Star Trek (TV Series) Turnabout Intruder (1969) User Reviews

Capt.Kirk now knows the indignity of being a Woman

[Bogmeister · 8/10 · 12 March 2007]

There are many detractors of this episode, for reasons we'll get into in a bit, but one also cannot overlook several scenes of nearly rapturous, quasi-Shakespearean melodrama affixed to a science fiction plot line. Some of these scenes are unforgettable: Kirk physically attacking Janice Lester (now actually Kirk) as McCoy and Spock look on, shocked, fearing the worst; that tense, somber moment when Spock must decide to believe that Kirk is trapped in Lester's body; the entire hearing sequence, where Kirk (actually Janice Lester) steadily implodes into rampaging hysteria; the scene in the hallway directly afterwards, where Scott & McCoy plot their mutiny; Sulu & Chekov, nervously realizing how wrong things really are. These are incredible to watch, whether for the 1st or 10th time. But, the episode's strengths are not just these standouts; this isn't some half-baked attempt at role reversal. After Kirk's body is appropriated by Lester, the subtleties kick in: note how Shatner now says 'Captain Kirk to Enterprise' instead of his usual shorthand 'Kirk to Enterprise.' And, it's these subtle changes in his behavior that prove to be Lester's undoing, not the later screaming fits, when Lester knows she is losing her bid to retain control of the ship indefinitely. When Lester, in Kirk's body, first walks onto the bridge and starts issuing orders, we learn that the job of a starship captain is made up of many little details and any even minor deviation will start causing problems...and raised eyebrows (by, guess who?). It's pretty well thought out.

Note also how, in logical order, Kirk's senior officers go over to his side, despite surface appearances of the usual routine: first Spock, of course, followed by Scotty & McCoy, then Sulu & Chekov; too bad Uhura is missing. In discussing Shatner's memorable interpretation of a female mind, we often forget Smith's performance as Kirk; the actress must have studied some of Shatner's past performances and it shows. Shatner, known for overacting in a few episodes - especially in the final season - gets to indulge himself here and it suits this particular episode very well. The viewer should remember that the female character, Lester, is an unbalanced woman, probably even deranged. She is not representative of the typical female of the 23rd century. This episode is not telling us that females, as a rule, are not suited to command positions. It's PC to buy into that, but I believe it's simply telling us that Lester is unsuited for command. Very few people are suited for command, in reality. When Lester, in the beginning, makes her comment about how Starfleet doesn't allow female starship captains, it seems to me as more of an attack, by Roddenberry, on the social mores of the sixties, a commentary on inequality (between males & females, in this case) similar to other statements by many 3rd season episodes on the status quo of that decade. We really don't know what Starfleet's approach is here, even though Kirk seems to agree with Lester on this point - perhaps he was humoring her - it's, again, more of a message to policymakers of the sixties. One could argue, tongue in cheek, that after this incident, Starfleet began an aggressive promotion program geared towards females, to avoid further such protests. We see the results on the TNG and Voyager shows. But, the next new Trek episode would be in animated form, in 1973. We had 3 good years. Well, 2 really good years and one pretty good year.

brilliant performance by Shatner despite its problematic premise

[fabian5 · 8/10 · 29 September 2007]

Many Star Trek fans have criticized Wiliam Shatner's 'overacting' in this episode but I must disagree. If Star Trek had a more cerebral or passive captain like Jeffrey Hunter, the first captain in Star Trek's pilot, the series might not have survived into a second season--let alone a third. Kirk's acting abilities was what made this episode, and the entire Star Trek series, believable. I rate his performance here as outstanding at a generous 9 out of 10 but the movie's premise--is unfortunately more problematic.

Essentially, Kirk's body gets kidnapped by his former lover Janice Lester (played by Sandra Smith) who has gone jealously insane over the fact that Starfleet apparently doesn't allow women captains. While the script may have been intended as a social commentary on the 1960's, it doesn't quite work for a Star Trek series that was supposedly set in the 23rd century. Surely by then, women would have risen up the ranks to become captains of starships! While it seems implausible that Kirk would allow his body to be kidnapped on Camus II by an alien device, this cannot be dismissed outright. As Spock rightly notes, the Enterprise has been to many new places and witnessed many strange events. Moreover, Kirk was once cloned in 'What are Little Girls Made of?' and even split into two in 'The Enemy Within.'

Both Lester's and Kirk's acting are excellent: I liked the part where Lester (as Kirk) bites his nails like a woman or the trap that Lester (Kirk again) sets for McCoy and Scotty when the latter two men privately voice their concern over the Captain's recent odd and capricious behaviour towards the crew and raise the idea of mutiny. You could really cut the tension between the increasingly belligerent and unstable Kirk (Lester here) and the Enterprise crew with a knife. Turnabout Intruder is generally underrated because 1. it was the last Classic Trek show and 2. it touched on the inexplicable premise that women could not be starship captains--a very radioactive topic in our more mature 21st century society. If the script writers had said Starfleet disqualified Janice Lester from being a ship's captain since she was mentally incapable of handling the heavy responsibilities involved with the job or suffered from a disease which curtailed her decision making faculties, this may have been a better received episode. However, the show turned out out quite well overall. Lester really goes berserk when she realises she is losing her grip on the captaincy and panics. What really trips her up are the little minor subtleties such as when she repeatedly says "Captain Kirk" rather than "Kirk" and when Angela asks Lester (as Kirk) if the captain would like to notify Starfleet of their course change and Lester (as Kirk) responds by questioning the crew's loyalty until Spock reminds the captain that he/she usually deals with these issues alone. So, its little surprise that the crew notices their captain is not behaving like the person they know.

