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Star Trek Review: REQUIEM FOR METHUSELAH
Director Murray Golden's, "REQUIEM FOR METHUSELAH," is an intriguing, thought provoking, Sci-Fi tale. Golden's also directed episodes of "The Rifleman" and "The Wackiest Ship in the Army".An anti-gravity robot featured here is a modified version of the robot from an earlier episode, "The Changeling". The floating scenes, (on wires), are no more convincing here, than in "The Changeling".
The late James Daly ("Twilight Zone", "Foreign Intrigue") is convincing as Flint, an immortal who once lived on Earth. Daly went on to great fame in a lead role, on TV's "Medical Center".
Louise Sorel ("Airplane 2", ""Night Gallery") is appropriately pretty and virginal as Flint's daughter, Rayna. She's never been kissed by a man other than her father, so it's appropriate that interplanetary stud, Kirk, should break her in.
Kirk's falling for Rayna is rather sudden and fairly unconvincing. When Rayna turns out to be an android, Kirk feels awkward, which is understandable under the circumstances. Interestingly, Rayna's last name is Kapec. Influential writer Karl Capek wrote the play, "R.U.R," in which the word robot was first used. "Kapec" and "Capek" are the same name with the letters moved around.This episode has a fair amount in common with the movie, "Forbidden Planet." Both involve a man living on an isolated planet with his virgin daughter, and both feature a "pet" robot. Teleplay writer, Jerome Bixby, seems to have been familiar with this classic Sci-Fi movie. Bixby also wrote the classic Trek episodes: "Mirror, Mirror", "By Any Other Name", and "Day of the Dove".
"REQUIEM FOR METHUSELAH" should be fairly watchable for most Sci-Fi viewers. "Medical Center" fans will dig this one.
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