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| Uhura, in a rare moment of relaxation. |
In need of rest, the Enterprise returns to the Shore Leave Planet. But things have changed. Dr. McCoy's reverie in a Southern plantation is interrupted by the Queen of Hearts, screaming at her playing card soldiers for the doctor's head. He requests an emergency beam-up. But Uhura, who has been enjoying sitting by a lake, is taken captive!
Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Sulu beam back to the planet to search for and rescue Uhura. They quickly lose contact with the ship. Worse, they discover that their weapons are inoperative. Meanwhile, Uhura finds herself the prisoner of the planet's master computer, which has become aware and no longer wishes to be the slave of every visitor. Its plan for escape? To seize control of the Enterprise!
CHARACTERS
This episode probably does the best job of any of the animated series yet in balancing the cast. Every major character except for Nurse Chapel is featured, and every one of them gets something to do! The character interplay continues to improve among all the cast members, with McCoy, Scotty, Uhura, and even Sulu getting some nice bits in this episode. Finally, to keep his track record going, Kirk talks a computer into submission again - though this time, not into actually self-destructing.
THOUGHTS
A direct sequel to Shore Leave, in much the way that More Troubles, More Tribbles was a direct sequel to The Trouble with Tribbles. I liked this one better, though. It manages to be a sequel, evoking much of the atmosphere and setup of the original, without slipping into simply being a repeat of the original. Somewhat oddly for a children's cartoon, Once Upon a Planet actually feels darker and more threatening than Shore Leave did. This time, the planet is out to get the crew - and there is actually some sense of threat.
In terms of pacing, this is one of the animated series' best offerings. It cuts between three strands of action: Kirk's landing party, Scotty on the Enterprise, and Uhura and the computer. The script cuts between the strands in a way that builds tension, and all threads are brought together at the end to good effect. Despite having three strands, it also is a rare TAS episode that never feels rushed. It moves along, but there are little character beats woven into the dialogue that keep the pace just right. Probably because the character work is stronger than in most episodes, the voice acting is noticeably above-average for the series.
This episode is quite a bit better-animated than average, with the animators perhaps rising to the visual lure of giving life to so many strange sights. There is one unfortunate exception, however. Near the end, when Kirk and Spock are talking the master computer down, there's a moment in which we see Kirk and Spock. We hear Leonard Nimoy's voice... but Spock's lips are not moving. Oops!
That one moment of sloppiness aside, this is a highly entertaining episode, one that builds well on its live action predecessor. Shore Leave was one of my favorite live action episodes, and probably my very favorite "light" episode. This may not be its equal, but it's a fitting companion piece. One of the best of the animated series so far.
Rating: 9/10.
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