The crew takes a deep dive into “Balance of Terror,” widely considered one of Star Trek’s best. We discuss themes of duty, bigotry, xenophobia, and war; parallels to WW2 and Cold War stories; the introduction of the Romulans (and Mark Lenard); Uhura taking over at navigation; and much more!
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Hosts: Andi, Kennedy, Sue
Editor: Andi
Transcription: Grace
Excellent discussion, and now I want to go back and see it again, because it’s been a long time. I do think that ‘The Enemy Below’ needed more callouts because there was a LOT derived from it, including showing the Germans as very human and the U-Boat commander using his deceased subordinate as part of a ruse to make the Americans think that the sub has been destroyed. Spoilers, but it’s also neat that the end of ‘Enemy Below’ involves both vessels sinking however both crews also work to save each others lives.
Excellent podcast!
If I may be so bold, a good follow-up would be a dive into the third-season TNG episode “The Defector” which also features a strong performance from a sympathetic Romulan. Like Balance of Power, The Defector showed that show’s captain at his best. Picard is freaking Shakespearean in this one.