Star Trek Review: THE CHANGELING

Director Marc Daniels,' "THE CHANGELING," is an entertaining, if predictable, Sci-Fi yarn. Daniels directed numerous other Classic "Trek" episodes.

The title is a reference to old European mythology. A changeling was a fairy baby, left in place of a stolen human baby. Years later it also was the title of an effective, supernatural thriller, starring George C. Scott.

This is the penultimate man versus machine Classic "Trek" episode, with Kirk power-talking the alien probe into self destructing. The fact that Kirk, and not Spock, uses logic to defeat the machine is a bit odd. John Meredyth Lucas, ("Patterns of Force"), is responsible for the logical, if not entirely convincing, Teleplay! The Kirk /Roykirk name coincidence is a bit too convenient.

Nomad moves around, suspended on wires. The movement is less than smooth or convincing, with Nomad looking more like a suspended object than a floating one.

This episode's central premise was lifted and transplanted into "Star Trek: The Motion Picture". In that film a destructive cloud creature has, at it's core, a damaged Voyager spacecraft, altered by a collision with an alien satellite.

The voice of Nomad is provided by the late Vic Perrin. He is best known for being the "Control Voice" on the classic series, "The Outer Limits".

"THE CHANGELING" may be somewhat"watchable for some Sci-Fi viewers. Fans of 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture" may dig this episode. "The Changeling" is not challenging.

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