When Spock sees Janice Lester (ie. Kirk here), the latter actually recounts their adventures together in previous episodes--something which never happened in any other prior TOS show. Given the fact that Star Trek was about to be cancelled by the time of the making of "Turnabout Intruder," its amazing that Kirk and Lester pulled off their acting parts so well. A rating of 7 or 8 stars for the last Star Trek episode is reasonable due to its intriguing premise. While Turnabout Intruder was not a classic, it was one of the more appealing and entertaining Star Trek episodes of the generally poor third season and rates high in my view. Kirk's haunting last words: "If only If only.." left me wondering if Star Trek could have carried on into a fourth season and witnessed man's landing on the Moon had it not been neglected by NBC? Sadly, we'll never know.

strange but intriguing finish to original series

[HelloTexas11 · 7/10 · 30 May 2008]

While 'Turnabout Intruder' strikes many as an odd choice to conclude the original Star Trek's run on network TV, I think it's important to consider that in all likelihood, nobody involved at the time of shooting knew it would be such. Hell, NBC probably didn't even know until they realized they had one unaired episode left in the can and figured they might as well broadcast it, which they did in June '69. The episode is certainly one of the better third season shows, with an intriguing premise and the almost irresistible notion of Shatner portraying a woman stuck inside Kirk's body. He has a lot of fun with the performance, in ways both flamboyant and subtle, believe it or not. For instance, in the first scene where Lester inhabits the captain's body, and Kirk uses his communicator, he jerks back just slightly, almost imperceptibly, upon hearing a voice come from the device for the first time. It's one of many nice little touches Shatner employs to create a convincing impression of an unbalanced woman occupying his physical form. While the episode is far from perfect, there are some nice scenes, and one in particular is wonderful-the court martial sequence, which ends with Lester/Kirk exploding in rage at Mr. Spock. It's a classic moment in the episode, and in the series. There was certainly no inkling in 'Turnabout Intruder' that it was the last Star Trek; it ended with Kirk, Spock, and Scotty walking off down a corridor while the captain lamented Dr. Lester's self-inflicted misery. As a side note, I agree that it is an odd comment Dr. Lester makes at the beginning of the show about women not being permitted to command starships. Despite someone's well-intentioned remark here, there's no question what her statement meant, and Kirk even confirms it in his response. It stands as an example of how things were at the time... no more, no less.

Shatner tour de force finishes the 3 season run of the only Star Trek Series

[Launchd-II · 26 February 2006]

The final aired episode of the still critically attacked third season of the only Star Trek Series ends up being one of the finest displays of William Shatner's acting range, and an episode that meets the definition of what a Star Trek universe set story can be. Trek was meant to be a backdrop to good speculative story telling, but what a bonus for the viewers of the series- we got characters we loved, portrayed by actors with something oh-so-rare in filmed productions, be it television or the silver screen: perfect chemistry. Admittedly I can no recall ever seeing another story portraying male and female characters that swap their internal, natural genders our Captain, er, our Mister Shatner pulls it off with a verisimilitude equal to or surpassing his finest Trek moments (and to be fair and lauding, Sandra Smith as Dr. Janice Lester does a bang up job as Captain Kirk in, er, female clothing....). This final episode is clearly science fiction and reminds one of the initial season of ST- with moments here and there of pure involving meaningful sci-fi, the type that makes the hair on the neck stand up and the mind and heart wrap around the ideas coming from boffo writers of the ilk. As a student of the first school of Star Trek, in other words a person who saw it all first run (and in color!) I recall not so much being impacted that the episode could make one forget some of the "ugh" episodes of the third season ("Spock's Brain" and "And the Children Shall Lead") but that something super extraordinary was ending. But the story stuck with me and over time additional viewings have shown that it (and so many more episodes of that season) maintained the Star Trek patented ability to conjure, entertain and, if I may be so droll as to pay a minor homage- fascinate.

