squire of gothos star trek

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Flashback | Recap | Star Trek: The Original Series S1E17: “The Squire of Gothos”

Star Trek – The Squire of Gothos

What happened?

While on a routine mission to a colony (as the Enterprise always seems to be, when it’s not exploring), the Enterprise encounters a rogue planet in the middle of a star desert. Before they even do any investigating, Captain Kirk and Lt. Sulu suddenly vanish from the bridge. Spock immediately takes charge and begins an investigation. Strange text-based messages start emanating from the planet, and Spock determines that this is where Kirk and Sulu are likely being held. Upon beaming down, they meet Trelane (William Campbell), another seemingly all-powerful, godlike being who sees humans as mere playthings for his own amusement. Kirk and his crewmen must outwit Trelane and escape before his play becomes a bit more dangerous than fun.

Let’s Dig Deeper into The Squire of Gothos

I’m going to put this right out front: I love this episode. Is it treading much of the same trail as “Charlie X,” “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” “The Cage,” or “The Menagerie”? Yes. I don’t care even a single groat. So what’s different here? It’s immensely fun. And when Star Trek has fun, something shines through that draws its viewers in and holds us there. By this point, we know the characters, we’re enjoying their interactions, and throwing a crazy wrench into the mix like Trelane, played by the superb William Campbell, is so enjoyable. Placing the hammy comic William Campbell next to the humorless Spock and the irritated Kirk works so well.

Trelane dresses like a French dandy. He’s decked out his impossible home with weapons and creatures and knick-knacks from throughout the galaxy, each item more ostentatious than the next. The only thing that transcends his extravagant decor is his excessive personality.

Whereas the last few godlike beings they came up against were solely about killing them and achieving universal domination and subjugation, Trelane just wants to have fun. He does get a bit sinister in the end, but it’s more like a child about to lose his toys than a Gary Mitchell who wants all to bow before him, or a Charlie Evans who creeps all over everyone all the time. In fact, it’s revealed by his vapor-like parents that Trelane is just a child. This explains a lot. He throws tantrums when people try to leave without his permission: “Wait! I won’t have this! I haven’t dismissed you yet! Stop it! I won’t have this!” Trelane is at once whimsical, capricious, and temperamental, and Kirk is often able to easily maneuver him and trick him. While he might be all-powerful, he’s not all-knowing. He’s no god and is quite fallible.

The message remains the same, such as it is: “With great power comes great responsibility.” But we’re not hit over the head with this message. Of course, Trelane shouldn’t steal people from their ships and play General Zaroff . Of course, Kirk is going to put him in his place. And I’m going to love every minute of it.

Random Thoughts

Most longtime Star Trek fans, myself included, have assumed that Trelane is a member of the Q continuum, which we first see in the pilot of Star Trek: The Next Generation . They’re an all-powerful race which transcends space and time and like to mess with us mere mortals.

We’ve got another in our long line of new Yeomen, following Janice Rand’s departure from the show. This time is Venita Wolf as Yeoman Teresa Ross. I still want Yeoman Barrows. At least Barrows had a personality; Wolf is just a pretty face that Gene Roddenberry or the casting directors found while reading Playboy in 1967.

William Campbell stars here in his first of two outings in Star Trek: The Original Series . He will appear in season two as Koloth, a Klingon commander, in the essential episode “The Trouble With Tribbles.” He’ll later reprise his role of Koloth in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ’s “ Blood Oath ,” one of the few characters to be in both The Original Series and one of the spinoffs.

Memorable Quotes

“why, mr. spock, you do have one saving grace after all—you’re ill-mannered”.

–Trelane, who usually finds Spock a bore, giving Spock a moment of credit

“Fascinating is a word I use for the unexpected. In this case, I should think interesting would suffice.”

–Spock to McCoy, winking to the audience about the “fascinating” stereotype he’s creating

Keep Watching?

If you’re not having fun yet, I can’t really help you. But next week’s “Arena” is considered a Top Ten Star Trek episode, so stay tuned!

Article by Tyler Howat

Tyler Howat joined Ready Steady Cut in November 2017, publishing over 100 articles for the website. Based out of Wenatchee City, Washington, Tyler has used his education and experience to become a highly skilled writer, critic, librarian, and teacher. He has a passion for Film, TV, and Books and a huge soft spot for Star Trek.

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Review “The Squire Of Gothos” Remastered

| July 25, 2007 | By: Adam Cohen 86 comments so far

This scenario is what I refer to earlier as “vintage Trek.” The Wikipedia article on this episode identifies a thematic trend in TOS called “dystheism” — the belief in God’s existence but not in His being wholly good. While Trelane is not presented as the Judeo-Christian God, Kirk is not enamored with superior power in any form, which clearly parallels that theme. Other TOS episodes go further in this direction, but consistently we see Kirk has a concrete set of values and priorities that he refuses to abrogate in the face of so-called all-knowingness. Gene Roddenberry’s moral/secular humanist hero is strongly present in Kirk. Looking back to when I first started watching this show as a youth, I can see how my attitudes towards organized religion and dogma were partially informed by the humanist hero of Kirk. This is not to say that Star Trek is anti-organized religion, as I’m sure one could just as easily point out that the show regularly destroyed false gods and golden calves in all forms (and thus bolstered organized religion). But that’s the beauty of this show– it gives varying points of view room to breath.

Trelane quickly devolves into the pathetic, lonely brat that Kirk identified in his mind early on. Trelane abducts Uhura and Yeoman Teresa Ross to the surface, ogling them without pity, and ironically embodying the very thing which he accuses Kirk and his crew of possessing, namely “the very soul of sublime savagery.” There is some nifty writing here, courtesy of Paul Schneider (“Balance of Terror”). Little twists of dialogue and economical set-ups move the story forward, developing a tension-filled showdown between Kirk and Trelane. Campbell and Shatner face off well, eclipsing the cardboard scenery with theatrical performances (see the courtroom scene for the show’s true crescendo). And when Kirk finally decides to confront to Trelane, he affirms his status as a hero– one who is willing to risk his life to protect others. Before Trelane can kill Kirk, two glowing spots appear on a nearby rock. Naturally, these are Trelane’s parents. They call off Trelane and promise Kirk that they will punish their rambunctious child for mistreating Kirk and his crew. But there’s a tinge of Trelane’s superiority underlying his parents’ tone (yet another subtle shade by Schneider). I picture your typical old-fashioned aristocratic couple, embarrassed by their son’s behavior towards “the help.” And the voice acting, while obviously dated and cheesy, brings the point home regardless. Kirk attempts to ask Trelane’s parent’s about their origins and powers, but he’s blown off as they disappear (probably to play Pinochle with Q’s parents).

“Cat and Mouse” Never Looked Better!

The remastered effects greatly improve this episode. CBS-D gave visceral movement to the “cat and mouse” scene where the Enterprise attempts to escape Gothos– with the planet repeatedly appearing in the ship’s path. I found myself leaning side to side in my chair as I watched Gothos zip by the bridge’s main viewscreen. That’s some mighty good FX work! Now, I’ve read comments on this site by some readers stating the hand phaser shots are inconsistent from episode to episode. I agree that uniformity would be helpful, but I take CBS-D’s work in its entirety and I am extremely impressed and grateful for the majority of what they’ve done up until this point. This episode in particular benefited greatly from the new Gothos shots.

Beware The 40,000 Year-Old Virgin

Trelane starts out as an overpowering foe but by the episode’s end he is revealed to be an immature loner lacking friends and social skills. This motif is used repeatedly throughout the series but starting in the show’s first season, “The Squire of Gothos” is truly one of the classic Treks. Revisiting its poignant themes about power and free will was a worthwhile experience.

Adam Cohen is the editor and mastermind of the sometimes funny The Jack Sack , a "24" (humor) site.

Excellent review. Not an episode i remember fondly, but one having read your description of merits i’d never thought about before, I’m up for a rewatch. Thanks!

I wish that CBS would put more space between episode that are basically alike. last week Charlie, this week Trelane.

they did it before with the Nazi episode then next week the gangster episode.

I know Trek was guilty of recycling plot devices, but can we not point them out so obviously

He’s Not a Child! He’s 34! Melllvar’s Mom correcting fry regarding facts in ” Where no fan has gone before”

I for one liked this episode and I was greatly saddened that Trelane wasn’t related ot the Q race. I will always love John De Lancie’s performance as Q, but I can’t help but see Q as a more mature and villinous version of Trelane.

However, all was not lost. They actually made a sequel to this episode in the form of a game called “Star Trek: Judgement Rights”. Even actor William Campbell returns to the role as Trelane which is a real treat. And in this episode of the game, Trelane now emulates the first World War and his parents are no where to be seen in order to stop his bad ways. It even features a space battle between Trelane in his WWI Biplane against the Enterprise which is quite goofy. It also has a great ending to it where Kirk demands that Trelane take both of them to a much more realistic depiction of a war trench after a battle. It’s a pretty dark and uneasy setting that gives Kirk the level he needs in order to explain to Trelane that war isn’t always a glorious thing to behold and take for granted in a way that Trelane dipicts it and it’s never really wanted.

Pretty good stuff. There are multiple ways to end that chapter of the game, but the trench one was my favorite.

#2, yeah I was thinking the same thing. I always liked Gothos, but seeing it right after the more sophisticated Charlie X, it looks like kind of a cheap retread.

And frankly I think it’s a stretch to use Gothos as any kind of statement on religion. Kirk doesn’t trust Trelane because he’s clearly a dangerous and unpredictable alien with incredible powers. I doubt he saw him as any kind of “god.”

Nice review Adam. Where have you been?? I miss our resident science officer

Good show and review. “Kirk is a zero sum guy” is usually quite true. Watching this after not having seen it for many years, I almost thought it was a classic Twilight Zone, with a generic space crew. Meant as a compliment. The powerful beings in TOS kind of made the stories interesting because the crew wasn’t always top dog, as in most of the other series. Both Q and the Borg became parodies near the end. They (TOS) had to scratch their way out of trouble.

…not “All Good Things”, very good.

#6 Thanks, man.

I’m back from a long summer of traveling. You’ll be seeing more of me, don’t you worry :)

I don’t agree with those who have suggested the Gothos is a retread of Charlie. I think you get that because CBS-R played them back-to-back. Come on, this is 1966 TV. There’s a huge appetite for Man v. gods (small g) stories in a post-Vatican II (big V) America. I think that later Kirk v. god stories (esp. Apple and Adonis) suffer from sheer repetition, but I don’t get that feeling with Gothos, Charlie or Archons. Since, as you point out, it’s such a common theme in TOS, I wonder if JJ might throw in some omnipotent being/puter/thingie for Kirk to rail at. (As long as it’s not a giant face.)

another fine review Adam…thanks

I have always been curious as well about Roddenberry’s seeming obsession with superbeings. He has them in the pilots for both TOS and TNG and in the two movies he was most involved with TMP and STV…and littered throughout the series. Not sure what his message was…but he sure thought a lot about it.

Squire is not one of my faves but not on my badlist…it good fun effort…the new effects in this episode though really do make an improvement in increasing the tension levels for the ship scenes.

and a planet with some new colors…thanks CBSD

One oddity I noticed in the episode.

At the beginning during “coffee time,” Spock is standing by DeSalle’s console and he’s speaking to Kirk. Mid-sentence, he’s looking down at DeSalle’s console and he reports to Kirk that something’s in front of them.

Kirk asks the navigator – DeSalle – to confirm, and he says he can’t! Spock was looking at that very workstation and DeSalle didn’t see what Spock did so plainly a moment ago?

My only thought is that it was written with an eye toward Spock being at his regular science station, but on the day of shooting, they decided to block the scene with Spock loitering at the navigation station. While it gives a nice, fresh dynamic to the bridge interaction, it makes DeSalle look like an idiot ’cause he can’t read his own display.

