Editing Balance of Terror

{{For|the Cold War policy|Balance of terror}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2013}}
{{Infobox television episode
| series = [[Star Trek: The Original Series]]
| season = 1
| episode = 14
| production = 009
| airdate = {{Start date|1966|12|15}}
| writer = [[Paul Schneider (writer)|Paul Schneider]]
| photographer = [[Gerald Finnerman|Jerry Finnerman]]
| director = [[Vincent McEveety]]
| music = [[Fred Steiner]]
| guests = 
* [[Mark Lenard]] – Romulan Commander
* [[Paul Comi]] – Lt. Stiles
* [[Lawrence Montaigne]] – Decius
* [[John Warburton (actor)|John Warburton]] – Centurion
* Stephen Mines – Lt. Robert Tomlinson
* [[Barbara Baldavin]] – Lt. Angela Martine
* [[Garry Walberg]] – Hansen
* John Arndt – Fields
* Robert Chadwick – Romulan Scanner Operator
| prev = [[The Conscience of the King]]
| next = [[Shore Leave (Star Trek: The Original Series)|Shore Leave]]
| season_article = Star Trek: The Original Series season 1
| episode_list = List of Star Trek: The Original Series episodes
}}

"'''Balance of Terror'''" is the fourteenth episode of the [[Star Trek: The Original Series season 1|first season]] of the American [[science fiction]] television series ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]]''. Written by [[Paul Schneider (writer)|Paul Schneider]] and directed by [[Vincent McEveety]], it first aired on December 15, 1966.

The series, which was [[Retronym|later subtitled]] ''The Original Series'', follows the adventures of the starship {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701}} and its crew led by [[James T. Kirk|Captain James T. Kirk]] (portrayed by [[William Shatner]]) through the [[Milky Way|galaxy]]. The episode follows a strategy-filled battle between the ''Enterprise'' and a [[Romulan]] ship that has methodically destroyed [[United Federation of Planets|Federation]] outposts bordering the [[List of Star Trek regions of space#Neutral Zone|Neutral Zone]].

"Balance of Terror" notably introduces both the Romulan species and the [[cloaking device]]. [[Mark Lenard]], who plays the unnamed Romulan commander, later portrayed [[Spock]]'s father [[Sarek]] in the majority of his later ''Star Trek'' appearances, as well as a [[Klingon]] captain in ''[[Star Trek: The Motion Picture]]''. The episode's events are revisited within an alternate future in the ''[[Star Trek: Strange New Worlds]]'' 2022 episode "A Quality of Mercy".

==Plot==
The [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)|USS ''Enterprise'']], under the command of [[Captain Kirk]], is investigating a loss of communications with a line of [[Earth]] outposts near the [[Romulan]] [[Neutral Zone (Star Trek)|Neutral Zone]], formed under the terms of the peace treaty that ended the Earth–Romulan War a century earlier. Because there were no visual communications at that time, the two races have never seen each other.

While Kirk officiates at the wedding of Lieutenant Tomlinson and Ensign Martine, Outpost 4 comes under attack. The ''Enterprise'' races to Outpost 4's aid and contacts the base commander, Hansen, who reveals he is the only survivor of an attack by an unknown enemy. As they speak, the enemy ship reappears, fires, and disappears.

Though sheltered under a mile of iron on an asteroid, the outpost is destroyed, and Hansen killed.

The ship's sensors locate the attacker, which remains invisible. Kirk surmises that the attacker is equipped with a [[cloaking device]]. A coded message from the intruder provides a view through one of its internal cameras, revealing humanoids with an appearance like [[Vulcan (Star Trek)|Vulcans]]. Lieutenant Stiles, the navigator, a descendant of a service family that lost several members in the Earth–Romulan War, begins to question the loyalty of the ''Enterprise''{{'s}} first officer, [[Mr. Spock]].

During a discussion of the Romulan ship's capabilities, Stiles suggests the ''Enterprise'' attack before it can reach the Neutral Zone. Spock agrees; he reasons that if the Romulans are in fact an offshoot of the Vulcan species and have retained the martial philosophy of the Vulcans' ancient past, they would surely take advantage of any perceived weakness.

A [[cat-and-mouse game]] ensues. The ''Enterprise'' is faster and more maneuverable, while the Romulan ship has a cloaking device and immensely destructive [[plasma torpedo]]es. However, the range of these torpedoes is limited, and firing one requires so much power that the ship must decloak first.

After several attacks, the Romulans, almost beaten, plant a [[nuclear weapon]] amidst jettisoned debris. When Spock detects a "metal-cased object", Kirk orders a point-blank phaser shot that detonates the device. The ''Enterprise'' is shaken by the blast and many of the phaser crew are incapacitated, requiring Stiles to fill in. Kirk orders operations to work at minimal power to exaggerate the apparent damage and lure the Romulans in for a kill shot. Although the Romulan commander suspects Kirk's trap, Decius, a politically well-connected member of the command crew, pressures him to attack. When the Romulan ship decloaks to launch a torpedo, Kirk tries to spring his trap, but a coolant leak in the phaser control room incapacitates Stiles and Tomlinson. Spock, whom Stiles had insulted as being unneeded in the phaser control room, returns to rescue Stiles and fires the phasers, mortally wounding the Romulan ship.

