"Journey to Babel" is the tenth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek. Written by D. C. Fontana and directed by Joseph Pevney, it was first broadcast on November 17, 1967.
Enterprise, under the command of Captain Kirk, is transporting Federation ambassadors to a conference on the planet Babel to discuss the admission of the Coridan system into the Federation. The system is a prime source of dilithium crystals, but is underpopulated and unprotected, a situation some would prefer to maintain by keeping Coridan out of the Federation.
Sarek, who is a Vulcan ambassador, boards the ship with his human wife Amanda, ignoring Spock's greeting. Captain Kirk learns that Sarek is in fact Spock's father, now estranged because he had disapproved of his son's decision to join Starfleet rather than attend the Vulcan Science Academy.
During a reception for the passengers, the Tellarite ambassador, Gav, demands to know Sarek's position on Coridan. Pushed for a response, Sarek refers to the need to protect Coridan from unauthorized mining operations, with which Tellarite ships have been involved. Gav takes offense at the allegation and the confrontation briefly becomes physical before Kirk intervenes, warning all parties to keep order on his ship.
Meanwhile, Communications Officer Lt. Uhura has detected an encoded transmission beamed from Enterprise to a fast-moving vessel at the extreme edge of sensor range. Shortly afterward, Ambassador Gav is found murdered, his neck broken by what Spock describes as an ancient Vulcan method of execution called Tal-Shaya, casting suspicion on Sarek. During questioning, Sarek suffers a cardiovascular event, and is rushed to the sickbay, where Chief Medical Officer McCoy determines that he requires immediate surgery. Because there is a shortage of his rare T-negative-type blood, Spock volunteers to donate some of his own blood for the operation, using an experimental stimulant for increased blood production.
Plans for the procedure come to a halt when Thelev, a member of the Andorian delegation, stabs Captain Kirk. Kirk subdues Thelev but is seriously wounded and taken to Sickbay, while Thelev is imprisoned in the brig. In accordance with regulations, and despite Amanda's emotional plea, Spock refuses to serve as the blood donor and turn command of Enterprise over to another officer, as the situation is too critical and command regulations are silent on the matter of personal privilege.
Hearing of Spock's refusal to relinquish command, and having recovered sufficiently to be able to walk, Kirk returns to the bridge to relieve Spock and order him to Sickbay, intending to turn command over to Mr. Scott and then hide out in his quarters until the operation is completed. When Uhura picks up another encoded transmission from inside Enterprise and traces the source to the brig, Kirk decides to stay on the bridge. When Thelev is searched, it is discovered that one of his antennae is fake and conceals a small transceiver.
The unidentified vessel closes in and attacks, moving too quickly for Enterprise to lock on with phasers. The ship takes several hits from the attacking vessel. McCoy begins the operation on Sarek, who is receiving blood directly from Spock. Kirk orders Thelev brought to the bridge and questions him about himself and the attacking ship; Thelev is unresponsive. Kirk decides on a ruse, shutting down internal power to make Enterprise appear crippled. The attacker approaches and drops to sublight speed, and Enterprise damages it with a surprise phaser attack. The disabled ship self-destructs. Thelev reveals that both he and the ship were on suicide missions; he then collapses and dies from a delayed-action poison.
Kirk returns to Sickbay for further care and finds Spock and Sarek both alert, the surgery an apparent success. Spock speculates that Thelev and the attacking ship were of Orion origin, and the speed and power of the latter were consistent with a suicide mission, with all energy dedicated to attack. Thelev's mission aboard Enterprise, Kirk and Spock presume, was to sow distrust among the Federation members and weaken Enterprise prior to the attack. In support of this theory is the fact that Orion has been raiding Coridan, and would profit by selling dilithium to both sides in a war. Amanda asks Sarek to thank Spock for saving his life, but Sarek shrugs and says that it was only logical. Amanda expresses anger at this harping on logic, and Spock, noting his mother's exasperation, asks Sarek why he married her. Sarek replies, "At the time, it seemed the logical thing to do," and offers Amanda his hand in a ritual gesture of affection. McCoy then firmly orders Kirk and Spock to remain quietly in bed, finally getting the last word.
