Ring Around the Moon

Air Date: 01/15/76    written by Edward di Lorenzo    Directed by Ray Austin

This episode starts out great and with  a lot of action, but bogs down in the 2nd half. A strange entity reaches Alpha, hovering nearby like a huge eye. It takes control of one of Alpha's technicians and has him access Alpha's computer at super speed. Those who attempt to stop him find that he now has prodigious strength. However, the controlled man suddenly asks for aid and collapses in death. An autopsy reveals that a section of his brain had been compromised, turning it into a computer (isn't the brain an organic computer anyway?).  Then, the entity envelopes the moon in an orange beam, effectively capturing the sphere. Next to be so controlled is Dr. Russell. We find out eventually that the entity is a collective of beings from Triton, a planet that apparently no longer exists. The Tritonians plan to obtain all the information from Alpha's computer to help their planet, not knowing of their planet's eradication.
This episode is a case study of two halves: the first half is exciting and suspenseful; the 2nd half is sleep-inducing. A lot of this is repetitive, whether it's Dr. Russell going through her motions while being controlled or the use of the Eagles, slowing everything down. There's actually a lot going on, in terms of finding a way to deal with the aliens, but the execution of the story is boring. The goal of the aliens - to simply get all the computer's info - is likewise a boring premise. If the aliens had conquest in mind, at least that would have been a possibly exciting story. Koenig's solution - to make the aliens see the light - reminds of the similarly dull endings in Star Trek episodes when Kirk would talk a computer to death. BoG's Score: 5.5 out of 10