some really good comic relief to make it tolerable. But there's no spoonful of sugar for this medicine--and it goes down hard.

It's even more annoying that this was the second use of "Hodgkins' Law of Parallel Development" in the same four episode run (see "The Omega Glory", Episode 2.23, where the "Enterprise" encounters a post-apocalyptic planet whose inhabitants not only speak English, but carry the American flag, have a copy of the Constitution, recite the Pledge of Allegiance and call themselves "Yangs" ("Yanks"); while their enemies are called "Kohms", as in "Communists."

Roddenberry uses the same device for a THIRD time in the season finale, "Bread and Circuses" (Episode 2.25) where an exact duplicate of Imperial Rome has survived 2000 years to develop Twentieth Century technology (i.e. machine guns and swords).

"The Omega Glory" is about on the same quality level as this episode. "Bread and Circuses" is much better. This plot device wears thin quickly--much as Time Travel was beaten to death in TNG, DS9 and even Voyager and three of thee ten movies. "Bread and Circuses" would have been believable by itself, but the other two just aren't up to par; as a result all three look like the product of desperation to meet "air dates." Indeed, a constant theme in the extras about the show's production was how often they came to missing those dates! These shows have the feeling of "quickie" scripts, slapped together in order to deliver the required 25 episodes to NBC.

"Bread and Circuses", at least, features character development and an interesting religious development that perplexes Kirk & Co.

The first two episodes are just excuses to show off Spock's usual cleverness MacGyver-style: he uses the "transponders" implanted in his and Kirk's arm to create a primitive "laser" powered by a light-bulb (!) to cut through the lock on their cell door.

Shatner (and his stunt double(s) are given an excuse to show that he's Macho Man and kicks bad guy behind with his usual relish. BORING.

I almost have the feeling I can hear a big sigh of relief at the time bought by these truncated, half-written scripts for the perennially over-worked, over-budget, behind-schedule crew and cast.

When Kirk is finally able to confront Prof. John Gill about why he chose to infuse Ekosian culture with National Socialism, Gill calls the Nazi regime, "The most efficient in history..."

This is flat-out wrong.

Nazi Germany was terribly, purposefully inefficient. In order to ensure that absolute control remained in his hands, Hitler encouraged inefficiency, overlapping authority between agencies, built his own personal army that rivaled the regular Wehrmacht, and fostered rivalries among his inner circle (Goering, Himmler, Bormann, et al).

He also used every excuse he could to centralize military command ever more tightly into his hands. He blackmailed, framed, and bullied the generals he inherited from the Weimar Reichswehr until he was "commanding" armies hundreds of miles away as though he were on the spot. German troops suffered as much from his arrogance and stupidity as they did from Soviet and Allied military action.

A further demonstration of wild inefficiency was the existence of TWELVE separate foreign intelligence gathering agencies. Naturally, the intelligence gathered was often contradictory.

Despite the use of the most brutal methods imaginable, the Nazis were never able to stamp out resistance movements inside Germany (as the three known attempts on Hitler's life demonstrate), let alone in conquered nations such as France, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.

Hitler twisted the Germany economy toward one purpose: a quick conquest of Europe and the Soviet Union, a goal quite beyond Germany's capacity--especially once the US was involved. Like Napoleon, Hitler depended upon plundering his conquered victims to fund, fuel and feed his war machine.

Hardly what one would call a paragon of efficiency.