Production
Wyatt had been widely known for the 1950s sitcom Father Knows Best, where she played Elinor Donahue's mother. The episode which first aired the week prior to this episode, "Metamorphosis", featured Donahue as a guest actor, playing Commissioner Nancy Hedford, who became Zefram Cochrane's "Companion."
This episode introduced the Andorian and Tellarite species. John Wheeler,[1] the actor who played the Tellarite ambassador, Gav, had difficulty seeing through the eye holes in his prosthetic makeup and was forced to raise his head in a seemingly arrogant manner in order to see the other actors.[2] The Andorian antennae (sprouting out of the back of the head in this and other episodes of the original series) were depicted in the later Star Trek: Enterprise series as coming out of the forehead and capable of movement.[3]
Reception
In 1996, for the franchise's 30th anniversary, TV Guide ranked "Journey to Babel" No. 5 on its list of the 10 best Star Trek episodes.[4]
Io9's 2014 listing of the top 100 Star Trek episodes placed "Journey to Babel" as the 39th best episode of all series up to that time, out of over 700 episodes; they noted this episode introduces Spock's parents and has a focus on diplomacy.[5]
In 2015, SyFy ranked this episode as one of the top ten essential Star Trek original series Spock episodes.[6] The next year, they also ranked guest stars Mark Lenard, as Sarek, and Jane Wyatt, as Amanda, as the third best guest stars on the original series.[7]
In 2016, The Hollywood Reporter rated "Journey to Babel" as the 15th best episode of the original series.[8] The episode introduced Spock's parents, Sarek and Amanda, who never again appeared in the series, but became major characters across the Star Trek franchise. Sarek is the father of Spock's half-brother Sybok (introduced in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier), and both adopted Michael Burnham (introduced in Star Trek: Discovery) as an older sister to Spock.[9]
In 2016, The Washington Post ranked this episode the ninth best live-action episode of the Star Trek franchise, citing "the tricky politics" of Spock's family, the Federation politics, and Mark Lenard's performance as Sarek.[10]
In 2016, Business Insider ranked "Journey to Babel" the 7th best episode of the original series.[11]
In 2016, Newsweek ranked "Journey to Babel" as one of the best episodes of the original series. They note the episode features the Star Trek franchise aliens, Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites in additions to humans going to a space conference. They note the episode is a sort of teaching moment, about the Federation, politics, and Spock's relationship with his parents.[12]
In 2016, Vox rated this one of the top 25 essential episodes of all Star Trek.[13]
In 2020, ScreenRant ranked this the 8th best episode of the original series (TOS), praising it for having "a bit of everything that makes TOS great. Creative and interesting aliens, political tension and resolution, personal drama, and high-stakes adventure."[15]
In 2021, CBR said that "Journey to Babel" was an "essential episode" of the original series, stating, "'Journey to Babel' brings the action, drama and fun in an excellent showcase of what the series is capable of," and noting the two interesting plots: one of political intrigue and another of father-son relationship.[16]
Vulcans, sometimes referred to as Vulcanians, are a fictional extraterrestrial humanoid species in the Star Trek universe and media franchise. In the various Star Trek television series and films, they are noted for their attempt to live by logic and reason with as little interference from emotion as possible. Known for their pronounced eyebrows and pointed ears, they originate from the fictional planet Vulcan. In the Star Trek universe, they were the first extraterrestrial species to make contact with humans.
Spock is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. He first appeared in the original Star Trek series serving aboard the starship USS Enterprise as science officer and first officer and later as commanding officer of the vessel. Spock's mixed human–Vulcan heritage serves as an important plot element in many of the character's appearances. Along with Captain James T. Kirk and Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, he is one of the three central characters in the original Star Trek series and its films. After retiring from active duty in Starfleet, Spock served as a Federation ambassador, and later became involved in the ill-fated attempt to save Romulus from a supernova, leading him to live out the rest of his life in a parallel universe.
Jonathan Archer is a fictional character in the Star Trek franchise. He is one of the protagonists of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise, where he was portrayed by Scott Bakula.
