star trek catspaw episode

Catspaw (episode)

• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 2 Log entries
• 3 Memorable quotes
• 4.1 Production timeline
• 4.3 Story and production
• 4.5 Props and effects
• 4.6 Continuity
• 4.7 Remastered information
• 4.8 Video and DVD releases
• 5.1 Starring
• 5.2 Guest star
• 5.3 Co-starring
• 5.4 Featuring
• 5.6 Uncredited co-stars
• 5.7 Stunt doubles
• 5.8 References
• 5.9 Unused references
• 5.10 External links

Summary [ ]

A landing party of Sulu , Scott , and Crewman Jackson on Pyris VII is overdue for a routine check-in, when Jackson finally answers the USS Enterprise 's urgent hails . His disconcerting message: one to beam up. Captain Kirk and Dr. Leonard McCoy are present in the transporter room when Jackson is beamed aboard by Kyle . Jackson materializes on the transporter pad and then immediately falls off down to the floor, where McCoy pronounces him dead . But then a sonorous voice from Jackson's dead lips tells Kirk that his ship is cursed; he must leave or all will die.

Act One [ ]

With two crewmen missing and a mysterious death, Kirk doesn't plan to leave just yet. He organizes a second landing party: himself, Spock , and Dr. McCoy. They beam to the point from which Jackson was beamed up. There, Kirk intends to discover what happened to his missing men, and what killed Jackson.

The planet is fogbound, something extremely unlikely given the environmental conditions, as there are no cloud formations or bodies of water on the planet. Proceeding towards a reading of nearby lifeforms , the landing party encounters three witches ; the spectral hags again warn Kirk to leave. Winds and fog try to thwart the landing party, but they eventually discover a large castle – the source of the lifeform readings. Entering the castle, they find a black cat and identify all the iconography of old Earth tales.

" I can do it, sir. I'm not that green! "

On the bridge of the Enterprise , Ensign Chekov reports to assistant chief engineer DeSalle that the landing party's lifeform readings are the only ones on the planet. As the landing party entered the castle, he then says they have simply stopped registering. DeSalle asks Chekov to check the scanning equipment for malfunctions but Chekov already has – the equipment is functioning perfectly. DeSalle then orders Chekov to recalibrate the scanners.

The landing party explores the castle further and falls through the floor, plunging them down to a dungeon chamber, and unconsciousness.

Act Two [ ]

Awakening, the landing party discovers they are manacled to the dungeon walls. Scott and Sulu appear, and Kirk is at first relieved to see his missing men. Then he realizes they're marching to someone else's drum: alive, but unresponsive and no longer allies. The two enthralled men free Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, and herd them towards the door at phaser point; a brief scuffle is halted when all the men are suddenly – elsewhere, in the presence of a strange robed man.

This is Korob , decked out in wizard's finery, with robe, wand, and black cat . Spock's comment that mapping expeditions have not discovered lifeforms on Pyris VII wrings a small truth from Korob – that he is not native to this world. Korob first plies the crew with food and drink, then with fortunes in gemstones . All to get them to leave, without asking more questions. But Kirk tells Korob he could manufacture such stones by the ton on his ship; they're valueless, a fact that conflicts with whatever research Korob has done. Korob then reveals that the events were staged to test the landing party. He has learned they are loyal, brave, and incorruptible.

Sylvia enters. She tells Kirk that she can read and control the minds of men. Spock states that it must be Telepathy and Sylvia says "not entirely," and explains that telepathy is only a part of what she does. Kirk briefly overpowers Scott, seizing his phaser, and when he refuses to return it, Sylvia reveals another skill: she can perform sympathetic magic . She admits that she thought of Jackson in her mind, and when she killed the image and knew it was dead, so was the real Jackson. A small model of the Enterprise , held in the flame of a candle – and the real ship, orbiting above, begins to grow hot. Chekov reports to DeSalle that the temperature has jumped sixty degrees in just thirty seconds. " We're burning up, sir, " he states.

Act Three [ ]

Seizing Sylvia's arm, Kirk moves the model Enterprise away from the flame, and the real starship from danger. Kirk tries to surmise how they are able to do all of this and says " You seem to do with your mind, what we do with tools. You alter matter and move it about by telekinesis . " Korob begins to answer saying " Yes we can change… " when Sylvia cuts him off, stating that he talks too much. When Kirk suggests that landing parties will soon appear, Korob seals the model Enterprise in a solid Lucite block – and above, the ship is suddenly surrounded by a force-field unlike anything ever encountered, which doesn't come from anywhere.

On the Enterprise , Chekov cannot analyze the force-field, but as it is nonetheless real DeSalle orders him to attempt to "put a dent in it".

Kirk and Spock are returned to the dungeon, while McCoy remains with Sylvia, who intends to question him. Kirk and Spock spend some time speculating about Sylvia and Korob, and Kirk decides they must be stopped. Their questions and interest seems to him a little too sinister. McCoy eventually returns, but Sylvia has taken control of him; he, Sulu, and Scott take Kirk to Sylvia.

Meanwhile, Sylvia and Korob argue. Sylvia likes her new sensations, and it's obvious that the interest goes further than their original plan. Wherever these aliens call home, they have nothing like them – and she intends to remain here. Korob reminds her they have a duty to the Old Ones , a fact she considers unimportant in light of her new infatuation.

Kirk is returned to Sylvia's presence, where he learns she is infatuated with him, as well. She reveals her plan: to dispose of Korob and join with Kirk. But Kirk is using her, gaining answers through manipulation. Among other things, he learns that the transmuter is the key to her power, a mechanism that facilitates the actualization of thought. But she discovers the deception, and has McCoy, Scott, and Sulu haul Kirk back to his cell.

On the Enterprise , Chekov reports that they had an effect on the force field, identifying a small electrical field as a start.

Korob finds Kirk and Spock; he reveals he has released the Enterprise , and he releases them. He also reveals that he can no longer control Sylvia or her pawns, and that he considers her dangerously irrational. He is regretful, offering his opinion that their visit could have been a peaceful one. Time presses, and he cannot explain in detail; instead, he urges the men out of their cell, where they again encounter the black cat – now grown to enormous size.

Act Four [ ]

Sylvia and Korob undone

The men are forced to retreat back into their cell, where they attempt to escape through the ceiling. The cat forces the door of the cell, however, crushing Korob. Kirk now has an opportunity to retrieve the wand.

Escaping through the ceiling, Kirk and Spock are confronted by their own enthralled crew, and a brief scuffle ends with Sylvia's pawns out of action; and the reappearance of the cat, as well as Sylvia. The wand Kirk has retrieved is the transmuter, and Sylvia wants it very badly. She transports Kirk away from Spock into the main hall and tells him to give her the transmuter. She informs him that she has a less powerful, and simpler mechanism; that it's Korob's wand which holds the key to their power. Sylvia is reluctant to simply seize the device from Kirk, despite her contention that he does not know how to use it.

Finally, Sylvia threatens Kirk with a phaser, demanding the transmuter. Kirk responds by raising the transmuter and shattering it on the table. There is a blinding white flash and, suddenly, Kirk finds himself outside with Spock, as well as McCoy, Sulu and Scott – all of whom are now free of Sylvia's control); and the castle has vanished entirely. Kirk's destroying the transmuter has undone everything – almost everything. At the landing party's feet, two small aliens wither and fall. Deprived of the transmuter, Sylvia and Korob have resumed their real forms, and are as Sylvia described them: feathers in the wind, a life form that is totally alien to their universe. The small aliens that were Korob and Sylvia quickly perish, and both landing parties return to the Enterprise .

The Enterprise leaves the orbit of Pyris VII and flies off into space, heading for new adventures.

