#kodos

[s3venofhearts]

tarsus iv come back to me… come back tarsus iv

[gobblechopstv]

THOH

[tprings-hair]

1x12: THE CONSCIENCE OF THE KING

[betty-fran]

Recently rewatching The Conscience of the King, and talking to N about how sincere Kirk was with Lenore Karidian (me: no, he wasn't N: but maybe…?) I decided that now would be a good time to talk about one of my favorite acting performances in TOS.

Lenore Karidian is far from my favorite character (i.e. she is incredible but hardly evokes any warm feelings), but she's undoubtedly one of the most complex and best-written female characters in TOS, and, my applause to Barbara Anderson, the quality of her acting is built on an absolutely stunning transition from “it feels like she’s acting, I can’t believe her, why did they hire her for this role, was she the producer's daughter or something??” to “oh my god, she was really acting the whole time, it was all one big theatrical performance, I absolutely believe her in her madness, it’s incredible!”.

In addition, the whole story of Kirk/Lenore's mutual seduction in this episode is probably one of the most important examples for understanding how much Kirk himself plays into his tactical seductions (apart from his few sincere romances in TOS). There is a definite and very noticeable difference in how Shatner plays sincerity and insincerity, expressed in his body language/micro-expressions/gaze, and it may not be so noticeable at first glance, but it's something that I really respect a lot about his acting, and it's what makes it so difficult to replicate. This can be seen, for example, in how differently Shatner plays Kirk in the dynamic with Lenore, and in Court Martial, one of the later episodes, with his "we remained on great terms" ex-girlfriend Areel Shaw:

(the second image is from this best post because on trekcore this very micromoment was missed)

This is often overlooked in Shatner's acting, leading to each of Kirk's romances in TOS being perceived as "he's really into it" when he clearly isn't most of the time, purposefully or compulsively using flirting/seduction as a defense mechanism or method of achieving goals (which, okay again, makes him much closer to a noir femme fatale than the classic hero-lover). Kirk is not so much a straightforward impulsive hero as a subtle, measured manipulator. Yes, he does have great kindness and impressive courage, but the most important thing that drives his actions is an almost Vulcan control, ability to adapt quickly, calculating steps ahead, and easily using cunning and deception if the situation requires it.

And even among his inner circle, Spock is perhaps the only one who really sees his true face under the mask of "golden retriever sunny cheerful guy", which is why in TCOTK he immediately dismisses the possibility of Kirk's sincere interest in Lenore, which leads to the further discovery of Kirk's past on Tarsus IV. Even McCoy believes to the last in the sincerity of Kirk's feelings towards Lenore /Did it ever occur to you that he simply might like the girl?/ + /You really cared for her, didn't you?/.

Kirk's entire affair with Lenore is built on absolute mutual insincerity from the very beginning, and each of them is perfectly aware of why they are doing it. And this is actually incredible to watch, because perceiving it as sincerity, you obviously constantly feel some kind of imbalance in the acting and it's hard for you to believe each of them, but once you change the angle of perception and understand that it's all an act, it works absolutely wonderfully in halftones, when the body language and micro-expressions of both very similarly express simultaneously attack and defense:

This is perhaps Kirk's most evenly distributed (in question of power) insincere romance, and a great illustration of how specific Kirk is in navigating power in TOS, always remaining almost femininely limited in this regard, leaning towards cunning and manipulation, and never moving towards the masculine "I take/I have right." This is an incredible dance in the rhythm of cat vs cat, where each is sure that they have the other hooked, but at the same time, absolutely don't trust them. Lenore, while perceiving Kirk as her own victim, is clearly in enemy territory herself, and Kirk hardly ever trusts Lenore at all, and that's the most important thing to me about their dynamic.

Thinking back to their dialogue, which takes place immediately after his conversation with Karidian, I think about how meaningless it's to take it in the context of feelings (as well as his dynamic with Lenore in general), but how important it's in the context of understanding that Kirk is not simply asking "if Karidian is Kodos, to what extent is Lenore defined by that?", that he actually already knows what the answer will be. (It's a question he asks about himself, too. To what extent is he defined by Kodos' actions?)

LENORE: You talked of using tools. I was a tool, wasn't l? A tool to use against my father. KIRK: In the beginning perhaps. But later, I wanted it to be more than that. LENORE: Later. Everything's always later. Later. Latest. Too late. Too late, Captain. You are like your ship, powerful, and not human. There is no mercy in you. KIRK: If he is Kodos, then I've shown him more mercy than he deserves. And if he isn't, then we'll let you off at Benecia, and no harm done. LENORE: Captain Kirk. Who are you to say what harm was done? KIRK: Who do I have to be?

Overall, the whole "who is the killer" intrigue, while important to the viewer, is clearly not crucial or climactic for Kirk himself. The climax for Kirk, and the episode as a whole, is that he and Lenore are both the consequences of Kodos' actions, and the question is just how much that defines each of them. And this is not imposed from the outside, but a fundamental, personal, internal choice each of them makes.

[9151967]

Ok, hold on. Kirk was about 13 or so when Kodos implemented his eugenics on Tarsus IV. He would have been around that age when he was rescued along with the other eight survivors.

I know Carol is saying this as a general "it's not a safe environment for my son compared to a planet-bound science lab" given everything that can happen on a starship in the process of a five year mission. I know that Kirk is also thinking of this given his own experiences on the Farragut and the Enterprise, but it's the fact that Kirk phrases it as "you don't need to tell me that" because it opens the door to earlier memories and experiences that presumably led to him to go into the Academy.

But it's also because of the cut scene from Operation: Annihilate:

Kirk doesn't want Peter to enter the Academy and would rather he remain a civilian so that he doesn't ever have to make the hard decisions a captain is called to make. (One could even say there's a line shared between Kirk never checking in on Peter and Kirk being unaware of his own son's existence. Why bring such an unstable and dangerous life to someone who ought to live in peace?)

And not to give way to the Tarsus IV brainworms, because ultimately the choice Kirk must make in this episode vastly differs from the choices Kodos made on Tarsus IV, it all links together in my mind—Tarsus IV is what led Kirk to essentially choose the life he now leads and the difficult realities of his job. Even though the above was cut (yet still filmed, so it seems they were aiming for it to be part of the episode), his desire to see Peter live a quiet life comes from his experiences on Tarsus IV. Likewise, it is the same for David as well. "Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids" and while a starship saved Kirk and gave him a path forward, he would rather not see anyone else follow his own footsteps, not even his own son.

(Of course, there's something to be said about how this interaction might as well be a knife to Kirk's heart. Kodos/Karidian links his actions to the actions of a starship captain and places Kirk in the middle of it all.)

[iamrunning-low]

Its never too late to pursue your acting dreams!!

Song: Show People from Curtains

[excitementshewrote]

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Voting ended onOct 14, 2024