The Counter-Clock Incident by: John Culver and directed by: Bill Reed

 

“The Counter-Clock Incident” is written by: John Culver, a pseudonym for Fred Bronson, and is directed by: Bill Reed.  It was produced under production code 22023, was the 6^th episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series Season 2, was the 22^nd episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series, and was broadcast on October 12, 1974.

 

Like the original series before it, Star Trek: The Animated Series did not end on an intentional finale episode.  The series completed its commissioned episode count and then went off the air when it was not renewed, a common fate for animation at the time.  As such, “The Counter-Clock Incident” is an episode from a first time writer for Star Trek, though one who would work on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and in terms of its plot draws on ideas from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” with the Enterprise on collision course with a ship from another universe where people age backwards.  The Enterprise is also carrying its first captain, Commander Robert April and his wife Sarah, played by James Doohan and Nichelle Nichols respectively, as the commander is at the age Starfleet mandates retirement.  The conflict of the episode is two-fold: first the Enterprise avoiding the collision which resolves with the Enterprise slipping into the alternate universe which leads to the second conflict of the crew beginning to age backwards rapidly, enough that only the Aprils can pilot the Enterprise.  This second idea of conflict is utterly ridiculous, writer Fred Bronson was actually the NBC publicist and it’s clear he has not thought through the science fiction implications of his premise.  This does mean we get to see the crew as teenagers and then children which is an equally ridiculous image, but still an incredibly fun image to ponder over.

 

Where “The Counter-Clock Incident” actually succeeds, outside of the few scenes of worldbuilding on Arret, that is the Earth as Terra spelled backwards, is the way Bronson treats Robert and Sarah April.  Star Trek before this point had a tendency to use advanced age as a source of terror, the episode “The Deadly Years” from the original series is perhaps the most explicit example of that.  It comes as a relief that Bronson actually treats the advanced age of the April’s as not a hinderance to their character: Robert is only retiring because it is mandated and the episode actually ends with Starfleet informing him his retirement will be reversed so he can keep serving as an ambassador.  It’s a nice reward after Robert resisted the temptation to leave the Enterprise crew as children (or not fully reversing the effects so he and Sarah can stay young and keep doing their work).  This dilemma is fairly brief because the deaging is only a plot point beginning after the halfway point of the episode so there isn’t much time to actually grapple with the question being posed, but it does show maturity and a progressive mindset to actually examine how the elderly are treated.

 

Overall, “The Counter-Clock Incident” may be ridiculous in terms of the science fiction ideas on display, but it’s actually a very solid ending for Star Trek: The Animated Series.  It’s got some very interesting things to say about aging and is actually one of the more progressive entries for the series.  It’s a nice way to say goodbye to the original series’ cast on television before transitioning to the films.  It’s also a nice little look at the history of the Enterprise and feels in a way like the groundwork is being laid for the major cast changes coming in the next series.  7/10.

 

Bottom 5 Worst Episodes of Star Trek: The Animated Series:

5. The Eye of the Beholder

4. The Time Trap

3. The Survivor

2. Bem

1. The Ambergris Element

 

Top 5 Best Episodes of Star Trek: The Animated Series:

5. The Terratin Incident

4. How Sharper Than a Serpent’s Tooth

3. More Tribbles, More Trouble

2. The Slaver Weapon

1. Yesteryear