Log entries [ ]

• Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), 2267

Memorable quotes [ ]

"Remember the curse!"

" Captain Kirk! Can you hear me? There is a curse on your ship. Leave this place, or you will all… die! "

" Captain Kirk! … Captain Kirk! … Captain Kirk! " " Go back! … Go back! … Go back! " " Remember the curse! " " Wind shall rise! " " And fog descend! " " So leave here, all, or meet your end! "

" Spock. Comment? " " Very bad poetry, Captain. " " A more useful comment, Mister Spock. "

" If we weren't missing two officers and a third one dead I'd say someone was playing an elaborate trick or treat on us. " " Trick or treat, captain? " " Yes, Mr. Spock. You'd be a natural. "

" Mr. Chekov, recalibrate your sensors. If you need help – " " I can do it, sir. I'm not that green. "

Kirk, "Doc", and "Bones"

" Bones? Doc? "

" Where did your race get this ridiculous predilection for resistance, hmm? You examine any object. You… you question everything! Is it not enough to accept what is? "

" You can't think a man to death. "

" Maybe we can't break it, but I'll bet you credits to navy beans we can put a dent in it! "

" You are using me! You hold me in your arms and there is no fire in your mind! You're trying to deceive me! It's here like words on a page! You are using me! " " And why not?!! You've been using me and my crew!! " " You will be swept away. You! Your men! Your ship!! Your worlds!!! "

" Captain, a little more alacrity, if you please. "

" Everything's vanished. "

" All of this, just an illusion. " " No illusion. Jackson is dead. "

Background information [ ]

Production timeline [ ].

• "Broomstick Ride" is published in Super-Science Fiction : December 1957 [1]
• Story outline by Robert Bloch : 9 March 1967
• Revised story outline: 14 March 1967
• First draft teleplay: 29 March 1967
• 2nd draft teleplay: 14 April 1967
• Final draft teleplay by D.C. Fontana : 24 April 1967
• Revised final draft by Gene Roddenberry : 27 April 1967
• Additional page revisions by Gene Coon : 4 May 1967 , 5 May 1967 , 10 May 1967
• Day 1 – 2 May 1967 , Tuesday – Desilu Stage 9 : Int. Bridge , Transporter room
• Day 2 – 3 May 1967 , Wednesday – Desilu Stage 10 : Ext. Pyris VII surface
• Day 3 – 4 May 1967 , Thursday – Desilu Stage 10 : Int. Castle corridors
• Day 4 – 5 May 1967 , Friday – Desilu Stage 8 : Int. Dungeon
• Day 5 – 8 May 1967 , Monday – Desilu Stage 8 : Int. Dungeon , Great hall
• Day 6 – 9 May 1967 , Tuesday – Desilu Stage 8 : Int. Great hall
• Day 7 – 10 May 1967 , Wednesday – Desilu Stage 8 : Int. Great hall , Castle corridors miniature shots
• Day 8 – 11 May 1967 (Half Day), Thursday – Desilu Stage 8 : Int. Castle corridors miniature shots
• Score recording, 21 June 1967
• Premiere airdate, 27 October 1967
• 1st rerun, 24 May 1968
• First UK airdate: 20 April 1970
• Remastered airdate, 28 October 2006
• The title of this episode, "Catspaw", is a term that describes a person used by another as a dupe; as McCoy points out, Scott and Sulu are used as catspaws to lure more crewmen down.

Story and production [ ]

• Robert Bloch based this episode very loosely on his own short story "Broomstick Ride." Bloch also wrote " What Are Little Girls Made Of? " In both episodes, the "Old Ones" figure into the guest characters' backstories. [2]
• Although this was the first episode of TOS Season 2 in production (filmed in early May 1967 ), it did not premiere until the week of Halloween, 1967. It was, in fact, written in a Halloween-type theme for just that reason. This episode also remains to date the only Star Trek production produced as a "holiday special" type episode.
• This episode marks several changes to the episode credits. From this point on, the episode titles and end credits are in the same font as the main title of the series. Directors and writers are credited at the beginning of Act One instead of the end of the last act. DeForest Kelley 's name is added to the opening credits. Also, Gene Roddenberry is credited as series creator in the opening credits.
• Several bloopers from this episode can be found in the second season blooper reel. [3]
• This episode introduces two plot elements that were revisited in stories later in season 2. First, the theme of extragalactic aliens taking Human form and then becoming inundated with Human sensations was revisited in " By Any Other Name ". Second, the subject of an eccentric man with uncommon powers and accompanied by an apparently intelligent black cat, who later turns into a black haired woman, is revisited in " Assignment: Earth ".
• The three witches' appearance and manner of speech are reminiscent of (though not necessarily directly referential to) characters in Shakespeare 's Macbeth .

Koenig in a wig

• Walter Koenig joined the cast as Pavel Chekov in this episode, despite his character having already met Khan Noonien Singh in the previous season's " Space Seed " as noted in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan ; also note the rather large wig worn by Walter Koenig in this episode which was later dispensed with when his own hair was long enough.
• This was the third and final appearance of Michael Barrier as DeSalle . The character has been promoted to assistant chief engineer because the producers thought they need someone in charge of main engineering while Scotty is in command of the bridge. However, as no such situation arose in any episodes, DeSalle has never made another appearance. ( These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Two , p. 46)
• James Doohan 's only dialogue in this episode is the statement " Everything's vanished ". George Takei doesn't speak at all; he simply nods "yes" and "no" when his character is queried by Kirk, and later cries " Aha! " before engaging Kirk in hand-to-hand combat . This is Takei's only non-speaking appearance in the entire series.
• Theo Marcuse died in a car accident one month after this episode aired.
• The role of Crewman Jackson was played by regular Star Trek stuntman Jay Jones . In a 1996 retrospective interview, Jay claimed that the role of Jackson was his first assignment on Star Trek . ( Science Fiction Television Series , Mark Phillips and Frank Garcia, McFarland and Co.)
• This is the first episode to feature all seven of the "classic" cast members who were brought back for future big screen adventures: Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scott, Uhura, Sulu, and Chekov, although they do not all appear in the same scene together.

Props and effects [ ]

Metal prop laminated in Lucite

• A detailed metal prop miniature of the Enterprise was created for this episode, then laminated in lucite as one of Korob's tricks. The miniature was donated to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum by Gene Roddenberry . ( The Star Trek Compendium , p. 70)
• The Ornithoid life forms were marionettes composed of blue fluff, pipe cleaners, crab pincers, and other materials. The marionettes were operated with thick, black threads that were clearly visible; most of this was corrected in the remastered version of the episode. ( The Star Trek Compendium , p. 70)
• The three witches seen towards the start of the episode were intended to be shown as floating severed heads, hence the reaction from the landing party at their appearance. The characters wore black turtlenecks against a black backdrop, with light shining directly up into the face. Unfortunately, the effect did not work and the turtlenecks worn by the actors can clearly be seen. Even in the remastered version of the episode, this oversight is still present. ( The Star Trek Compendium , p. 70)
• This is the first episode in which a scope can be seen at the engineering station on the bridge. The science station scope was slightly altered for this episode; it is of a lighter color than the science scope used in episodes of the first season and has a circular control added to its left side. This dial control, as first seen in this episode, would remain throughout Seasons 2 and 3 .
• The blue planet used in this episode as Pyris VII (albeit a darker blue to illustrate the spookiness of the planet) was reused in subsequent episodes, representing Argelius II in " Wolf in the Fold ", Sigma Iotia II in " A Piece of the Action ", Troyius in " Elaan of Troyius ", and Scalos in " Wink of an Eye ", which were all lighter blue color.
• The wizard's robe worn by Korob is the same costume that was previously worn by Bob Denver in the Gilligan's Island episode "Lovey's Secret Admirer", which aired on January 23, 1967. [4]

Continuity [ ]

• In this episode, DeSalle wears a red engineering tunic, unlike the gold command tunic he wore in " The Squire of Gothos " and " This Side of Paradise ". The character started out as a navigator in "Squire", then served as a science officer in "Paradise", ending up as an engineer here.
• The short scene of crewmen in turtleneck uniforms walking in a corridor during red alert is stock footage from " Where No Man Has Gone Before ". This marks the last time that these uniforms are worn by Enterprise crewmembers.
• The events of this episode take place on Stardate 3018.2 which means it took place right after the events of TOS : " The Menagerie, Part II ", whose events took place on Stardate 3013.1-3013.2, and before the episode TOS : " Shore Leave " whose events take place from Stardate 3025.3-3025.8.

