3x11 Wink of an Eye

[8.1/10] There are many great and varied modes of Star Trek, from the planet of the week to the wacky virus that’s making everyone act funny. But my favorite mode, and the one that consistently produces the best episodes is the crew as problem solvers. That may be a little too broad, after all, pretty much every episode has some obstacle for our heroes to overcome. But there’s several that involve some kind of puzzle to be solved, some unique sort of challenge beyond simply being kidnapped or attacked, that stand out for the good guys having to use some of that vaunted Trek lateral thinking to fix the problem.

That’s the beauty of “Wink of an Eye.” The more unique the problem, and the more clever the solution, the better. “Wink” soars with the former, where the Enterprise finds itself attacked by beings who have “accelerated” to the point that they seem invisible to the regular crew, existing in the spaces between seconds and slowly taking over the ship. The solution isn’t quite as clever, with Bones anti-temporal serum feeling like the usual treknobabble all-solving potion, but Kirk’s distractions, playing coy, and sabotage show the captain at his clever best.

That’s what I really enjoyed about the problem-solving episode. So often, when the show strands or shanghais a few main characters, there’s a few perfunctory cuts back to the business of the folks on the ship trying to find them, but it’s an afterthought, with the real action happening elsewhere. In “Wink,” by contrast, you have Kirk learning about the Scalosians and hindering their efforts, while at the same time Spock is leading an effort to discover what happened to the vanishing captain, and both feel like equal parts of the story.

It helps that the direction and editing do a great job at selling the differences between the two “worlds” existing simultaneously on the same ship. It’s such an easy thing, but the slight dutch angle when we’re in the accelerated realm is a great way to distinguish those portions of the episode visually, and helps send a subtle signal to the viewer that something is off. In the same way, the episode depicts the transition between one speed of existence and another very well. The slowed speech and movements of those around Kirk or Spock, the slow rotation of the camera, and great jobs from plenty of the cast stopping and starting their performances on a dime, make that transition as a real sci-fi treat.

Particular kudos are owed to Gene Coon (who receives a “story by” credit under the pen name Lee Cronin) and writer Arthur Heinemann for the neat premise and contours of the story. The notion of beings who live in what amounts to a realm adjacent to our own, given that they move at a different speed, not only creates a unique challenge for Spock and the rest of the crew to conquer, but represents the sort of intriguing sideways ideas that Trek is known for.

What’s great is that the episode doesn’t just use it as a gimmick, but rather digs into the meaningful consequences of that setup. Kirk has to be clever about how he delivers messages to his un-accelerated crew. Spock has to decode the high-pitched, insect-like hum of the sped-up Scalosian conversations. And the sensitivity of people who have just made a transition means any cellular degradation results in rapid again. Some of this is sci-fi wizardry, but it makes the time-dilation idea have teeth rather than feeling like window dressing.

In the same way, it convincingly explores the Scalosians and their different views of humanity, as well as the challenges of their way of life. While we’ve met plenty of powerful beings from dying planets, I like the idea that the Scalosian men are sterile, and that the Scalosians who’ve tried to de-accelerate have died. As such, their attempts to kidnap Kirk and leave the Enterprise in a state of suspended animation is not a simple act of war, but rather an effort to prolong the life of their species, to have a source to perpetuate that way of life. It gives them an interesting motivation and makes them more than just a set of one-note villains.

To that end, Deela is a great guest character. I have to admit, I initially rolled my eyes when I saw Kathie Brown in one of William Theiss’s barely-there dresses, but Deela is one of the most multi-faceted and interesting guest characters the show has featured. She has interesting motivations -- being attracted to Kirk, but as something like a pet, while trying to manage the unwanted affections of her lieutenant, while trying to unfurl her plan, lead her people, and continue her species. It doesn’t hurt that Brown and Shatner have good chemistry with one another (as much in terms of playing off one another as anything romantic) and the fact that Deela has agency and dignity and determination despite her scanty attire.

It’s a great outing for Kirk too. We see the captain as a great saboteur here. Whether he’s surreptitiously passing on messages to his crewmen, or disabling the transporter so as to buy more time before the Scalosians can finish their plan, or playing dumb with Deela to throw her off-balance, “Wink” sees the Captain in an unusual situation -- one where he’s effectively powerless and unable to just karate chop his way out of trouble -- and allows him to be clever in the way he tries to drag his feet, muck up the bad guys’ scheme, and communicate with his compatriots.

That’s one of the outstanding things Star Trek does, as a series and a franchise. It finds unusual situations to plug our heroes into, and then it forces them to find unusual solutions. It helps to reveal different sides of the character, when they’re in unfamiliar territory or difficult circumstances, and it adds intrigue to the plot by making the audience wonder how they’re going to find their way out of this one. “Wink” is a great example of that, with a unique premise, great outings for characters new and old, and some stellar cinematography and production choices to help tie the whole thing together.

Alright. I get the idea. In theory, it's one of these exciting "the ship's boarded" episodes. Even the idea of different time speeds is clever although physics-wise it lacks any sensible explanation. It could even have been fun like in DS9's One Little Ship in which some crew members of the captured Defiant were virtually invisible to others - not by a time anomaly but by shrinking them to a microscopic size.

Execution is just boring though. Visual style is very strange: strange camera angles (Dutch angles turned to 11!), strange slow-mo (I know, I know: time dilation). It doesn't help that the main intruder is represented by a sexy girl behaving and dressed like she's straight out of an early 70s Dirk Diggler movie. Kirk knows of course what to do: flirting with the girl, manipulating her, force-kissing her, sleeping with her (that's what putting on his boots and she straightening her hair is code for in the 60s, right?), talking sense into her. He's a natural.

I don't get it. What's the endgame here? Did the writers want to position Kirk as some sort of Sean Connery 007 in space? An irresistible guy with rough edges?

At least Spock saves the day by utilizing logic and coffee improved by science. The coffee speeds things up. Coffee afficionado Janeway would have given her life for this brew!

PS: I wonder if Voyager's episode Blink of an Eye refers to this episode in it's title.