The 14th episode of Gene Roddenberry’s science fiction series Star Trek airs on NBC. Mark Lenard guest stars, though not in the familiar role of Spock’s father Sarek. This is the first episode of Star Trek to feature the Romulans. 
Stardate 1709.1: Responding to distress calls from border outposts along the Neutral Zone between the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire, Kirk and the crew receive a final message from a Federation station reporting an attack from an invisible ship. Before the station is destroyed, it sends the Enterprise a brief view of the attacking vessel – a streamlined fighter which appears for a second when it fires. Hurrying to the scene, the Enterprise engages in battle with a Romulan Bird of Prey, armed with a cloaking device and commanded by a battle-scarred and tired commander whose crew is more eager to go into combat than he is. The Romulans, to the Enterprise crew’s amazement, bear a stunning resemblance to Vulcans, which arouses suspicion in some, including Lt. Styles, whose father died during a war with the then-unseen Romulans years ago. But as long as the Romulan ship can remain invisible, the Enterprise is at a disadvantage.
written by Paul Schneider
directed by Vincent McEveety
music by Fred SteinerCast: William Shatner (Captain James T. Kirk), Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock), DeForest Kelley (Dr. Leonard McCoy), James Doohan (Mr. Scott), George Takei (Lt. Sulu), Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura), Mark Lenard (Romulan Commander), Paul Comi (Styles), Lawrence Montaigne (Decius), Grace Lee Whitney (Yeoman Rand), Stephen Mines (Lt. Tomlinson), Barbara Baldavin (Angela), Garry Walberg (Hansen), John Warburton (The Centurion)
Note: The unusual similarities between Vulcans and Romulans are finally addressed in 1991 in the Next Generation Unification two-parter, in which Spock, in his 120s or older, traveled to Romulus to investigate resuming relations between the Vulcans and Romulans, a goal that is met centuries later, as seen in the third part of Unification during the third season of Star Trek: Discovery. An alternate version of the events of this episode – in a timeline in which Christopher Pike still commands the Enterprise – is seen to unfold with far-reaching consequences in the first season finale of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, A Quality Of Mercy.
LogBook entry by Earl Green