Original Series Ends on a (relatively) High Note

[eti55 · 6/10 · 20 January 2013]

OK, when I say "relatively" keep in mind that we're talking about the lackluster season 3 here. But this episode manages to be entertaining, thanks in large part to William Shatner's portrayal of Kirk's psycho ex g/f's consciousness occupying the captain's body (Sandra Smith also does a good job with Kirk's consciousness occupying the body of the aforementioned ex, Dr. Janice Lester). It's fun to watch as Kirk's senior officers, one by one, come to realize what's really going on, while at the same see Dr. Lester occupying Kirk become more and more hysterical. She/he reveals her complete insanity when she tries to have all the senior officers executed for mutiny. The frightening thing is, had the transference not been broken, she might well have ultimately succeeded, as security continued to back the false Captain. Intentional or not, it provides some insight as to how some of these crazies throughout history become dictators and hold power even after committing atrocities against their people. There's a continuity issue (as often happens in this series) when Spock, among others, says he's never seen a transference between bodies happen before (he seems to conveniently forget "Return to Tomorrow," but I digress). Overall, a pretty good episode, highlighted by Shatner's fine acting job (in this case "overacting" was definitely called for).

Turnabout feelings for 3rd season

[ewaf58 · 7/10 · 15 October 2006]

I have recently been watching the repeat of the 3rd season on the British version of the Sci Fi Channel. I remember as a kid back in 1973 being so disappointed with a lot of the third season after the highs of the previous two.

However I have come to enjoy them more now as there were early signs of the series trying to evolve into something for the 1970's (Being cancelled in 1969 it never quite made it). I think if they could have had a little more money to up the production values the third season could have been very good.

Although not one of my favourites - 'The Lights of Zetar' did appear to feature the first computer graphics (see the main view screen shot when the alien is approaching the library planet). Perhaps the special effects guys had been to watch 2001.

So onto the final episode - well it's not bad - if not a little camp - but I agree with the previous comments that Shatner did pull it off well. With a better script it could have rivalled 'What are Little Girls Made of?'

I would love to hear from fellow Trek fans about their favourite 3rd season episodes

Thanks to ABC, this episode was aired.

[XweAponX · 10/10 · 26 April 2013]

I remember this whole thing clearly, NBC pulled Trek after the Christmas Break, ABC made an arrangement to show the final episodes. This was the final Original Series episode, I remember it aired around the time of Apollo 11.

As an episode, it is particularly sparse - The hallways of the USS Enterprise were void of the extras in uniform who used to always be walking around doing whatever business they were attending to. Uhura is missing, replaced by "Angela" (Barbara Baldavin) from "Balance of Terror" and "Shore Leave"

But something great does happen in this episode, a woman, Doctor Janice Lester who has developed a Khan-type obsession with Kirk performs the ultimate form of invasive personal space invasion - rape is maybe too strong of a word but in fact it describes what she has done to Kirk, humiliating him, stealing his identity, she stops short of murder- Which she was not able to do when given ample opportunity to do it.

Both Television Actress Sandra Smith and William Shatner portray the madness of Janice Lester and the forlorn and deprived James T Kirk, who proves to Spock then to Bones and Scotty he is who "she" says he is.

And we believe the progression of events, from the moment Lester takes control of Kirk's body, pretending to be him, initially acting as he would act, but rapidly giving Spock and McCoy reason to start questioning his actions and orders. Just knowing the facts about a person does not give one the ability to take over that person's life - Which Lester learns as she struggles and ultimately fails to keep up the facade. And she finally learns that just being IN command does not immediately invoke the obedience of Kirk's crew.

In fact this episode was a very strong episode to go out with, in the two and a half years this show was on the air, we were introduced to all manner of impossible things, Miles Long Robots that chopped up planets into tiny chunks of rubble and ate them for lunch, a whole philosophy and history for Mr Spock and his "Vulcanian" people, Talosians, Klingons, Romulans... And we accepted it, but a lot of people cannot accept the concept of this episode, including the people IN the episode. But if we can believe in Warp Drive, we can believe that somewhere in this universe, something like this may happen or has happened.

Even in Religion, the concept that God clothed himself in a Human Body is more widely accepted than the idea here that a machine can move the personality of one person into another's body and vice-versa. And there are people whose reputations are based on the former supposition, theologians and even Scholars, whose lives are based on believing it to be fact, even though this cannot be proved, and has to be accepted as a matter of Faith. And I say this with the utmost respect toward people who have Faith, not as an insult. Because I share the same Faith, yet I believe in Science.

When it comes down to it, what are our personalities other than a collection of electrical impulses which wriggle around in a mass of protoplasm designed to store what we call memories? IN the future, computer science may allow those impulses to be stored and even be replaced later, just because it has not happened yet, does not mean it cannot ever happen.

But this episode delivers this proposal almost in a way that it is rejecting it at the same time, which is another reason why it is great. Is this the most outlandish proposal of Trek? Never mind disassembling ourselves atom by atom and moving the whole mess to a transporter pad a planet's distance or a light year away... Never mind, intelligent creatures who are based on Silicon and can eat rock as it it were candy. Nevermind a "barrier" at the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy that if breached, can bestow Godlike Powers to people with High Esper ratings, or a similar barrier in the center of the Galaxy that is a prison to an entity that had been elevated to Pseudo-Godhood.

