Trek Review: “The Naked Time”

A person’s inhibitions can be very revealing. We all probably say things we regret whilst intoxicated. “The Naked Time” taps into that side of a person’s very essence with the spread of a virus found on planet Psi 2000. This leads to some very revealing characteristics being examined of most of the principal actors on the Starship Enterprise.

This is a great episode, hands down. If I wasn’t hooked on the series by this point, this is surely the episode that would force me to make the show appointment television every week.

I have always admired Leonard Nimoy’s solo scene in the briefing room towards the end of the episode in which he is trying not to succumb to the effects of the virus. The story of how that scene came to be is the stuff of legends. Go look it up for yourself, because I won’t dwell on it here. That scene gives the first really great insight into the Spock character. When I was first watching the series in 1991, this was the scene that made me love Spock more than any other character on the show. That still remains true to this day. It would have been no different in 1966. I would bet that a lot of people would have felt the same way.

Of another note: Bruce Hyde as Kevin Riley. Only he could make “Kathleen” the most annoying song in years! 😛

Next week: