Let That Be Your Last Battlefield
Bele and Lokai both have faces black on one side and white on the other - but on opposite sides. This is enough to provoke decades of active hatred.
Ouch, this is painful. Definitely the lowest point of TOS, falling between Whom Gods Destroy and The Mark of Gideon. in retrospect it's good it was cancelled lest it continue to degrade. So, what's wrong in this episode? We can't fault the message that racism is bad, but it's not exactly subtle or deep. We see the effects of racism, but are offered no causes or solutions, nor do the guest characters impact the regulars in any way. (To ponder: are the Batman actors - like Frank Gorshin here, a curse?) There's no real suspense since their powers aren't clearly defined, just tedium as these two chase each other around. Even the camera people started to get bored, it seems, since they get pseudo-artistic in shooting eyes, red alerts, and faces. The message of destruction through hatred is painfully clear, but the ham-fisted aspects destroy the story pretty quickly.
Spock Saves the Day: Spock does his bit in the self-destruct sequence. We can't blame him for wanting to end this the only way possible.
Oops: What's up with Spock eavesdropping on Lokai's rant? It seems as if he's going to do something, and then walks away. Inaction is a problem throughout, but what can one do?
Developments: Spock again extols peaceful Vulcan virtues, but they are utterly lost on the vengeful Cretons.