Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 19: Arena [VHS]
"Arena" was based on a script byTrekproducer Gene L. Coon, the other indispensable figure (besides Gene Roddenberry) in makingStar Trekwhat it was. After writing what he believed was an original teleplay about a one-on-one battle between Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and the reptilian commander of an enemy vessel, Coon realized he had probably been subconsciously inspired by a similar short story written by Fredric Brown (who was promptly credited and paid). The concept of a human-and-alien duel to the death in primitive terrain, however, was slightly ubiquitous in the 1960s (see "Fun and Games," a masterpiece from the originalOuter LimitsTV show) and was revisited in the '80s via the Arnold Schwarzenegger featurePredator. But under Coon's guidance and direction by Joseph Pevney, "Arena" stands on its own as a particularly strong story of what battle does to one's humanity. Shatner is in great form for this one.--Tom Keogh