Trek went out with this proposal, it was as hard for us to swallow as it was for Shatner and Smith to act it out, and nobody can say either of those fine actors failed to make us believe that it really happened. But also noteworthy, was that Kelly, Nimoy, Doohan, Koenig, the absent Nichols, and Takei all made us believe that they would follow Kirk - The REAL Kirk, to the barriers of this galaxy and back.

Shatner acting as a woman

[jim-01568 · 6/10 · 4 June 2016]

This is my really short review of Turnabout Intruder. If you are a fan of watching the William Shatner school of acting, this episode gives you a chance to see it at its best (or worst?). Basically, Shatner must act as if he is a woman, with all the negative stereotypes of a envious, deceiving revengeful female. He has to pull this off without acting too effeminate, but enough so that one can see the woman inside the man. In effect, he has to be a man inhabited by a woman. In his character as inhabited by Lester, he seems to have a possible romantic association with her partner in crime, Mr. Coleman. At one point Kirk puts his (or her) hand on Coleman's shoulder and just gives a glimpse of a man being a woman showing a certain, shall we say, physical closeness. He has to do this without looking gay. It's a very daring scene that Shatner actually pulls off. The basic story plot is not so interesting and the feminism aspect does not hold up to the passage of time. But the work of Shatner and his acting style make watching the episode worth it.

Great Episode, Not The Bad One I Remember as a Child

[verbusen · 9/10 · 29 March 2007]

I was dreading when this episode came up in my viewing the DVD entire seasons run for Trek, for two reasons; there aren't anymore episodes to watch after this and I always thought this episode was one of the worse. Well, that recollection was from childhood experiences and not picking up on the nuances that are present here, I basically, as a child, just thought of one person taking over Kirks body. Watching it now (without commercials is a huge difference to watch this show), I immediately picked up the sex change angle, and that is really really interesting and funny. Kirk doing his nails, and having a slight "spring" to his step, are things I had definitely not noticed before, its GREAT! Anyway, I have panned this episode in other comments I posted here, and that was really wrong, I should have re-watched first, because despite the low budget of the script , it's really an entertaining episode! OK, now to pose a question here, I'm Kirk put into the body of a pretty woman, when I go to the bathroom, do I have a slight urge to play around, just a little? LOL. Same thing for the woman inside Kirks body, LOL. I do have a dirty mind but c'mon, Kirk was driven by many things in life and sexuality was definitely one of them. Wish the show had kept going of course but in a way thats why it has lasted so long, the little bit we got just wasn't enough, we needed a bunch of spin offs and motion pictures to satisfy our desire for more Trek. There will, in my opinion, never be another show as great as this as far as sci fi is concerned. I'll always be a Trekkie, LLAP.

The Captain as a Woman...

[Xstal · 7/10 · 17 February 2022]

The captain wears dresses and presents as a girl, he'd like to spin around, and give us all a twirl, but he's trapped in the body of lass he once knew, and she's taken his, and controls all the crew.

Not that hard to prove who you are if your memories go with you and the other doesn't have them, just saying.

Annoyingly non intellectual

[sysstemlord · 2/10 · 22 May 2021]

I will not discuss the point that this is the last episode, instead I would like to point out something objective in relation to the events.

Captain Kirk's mind is swapped with the mind of another person's, a woman, who wanted to take his place as the captain of the Enterprise.

In a situation like this you would think surly there must be a way to know which one is the real captain kirk, by all the smart people aboard the Enterprise, but somehow no one can tell, even after physical an mental examination of the imposter.

Ok forget asking questions only kirk would know, what about security protocols, authorization keys to take over the ship, activate and deactivate the self destruct sequence, transfer control of the ship to auxiliary control room? How did the imposter plan to know these things when the time comes?

I don't think TOS being an old show excuses it being intentionally ignorant of basic logic, there were many shows and movies from that period with much greater intellect. Neither does the low budget justify that. Even I would write a better plot events for free.

"I expect only to reveal the truth".

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 13 March 2011]

With the general dearth of good episodes in the final season of Star Trek, this one finished out the series equaling some of the best. It certainly keeps the viewer focused on keeping the main players, Captain Kirk and Janice Lester (Sandra Smith) straight, as their identities are switched with a 'life entity transfer' known only on the planet Camus II. The reason for Lester's hijacking of Kirk's body involves revenge over a fling they had back in the Academy days, along with a more determined goal of commanding a starship. Though the subject wasn't broached in any of the prior episodes, one today wonders why Starfleet would have taken such a sexist view about women in command, but this was the Sixties, and not all the panels of the glass ceiling had been cracked yet.

The story relies on Lester/Kirk (Lester in Kirk's body) maintaining the ruse as the rest of the crew become increasingly wary that something's not quite right. Spock of course is the first to formulate an opinion, but it's interesting to watch the others fall into line - Scotty, McCoy, Chekov and Sulu, especially when Lester/Kirk strikes Kirk/Lester in a physical confrontation. However the story planted the seed of how Dr. McCoy could have proved the identity of Lester/Kirk with the old Robbiani Dermal-opic test, but she/he passed the exam. My question is how? The procedure was designed to check the basic emotional structure of the patient, and McCoy himself stated that it should match the results of a prior test done on Captain Kirk. There's no way Lester/Kirk's results should have been a match to my thinking, so right there you had a plot hole. It would have been better if that point wasn't brought up in the first place.

