This whole third season business isn't as bad as they said it would be. Spectre of the Gun isn't the greatest episode of all time, but it manages to tell its story convincingly. It also really helps that the planet of the wild west gun slingers is just an illusion made from Kirk's mind to test them rather than an actual planet of gunslingers (I am looking at you Gangster, Roman, Nazi, and Space America episodes!). It does feel more cheaply made than the first two seasons with lots of cheesy cuts to show time passing or them being teleported, crappy lighting and interesting camera work.
The episode begins with the Enterprise on a do or die mission to contact the Melkontians. It isn't really clear why this is so important, but they must do it! A space probe comes out to greet them and by greet I mean warn them to turn back or else. But their orders are clear so they approach the planet and beam down. Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty and Chekov find themselves in a thick, featureless fog. The puppetlike head of an alien appears and tells says since they ignored the warning, they must die! And then they find themselves armed with pistols on an old west set. And I do mean set, only the fronts of buildings and sometimes a few pieces of furniture are present. They discover they are in Tombstone Arizona. Not only that, everyone there sees them as the Clantons, famously the losers of the showdown at the OK corral.
Chekov seems to be fitting in just fine flirting with a lovely lady most of the time. Kirk tries to talk the Earps out of the showdown, but they won't listen to him. Even the sheriff tells him he should just shoot it out. Chekov is killed by Morgan Earp and appears to be actually dead. McCoy comes up with a plan to make tranquilizer grenades, but after spending about 15 minutes of the episode making the grenades they don't work. Just before the showdown is to occur Spock realizes that the reason the grenades didn't work is that they didn't believe they would work and that this is all an illusion. It is too convincing for the rest of them so Spock mindmelds with all of them to make them believe the bullets are illusory.
When it comes time for the showdown Kirk and company refuse to go for their guns and the Earps bullets pass right through them. Kirk gets into a fist fight with one of them, but even after winning he refuses to shoot him. They find themselves back on the bridge and Chekov is fine! The alien probe explodes and his giant, disembodied head appears in space before them. He explains this was all a test to see if the Federation was violent, and they passed, welcome to Melkot!
Review: The middle of the episode drags a little bit, but overall it is tense and keeps moving. I was glad to learn this was just an illusion, and one taken from Kirk's mind. So much more logical than a planet exactly like Earth, or several of them.
6 out of 10
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