“…played with panache by William Campbell…”

Rare, Spock-like understatement. Nicely done.

I believe Peter David’s book “Q-Suared” established that Trelane is a Q.

I was a little disappointed that a new wide establishing shot of the castle was not added in the Remastered version, similar to the new castle shot in Catspaw or exterior beam-in shot in Spock’s Brain. When the crew suddenly notice the castle we see the shock on their faces and hear a loud fanfare but all we get is an underwhelming shot of a door. This was a lost opportunity to really give the viewers an image that would’ve lifted the episode by expanding on its otherwise threadbare exterior planet set.

Brother Adam, Your timing is impecible, you came back at the right time. I had to buy diapers for the next couple days flood of info we are about to recieve.

Kirk to Apollo “We find our one God quite sufficient, thank you”. (A very remarked upon comment back in the Sixties’.)

Kirk was no secular humanist and displays the skepticism of one of the faithful when confronted with someone claiming to be a god.

Don’t know what religion he was, but Kirk has a faith. AND his very name means ‘church’. Dwell on that!

I thought DeSalle couldn’t confirm it as Gothos was there and then not there

Great review!

I’m always an advocate of new matte shots, and agree it would have been a nice addition, but the planet chase made up for it. I’m just glad I wasn’t the only one leaning like a ninny during the scene!

Q was a more mature version of Trelane, so was TNG a more mature version of TOS.

The coffee… wow, they had coffee in one episode. Picard had tea all the time (remember? earl grey, hot…) and as I recall Janeway couldn’t start her day without a pot of black coffee on her desk.

Trelane just kind of reminded me of a flamboyant insecure man who acted out his insecurities on the men he envied.It’s a case of a delusional egomaniac with too much power who treats others as objects.I see Trelane as a masochistic homosexual and as someone in a state of arrested emotional development

Sorry meant to say sadistic.

“Q Squared” is a Star Trek novel and thus, non-canon.

“I see Trelane as a *sadistic homosexual and as someone in a state of arrested emotional development.”

Homosexual! haha what the hell gave you that impression?

For one thing, Adam’s comment that he was “ogling” Uhura and the yeoman is completely accurate. I don’t remember him ogling Sulu or Kirk. Also, and more to the point, he’s an omnipotent energy alien who probably doesn’t even have genitals to begin with!

Your vilifying of homosexuals by comparing them to Trelane is not something I agree with. As for him being sadistic and emotionally arrested, I whole-heartedly agree.

Just a character study.that happens to be part of the mix I see.Just like most people see Liberace( including the author).I didn’t know it was prohibited to speak about villans with this feature.I guess all villans are heterosexual to you.

>I have always been curious as well about Roddenberry’s seeming >obsession with superbeings. He has them in the pilots for both TOS and >TNG and in the two movies he was most involved with TMP and STV…>and littered throughout the series. Not sure what his message was…but >he sure thought a lot about it.

Aye, but as far as STV is concerned, Roddenberry had little involvement. His role was just a technical advisor. In fact he didn’t like STV and it’s said that he even considered the movie (the book uses this word and not me) hypocriphal (non-canon). His letters written to the producer about the script are in his biography.

>I believe Peter David’s book “Q-Suared” established that Trelane is a Q.

Yes sir. Not exactly canon, but it’s still a good read.

I think Trelane is more flamboyant than gay. If anything, he’s really just a big blob of green energy… who knows how they even reproduce.

By that measure, Koloth had to have been gay too, since he was played by the same actor in almost the same way. lol

29.I think Trelane used flamboyance to mask his insecurity.Deep down inside He didn’t know who he was.He was just barely holding it together.That’s one reason for his envy of Kirk.Trelane was delusional great while Kirk was the real thing.It’s a case of resentement-the green eyed monster that mocks the meat it feeds on.

“Just a character study.that happens to be part of the mix I see.Just like most people see Liberace( including the author).I didn’t know it was prohibited to speak about villans with this feature.I guess all villans are heterosexual to you.”

Let’s see … we know he’s flamboyant and he’s sadistic, so he MUST be gay too.

Suggesting he’s gay is pretty far in left field given how he treated the females. Your suggestion is so far out in left field it seemed a little homo-phobic to me. It appeared to pigeonhole homosexuality as a negative characteristic associated with flamboyancy and sadism. If that is not what you intended to imply, however, I’ll take you at your word.

As for your second baseless assumption, I definitely don’t think all villains are heterosexual. Quite the contrary, Star Trek does have a history of implying alternative sexual orientations are a vilifying characteristic. Just look at Mirror Universe Kira from Deep Space Nine. Only in such an “evil deviant universe” could Kira be so promiscuous and appear bi-sexual?

Star Trek (and some Star Trek fans) needs to look more closely at how it addresses issues of sexual identity.

Maybe Q is Trelane’s Grandfather?

It wasn’t Roddenberry per se who had the greatest fascination with “god-like beings” as plot devices during TOS – it was Gene L. Coon. He used non-corporeal creatures with magical and near-infinite powers in “Arena” and “Errand Of Mercy,” two of the eight TOS episodes for which he’s credited under his own name for teleplay.

Roddenberry, by contrast, used creatures that could be described as “god-like” in the superiority of their technology and/or mental powers in only two out of twelve TOS scripts for which he was credited with the teleplays – “The Cage” and “The Savage Curtain.” Both the Talosians and the Excalbians were flesh-and-blood (so to speak; the Excalbians being a bit on the stony side) and were much more limited in their abilities than Coon’s near-deities.

“God-like aliens” start popping up in Roddenberry’s stories as deus-ex-machinas later, when trying to recreate “Star Trek” in the first motion picture or in the pilot episode of “Encounter At Farpoint.”

Coon was long dead by then, and it’s rather as if GR were looking back at some of the most popular episodes of TOS – most of which were written by other writers like Coon – and adopting tropes that either resonated with him thematically or that he thought contributed to the first show’s success.

As far as Trek V is concerned, of course, not only is it true that his input there was limited but that he argued vociferously against the whole “Enterprise meets God” storyline and was less than enthusiastic about the eventual watered-down version.

Kirk’s actual line in “Who Mourns For Adonais” was:

“Mankind has no need for gods. We find the one quite adequate.”

The second sentence was added at the insistence of NBC Standards and Practices.

Excellent review Adam. Thank you!

#26: “Just a character study.that happens to be part of the mix I see.”

Except that there’s no reason based on the material to think that Trelane is homosexual. The only overtly sexual behavior he displays is toward the female Enterprise crew members.

That a viewer might identify Trelane’s foppish behavior with a camp gay stereotype and conclude as a result that the character was *intended* to be homosexual is an observation on the stereotype itself and on the viewer in question, not actually found in the material

Didn’t anyone tell the writers about how Deus Ex Machina is a fatal error of dramaturgy?

Overacting does not equal gay behavior. If that were the case, shouldn”t the Enterprise’s Captain be raising eyebrows too?

Trelane’s biggest failing was that he was out of his element when it came to human behavior. He really was a social idiot. Kirk picked up on this early on and exploited Trelane’s ineptness to his advantage. Kirk played armchair psychologist and managed to cause Trelane to beat himself. What was rewarding about that strategy was seeing it develop over the course of the episode. By the time Kirk decides he’s going to take down Trelane, you had the feeling that he knew precisely what buttons to push. Sure, Trelane could have wiped out Kirk with the blink of an eye, but he didn’t. That’s a testament to good writing and strong acting for making that set-up so satisfactory in the end. Kirk is so very good at the mind games.

P.S. Thanks to everyone for writing their comments. It is my pleasure to read your reactions and thoughts to this episode.

I don’t recall how He treated the females.I bet ,however it was probably in a degrading manner.Which supports the fact that He’s full of self loathing.Probably to prove something to himself.Remember He had a big issue with his identity ,being very jealous of other men.But anyway that’s my assesment.

Um Yeah,Adam.Captain Kirk had a great fear of commitment.(and Shatner’s a bit of a ham)I hope someone doesn’t get on my back about being a heterophobe!(shatnerphobe)

Actually, I was only half surprised they didn’t have John De Lancie redo the dub of Trelane’s “father” (or both; it would have been short order to rewrite the parents dialog as a single voice). I guess that would have been pushing things a bit far. Still…

sweet episode!

sweet review!

Trelane’s behavior is typical of the way late 18th century “fops” or “dandies” behaved (according to contemoprary description). They were not any more homosexual than posers or players are today. As #36 has pointed, his behavior is foppish rather than homosexual.

What’s the difference? Well, for one thing, “homosexual” is not a mannerism, a character trait or a way of talking, moving or acting — whereas fops and dandies behaved according to a strict code of behavior.

End of lecture. But he sure did act gay. (not homosexual).

Trelane couldn’t have been gay. Judy Garland wasn’t born until way after the 19th century.

I thought Campbell was great in this, BTW.

That randy, foppish, non-gay, megalomaniacal, not a Q, child of green omnipotent energy beings bastard!

And that was a great review, Adam. I have also enjoyed the insightful views from the other posters. THIS is what this site is all about, to me.

(Were they green? I forgot during my opening sentence.)

Foppish, yes…Gay, no.

He did have a fascination with women…unless he was just overcompensating….lol

Mugs? Yeah, if by mugs you mean “styrofoam cups”

Touche, Donnysan.

But Trelane’s castle was styrofoam as well…

Star Trek: The Original Series

The Squire of Gothos

Cast & crew.

William Campbell

Richard Carlyle

Michael Barrier

Venita Wolf

Barbara Babcock

Trelane's mother

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Star Trek – Season 1, Episode 17

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Star Trek: The Original Series

“The Squire of Gothos”

Air date: 1/12/1967 Written by Paul Schneider Directed by Don McDougall

Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan

Review Text

The Enterprise is snagged by an unknown force near a barren planet, and Sulu and the captain are kidnapped. Upon beaming down to search for them, the landing party finds itself the unwilling guests of the quirky Trelane (William Campbell), a strange lifeform with unusual powers and particular tastes for being amused.

"The Squire of Gothos" is a lot like its central character Trelane: It can be fun to watch but it's ultimately undisciplined and meandering. The story provides Kirk with one obstacle after another, as he and Trelane become adversaries in a series of potentially deadly games, but few of these gimmicks enhance the storyline. More is not better. Also, this episode isn't sure if it's out-and-out comedy or something more relevant.

The ending sequence is overly obvious and overlong, with a theme (a powerful being turns out to have the mind of a child) that is little more than a rehash of the far superior "Charlie X," which had a far more sympathetic antagonist. Sure, some of the gimmicks are interesting, and Campbell does a good job with a selfish character, but it's not enough.

Previous episode: The Galileo Seven Next episode: Arena

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Comment Section

47 comments on this post.

I've been reading through your reviews, Jammer, and once again you've got this one pretty spot on. Personally, I'd probably add half a star as it kept me consistently entertained. There's no real depth or substance here aside from the basic theme that intelligence and power without discipline is destructive, which is applied pretty obviously. It's obvious that Gene Roddenberry drew Q from the character from Trelane, but I actually prefer The Squire of Gothos to Encounter at Farpoint, due to EaT being "a little all over the place". My major criticism of this episode would be the ending. I thought it was just a little overdone, with Trelane literally acting like a spoiled little brat. It kind of reminds me of the ending of Day of the Dove, where the crew members and Klingon's break in to bouts of laughter to rid the ship of a disruptive entity; not an episode breaker, but it did leave me with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.

It's Melllvar!

Review is pretty much dead on except I would not give it 2 stars... Maybe not even 1.

