Written by: Jerome Bixby

Directed by: Marvin Chomsky

After they destroy a Klingon ship, the Enterprise crew and the Klingons start a private battle for control of the ship

This is a very good episode, and a good start for the season. Shame the season turned into a fudgepacker's dream. The emotion vampire's special effects look pretty corny, but this episode is about tone and mood. The way the crew all turn and become psycho is similar to the way the Empire crew acted in Mirror, Mirror, probably because both episodes were written by Jerome Bixby. The tension is kept up throughout and the final scene is fun when you can see Kirk wants to punch Kang's lights out! I'd just like to say that the remixed theme tune sounds lovely. All in all a good episode in every way.

2) Elaan of Troyius, German title: Brautschiff Enterprise

Written and directed by: John Meredyth Lucas

The Enterprise must transport a shrewish princess to an arranged marriage between 2 warring races

This is quite fun, but is clearly based on the Shakespeare play The Taming of the Shrew. Shatner and the female guest star chew up chunks of scenery in their bid to teach each other a lesson. It's about this time in the series that Shatner's hairline starts receding badly-and you can tell! The Klingon subplot is a bit thin though, and could have done with some more thought. Good special effects when the ship is in battle. Why does the Dohlman of Elaas travel around with blokes with massive shoulderpads? is it so she can sleep comfortably on long shuttle journeys? And why, if she's a princess, does she have to walk around in a loincloth and hankies? Not that I'm complaining too much :-p! Overall, not the best but definately a good one.

3) Spectre of the Gun, German title: Wildwest im Weltraum

Written by: Gene L. Coon

Directed by: Vincent McEveety

Kirk, Spock, Bones and Scotty must fight the battle at the O.K. Corral after intruding in restricted space

I love this episode. It's not groundbreaking, it's just lots of fun and interesting with a pacy plot, unusual location and imaginative production design (the half finished buildings for one). The Melkot is pretty stupid looking, but this is an atmospheric episode about what's real and what isn't, so I suppose the Melkot fits the story well. I love the bit where they fight, the way the bullets smash up the board, but the four guys just stand there, and then Kirk gives the Earps a kicking. Entertaining stuff.

4) The Tholian Web, German title: Das Spinnennetz

Written by: Judy Burns and Chet Richards

Directed by: Herb Wallerstein

Kirk is trapped in an unknown area of space and Spock has a potential mutiny on his hands

This is a brilliant episode, one of the best the series made, it's tense, well acted, and has an interesting alien race that try and trap the Enterprise.  The special effects, for saying this is the original Star Trek are amazing, and it won this episode an Emmy award. Spock dealing with the crew going mad is well put together, and the way he and Bones bicker and argue is perfect for each character. The scene where they find that Kirk has left them a tape telling them to get on is touching and funny, and it relates to the final scene very well. The space suit that Kirk wears is well designed. On the whole this is a really good one and one of my favourites of the whole series. Great.

5) All Our Yesterdays, German title: Portal in die Vergangenheit

Written by: Jean Lisette Aroeste

Directed by: Marvin Chomsky

Spock and McCoy are trapped 5000 years in the past where Spock starts acting like his ancestors and falls for Zarabeth, a trapped woman

The season's time travel episode is very good, but a bit limited in scope-probably because the producers had run out of cash by this point! The scenes where Spock starts behaving like his anscestors is very realistic, and the idea of sending a planet's population back in time to avoid a natural disaster is very intelligent. The girl who plays Zarabeth is a good actress, and she and Nimoy are very believable. I love her cave costume too-could easily see why Spock would go for her!! Kirk, stuck in a medievel setting is very funny, especially when he's on trial as a heretic. This story would return in the books Yesterday's Son and Time For Yesterday, and both are well worth reading. This season (on British TV anyway) started very well. What a shame the writers came up with crap after the first few episodes.

6) The Enterprise Incident, German title: Die unsichtbare Falle

Written by: D.C. Fontana

Directed by: John Meredyth Lucas

Kirk seems to have gone mad and has taken the ship into the Romulan Neutral Zone, where it's surrounded by Romulan ships

So, we come to the best episode of the season. Dramatic, intelligent, well acted, action packed and nail biting, this ep has it all. Shatner of course overacts badly when he's supposedly insane, and surely Starfleet could have come up with a plan less hokey than 'You will go mad to steal the cloaking device.' Spock seems just a bit out of character when he's pulling the Romulan commander (who is a real power dresser! Phwoar!), but of course it's a front for getting her attention. Again, the orders seem just a bit too convinient  given the Romulan commander is female, but it's a small point which doesn't take away the episode's excellence. The final scene after Kirk has nicked the cloaking device is fun, as Scotty tries to install it into the ship's systems, and then the Enterprise vanishes. Wonderful storytelling!