Maybe it's being a bit nit-picky, but it also seems to me that it would have been easy enough to confirm the real Captain's identity by posing a question, particularly during the mutiny hearing, that only the real Captain Kirk would know. Matters of record that were referred to surely wouldn't prove anything, as was briefly mentioned. But between them, Spock, McCoy and Scotty, there would have been any number of purely personal moments that wouldn't have had anything to do with Starfleet service that might have resolved the identity issue.

It looks like my arguments here might be on the critical side, but in actuality, I found the episode overall quite compelling. Basically I think that's because the story forced you to keep focus on who was who, by keeping your attention on those minor nuances in Lester/Kirk's character. An example was when she/he used the communicator - 'Captain Kirk to the Enterprise' instead of 'Kirk to Enterprise'. Very subtle, but if you saw enough episodes you knew things were just slightly a bit off. It was clever of the writers to use these little devices, as they were peppered throughout the story with entertaining effect.

Entertaining 'Star Trek'

[jadedalex · 7/10 · 17 January 2011]

I'm going to simply ignore the supposed 'political incorrectness' of the story line to point out that this was an interesting episode for television at the time. Rather than turn a perfectly good Star Trek episode into a diatribe about sexism...it's fun to watch Kirk as a bitch on wheels. I agree with previous writer that Ms. Smith is not a strong enough actress to do justice to her 'Kirk' persona, but it's a minor point.

The title 'Turnabout Intruder' is interesting. Hal Roach produced a film back in the forties with Carole Landis called 'Turnabout'. It was a fantasy based on Thorne Smith's book. The story line is the same, except that the sexual transformation is sealed by praying to a Buddah-like statue.

It's a rather amusing movie and a novelty, if not altogether successful. No doubt someone involved in this episode had a recall of this old film, hence the title 'Turnabout Intruder'.

Hey, try to remember, it's just a TV show....

Not good

[cdkuefler · 4/10 · 24 March 2019]

I love Star Trek episodes and I enjoy some that others hate but not this one. It is really bad. I never watch it and when I scroll through episodes to watch I cringe when I see this one. This is the same response I get for Spock's Brain. Not enough fun value for me and it must of been a real disappointment for Trek fans watching it as a final episode in the 60's.

The end of the beginning

[garrett1978 · 6/10 · 17 October 2006]

Airing in June of 1969, "Turnabout Intruder" was aired as an afterthought (as TV shows typically bowed out during March and April back then), and in some ways was produced as an afterthought: the climax of this episode seems excessively rushed, robbing an interesting premise of the time and care it deserved.

Instead, the series' only episode focused primarily on gender issues comes across as an impediment to the wrap party. Add this to the fact that Dr. Lester, disturbed as she might be, might actually be *right* about the Starfleet of the Original Series, and you have a less-than- fitting end to a landmark television program.

This isn't to say that the entire episode is bad: Sandra Smith turns in an excellent performance as Dr. Lester, and more importantly, Kirk-in-Lester's body, better than Shatner's rushed take as Lester-in-Kirk's body. Also, there are numerous references (primarily by Smith as Kirk) to previous episodes, a nice touch in this, the final episode of the series.

What probably disturbs me the most about this episode is how poorly it has aged since I first saw it in the mid '80s. While Janice Lester is clearly off her rocker, the direction seems uncharacteristically harsh towards her. After all, we've seen a number of captains (and a few commodores, as well as a collection of admirals and high-ranking civilians) on Star Trek, and other than Chris Pike, Matt Decker, Garth, and Bob Wesley, they're generally a fairly pathetic bunch (and even Decker and Garth were all too human), validating Lester's claim that she could also do the job just as well, if not better. It's almost like the rare episodes of The Twilight Zone where the good characters are punished-while there might be a "good" ending, the viewer is ultimately cheated, as justice has clearly not been served.

But, then again, maybe that's the point-viewers in 1969 were clearly not content with the end of Trek, and they turned a failed TV show into a cultural icon.

The Women's Movement

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 11 May 2014]

What a fizzle at the end. Not a terrible episode, but kind of a gratuitous effort to address women's issues, budding in the sixties. This is a chance for Shatner to play a part he never pictured, that of a woman. Actually, he does a very good job. He appears to have studied female mannerisms and adapted them well, and I believe he does it in a respectful way. This could have deteriorated into some silly comedic episode that occasionally diminished the dignity of the series. Of course, it wouldn't have mattered as the death knell had already been delivered. If there is a criticism, it takes a woman who is striking out against the glass ceiling, being portrayed as a you know what in men's clothing. For me, this is quite a forgettable episode. It goes out, not with a bang but a whimper.

