Journey to Babel

Episode Summary & Review

Summary

A large diplomatic conference will take place on Babel, to discuss the contentious issue of whether to admit Corridan to the Federation. Delegates are divided, and some of their motives are less than pure. Among these delegates is Sarek of Vulcan – Spock’s estranged father. Add a mysterious challenging spacecraft and a murderer aboard the Enterprise, and Kirk has his hands full. Then Kirk himself is stabbed, leaving him seriously injured at the very moment when Spock is due to donate blood so that McCoy can operate on Vulcan ambassador Sarek’s damaged heart. The key to solving this puzzle will require deducing which of the many factions is willing to go to violent lengths to sabotage this conference.

Our Take

A packed hour that somehow juggles a murder mystery, a spy subplot, and the best family drama the show ever attempted. Mark Lenard and Jane Wyatt make Spock’s parents feel like real people with real history, and the standoff over the transfusion genuinely hurts. The mystery itself is thin, but the character work carries it easily. Worth your time.