Remastered information [ ]

"Catspaw" was the eighth episode of the remastered version of The Original Series to air, premiering in syndication on the weekend of 28 October 2006 . Aside from the standard remastering of the effects used for the USS Enterprise , the most notable revised features include new effects shots of Pyris VII , as well as the castle on the surface, with the original shot of the castle entry completely retained as part of the full building. The transmuter effect was also touched up and most of the visible wires controlling the Ornithoid life forms were digitally erased.

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• Original US Betamax release: 1986
• US LaserDisc release: 8 May 1986
• UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 16 , catalog number VHR 2328, release date unknown
• Japan LaserDisc release: 25 March 1993
• US VHS release: 15 April 1994
• UK re-release (three-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 2.1, 3 February 1997
• Original US DVD release (single-disc): Volume 15, 11 July 2000
• As part of the TOS Season 2 DVD collection
• As part of the TOS-R Season 2 DVD collection

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• William Shatner as Captain Kirk
• Leonard Nimoy as Spock
• DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy

Guest star [ ]

• Antoinette Bower as Sylvia

Co-starring [ ]

• Theo Marcuse as Korob

Featuring [ ]

• James Doohan as Scott
• George Takei as Sulu
• Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
• Walter Koenig as Chekov
• Michael Barrier as DeSalle
• John Winston as Transporter Chief
• Rhodie Cogan as First Witch
• Gail Bonney as Second Witch
• Maryesther Denver as Third Witch
• Jimmy Jones as Crewman Jackson

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

• William Blackburn as Hadley
• John Blower as Swenson ( deleted scene )
• Frank da Vinci as Brent
• Jeannie Malone as a yeoman
• Eddie Paskey as Leslie
• Frieda Rentie as a Lieutenant
• Unknown actress as Crew woman

Stunt doubles [ ]

• Bob Bass as stunt double for James Doohan
• Frank da Vinci as stunt double for Leonard Nimoy
• Gary Downey as stunt double for William Shatner
• Jimmy Jones as stunt double for DeForest Kelley
• Carl Saxe as stunt double for Theo Marcuse
• Vic Toyota as stunt double for George Takei

References [ ]

" all right "; ability ; ambition ; amplifier ; analysis ; animal ; answer ; arm ; assistant chief engineer ; attitude ; azimuth ; bear ; beef ; " bet you credits to navy beans "; billion ; boar ; body of water ; " Bones "; black ; blinking ; bravery ; bribery ; bypass power ; castle ; cat ; catspaw ; cell ; chance ; choice ; cloud formation ; cobweb ; colleague ; color ; compassion ; comrade ; consciousness ; contact ; coordinates ; creature ; credit ; crystal ; curse ; damage ; danger ; data ; day ; death ; degree (angle) ; degree (temperature) ; demon ; demonstration ; desire ; diamond ; doctor ; door ; dream ; drug ; dungeon ; dust ; Earth ; effect ; electrical field ; emerald ; environment ; experience ; eye ; failure ; familiar ; feather ; fire ; fog ; fool ; force field ; " for the moment "; friend ; ghost ; ghost story ; green ; Halloween ; heat ; heat-dissipation unit ; host ; hull ; Human (aka Earthman ); hypnosis ; idea ; illusion ; image ; impulse engine ; " in error "; information ; " in order "; inquiry ; iron maiden ; key ; knowledge ; landing party ; landing party procedure ; legend ; lifeform ; location ; logic ; love ; loyalty ; luxury ; mace ; magic ; magic wand ; magnetic field ; malfunction ; mapping expedition ; mark ; martial arts ; matter ; meter ; Milky Way Galaxy ; mind ; mind probing ; minute ; mistake ; model ; molecular structure ; mumbo jumbo ; myth ; mythology ; name ; navy bean ; nightmare ; object ; ogre ; Old Ones ; onion ; " on the double "; orbit ; page ; pain ; parallel development ; pattern ; peace ; peacock ; phaser ; place ; poetry ; power ; power system ; puppet ; Pyris VII ; Pyris VII system ; prisoner ; race ; racial subconscious (aka racial memories); range ; reactor ; relay station ; reality ; ruby ; saber-toothed tiger ; sapphire ; Satan ; science ; scientific method ; search party ; second ; sensation ; sensor ; sensor scan ; " Singing a different tune "; skeleton ; specimen ; " stand by "; standby alert ; static interference ; stranger ; subconscious ; superstition ; surface ; surface temperature ; symbol ; sympathetic magic ; telekinesis ; telepathy ; temperature ; thing ; thought ; threat ; tool ; traitor ; transmuter (aka power pack); trick ; trick or treat ; tricorder ; twilight world ; Vulcan neck pinch ; water ; wavelength analysis ; weapon ; white ; will ; wind ; wine ; witch ; wizard ; word

Unused references [ ]

solar day ; Starbase 9

External links [ ]

• " Catspaw " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " Catspaw " at Wikipedia
• " Catspaw " at MissionLogPodcast.com
• " Catspaw " at the Internet Movie Database
• 1 Bell Riots
• 2 Obi Ndefo
• 3 Past Tense, Part I (episode)

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Catspaw 1967

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Saw Promo Video on Archive: 

That Time Captain Kirk Fought a Giant Cat - 13:55

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https://archive.org/details/youtube-ed7VBh8_Bl0

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Found: Star Trex (TV-Rip) Catspaw -  Spanish Language!

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So Up loaded  English version?

----xxx---xxx---xx---

(part one: Main show)

" Catspaw " Is The Seventh Episode Of The 

second season of the American science fiction  

television series Star Trek Written by Robert Bloch  

and directed by Joseph Pevney , it was first broadcast 

October 27, 1967. The crew of the Enterprise encounter 

two aliens from another galaxy with magical-seeming 

powers. This episode was the first filmed to include 

series regular Pavel Chekov ( Walter Koenig ), 

although it was broadcast after several other episodes 

with the character had already been aired; the airing 

was delayed to coincide with Halloween .

The USS Enterprise , under the command of Captain 

Kirk , orbits the apparently lifeless planet Pyris VII. 

Contact has been lost with the landing party, consisting 

of Chief Engineer Scott , Lt. Sulu , and Crewman Jackson . 

Jackson calls for Transport back to the ship, but falls from 

the platform dead. His open mouth emits an eerie voice, 

telling Captain Kirk that Enterprise is cursed and must 

leave the planet immediately, or death will follow. Kirk 

beams down with First Officer Spock and Chief Medical 

Officer Dr. McCoy to search for the missing crewmen, 

leaving Assistant Chief Engineer DeSalle in charge of

Enterprise . The landing party comes upon three 

apparitions that appear as witches, who warn the landing 

team not to proceed any further. The team ignores 

the warnings and discovers what appears to be a 

medieval castle.Entering the castle, the landing party 

comes upon a black cat wearing a diamond pendant. 