Palpable suspense

[chrisbaird-ma · 8/10 · 30 March 2013]

I would consider this episode to be one of Star Trek's finest. While many episodes are cartoonish fun without any real sense of danger, this episode combines excellent acting, convincing dialog, and an unpredictable plot in order to give us a suspenseful tour de force. A power hungry woman, Dr. Lester, forcefully and secretly swaps minds with Captain Kirk in order to take command of the Enterprise. Once inside Kirk's body, she must act just like Kirk in order to avoid suspicion, and she must also kill the real Kirk now stuck in the her body. However, the crew knows the real Captain Kirk too well to be deceived for too long. This episode explores an interesting situation: if your mind were transferred to someone else's body to your detriment, how would you convince others of your true identity without them thinking you have gone mad. Kirk quickly discovers the best route: get to someone you know best.

This episode is memorable not only for what it did show but what it didn't. A man-woman mind switch storyline could so easily degrade into sexist farce played for cheap laughs. This episode does not do that. Instead, Dr. Lester in Kirk's body is fully capable of running the star ship from the perspective of training and intelligence, despite being a woman. Dr. Lester's real problem is not that she is a woman, but that she has become mad with jealousy and hunger for power. Her other real problem is that she is not really Captain Kirk down to every last mannerism and thus cannot fool the crew. Dr. Lester's failure comes because of madness and dishonesty, not because of her gender. Also, the theme that she was denied a deserving command years ago because of gender discrimination could have become annoyingly preachy. But instead of insulting the intelligence of the viewer with sermons, the producers just subtlety drop hints that gender discrimination can have far-reaching negative effects. Also, this episode did not show an un-scifi plot that could have happened in any detective or crime show. The final thing that this episode thankfully leaves out was Kirk kissing and schmoozing yet another female. I'm sure some people enjoy this facet of Star Trek, but whenever a romance is thrown into a Star Trek storyline, I find it badly written, poorly acted, and simply distracting to the main plot. It's even worse if the victim of Kirk's affections is an alien. Do you really think a different species would be romantically attracted to aliens? (Do you dream of kissing a squid?) Fortunately, in this episode, instead of the preacy-ness, sexist humor, un-scifi plot, and womanizing of so many other episodes, we get a surprisingly mature and engaging production to close out the series.

The other facet I like about this episode is it's take on the nature of authority in a just society. While it's true that Kirk's authority to command the ship is respected primarily because Starfleet Command backs up his authority, there is something more important and subtle in establishing authority without resorting to being a tyrant: competency. Competency in a command post goes beyond basic fitness for the job according to the rule book; it also entails respecting an unwritten cultural code, working for a greater good, having a knack for insight into the details, and having a leadership persona that projects confidence, restraint, wisdom, and control. The crew of the Enterprise does not follow Kirk's orders so enthusiastically just because Starfleet Command requires it. Rather, they trust him because of his competency and leadership skills. While Dr. Lester had all the training and knowledge to command a ship according to the book, she lacked the competency to be a true leader. The crew quickly picked up on this.

Kirk has a freaky stardate 5928.5 (possibly a Friday).

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 25 June 2022]

Turnabout Intruder, the final episode of Star Trek TOS, drops a bombshell by revealing that Starfleet doesn't allow women to command starships; it's a tough one to swallow, given how progressive Starfleet is in most other respects.

Still, it's this astonishing fact that provides the basis for this enjoyable body swap tale in which Dr. Janice Lester, a nutty ex-flame of Kirk's, steals Jim's body (using an ancient alien machine) so that she can experience the power of being captain of the Enterprise. Meanwhile, Kirk finds himself trapped in Janice's body, but the way the story pans out, he doesn't even get an opportunity to enjoy his predicament (knowing horndog Kirk, first port of call would be a shower).

With crazy Janice calling the shots as Kirk, and desperate to keep Kirk (in her body) quiet, William Shatner is given free rein to act wildly, and the result is very entertaining -- some of Shatner's most 'expressive' work. Eventually, Kirk (as Janice) is able to convince Spock that she is the captain, and that the person now in command is an imposter. However, trying to prove this leads the Vulcan to be accused of mutiny. A court martial hearing is adjourned, but Janice (in Kirk's body) loses control, causing other members of the crew to side with Spock.

The conclusion is fairly weak, the problem conveniently resolving itself when Kirk's body rejects Janice's 'life entity', but everything that precedes it makes for a surprisingly entertaining swan-song for the iconic show.

Kirk swaps bodies with an old flame in the final episode of 'Star Trek'

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 27 August 2015]

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.

Did anyone else see...

[SusanJL · 7/10 · 14 May 2019]

... a resemblance between Janice Lester and Hillary Clinton? Not only body-wise (wow, Kirk had a girlfriend that "hippy"?) but also ambition-wise? I know Hillary would love to do this switcheroo with Trump, LOL!!

Season Three

[zkonedog · 3/10 · 3 July 2019]

After the first two seasons of Star Trek: The Original Series, the show was set to be cancelled by its network. However, after receiving a flood of letters from devoted fans that wanted to keep the show on the air, the network renewed it for one more season. As much as I hate to say it, those fans weren't rewarded with material nearly up to the par of those first two seasons.

