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The Magicks of Megas-Tu

"The Magicks of Megas-Tu" was the eighth episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series , in the show's first season , first aired on 27 October 1973 . The episode was written by Larry Brody MA , directed by Hal Sutherland MA and novelized in Log Three by Alan Dean Foster .

• 1.1.1 Episode log entries
• 1.1.2 Novelization log entries
• 2.1.1 Episode characters
• 2.1.2 Novelization characters
• 2.2 Starships and vehicles
• 2.3.1 Episode locations
• 2.3.2 Novelization locations
• 2.3.3 Shipboard areas
• 2.4 Races and cultures
• 2.5.1 Technology and weapons
• 2.5.2 Materials and substances
• 2.5.3 Astronomical objects
• 2.6 States and organizations
• 2.7 Ranks and titles
• 2.8 Other references
• 3 Chronology
• 4.1 Related media
• 4.2 Background
• 4.3.1 Episode images
• 4.3.2 Novelization images
• 4.4.1.1 Translations
• 4.5 External links

Summary [ ]

The USS Enterprise travels to the center of the galaxy . Here they discover magic and befriend Lucien . The people of Megas-Tu attempt to punish the crew for Humanity 's past. Spock convinces the locals that the United Federation of Planets is filled with peaceful people. The crew is released along with their new friend.

Log entries [ ]

Episode log entries [ ], novelization log entries [ ], references [ ], characters [ ], episode characters [ ], novelization characters [ ], starships and vehicles [ ], locations [ ], episode locations [ ], novelization locations [ ], shipboard areas [ ], races and cultures [ ], science and classification [ ], technology and weapons [ ], materials and substances [ ], astronomical objects [ ], states and organizations [ ], ranks and titles [ ], other references [ ], chronology [ ], appendices [ ], related media [ ].

Salem was also featured in:

• VOY novel : Cybersong

Origins of Christian figures were considered in:

• TOS novel : Devil World
• TOS movie : Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
• NF novel : Being Human

The Great Barrier later featured in:

Witches / wizards were referenced/seen in:

• TOS episodes : " Catspaw ", " Requiem for Methuselah "

Humanity on trial was also featured in:

• TNG episode & novelization : Encounter at Farpoint
• TNG episode & novelization : All Good Things...

Background [ ]

• The stardate of 1254 is the lowest denominated number used as a stardate in an episode , preceding the earliest canon stardate of 1312 for TOS episode : " Where No Man Has Gone Before ". This episode does not likely take place prior to that episode, however, based on the crew having newer uniforms and holding higher ranks and different positions than they did in that era. This is an early example of how, in canon, stardates are not sequential. Log Three revised the episode's date to a more plausible 5524, since the novelization contained sequential interludes between episodes.
• In the novelization, during Spock's attempt to move a Vulcan chess piece with magic , he said, "for every action, let there be an equal and opposite reaction." He was stating Isaac Newton 's Third Law of Motion , a scientific principle.

Episode images [ ]

Novelization images [ ]

Connections [ ]

Timeline [ ], translations [ ], external links [ ].

• " The Magicks of Megas-Tu " article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
• The Magicks of Megas-tu article at Wikipedia , the free encyclopedia.
• The Magicks of Megas-Tu discussion at the Mission Log podcast.
• The Magicks of Megas-Tu review at TrekToday .
• The Magicks of Megas-Tu discussion at the Saturday Morning Trek podcast.
• The Magicks of Megas-Tu article by Keith R.A. DeCandido at Tor.com .
• 1 Ferengi Rules of Acquisition
• 2 Achilles class
• 3 USS Dallas (NCC-2019)

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Published Oct 27, 2023

The Not-So-Magic 'Magicks of Megas-Tu'

For its 50th anniversary, we revisit this Animated Series episode.

StarTrek.com

What's the best Star Trek episode? The worst? The funniest? The most emotional?

We could argue this until the sun bloats into a red giant and eventually envelopes Earth's orbit. (Note to self and/or Geordi La Forge: We've gotta figure out a game plan for when that happens.) The point is, it's hard to be too declarative about Star Trek . But I can definitely tell you what the weirdest episode of Star Trek is. It's not the one where Abraham Lincoln appears floating (and seated!) in space. It's from the under-discussed Star Trek: The Animated Series , and it is called “The Magicks of Megas-Tu.”

"The Magicks of Megas-Tu"

From the writer Larry Brody, who later penned the Star Trek: Voyager episode “ Tattoo ,” “The Magicks of Megas-Tu” may seem more like a half-remembered dream than programming intended for kids. I've watched it twice recently and, quite frankly, I don't think I could give you a beat-by-beat breakdown of what happens. It might be a case of storytelling incompetence, but I'd like to believe that this episode is working on such a higher plane that its distant nature is some sort of high art. At the very least, it's quite beautiful to look at.