As they follow the cat, the floor collapses, and the fall 

knocks them unconscious . When they awaken, they

find themselves held in a dungeon . Scott and Sulu 

soon appear, walking as if in a trance,and unlock 

their restraints

(part two: intermission show)

Star Trex Cats play on Halloween!!!

(Part Three: intermission show)

The Witches Scene From Catspaw

(Part 4  : intermission show)

Witch Hunter Sees Witches and sings: 

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http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/StarTrekS2E7Catspaw

Star Trek S2 E7 "Catspaw" » Recap

Original air date: October 27, 1967

Catstropes:

• Aerith and Bob : Or rather, Korob and Sylvia.
• Affably Evil : Korob comes off as this.
• Alas, Poor Villain : Korob turned out to be a pretty decent guy in the end. Too bad the Starfleet landing party stood there and watched him die helplessly along with Sylvia.
• All Witches Have Cats : An inversion! It seems that it's the cat who has the wizard.
• Bald of Evil : Korob has this along with a Beard of Evil
• Brainwashed and Crazy : Both Scotty and Sulu, with McCoy eventually joining them.
• Brutal Honesty : When confronted with an illusion that threatens the landing party with death using a weak imitation of Shakespearean dialogue: Kirk : Analysis, Spock. Spock : Very bad poetry, Captain.
• Cats Are Magic : Justified. Sylvia is actually a shape shifting alien.
• Cats Are Mean : Sylvia is the meanest of mean cats, no matter her form. Spock discusses the trope, reflecting on a cat's natural savageness dating back to the sabre-tooth tiger.
• Cat Scare : The first thing our heroes get when they enter the castle.
• Chained to a Rock : Kirk, Spock and Bo...uh... McCoy all experience this.
• Clarke's Third Law : Korob and Sylvia are aliens that use a device called a "transmuter" that allows them to perform various effects such as telepathy, brainwashing, shapeshifting, matter transformation and even Sympathetic Magic . It resembles a crystal sphere mounted on a wand and necklace respectively and they themselves dress like mystics. Unfortunately for the effect they were going for, the Enterprise crew are advanced enough to examine everything as technology instead of magic.
• Cobweb of Disuse : It's not a Haunted Castle without a few.
• Empathic Shapeshifter : Via the transmuter, Sylvia and Korob make themselves and the surrounding area look like something explicitly out of a human nightmare. Or the set of a Universal Horror film.
• Entertainingly Wrong : Korob and Sylvia are clearly a bit out of date as to what humans are like, leaving Kirk et al thoroughly nonplussed when they're offered valueless (with the invention of replicators) gems or presented with ghostly hovering faces (which just makes them wonder what tech is in play).
• Even Evil Has Standards : Part of what makes Korob so Affably Evil is that he's clearly not as malicious as Sylvia. As Kirk is being brought in for his second "interrogation", Korob complains to Sylvia about her being "cruel" and "torturing the specimens", implying he would much rather barter or persuade Kirk and co to go along with what he wants than brutalise them into compliance like she has.
• Everything's Sparkly with Jewelry : Sparkly, yes. Valuable, not when you can replicate jewels as easily as making a cup of coffee. And then there's that diamond collar that Sylvia wears in both cat and human forms.
• Face–Monster Turn : Some of the crew are made into zombie-slaves by the witch-alien.
• Foreshadowing / Leaning on the Fourth Wall : Sylvia tells Korob "I'm not a puppet like you!" At the end of the episode their true forms are played by puppets...complete with strings in the original version.
• Gallows Humor : Kirk and Spock are shackled with their arms raised against a wall next to a skeleton in the same position. At one point while discussing the situation with Spock, Kirk pauses as he looks at the skeleton, momentarily cocks his head in the same position as the skeleton's, then turns back to continue talking to Spock. Earlier, when Dr. McCoy was also in the dungeon, Kirk turned his head to ask if 'Bones' was all right, saw the skeleton, and called McCoy 'Doc' for the rest of the episode.
• Ghost Butler : When the landing party enters the castle, the door closes itself behind them.
• Halloween Episode : Originally aired October 27, 1967. Nearly all Haunted Castle tropes are present and occasionally discussed. Spock is familiar with a few Terran superstitions, but not with the custom of "Trick or Treat". Interestingly enough, neither is Korob.
• Heel–Face Turn : Korob
• Hold Your Hippogriffs : Lt. DeSalle says "I bet you credits to navy beans!" where most would say "I bet you dollars to donuts!" They don't have donuts in the future? What sort of Dystopia is this?!
• Humans Are Special : Korob and Sylvia admire the human ability to feel.
• I Have You Now, My Pretty : Sylvia tries to pull this on Kirk in a rare genderflip of this trope. Kirk, being Kirk , quickly flips it into his favor.
• Magic Wand : Korob has one with a crystal on the end. It is a transmuter that allows him to perform his illusions.
• The Main Characters Do Everything : Someone explain, again, why it was a good idea for the captain, first officer, second officer, and chief medical officer all to be on a strange and possibly sinister planet at the same time. Which leads to...
• Mauve Shirt : Lt. LaSalle , who made a few appearances in the first season, had to take command of the Enterprise due to all the Senior Staff being down on the planet. He does pretty well, particularly given that he was without the benefit of the Science Officer or the Chief Engineer.
• Mind Manipulation : How the aliens get Sulu and Scotty to do what they want. They claim it to be harmless. Kirk disagrees.
• No, Mr. Bond, I Expect You to Dine : Korob offers Kirk and company a banquet. When they seem unimpressed, he offers them plates of jewels.
• Oh, Crap! : Scotty and Sulu AREN'T here to save them after all!
• Ominous Fog : It's all over the place. Spock comments that due to the low level of water vapor in the air, it shouldn't exist. It's there purely to look scary.
• Power Echoes : The doom and gloom prophecy about terrible curses that Jackson gives posthumously is delivered in an ominous echo.
• Prophecies Rhyme All the Time : The three witches when they prophesy doom for the landing party if they don't turn back. As with the other Halloween tropes, the landing party is not impressed, either by the warning or by the quality of the verse.
• Redshirt : In a surprise inversion, Ensign Jackson wears a gold shirt, while the most prominent Red Shirt character in the episode has command of the bridge while Kirk is offship and survives the whole episode.
• Reset Button : Destroying Korob's transmuter undoes everything except the death of Jackson.
• Sense Freak : A mild case, but Sylvia blatantly admits she's enjoying the ability to experience the world through human senses when Korob questions her as having forgotten their mission.
• Shout-Out : Korob mentions to Sylvia of their duty to the Old Ones . Appropriate, considering the episode's writer was Robert Bloch .
• Shout-Out to Shakespeare : The three witches' appearance and manner of speech are reminiscent of (though not necessarily directly referential to) characters in Macbeth .
• Stock Footage : A brief shot of crewmembers (wearing the turtleneck shirts from the pilots) passing a red alert signal on a corridor is recycled from " Where No Man Has Gone Before ".
• Stripped to the Bone : There is a whole, bleached human skeleton in an iron maiden in the dungeon for no purpose other than to be scary.
• Sympathetic Magic : Korob and Sylvia are capable of this through their transmuters. The latter dangerously heats up the Enterprise by putting an effigy through a candle flame. The former traps it in Some Kind of Force Field by encasing the effigy in crystal, but they manage to work out a way to begin disrupting the field.
• This Was His True Form : The true forms of Sylvia and Korob looked like something a kindergartner made out of blue pipe cleaners ( of which they actually were ).
• Voluntary Shapeshifting : Sylvia can change into a black cat and back and change her size. (We don't actually see this happen. We must infer that it does.)
• Voodoo Doll : Sylvia calls it "sympathetic magic." It's how she killed Jackson. She makes a model of the starship Enterprise that she uses as a voodoo doll. Incidentally, the prop used is now in the Smithsonian; and would represent the Enterprise itself in some Forced Perspective shots in other episodes.
• We Hardly Knew Ye : While the writers sure seemed to treat Redshirts like cannon fodder, Kirk makes it clear he doesn't feel that way about them. " Not an illusion. Jackson is dead."
• What Is This Thing You Call "Love"? : Sylvia and Korob can't get enough of human sensation.
• Star Trek S2 E6 "The Doomsday Machine"
• Recap/Star Trek: The Original Series
• Star Trek S2 E8 "I, Mudd"

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Catspaw (Episode)

Stardate 3018.2 : Aliens on a mission of conquest hold the crew captive.