Kirk hails the Romulans and at last communicates directly with his opponent, offering to beam aboard survivors. The Romulan commander tells Kirk that he regrets having met him in combat, that "You and I are of a kind. In a different reality, I could have called you friend." He declines Kirk's offer to take off his crew, telling the Captain that it is not the Romulan way to be taken prisoner. The Commander then triggers his ship's [[self-destruct]] system.

''Enterprise''{{'s}} only fatality is Lt. Tomlinson. Kirk goes to the chapel to offer comfort to a grieving Ensign Martine.

==Production==
[[File:Paul Comi (Star Trek).jpg|thumb|Paul Comi as Lt. Stiles]]
''The Star Trek Compendium'' stated the episode was essentially a science fiction version of the [[Submarine films|submarine film]] ''[[The Enemy Below]]'', depicting a [[Cat and mouse|cat-and-mouse game]] between the ''[[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)|Enterprise]]'' as the American [[destroyer]] against a [[Romulan]] vessel as the [[U-boat]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Star Trek Compendium |last=Asherman |first=Allan |year=1993 |publisher=[[Pocket Books]] |location=New York |isbn=0-671-79612-7 |page=40 }}</ref><ref name="Empire-Gross" />
Director [[Vincent McEveety]] had seen the 1957 film ''[[The Enemy Below]]'' but only noticed the similarities between its plot and this episode later. He admitted "Obviously, it's the same story."<ref>{{cite book
| author1 = Edward Gross
| author2 =Mark A. Altman
| title =Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages
| pages =[https://archive.org/details/captainslogsunau00gros/page/34 34]
| year = 1995
| publisher =Little, Brown
| isbn =0316329576
| url = https://archive.org/details/captainslogsunau00gros/page/34
}}</ref>

The business of the Romulan Commander launching the body of the Centurion out the disposal tube in an attempt to convince Captain Kirk his Warbird has been destroyed is taken from the 1958 war movie ''[[Run Silent, Run Deep (film)|Run Silent, Run Deep]]'' where Captain Richardson of the USS ''Nerka'' ([[Clark Gable]]) uses the same tactic for the same purpose.

The soundtrack cue "In the Chapel", played during the opening scene of the wedding ceremony, is an instrumental medley of the 19th century English song "[[Long, Long Ago]]" by [[Thomas Haynes Bayly]] and the "[[Bridal Chorus]]" by [[Richard Wagner]].<ref>{{cite web |title=STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES SOUNDTRACK COLLECTION: LIMITED EDITION - (15-CD BOX SET) |url=https://lalalandrecords.com/star-trek-the-original-series-soundtrack-collection-limited-edition-15-cd-box-set/ |website=La-La Land Records }}</ref>

The term ''[[Weapons in Star Trek#Photon torpedo|photon torpedo]]''  was only invented for a later episode "[[Arena (Star Trek: The Original Series)|Arena]]", but the same effect was used in this one although still called ''[[Weapons in Star Trek#Phaser|phaser]]''.

On September 16, 2006, "Balance of Terror" became the first digitally [[Star Trek: The Original Series#Remastered edition|remastered ''Star Trek'' episode]], featuring enhanced and new [[visual effects]], [[Computer-generated imagery|computer generated (CGI)]] [[Spacecraft|spaceships]], and high-definition format.<ref>{{cite web |title=Balance of Terror Star Trek Remastered |url=http://www.tunequest.org/star-trek-refit/balance-of-terror/ |website=Tunequest.org }} Comparisons of the new "remastered" visual effects</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=September 17, 2006 |last=Wright |first=Matt |title="Balance of Terror" Screenshots – Before and After plus Video Clip! [UPDATED] |url=https://trekmovie.com/2006/09/17/balance-of-terror-screenshots-before-and-after/ |website=TrekMovie.com }}</ref>

All core ''Star Trek'' regular background players appear in this episode: Eddie Paskey (Lt. Lesley and William Shatner stand-in), Frank da Vinci (Lt. Brent and Leonard Nimoy stand-in), William Blackburn (Lt. Hadley and De Forest Kelley stand-in), Ron Veto (Harrison), John Arndt (Fields) and Jeanne Malone (''Enterprise'' yeoman and stand-in for Grace Lee Whitney).

