The Squire of Gothos - episode #18

THE SQUIRE OF GOTHOS (1st season; episode #18)
Directed by Don McDougall / writer: Paul Schneider Air Date:01/12/67


In some respects, this was one sector of space that the Enterprise crew should have simply avoided. They come across a strange planet but don't have time to thoroughly investigate. Before they can get on to other business, Sulu and then Kirk simply disappear off the bridge. A landing party follows them to the surface and encounter Trelane, a seemingly aristocratic man dressed in attire from centuries past, residing in an opulent castle. But, this Trelane demonstrates abilities of someone or something far beyond human, and doesn't register on McCoy's medical tricorder. Uh-oh, just what are we dealing with here?
The landing party manage to escape back to the ship, but, like a bad cosmic penny, Trelane keeps popping back up; he brings them all back to continue his games, including some female companionship. There's an exasperating, even infuriating aspect to this situation, as the crew are, in essence, utterly helpless before such unbridled power - Spock describes it most accurately: "Intellect Without Discipline, Power Without Constructive Purpose." There have been several episodes in which the crew encountered godlike beings; beside the ones already mentioned above, another was Who Mourns For Adonais?, in which a literal Greek god, Apollo, attempted to dominate the Starfleet envoys. This is known as a "dystheistic" theme and it probably was never more raw, more apparent than in this episode with Trelane, who, more than ever, represents the 'trickster god' here, like Loki.
What really makes this a great episode is the highly entertaining, very memorable performance by guest star William Campbell as the all-powerful yet not all-knowing being. The actor himself added to the mystery: just who or what is this? Is he a god of some kind? Is he a version of the devil? My favorite scene is Trelane's confrontation with Spock, a highlight of all the unfolding strange drama.
The answers to exactly what or who Trelane is are right in front of us the whole time so, when we do learn the truth, it makes complete sense in view of Campbell's pitch-perfect acting. He indulges himself constantly, preening before some unknown audience, remarking on things with a flair which is infectious but not quite right - we can't quite pin it down at first, but there's something missing here. Every few minutes, his tone becomes sinister and the crew now appears to be in serious danger. In a way, you can't take your eyes off him, always waiting to see what he does next. Actor John de Lancie captured that similar tone as Q on the Next Generation series. BoG's Score: 8/10

Extra Trek Trivia: Trelane's character is obviously an early version of Q, who was introduced 20 years later in the pilot for the TNG series. Q also had godlike powers - able to do virtually anything - and behaved like a cosmic imp. In his Star Trek novel, Q Squared, author Peter David made the connection more definite: there, he wrote that Trelane indeed was a young Q; David also made connections to Gary Mitchell's power (Where No Man Has Gone Before); the novel is not considered canon, but offered intriguing possibilities.
remastered trailer: