One of Our Planets Is Missing by: Marc Daniels and directed by: Hal Sutherland

 

“One of Our Planets Is Missing” is written by: Marc Daniels and is directed by: Hal Sutherland.  It was produced under production code 22007, was the 3^rd episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series, and was broadcast on September 22, 1973.

 

Marc Daniels is the strongest director of the original run of Star Trek, his talent behind the camera showed an innate understanding of how the show operates and how to make it look good.  Daniels is a good director, but that wouldn’t necessarily work as a writer as the skill sets are different so it is odd that the third episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series is a script submitted by Daniels.  “One of Our Planets Is Missing” is an episode that feels very much like a truncated regular length episode that could have possibly been commissioned during the third season of the original series.  As an episode it is combined to the bridge of the Enterprise on a mission to the planet Mantilles when one of the planets is destroyed by a mysterious cloud.  The big twist of the episode is that the cloud is alive and it’s up to the Enterprise crew not to defeat it, but to make contact and stop it from destroying Mantilles.  As a premise this is classic Star Trek, I could very much see the cloud be created using clever optical filters over some planet models and the Enterprise model.  In the scope of Star Trek: The Animated Series “One of Our Planets Is Missing” also feels like it is being made as a budget saver in terms of animation.  Confining the action to the bridge leaves most of the characters at their stations, Scotty who is featured doesn’t really appear on the bridge at all and nobody really moves.  This just leaves the lip flaps to be animated which does mean that the dialogue in general of the episode drags in places, especially in the second act when the crew is attempting to ascertain the nature of the creature and get Mantilles evacuated.

 

What the episode lacks in animation, it almost makes up for in the actual backgrounds of the episode.  The interior of the cloud is described as reflecting the makeup of a small intestine, which visually is represented by these interesting protrusions, but the decision to make the cloud in shades of red and orange is the most effective decision.  It’s another example of Star Trek: The Animated Series’ art direction being perhaps its strongest suit, although that could change since I am only three episodes in.  Daniels’ encapsulation of Star Trek does also help by making the climax of the episode not see the cloud destroyed, but Spock performing a mind meld in recognizing its autonomy and convincing it to not continue eating the planets.  Now the voice of the cloud is Majel Barrett and her vocal performance is a bit stilted but Leonard Nimoy once again is the actor who understands how to give the best vocal performances.  It’s also nice to see everyone on the bridge actually get a moment to shine, particularly Nichelle Nichols and George Takei who despite being last minute additions to the cast (Leonard Nimoy threatening to walk if they weren’t included) are a delight to hear from and actually get their moments even if it’s just dialogue meant for exposition.

 

Overall, “One of Our Planets Is Missing” is a surprisingly solid piece of Star Trek despite its status as a budget saver is shown due to the limited locations and incredibly simple nature of the plot.  It’s kind of a shame that this wasn’t sold for the live action series because the 25-minute format does mean that the opening and closing of the episode moves far too quickly and could have been slowed down for a more effective experience.  It’s a great example, however, of Star Trek’s mission statement and sometimes that’s enough.  7/10.