Elaan of Troyius

Plot

The Enterprise arrives at Elas to collect Elaan, the Dohlman of Elas, along with Ambassador Petri of Troyius. The Elasian Council of Nobles and the Troyius Tribunal have agreed to marry Elaan to the Troyian king to secure peace. Elaan resents the arrangement and stabs Petri, who then refuses to teach her. Captain Kirk takes over her instruction.

In Sickbay, Nurse Chapel learns from Petri that an Elasian woman's tears enslave any man they touch. Elaan attempts to stab Kirk, but he overpowers her. She locks herself in a bathroom and cries; when Kirk wipes a tear from her cheek, he becomes infatuated.

They begin a passionate affair. Meanwhile, Elaan's bodyguard Kryton kills an engineer, tampers with the warp engines, and tries to contact a Klingon battle cruiser. He is arrested but commits suicide. Elaan reveals Kryton was in love with her and angered by the arranged marriage.

Production and reception

A cut scene in the recreation room showed Kirk, McCoy, Uhura, and Spock discussing how to calm Elaan; Uhura suggested Spock's Vulcan harp, and the music was later heard in Elaan's cabin. This episode introduced the D-7 class Klingon battle cruiser, designed by art director Walter M. Jefferies, and its footage was reused in later third-season episodes. France Nuyen had previously starred with William Shatner on Broadway in The World of Suzie Wong and later guest-starred with him in a Kung Fu episode.

This was the last episode lit by cinematographer Gerald Finnerman and the final appearance of Eddie Paskey as Lt. Leslie in the original series as broadcast. The title character pays tribute to Helen of Troy, and the plot borrows from The Taming of the Shrew.

Mark A. Altman gave the episode two stars, calling it a thinly veiled version of the play. Zack Handlen rated it a B, noting character development and an unexpected ending. Samuel Walters rated it a C−, citing a scattershot plot.

Critical response and analysis

Viewers and scholars disagree on whether the episode was written with a feminist ethos, mocking stereotypes of women, or whether it reinforces colonial and patriarchal depictions. Elaan is often seen as an exoticized, seductive, and uncooperative feminine character, sparking debate over whether she is pro-feminist or anti-feminist within Star Trek's history of progressive portrayals. Jamahl Epsicokhan gave a lukewarm assessment, calling the episode watchable but brainless, and identifying Elaan as an antagonist Kirk must overcome. Feminist scholar Jarrah Hodge argued that Elaan is objectified through techniques such as showing body parts before the face, and cited Daniel Leonard Bernardi's claim that Elaan exemplifies stereotypes of Asian women, starting as a dragon lady and ending as a submissive female slave.

Did You Know?

• This episode was released in Japan on December 21, 1993 as part of the complete season 3 LaserDisc set Star Trek: Original Series log.3, with English and Japanese audio tracks.
• The remastered version of this episode was included in the TOS Season 3 remastered DVD box set.