I have to point out that ya'll are saying that Trelane "had the mind of a child'and was "acting like a spoiled little brat",when in fact,Trelane WAS a child. His parents showed up and apologized for their child's selfish and immature behavior and even went so far as to assure Kirk that he would be punished for his bad behavior. The female parental figure even takes some of the blame saying they "spoiled" him. I think this justifies the characters' behavior completely. He acted like a child because he was a child.

I agree with the rating pretty much, but I had fun watching this episode. Trelane is a delightfully spoiled brat, and the actor plays that role well. I didn't mind the ending. Yeah, it's not as good or nearly as tragic as "Charlie X", but it was fun nonetheless. As an aside, I'm also glad that the Wiki for "Trelane's Parents" confirmed that the voice of the father was NOT James Doohan. I'd heard that it was, but it didn't sound anything at all like his voice.

Just watched this episode last night, and it was better than I remember* (*my experience with TOS as a whole so far, really - maybe I've mellowed out, but when I watched TOS last time, and read Jammer's reviews, I thought his scores were too high, now i feel the opposite... but that was like a decade ago?). Anyway, this time through, having watched the rest of Star Trek canon with me, my wife was apt to point out the similarities with Trelane and Q. Like Q, (in his 2nd appearance), Trelane is dressed as a French Military commander facinated by Napoleonic Era France. Also, later he plays the part of a Judge. I thought these were pretty good observations. Finally, I would add, that in Voyager we see that the Q do have children. Could Trelane be a young Q (or even, *the* Q, as played by John De Lancie)? Q de Lancie does, after all pull the same stunts, and is likewise reprimanded by "the Q continuum" - maybe the continuum thought his parents were doing a poor job of raising him, and took him away, or he's an adult and Q societies problem now instead of his parents.

This was a weak episode, very similar to "Charlie X" but worse. The plot is simplistic and does drag on and the ending is extremely similar to "Charlie X". Otherwise there's no way for the Enterprise to get out of their pickle -- an even more superior power (parents) is needed to restore order. Trelane is an interesting character and does turn out to be a child of the advanced life form that he is -- but he still throws a tantrum in front of his parents and Kirk at the end. I don't think the episode goes far enough with making the point about wise use of tremendous powers or whatever the point is. Not an episode to generate enough intrigue, tension, entertainment for me to watch again. For me, 1.5/4 stars.

"Anyway, this time through, having watched the rest of Star Trek canon with me, my wife was apt to point out the similarities with Trelane and Q. Like Q, (in his 2nd appearance), Trelane is dressed as a French Military commander facinated by Napoleonic Era France. Also, later he plays the part of a Judge. I thought these were pretty good observations. " There was a Peter David book as I recall called "Q Squared" that had Trelane as an infant member of the Q Continuum. After having re-watched this episode, I too enjoyed it more than I expected. William Campbell really imbues the Trelane character with a combination of childish exuberance, petulance and creepy menace that yields a really compelling performance. I actually prefer him to Delancy as Q, at least in the early appearances in STNG season 1. The story in this case is nothing special, but I do enjoy watching this character in action, even if there is little else compelling about the episode.

Re-watching this episode for the first time in many years while on a bit of a TOS nostalgia tour, I found the similarities between Trelane and Q from TNG to be very uncanny. Perhaps the writers of TNG were, ahem, inspired by this episode when they wrote "Encounter at Farpoint" and "Hide and Q"? I seem to remember hearing about an expanded universe Trek novel confirming that Trelane was an infant Q. It would certainly explain a lot! I thoroughly enjoyed this episode on second viewing - William Campbell was great! I feel that Jammer sometimes takes TOS eps too seriously - some eps are just supposed to be pure fun and not meant to be overanalyzed. Then again, I guess everyone has that one series they view through rose-colored glasses. For me it's TOS (I was born in the 90s and was hooked on TOS via my dad, who grew up watching TOS in 70s reruns), and for Jammer it's TNG/DS9. I don't mean this as a criticism - it's inherently subjective, and everyone brings their own perspectives and biases to the party - that's part of the fun!

I think it goes without saying that Q in Season 1 of TNG is directly inspired by Trelane. #1 - The Napoleonic military uniform. Seen in 'Hide and Q'. #2 - The trial. Seen in "Encounter at Farpoint". #3 - The playful aspect of the character. #4 - The ability to transform energy to matter and vice-versa via thought. I think the TNG writers took Trelane and adjusted it. Q would be a peer in his realm, not a child. Also his concerns would be broader than mere game playing.

Rahul - agreed that Trelane seems repititous of Charlie X. However the big difference is Trelane meant well, while Charlie would have murdered millions due to his unbalanced mind. Charlie was not really interested in humanity like Q, more of a sociopath, a 'user'.

Hi Alex, I've never heard/read anywhere if Q was inspired by Trelane but your point about the direct inspiration makes a lot of sense to me. That's the great thing about TOS -- it left plenty of ideas on the table for future series to flesh out. I'd actually say the difference between Trelane and Charlie is more subtle. They're both immature. Trelane would have killed Kirk and then presumably tortured/killed other members of the Enterprise when they refused to cooperate. Charlie was just even more immature and short-tempered, so he'd make people disappear or murder them at the snap of his fingers. But yes, it's true that Trelane is interested in humanity (like Q) whereas Charlie just wants to be accepted etc. so that is the main difference in the episodes. The Trelane episode plays out as a bad Q episode (reminds me of TNG's "Qpid") whereas there is more substance to "Charlie X".

Some people have already pointed out the similarities between this and Charlie X. However, I must say that the first season of TOS have too many episodes with the "the crew gets saved from powerful being that can do anything at will by some Deus Ex Machina or by something not really consistent to the adversary being all powerful". Charlie X and Squire are already pointed out, but The Cage, Where No Man Has Gone Before, The Corbomite Maneuver, all fit to the description. Besides, did anyone else think that one of Trelane's statues (that he phasers away) look A LOT like the creature from The Man Trap?

This is the original "Q" episode -- bear in mind that nearly everything in first half of TNG is a direct lift from TOS, from the ship models to the themes it picks up and develops further -- and it's a lot of fun. William Campbell, also known for his Klingon captain Koloth in "Tribbles" and DS9, turns in a terrifically fun performance as the iconic Squire of Gothos Trelane. The games get a bit repetitive before we finally get some insight into Trelane, but I dig the TOS universe where humans struggle to survive as a lower species on the food chain, and I like how the "Squire of Gothos" continues to explore encounters with powerful beings who mean well but lack the emotional maturity needed to temper their hostile instincts -- a nice critique of our own cultural hubris. It's not top tier Trek, as the crew's powerlessness to escape Trelane becomes repetitive without advancing the plot, but it's good stuff and an iconic hour of Star Trek. I give it 3 or 3 1/2 stars. Spock has some zingers in his considered distaste for Trelane, including his response to the question of whether Vulcans are predatory: "Not normally, but there have been exceptions." And the little nods to continuity, like McCoy's double-take on seeing the stuffed and mounted Salt Vampire ("Man Trap") on Trelane's trophy wall, are fun. Also nice to see Uhura make it into the landing party, albeit unintentionally when Trelane snatches her and the yeoman -- Nichelle Nichols has wonderful physical expressions, especially the look she gives Trelane when she pulls her hand away after his "Nubian princess" insult. Trelane's stereotyping of the crew according to their ancestry (African, German, French, Asian, etc.) is presented as distasteful to Kirk and his officers, underscoring the racial harmony of TOS that remains one of its strong suits. Overall, I loved this one and the Q episodes of TNG/DS9/VOY as a kid because I grooved on the pure ID of Trelane and Q, but now that I'm older I share the crew's irritation (Kirk and crew lay the template for all the later crews who find Q annoying) at these childish supreme beings. It's an interesting shift in perspective for me; part of me still enjoys "Squire of Gothos," but not as much as I used to like it. And yet it's still pretty good as an archetypal and quintessentially Trekkian story.

Trek fan makes an excellent point: this episode is far more enjoyable for children than adults - and none the worse for it.

It is a quirk of human development that intelligence develops before compassion. Intelligence without compassion is what we usually label "evil". The things that prevent us from labeling children as evil are (a) they don't have enough power over outcomes and (b) we are psychologically programmed to love them more than adults (to find them cute). Through a brilliant artifice, this episode removes both the reasons above, thus blending our perception of evil and child. Let us not underestimate the brilliance of Campbell's portrayal of Trelane. He manages to portray him in such a manner throughout that we will think of him as an evil psychopath, or (in a second viewing) an innocent child at play. The shock to us is that without the crutches of (a) and (b) above, we cannot tell the difference. This episode, bordering on the philosophical, asks whether "innocence" and "evil" (which we naturally would classify as far apart, if not polar opposites) are in fact one and the same thing. = = = = Observation 1 One may ask, isn't Spock similar? Isn't Spock all intelligence, no compassion? We may ask, if Vulcan's are purely logical, not emotional, why do they not turn out to be evil? Spock answer's the question in a very matter of fact and brief manner in this episode. His answers are "discipline" and "purpose". Discipline, to rein in the natural needs of the mind, and purpose to create new goals in its place. This is a wonderful exposition of the Vulcan society. A "purely logical" being is still free to maximize whatever he chooses to, such as his own enjoyment over others'. In what Vulcans deem as logic, seems to be embedded a meta-logical approach to choosing goals. = = = = Observation 2 Many TOS episodes have trivial resolutions. Parents take the child away. It was all a dream. The computer explodes due to a logical paradox. Aliens were just testing you. The mad scientist falls prey to his own doomsday device. Good adventure stories are where the resolution comes about through a charming and novel combination of the protagonists' heroics, and yes, some luck. Many TOS resolutions seem to come about through pure luck, no heroics. Not very satisfying. A good way to watch TOS is not to consider the episodes as adventure stories at all. The adventure is incidental, the philosophy is core. With a mind not hooked on seeing an adventure every week, these episodes can be enjoyed more. When TOS does do adventures / escapades, they do them very well. The brilliance of these episodes causes the other episodes to pale in comparison, but only because we insist upon extracting only a particular kind of enjoyment out of it.

grumpy_otter

It irritates me that Spock comes out with such garbage. Less than a minute in and he defines a desert as a "waterless, barren wasteland." That is not at all the definition of a desert, which depends solely on the amount of precipitation--it can be teeming with life, such as in the Australian outback, or somewhat sparse, as in Antarctica. But sheesh! You'd think Spock wouldn't yammer unless he were sure of his facts! Aside from that, this was a fun romp. I too thought Trelane must be a Baby Q, and William Campbell played him to perfection!

@ grumpy_otter, "Less than a minute in and he defines a desert as a "waterless, barren wasteland." That is not at all the definition of a desert, which depends solely on the amount of precipitation--it can be teeming with life, such as in the Australian outback, or somewhat sparse, as in Antarctica. But sheesh! You'd think Spock wouldn't yammer unless he were sure of his facts! " To be fair, the word desert literally connotes that a places is "deserted". I mean, it's right in the title. The fact that our "deserts" do have life in them sort of means that they're only 'sort of deserts' if you catch my drift. Although there appears to be no place on Earth that is truly deserted, presumably on other worlds and by the 23rd century they will have discovered places that are 'true deserts' and are utterly devoid of life. By that standard the Earthen deserts might well be redefined into "arid zones" or something, and actually that would make sense.

Isn't the whole of Vulcan basically a desert? You would think Spock would know a thing or two about them.

Silly in the extreme. TOS version of a bad Holodeck ep. Below average.

Ah I'm round to this one. Q Beta (or Discord Alpha, for those who follow deLancie's equine appearances) This HAD to be the inspiration for Q, no doubt about it. I do give it a great deal of credit for being watchable twice - the first time with Trelane as malevolent, and the second time with him as a child playing with "pets". Also a very early take on the argument of having pets to begin with.

