Encompassing two of my favorite Classic Trek episodes, Volume 7 of the original series on DVD gives us one all-time fan favorite (really, did you like The Galileo Seven because it was a damn good story, or because it introduced the now-iconic Star Trek shuttlecraft?) and a somewhat more underrated episode which happens to be my favorite of the entire Kirk-era series.

The Galileo Seven is notable, and enjoyable, for getting Leonard Nimoy and De Kelley out from under the shadow of William Shatner and giving them a chance to shine on their own. And shine they do - the McCoy/Spock interpersonal dynamic is no less compelling in Kirk's absence. The story deals with some real issues of command, even if the treatment seems a little clichèd now. (And aside from the female yeoman's weirdly sex-kittenish "it's getting hot" scene, it really holds up rather well.) The man-in-a-big-furry-suit monsters who lob styrofoam boulders at the shuttle is one of the very few drawbacks of The Galileo Seven, along with the long-standing tradition, carried right through modern Trek, that every Federation bureaucrat's going to be an obnoxious ass. (Galileo Seven is also the source of one of my favorite Classic Trek exchanges, though compared to most of the show's dialogue chestnuts it's pretty obscure - McCoy: "I'm not talking about rationality!" Spock: "It might be wise to start.")

Now, on to Court-Martial, my all-time favorite episode. Before Star Trek: The Next Generation gave us fine courtroom-dramas-in-space like The Measure Of A Man (and clunkers like The Outcast's courtroom scene), the original Trek was already dishing up some fine courtroom intrigue, thankyouverymuch. And Court-Martial is how it should be done - it's courtroom drama whose ethical dilemmas we can grasp, and yet there's a distinctly SF twist to it that keeps it from merely being Perry Mason In Space. This would be a damn near perfect episode if not for the rather shrill quality of the actress who played Jaime Finney, but you know what? I'm letting that go because it was the fashion of the day. (Truth be told, so was Galileo Seven's "it's getting hot.")

Extras? Ha! You're getting menus. And you better like those menus and episode trailers, because that's all you're getting! Still, four stars for Volume 7, simply for being the anodized aluminum frisbee containing my favorite Star Trek episode.

Reviewed by Earl Green
theLogBook.com webmaster / editor-in-chief