==Reception==
The episode is frequently praised by critics and regularly appears on lists of the best episodes of ''Star Trek''. In 2016, ''[[The Washington Post]]'' ranked "Balance of Terror" the third-best episode of the entire ''Star Trek'' franchise, noting that it investigates the connection between wars and race, and that it shows both sides of a conflict in deep space.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/09/13/the-top-ten-star-trek-episodes-ever/|title=The top 10 'Star Trek' episodes ever |last=Drezner |first=Daniel |date=September 13, 2016|newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=June 24, 2019}}</ref> A 2017 article in ''The Washington Post'' which ranked the seven captains of ''Star Trek'' included a special mention of the captain of the Romulan vessel, calling him "The greatest alien captain".<ref name="washpostcapt">{{Cite news
| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2017/09/22/the-ultimate-ranking-of-the-best-star-trek-captains/ 
| newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]
| title=The ultimate ranking of the best 'Star Trek' captains
| first=Frank
| last=Ahrens
| date=September 22, 2017
| access-date=May 21, 2019
}}</ref>
In 2016, ''[[Business Insider]]'' ranked "Balance of Terror" the best episode of ''The Original Series''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/best-star-trek-episodes-2016-9 |title=Here are the 13 best original 'Star Trek' episodes, ranked |author1=Andy Kiersz |author2=Elena Holodny |date=2017-09-22 |website=Business Insider Australia |access-date=2019-06-26}}</ref> In 2016, [[Syfy|''SyFy'']] ranked guest star Mark Lenard (the Romulan captain), as the eighth-best guest star on ''The Original Series''.<ref name="syfy-guest">{{Cite web |date=2016-09-16 |last=Kaye |first=Don |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/17-best-star-trek-original-series-guest-stars-hero-or-villain |title=The 17 best Star Trek: The Original Series guest stars (hero or villain) |website=SYFY WIRE |access-date=2021-04-01 |archive-date=June 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626204122/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/17-best-star-trek-original-series-guest-stars-hero-or-villain |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2016, [[Empire (film magazine)|''Empire'']] ranked this the 43rd-best in a top 50 ranking of the 700 plus ''Star Trek'' television episodes. Critic Ed Gross praised the episode for exploring the theme of bigotry, and as "a piece of television that manages to conjure genuine suspense as one commander attempts to outmaneuvre the other".<ref name="Empire-Gross">{{Cite web |date=2016-07-27 |author=Ed Gross |title=The 50 best Star Trek episodes ever |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/best-star-trek-episodes/ |website=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] |quote=essentially a submarine thriller in space |access-date=2021-04-10 }}</ref>

==Legacy==
Guest star Mark Lenard, who portrayed the Romulan commander, returned in the episode "[[Journey to Babel]]" where he played Sarek, Spock's father. Lenard has the distinction of having played a Romulan, a Klingon and a Vulcan over the course of the series, the only actor to have done so.<ref name="syfy-guest" />

{{Anchor|Legacy|Influence}}
[[Bryan Fuller]] called the episode a "favorite" and a "touchstone" which influenced the creation of the story arc in ''[[Star Trek: Discovery]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/star-trek-picard-romulan-episodes-to-watch|title=9 essential Romulan episodes to watch before Star Trek: Picard|last=Britt|first=Ryan|date=2020-01-13|website=SYFY WIRE |access-date=2020-01-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Huw Fullerton |title=14 brilliant Easter Eggs in the first episodes of Star Trek: Discovery |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/star-trek-discovery-easter-eggs-episode-1-2/ |website=Radio Times |date=25 September 2017}}</ref>

The events of the episode are revisited in the ''[[Star Trek: Strange New Worlds]]'' episode "A Quality of Mercy", where [[Christopher Pike (Star Trek)|Christopher Pike]] ([[Anson Mount]]) sees an alternative future wherein he was not disabled and has retained captaincy of the USS ''Enterprise''. The differences between Pike and Kirk are highlighted; while Pike's preference for peace and mutual respect eventually gain the admiration of the Romulan commander, the peaceful attempt to negotiate with the Romulans, who see the gesture as an act of weakness and determine that the Federation is likewise weak, restart open war with the Romulans, and it is ultimately alternate-future Kirk's brashness, cunning and luck that barely save the alternative ''Enterprise''; his quality is implied to be what prevented open war with Romulans in the original timeline.

==Non-canonical works==
Comic book publisher [[IDW Publishing]] released a prequel, ''Star Trek Alien Spotlight: Romulans'' and a sequel, ''Star Trek Romulans: The Hollow Crown''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://trekmovie.com/2008/11/03/trekink-review-romulans-hollow-crown-2-byrne-comics-previews/ | title=TrekInk: Review Romulans Hollow Crown #2 + Byrne Comics Previews }}</ref>  They are not part of the official [[Star Trek canon]].{{Citation needed|reason=[[WP:V]]|date=April 2021}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote|Star Trek: The Original Series#Balance of Terror|"Balance of Terror"}}
* {{StarTrek.com|balance-of-terror|"Balance of Terror"}}
* {{IMDb episode|0708420}}
* {{Memory Alpha|Balance of Terror (episode)|"Balance of Terror"}}
* [http://www.orionpressfanzines.com/articles/balanceofterror.htm "Balance of Terror"] Revised Script July 19–22, 1966; report and analysis by Dave Eversole
*[http://www.chakoteya.net/StarTrek/9.htm Star Trek transcript - Balance of Terror]

{{Star Trek: The Original Series episodes|1}}
{{Star Trek Romulan stories}}

[[Category:Star Trek: The Original Series season 1 episodes]]
[[Category:1966 American television episodes]]
[[Category:Television episodes directed by Vincent McEveety]]
[[Category:Television episodes written by Paul Schneider (writer)]]