Sarek is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. He is a Vulcan astrophysicist, the Vulcan ambassador to the United Federation of Planets, and father of Spock. The character was originally played by Mark Lenard in the episode "Journey to Babel" in 1967. Lenard later voiced Sarek in the animated series, and appeared in Star Trek films and the series Star Trek: The Next Generation.
"Mirror, Mirror" is the fourth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek. Written by Jerome Bixby and directed by Marc Daniels, it was first broadcast on October 6, 1967.
"Balance of Terror" is the fourteenth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek. Written by Paul Schneider and directed by Vincent McEveety, it first aired on December 15, 1966.
"Amok Time" is the second season premiere episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek. Written by science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon, scored by Gerald Fried, and directed by Joseph Pevney, it first aired on September 15, 1967.
"Unification" is a two-part episode of the syndicated American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation which features Leonard Nimoy as Spock. The first of the two episodes earned a 15.4 household Nielsen rating, drawing over 25 million viewers, making it one of the most watched episodes in all seven seasons of The Next Generation's run.
"Yesteryear" is the second episode of the first season of the animated American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Animated Series. It first aired in the NBC Saturday morning lineup on September 15, 1973, and was written by veteran Star Trek writer D. C. Fontana. Widely regarded as one of the best episodes of the series, it was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award. "Yesteryear" guest-starred Mark Lenard in the role of Spock's father, Sarek.
Mark Lenard was an American actor, primarily in television. His most famous role was as Sarek, father of Spock, in the science fiction Star Trek franchise, in both the original and animated series, as well as three films and two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. He also played a Klingon in Star Trek The Motion Picture, and a Romulan in an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series.
"The Changeling" is the third episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek. Written by John Meredyth Lucas and directed by Marc Daniels, it was first broadcast on September 29, 1967.
"The Enterprise Incident" is the second episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek. Written by D. C. Fontana and directed by John Meredyth Lucas, it was first broadcast September 27, 1968.
"The Savage Curtain" is the twenty-second episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek. Written by Gene Roddenberry and Arthur Heinemann and directed by Herschel Daugherty, it was first broadcast on March 7, 1969.
"United" is the 13th episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise and the 89th episode overall. It was first broadcast on the UPN network on February 4, 2005. It is the second of a three-part story which included the previous episode "Babel One", and the following episode, "The Aenar". "United" was written by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens from a story idea by show runner Manny Coto. It was directed by David Livingston, his third of the season.
"The Aenar" is the fourteenth episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise, and originally aired on February 11, 2005. It was written by André Bormanis from a story by Manny Coto, and was directed by Mike Vejar. "The Aenar" was the third installment of a three-part story which concluded the events of episodes "Babel One" and "United".
"Babel One" is the twelfth episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise, and originally aired on January 28, 2005. The episode was written by Mike Sussman and André Bormanis, and directed by David Straiton. "Babel One" was the first of a three-part story which continued in the episodes "United" and "The Aenar". The arc was intended to precede the Romulan War which had been mentioned in previously aired episodes of the franchise, while "Babel One" was a reference to the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Journey to Babel".
"Sarek" is the 23rd episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the 71st episode overall. It was originally released on May 14, 1990, in broadcast syndication. The story for the episode was created by Marc Cushman and Jake Jacobs, with the teleplay written by Peter S. Beagle. "Sarek" was directed by Les Landau.
Star Trek: Sarek is a novel by A. C. Crispin, set in the fictional Star Trek universe. It is set shortly after the motion picture Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan discovers evidence of a complicated plot to cripple the United Federation of Planets; he must work to find out who is behind it while also coming to terms with the death of his human wife, Amanda Grayson. A secondary storyline follows the adventures of Peter Kirk, nephew of James T. Kirk, who inadvertently becomes caught up in the enemy's schemes.
"Embracing The Winds" is the seventh episode of the Star Trek fan series Star Trek Continues, which sought to emulate and continue the original Star Trek series. It first aired on 3 September 2016.
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