A personal visit causes a comedy of errors during Spock & Pike’s crucial negotiations with an unusual alien species.

After the intensity of Memento Mori, the crew of the Enterprise are awarded some well-deserved downtime, though not everyone is good at switching off. Spock in particular is suffering from pre-wedding anxieties, the inner conflict of human vs Vulcan coming to the fore. His fiancée T’Pring is concerned about his overriding dedication to Starfleet – will he be able to convince her that he has time for her too? And just how will a senior officer respond to being described as ‘where fun goes to die?’

Unashamedly a full-on comedy, this is a hoot from start to finish. There are elements of farce and I refuse to say which episode of The Original Series this is closest to, or even which movies it takes its cues from. It’s a high concept episode, and while you wouldn’t want the show to be this funny each week, it’s a delicious palette cleanser. And yes, this gets an extra point for reprising that classic music cue.

Verdict: Star Trek comedy gold. 9/10

Nick Joy