The Enterprise crew is again confronted by a being of enormous power. This particular run-in is unique for two reasons, however: the antics of this individual are deliciously chaotic, and we're treated to a nice little twist at the end. By virtue of these strengths, The Squire Of Gothos manages to escape the pits of been there, done that. Still, comparisons can certainly be made to Charlie X, where the omnipotent being of the week was likewise trapped in childhood, but the execution here is far different. In Charlie X, the guest star's youth is known from the beginning, however, and this is made central to the drama, detailing Charlie's difficulties in entering not only human society in general, but adulthood more specifically. In The Squire Of Gothos, our guest star's youth is revealed in a twist ending. Although each character is retrieved by their parents in virtually the same manner, Charlie's retrieval bears a note of tragedy, as he fails to attain his goals of joining humanity, while Trelane's comes as nothing short of a relief. The two episodes form an interesting case study in how divergent approaches to similar material can bear far different results.
As an aside, I like to play with the idea that Trelane might be Q's child from Star Trek: Voyager, and that the father that coddles him at the episode's close would therefore be Q.
As an aside, I like to play with the idea that Trelane might be Q's child from Star Trek: Voyager, and that the father that coddles him at the episode's close would therefore be Q.