On Pyris VII , Kirk , Spock , and McCoy encounter a haunted castle, and find Sulu and Scott transformed into "zombies." Aliens Korob and Sylvia — disguised as a warlock and a witch — are responsible for the "trick or treat" trappings, using supernatural devices to terrify the men of the Enterprise . Only Spock is unaffected by their scare tactics. The aliens are on a mission of conquest, and have used a matter transmuter to assume human form. Sylvia, affected by her new body, attempts to ensnare Kirk into becoming her partner and lover. When Korob aids Kirk and company to escape, Sylvia changes into a gigantic black cat and crushes him. Kirk destroys the "magic wand" transmuter device, causing the castle to vanish and the aliens to resume their actual forms. In reality, they are fragile creatures, and are destroyed by the planet's atmosphere. Sulu and Scott are returned to normal, and "Halloween" is over.

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Ensign Pavel Chekov

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Korob in Human guise

Korob and Sylvia

Sylvia in Human guise

Related Data

Created by Gene Roddenberry

Starring William Shatner

Also Starring Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock and DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy

Written by Robert Bloch

Directed by Joseph Pevney

Produced by Gene L. Coon

Executive Producer Gene Roddenberry

Associate Producer Robert H. Justman

Guest Star Antoinette Bowler … Sylvia

Co-Starring Theo Marcuse … Korob

Featuring James Doohan … Scott George Takei … Sulu Nichelle Nichols … Uhura Walter Koenig … Chekov Mike Barrier … DeSalle

With John Winston … Transporter Chief Rhodie Cogan … First Witch Gail Bonney … Second Witch Maryesther Denver … Third Witch Jimmy Jones … Crewman Jackson

Script Consultant D.C. Fontana

Assistant to the Producer Edward K. Milkis

Theme Music by Alexander Courage

Music Composed and Conducted by Gerald Fried

Director of Photography Jerry Finnerman

Art Directors Rolland M. Brooks and Walter M. Jefferies

Film Editor … Bruce Schoengarth Unit Manager … Gregg Peters Assistant Director … Rusty Meek Set Decorator … Joseph J. Stone Costumes Created by … William Theiss Photographic Effects … Westheimer Company Sound Effects Editor … Douglas H. Grindstaff Music Editor … Jim Henrikson Re-Recording Mixer … Elden E. Ruberg Production Mixer … Carl W. Daniels Script Supervisor … George A. Rutter Casting … Joseph D'Agosta Makeup Artist … Fred B. Phillips , S.M.A. Hair Styles … Jean Austin Gaffer … George H. Merhoff Head Grip … George Rader Property Master … Irving A. Feinberg Special Effects … Jim Rugg

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A friendly reminder regarding spoilers ! At present the expanded Trek universe is in a period of major upheaval with the continuations of Discovery and Prodigy , the advent of new eras in gaming with the Star Trek Adventures RPG , Star Trek: Infinite and Star Trek Online , as well as other post-57th Anniversary publications such as the ongoing IDW Star Trek comic and spin-off Star Trek: Defiant . Therefore, please be courteous to other users who may not be aware of current developments by using the {{ spoiler }}, {{ spoilers }} OR {{ majorspoiler }} tags when adding new information from sources less than six months old (even if it is minor info). Also, please do not include details in the summary bar when editing pages and do not anticipate making additions relating to sources not yet in release. THANK YOU

"Catspaw" was the 30th episode of Star Trek: The Original Series .

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Characters [ ], episode characters [ ], novelization characters [ ], starships and vehicles [ ], locations [ ], races and cultures [ ], states and organizations [ ], science and classification [ ], technology and weapons [ ], materials and substances [ ], lifeforms [ ], ranks and titles [ ], other references [ ], appendices [ ], related media [ ], adaptations [ ].

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• " Catspaw " article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
• Catspaw (Star Trek) article at Wikipedia , the free encyclopedia.
• ↑ The character of Clifford Brent was not named in the episode but the same actor, wearing an officer 's Starfleet uniform , was addressed as Brent in TOS episode : " The Naked Time ". The same actor also played the character of Vinci .
• 1 Ferengi Rules of Acquisition
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Star Trek: Catspaw

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"Catspaw" is the seventh episode of season two of the science fiction television series Star Trek , and the thirty-sixth episode of the series overall. It was directed by Joseph Pevney with a teleplay written by Robert Bloch . It first aired on Friday evening on NBC on October 27th , 1967 . Like all episodes from the series, "Catspaw" was digitally remastered with upgraded visual effects. This version first aired on October 28th , 2006 .

• 1.1 Starring
• 1.2 Guest Star
• 1.3 Co-Starring
• 1.4 Featuring
• 2 Notes & Trivia
• 3 Allusions
• 5.1 Star Trek
• 5.2 Star Trek: The Next Generation
• 5.3 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
• 5.4 Star Trek: Voyager
• 5.5 Star Trek: Enterprise
• 6 External Links

Starring [ ]

Guest star [ ], co-starring [ ], featuring [ ], notes & trivia [ ].

• Star Trek was created by Gene Roddenberry .
• " Catspaw " and " TOS: Catspaw " both serve as shortcuts to this page.
• The events of this episode take place on Stardate 3018.2 in the year 2267 .
• This is the eighth episode of Star Trek directed by Joseph Pevney . He directs sixteen episodes of the series in total. He previously directed "The Apple" . His next episode is "Journey to Babel" .
• This is the second episode of Star Trek written by Robert Bloch . He writes three episodes of the series in total. He previously wrote "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" . His next episode is "Wolf in the Fold" .
• Writer D.C. Fontana also had a hand in writing this episode, along with Robert Bloch , but was uncredited for her participation in this episode.
• Actor Theodore Marcuse is credited as Theo Marcuse in this episode.
• Actor Michael Barrier is credited as Mike Barrier in this episode.
• Actor Jay D. Jones is credited as Jimmy Jones in this episode.
• Welcome to the USS Enterprise Ensign Pavel Chekov ! Hope you survive the experience. This is Walter Koenig 's first episode on Star Trek . However, episode 2x05, "The Apple" , despite having been filmed later, actually aired prior to "Catspaw". Although this is the first time the character is seen on the show, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan establishes that Chekov was part of the crew as far back as episode 22 from season one, "Space Seed" .
• This is the third and final appearance of Vincent DeSalle. He appeared last in "This Side of Paradise" .
• The transporter chief's name is John Kyle . He is identified only as transporter chief in this episode.
• This is the first and only appearance of Crewman Jackson. Jackson serves as the " redshirt " of this episode.

