The Corbomite Maneuver

Did You Know?

• In the Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner that first aired on August 20, 2006, Clint Howard reprised his role as Balok in a pre-recorded segment, depicting him as an alcoholic hooked on tranya.
• At the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear on October 30, 2010, Jon Stewart used the imaginary threat of "corbomite" in bottled water to illustrate how media figures create and magnify fears in the public.

Casting

This episode marked the first regular installment produced after the two pilots. It introduced DeForest Kelley as Dr. Leonard McCoy, Nichelle Nichols as Lt. Uhura (wearing a yellow uniform instead of red), and Grace Lee Whitney as Yeoman Rand. The alien character at the end was played by a seven-year-old Clint Howard, brother of Ron Howard, with Walker Edmiston providing the overdubbed voice. Because the series did not air episodes in production order, audiences had already met these three characters nine weeks earlier in the debut episode, "The Man Trap".

Plot

The USS Enterprise, under Captain James T. Kirk, is wrapping up three days of stellar cartography when a junior navigator, Lieutenant Dave Bailey, detects a large, multicolored cube rotating in space. Bailey urges an immediate phaser strike, but Kirk chooses to reverse course. The cube gives chase, releasing dangerous radiation, and Kirk is forced to destroy it. A massive sphere then looms; Bailey observes that at 5,000 meters it dominates the viewscreen, and Spock calculates its diameter at roughly one mile.

The Enterprise hails the craft, and a being named Commander Balok responds. He reveals the sphere is the Fesarius, flagship of the First Federation, and the destroyed cube was a border marker. Balok declares the Enterprise will be annihilated for trespass and marker destruction, granting the crew ten minutes to appeal to their gods. Spock captures a visual of Balok, a blue-skinned humanoid with features that constantly shift.

Bailey panics, and Kirk removes him from duty. Doctor McCoy contends that Bailey’s breakdown stems from Kirk’s excessive pressure, reminding him he had warned about Bailey’s state. This exchange sparks Kirk’s bluff: he informs Balok that the Enterprise carries “corbomite,” a material that annihilates any aggressor, and that he cares little if the ship is also destroyed. When Bailey learns of the crew’s likely fate, he humbly requests to return to his post, and Kirk agrees.

After the ten-minute deadline, Balok postpones the destruction and demands corbomite proof. Kirk refuses, and Balok later announces the crew will be relocated to an Earth-like world before the Enterprise is demolished. A small tug separates from the Fesarius and begins towing the Enterprise deeper into First Federation territory. Kirk deduces the tug’s tractor beam is weaker than the Fesarius’s, so he orders the Enterprise to fire its engines at a right angle to the tow.

As the engines near overload, the ship breaks free, apparently disabling the alien vessel. The crew detects a distress signal, too faint for Uhura to normally hear, and the mother ship does not respond.

Production

Although it was the first regular episode produced, "The Corbomite Maneuver" followed the two pilots made in 1964 and 1965. Filming began on May 24, 1966, on a different Hollywood soundstage. The sets had been moved from Desilu's Culver City facility, where a new engine room would later be built for production number 005, "The Enemy Within." Because many special effects shots were unfinished, NBC delayed the episode until November, making it the tenth broadcast. The network preferred to air completed planet-based stories first, as the miniature footage for this episode was not ready when the series premiered.

Reception

Critics have consistently celebrated "The Corbomite Maneuver" as a standout episode of the original Star Trek series. In 2009, Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club awarded it an "A," calling it gripping, well-paced, and thematically coherent, with a particularly optimistic ending. SciFiNow placed it sixth among original series episodes in 2010, and Io9 ranked it 14th among all Star Trek episodes in 2014. WIRED magazine included it in their 2015 binge-watching guide as an episode you cannot skip.

The Hollywood Reporter rated it 45th best among all franchise television episodes in 2016, and in a separate 2016 list focused solely on the original series, the same outlet ranked it 16th. Business Insider named it the 8th best original series episode in 2017. That same year, Den of Geek praised it as one of the franchise's most thoughtful episodes, noting its role in establishing bizarre first contact scenarios. PopMatters ranked it 9th in 2018, and Collider placed it 19th that same year.

In 2018, actor Clint Howard, who played Balok, reflected on his continued involvement with Star Trek, noting that the franchise's enduring legacy made it an easy yes for any job offer. He recalled that George Lucas immediately referenced Howard's role as Balok during an audition, which amazed the actor. Nerdist featured the episode on their 2019 "Best of Kirk" binge-watching guide. Finally, in 2021, Den of Geek ranked it third among original series episodes, comparing it to a fine bottle of tranya that only gets better with age.