The Empath (S03E08)
Airdate: December 6th 1968
Written by: Joyce Muskat
Directed by: John Erman
Running Time: 50 minutes
Fandoms, by their very nature, are tapestries of divergent opinions, and Star Trek enthusiasts are no exception. Within the vast universe of Trekkies, few episodes polarize as sharply as The Empath, a 1968 instalment that remains a lightning rod for debate. To some, it is a bold, philosophical meditation on empathy and sacrifice, embodying Gene Roddenberry’s humanist vision through its stark visual experimentation. To others, it epitomizes the creative fatigue that plagued Star Trek’s final season—a poorly paced, morally simplistic tale shackled by budgetary constraints and narrative shortcuts. This duality makes The Empath a fascinating case study in the tensions between artistic ambition and the realities of episodic television.
The episode’s origins are as unconventional as its tone. Unlike most Star Trek scripts, which were shaped by the show’s production team, The Empath began life as a spec script by Joyce Muskat, a recent UC Berkeley graduate and aspiring writer with a background in journalism and theatre. Submitted to producer Robert H. Justman through her friend, veteran TV writer Robert Fisher, Muskat’s script was a rare example of a fan-inspired story making it to screen. This provenance is evident in the episode’s heightened theatricality, which diverges sharply from the franchise’s usual sci-fi pragmatism.
The plot sees the USS Enterprise dispatched to the planet Minara II to evacuate a Federation research station ahead of a star’s impending supernova. Upon beaming down, Captain Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy discover the station deserted, only to be transported to an underground chamber inhabited by Gem (Kathryn Hays), a mute, ethereal woman whose empathic abilities allow her to absorb others’ pain and injuries. Their plight escalates when two Vians—Thann (Willard Sage) and Lal (Alan Bergmann)—arrive, subjecting the trio to brutal experiments designed to test Gem’s powers. The moral crux emerges as the crew must decide whether to sacrifice one life to save many, a dilemma that culminates in a confrontational ethical showdown with their captors.
Muskat’s theatrical pedigree informs the episode’s striking aesthetic. The cavernous, near-pitch-black chamber evokes a minimalist stage set, with characters moving through like actors in an avant-garde play. This starkness amplifies the tension, focusing attention on the interplay of emotion and morality. The chamber’s oppressive darkness becomes a character in itself—a metaphor for the moral void the Vians inhabit, contrasting with Gem’s luminous compassion.
Central to this dynamic is Gem, portrayed by Kathryn Hays in a role that demands expressiveness without dialogue. Hays, later a mainstay of As the World Turns, imbues Gem with a haunting vulnerability, her wide-eyed innocence and delicate gestures conveying depths of emotion that words might fail to articulate. Her late-1960s “pixie” haircut and flowing, almost hippie-esque costumes—a departure from Star Trek’s sleek futurism—add to her enigmatic allure, making her one of the series’ most memorable guest characters. Yet, the Vians, the episode’s antagonists, suffer from a lack of imaginative design. Their bulbous craniums and pallid makeup render them uncannily reminiscent of the Talosians from The Cage and The Menagerie, a recycled aesthetic that undermines their menace. The makeup, reportedly rushed due to budget limits, fails to elevate them beyond stock sci-fi villains.
Director John Erman, later acclaimed for Roots and An Early Frost, attempts to inject visual flair through slow-motion sequences, but his efforts are hampered by a script that oscillates between heavy-handed moralizing and narrative inertia. The Vians’ abrupt redemption, triggered by Kirk’s impassioned speech on the value of compassion, feels unearned. Having callously slaughtered the research team and subjected the protagonists to sadistic trials, their conversion lacks psychological credibility. The script’s celebration of self-sacrifice as a humanist ideal is undercut by its simplistic resolution, reducing complex ethical questions to a tidy deus ex machina.
The torture sequences themselves, particularly a scene in which a shirtless Kirk is subjected to electric shocks, sparked controversy. Critics decried these moments as gratuitous, arguing they veered into exploitative territory uncharacteristic of Star Trek’s family-friendly ethos. The BBC famously banned the episode from British broadcasts for decades, citing its “disturbing” content—a decision reflecting 1960s anxieties about televised violence and its perceived impact on younger audiences.
Reception among the cast was equally divided. DeForest Kelley, who played McCoy, hailed The Empath as his favourite episode, appreciating its emotional depth and thematic ambition. Conversely, Erman later described the production as a frustrating ordeal, blaming the egos of William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy for clashing over creative control. Whether these tensions affected the final product remains speculative, but the episode’s uneven tone suggests a lack of unified vision.
Ultimately, The Empath is a flawed yet intriguing relic of Star Trek’s third season. Its experimental visuals and earnest exploration of empathy distinguish it from the series’ more formulaic entries, but its narrative shortcomings and tonal inconsistencies hinder its broader appeal. While Muskat’s script succeeds in posing provocative questions about morality and sacrifice, it often does so at the expense of character nuance and logical coherence. The result is an episode that resonates primarily with completists and die-hard fans willing to overlook its imperfections in pursuit of deeper meaning.
RATING: 4/10 (+)
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