The Slaver Weapon
While transporting a Slaver Box via shuttle, Spock detects another box that could contain technology stored by an ancient race. Unfortunately, it's in the hands of the boorish Kzinti.
The Slaver Box seems to be the TAS equivalent of a Cracker Jack box, plain on the outside, but what treats await within? It's up to Spock, Sulu, and Uhura to figure it out, since the others' voice actors seem to have had the day off. The story is exciting up to the second or third time the party is captured. One has to laugh when out of the second box comes a pork chop, a drawing of a green alien, and a watermelon-shaped gun. But woah, the gun transforms into a dozen other confusing shapes to perform exactly the same functions we expect from Starfleet gadgets, except for the atomic bomb (!) setting. This one causes Spock to launch into a Kirk-like "things we were not meant to know" speech. Most remarkable about this episode is the opening credit to Hugo winner Larry Niven's short story The Soft Weapon, which ties into his KnownSpace cycle. Sadly, it doesn't improve this story.
Spock Saves the Day: Spock discovers the second box, kicks two of the Kzinti's leaders ribs out, finds the last setting on the weapon, and concocts several clever escape plans.
Oops: His brilliant insights are countered by lines like " The only status box detector is another status box."
Developments: Spock conducts himself well without Kirk around. His traveling companions are the two other members of the bridge crew he's always gotten on best with, Sulu and Uhura. His exchanges with her are spot-on. The best touch is that Spock's captures actually seem to know he's an alleged vegetarian pacifist, and an offensive strike from him is unexpected.