A tale of two planets, or PLANET OF THE NAZIS's, you decide. Patterns of Force would seem a bit more creative it it didn't follow so quickly behind A Piece of the Action. Both are tales of the influence of earth and it's awesome culture totally overwhelming the culture of another planet and remaking them in our image. I suspect it may also have something to do with it being a lot cheaper to use a bunch of props and uniforms they already had rather than making up a new alien culture every week, but I don't know that for sure. Other than the classic trek ending that resolves everything in the last 3 minutes problem this is actually an enjoyable episode to watch.
The Enterprise sure does spend a lot of time checking in on outpost and researchers, in tonight's episode they are checking in on Kirk's old history professor who has been a cultural observer on a primitive world of humanoids. There are two planets with fairly advanced cultures in the system, Ekos and Zeon. Zeon hosts an early space faring culture that is entirely peaceful, and Ekos is more primitive and hostile. John Gill, the Federation observer has been stationed on Ekos for several years. As they approach Ekos they are attacked by a thermonuclear missile, something unknown on Ekos when the Federation last visited. After shooting it down Spock and Kirk beam to the surface to investigate.
On the surface they find a Zeon man being dragged away by Ekosian soldiers, dressed as Nazi's. Spock and Kirk steal Nazi uniforms to fit in, but Spock makes a terrible Nazi so they are immediately discovered an imprisoned. After being tortured ineffectively for a while they are left alone in a cell. Spock magically makes a cutting laser beam out of the transponder chips embedded in his and Kirk's arm and they escape with a Zeon freedom fighter and make their way to the sewer. There they are tested by an important Ekosian hero showing up and, "capturing them," but when Kirk and Spock don't switch sides they learn it was a test. They come up with a plan to get to the John Gill, who is now the fuhrer.
They sneak into Nazi central and discover the fuhrer is drugged. Right after the speach they disable the guards and get to Gill along with McCoy who they beamed down in a Nazi doctors uniform. McCoy gives him a stimulant and they learn the deputy fuhrer has been drugging Gill for years. Just then they are caught, but the Nazi hero lady pretends to have captured Spock and he is taken to the deputy fuhrer. As he examines Spock, Kirk gives Gill a dangerously high does of stimulant and gets him awake enough to go back on television and denounce his deputy as a traitor. The deputy shoots him through a window but is killed by an Zeon pretending to be a Nazi. The new leader apparently never liked the Nazi's anyway and the two planets are apparently on the path to peace.
Dissertation: My biggest problem with this episode is it seems like it would take more than a 3 minute long speech by a leader who is obviously not all there to totally reverse a planet of Nazi's, but I guess it is a nice thought. Other than somewhat abrupt conclusion this one manages to be tense and interesting through out.
7 out of 10
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