Since the show was not the culutural phenomena that it has now become, the network buried it in a late-night time slot and forced creator Gene Roddenberry to operate on a shoe-string budget. As a result, the special effects or sets that are needed in a show which regularly shows viewers spectacular events are severely hampered in this season. One episode takes place in an empty Enterprise, one is set in a pitch-black room much of the time, and another takes place in a deserted old West town (as no money existed to pay extras).

It seemed like even the quality of the writing went downhill as well. The characters seem a little "off" at times, and the plots aren't quite as inventive as they were previously. Everything was just out of whack.

Really, the only highlight from this Third Season is the episode "All Our Yesterdays", which is classic Trek. Other than that, though, there were just a whole lot of episodes that were subpar or average-at-best.

So, while I consider "Star Trek" to be one of the classic shows of all-time, I really don't have too many good things to say about this final season. It's sad, considering that the show had so much potential and was essentially abandoned by its network. Die-hard fans can still watch this season knowing that their time with the iconic characters is running short, but compared to the first two seasons the overall quality is significantly diminished.

Classic Star Trek- Turnabout Intruder

[Scarecrow-88 · 10/10 · 13 September 2011]

Notoriously considered by Classic Trek fans to be one of the show's all-time worst episodes, I would be lying if I didn't admit (as my rating for it proves) I loved it wholeheartedly—admittedly, for all the wrong reasons. Keeping a straight face must not have been easy for the cast, and Shatner is so wonderfully over-the-top, his pure camp performance is the gold standard of overacting. The story is a humdinger: Kirk, McCoy, and Spock transport to a planet suffering a radiation disaster that has taken members of an archaeological site, including an old acquaintance of the Captain's, Janet Lester, who seems to be ill from exposure as well. While Spock and McCoy are seeing the casualties with the site's medical physician, Dr. Coleman (Harry Landers), Lester (Sandra Smith), turns on a peculiar machine that "freezes" Kirk, so he cannot move. This machine allows Lester to "switch identities" with Kirk, the reason, besides envy and jealousy for his exploring the stars, so she can be Captain of the Enterprise! Spock would later refer to this as "life entity transfer"… That's quite a doozy an idea, to see Shatner's Kirk possessed by the identity of a treacherous, nefarious, clever woman who is brilliant in regards to studying the Enterprise, but too emotional for her own good. Shatner seems to be having a field day, allowed to be free of Kirk's seriousness, fortitude, and moral compass. And, boy, do we get a wide range of emotional outbursts, sneaky smiles, illogical reactions, and smug indifference towards other officers, like Bones and Spock, who know Jim Kirk, the man and Captain, having quite the dilemma in that proving this through concrete evidence will not be easy. Sandra Smith does a bang-up job imitating Kirk's strong personality and orderly manner, her demeanor and way of talking pretty close to the Shatner method we know so well. Seeing Bones and Spock grappling, as both always do in their own ways, with the fact that Jim is trapped in the body of a woman, while her identity is at home in the body of their Captain, the one in charge, is compelling, I must say, even if the performance of Shatner as the lecherous Janet had me in ribbons.

Towards the end when Kirk's body temporarily loses Janet's identity as the transference seemed to be weakening had me in stitches, the way his face conveys mortal terror (Janet is facing the horrifying thought of losing her new host body) and stunned silence, the physical jarring reaction accompanying the fish-out-of-the-aquarium suck-face, it is a sight to behold. Spock faces possible court martial for his *mutinous* ways (he attempts to help Janet (Kirk) flee her sick bay, held there by security at the orders of Kirk (Janet). We get a Vulcan mind meld (Spock reassures his suspicions by truly feeling Kirk within the mind of Janet's body) and a Vulcan neck pinch (two, in fact), so "Turnabout Intruder" has those going for it. Seeing Janet get all hysterical and confrontational during the "trial" of Spock is certainly a treat as Shatner holds nothing back, quite an acting assault. God, was this episode fun.

I will say this, Lester was truthful in that females deserved to captain starships, it was her extreme methods at acquiring the post that ruins her argument, not to mention, the deterioration of her psyche comments on how not having the same opportunities as Kirk seems to have affected her psychologically. There seems to be a message here about "being trapped in a woman's body" and gender politics, but I think it gets lost in the shuffle thanks to Shatner's delightful histrionics.

Severe bi-polar

[Blueghost · 9 December 2011]

Trek takes us to yet another psychological battlefield where a one Janice Lester, former romantic interest of Captain Kirk, harbors an old grudge immersed in the sexism of the time. She blames her failures, problems and lack of success on the fraternity that is starship captaincy. Is she wrong? Probably not. But the extent to which she is willing to compromise basic human values to ascertain her goal demonstrate not only an unbalanced mind, but one knitted together by strands of anger and hate.

