At one point, Spock decks one of the lawgivers. [16] M. Keith Booker, interpreting the politics of Star Trek, agrees, noting that in leaving behind a sociological team to "help restore the planet's culture to a more human form" means restoring it to one that "suits the values of the Federation and twenty-third century Earth. Without creativity, there is no life." A delusional person is someone who has a belief that is held with an extremely strong conviction despite superior evidence to the contrary. O'NEIL: It's no use, Mister Sulu. Spock." Trivia Probably what I love most about this series is that the bad guys are bad and get what they deserve, and the good guys are good and noble and honorable - none of the annoying gray space that so many movies and books now live in where truly awful and evil people are really just misunderstood - ugh. Copyright 2021 Ready Steady Cut. [5] Lt. Sulu is the only member of the landing party who beams up from the planet's surface, and exhibits inexplicable euphoria, as well as insisting the crew "is not of the Body" and referring to them as "Archons. It is one of the franchises first attempts to deal with dystopian subjects and takes place almost entirely on a planet inhabited by people whose lives are regulated in all respects by the mysterious force known as Landru. Mission summary. Kirk begins to think of ways to get out of their cell. Like. [CDATA[ Spock is concerned this would violate the Prime Directive, but Kirk opines that the directive applies to living, growing cultures, of which this is not. If you hear a loud, girlish scream that is suddenly cut short, dont bother running in. Home TV TV Reviews Flashback | Recap | Star Trek: The Original Series S1E21: The Return of the Archons. Archons make people think that they are more powerful than humanity. But of course, the good captain will have, Landru seeks tranquility. The Archons are in peoples minds and brains. They had been told by Bilar and Tula, two passersby, that Reger could rent them rooms for after Festival. What they find isn't promising; a giant Lotus-Eater Machine disguised as a 19th-century town, where every Victorian-clad citizen is nice and friendly and not at all a Stepford Smileruntil the evening falls, during which they, wellaren't. Kirk's landing party seeks shelter from the mob at a boarding house owned by Reger. McCoy is actually pretty calm early on in the episode, which is probably so that itll be a bigger contrast when he goes bugnuts crazy later on. Most of them are running from their pasts or simply trying to forget them. Taking advantage of their confusion, Reger guides the crew to a place he knows, where they will be safe. Their questions seem to terrify Reger. Fascinating. Can't wait to read the next in the series, especially if we do indeed learn the secret of the Phoenix! As one, everyone picks up a rock or a stick or something and moves on the landing party as a single unit. Captains log. And then he drops the bombshell, mentioning casually that Landru pulled the Archons from the sky Kirk contacts the Enterprise, and learns that heat beams are focused on the ship. Just click the "Edit page" button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the Quotes submission guide. Indeed, given his outspoken views against organized religion, this is his Author Tract on the subject. This novel sees the team backing up one of there own on his home world. Stardate: 3156.2. Kirk, acting on a hunch, defies them and causes confusion. Think of it as their simulacrum of kundalini.. Their arrival is shortly followed by the "Festival", a period of violence, destruction, and sexual aggression.[7]. }); Communications are poor, escape is impossible, and the orbit is decaying. 0 likes. [25] Scholar M. Keith Booker notes that the episode presents Kirk "at his most American", valuing struggle against obstacles as the highest virtue and denouncing the Betan utopia (equated with Stalinism) as dehumanizing. I have said from the beginning, I would spend what it would take for the people of Connecticut to know who I am and what I stand for. [14], "The Return of the Archons" introduces for the first time the Federation's Prime Directive. Landru says this to Kirk just before knocking the landing party out with a hypersonic wave and just after causing the planets population to riot in the streets. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/StarTrekS1E21TheReturnOfTheArchons. Then, at six o'clock, the red hour strikes the beginning of the Festival, a period of debauchery and lawlessness on the streets. //