Sleeper Agent

Very enjoyable, mostly because of Campbell's extremely solid acting. 3 Stars.

One of my favorite episodes, yes trelanes castle has 101 inaccuracies in it but it still is great and once again a great job of casting campbell as trelane. my review--simply smashing!!

One of my favourite TOS episodes. Far more alien, even eerie, than many that were more impressive in production values. And far superior to Q in almost every way. Trelane would have made a much better Q than Q. At times the episode had the tone and atmosphere of one of the more disconcerting Twilight Zone episodes. The lion’s share of the credit for that belongs to the excellent William Campbell, whose mercurial Squire was unpredictable, friendly, ingratiating, wheedling, incredulous, hurt, tantrum-throwing, and terrifying by turns.

I would visualize this as Q having a daydream, as a young Q. Specifically our De Lancie Q so as to keep the theme working later in development. Otherwise there’s no real place for this in the modern Star Trek galaxy. Q would need to be looking at Trelane in a snow globe, ready to shake it. Similarl to his absence during Species 8472, I think it’s more a convenient writer miss.

I liked William Campbell's nice mix of menace and whimsy, which I think keeps this episode from being a total dud. Shatner had some great moments where he called off the bluff and talked down the squire. You can really see that Shatner is a much better actor than the material he was given. While I agree with others with the comparison between the Squire and Q, I think people oversimplify Q's role on TNG. Unlike the squire, Q has a specific agenda of teaching his opponents a lesson. Q isn't just a playful superbeing that's curious about humans. It's the latter reading of the character that leads to his butchering in Voyager, unfortunately. 2 stars.

@ Chrome, Especially interesting about Trelane is that he requires technological devices to amplify or even create his powers. Does that mean that he's not really godlike but is just part of a race with godlike tech? Or does it mean that being godlike and having advanced tech are essentially the same thing, and that bio/tech/evolution all amount to the same thing if you trace it forward millions or billions of years? That being said, while it's fun for Trelane to have a mechanical weakness here, it works because he's portrayed as a child and we're not supposed to really have any respect for him. In VOY the same premise turns out to be poison for the mythos of the Q, where "Q guns" being used by humans ends up being one of the most preposterous writing choices in Trek history, probably up there with Threshhold and Profit and Lace in terms of the ball being dropped in the writer's room. We're left to ponder whether Trelane's parent's also need tech to power them, or whether the tech wasn't so much what he was reliant on, and more they were just his toys to play with before he knew how to use his real powers.

@Peter G That's a good point that Trelane's power seems to be technology-based akin to Ardra or the like. The nature of his existence gets a little murky towards the end because we see these pulsating energy orbs in the sky representing Trelane's parents. It could be that Trelane's people have evolved past their corporeal forms and that's why they at once find human beings recognizable yet interesting. And -- what we're shown might just be advanced technology. It is to the episode's credit that it leaves the door open on the subject, and like you said we get a certain "Wizard of Oz" feeling to Trelane's abilities. The whole thing is just smoke and mirrors and you need someone like Kirk who can navigate calmly and peacefully through it. Q was also called a "flim-flam man", but not because his powers were fake, but what he was offering as a "gift" to humans was hollow. I get the feeling that after Q was humiliated by Picard/Riker he upped his game quite a bit so he could show that he is the real deal - not just in terms of power but in wisdom. As for the magical Q guns - yeah - it was just a slapdash way to make Voyager come to the rescue in a vaguely Civil War manner, and I try not to think about that episode too hard.

I agree with Jammer's 2 star rating. I recently re-watched this episode, hoping it would be better than I remember. Unfortunately, it wasn't. It starts off with an intriguing premise, and has a nice twist at the end, but the material in-between is, as Jammer says, repetitious. Also, as Jammer points out, this episode meanders between being a comedy and a drama, never really establishing itself as either one. As a result, it only partially succeeds at either. This episode is better on initial viewing than on subsequent viewings, due to the repetitive nature and because a lot is taken away once you know the surprise ending. There is one huge plot hole. It is stated they are 900 light-years from Earth, and therefore Trelane is viewing events 900 years in the past. However, he knows about Napoleon and Alexander Hamilton, persons who lived in the last 1700s / early 1800s. So the time is off by about 400 years. However, I'm not sure at this point in the Star Trek canon if it had been established when the Enterprise voyages were taking place.

Is it just me or did they name-check Discovery?? At the beginning: “Uhura, notify the discovery on subspace radio”

Yes, @Comment, I believe they do. And what's more, Discovery is a science vessel. To wit, SPOCK: Inconceivable this body has gone un-noted on all our records. KIRK: And yet, here it is. No time to investigate. Science stations, gather data for computer banks. Uhura, notify the Discovery on subspace radio. But seeing as our intrepid crew on Star Trek: Discovery have embarked on a one-way trip to the 32nd century, I have to imagine that in the 10 years between ST:D's "Such Sweet Sorrow" and TOS' "Squire of Gothos", Star Fleet has commissioned a new science vessel named Discovery. It's the new vessel that Kirk has Uhura contacting. I wonder if the new next-generation Discovery in Kirk's time will also have a spore drive??? Or holographic communications systems? Seems odd to send a message by "subspace radio" to a ship that might very well be able to receive a full-length holographic projection of Kirk onto it's bridge to let them know they the Enterprise has discovered a brand new planet! Oh that's right, Pike had holographic communications ripped out of the Enterprise during the time it spent in dry-dock getting repaired. Thank god for that little piece of continuity. I feel much better now ;) All kidding aside, given the promising direction ST:D has finally moved in, I find myself actually looking forward to the new Pike/Spock/Number One show under development. I wonder if Strange New Worlds will treat us to red-SKIRTs of the week? Or was that just a special perk the brass pulled out for James T. Kirk? Recall, that in The Corbormite Maneuver, Kirk says, KIRK: When I find the headquarters genius that assigned me a female yeoman... MCCOY: What's the matter, Jim, don't you trust yourself? In any case, this episode's red-skirt of the week, Teresa Ross, does not give Kirk any back rubs on the bridge. Her ministrations are limited to dancing with Trelane whilst wearing a pretty dress. Those who twirl and gait, also serve.

A very silly but lighthearted and quite enjoyable episode, yet instantly forgettable in the TOS canon. Did anyone else notice the big error near the beginning? Kirk says Trelane’s viewer shows him Earth “900 years in the past “, yet the set is probably early 19th Century, therefore only 400 or so years.

Bob (a different one)

^ There is more than one instance where the date is "wrong" on those early episodes of TOS. It seems that they hadn't nailed down just what century they wanted the series based in yet.

Interesting that Michael Barrier had such a substantial part during the first half of this episode. Wonder if William Shatner had a fit over this when he read the script. I also liked the fact that the landing party was made up of two minor characters in addition to McCoy giving the viewer the impression that the Enterprise actually had a capable crew other than the main cast.

Trelane is playing a pretty cool double-manual harpsichord (the kind with two keyboards). Nice quality. Hard to date it, but it resembles instruments manufactured in Passau, Germany by Kurt Sperrhake (whose work was contemporary with TOS). I thought that it might have been the one played on the Addams Family by TV Trek alum Ted Cassidy (Lurch), but it isn't. Lurch's harpsichord has far more surface decoration and really looks like an 18th century antique. Harpsichord music seems to have seen a resurgence in the 1960's ...its use in Squire really sets a nice mood.

Proud Capitalist Pig

The problem with doing “all-powerful beings” in a show like Star Trek is it immediately reveals the limitations of the writers’ paltry imaginations, calls attention to the necessity of having none of the regular characters suffer any ill effects despite being at the whim of instantaneous and incredible power, and obviously highlights the barriers that come with 1960’s production values. Essentially we get a cheap European villa set and historical-film costumes from the studio closet down the hall, a sparse courtroom set for Trelane to aimlessly mock Kirk in, and a plot that degenerates into an obvious and tiresome cat-and-mouse staple (“With us as the mouse!” offers Kirk helpfully). I guess Kirk and the crew are lucky that Trelane is an all-powerful “mischief maker” and not an all-powerful psychopathic horror villain. William Campbell tries his hardest to make unctuous Trelane compelling and interesting, but unfortunately he just comes off as annoying. I zoned out at the halfway point, with nothing engaging to pay attention to, other than Uhura and that yeoman who was also pretty hot. As for the verbal sparring between Kirk and Trelane--what should have been a battle of wits ends up being nothing but a battle of whining and accusations. “Sallies of wit” these are not, but I appreciate that Kirk was pretty much as bored and annoyed at Trelane's games as I was. The way Kirk delivers the line, "Are you ready?" before the pistols-at-dawn duel was perfect. The revelation of Trelane being essentially a bratty child falls flat, because that’s exactly what he’s been acting like throughout the entire show--a child playing with his “toys,” and now because there’s only a minute of airtime left, Mommy and Daddy show up to shoo him inside to eat his dinner. Best Line: Spock -- “I object to power without constructive purpose.” (If only he had been in the writers’ room) My Grade: F

I’ve always liked this episode for being visually impressive, and I also think it’s really well directed. For filming, it must be a nightmare to have such a big mirror in a room because sooner or later, some piece of filming equipment will be seen in it. I really paid attention to that but I didn’t see anything, so kudos to the camera team – that can’t have been easy. The setting looks really good, at least the interior of the castle which is luxurious and unsettling at the same time. Overall, there are quite a few fairytale elements here: the story taking place in a castle; the forest around it being a dangerous, forbidden place; Trelane using magic with the mirror (!) as a catalyst; the ball gown Ross is wearing and Kirk’s comment on the “glass slippers”. I wonder if this is meant to underline the childish, playful character of Trelane; it fits quite well. He’s a most unusual antagonist; not a complex character, but rather elusive and difficult to describe: lively, capricious, temperamental, his character is as half-formed as the food without taste and the fire without heat which he created. Another thing I find quite remarkable about this episode is how it casually deconstructs stereotyping. Spock says: “Trelane knows all of the Earth forms, but none of the substance”, meaning that the appearance of someone or something is only one aspect, a fraction of what they are really like – and by pointing out that the fire isn’t really a fire without the heat, the episode is meant to show that judging by appearance alone can be deceiving and incomplete. Then Trelane starts judging the crew by their appearance and names, applying national stereotypes. The reactions go from amusement (Sulu, de Salle) to indignation (Uhura) and embarrassment (Jaeger on Trelane’s Prussian parade: „I’m a scientist, not a military man.“), but they all make clear that in their time and society, such attributions are anachronistic and insignificant. Another example is Trelane’s annoying fascination for the military: “I want to know all about your campaigns, your battles, your missions of conquest.” As much as Kirk insists that they are on a peaceful mission and only fight to defend themselves, Trelane keeps dwelling on the subject until it gets on the viewer’s nerves as much as on Kirk’s… I think it’s quite clever to convey criticism in this way, making something look silly by displaying it.

Lannion, great points. I would even submit that this was TOS's best commentary on racism. You know what the message is, but the whole thing does not hit you over the head with it (For what it is worth, I don't think Last Battlefield was bad at all), and the message has teeth. The fake Abe Lincoln handling of race was awful by comparison. (For its time, great, but very milquetoast by standards of 1980s and beyond: "diversity is great and it is great when you don't even know shame iver skin color.") By default, Squire is the best on this.

