The Conscience of the King

Episode Summary & Review

Summary

Dr. Leighton calls Enterprise to his home on Planet Q with the promise of a new food source that could end hunger. But this is a ruse: Leighton is one of the few remaining survivors of Kodos the Executioner, who used a planetary famine to apply his own ideas of eugenics on Tarsus IV years earlier. A burned body convinced authorities that Kodos had died then, but Leighton is certain that actor Anton Karidian is Kodos. Kirk is less than amused at the deception – and then someone murders Leighton. It’s not enough to accuse, but it is enough for suspicion, so Kirk arranges to strand the acting troupe, and then offers them a ride on Enterprise where he hopes to ascertain whether Leighton’s accusation is true.

Our Take

A moody, stagey hour that plays more like a detective story than typical Trek, and the Shakespearean angle gives Shatner some of his better early material. The mystery itself is thin and the pacing sags in the middle, but Arnold Moss is genuinely good as the actor who may be a mass murderer. Worth a watch for the atmosphere alone, just don’t expect action.