Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 9: Balance Of Terror [VHS]
"Balance of Terror" is a terrific drama that was essentially an outer-space version of a 1950s submarine movie. Writer Paul Schneider introduced both the Romulans and the concept of a "neutral zone" toTreklore, wrapped up in this story about the first encounter between a Federation and Romulan ship in 75 years. The resulting face-off between two vessels and their strong, noble captains--Kirk (William Shatner) and his Romulan counterpart (Mark Lenard, who later played Spock's Vulcan father, Sarek)--is directed and edited with suspense worthy of the classic sub movieThe Enemy Below. It's an example of how the originalTrekseries took lots of risks and constantly invented itself, in contrast to the more codified look and feel ofThe Next Generationand subsequent series.--Tom Keogh