It’s worth noting that Trelane is really the first “god-like being” episode in what would become a very regular trope for Star Trek. There was of course Charlie X and Gary Mitchell, but they were humans imbued with unnatural powers played as tragic figures, both with an aura of mystery and gradual reveal. Trelane is what he’s supposed to be, he’s the first super being to put our heroes under a microscope. As such it’s sort of hard to judge this episode fairly, it helped to spawn an often derided cliche in the trek universe and honestly it doesn’t compare well to its “god-like” trope followers, but it’s also basically the original and deserves to be given that sort of mulligan rich consideration. In that sense Trelane is like the whole of TOS, rough around the edges because it’s out there on the cutting edge. Overall I think Trelane has some worthwhile ideas going on, the twist at the end was pretty clever. I mean, once you know the big reveal it has diminishing returns, but upon first viewing, the idea that this villain who had been tormenting our TOS crew in such distasteful ways, driving us to really dislike him, must be reevaluated as an ignorant and playful child is a pretty nice switcheroo. Plus William Campbell’s performance is engaging and enthusiastic, imparting a fun sense of goofiness into the proceedings. But at the same time, it all comes across a bit too silly for its own good, it vacillates between comedy and horror and becomes a little tonally confused. I’d say 2.5 stars is about right. A few passing observations/ideas: - Are Trelane’s parents the same weirdos who gave Charlie X his powers? Do these meatheads have wild kids running all over the galaxy causing mayhem? If not then you have two god-like species in relative close proximity to one another, seems kinda weird. - Was the machinery behind the mirror a red herring, or was it actually tied to Trelane’s powers? I wasn’t clear on that. - Nice bit of continuity with the salt monster cameo. Anyhoooo, not a bad episode, just a bit of zany fun.

This episode always fell kind of flat for me, partly because of the annoying edge to the Trelane character, and partly, I think, because of the Deus ex machina ending. Trelane snatches them; Jaeger tries to fight him, but Trelane is too powerful for him. Spock beams them up, but again Trelane is too powerful, and again snatches them to his planet. Kirk tricks Trelane into a duel so he can break Trelane's "instrumentality," but Trelane has back-up equipment of some sort and puts Kirk on trial. Kirk again tricks Trelane into individual combat, but Trelane, willing to use his powers unfairly, is unbeatable. Nothing our captain or noble crew can do will break them free, just the arrival of Trelane's almighty parents, who had nothing to do with the story until they swooped in to save the day for our heroes whose heroics had accomplished nothing.

@trish It normally bugs me when the protagonist of a story lucks out in the end. It would certainly have been better if the enterprise crew had played *some* role in their eventual salvation, rather than just being the beneficiaries of Trelane’s bed time. But I will say that in this episode’s case, that was kind of the point. The idea that our beloved TOS crew were essentially in way over their heads with this whole exploring the galaxy thing, and they were basically just insects to be toyed with in the shadow of powerful beings well beyond their comprehension does serve a purpose. The episode is a series of perspective shifts with Trelane morphing from loathsome antagonist to clueless child and our heroes transitioning from the vanguard of evolution to the back of the pack. All told through the enthusiasm of a community theater stage production:)

@Idh2023 Yes, it reminds me a lot of the TNG episode "Q Who," when Picard claims that Starfleet is ready for whatever the galaxy may hold and Q tosses the Enterprise into their first encounter with the Borg, only rescuing our heroes when Picard admits they are out of their league. Helplessness in the face of an overwhelmingly more powerful foe is an all too common reality, but it's not a very entertaining fantasy.

I love this episode for two reasons: #1, the twist makes sense and makes re-watching very enjoyable. The episode walks the line between giving clues and not spoiling anything. When I first watched it, I did not expect the twist, but I didn't feel cheated. I was upset at myself for not figuring it out earlier. A big #2, the acting was great. George Takei nailed the "this is offensive and unbelievably stupid" reaction without winking at the camera. He gave a powerful reaction that was needed, but it was not look into the camera and give hashtag labels as to why this faux pas is not in fashion. But, oh man, the actor for Trelane. I am glad they cast a man of about 30. It is young enough to make the immaturity not farcical, but old enough to hide the character's relative youth, and the acting pulls it off. It works. He behaves perfectly in character, and you appreciate on rewatching. What always got me about the Willy Wonka movie from the 1970s, that made me not enjoy it, was that the child actors were all awful. "Spoiled brat" is not just be "loud and annoying." Even the main kid was godawful. In that way, the "cheat" of casting the older actor worked out better than having a young Stranger Things actor. This episode hung entirely on the performances and I believed Trelane.

An actor of about 40*, I meant. The immaturity is believable, at the stage of its beung very unsettling, but nit cartoonish as it would be if casting a 70-year-old man. Trish wrote: > Helplessness in the face of an overwhelmingly more powerful foe is an all too common reality, but it's not a very entertaining fantasy. Most times, I wpuld agree whole-heartedly, but some stories can go against this. If I am watching this as an onlooker, not as someone imagining himself or herself in that role, it works. If it were not a space show in the 2300s, but a show set in Halifax circa now, I would feel frustrated. I liken it to the unlikabke characters in Seinfeld or It's Always Sunny. I usually hate anti-heroes, but because I am never exoected to empathize with or root for the characters (in early Sunny), I can enjoy the misadventures of deplorable people. For whatever reason, I never felt "if I were Kirk in this situation, I would ..." To TNG's detriment, episodes focused on supporting cast usually fell flat because I *could* put myself in their shoes and get frustrated at their mistakes.

Episodes are conceived and written intending to emphasize certain plot lines, but adapting them into a TV show required much shuffling (not to mention recycling) by the producers, apparently. The protagonist having observed Earth's warring "predators" from centuries of light years past (without being aware of it) conveniently allows the use of available props, costumes, the castle stage, and figures from previous episodes. But Kirk for some reason decides to beam down by himself to confront Trelane for the last third of the show, obviously a way to feature Shatner and Campbell while saving the budget that took a beating over the 1800's period set construction. It seems like overanalyzing this cheapens the product for me after decades of viewing this episode as entertaining with Campbell's strong performance. To a novice this is "the guy like Liberace episode" ....... Other reviewers say the Charlie X repeat ending bothers them, but serialization requires a wrap in the last two minutes of every episode. I'm sorry, the notion of serialization did not exist at the time, they just did not want "continued" plot episodes because a portion of the TV audience might not have seen the first portion and tune out. (even though the one instance where a continued episode was compelled, turned out to be a success) the network proclivities ruled the roost. Curiously, the feed of syndicated episodes I'm watching are being run in their original order now, whereas decades ago they would be done more or less at random. Season 2 episodes have matured, settled on their big 3, and not yet succumbed to even worse budget limiting toward the eventual scuttling.

Have to disagree with Rahul. Trelane was steadily growing more and more violent as kirk showed him the way in a sense with the sword fight in which kirk was unarmed, and if I recall correctly, tralane even implied that once he finished with kirk, he would do the same with the other staff of the enterprise.

@Dee -- not sure what you are disagreeing with me on. Here's what I said in my most recent comment on this episode: "Trelane would have killed Kirk and then presumably tortured/killed other members of the Enterprise when they refused to cooperate." And that's basically what you just said.

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Uploaded by JoeyBrooklyn on May 14, 2023

Star Trek S1 E17 "The Squire of Gothos" » Recap

Original air date: January 12, 1967

The Enterprise happens on a planet ruled by a being named Trelane, who has unnatural powers. When he attempts to force his will on the crew, Kirk determines to leave - a decision that is easier made than implemented.

It all started when the Enterprise was just on its way to Beta VI and crossing a "star desert" when they come across a rogue planet comprised primarily of iron-silica. Sulu is just going to steer around it when BOING! He disappears! Kirk soon also disappears with a similar BOING!

Soon after, the Enterprise receives a text greeting in Old English Font. After a quick scan, Spock assigns three officers (no Red Shirts this time) to rescue the Captain and Sulu. The place they beam down to has thick vegetation and a manor house in French style architecture, and they can't get a communication signal. Maybe they're in Louisiana?

No such luck. The landing party investigates the manor to find it filled with unusual artifacts, including one that looks suspiciously like their old nemesis, the Salt Vampire . Sulu and Kirk are frozen like wax figures, but freed with a touch. Slam goes the door. Tinka-tinka-tink goes the harpsichord. They are introduced to General Trelane (retired), the Squire of Gothos.

The Tropes of Gothos:

