Rating: 
Summary: Ra- Ra Rand!
Review: "Miri" is an episode in which the Enterprise encounters a planet which is an exact duplicate of the Earth. (It seems impossible, but there it is) The entire planet is plagued by a fatal disease which creates facial blemishes to all grown ups (or Grups--as they are called in this episode) The children are a product of a longetivity experiment...they are 300 yrs old! Kirk encounters a young girl named "Miri"...she falls in love with Kirk, but gets jealous when she sees Kirk & Rand embrace. Grace Lee Whitney (Rand) really pours it on with her feelings about Kirk.
"Conscience of the King"---Certain people in the galaxy who witnessed a massacre on Planet Q are mysteriously being killed! Who's behind it? Suspicion falls on Anton Karidian...who is later discovered as Kodos the Executioner. Is he guilty? Watch & find out. Last appearances by Janice Rand & Kevin Riley.
Rating: 
Summary: Kim Darby and Barbara Anderson as notable female guest stars
Review: Although Scott is on the cover of Volume 6 of the Star Trek DVD Series he has very little to do in these two episodes, which really focus on Captain Kirk and his encounters with a pair of very interesting female characters played by a couple of notable young actresses. In "Miri" the Enterprise discovers a planet in the far reaches of the galaxy that looks exactly like Earth. But on the surface they find a ruinedcity inhabited only by children. It seems that 300 years ago there was an outbreak of a disease that kills children when they reach puberty, at which point they age really fast and go insane. Fortunately the aging process for these children is very slow, otherwise the Enterprise would have only found a deserted planet. Kim Darby turns in an excellent performance in the title role of "Miri," the young woman who develops a big time crush for Kirk and becomes dangerously jealous of Yeoman Rand. Of course, the away team comes down with the dreaded disease and the children, who do not trust the "grups," sabotage McCoy's efforts to find a cure, forcing a confrontation between Shatner and the children. Just think of this as a twisted version of Peter Pan by way of the Omega Man. The fact that this planet looks just like Earth was a way of using Hollywood sets in a space opera, instead of finding futuristic looking shopping malls or whatever. But surely the plot of "Miri" did not need that particular set up. I also want to mention that I think this was Grace Lee Whitney's finest performance as Janice Rand and one of the few times she her character was given anything significant to do. Usually she just handed Kirk a log report. "The Conscience of the King" is surely one of the most dated Star Trek episodes. Just think: hundreds of years have gone by and Kirk has a difficult time trying to prove Anton Karidian, the head of a troop of actors, is really Kodos the Executioner. The Enterprise can analyze planets from the far side of the galaxy, but cannot come up with a way of identifying a human being. So there are only three people left in the universe who can identify Kodos. Actually, that number is down to two after Kirk's old friend is murdered right after the pair catch a performance by Karidian and his troop. So Kirk arranges things to get the actors aboard the Enterprise, where he has to deal not only with the actor but his daughter, Lenore, who loves her father much more than she is attracted to the dashing Captain Kirk. The line "The Conscience of the King" is taken from "Hamlet," and certainly Kirk is placed in a similar position to the Danish prince in that he thinks he knows the truth but he is not sure enough to take action, which, of course, means more lives will be lost while he makes up his mind. Since I have never really found the inability of the hero to act particularly enjoyable, this episode tends to drag a bit for me, despite the outstanding performances by the guest stars. Karidian is given a dignified presence by Anton Moss, while Lenore is played by Barbara Anderson, better known for playing Eve Whitfield on "Ironside." Anderson's performance in the shattering climax of this episode when her character goes over the edge is as memorable a piece of acting as any you see in any Star Trek episode.
Rating: 
Summary: Oh the humanity...
Review: As wretched as these two are, it's worth owning Miri just to witness a 20-something Michael J.Pollard passing as a pre-teen and hearing Shatner emote "NO BLAH-BLAH-BLAH!"
Rating:
Summary: Oh the humanity...
