To begin with, the Starship Enterprise is lured to Cestus III, a distant frontier colony. This trap requires an inviting radio message, but upon arrival on the planet, it is revealed to be a ruse and both Captain Kirk's team and the Enterprise come under attack.
Amusing Quote: "Doctor, you are a sensualist." "You bet your pointed ears I am!" (Spock and McCoy discussing the invitation to enjoy Commodore Travers' renowned hospitality.)
Why would a commodore (outranking a captain) be running a distant outpost? Also, how did the Gorn fake a series of messages that function as a conversation? Pretty clever Iguanas!
On the planet, Kirk and co. are bombarded by unseen Gorn. This is quite effective, building up a mysterious opponent for the crew.
Amusing Quote: "Captain! I see something..." (O'Herlihy at the moment of his death.)
Kirk repels the attack by means of insanely powerful photon grenades! Seriously, the effects suggest them to be really over the top, great stuff. Interestingly, the Enterprise fights the Gorn ship, but cannot see it. Seemingly torpedoes can be fired further than visual range, adding to the submarine combat style I really enjoyed from the original series.
Amusing Quote: "Never mind about me. Protect my ship!" (Kirk keeping it simple for Sulu.)
The chase across unknown space is kept brief, but Kirk's aggression and attitude that the Enterprise must protect and police the frontier. Clearly, there isn't many starships, an aspect of the series I prefer since it makes each of the other starships important to Starfleet, not as throwaway as they would later become.
The Metrons cripple both ships and whisk the captains away to an asteroid where they can settle things in a primitive way, and of course this is the meat of the episode. The infamous duel between Kirk and the Gorn.
What to say about this? Well, the Gorn is as sluggish as I recall and watching it fight Kirk is very funny. Oddly, when it swings a club it isn't all that slow, but when it tries to punch, claw or grapple Kirk it is laughably slow. Eventually Kirk tricks himself into being grappled and uses an ear-pop to break free. Classic! The Gorn is actually very much like a zombie, even a wounded Kirk can limp faster than it can follow, but it has a menacing persistence. Rocks are exchanged, the Gorn shrugging off every size of boulder Kirk throws at it.
Amusing Quote: "He's immensely strong, already he has withstood attacks from me that would have killed a human being. Fortunately, though strong, he's not agile. The agility... And I hope the cleverness is mine." (Kirk after throwing everything but the kitchen sink at the alien.)
This chase and occasional combat continues, with Kirk always coming off the worse for it. I can't help but be reminded of Wile E. Coyote from the Roadrunner cartoons whenever the Gorn is on screen, chuckling and making a new trap for Kirk. Meanwhile, the Metrons allow the crew of the Enterprise to witness events on the surface, mostly so Uhura can look panic-stricken for the last twenty minutes.
The Gorn captain realises the episode is running short on time, so it implores Kirk to hurry up.
Amusing Quote: "Earthling... Captain. This is your opponent, Earthling... I have heard every word you have said. I weary of the chase. Wait for me, I shall be merciful and quick." (The Gorn driving a hard bargain.)
It is revealed by the Gorn that the destruction of Cestus III was not an unprovoked attack, but a rather aggressive defence. The Gorn lay claim to that sector of space and don't feel obliged to tell anyone else. I long considered that the Gorn had encountered the Klingons, fostering a deep-seated dislike of other species. Then again, maybe they're just not in the mood to say "Hi!" to the neighbours. Either way, the prospect that the Gorn might be in the right troubles the crew.
Constructing a primitive gunpowder cannon, Kirk finally fells the Gorn. But spares it, hoping some kind of peace can be arranged between the two species. The Metron appears, congratulating Kirk on proving his species to be less worthless than expected. "You're still half savage, but there is hope." As all-powerful aliens go, the Metrons actually seem more in touch with the galaxy, and acknowledge that human beings might one day join them in whatever superior state they exist in.
Kirk is returned to the starship Enterprise, everyone pats themselves on the back and the credits roll.
Positives: The message is strong here, Kirk's response of blind violence against violence is primitive. The Gorn are a very cool foe, technically advanced, crafty and truly alien in a way that later series do not manage. The environment of the arena asteroid is also good, it is nice to see exterior shots instead of a sound stage in Star Trek.
Negatives: Honestly, the superior aliens card is played a lot in the series, and while the Metrons are not too bad, they also aren't all that good either. Script notes suggest that the Metrons may have destroyed the winner of the duel, not the loser, as the winner would pose more threat to the galaxy at large. An interesting possibility, but not one that was explored during the episode. The Gorn is, despite being a striking foe, a lumbering and clumsy foe. It is hard to take it seriously during the brawl.
Overall: Arena is considered a classic episode and for good reason. It has almost everything that Star Trek is about packed into fifty minutes. The only real weakness is in the Gorn's fighting ability, an unfortunate and singular failing in an otherwise fun episode. It is a pity the Gorn were never encountered again in the series.
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