Television Review: Friday's Child (Star Trek, S2X03, 1967)

Friday’s Child (S02E03)

Airdate: December 1st 1967

Written by: D. C. Fontana
Directed by: Joseph Pevney

Running Time: 50 minutes

The second season of Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) is widely regarded as the most cohesive and impactful of the show’s three seasons, producing episodes that cemented the franchise’s foundational themes, characters, and ethos. Many of these episodes have endured as timeless classics, blending science fiction with moral complexity, social commentary, and bold storytelling. However, not all episodes reached such heights, and those that fell short often do so either by failing to align with Star Trek’s aspirational ideals or by inadvertently mirroring the cultural biases of the mid-1960s. Friday’s Child epitomises this latter category: a well-intentioned but uneven entry that, while not entirely without merit, betrays the series’ potential through its dated sensibilities, underdeveloped characters, and a narrative structure that prioritises action over substance.

The plot of Friday’s Child unfolds on the planet of Capella IV, home to the Capellans, a primitive humanoid society governed by a warrior culture steeped in honour and tradition. The Federation seeks to secure Capella’s rare mineral, topaline, a valuable resource for space travel, by negotiating a treaty with the Capellans’ leader, High Teer Akar (Ben Gage). Captain Kirk, accompanied by Spock, security officer Lt. Grant (Robert Bralver), and McCoy—who has prior experience with the Capellans—is dispatched to facilitate this mission. Unbeknownst to the crew, the Klingons have also sent an agent, the manipulative Kras (Tige Andrews), to sabotage the treaty and secure the topaline for themselves. Before Akar can sign the agreement, he is assassinated by his rival, Maab (Michael Dante), in a coup orchestrated by Kras, leaving his pregnant widow, Eleen (Julie Newmar), in a precarious position. Kirk’s team is imprisoned alongside Eleen, but they escape into the hills, pursued by Capellan warriors. Meanwhile, on the Enterprise, Scotty faces a dilemma when a distress signal—possibly a Klingon ruse—threatens to divert the ship’s attention from rescuing Kirk.

When evaluated within the framework of 1960s television, Friday’s Child operates as a conventional yet serviceable episode, offering modest entertainment value and decent production values for its time. The script, penned by D.C. Fontana, initially aimed to explore feminist themes through Eleen. However, these ambitions are diluted by the script’s focus on action and comedy, with Eleen reduced to a plot device rather than a fully realised individual. The episode’s pace is brisk, balancing dialogue-driven scenes with chase sequences and skirmishes, though much of the action stems from poor decision-making by characters. Lt. Grant, for instance, epitomises the “redshirt” trope through his rash actions—such as confronting armed enemies without orders—which directly lead to his demise. While this contributes to the episode’s tension, it also highlights a narrative reliance on contrivances rather than logical progression.

Technically, the episode is a mixed bag. Director Joseph Pevney attempts to inject visual flair in the interior Capellan scenes, with stark lighting and textured set designs creating an otherworldly atmosphere. The tent-like structures and dimly lit interiors give the tribal sequences a claustrophobic, primal feel. However, these efforts are undermined by the exterior scenes filmed at Vasquez Rocks, a location reused across multiple TOS episodes. The desert backdrop, while cost-effective, becomes visually monotonous and leans into a Western aesthetic that clashes with the episode’s sci-fi aspirations. The Capellans’ costumes—an impractical desert attire—add to the dated, campy vibe, feeling more like a 1960s vision of “exotic” tribal culture than a believable alien society. This design choice, while perhaps intentional for dramatic effect, inadvertently highlights the show’s budgetary constraints and the era’s limited imagination when portraying non-Western societies.

The relationship between Eleen and McCoy is another area where the episode falters. While Eleen’s pregnancy introduces a potential emotional arc—particularly in her defiance of Capellan taboos by allowing McCoy to treat her—their interactions are overshadowed by the relentless action. McCoy’s attempts to care for her are framed more as a plot necessity than a meaningful character dynamic. This undermines Fontana’s original feminist premise, relegating Eleen to a passive role rather than empowering her as a leader or survivor.

The subplot involving Scotty on the Enterprise is similarly mishandled. Faced with a potential distress signal from a derelict ship, Scotty must decide whether to investigate despite the risk of a Klingon trap. His indecision and eventual decision to pursue the signal—a choice that nearly leads to disaster—paint him as inept and impulsive, contradicting his established reputation as a competent, resourceful engineer. This misstep undermines both the character’s credibility and the episode’s tension, as Scotty’s actions feel unmotivated and inconsistent with Starfleet protocol.

Perhaps the most glaring anachronism in Friday’s Child is its Cold War allegory, explicitly framing the Federation’s mission as a contest with the Klingons (stand-ins for the Soviet Union) for influence over a “primitive” Third World nation. The Capellans, with their tribal politics and lack of technological advancement, symbolise nations caught between superpower rivalry—a theme prevalent in 1960s Cold War narratives. While this context provided contemporary relevance, it also reflects the era’s paternalistic attitudes toward developing nations, portraying them as pawns rather than autonomous actors. The episode’s resolution, in which Kirk manipulates Capellan traditions to legitimise Eleen’s son as High Teer, underscores this colonialist undertone, suggesting that outsiders must impose order on “backward” societies.

At the end of the day, Friday’s Child is a flawed episode that, while not entirely without its charms, epitomises the pitfalls of Season 2’s occasional missteps. Its strengths—such as Fontana’s attempt to explore gender dynamics and Pevney’s inventive interior visuals—are outweighed by its reliance on clichéd character behaviour, underdeveloped subplots, and a narrative that prioritises Cold War-era allegory over nuanced storytelling. For all its ambition, Friday’s Child remains a curious footnote in Star Trek’s canon, a relic of its time that struggles to transcend its era’s cultural and technological constraints.

RATING: 5/10 (+)

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