Her own biochemical composition in her brain chemistry exaggerates her fears and desires to measures we cannot imagine. She is more than just obsessed with becoming a starship captain (woman starship captain, no less). It is a vendetta for her. A white wale of sorts that has done her wrong, and she means to exact revenge in any way possible to achieve her ends.

On the surface she's calm and almost pathologically in control of her emotions. She barely cracks a smile. Her behavior is so normal as to be abnormal. Whereas everyone else seems to have casual interactions.

Lester is not only emotionally charged to the point of psychological imbalance, but she is also a genius. This makes her dangerous. She holds onto her hate no matter what.

And that's pretty much the driving force for the episode. We're given a "treat" of sorts as we witness Shatner interpret a female character driven to vengeful madness. The performance is a bit over the top, but it is fairly much on the money. I wonder if he and Sandra Smith didn't talk about the character and do some rehearsals so Shatner could get Smith's nuances just right. I'd be surprised if they didn't.

As with all Star Trek episodes we know there's going to be a positive outcome of sorts. The antagonists and other protagonists who are not part of the crew may get screwed in the end, but Kirk and crew will come out okay. So it is that when Kirk, as the superego of the Enterprise, is driven into the body of another human (a woman no-less), it is his ID (McCoy) and logical side (Spock) that must come to bring Kirk's body and mind back to operational norms (to borrow from Vulcan English).

It's a low budget episode that, like for nearly all 3rd season Trek) relies on plot, story and performances to carry the show. There aren't a whole lot of SFX here, and the sets are mostly interiors of the ship. We're given the opportunity to witness the infamous schlocky b-movie plot device (brain transfer) in full swing in an episode of Trek, and treated with a kind of seriousness that allows us to examine what makes people tick.

Trek was again on the cutting edge as we see the psychology of a person who is infused with the worst kind of fusion imaginable; an unbalanced mind married to a history of being wronged. Unlike the rest of us, Janice blamed her emotional woes on an old love and society as a whole, unable to realize that even though she had suffered in her view heinous discrimination (which, in my book, and you can call me a sexist jerk isn't so heinous, as I believe starship captains should be males), she herself had physiological issues that lent her to overreact in the first place. Unable to realize that she is part of the issue, she schemes to take over and murder the mental sum-total of Captain James T. Kirk; his essence or spirit, if you will.

All in all it's a pretty mundane episode as far as classic Trek goes. Shatner throws one punch to knock out Janice who is inhabited by Kirk's mind. No phasers are fired. No Klingons or other usual baddies show up, nor is the galaxy imperiled (yet again).

All in all not a sterling episode as such, but one worth watching for the character study.

Enjoy.

Go to your posts!

[snoozejonc · 7/10 · 10 January 2022]

Captain Kirk swaps bodies with an old Starfleet Academy flame Dr Janice Lester.

This is an entertaining episode, with a fun premise and a wildly enjoyable performance from William Shatner.

Yes, the concept is utterly ridiculous, but if you don't take movies and TV too seriously, there is plenty to enjoy about Turnabout Intruder. Let's be honest, who doesn't secretly love a body swap story? If you are an 80s child like me you must do!

I enjoyed the crew mutiny aspect of story, particularly the interaction between the officers and their reaction to Kirk/Lester's behaviour. Given how outlandish the situation is, I think the likes of DeForest Kelley and James Doohan do great jobs at keeping their characters plausible throughout. Leonard Nimoy is mostly dependable as ever, although he seems to show a bit of emotion during his witness testimony, but I'm not sure if this was intended.

What about Shatner's infamous portrayal of Kirk's body possessed by Lester? Your enjoyment of this episode will be impacted by your reaction to this. Personally I find it highly entertaining. Throughout Star Trek's run and in the movies he would (now and again) give an emotional outburst that felt both camp and unintentionally funny. It's a tough ask for a male actor to play a female character with mental health issues and he does it with lots of those amusing outbursts. I have to say that I absolutely love the part where he starts to file his nails.

How bad is the sexism written into Lester's character? It depends on your interpretation. She definitely is not a positive female character and she resents being female. However, given that Star Trek was written in the 60s, my interpretation is that the character could be argued as a protest against the lack of professional opportunities afforded to women at the time. Unfortunately, the outcome for the character is not good and there is no clear message from the story that a female could and should be given the opportunities such as to command a star ship if they they have the necessary skills. Kirk's final line on the matter is quite cringe worthy by the standards set in today's society.

I have to admit it is the one guilty pleasure episode of mine for The Original Series.

I WOULD HAVE PREFERRED...

[zitacarno · 2/10 · 20 October 2018]

..."All Our Yesterdays" as the final episode. I watched "Turnabout Intruder", and immediately two words flashed into my mind to describe Janice Lester: "HOMICIDAL MANIAC". And that bad seed was there from the start. Regardless of her "motivations" (?), I saw her only as an insane killer who would do away with anyone and everyone who knew her deadly secret and who would destroy the Enterprise to boot because she had no idea of how to pilot a starship! That's no way to end a successful series.Add: I had something else to say but my computer is acting up, so this will have to do. But---do you remember a film called "The Bad Seed"?