Accent Slip-Up : Trelane speaks in a posh, eloquent manner befitting his cultured façade, e.g. ( "Dear Captain, your inquiries are becoming tiresome... ") until his parents appear. Then, he tellingly starts talking like a stereotypical bratty kid with more of a working-class American accent. e.g. ( "Aw, but ya said I could [play]! Ya promised!" )
Ain't Too Proud to Beg : Half buying time, half serious, Kirk lets himself be Trelane's plaything if he promises to let the ship go, and can't quite hide his fear when the noose swings towards him.
Affably Evil : Trelane fancies himself a retired general with an elegant home to show his captives every hospitality, or to at least play at doing so.
Alien Abduction : The events of the episode start when first Sulu and then Kirk are kidnapped from the command deck. Trelaine puts them into a form of stasis and uses them as a display pair. As soon asn McCoy and the rescue party arrive, he frees the captain and helmsman.
Aliens Steal Cable : Trelane wasn't receiving radio signals, but clearly was limited by speed-of-light transmission when he thought that 18th-century fashions and behavior were the latest things for Earth people, there on his planet some 900 light years from Earth. Then again, he was merely a child from a race of Sufficiently Advanced Aliens and might be excused from making such a mistake.
Bilingual Bonus : Trelane counts to four in German and says "Gehen wir mit dem Schießgewehr!" (We go with the rifle shooting!) Jaeger responds (in English) with "I'm a scientist, not a military man." (However, his last name does mean "Hunter".) Trelane asks DeSalle (in French) if he is really French. ("Un vrais Francais?") DeSalle responds (again in English), "My ancestry was French, yes."
Bling of War : It's unlikely he did anything to earn them, but Trelane believes no general costume is complete without a few medals.
Casual Danger Dialogue : While the ship is in the process of escaping Gothos, Yeoman Ross (who is still wearing the elaborate ballgown Trelane put her in) asks if she can be excused to change clothes. Kirk jokes with her for a minute while giving her permission. Ross : May I take a minute to change? Kirk : Yes, I think you might. (starts smiling) The ball's over, you can hang up your glass slippers. Ross : (smiling) Gladly, Captain.
Continuity Nod : The salt vampire from " The Man Trap " is among Trelane's collection. Bones does a double take when he sees it and a musical cue from that episode is briefly dubbed in.
Dance of Romance : Trelane starts his idea of one with Yeoman Ross while Uhura plays the harpsichord. (After he magically gave her the ability to do so.)
When Kirk introduces Bones and Sulu, Trelane (correctly) intuits the latter's Japanese ancestry (somehow, since Sulu isn't a Japanese name) and bows deeply to him in a hilariously over-the-top fashion. Trelane : Welcome, good physicianer ! (bows) And honourable sir. Sulu (aside, to Bones) : Is he kidding?
Later, after Trelane teleports the entire bridge crew back down to his "estate" on Gothos: Trelane : Anyway, the decor of my drawing room is much more appropriate - ( Jump Cut to everyone in his drawing room ) - and tasteful. Don't you agree? Sulu ( very dryly) : No.
To add insult to injury, Trelane bows at him again in response.
Deconstruction : Of the Sufficiently Advanced Aliens plot that regularly showed up in science fiction (and would again on Trek). Why would god-like aliens even bother with unpowered humans? Because in Trelane's case, he's a Spoiled Brat . And how do the puny humans defeat such an incredibly powerful foe? They don't, they just survive long enough for his parents to basically call him in and tell him to wash up before dinner.
Deus ex Machina : Trelane's parents show up and take their son away, also giving Kirk the ability to return to the ship.
Distracted by My Own Sexy : Trelane likes admiring his reflection. Of course, this makes sneaking up on him difficult.
There was still a very vague idea of just how far into the future the series was set, but going from this episode, it's at least the 27th century given the statement that Trelane's information is 900 years out of date. The TOS era would later be firmly set in the 23rd century.
At one point, Uhura refers to Spacefleet Command rather than Starfleet Command.
Energy Beings : What Trelane and others like him are when they aren't pretending to be human.
Five-Second Foreshadowing : Kirk realizes Trelane has a "lot to learn about everything" right before Trelane's parents show up.
Foreshadowing : Trelane indicates that he's a fan of the title "Squire". While historically the term was later used as a term for landed gentry and the lord of a manor, its original use was for a knight's apprentice, an appropriate appellation given that he's little more than a child still learning how to use his powers.
Flynning : Justified, as Trelane is a fan of swordfighting but has never actually tried it before.
Ghost Butler : When the group sent down to find Kirk and Sulu enter Trelane's house, the door closes itself just before Trelane appears.
A Glitch in the Matrix : The crew realize that Trelane is not all-knowing because of numerous mistakes in his playground; the food he provides has no taste, and the fires in the fireplace and on the Hollywood Torches on the wall do not produce heat. Kirk : Whatever we're dealing with, he certainly isn't all knowledgeable. He makes mistakes.
Glove Slap : Kirk uses one of Yeoman Ross' gloves to challenge Trelane, who is all too eager to take part in an old-fashioned Duel to the Death .
Go-Go Enslavement : Subverted. Trelane transformed Ross' uniform into an expensive-looking ballroom gown, which covers more than her uniform.
Gorgeous Period Dress : Trelane's outfit, as well as the gown he conjures up for Yeoman Ross.
Graceful Ladies Like Purple : Trelane believes this. The Regency style gown with High-Class Gloves he zaps Yeoman Ross into is a fine shade of lavender.
Hanging Around : Trelane tries to make Kirk stick his head in a noose, but he naturally refuses.
Hanging Judge : Trelane makes believe at being one, complete with powdered wig.
Heroic Sacrifice : Kirk intends this, staying behind to distract Trelane so that the Enterprise can escape from orbit. This would have two possible outcomes— either the vengeful Trelane kills him, or Kirk dies from oxygen deprivation after defeating him. It's subverted when Trelane's parents show up just as he is about to finish Kirk off.
Heroic Vow Of Defiance : Used when Trelane has all but admitted that he sees the crew of the Enterprise as little more than toys for him to play with, and that he plans on hunting down all of them they way he's just done to Kirk. Kirk, unwilling to let that happen, stops playing by Trelane's rules and starts fighting dirty, irritating Trelane. Trelane : Stop that! You're beaten! Kirk : But I am not defeated.
Hollywood Torches : There are a number of them burning at various places on the walls of Trelane's mansion. This is Justified In-Universe because Trelane is a Reality Warper who created his mansion using his powers. Notice the wood fire, Captain? Burning steadily, ember bed glowing, and it doesn't give off any heat at all.
Hot Blooded Sideburns : The passionate and quick-tempered Trelane has a pair. Granted, he may only be wearing them because they were fashionable in the timeline he's trying to re-create, but it still fits.
Humans Are Bastards : Trelane believes this. That's why he admires them so!
Humans Are Special : Trelane's father chides him for his high-handed attitude, telling him, "They're beings, Trelane. They have spirit. They're superior." (though he seems to be referring to corporeal intelligences generally rather than humans specifically).
Immortal Immaturity : Trelane is an extremely powerful near-god and hundreds, if not thousands, of years old, but acts like a child... and by the standards of his race, he is— his parents show up at the end to drag their whining kid home.
Insult Backfire : "I can't imagine a mirage ever disturbing those mathematically perfect brain waves of yours," snipes Bones at Spock. Spock thanks him for the compliment.
Japanese Politeness : Trelane bows to Sulu and calls him "Honorable Sir." Sulu responds, "Is he kidding?!"
Judicial Wig : When Trelane puts Kirk on trial for defying him, he wears a long and curly white wig along with his judges' robes.
Kneel Before Zod : After he corners Kirk at the entrance to his house (with the help of locking the door and making two walls of steel bars appear out of nowhere) Trelane demands Kirk kneel to him. Kirk refuses and continues to insult and defy Trelane.
Large Ham : Trelane.
Mood Whiplash : Goes from a whimsical "we're dealing with a weird alien" plot to a God-like Trelane going berserk over Kirk's actions. And back again when we find out Trelane isn't God, just a spoiled brat.
Must Have Caffeine : Yeoman Ross serves up cups of coffee for everyone on the bridge at the opening of the episode. Doesn't it strike anyone as odd that they're allowing open beverages near what is probably very important electrical equipment? note By the 23rd century, they've probably invented either spill-proof cups or liquid-proof computers. In an earlier episode, one character accidentally dropped a glass of milk all over a panel, yet the panel still worked.
Negative Space Wedgie : Gothos itself, an uncharted planet which shows up light years from any star and heralds the beginning of the weirdness.
Nightmare Fetishist : Trelane practically squeals with delight over thoughts of savagery, war, and violence. He abducts the crew specifically to hear stories of their military achievements.
No Celebrities Were Harmed : Trelane is rather obviously modeled after Liberace , with William Campbell being hairstyled and costumed similarly, and spending much of his screen time playing a keyboard instrument (albeit the harpsichord instead of the piano).
No, Mr. Bond, I Expect You to Dine : Trelane provides a sumptuous dinner the second time he abducts part of the Enterprise crew. Too bad none of it tastes like anything, because all he knows about Earth food is what it looks like.
No Challenge Equals No Satisfaction : Trelane repeatedly complains that hunting Kirk is "too easy" to be any fun.
Not-So-Harmless Villain : Trelane doesn't kill or even injure anyone aboard Enterprise over the course of the entire episode (though, perhaps, not through lack of trying). The worst they suffer is a delay in their otherwise routine mission and some humiliation. Yet the majority of the tension of the episode comes from knowing that Trelane is so powerful, as he demonstrated on multiple occasions, that he could kill the entire crew with a flick of his fingers if he decided to— and he seems to think that death is only a "time out" or a temporary loss in a game, so he could easily kill them without having the slightest understanding of what that really means. Kirk walks a delicate tightrope for the entire runtime: keeping Trelane entertained enough not to kill them, bored enough to consider letting them go, but not so bored he'll kill them all out of spite.
Offscreen Teleportation : The entire planet Gothos does this when Sulu tries to get the Enterprise away at warp speed. No matter where the Enterprise goes, there's Gothos, right in front of them!
The One Thing I Don't Hate About You : Trelane doesn't like Spock, but does approve of him being ill-mannered.
Planet Baron : Trelane is a Sufficiently Advanced Alien with his own planet, though he only uses a portion of it.
Psychopathic Man Child : Trelane treats the crew like his toys and he essentially throws a tantrum after Kirk destroys his computer, thus ruining his fun. He loves boasting about his authority and tries to make the crew play his little games. Once Kirk realizes what kind of person Trelane is, he plays on his need for fun. Based off the ending, he seems to be a child by his species’ standards and he is chastised by his parents for his treatment of Kirk and his crew.
Reality Has No Subtitles : In order to show off his knowledge of Earth, Trelane speaks in French to DeSalle and in German to Mr. Jaeger without any translation for the audience.
Reality Warper : Trelane. Which brings us to....
Reality Warping Is Not a Toy : Trelane is a godlike alien reality warper who creates new worlds to suit his whims. He torments the Enterprise crew with his powers, but just as he's about to kill Kirk, his parents show up and remonstrate him.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech : Kirk dishes one out to Trelane, along with a couple of bitch slaps.
Revealing Reflection : When one of the abducted officers tries to shoot Trelane while he’s admiring himself in the mirror, Trelane notices and freezes him on the spot.
Scheherezade Gambit : Kirk convinces Trelane to spare him because it would be more fun to Hunt The Most Dangerous Game .
Screw This, I'm Outta Here! : Kirk and co. try to pull this at first. Trelane punishes Kirk for attempting to do so by briefly transporting him to another part of the planet with a noxious atmosphere. When Trelane is distracted by his broken toys, Kirk and co. beam back to the Enterprise , where Kirk tells Sulu to floor it. (Not that this works.)
Silly Walk : On hearing the name of the meteorologist is Karl Jaeger, Trelane does an exaggerated goose-step while counting in German. Lt. Jaeger is not amused.
Spoiled Brat : What Trelane ultimately is. He drops his suave gentleman act when his parents show up and starts acting like a whiny little child. The parents apologize, realizing that it's partially their own fault for over-indulging him.
Stock Sound Effects : When Kirk damages Trelane's equipment with the dueling pistol, we hear some stock cartoon "things have gone haywire" sound effects.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute : The character of Yeoman Ross was very likely written as Janice Rand until Grace Lee Whitney left the series.
Sword Fight : Trelane and Kirk get into one. Trelane doesn't fight fair.
Taken for Granite : Trelane's first act is to kidnap Kirk and Sulu, turning them into statues; he turns them back to normal when the rest of the crew arrive, seeing as that was his intent.
Trial of the Mystical Jury : Trelane puts Kirk on trial.
Wacky Sound Effect : Along with the usual "BOING" whenever anyone disappears, we get a cavalcade of goofy noises right out of an old Warner Bros. cartoon when Kirk shoots out Trelane's mirror, where he's been hiding the power source of his illusions. This is likely intentional, for Trelane doesn't seem to understand the difference between representations of reality and fictional imagery.
Where's the Fun in That? : Kirk asks his captor "Where's the sport?" in simply hanging him as he had planned. Instead, Kirk talked his captor into staging a "royal hunt". This bought Kirk enough time for a Deus ex Machina rescue.
Younger Than They Look : Despite looking like an adult human, Trelane is actually a child by the standards of his incredibly long-lived species.
You Wouldn't Believe Me If I Told You : Bones tries to tell Uhura what Trelane is like, but gives up. She'll soon find out for herself anyway.
Star Trek S1 E16 "The Galileo Seven"
Recap/Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek S1 E18 "Arena"

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Star Trek (TV Series)

The squire of gothos (1967).

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Campbell also appeared in another famous Trek episode, as the Klingon Kioloth in "The Trouble with Tribbles".
The character Trelane is notably similar to that of Q from The Next Generation. So much so that writer Peter David canonized him as a member of the Continuum, with Q as Trelane's Godfather in his novel Q-Squared.

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Trelane was a puckish , childlike alien who introduced himself to several USS Enterprise crewmembers in 2267 . That year, the Enterprise was en route to the Beta VI colony to deliver supplies when it encountered Gothos , a previously unknown planet , which was the homeworld (or rather, playground) of the powerful alien Trelane. ( TOS : " The Squire of Gothos ")

1.1 Abduction and greetings
1.2 Description
1.3 First encounter
1.4 Second encounter
1.5 Third encounter
3.1 Background information
3.2 Apocrypha
3.3 External links

History [ ]

Abduction and greetings [ ].

Trelane first transported Sulu , and then Kirk , from the bridge of the starship to a fortified manor he had constructed on Gothos. Enterprise assumed orbit around Gothos and swept the planet for signs of their missing crew. After four hours of fruitless searching from above, they received a message from an unidentified source (actually Trelane) and decided to send a landing party consisting of DeSalle , Jaeger , and McCoy . Expecting hostile conditions, they were surprised to find an Earth -like oasis instead. There, the landing party discovered Trelane's home, and within it, the two missing officers – and Trelane himself.

Description [ ]

Trelane, referring to himself as a retired general and being willing to accept the title " squire ", wore a blue tailcoat over a white frilled shirt and green riding pants with black boots. These clothes, along with his foppish mannerisms, were intended to suggest what he believed conditions on Earth to be at the time. In fact, he was viewing an image of Earth approximately four-and-a-half centuries out of date, perhaps a consequence of the fact he was over nine hundred light years away. He also attempts to impress two of the Human "guests" by addressing them in the "ethnic" language based on their surnames: Jaeger ( German ), DeSalle ( French ); to Sulu he paraphrases a Japanese greeting in English .

