Amphidamas

Story: The White Iris

Written By:  James Kerwin, Chris White & Vic Mignogna

Series: Star Trek Continues

Year: 2015

Another solid episode of "Continues," though while I liked this one's story and introspective character stuff for Kirk...I think it felt a bit rushed. I liked it, and I like what it had to say about Kirk and his many romantic conquests. It makes him seem less of a horndog, and more of a guy filled with some regret about his past with woman...feeling that maybe he missed out on something. Feeling guilt for how some of his relationships ended in death. Woman he really cared for. 

I loved seeing Sixth Doctor Colin Baker in a guest starring role, but I found it a tad disappointing how underutilized he was.  If they didn't really sell it that he was the big guest star and put him on the poster, his rather minimal screen time wouldn't seem such a bummer, and be more of a treat just that he was there at all.  But oh well...it was fun to see two of my favorite shows have a little bit of a guest star clash here.

It's a good idea for an episode, and it uses references of woman that Kirk had relationships with on the original show to help sell the point of Kirk's inner turmoil.  In the original show, these were the guest star romantic interest of the week (with the exception of one who is an original creation but meant to be someone Kirk lost on the Farragut, which was explored in the TOS episode "Obsession"), and in those episodes Kirk may have expressed deeper feelings of one kind or another, onyl for the woman to die and be out of his life. This episode makes it clear that these were not just romantic conquests. There were legitimate feelings there...and it hurts him that he has made attempts at love, and it hasn't always gone so well, because he has always put duty first.

Again, it is a good episode with a great premise...there is probably more introspective character development for Kirk in this installment than most of TOS combined! That said, I think it left just a little bit something to be desired in the execution. It has a pacing issue I think...there is a bit of a lull somewhere in there.  And the premise of how Kirk ends up with visions of the Ghosts of his Past seems somewhat bland. It didn't feel organic to the story maybe. Solid episode, just misses the mark slightly somewhere in there for me. 

NEXT TIME: Trapped in Time