The Enterprise heads toward the center of the galaxy in the hopes of finding a “creation point” that might be creating new matter. I'm not a cosmologist, but I don't think this is quite accurate. Firstly, there's a black hole at the center of our galaxy, and secondly, the idea of matter escaping a central point is more of a universal big bang. The expansion of new matter, such as it is, would be at the outer rim in my understanding of the concept. Either way, I'm sure that this focal point would not be a place of curved, primary-colored beams leading to a subsequent “drop” through some sort of pan-dimensional portal. (I mean, I haven't been there, but I'm just saying.) But when the Enterprise crew reaches their destination that's what they find, and on the other end of that portal is an interesting fella.

He is a half-man, half-goat who goes by the name of Lucien. Everyone pronounces it with a soft “c” except for Spock, who uses “Lew-sheon.” (Maybe Leonard Nimoy did his voice work on a different day.) He takes the bridge crew down to his planet, which is an amorphous swirl of non-corporeality.

“I'd forgotten how much bodily integrity means to you humans,” Lucien chuckles, and zaps them to a more familiar, Earth-like setting. He then explains how everything they see stems from “magic.” The examples he cites seem more out of vaudeville than a scientific lesson of advanced states of being. He shows a realtor creating a crystal castle out of thin air and a woman who makes herself beautiful to catch the man of her dreams.

Back on the Enterprise , Spock realizes it is logical to accept that in certain places logic does not apply. He uses “magic” to move his chess pieces telekinetically. Not to be outdone, Sulu closes his eyes and blammo – there appears a beautiful female companion!

These fireworks come at a price, and soon the crew find themselves back on the planet's surface and in stocks. The imagery recalls the Salem Witch Trial, and Lucien's fellow Megans are putting humanity on trial... against Lucien's will.

It seems that, centuries ago, the Megans were on Earth, but were run out of town and deemed evil. Much like Q to Picard, the head Megan prosecutor condemns Kirk, but he pleads that progress has been made. At first it seems like he's going to win the case through conversation, but the Pilgrim-looking species from another dimension starts shooting red power spheres out of his palms.

Spock tells Kirk to fight with magic, and what follows is basically indescribable. You kinda need to see this “fight” to believe it. Lots of colors, though, as this is a Saturday Morning cartoon. For one moment, it looks like Kirk is trapped inside a giant wrapper of Fruit Stripe gum.

The Animated Series is by no means Star Trek 's brightest moment, but there were many times when it got pretty interesting from a visual perspective. All the stops are pulled with this one. A flashback story about the Megans zooming to and from Earth shows figures in strange uniforms hurling through space. The final battle scene is an exciting explosion of bright, primary colors.

The punchline comes when Lucien reveals his other name — Lucifer. So, the “good guy” in this episode is the Devil? Humanist James T. Kirk brushes this away, “We're not interested in legend. He's a living being!” Then the episode ends. You could NOT get away with something like this today.

If "The Magicks of Megas-Tu” is baffling to an adult, one can only imagine what a kid watching this October of 1973 was thinking. If you have memories of seeing this one in your youth, we're itching to hear about it!

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This article was originally published on December 12, 2014.

Jordan Hoffman is a writer, critic and lapsed filmmaker living in New York City. His work can also be seen on Film.com, ScreenCrush and Badass Digest. On his BLOG, Jordan has reviewed all 727. On his BLOG, Jordan has reviewed all 727 Trek episodes and films, most of the comics and some of the novels.

The Magicks of Megas-tu

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Retro Review: The Magicks of Megas-tu

• Star Trek: TAS

The Enterprise enters the center of the galaxy, where magic has more power than technology.

Plot Summary: Sent to the galactic center to see whether matter is being created there, the Enterprise enters a matter-energy whirlpool. Life support fails and the crew is dying when a creature that looks like a faun appears and restores power. The creature introduces himself as Lucien and takes the senior crewmembers to the planet’s surface, where they find people who never age and can make castles out of thin air. Lucien explains that when his people passed through the dimensional portal that the Enterprise also crossed to reach his world, his people found Earth and became known to humans as wizards and magicians. Suddenly Lucien warns them to conceal themselves and returns them to the Enterprise, where Spock discovers that through the power of his own will, he can perform telekinetic feats. But the crew is brought back to the planet by angry people dressed as Puritans from Massachusetts, where they are placed in stocks and told that they will be tried for crimes like the Salem Witch Trials, which led to the burnings of several of Lucien’s people on Earth. Because Spock is not human, leader Asmodeus allows him to defend the humans. Spock asks Kirk whether humans have changed since the events in Salem, and Kirk testifies that humans now try to understand and respect all life forms, as the records aboard the Enterprise prove. Agreeing that humans pose no threat, Asmodeus says that Lucien – once known on Earth as Lucifer – must still be punished for contacting the ship, but Kirk argues that Lucien is an intelligent being and uses his newfound magic powers to defend Lucien. Asmodeus says the trial was a test of the humans’ true intentions and agrees with Spock that Kirk’s compassion for Lucien is proof that humans have changed.

