| "The Time Trap" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Star Trek: The Animated Series episode | |||
| Episodeno. | Season 1 Episode 12 | ||
| Directed by | Hal Sutherland | ||
| Written by | Joyce Perry | ||
| Production code | 22010 | ||
| Original air date | November 24, 1973 (1973-11-24) | ||
| Episode chronology | |||
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| List of episodes | |||
"The Time Trap" is the twelfth episode of thefirst season of the Americananimatedscience fiction television seriesStar Trek: The Animated Series. It first aired in theNBC Saturday morning lineup on November 24, 1973,[1] and was written by American actress and screenwriterJoyce Perry.[note 1]
In this episode, Captain Kirk must cooperate with distrusted Klingons to escape a "Sargasso Sea" of dead starships.
The episode introduces the first example of a Starfleet starship other than aConstitution-class ship: the USSBonaventure, which is said to be the "first ship to have warp drive installed" in the episode. The ship is never referenced in live-action Star Trek, although it is the name ofZefram Cochrane's ship in the non-canonical novelFederation byJudith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens.
Onstardate 5267.2, while exploring the Delta Triangle, where manystarships have disappeared, theFederationstarshipEnterprise is attacked by severalKlingon vessels. During the battle they are caught in an ion storm. TheEnterprise and one Klingon battlecruiser are drawn into a spacetime vortex and end up in a timeless dimension in what could only be called a graveyard for space vessels. CaptainKirk and his crew are shocked to find "that the descendants of the crews of these various vessels are still alive" and have formed a government, calling themselves 'The Elysian Council.'
The crew discovers that the timewarp will gradually disintegrate theEnterprise's dilithium crystals. Their only means of escape is to link their ship with the Klingons' and their commander Kor[note 2] and try to power themselves out of the vortex.
In this episode the character Kor is voiced by actorJames Doohan.[2] The actor that usually played Kor,John Colicos, was not available.[2]
In their bookTrekNavigator: The Ultimate Review Guide to the Entire Trek Saga, Mark A. Altman and Ed Gross commented that while the "Bermuda Triangle of space" theme is somewhat fanciful, "the resulting cooperation between the Klingons and theEnterprise is adeptly done." However, they judged Nichelle Nichols and James Doohan's work in multiple roles to be unsatisfactory, and found the Klingons' betrayal predictable.[3]
In 2017,Tor.com rated this episode 5 out 10, noting Nichelle Nichols voices three characters and appearance of Klingon characters and spacecraft.[4]