Allusions [ ]

• Trick or Treating is an Earth tradition associated with Halloween. On October 31st , usually at night, children dress up in costume and go from house to house exclaiming "Trick or Treat", in the hopes of receiving candy as a treat.
• Satan is a title associated with the Devil in the Christian faith. He is also known as Lucifer Morningstar. A very bad boy, he is often presented as the first of God's fallen angels, who becomes the father of evil across the world and resides in Hell.
• In European folklore, cats are often viewed as being a witch's familiar. They may, as Spock asserts, be a demon in feline form, or they may be regular animals that are mystically attuned to the witch that it serves, who may use the cats as their eyes and ears.
• Leonard McCoy : Three witches... what appears to be a castle, and a black cat.
• James T. Kirk : If we weren't missing two officers and a third one dead, I'd say someone was playing an elaborate trick-or-treat on us.
• Mister Spock : 'Trick-or-treat', Captain?
• James T. Kirk : Yes, Mr. Spock... You'd be a natural. I'll explain it to you one day.
• James T. Kirk : Bones... Doc? [sees a skeleton next to 'Bones', which is, like them, chained to the wall]
• Leonard McCoy : You were saying something about trick or treat...
• Spock : Don't let her touch your wand, Captain.
• Spock : There are ancient Earth legends about wizards and their familiars.
• Leonard McCoy : Familiars?
• Spock : Demons in animal form sent by Satan to serve the wizard.
• James T. Kirk : Superstition.
• Spock : I do not create the legend, Captain. I merely report it.

See also [ ]

Star trek: the next generation, star trek: deep space nine, star trek: voyager, star trek: enterprise, external links [ ].

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Sulu, Scotty and Jackson explore Pyrus VII, and then Jackson calls the ship, "one to beam up". He materializes dead, and a sepulchral voice threatens Kirk, saying his ship is cursed! Beaming down, Kirk discovers his men enslaved by strange aliens, who have created a Gothic castle and other artifacts straight from Halloween. But their power and threat are real - they are from a place so alien, that the sensations of this universe are intoxicating. If not stopped, they pose a grave threat to the Federation.

James Doohan

Nichelle Nichols

George Takei

Walter Koenig

John Winston

Michael Barrier

Antoinette Bower

Jay D. Jones

Rhodie cogan, cast appearances.

William Shatner

Leonard Nimoy

DeForest Kelley

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Star Trek: The Original Series

“Catspaw”

Air date: 10/27/1967 Written by Robert Bloch Directed by Joseph Pevney

Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan

Review Text

Kirk, Spock, and Bones beam down to a planet to investigate the death of a crewman scout who beamed up from the planet, well, dead. What they find is literally a Halloween setting, complete with a ghostly greeting that seems to be straight out of a haunted house parody. Kirk & Co. subsequently locate the missing men from the first landing party—Scotty and Sulu in a catatonic state, under the command of two aliens with a great power of illusion, who have created the whole Halloween setting as a way of learning about humans.

The aliens, Korob (Theo Marcuse) and Sylvia (Antoinette Bower), slowly become at odds with each other, as Sylvia finds herself attracted to the sensations and experiences of humans—manifested, of course, through her physical attraction to Kirk. Meanwhile, the most wooden lieutenant in Starfleet (Michael Barrier) has command of the Enterprise , preventing the ship scenes from being particularly interesting.

"Catspaw" is a primarily gag-driven episode, with a hit-and-miss track record. Kirk's encounters with Sylvia are moderately interesting. But the episode is fundamentally formulaic, and lives and dies on each piece of its fragmented puzzle. As a lightweight adventure, it's okay; just don't look for much substance.

Previous episode: The Doomsday Machine Next episode: I, Mudd

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44 comments on this post.

I grew up watching TOS, but I haven't watched all the episodes all the way through before like I'm doing now. I'm finding the whole second season to be kind of hit and miss--or, rather, swinging back and forth between brilliant and "meh." Sometimes they are just trying too hard, but when it all comes together, like in The Doomsday Machine, it's amazing. Thanks for your reviews!

I havent watched this episode in quite some time and there is a reason; I dont want to. I rate 1 star only because im still high from watching doomsday mach week before.

I just watched this. I found the first half to be almost intolerably dull -- maybe not "And the Children Shall Lead" or anything, but still pretty awful and airy and lifeless. It picks up a bit in its second half, but even then it's mostly just a series of Trek cliches. Korob's coming around is a little interesting, and it's interesting watching Kirk play Sylvia. The reveal of Korob and Sylvia's true form is a bit of a hoot as well. Still, I think this episode overall is hardly better than TNG's "Devil's Due," which has some similar elements (seductive master of illusion playing on people's fears, ship in jeopardy from below) or "The Squire of Gothos" (...master of illusion misrepresenting human society due to inaccurate info), and I'd put it below both of those. 1.5 stars, I guess.

Incredibly thin. I wish I could say this is as bad as it gets.

This is another one I liked as a kid but roll my eyes at now. But it was a cool adventure when you're 10.

todayshorse

Ludicrous. How this could follow the brilliance of the Doomsday Machine is beyond me. Somesort of Halloween special? It wasnt very 'special'. I did enjoy the ending though, ive never laughed so much at the actual forms of the fat bald bloke and the cat. What was that all about???

I gotta say this episode always stood out to me not in so much as the show but the music always stuck in my head in this one so everytime I hear the music played in other episodes I'm just looking for Kirk and spock to come around the corner with a giant black cat chasing them (mrooogh!!!) Always makes me smile :)

"Captain. A little more alacrity, if you please."

A Star Trek Halloween episode. No more and no less. Scary when I was a kid but pretty dull now. No big questions asked or answered. Just black cats and castles. There was one joke though. Sulu and Scotty were catatonic. Yuk Yuk. About a 1.5.

Oh yeah, I agree this is a weak episode. When TNG did a "horror" episode, namely Night Terrors, it worked the horror into the plot. With this one, what point was there in all the horror elements? Spock talks about how this all relates to the human psyche at the subconscious level, but A) that doesn't have anything to do with the rest of the story, and it's never explained why Karob did it, and B) explain to me why black cats and medieval castles are part of the sub-conscience when it has nothing to do with surviving the African savannah? If they were trying to create a theme in that sense, it failed miserably. What was the point of all of the horror? What was the purpose of Karob and Sylvia being here and dealing with the Enterprise crew? They try to warn the crew away with the curses and stuff, but then say they passed a test by still showing up. Then they ask about their technology, even though they can do far more. Also, Sylvia can apparently read their minds, so why not just learn everything from Scotty earlier? Then Sylvia starts being catty (har har) to Karob, and then starts trying to seduce Kirk while torturing the rest of the crew. OK, fine, that part works as a plot point, Sylvia falling for her new form, causing conflict between the two godlike beings. But it still doesn't explain all the riddles and mystery at the beginning. It doesn't explain what the purpose of it all is. That's the problem, I think. It's a collection of scenes brought together in an attempt to be a Halloween episode, but with no logic and reason through it. Couple that with cheap effects and some obvious filler scenes on the Enterprise, and this is just bad. Oh, by the way, what's with the most wooden engineer in the Federation (as Jammer called him) being in command? Doohan and Takei had virtually nothing to do as the brainwashed victims of Sylvia, why not leave one of them in command of the Enterprise? Kinda strange.

A disappointing episode, especially coming after "The Doomsday Machine" - but the Hallowe'en theme is appropriate given when it first aired. Still, it's lots of gimmicks without much meaning; it's another twist on "The Squire of Gothos" or "Who Mourns for Adonais?" where more powerful beings that lack wisdom threaten the Enterprise crew. It's a well-worn formula; interesting soundtrack though. I wasn't a fan of the redshirt (LaSalle? DeSalle?) who was left in command of the ship - there was a missed opportunity. Would have been better if Scotty was left in charge rather than being a zombie the whole episode. Even the final scene wasn't that compelling - Why does Korob lose all his power? He has the transmuter. Then, Sylvia is pointing a phaser at Kirk who has the transmuter. Can't she stun Kirk and get the transmuter? I'd give this episode 2/4 stars and I think that might be a tad generous as it was quite slow paced and only really got interesting about 40 mins. in.

