Kirk and Spock beam down to the high security asylum on Elba II, carrying with them a medicine that is hoped will cure the inmates of their insanity; however, it soon becomes apparent that the lunatics have taken over the asylum, led by one-time Starfleet captain Garth of Izar (Steve Ihnat), who has acquired the handy ability to shapeshift. Appointing himself Lord Garth, the crazy captain intends to seize control of the Enterprise and conquer the universe.
The idea of an eclectic gang of insane villains causing havoc for Kirk and Spock has the potential to be a lot of fun, especially with the leader being able to assume any identity, and for a while it is just that: silly but entertaining nonsense, with Ihnat chewing the scenery and Yvonne Craig adding some va va voom as sexy but seriously mad slave girl Marta (who does a sexy dance routine to help pad out the run time, and is blown up towards the end). However, the plot soon stagnates, the entire episode comprising of Garth's attempts to trick or torture Kirk into revealing the code phrase required to beam aboard the Enterprise (how fortunate that the captain had the foresight to arrange this). Ihnat's ranting soon becomes tiresome and irritating, so it's a blessed relief when he assumes the forms of Spock, and then Kirk, to try and discombobulate the captain and his first officer - if anything, this episode gives us a classic example of the now popular 'Spot the imposter' trope and the oft-used "shoot us both" gambit.
The idea of an eclectic gang of insane villains causing havoc for Kirk and Spock has the potential to be a lot of fun, especially with the leader being able to assume any identity, and for a while it is just that: silly but entertaining nonsense, with Ihnat chewing the scenery and Yvonne Craig adding some va va voom as sexy but seriously mad slave girl Marta (who does a sexy dance routine to help pad out the run time, and is blown up towards the end). However, the plot soon stagnates, the entire episode comprising of Garth's attempts to trick or torture Kirk into revealing the code phrase required to beam aboard the Enterprise (how fortunate that the captain had the foresight to arrange this). Ihnat's ranting soon becomes tiresome and irritating, so it's a blessed relief when he assumes the forms of Spock, and then Kirk, to try and discombobulate the captain and his first officer - if anything, this episode gives us a classic example of the now popular 'Spot the imposter' trope and the oft-used "shoot us both" gambit.