Review: As wretched as these two are, it's worth owning Miri just to witness a 20-something Michael J.Pollard passing as a pre-teen and hearing Shatner emote "NO BLAH-BLAH-BLAH!"
Rating: 
Summary: One Good and One bad,
Review: Forgetable episode was Miri, a show with bad child actors and Shatner showing us a not so effective performance...The other more superior episode, The Conscience of The King was well written and directed. Shatner in this episode really puts his theater training to good usage here. This DVD shows that Star Trek can have a fair mix of both good and terrible story ideas.
Rating:
Summary: Darbys' Gem
Review: I find it hard to give any of these episodes less than 5 stars because they are the cornerstone of Scifi, but I will say Kim Darby as "Miri" is amazing. She may be my favorite guest actor on the show and that covers a lot of ground. I don't agree that the plot was weak, I found it believeable. My only knock is the 'other' kids seem weak. Darbys' reaction to being 'found' at the beginning of the episode needs to be seen. McCoy and Spock are becoming an item to behold with this 12th episode, incomparable. Who does McCoy call out for in his time of pain? Spock. The second episode here is not one of my faves but it is good. I never liked Kevin Riley much and was glad to see him leave, since he was a pivotal character of this episode it's no wonder I frown upon it ever so slightly. Anton Moss as "Karidian" is nice but nothing earth shattering. This disc is a must though (aren't they all?) for the foundation building of Spock and McCoy and for the wonderful performance of Kim Darby. I wish someone would do a follow up "novel" with her character, "Miri" ... who knows maybe it will be me! There's just Something About Miri.
Rating:
Summary: Miri
Review: Miri
The Enterprise receives an Earth style distress signal from a planet that is an exact duplicate of the Earth in every detail. Beaming down to the planet surface while tracking the signals exact location Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Yeoman Rand and a security detail find a city that is not only apparently devoid of life but in total disrepair as well. They soon learn that all isn't as it seems as McCoy is attacked by one of the city's inhabitants, a mutant life form with the body of an adult but the mind of a child. After being knocked out by Kirk, the man/creature goes into convulsions and then dies. Hearing noises in the distance the landing party fans out converging on the source of the disturbance in an old house. They discover a frightened teenage girl who tells Kirk and the landing party about an adult population or "Grups" going mad, and how the children or "Onlies" managed to survive. Spock and the security detail scout around the city and learn that there are children still alive and well. Spock attempts to get close but can't because they know the city so well and scurry around like mice.
Miri leads the landing party to a laboratory where they learn about what had happened. The planet's scientists attempted a life prolongation project which had gone horribly wrong; the project had killed off the adult population by causing an infected person to develop painful sores all over the body and die. This condition allowed the children to live extremely long lives before entering puberty; but once they entered puberty and became an adult the disease took its full affect. The disease strands the landing party on the planet in which the only hope of survival is to discover an antidote. The Enterprise, McCoy and the rest of the landing party work furiously to find a cure to the disease that has already started to affect them. The security guards continue to look for the other children, while the rest of the landing party discovers that they only have very little time left. Miri starts to show feelings for "Jim" Kirk, using that Kirk has Miri lead him to where the other children are. Miri leads him to a school house where the children, led by a teenage boy named Jahn are hiding. Kirk is attacked by another of the planets inhabitants, a teenage girl named Louise, who already afflicted by the disease was stunned by Kirk's phaser. The shot killed the already doomed girl and emphasized the urgency of their situation.
Mr. Spock calculates that they have one week left to discover an antidote, the disease wasn't affecting Spock as quickly but he is a carrier of it. The Onlies set up a diversion drawing the landing party out of the lab and allowing Jahn and some of the other children to sneak into the lab and steal the communicators. Without them the landing party would be cutoff from the Enterprise and the ship's vast resources. As the disease further develops in the members of the landing party the stress level rises and tempers flare. McCoy stumbles upon the disease that the planets scientists had accidentaly created giving the landing party a chance to cure the affliction.
Miri with the aid of Jahn and some of the other children hatch the ultimate "foolie", a ruse to lure Yeoman Rand into a trap. McCoy finds what he thinks is a cure to the disease but must have contact with the ship in order to test it. Kirk convinces Miri to help him find Rand and the communicators, as the disease had already started to affect her. She takes Kirk to where Rand was being held; convincing the Onlies was a whole other matter. Kirk teaches the kids a harsh lesson about a disturbing reality they will all soon face if they fail to listen. Desperate, McCoy administers the antidote to himself; it causes him to yell out and then renders him temporarily unconscious. Returning back to the lab all the adults and children witness the antidotes affect as it makes the blemishes on McCoy's skin fade away, with the disease eradicated, the planet can be saved and the civilization rebuilt.
A good story based upon what can happen with science if it goes unchecked.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best Trek DVDs
Review: Miri-One of the most disturbing of the 1st season shows, Miri concerns a fatal fungus-like disease that strikes only adults. The early parts of the episode wield a claustrophobic suspense more akin to a sci-fi/horror movie. The kids are quite chilling as well in the extent to which they have gone wild, and in their capacity for denial in the face of trauma. Kim Darby's performance also boosts the show, injecting an element of hope and a bridge between the 'young' and the 'old.' The taboo subject of adolescent female sexuality is handled gracefully and respectfully. The solution found to the illness is a bit anti climactic, but Star Trek certainly saw worse. At least here McCoy is allowed to shine; by the 3rd season all to often only Kirk, and Kirk alone, was allowed to be hero. (4 stars) The Conscience of the King-This Shakespearean episode, in which a father and daughter lead an acting troupe being transported by the Enterprise, is one of the most underrated. The episode has a very distinctive feel, from the opening shot of the bloody knife to the medieval-sounding musical score. The parallels between Macbeth (and other Bard works) and the episode are also quite intriguing. Themes explored in this thoughtful show include 1) the impossibility of escaping the past, and 2) the strength (for better or worse) of familial bonds. Add to this the fact that the episode is a murder mystery with three plot twists (one of them is admittedly revealed far too soon), and you have a winner. (4.5 stars)
Rating:
Summary: "Bonk-bonk on the head!"
Review: REVIEWED ITEM: Star Trek® Original Series DVD Volume 6: Miri© / The Conscience of the King© MIRI© PRELIMINARY BRIEFS: Basic Moral, Ethical, and/or Philosophical Subject Driven Into The Ground: The Menace of Children Running Free Without Proper Adult Guidance / Foolhardy Efforts To Make Things Better That Result In Making Things Worse Expendable Crewmember ('Red Shirt') Confirmed Casualty List: None REVIEW/COMMENTARY: If you were a bit too squeamish to check out Lord Of The Flies©, this little tale of unattended kids will likely be more your speed. The Enterprise discovers a surprisingly cloudless alternate Earth where all the adults have perished in a plague, forcing their children to fend for themselves. The events that follow are basically a kitbashing of The Naked Time©'s virus-that-needs-to-be-cured-toot-sweet plot device, the 'Spock's Non-Human Anatomy Explaining Why He's Not Affected By The Disease' gimmick, and half the series' catalog of eppies where the gallant Enterprise™ crewmembers must race against the clock to avert certain doom. So much for originality, hmm? Still, I do find a few of Miri©'s moments to be rather entertaining, especially the climactic scene where Kirk confronts the gang of rogue young'uns. The kids give Jimmers a pretty good roughing up here in one of classic Trek's most disquieting moments (Sheesh-- getting' beat up by a buncha kids?! That had to have been a major blow to the good captain's machismo...). This episode is also notable for adding a few words & phrases to the hardcore Trekkie/Trekker's repertoire, including 'foolie' (a game), 'grups' (adults), 'onlies' (the planet's survivors), and the somewhat annoying 'Bonk-bonk on the head!' Words &phrases that are quite useful