Star Trek: TOS 'Balance of Terror' 60th anniversary (Redshirts retro review)

An invisible enemy, a tense duel, and the day Star Trek put war and racism on the bridge.

Nov. 2, 2015 – CBS Television Studios announced today it will launch a totally new “Star Trek” television series in January 2017. The brand-new “Star Trek” will introduce new characters seeking imaginative new worlds and new civilizations, while exploring the dramatic contemporary themes that have been a signature of the franchise since its inception in 1966. The new series will blast off with a special preview broadcast on the CBS Television Network. The premiere episode and all subsequent

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“Balance of Terror” first aired on December 15, 1966, and 60 years later, it still plays like one of Star Trek’s tightest, most nerve-wracking stories: a submarine movie in space that introduces the Romulans, tests Captain James T. Kirk as a wartime commander, and quietly dismantles bigotry on the bridge of the USS Enterprise.

It’s an early demonstration of how Trek could deliver gripping military suspense without losing sight of its humanity. With that in mind, the following are five reasons "Balance of Terror" is still worth watching today.

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