Published Jan 11, 2017
"The Squire of Gothos"... 50 Years Later
"The Squire of Gothos"... 50 Years Later
And the latest Star Trek: The Original Series episode to turn 50 is… “The Squire of Gothos.” Dominated by William Campbell’s flamboyant performance as the powerful and petulant Trelane, "The Squire of Gothos" debuted on January 12, 1967. StarTrek.com celebrates the episode's 50th anniversary by sharing some facts, figures and anecdote about the entertaining TOS installment.
- This was the 18th episode of TOS’s first season.
- “The Squire of Gothos” was one of writer Paul Schneider’s two contributions to TOS. He also wrote “Balance of Terror.”
- Production on this hour spanned from October 28, 1966 to November 7, 1966.
- Memorable bit of dialogue #1: "Do you know ,” Trelane pointed out to Kirk, “that you're one of the few predator species that preys even on itself?"
- Campbell played Trelane in this episode, and the Klingon, Koloth, in “The Trouble with Tribbles.” He played Koloth again in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode, “Blood Oath.” Though it wasn’t meant to be, Campbell, like many a Trek fan, hoped he’d get to play Trelane again and assumed he’d share scenes with a certain Star Trek: The Next Generation character. "I expect that they'll someday reprise the Squire of Gothos (character), preferably in a battle with Q (John de Lancie)," he told journalist Ian Spelling during a 1994 interview with The Chicago Tribune. “They're so alike, and I know John quite well. I’ve always thought it’s a hell of an idea." A longtime favorite at conventions, Campbell was 84 in 2011, when he died peacefully and, appropriately, in Woodland Hills, California, at the Motion Picture & Television Country Home and Hospital, a facility for which he worked tirelessly as an advocate, volunteer and fundraiser.
- According to Memory Alpha, “Uhura refers to a ‘Spacefleet Command,’ even though the names Starfleet and Starfleet Command originated several episodes earlier in ‘Court Martial,’ and again in the two-part episode ‘The Menagerie.’"
- Michael Barrier made the first of his three TOS appearances in this episode. He played Lt. DeSalle here, a biologist in "This Side of Paradise" and an assistant chief engineer in “Catspaw.”
- This was the one and only TOS episode directed by Don McDougall, whose long Hollywood career spanned from 1951 to 1985. Prior to Trek, he’d worked with DeForest Kelley on several shows, including Trackdown and Bonanza, and with Leonard Nimoy on The Virginian. McDougall passed away in 1991 at the age of 73.
- Leslie (Eddie Paskey) sat in the captain’s chair twice on TOS, once in this episode and once in “The Alternative Factor.”
- Memorable bit of dialogue #2: "I object to you,” Spock told Trelane. “I object to intellect without discipline. I object to power without constructive purpose."
- Barbara Babcock provided the voice of Trelane’s mother. The actress also played Mea 3 in “A Taste of Armageddon” and Philana in “Plato’s Stepchildren,” and voiced both the Beta 5 computer and Isis in “Assignment Earth,” Loskene in “The Tholian Web” and Zetar in “The Lights of Zetar.”
- Memory Alpha notes that “An M-113 creature is among the trophies on display in Trelane's castle. When McCoy (the creature's last defender in "The Man Trap") sees it, he does a double-take. During the scene the howling music theme from that episode is heard. It is possible that Trelane had observed Planet M-113 with his telescope at some point.”
- Memorable bit of dialogue #3: "You broke it!” Trelane shouted/whined at Kirk. “You broke my sword!"
