Star Trek: The Original Series: Balok didn’t like Tranya after all

The Star Trek: The Original Series episode “The Corbomite Maneuver,” is one of the best episodes and is frequently ranked in the top ten of the best in the series. 

“The Corbomite Manuever” filmed immediately after the show’s first two pilots but aired as the first season’s tenth episode because it took a lot of time to put all the special effects scenes together. Every episode has issues while it’s being filmed, and this one was worth the wait. But it also had one other minor issue because of guest star seven-year-old Clint Howard’s, who portrayed the alien Balok, dislike of the juice that was used as a stand-in for tranya.

Balok loved the drink, but the young Howard wasn’t a fan at all since it was actually pink grapefruit juice. In fact, he hated it and asked for it to be substituted with something else. His father, actor Rance Howard, was on the set and gave his son a resounding no.

According to Screenrant, Howard told Clint “”You’re gonna drink the grapefruit juice, and you’re gonna like it.” It’s doubtful that the kid liked it, but he did soldier on and take a drink of the juice.

The producers of Star Trek: The Original Series did make one request of Clint Howard that his father wouldn’t agree to, though.

At the end of “The Corbomite Maneuver,” Captain Kirk and Lt. Bailey are greeted by a small, bald-headed alien who, of course, resembles the child the actor is. To get the look, the producers wanted to shave little Clint’s head, but Rance Howard wouldn’t agree to it. So out came the bald cap.

I’m thinking it was a good thing Howard was on set during the filming of this episode. Can you imagine what Clint would have gone through at school if he’d shown up with a shaved head? I’m with the kid on the pink grapefruit juice, though. I would have asked for something different, too.