Star Trek meets Taming of the Shrew, as Kirk teaches Elaan manners prior to her arranged marriage. France Nuyen, married to Robert Culp at the time when the
episode was produced, guest stars as Elaan.
Kirk’s strategic brilliance shines through again as he defeats a Klingon warship while Enterprise’s warp power is zero due to its fried dilithium crystals,
its number four shield is collapsed, & Kirk is still under Elaan’s biochemical love-thrall.
“Elaan of Troyius” is the only TOS episode to feature a Klingon whose name is specified neither in dialogue nor in the end credits.
The title of the episode refers to Helen of Troy—the daughter of Zeus & Leda & the most beautiful woman in the world, according to Greek myth—whose kidnapping by
Paris led to the Trojan War.
“Elaan of Troyius” was the first episode of TOS produced, which featured Matt Jeffries’ new design—the D-7 Klingon Battlecruiser. However,
“The Enterprise Incident”, which also featured the model, aired first.
The matter of the Klingon conspiracy is a bit confusing. Kryton, one of Elaan’s Elasian bodyguards, is the one who destroys Enterprise’s dilitium crystals
& rigs the ship to explode when it engages warp drive. Yet the necklace of dilithium crystals that saves the day was a gift to Elaan from Ambassador Petri of Troyius.
Furthermore, that the Klingons would deal with a mere bodyguard expecting him to be able to deliver Troyian dilithium crystals without an agreement from the Troyian
government stretches credulity.
“What Are Little Girls Made Of?”—just the eighth episode of Star Trek produced—features what is undoubtedly the biggest
part Nurse Chapel had in the entire 77-episode (discounting the two pilots) run of the series.
Sherry Williams, who plays the android Andrea, is perhaps best known as Terry on Make Room for Daddy.