First encounter [ ]

The officers were found in a paralyzed state, but were quickly freed by Trelane, who did it with simply a wave of his hand . This was the first evidence of his super- humanoid abilities; there would be others. Trelane was initially quite friendly, but made it clear that his were the rules to be followed, and that the landing party would stay until he chose to let them leave. He made several attempts to ingratiate himself with the landing party, but as his customs were centuries out of date, his attempts served only to amuse the Enterprise crew.

Trelane explained himself and his surroundings by stating that he, as well as some others, had perfected a means by which matter could be converted into energy , and back into matter, at will. When Kirk compared this to the transporter , Trelane dismissed that as a crude example of an infinitely more sophisticated process, elaborating by saying that he was able to restructure matter, essentially the way a replicator does, albeit far more rapidly. In addition, he was able to maintain a field around his planet (or at least in the oasis) that blocked scanning and communications , and was able to confer skills onto others – he taught Uhura to play the harpsichord with a wave of his hand.

Trelane on the bridge of the Enterprise

Unable to obtain a specific lock through Trelane's blocking field, Spock beamed up all lifeforms in a general radius, returning all Enterprise crew to the ship. Trelane did not beam up, suggesting that he was not alive, or at least, not the kind of life the Enterprise 's instruments were designed to detect. Kirk returned to the bridge, ordering the ship to depart – only to find that Trelane had likewise boarded the ship. Within a minute , he had returned the entire bridge crew to his drawing room for a meal.

Second encounter [ ]

During the meal, McCoy noticed that the food and drink had no flavor , while Jaeger commented that a fire in Trelane's fireplace burned brightly, but emitted no heat . These details, and Trelane's error in time, suggested that he was not infallible as he claimed to be, and that he knew of the Earth forms but none of the substance. Kirk and Spock further theorized that some external agency was actually responsible for most of his tricks. Upon noticing that Trelane rarely strayed far from a large wall mirror in his house, Kirk formulated a plan. Choosing to play Trelane's "field-of-honor" game , he tricked Trelane into an old-fashioned duel . Instead of shooting Trelane in the duel, Kirk shot the mirror – which exploded spectacularly. Deprived of his support mechanisms, Trelane was unable to prevent the Enterprise crew from departing, but swore they were all dead men, Captain Kirk especially. The ship departed quickly, but Trelane quickly proved to have other mediums of instrumentality at his command – these proved to be powerful enough to move his planet and intercept the Enterprise no matter what course it took to attempt to evade Gothos, convincing Kirk himself to return to Gothos for what might be a final confrontation.

Third encounter [ ]

Trelane as a judge

Back on Gothos, Kirk saw that Trelane had altered the setting, so that he was now a judge determined to sentence Kirk for the crimes of treason against a superior authority, conspiracy , and the attempt to foment insurrection , subsequently sentencing Kirk to death by hanging. The ease in which Trelane progressed from capturing Kirk, trying him in court, and sentencing to death appeared to be all too easy for Trelane, and Kirk seized on this, suggesting that what Trelane really wanted was a challenge. Kirk slyly talked Trelane into a sword fight , with the stakes being that if Kirk won Trelane would let the ship go; and if Kirk lost, he would die.

Trelane hunted Kirk for a time, using his powers to evade Kirk's attacks and finally trapping Kirk by making bars suddenly appear, cutting off Kirk's escape, but even then, a defiant Kirk refused to cooperate, seizing Trelane's sword and breaking it over his knee, an act which drove Trelane into a rage. Kirk told Trelane he had a lot to learn about winning, and, in fact, had a lot to learn about everything, and he twice slapped Trelane across the face. Trelane accused Kirk of cheating, and not playing the game right, and he'll show him.

Just then, Trelane's parents, manifesting as two glowing, pulsating green blobs, appeared in front of a treetop. Kirk listened to Trelane's argument with his parents, and he realized that Trelane was really a spoiled child, and his parents told him he was "disobedient and cruel." They told him several times to come along, but he kept refusing. Trelane also complained about never having any fun, and his parents told him to stop that nonsense at once, or he would not be permitted to make any more planets. After his parents took him away, they apologized to Kirk. He asked them: "Who are you? Who is Trelane?" They would not answer his questions, but they told him that he must forgive their child, and that the fault was theirs for indulging him too much, and he will be punished. They also told Kirk that they would not have allowed him to intercept the Enterprise had they realized how vulnerable Humans were. They promised to maintain his life-support conditions until he had returned to his ship, and to please accept their apologies. ( TOS : " The Squire of Gothos ")

After being transported back in time from 2381 to 2259 , Brad Boimler exclaimed " Holy Q! " from being startled by Beckett Mariner in a USS Enterprise shuttlecraft . Mariner immediately shushed him, as the people of that era had yet to meet Q and were instead only familiar with the similarly-natured Trelane. ( SNW : " Those Old Scientists ")

Appendices [ ]

Background information [ ].

Trelane was played by William Campbell , who later appeared as Koloth .

In a story outline for "The Squire of Gothos", this character wasn't yet named and was instead commonly referred to as "the Squire". He was initially described as "Byronically-handsome." In the writer's first draft of the episode's script , the now-named Trelane was described as " a slender, ringlet-haired figure [….] He is dressed in the breech-clouts and silver-buckled elegance of a military man of the period [….] Trelane is a pale, dandified, Byronically-handsome man [….] When he speaks, his voice has a kind of stilted aristocratic accent. " In later drafts of the script (from the first draft to the final draft), he was instead described as "a tall, dashing-looking figure" and "a D'Artagnan-like, Byronically-handsome man." The same later drafts of the teleplay went on to say, " When he speaks, his voice has a stilted aristocratic accent, delivered with a kind of swashbuckling elegance. " However, these script drafts retained the statement, " He is dressed in the breech-clouts and silver-buckled elegance of a military man of the period. "

After asking his agent to arrange for him to play a role in Star Trek: The Original Series , William Campbell was offered the part of Trelane during a call with Gene Roddenberry , with whom Campbell was not yet familiar. In retrospect, the actor stated, " When I got the call, he said to me, 'I've got a great part for you. Bill, I know your work,' and I said, 'Well, what is the part?' He said, 'Well, there are a lot of people who don't believe you can do this character.' He said, 'It's a part of a… kind of an English fop.' " [1]

As it turned out, William Campbell thoroughly appreciated the role of Trelane. " He was a fantastic character, " enthused Campbell. " It was very easy for any actor who'd had any training to play the Squire of Gothos. I never stated I was the only one that could do it. I thought of any number of actors that I would emulate [and] that would be in back of my mind that would play these types of characters. The character was so well written and, of course, it was the show . When you're doing something like that, you have to remember that you're wearing the clothes of the period, so you have to have a kind of a… I took a thing once, I remember, at the theater wing, called 'Styles of Acting', where you'd wear these kinds of costumes, and that's when my training came in handy. And it was just a great role. I mean, it was hard to lose on that role! Now, if you were really bad, it could cause you irreparable harm, but it was just a great part. I mean, it was sensational. I'll never forget it. " [2]

William Campbell initially complained about the judge's wig that Trelane was to wear in one particular scene, as it was originally an extremely curly and full French period wig. Campbell not only pointed out that the wig wasn't the right one but also admitted that the choice of wig would affect his performance. Gene Coon agreed that he was right about thinking the wig needed to be the right kind, so it was corrected thereafter. [3]

John de Lancie has speculated that Trelane may have been the basis for the character of Q . De Lancie pointed out, " The character of Trelane has a lot of characteristics that are very much like Q. " [4]

The costume worn by Campbell as Trelane was rented from the Western Costume company. Almost two weeks after it was seen worn by Campbell on Star Trek , the same costume appeared in the Gilligan's Island third season episode "Lovey's Secret Admirer" worn by actor Jim Backus. It was also seen being worn by David Crosby in a promotional photo of the band Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. A short time later, it was again re-used and worn by actor Michael Nesmith in The Monkees episode "The Prince and the Pauper". [5]

Apocrypha [ ]

Trelane makes an appearance in the CD-ROM game Star Trek: Judgment Rites , having pushed his interest forward to the time of World War I and calling himself the "Baron of Gothos". While the Enterprise is in search of several missing starships, he attacks in a Fokker Dr.I triplane fighter, and when defeated, sends Kirk, Spock, and McCoy to a replica of a World War I-era German town named "Gothos". Kirk and his party must move through the artificial town, populated by brainwashed crewmen from captured Federation vessels, in search of the "power objects" that give Trelane his abilities, including a soldier's locket , a clock in a small shop, a school chalkboard, and the triplane fighter. When they were destroyed, Kirk and his party faced Trelane himself. Trelane is revealed to have collected the starships and mounted them in bottles above a fireplace. Depending on the course of action the player takes, either Kirk convinces Trelane that war is nothing that should be emulated romantically , or Trelane's babysitter will arrive and spirit him away.

In the Peter David novel Q-Squared , Trelane is revealed to be a member of the Q Continuum , with Q being assigned as his mentor. The previous encounter on Gothos with the original Enterprise crew was revealed to have been set up for Trelane to test his growing powers (the machinery in his house being a sort of "training wheels" to help him focus his Q energy). In the book, Trelane is able to tap into "The Heart of The Storm", the theoretical and literal center of the universe , where chaos exists; doing so gives Trelane more power than the entire Continuum, allowing him to close it off and play with the universe as he pleases. Trelane then manipulates three different tracks of the USS Enterprise -D timeline – including the canon timeline, a variation of the war timeline depicted in TNG : " Yesterday's Enterprise ", and a timeline where Jack R. Crusher is alive and captain of the Enterprise , among other differences – with the ultimate goal of the experiment being the merging of all parallel timelines and the destruction of the multiverse order. Captain Picard , with the help of Q – implied in the text to be Trelane's father, although Picard respects Q's desire not to discuss the matter in depth – manages to stop Trelane by engaging him in a duel with a sword imbued with Q's essence, Trelane's lack of practical sword-fighting experience allowing Picard to stab Trelane so that Q can penetrate his defenses and disrupt his powers, though the experience reduces Trelane to a speck of his former existence which is then recycled in time and causes Trelane's birth, making his entire existence one continuous loop. His name "Trelane" is taken from the "Three Lanes" of time which he had tried to control.

Trelane also appears in the 1993 DC comic book " A Little Man-to-Man Talk ", and the Marvel Comics Star Trek Unlimited 1998 issue, " An Infinite Jest ", in which he and Q play a game with the two main Enterprise crews.

Trelane is mentioned in the fifty-ninth issue of the Star Trek: Ongoing series when Kirk switches minds with his alternate reality counterpart and Kirk initially assumes he was experiencing another of Trelane's games, with a confused Chekov asking who Trelane is.

Trelane appears in the miniseries Star Trek: The Q Conflict , where he is one of four higher powers competing against each other as part of Q's latest contest with higher-dimensional beings (the other players being the Organians and the Metrons ), Trelane and Q choosing to settle their contest by selecting the four crews and pitting them against each other in contests, with Kirk, Picard, Sisko, and Janeway commanding the Enterprise , the Enterprise -E, the Defiant , and Voyager while their senior staff are 'mixed up' between the ships. Although the crews refuse to actually fight each other when Trelane tries to propose a battle between the four ships as part of the contest, when Trelane initially appears to accept the alternative of a complex version of "capture the flag", he then changes the game by adding a planet killer to the event, forcing the four ships to join forces to stop it.