I have a soft spot for this one. It's not deep, but it's fun in spots, and good for the kiddies. Given all the weird things that happen on Star Trek, it's not THAT much of a stretch to imagine that two aliens fascinated by human experience might groove on 20th Century American Halloween party stuff. I mean come on, let's not give TNG too much credit: For every "Night Terrors," you get a Sub Rosa (Crusher sleeping with a ghost?!) and a "Devil's Due." All in all, "Catspaw" is a fun little haunted house show that manages to keep its tongue firmly in cheek, and I'll give it 3 stars out of 4 on a day when I'm feeling charitable. Jammer's 2 1/2 stars seems fair. Like much Trek, there are boring stretches in this one, but I dig the Sylvia-Kirk scenes and the gag climax revealing the unimpressive true form of the two aliens. Aliens don't always need deep cosmic, humanitarian, or evil motives on Trek: Sometimes they can just be screwing around with Our Heroes, like Sylvia and Korob. It's nice to imagine a universe where some aliens just like to prank humans.

Rewatching this episode again as I marathon the series on DVD in air date order for the first time, I really enjoyed it! I have to say it's a solid 3 or 3 1/2 stars for me. Spock has some really intriguing dialogue about how the aliens feed off the human subconscious and seem to take it for reality: Not sure how I've always missed this exchange in the past, but it really adds to the story's mystique for me, and Bloch really writes this stuff well. The mystery of the story and Kirk's final observation that it was real in one sense -- Jackson is dead -- hint at deeper ideas than the haunted house surface initially suggests. So yeah, consider me a "Catspaw" fan, even though I wish Sulu got a little dialogue -- even Scotty gets ONE line when they de-zombify!

Peter Swinkels

Perhaps not the greatest story but entertaining. The sets and effects while most definitely not perfect appear to have the improved during the second season.

Startrekwatcher

2 stars I like spooky atmospheric episodes but this was quite disappointing.

Well this was a bit buttocks, wasn't it? Vastly inferior to TNG's Night Terrors, which was legitimately frightening, and also trailing the TNG where the woman pretends to be the Devil due to that episode's fantastic villain. This episode is just another of TOS's pointless, uninspired Earth history/mythology stories. You mean to tell me that in the vastness of space there is only Earth's past? It becomes ever clearer why TNG, DS9 and VOY distanced themselves from TOS. Catspaw might have raised mild chuckles in the 60s and maybe scared some 8 year olds but its quality is totally unacceptable today (and probably was then). Still, if you have got literally nothing to do for 50 minutes, there are some lols, and I liked the female villain.

@No Poet "Catspaw" is TOS mediocrity for sure but that's not to say TNG, DS9, VOY didn't have their shares of mediocrity as well -- their's was just different. And there was more of it given the 7 seasons. TNG's tended to be more sci-fi-ish, DS9's fillers involved crap like the Ferengi arc, and VOY's tended to be efforts at character pieces for the lesser cast members and spatial anomalies. Those are very broad generalizations on my part. As for bringing up Earth's past -- these aliens presumably probed the crew's minds to come up with something that would be scary to them -- why would they conjure up something scary to say the Klingons when it is mostly (other than Spock) earthlings visiting them? To each his own opinion but I'd hardly call "Night Terrors" vastly superior to "Catspaw" -- both are 2* episodes for me. And "Devil's Due" is a poor 1.5* ep. I suggest a better episode with the genre of scaring crewmembers / psychological terror might be something like "The Thaw".

KIRK: Spock. Comment? SPOCK: Very bad poetry, Captain. That just about says it all.

Had some good lines and moments, but mostly kind of plodding. Obligatory sexy lady is a cat!! Naturally, she melts in Kirk's hands, overwhelmed by his apparently super sensual touch. It's all downhill from there for Cat Lady and Bald Wizard. The ending with the strange little pipe cleaner & paper aliens made me suddenly remember that episode of Buffy with the tiny widdle demon. Average.

I *also* have a soft spot for this one. The Three Witches are another iconic TOS image from my childhood. Watching as an adult, I expected nothing more than a novelty Halloween episode, but this is actually a legit TOS adventure. It has a lot of great lines, which mostly come from Kirk-Spock-McCoy interaction, because for the most part it's the three of them working together by themselves. Is this actually the first time we see just the trio beam down and get to work on a planet? Anyway the image made me smile. You see them materialize and you just know it's *on*. It's TOS time. Things are gettin' *explored*. The aliens probing for our conscious minds and accidentally reaching the subconscious, as Spock explains, is really a nice SciFi thought. The 'universal images' that are supposed to reside there are a pop culture version of Jungian psychology, which was rather popular back then. Also, pipe cleaner aliens.

"The ending with the strange little pipe cleaner & paper aliens made me suddenly remember that episode of Buffy with the tiny widdle demon." (ACTUAL SIZE) Good times...

A Halloween episode of Trek sounds like a nightmare, but this episode wasn't bad. One thing I love about TOS is the sense of fun and adventure. We get that with season 2 with episode where they deal with a greek god, Vulcan mating, Mirror universe and etc. This is the first episode of many to feature aliens being overwhelmed by human sensation and they did a pretty good job. It was kind of fun watching the Silvia turn evil and banter with her partner in crime. Despite TOS being famous for the break three I really do like they way they use the whole cast. It would had been better if the bridge scene featured just Uhura and Chekov. it does make sense that assistance chief engineer Desalle is in charge because Scotty took command a lot as well.

Boy was this a missed opportunity to bring Uhura along on the away mission, so she could say "Captain, I'm frightened." Just be grateful this didn't air on UPN like VOY, else the trailers would have screamed all week, "tune in next time for giant hairy black pussy!" No doubt strongly suggesting that Uhura would be front and center. Don't get me wrong, I like Halloween in my scifi. https://youtu.be/JHd39rOMBPU But this ain't it.

One of the silliest episodes, absurd, illogical and downright pointless. And yet... I actually quite enjoyed watching it! It’s more of an Orson Welles Adventure story than Trek, but if you can mentally place it outside the Trekverse (“bad poetry”? Sorry 😂) it’s quite fun in parts. And Kirk gets his hands on yet another beautiful woman. I did laugh out loud at the true form of the aliens - whose concept was that! Who is this De Salle in charge of the Enterprise? Do we ever get to see him again? I think this episode was filmed before Doomsday... as Chekhov still has his silly 1967 Mickey Dolenz haircut he had when he first appeared.

De Salle was previously seen wearing a gold uniform in both The Squire of Gothos and This Side of Paradise from the first season.

To me this is one of the worst of all TOS episodes. I mean, witches? We're supposed to be doing science fiction here, not cliched fantasy. Even having them turn out to be little crabs wasn't an improvement. It seemed to just be trying to take advantage of Halloween which was coming up the next week, I believe. A total waste. No stars.

“It seemed to just be trying to take advantage of Halloween which was coming up the next week, I believe.“ Uh, that’s exactly what it was doing.

Antoinette Bowers (original Sylvia) is memorable ...her sensuality is perfect; her vocal quality, dialect and anger presentation at Kirk are second-to-none. Theo Marcuse (Korab) also put in a good performance as a weak wizard but their contributions were weighed down by the giant cat. In spite of the failure, I still get sad at the end when the little clay marionettes pass away.

This was the only episode in the entire TOS canon about which, when I was a kid (aged 6-12 maybe) I had no clue what was going on or why it was going on. It was just sort of weird random stuff and I skipped it at that age most of the time. So there's that.

