Today is Star Trek’s 50th anniversary: Treat Yourself to These Episodes

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2.) The Corbomite Maneuver (Original Series)

The entire crew of the Enterprise faces death, destruction, and a weird-looking puppet.

On a mission, the Enterprise encounters a large spinning cube in space. Weird, sure, but not out of the realm of what you might encounter in space. Things go wrong, however, when the cube emits dangerous radiation and must be destroyed.

Soon, a larger cube approaches, manned by a grotesque humanoid alien named Balok. He ignores all attempts at diplomacy and states that the ship will be destroyed for trespassing. Everyone on the ship is given ten minutes to deal with their impending death.

Mr. Spock admits that they have been checkmated, and that he has no logical solution. Kirk, however, argues that they should look at their situation as if it is a poker game. He tells Balok that the Enterprise is full of “corbomite”, which will kill everyone (including Balok) if the ship is destroyed.

Balok backs down. Eventually, the Enterprise breaks free from the alien’s clutches, but returns to offer help when it becomes clear that his ship is disabled. It is revealed that the on-screen presence of Balok is a weird-looking puppet (though, honestly, that should have been obvious from the start). The true Balok is actually a childlike entity. He claims to have been testing the crew in order to discover their true intentions. The puppet was created to intimidate visitors, who would not have been intimidated by Balok’s true form.

They toast to new friendships and, unbelievably, the most anxious crewmember agrees to stay behind with a mysterious alien they’ve known for less than an hour. Kirk flies off with hardly a backward glance. Hopefully they remembered to check back in at some point.

Next: The Inner Light