External links [ ]

Trelane at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
1 USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-G)
3 Daniels (Crewman)

Memory Beta, non-canon Star Trek Wiki

A friendly reminder regarding spoilers ! At present the expanded Trek universe is in a period of major upheaval with the continuations of Discovery and Prodigy , the advent of new eras in gaming with the Star Trek Adventures RPG , Star Trek: Infinite and Star Trek Online , as well as other post-57th Anniversary publications such as the ongoing IDW Star Trek comic and spin-off Star Trek: Defiant . Therefore, please be courteous to other users who may not be aware of current developments by using the {{ spoiler }}, {{ spoilers }} OR {{ majorspoiler }} tags when adding new information from sources less than six months old (even if it is minor info). Also, please do not include details in the summary bar when editing pages and do not anticipate making additions relating to sources not yet in release. THANK YOU

The Squire of Gothos

2.1.1 Episode characters
2.1.2 Novelization characters
2.2 Starships and vehicles
2.3 Locations
2.4 Races and cultures
2.5 States and organizations
3.1.1 Adaptations
3.1.2 Video releases
3.3.1 Translations
3.4 External link

Summary [ ]

The Enterprise , under the command of Captain James T. Kirk , is on an 8-day supply mission to Colony Beta VI located in Quadrant 904. Along the journey, the ship encounters a rogue planet drifting through space. Without the time to really stop and investigate it, Kirk orders the planet to be recorded for a future exploration mission and to continue with their original heading. Suddenly, Kirk and Lt. Sulu are teleported from the bridge.

Spock believes that the two must have been taken to the mysterious planet below even though sensor readings indicate the planet's atmosphere is lethal to most forms of life. The Enterprise then receives a strange message on a viewscreen, in blackletter writing, "Greetings and Felicitations!" followed by "Hip hip hoorah. Tallyho!" Spock orders Dr. McCoy , along with Lt. DeSalle and geophysicist Karl Jaeger , to form a landing party and conduct a search.

The landing party beams down and finds the area to be a lush and breathable environment, contradicting Jager's original scans that the world was barren and couldn't support life. They also come to what appears to be a medieval castle constructed in the middle of nowhere. They soon find Captain Kirk and Lt. Sulu, along with a brash and impetuous being who identifies himself as "General Trelane ". McCoy's medical tricorder does not get any readings from Trelane and, according to the scanner, nothing is there. Trelane invites everyone to stay as his guests on his world he calls Gothos and discuss his favorite subject: the military history of eighteenth-century Earth .

Spock, meanwhile, manages to locate the landing party and beams everyone, except Trelane, back to the ship by locking onto every detectable lifeform in the area. Unwilling to let his guests leave, Trelane makes an appearance on the Enterprise's bridge. He then brings the entire bridge crew back down to the planet. This time he includes Spock, Uhura , and Yeoman Teresa Ross .

Kirk's patience with Trelane begins to wear thin and, while Trelane dances with Yeoman Ross, (after changing her uniform into a flowing formal ball gown) Kirk and Spock notice that their host never strays far from a particular wall mirror. They surmise that the mirror may be the source of his powers. To test this theory, Kirk provokes Trelane into a duel and, during the fight, destroys the mirror, damaging the strange machinery inside. It is discovered that Trelane uses these machines to manipulate matter for his amusement. The bridge crew manages to beam back to the Enterprise , but, as the ship warps away, Gothos keeps appearing in its path. The Enterprise stops and Kirk beams back to Gothos to confront Trelane. Trelane tells Kirk he must face a trial for "treason". Trelane condemns Kirk to death by hanging, but Kirk, playing off of Trelane's childish whims, has a better idea.

In order to have his ship released, Kirk offers himself as the prey for a royal hunt. Trelane gleefully accepts and the hunt begins. Just as Trelane is about to kill Kirk, two energy beings appear and put a stop to his fun. It is revealed that Trelane is the "child" of the two beings. After apologizing to Kirk for their child's misbehavior, the beings disappear along with the whining Trelane, and Kirk is allowed to return to the ship.

References [ ]

Characters [ ], episode characters [ ], novelization characters [ ], starships and vehicles [ ], locations [ ], races and cultures [ ], states and organizations [ ], appendices [ ], related media [ ].

Q-Squared ( TNG novel )
A Little Man-to-Man Talk ( TOS comic )
An Infinite Jest ( Unlimited TOS / TNG comic)

Adaptations [ ]

Video releases [ ]

Collector's edition VHS release with "Patterns of Force".

Timeline [ ]

Translations [ ], external link [ ].

" The Squire of Gothos " article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
The Squire of Gothos article at Wikipedia , the free encyclopedia.
↑ The character of Clifford Brent was not named in the episode but the same actor, wearing an officer 's Starfleet uniform , was addressed as Brent in TOS episode : " The Naked Time ". The same actor also played the character of Vinci .
1 Achilles class
2 Ferengi Rules of Acquisition
3 Odyssey class

IMAGES

Star Trek Episode 17: The Squire of Gothos
Star Trek The Original Series Rewatch: “The Squire of Gothos”
The screen above Uhura lights up with words in a fancy font using
The Squire of Gothos (1967)
"Star Trek" The Squire of Gothos (TV Episode 1967)
Trelane (William Campbell)

VIDEO

Star Trek
CMM: DEMENTIA 13 Ronald Stein
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STAR TREK 1.7 & 1.8 VHS Intros
Squire of Gothos
"Star Trek" Remastered Trailer

COMMENTS

"Star Trek" The Squire of Gothos (TV Episode 1967)
The Squire of Gothos: Directed by Don McDougall. With William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, William Campbell, DeForest Kelley. A being that controls matter and creates planets wants to play with the Enterprise crew.
The Squire of Gothos
The Squire of Gothos
The Squire of Gothos (episode)
The Squire of Gothos (episode) - Memory Alpha - Fandom
"The Squire of Gothos"... 50 Years Later
Dominated by William Campbell's flamboyant performance as the powerful and petulant Trelane, "The Squire of Gothos" debuted on January 12, 1967. StarTrek.com celebrates the episode's 50th anniversary by sharing some facts, figures and anecdote about the entertaining TOS installment. This was the 18th episode of TOS 's first season.
"Star Trek" The Squire of Gothos (TV Episode 1967)
"Star Trek" The Squire of Gothos (TV Episode 1967) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Menu. Movies. ... "Star Trek: The Original Series" episodes watched a list of 47 titles created 4 months ago Star Trek Original Series: StuOz Top 40 Episodes ...
The Squire of Gothos
Encountering an uncharted planet in an empty region of space, Kirk and his crew are entertained by Trelane, a playful being who lacks the self control to wie...
Flashback
William Campbell stars here in his first of two outings in Star Trek: The Original Series. He will appear in season two as Koloth, a Klingon commander, in the essential episode "The Trouble With Tribbles.". He'll later reprise his role of Koloth in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's " Blood Oath," one of the few characters to be in both ...
"Star Trek" The Squire of Gothos (TV Episode 1967)
The Squire of Gothos Star Trek. Jump to. Edit. Summaries. A being that controls matter and creates planets wants to play with the Enterprise crew. When Kirk and Sulu vanish into thin air from the bridge of the Enterprise, Spock sends a landing party to the planet below to locate them. What they find is an 18th century castle and a rather ...
Review "The Squire Of Gothos" Remastered
Fellow Trek fans, this is the sort of stuff that elevates Star Trek above your average science-fiction fare. "The Squire of Gothos" is vintage Trek. Morning Coffee Gets Interrupted.
The Squire of Gothos
The Squire of Gothos - Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek
The Squire of Gothos Aired Jan 12, 1967 Sci-Fi Fantasy Adventure. ... Watch Star Trek — Season 1, Episode 17 with a subscription on Paramount+, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple ...
S1 E18: The Squire of Gothos
The iconic series "Star Trek" follows the crew of the starship USS Enterprise as it completes its missions in space in the 23rd century. Captain James T. Kirk -- along with half- human/half-Vulcan science officer Spock, ship Dr. "Bones" McCoy, Ensign Pavel Chekov, communications officer Lt. Nyota Uhura, helmsman Lt. Hikaru Sulu and chief engineer Lt. Cmdr. Montgomery "Scotty" Scott -- confront ...
"The Squire of Gothos"
But seeing as our intrepid crew on Star Trek: Discovery have embarked on a one-way trip to the 32nd century, I have to imagine that in the 10 years between ST:D's "Such Sweet Sorrow" and TOS' "Squire of Gothos", Star Fleet has commissioned a new science vessel named Discovery. It's the new vessel that Kirk has Uhura contacting.
Episode Preview: The Squire of Gothos
© 2024 CBS Studios Inc., Paramount Pictures Corporation, and CBS Interactive Inc., Paramount companies. STAR TREK and related marks are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc.
"The Squire Of Gothos"
The Squire of Gothos was an interesting story. There were quite a lot of aliens with the powers of gods in TOS, but he was a great one. I think the performance really made it. ... Campbell did an interview about his characters in Star trek and said he loved the Squire part. its was just so much fun. A good episode.
Star Trek Squire of Gothos : Gene Roddenberry
Star Trek Squire of Gothos by Gene Roddenberry. Publication date 1967-01-01 Topics star Trek, tos, Kirk, Spock, Squire of Gothos, Q, trelane, scifi, TV, 1967. Trelane is a Q. Addeddate 2023-05-14 17:56:27 Identifier star-trek-tos-squire-of-gothos Scanner Internet Archive HTML5 Uploader 1.7.0
Star Trek: Season 1
The Squire of Gothos (1967) ← Back to episode. The Galileo Seven (1x16) Arena (1x18) Season Regulars 6. William Shatner. James T. Kirk Leonard Nimoy. Spock DeForest Kelley. Dr. McCoy James Doohan. Scott George Takei. Sulu Nichelle Nichols. Uhura Guest Stars 7. William Campbell ...
Star Trek S1 E17 "The Squire of Gothos"
Recap. Trelane channels his inner Liberace. Original air date: January 12, 1967. The Enterprise happens on a planet ruled by a being named Trelane, who has unnatural powers. When he attempts to force his will on the crew, Kirk determines to leave - a decision that is easier made than implemented.
"Star Trek" The Squire of Gothos (TV Episode 1967)
The Squire of Gothos is one of the "sillier" episodes of Star Trek, and therefore one of the most entertaining ones. The entertainment factor is, generally speaking, fueled by the stand-off between William Shatner and the episode's hilarious guest star, William Campbell.
The Squire Of Gothos
The Squire Of Gothos. A powerful entity known as Trelane torments the crew of the Enterprise. S1E17 50 min. Pluto TV. Movies and Shows in United States. Star Trek: The Original Series. Stream Star Trek: The Original Series free and on-demand with Pluto TV. Season 1, Episode 17.
Star Trek > The Squire of Gothos
The Squire of Gothos - Crew / Cast: Director: Don McDougall, with: William Shatner (James T. Kirk), William Campbell (Trelane), Leonard Nimoy (Spock), Michael Barrier (Lt. DeSalle)...
Star Trek: TOS "Squire of Gothos" : r/startrek
Early Star Trek was very vague about when it was set - the original writer's bible notes and pitch says that it could be set anywhere between the 1990s and the 2990s, and the stardate system was used to obfuscate when, exactly, the show was meant to be happening. It wasn't until the movies that they decided to firmly pin down the century.
Trelane
Trelane - Memory Alpha - Fandom
The Squire of Gothos
The bridge crew manages to beam back to the Enterprise, but, as the ship warps away, Gothos keeps appearing in its path. The Enterprise stops and Kirk beams back to Gothos to confront Trelane. Trelane tells Kirk he must face a trial for "treason". Trelane condemns Kirk to death by hanging, but Kirk, playing off of Trelane's childish whims, has ...

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