Star trek: The original series 1.04a - The balance of terror
Stardate 1703.1
Threat advisory: High - High risk of entertaining activities
Episode propaganda
The Enterprise is on patrol duty along the border between the UFP and the Romulan Empire. After decades of silence from the Romulans, they appear to be starting a new offensive. They have perfected a device which can render their starship totally invisible...
Persons of interest
- William Shatner .... Captain James Tiberius Kirk
- Leonard Nimoy .... Commander Spock
- Deforest Kelley .... Doctor Leonard H McCoy
- James Doohan .... Lieutenant Montgomery Scott
- Nichelle Nichols .... Lieutenant Uhura
- George Takei .... Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu
- Walter Koenig .... Ensign Pavel Andreievich Chekov
- Majel Barrett .... Nurse Christine Chapel
- Grace Lee Whitney .... Yeoman Janice Rand
- Mark Lenard .... the Romulan Commander
- Lawrence Montaigne .... Decius
- Paul Comi .... Lieutenant Andrew Stiles
- John Warburton .... the Centurion
- Stephen Mines .... Specialist Robert Tomlinson
- Barbara Baldavin .... Specialist Second Class Angela Martine
- Paul Schneider .... Screenwriter
- Vincent McEveety .... Director
Cinematic intelligence sources
- Studios and distributors:
Intelligence analyst
Special Agent Matti
Intelligence report
Romulans! Cloaking devices! Fire all weapons! Pointy ears! Oh, joy!
Borrowing from every good World War II submarine movie I ever saw as a grasshopper, The balance of terror is about strategy, guile, deceit, manoeuvre and counter-manoeuvre. Kirk meets his match in Mark Lenard's doomed Romulan Commander, and wins a pyrrhic victory only because of a technicality (or should I say technobabble?)
This is a wonderfully dramatic episode that is better than most of The next generation or Deep Space Nine Romulan episodes. Watch and learn...
Security censorship classification
PG (Low level violence)
Not for public release in Australia before date
DVD retail: 9 September 2004
