Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 72: The Mark Of Gideon [VHS]

Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 72: The Mark Of Gideon [VHS]

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Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 72: The Mark Of Gideon [VHS]

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Every now and then, the meager budget for Star Trek was helped along by stories set almost entirely on the Enterprise, which required shooting within established sets. "The Mark of Gideon" was a clever way to mitigate the visual monotony of such episodes. Captain Kirk (William Shatner) beams himself down to the planet Gideon, but instead finds himself alone in a mock-up of his own starship. (Translation: it's Shatner on the Enterprise set without the rest of the cast.) Almost alone, that is: Kirk finds himself accompanied by the beautiful Odona (Sharon Acker), an inhabitant of Gideon selected for infection by an outsider, in hopes that a plague of some sort will help the planet's overpopulation problem. Despite, or even because of, the set-bound nature of the story, "The Mark of Gideon" is actually one of the boldest and freshest ideas in the series, and like "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield," took on a hot topic of controversy (population control) in the issue-driven 1960s. The scri

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Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful Worst episode ever, February 18, 2004 By  "wolvus" (new york) - See all my reviews This review is from: Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 72: The Mark Of Gideon [VHS] (VHS Tape) C'mon. The planet is so overpopulated that every mountain is covered with people, but they found the acreage to construct this monstrous fake Enterprise. The planet Gideon isn't in the Federation, but they got a hold of the blueprints to build an exact replica of the Federation's flagship, perfect enough to fool the captain. Not to mention that Kirk never once worries about operating the ship by himself...in fact the "fake" ship leaves Gideon orbit (it was still in orbit when Kirk first gets there) without Kirk so much as flipping a switch...the problems with this episode go on and on. And besides all that, it's BORING! I actually enjoy the banter between Spock and Hodin, but the rest of it, zzzzz. Nothing happens. Chemistry beween Odana and Kirk? Not much. The Gideon's entire plan is so alarmingly stupid on every level...it's no wonder when Spock shows up to beam Kirk and Odana out of there, Hodin (after having gone to all of this effort) stands there like a statue without protest. This episode is worse than the Lights of Zetar (which is spookier), worse than And The Children Shall Lead (where at least they hand out ice cream), and worse than Spock's Brain (which is wildly amusing). That means the Mark of Gideon stands alone as the Worst Episode Ever. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you?  Report abuse | Permalink  Comment 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful Good social commentary, absurd premise, February 2, 2004 By  Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews          This review is from: Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 72: The Mark Of Gideon [VHS] (VHS Tape) To those whose lives do not extend back to the days when the original Star Trek series first aired, some of the storylines seem socially backward. They do not realize how restrictive the rules of censorship were at that time. While the premise of this episode is silly, it was the only way that the serious social issue of overpopulation could appear on television at that time. The Enterprise arrives at the planet Gideon and only Kirk is allowed to beam down. Upon arrival, he finds himself back on what appears to be the crewless Enterprise, and after searching, finds that a beautiful woman of unknown origin is his only companion on the ship. Back on the Enterprise, Spock, McCoy and the rest of the crew are told that Kirk never arrived on Gideon. Although it is clear that the leaders of Gideon are lying, Star Fleet command will authorize no action, although they admit that he has probably been kidnapped. Along the way, we are exposed to glimpses of a planet where there are so many people that even the hallways of the government buildings are packed. This is the consequence of the eradication of disease and the Gideons are trying to reintroduce disease, as Kirk is a carrier of one that can be fatal. The woman is injected with the infective agent and she starts falling ill. After reaching an impasse with Star Fleet command and the Gideons, Spock violates orders and beams down to the surface, finding himself on the replica of the Enterprise. He rescues Kirk and McCoy then saves the life of the woman. Since she is now a carrier and can be used to infect others on Gideon, they are no longer interested in Kirk. The sixties were when the problem of overpopulation first became a cause for concern, but there were many social and religious pressures that prevented it from even being discussed in the mass media. Therefore, in the restrictive spirit of the times, the only way it could be presented was in the context of a futuristic story. While this episode is given points for facing a serious issue, the approach is absurd, which is so typical of many of the episodes of the third season. Relevant social commentary was apparent in the episode, but it was based on such an absurd premise, that it is at times painful to watch. Given that elicit traffic in almost anything has always been part of the human situation, there is no reason to think that it will be any different when they move out into space. Therefore, it would have been very simple for the Gideons to simply buy what they needed on the black market rather than kidnap a Federation representative and risk retribution. This episode is one of the worst of the original series, it is difficult to take seriously and not fun to watch. If you are to present social commentary as entertainment, then some entertainment must be provided. After watching it several times, I can remember no memorable line, one that sticks to your brain and is a marker to a high point of the episode. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you?  Report abuse | Permalink  Comment 6 of 9 people found the following review helpful Propaganda for the New World Order, November 27, 2001 By A Customer This review is from: Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 72: The Mark Of Gideon [VHS] (VHS Tape) This show has to be one of the most blatant and perverse piece of lies and anti-population propaganda ever shown on TV. The lovely, scantily clad Odona thinks she can "save her planet" by infecting herself with a disease that no longer afflicts Kirk and passing it on to her population, which is medically impossible. The show is full of population hysteria that has since been disproven and ends with an incredibly warped scene of Kirk and McCoy grinning in approval as the depraved Odona returns to depopulate her planet. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you?  Report abuse | Permalink  Comment

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Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 72: The Mark Of Gideon [VHS]

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