Kirk's love affair with a playful princess who hides a deadly secret!
This was always one of my favorite episodes as a kid, and I think I know why. It's got a science fiction premise ("acceleration") but the mood and tone is that of a classic fairy tale or Greek myth. Enchanting, golden-haired Deela (short for Delilah?) is a real archetype -- the doomed temptress who lures great heroes to her bed for an eternity of love, only to exact a terrible price in slavery and loss of self-respect.
Ironically, this is one of the most "timeless" Star Trek episodes, precisely because it's not based on technology or social issues, but on myths, dreams, and memories. Kirk's can-do spirit is admirable, but in the end he can't find a solution for Deela or her people, and he has no answer to her tearful image at the end, except to say "Good-bye."
This was always one of my favorite episodes as a kid, and I think I know why. It's got a science fiction premise ("acceleration") but the mood and tone is that of a classic fairy tale or Greek myth. Enchanting, golden-haired Deela (short for Delilah?) is a real archetype -- the doomed temptress who lures great heroes to her bed for an eternity of love, only to exact a terrible price in slavery and loss of self-respect.
Ironically, this is one of the most "timeless" Star Trek episodes, precisely because it's not based on technology or social issues, but on myths, dreams, and memories. Kirk's can-do spirit is admirable, but in the end he can't find a solution for Deela or her people, and he has no answer to her tearful image at the end, except to say "Good-bye."