IMDb > "Star Trek" The Conscience of the King (1966)
"Star Trek: The Conscience of the King (#1.13)"
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"Star Trek" The Conscience of the King (1966)


Videos
"Star Trek" (1966): Season 1: Episode 13 -- Kirk suspects Shakespearean actor Anton Karidian as a mass murderer

Overview

User Rating:
7.3/10   421 votes
Director:
Gerd Oswald
Writers:
Barry Trivers (written by)
Gene Roddenberry (creator)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Conscience of the King on IMDbPro.
TV Series:
"Star Trek" (1966)
Original Air Date:
8 December 1966 (Season 1, Episode 13)
Genre:
Adventure | Sci-Fi more
Plot:
While Captain Kirk investigates whether an actor is actually a presumed dead mass murderer, a mysterious assailant is killing the people who could identify the fugitive. full summary | full synopsis
User Comments:
Hamlet and Nazi war crimes more (10 total)

Cast

  (Episode Complete credited cast)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
50 min | Argentina:60 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Argentina:Atp | Canada:PG (video rating)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The title refers to Shakespeare's Hamlet Act II, Scene II; "The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king". more
Goofs:
Plot holes: The plot involves the last few people who know what Kodos looked like being murdered one by one. Yet Kirk brings up a clear *photo* of Kodos to compare with Karidian's. more
Quotes:
Karidian: I am an actor. I play many parts.
Captain James T. Kirk: You're an actor now. What were you twenty years ago?
Karidian: Younger. Much younger.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Bring Back... Star Trek (2009) (TV) more

FAQ

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful.
Hamlet and Nazi war crimes, 2 June 2009
Author: Blueghost from the San Francisco Bay Area

I really wasn't sure what to call this review, so I figured I'd just call it what I thought the whole thing was about.

What we have here is a classic criminal investigation using a theatrical technique to recreate the theme of whatever crime it was that was committed. The idea is to get the suspect/perpetrator to emotionally connect with their alleged criminal act. The concept is an old one. The astute viewer, particularly one familiar with Shakespeare (Edward de Vere's works) will note Hamlet's "the play's the thing..." concept, and how said notion is cleverly injected into this episode.

Most of the episode is a murder mystery a-la a PBS episode with Diana Rigg. But, unlike WGBH's production, we're not given hints nor clues as to who is doing what. It's part of the ingenuity of this episode as the audience is shown apparent evidence for inferred correlation. As such the audience isn't really challenged to figure out who is doing what, but presented a twist without realizing it.

The theme is lifted from the criminal investigations that continue to this very day as of this writing, concerning the heinous acts of mass murder by the Nazi regime prior to the ending of the second world war. What is stronger? Peronsal ties or societal obligation? And what are the personal ramifications on a personal basis when two sets of right and wrong collide? Can anyone, so divided, exist and retain their sanity? This episode explores those themes, and offers a possible outcome. It is an interesting exploration, and an interesting writing exercise.

A respectable episode. Enjoy.

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