When the Enterprise responds to a distress call from the planet Camus II Kirk is confronted by the sight of Dr. Janice Lester, a woman he once loved. It turns out they went their separate ways because Dr. Lester couldn't have hoped to become a captain in Star Fleet because of her gender; something she is still bitter about. While Spock and McCoy are away with another survivor, Dr. Arthur Coleman, she activates a strange alien device which switches her consciousness into Kirk's body and vice versa! Now in Kirk's body she tries to strangle Kirk, who is in her body. Luckily the others return but things are still perilous for Kirk; Dr. Coleman sedates him while Dr. Lester takes over the role of Captain of the Enterprise. Determined that the switch remains undiscovered she orders Dr. Coleman to be in sole charge of 'Janice Lester'. Eventually the real Kirk wakes up but it will be almost impossible to prove who he really is; Spock believes him after a mind-meld but acknowledges that that doesn't count as scientific proof. Meanwhile all Dr. McCoy's tests show that the person who appears to be Kirk is Kirk. Of course Lester may be in Kirk's body but she still has her own personality and that means her behaviour starts to seem aberrant as she tries to deal with the claims about 'body-swapping' followed by accusations of mutiny against the senior crew.
This, the last ever episode of the original Star Trek series proves to be a good send-off; it is far better than many of the weak stories featured earlier in season three. The idea that women's opportunities may still be so limited in the far future may seem a little less likely today than they did in the '60s but that doesn't spoil the story. It is clear that Dr. Lester's personality makes her unfit for command whatever her gender and no doubt if there were no glass ceiling she's have still found a reason to blame for her lack of success. Once the body-swap has occurred the episode has an almost claustrophobic feel as Kirk is trapped in another body, struggling to be believed. William Shatner puts in an entertaining performance as he plays the woman in a man's body; he nicely captures some feminine details although things get hilariously hammy as she starts to lose her grip on power and the switch starts to reverse. Guest star Sandra Smith excels as Kirk when he is in Dr. Lester's body. Overall a fine episode; it is just a shame that it was the last of this classic series.
This, the last ever episode of the original Star Trek series proves to be a good send-off; it is far better than many of the weak stories featured earlier in season three. The idea that women's opportunities may still be so limited in the far future may seem a little less likely today than they did in the '60s but that doesn't spoil the story. It is clear that Dr. Lester's personality makes her unfit for command whatever her gender and no doubt if there were no glass ceiling she's have still found a reason to blame for her lack of success. Once the body-swap has occurred the episode has an almost claustrophobic feel as Kirk is trapped in another body, struggling to be believed. William Shatner puts in an entertaining performance as he plays the woman in a man's body; he nicely captures some feminine details although things get hilariously hammy as she starts to lose her grip on power and the switch starts to reverse. Guest star Sandra Smith excels as Kirk when he is in Dr. Lester's body. Overall a fine episode; it is just a shame that it was the last of this classic series.