Court Martial
Kirk must faces court martial when accused of murdering his records officer, Finney. Hatred can drive a man to terrible acts, but perhaps this is more true of Finney's situation than Kirk's.
Despite the title, this is more of a mystery yarn than a legal drama, with the supposed murder victim becoming saboteur. The twists work well, and the ending actually comes as a surprise. (Though the fistfight doesn't.) Starbase 11 is home to several colorful characters, like Jamie, the least annoying kid in TOS but with the very worst outfit; and Samuel T. Cogley. The book-loving lawyer passionately argues for what will become one of Star Trek's most prevalent themes, that computers should not dominate humans. Fortunately Spock is a little more comfortable with them, and unravels the whole plot via chess matches. The "white sound" device looks strangely like a microphone, but the heartbeat trick is quite clever. Another risk of Kirk's pays off as he finds the true culprit and clears his name. Now, the real mystery: what's up with these pods? Does Kirk think, " Ah, an ion storm! Time to stick someone in the pod!" Perhaps the logic is beyond my 20th century comprehension.
Spock Saves the Day: By beating the computer at chess, Spock realizes they have been tampered with and knows who pulled it off.
Oops: It would have made more sense for Spock to apprehend Finney, but then, Kirk must have his fun.
Developments: Spock's serial number is revealed (S179-276 SP) as is his computer skill. As he tells the court, only he, the captain, and the records officer can alter record tapes. The Vulcan remains loyal to his captain when testifying for the prosecution, and helps a lot.