56 Years Later, Star Trek’s Most Controversial Episode Hits Even Harder

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Throughout its original three-season broadcast on NBC (1966-1969), several Star Trek: The Original Series episodes sparked debate. Sometimes the issues stemmed from the episode’s content, and other times from problems with the writing or how it was made. However, the Season 3 episode “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” stands out as unique – it drew criticism for both its content and its execution. While the episode makes a strong, direct statement against prejudice, it does so in a clumsy and overly simple way, and suffers from some questionable production choices.

Gene Roddenberry famously created the original Star Trek series partly to address important social and political issues through science fiction, cleverly bypassing network censorship. While some viewers now reinterpret the show’s intentions, many episodes clearly tackle these issues head-on. “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” is a prime example. Whether you enjoy this particular episode or the third season as a whole, the message is undeniable: prejudice, hatred, and intolerance are foolish and ultimately destructive. The story focuses on two individuals from the planet Cheron, a technologically advanced world with a long-lived population. Lokai is branded a criminal simply because his skin is divided – white on one side and black on the other.

Why “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” Is an Iconic Star Trek: TOS Episode

Bele, a man with half-black and half-white skin, is determined to capture Lokai and bring him back to their home planet for trial. He can control the USS Enterprise’s functions with his mind, and both he and Lokai are protected by incredibly strong energy shields. They are also both stubborn and unwilling to compromise, even when it comes to the rules of the United Federation of Planets. The episode concludes by revealing that the ongoing war between their people led to the complete destruction of the planet Cheron.

The idea for the “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” episode originated with Gene Roddenberry and producer Robert Justman. Justman drafted a story about the absurdity of prejudice roughly a month before Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. The 1960s were marked by numerous violent clashes between civil rights activists, largely African American, and those in power who were determined to maintain white supremacy. Although the episode was written after King’s murder and a wave of deadly riots in over 100 U.S. cities, its strong message was intentional – the situation didn’t allow for a delicate approach.

The most memorable part of the “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” episode was the striking design of the characters Bele and Lokai. They were each half-white and half-black, highlighting that this was the only physical difference between them – a point emphasized by a conversation with Doctor McCoy. Despite being unlike anyone the Enterprise crew had met before, their bodies weren’t fundamentally different from humans or Vulcans. The episode clearly shows that any division between Lokai and Bele was incredibly shallow. Kirk and his crew struggled to understand what seemed like meaningless differences. While the episode featured strong acting, Frank Gorshin’s portrayal of the characters’ insistence on these “obvious” differences brilliantly exposed how foolish prejudice based on race truly is.

Captain Kirk and his crew continually attempt to mediate between Bele and Lokai, hoping the two Cheronians will simply communicate and understand each other. However, both are consumed by hatred and refuse to see the other as anything but an enemy. Bele consistently strips Lokai of his humanity, while Lokai repeatedly demands the Enterprise crew execute Bele. Lokai asks Kirk to protect him, but quickly becomes enraged when he doesn’t get the response he desires. Bele cleverly presents himself as reasonable and calm, but is always on the verge of anger and uses intimidation to get his way.

“Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” Came at a Rough Time for Star Trek Production

When NBC initially hesitated, Lucille Ball found a way to keep her show going by agreeing to share the production costs with Desilu. She believed, much like with I Love Lucy, that the show would ultimately profit from being re-run on television. By the third season, she sold the company to Paramount, who were looking to save money. According to Marc Cushman and Susan Osborn’s These Are The Voyagers – TOS: Season 3, Paramount cut the budget for each episode by $15,000 – and that didn’t include any increases in the actors’ salaries. This explains why the episode “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” was filmed using only the existing Enterprise sets – it was a cost-saving measure. It might also be why director Jud Taylor suggested the characters Lokai and Bele be simply half-black and half-white, instead of the more elaborate designs originally planned by the show’s creator.

The show was moved to late Friday nights, a clear indication of network concerns. Executives believed it was too provocative and suggestive to appeal to major advertisers, as reported by Cushman. Gene Roddenberry, frustrated by this, resigned as the show’s lead producer, and experienced television professional Fred Freiberger took over. Robert Justman, a longtime producer, felt undervalued and subsequently left. These changes caused problems during production, negatively impacting the episode “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield.” David Coon also departed, leaving Oliver Crawford to develop the story outline, which Arthur H. Singer then refined and rewrote extensively throughout the production process.

The dialogue in this episode feels unrefined, with characters often repeating themselves or stating things that are already clear. These script issues likely contributed to the story’s slow pace. The director, Taylor, tried to fill time with exaggerated close-ups – focusing on characters’ eyes during tense scenes and lingering on the red alert light. The long and strange chase sequence through the Enterprise felt drawn out, and the editors attempted to show the destruction on Cheron by adding shots of burning buildings on top of the action. These choices caused a major disagreement with William Shatner, leading to the only instance of him walking off the set, as detailed in the book These Are the Voyages. James Doohan, who played Scotty, even joked in the same book that the crew had to remove Frank Gorshin’s teeth marks from the set decorations.

Is “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” a Classic or a Bad Take on a Complex Issue?

Even after all these years, the “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” episode continues to spark debate, though the reasons might have shifted since it first aired. Author Harlan Ellison, still unhappy with it, criticized the episode’s core message in a 1997 article for Vibe magazine (though he mistakenly blamed Roddenberry, who wasn’t involved). Conversely, Armin Shimerman, an actor from Deep Space Nine, described it as “one of the most powerful episodes” in a StarTrek.com interview. The characters Bele and Lokai are so intensely emotional and act so dramatically that they almost feel like exaggerated stereotypes.

Even with both Gene Roddenberrys involved, the message in “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” was always direct and straightforward. Despite its imperfections, the episode remains a powerful illustration of the issue it tackles. Lokai clearly and forcefully describes the oppression he’s faced, while Bele’s prejudiced beliefs about him are completely unfounded. Lokai’s anger stems from genuine fear, rooted in his own experiences. The writers might have benefited from more time to add depth and subtlety, but considering the widespread violence of 1968, the episode’s core point – that prejudice based on appearance is foolish – was the more important message.

The main message of this episode focused on the deep and unwavering hatred between the two central characters. Their conflict stretched back over 50,000 years, highlighting how firmly set in their ways they were. Initially, the episode’s creator, Coon, had planned for the characters’ people to find peace, which would have made Lokai and Bele seem even more ridiculous. However, the writers decided it was more impactful and meaningful to reveal that both their civilizations had destroyed each other. Although modern audiences tend to side with Lokai, the story is designed to show that he is just as imperfect as Bele.

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2025-10-31 00:39