This episode is stupid and I love it. First appearance of a holodeck (and they're just as lethal as in TNG), Scotty gets pied, and Kirk is a Jerk.
interesting! they have holodeck!
i thought it first used is in star trek: the next generation
I read the title. I fear the worst. It's a nice episode though. I didn't know this episode features the first appearance of some sort of holo deck. For this fact alone this episode is watch-worthy. The feared "practical joke" part is of course as bad I imagined. However, I have to admit: I laughed despite the silliness. (If you want to go that far, it also involves more serious philosophical question concerning the possibility of sentient computers.)
The only reason I didn't rate this episode a "1" was because I can pull some good, funny screenshots out of it. I'm watching this series in order on Netflix and these episodes have gotten worse as it goes along.
Easily the best part: KIRK IS A JERK.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2017-07-30T20:37:05Z
[8.3/10] Hey! This is a landmark episode of Star Trek! Not only is it the first appearance of the holodeck (here termed merely “The Rec Room”), but it’s the first instance of the inevitable holodeck malfunction! I’ll admit, I’m a soft touch when it comes to comedy episodes and “we have to fix the ship” episodes in Star Trek, so this fit the bill for me.
For one thing, I loved how silly the practical jokes were. I laughed at loud at the Dennis the Menace-level “Kirk Is A Jerk” phrase emblazoned on the captain’s uniform.There was a lot of comedy in this one, and having Majel Barrett cackling as the ship’s computer and messing with the crew was a recipe for success.
But the episode didn’t skimp on action or excitement either. Watching the crew struggle to figure out what was wrong and try to fix it when the ship was actively working against them made for some interesting puzzles. And, however contrived, using a giant balloon to distract the Romulans and then tricking the ship into steering through the same energy field that started The Enterprise’s “nervous breakdown” was clever and fun. At the same time, McCoy, Uhura, and Sulu surviving the ship trying to freeze them to death had some good drama to it as well.
All-in-all, this is one of the more fun and inventive episode of The Animated Series so far, with the holodeck and ship-gone-mad conceits creating great opportunities for the show to flex its comedic and creative muscles.