One element the episode developed was the idea that certain TOS characters were more vulnerable to mind control than others....Sulu always "went down." Scotty was apt to lose it and McCoy, bless him, could never be trusted.

C'mon guys, this a legit 4 stars episode! It has everything that makes a good trek episode: facing the unknown, adventure, danger, trying to reason what the hell is going on, fight scenes between the crew itself, and funny lines. It brings an interesting concept -- aliens that have a totally different existence than ours and get fascinated by our way of experiencing existence. And even the execution of the concept was pretty decent -- the "Earthness" of the set is well justified: the aliens got it from the visitors minds. And we also get an interesting food for though on the situation: would you accept to partner with Sylvia? Maybe only a little? I mean, as Kirk points out, she really had a neck for giving dificult choices...

TheRealTrent

F makes me want to rewatch this episode. F are you being serious? I feel a deep urge to rewatch this now.

Proud Capitalist Pig

“A black cat crossing your path signifies that the animal is going somewhere.” -- Groucho Marx. Come on, that was damn funny. And so is “Catspaw.” Just like “Shore Leave,” “Catspaw” (a word meaning “one who is duped and used by another,” by the way) is an embarrassing waste of time but also an entertaining one, especially if you shut your brain off, become a catspaw yourself and kowtow to the catty absurdity. Or watch it while drunk or high. I just can’t give a less-than-passing grade to this episode because it was just too much stupid fun. It’s one of those so-bad-it’s-almost-good things. You know you’re in for a Trick-or-TREAT when even before the opening credits sequence, you get an utterly hilarious redshirt death. The fall that guy took was astonishing. Points to the stunt guy. And soon after Kirk, Spock and McCoy beam down to Spooky World to investigate the death, and rescue Scotty and Sulu, they encounter Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Waters and Dianne Feinstein floating above them and spouting their typical gibberish. Hell, I was scared! When asked for his analysis of the situation, Spock can only say, “Very bad poetry, Captain.” But it’s when they enter the Haunted Mansion that the “story” begins. Kirk, Spock and McCoy are literally locked in a dungeon and accosted by mind-controlled catspaws Scotty and Sulu, who mysteriously release them. Meanwhile, an adorable black cat walks around meowing and looking to be fed (I love cats; we have two cats and a dog at our house). Turns out everyone is being toyed with by powerful aliens (of course) Korob--played by a low-rent version of Yul Brynner--and Sylvia, played a bargain-basement version of Elizabeth Taylor in a cheap fright wig. They have the power of illusion, mind control and can kill with a single thought, and they’re allowed to get away with these fantasy trappings on a science fiction show because they’re *powerful aliens,* get it? Naturally, they’re also able to affect things aboard the orbiting Enterprise, because--powerful aliens. Korob and Sylvia don’t seem to have a particularly coherent plan other than Korob wants to fuck with the landing party as playthings and Sylvia wants to fuck Kirk. You have to love the reveal of Korob and Sylvia in their "true forms," not to mention the hysterically cheesy compilation of sequences featuring Kirk and Spock rescuing Scotty, McCoy and Sulu using awesomeness and the yowling, spitting cat stalking our heroes through the castle. Nice to see the pussy chasing Kirk for once instead of the other way around, amirite?! MEOW! Best Line: Kirk -- “I don’t know what you are but you’re not a woman. You’ve tortured my men and taken their minds from them. You ask for love and return pain instead!” (I’ll let you figure it out.) My Grade: C-

Theo and especially Antoinette are a lot of fun to my eye.

Maybe we can't break it, but I'll bet you credits to navy beans we can put a dent in it.

The best way is to watch these episodes in PRODUCTION order. I'm surprised that these episodes are not put in that order but hey, whaddya gonna do? ~ But I am more surprised that I have not found a single review yet that states that this is indeed the first appearance of Pavel Chekov and that horrendous Monkees WIG! It should have been called The Monkee's Paw! Poor Walter.

First off, it’s not clear that this was created initially as a Halloween episode since they originally meant to air it earlier in the season—in line with its earlier production—and then decided to air it around Halloween for the obvious reasons. Second, I wonder how much of Bloch’s original script survived the production process because this has all the thumbprints of Roddenberry—inert pace for the first half, lots of psychobabble about human sensations and the subconscious, and no clear motivation for the whole alien mission. Are they studying us? Or are they here to conquer us—and what the hell is with those carrot legged puppets? Shouldn’t beings who are immaterial have an immaterial form rather than looking like they fell out of a ragbag? (See Trelaine’s parents.) and How do they “transmute” those sock puppets through interstellar space? It’s godawful bad but you gotta like the “special effect” of the cat’s giant shadow on the wall. That’s one you can do at home!

@David "no clear motivation for the whole alien mission. Are they studying us? Or are they here to conquer us" I guess the episode tells us it is about the aliens, having a totally different existence than ours, being fascinated by our way of experiencing existence, so studying it is. But what I really wanted to say is: I guess being left with a little bit of "unclear motivation" (as long as they behavior stays coherent) is better than when writers put the villains to give a full report on why they're doing what they're doing, eh?

This is one episode where I’d love to see a fly-on-the-wall style documentary of its production. The actors and crew must have had some very serious moments of deep introspection about just what the hell they were doing. The first table read must have involved a lot of side glancing and deep sighing. Despite its utter ridiculousness, I will say this one keeps your attention. It’s weird. And I like a little weird. But this might be a little too weird. 1.5/4 fuzzy shrimp birds

"The first table read must have involved a lot of side glancing and deep sighing." Well you see that might have been true if there was one, but I highly doubt there was a table read. I expect everyone got their sides and it was filmed out of sequence as usual, mere hours after that days rewrites got to the actors in makeup, and it wasn't until the smoke cleared months later that the cast would see the actual episode on TV and realize what had been made. I'm sure they knew it was a weird one, but they probably had that glimmer of hope that the writing and directing would somehow make something of the bizarre patchwork of scenes they had to memorize.

Trek or treat? I suppose Catspaw works as a Halloween episode, an event that itself requires suspension of disbelief. Due to the negatives others have mentioned, and because I'm not a big fan of the genre, this ep slips into the bottom half of TOS for me. The show's limited budget is exposed more here than other episodes: the recycled dungeon, cat shadows, puppets on visible strings, etc. If I want to watch something creepy, The Outer Limits offers better options IMO. Some syndicated versions omit the Three Witches bad poetry sequence. 2 of 4 black cats

Unbelievably bad. No real explanation as to why the aliens are doing what they’re doing. No explanation for why Kirk and Spock keep getting chained to a wall and then released. And all it took to defeat. The aliens was for Kirk to break their magic wand. Finally, the aliens become pipe cleaner puppets, and die, for no reason. The episode is an embarrassment.

Janeways Labrat

@Scott, +1 for pipe cleaner puppets. They were always hermit crabs pulled out of their shell to me. When I was 7 watching this episode it was fun. As an adult, I find it unwatchable and cringey.

I loved this one when I was a kid, so I'm biased. I especially like its creepiness and as one who is fond of cats, Sylvia makes one gorgeous cat. As an aside, I though Ms Bower was great in the role.

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Catspaw (Episode)

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Catspaw is the 1st episode in season 2.

Catspaw Stardate: 3018.2 Original Airdate: 27 Oct, 1967

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Catspaw (1967).

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Star Trek - 2x01 - Catspaw

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I n honor of "Star Trek Day," the premiere episodes of several Star Trek series and Short Treks will be available to watch for free in a special sampling Sept. 7-13. The episodes can be accessed on Paramount+ partner platforms Amazon, Apple and Roku, its official YouTube page, Pluto TV and on the Paramount+ free content hub (U.S.)

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