when you're playing a round of Fizzbin against Captain Dunsel, The Great Bird Of The Galaxy, and Herbert, by the way... THE CONSCIENCE OF THE KING© PRELIMINARY BRIEFS: Basic Moral, Ethical, and/or Philosophical Subject Driven Into The Ground: Justice versus Vengeance; Someone's Past Misdeeds Returning to Haunt Him Expendable Crewmember ('Red Shirt') Confirmed Casualty List: 0 Dead, 1 Incapacitated (Poisoned, Recovered) REVIEW/COMMENTARY: Long before Picard was plugging Shakespeare on NextGen, the original show decided to throw a bit o' the bard into an episode, resulting in 'The Conscience of the King'. Is the head actor-director of a traveling Shakespeare drama show actually a mass murderer attempting to escape his past? Kirk starts putting the puzzle together whilst trying to avoid getting' himself killed in the process. He even manages to grab a little bit o' romance from the accused's daughter... Speakin' of romance, one of the most innuendo-laden lines ever uttered on Star Trek® popped up in this particular episode: "all this power, surging and throbbing, yet under control". Kinda makes ya wonder what the writer was thinkin' 'bout when he came up with that one, hmm? Arnold Moss, the man playing Karidian and (maybe) Kodos, does the stereotypical over-acting Shakespearean thespian to a T, going so far as to keep playing the character somewhat even after the curtains close. Throw in a very disheartening ending gushing with poetic justice, and you've got yourself one of classic Trek's most pitiful tragedies! Um, pitiful in a good way that is. Well, not in a 'good' good way, in a... umm... ahhh, forget it. Let's jump to something important: make sure you've got the Mute button on standby when Uhura starts to sing to a lonely Kevin Riley down in engineering! I was rather amazed to see that his pained reaction to the tainted milk he drank reflected my own discomfort as the lovely communications officer belted out her off-kilter tune! But hey, at least her singin' ain't quite as bad as the vocal 'talents' of a couple of her commanding officers! I gotta give her that at least...
Rating:
Summary: The last two episodes featuring Janice Rand.
Review: Star Trek: The Original Series Volume 6 features two episodes originally aired in 1966: "Miri:" Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Rand beam down to a planet inhabited by 300 year-old 'children' wherein they are infected by a maddening disease that is fatal to adults. This segment attempts to be a haunting take on the Peter Pan fable about children who never grow old, but fails to sustain interest (one's mind keeps wandering); there's also too many melodramatic scenes that simpy don't work. On the plus side Yeoman Janice Rand figures prominently; her horror at the disease' progress on her body, and hence the deterioration of her beauty, is an excellent analogy of the universal human struggle with the accursed reality of aging and death. Anyway, the episode provides adequate proof that kids and Star Trek don't mix (so why did they end up featuring Wesley Crusher so prominently in Star Trek: The Next Generation two decades later?) (Of course he only lasted four seasons as Trek fans universally despised him -- including me). GRADE: D- "The Conscience of the King:" Kirk becomes convinced that the leader of a Shakespearean troupe, Anton Karidian, which the Enterprise is transporting, is a notorious political figure responsible for a massacre twenty years earlier. This episode sadly marks the seventh and final appearance of Yeoman Janice Rand played by Grace Lee Whitney. Unfortunately her appearance here is merely a cameo. Apparently the network felt the presence of Rand would hinder Kirk's succession of romantic interests (an argument that really holds no water). Over the years Gene Roddenberry has stated many times that he should have kept Grace as part of the cast. She would return to Trek twelve years later in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Arnold Moss, who plays Karidian, gives an outstanding performance portraying Karidian when he painfully exclaims, "I no longer treasure life, not even my own... I AM TIRED...!!" Powerful! Bottom Line: An original, mature and well-written drama, not to mention heartbreaking -- kids won't like it. GRADE B+
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