It is too easy to miss the superb moments in this episode. For me the greatest highlight out of several is the relatively long (ten minutes according to the script) countdown to destruction sequence. When faced with the threat of total annihilation from Balok, Kirk proves his mettle as a starship commander by his calm pronouncements, providing the leadership qualities required to keep the apparently doomed crew focused on their duties. But as the clock ticks down to disaster, the young officer Bailey starts to crack and does so in the most convincing manner when triggered by the apparent futility of Sulu's announcement of the time. This scene is superbly well acted by Anthony Call, as other reviewers have noted. Bravo to him and a personal Lifetime Acting Star from me for a really great performance. As for the others on the bridge, I could almost feel the greater experience of the older crew keeping them in line whilst the inexperienced Bailey disintegrates under the strain. I could also feel the strong compassion in McCoy as he escorts the by now devastated Bailey off the bridge. Marvellous acting from DeForrest Kelley in this episode.
These early episodes of Star Trek retain their dramatic power on repeated viewing, principally because of the great acting and scripts, combined with music that is really cut to the cloth of the drama so well. I think the great variety of musical atmosphere in the original Star Trek series is one of several reasons for the enduring appeal of the series. I have often thought that later generations of Star Trek tended to use background music far too flippantly, almost like Musak, as a cover for mediocre scenes. There are great moments of silence in the Corbomite Maneuver which add immensely to the dramatic effect, with background starship chatter adding to the effect, again as noted by other reviewers. Simply a superb episode.
These early episodes of Star Trek retain their dramatic power on repeated viewing, principally because of the great acting and scripts, combined with music that is really cut to the cloth of the drama so well. I think the great variety of musical atmosphere in the original Star Trek series is one of several reasons for the enduring appeal of the series. I have often thought that later generations of Star Trek tended to use background music far too flippantly, almost like Musak, as a cover for mediocre scenes. There are great moments of silence in the Corbomite Maneuver which add immensely to the dramatic effect, with background starship chatter adding to the effect, again as noted by other reviewers. Simply a superb episode.