Analysis: While some episodes of the animated series, like “Yesteryear,” are so good that they’re considered to be Star Trek canon, other episodes, like “The Magicks of Megas-Tu,” are so bad that fans either try to pretend they don’t exist or put them on late at night at Star Trek conventions to play drinking games and laugh uproariously. I will admit that I never made it all the way through this episode before, though I did read the Alan Dean Foster adaptation of the story in Star Trek Log Three . How bad is “The Magicks of Megas-Tu”? Let’s just say that the script – in terms of science, characterization, even factual details of Earth history – is so terrible that the candy-cane-striped watermelon planet at the center of the galaxy looks good by comparison. I wish I could say “this episode will be fun for fans of fantasy or Harry Potter or Magic: The Gathering ,” but really, I think it’s only fun for people like my younger son, who thinks Star Trek is pretty ridiculous at the best of times and enjoys it most when it’s so screechingly awful that everyone in the room is laughing at it.

I’m trying to think of something defensible about “The Magicks of Megas-Tu” and coming up blank. The animation is seizure-inducing; the Enterprise passes through Fourth of July fireworks to reach the center of the galaxy, where it is trapped by the sort of swirly effects that accompany Heffalumps and Woozles in Winnie-the-Pooh cartoons. Then the crew ends up in a version of Salem populated by Pilgrims from two generations earlier. I’m not sure why Spock bothers with a defense when he could simply point out that the facts prove the Magicks were never really in Salem, since the victims there were hanged, not burned, and since three times as many women as men were executed in Salem yet Asmodeus and his fellow leaders all appear to be men (the women on the planet are shown as busy buying potions for eternal youth and beauty, though oddly there are crones who apparently spend their time selling these potions instead of being young and beautiful). I won’t get started on the suggestion that the all too real bigotry and misogyny of the Salem Puritans might have been justified by the presence of meddlesome magical aliens, because guess what – the Devil really was among the witches in this version of the story! Kirk tells Asmodeus he isn’t interested in legend, yet he’s willing to perpetuate this absurd falsehood.

As for the galaxy being created by a central explosion that may still be creating new matter, that isn’t nearly as incredible as the theological resolution. Kirk does what I’ve never seen Jesus do in any Christian revisionist fable – he saves Lucifer! He’s willing to risk his own life to do so, to recite “I do believe in fairies, I do, I do,” and to cast Magic Missile and let the Heart of the Cards guide him. (I can’t take credit for all that analysis; my kids were shouting those suggestions while Kirk was dueling onscreen.) I’m not sure whether this makes Kirk a messiah or a demon or what, but I wish he’d been around to save Viggo Mortensen in The Prophecy , because Viggo was a much sexier Satan than Lucien. Oh dear, I’m clearly going to hell, but I knew that already, because I was told by some ultra-religious nutters that being a Harry Potter fan was the equivalent of devil worship, and with Star Trek confirming that all previous reports of magic on Earth actually arise from extraterrestrial interference headed up by Lucifer himself, they have a point.

I’m going to go back to pretending this episode never existed in a moment, but first I must pause and contemplate an obvious parallel that could have been exploited. Kirk will make another trip to the center of the galaxy in another installment that’s widely considered only marginally canonical, meeting – and destroying – God in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier . (How did William Shatner not remember “The Magicks of Megas-tu” while working on the movie’s screenplay, and not realize it was going to be a very bad idea?) Just think how differently things might have gone had Kirk remembered this previous trip to Sha Ka Ree and realized from the start that God was just the devil in disguise. But if he did recall it, he probably wrote it off as a bad drug trip, which is what it looks like on the screen.

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Star Trek: The Animated Series

“The Magicks of Megas-Tu”

Air date: 10/27/1973 Written by Larry Brody Directed by Hal Sutherland

Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan

Review Text

Wow. I didn't realize for all these years there was an episode of Star Trek documenting the entry into the center of the galaxy that was somehow even worse than Star Trek V . An episode that refers to the center of the galaxy as the "creation point" where the Big Bang (not referred to by name) happened. Where that "creation point" is apparently still — even to this very day in the 23rd century — creating things all these billions of years after the explosion. And where that creation point is a place of MAGIC.

Am I supposed to regard this as bad science fiction, bad Star Trek , or a bad cartoon? Maybe all three?

After arriving at the fireworks show that is the center of the galaxy, where the rules of physics and reality don't apply, and being sucked into the deep-space equivalent of a hurricane, the power goes out and the life support fails and everyone starts to suffocate. The ship is rescued by Lucien, a TOS -style superbeing who explains that the rules of reality are different here, and that he can control them in a way that resembles magic.

Lucien is a horned mischievous sort from the planet of Megas-Tu, and he brings Kirk/Spock/McCoy to his fantasy world of colorful acid trips and, well, MAGIC.

Furthermore, we learn, Lucien, and the other Megasans (Megans?), centuries ago visited Earth, where they served as advisers to humans. But eventually they revealed their MAGICAL powers to the uncivilized humans of the time and were burned as witches at Salem. Now, the other Megans want their retribution on Lucien and humanity, so they put the Enterprise crew on trial (in a re-creation of Salem where everyone is in the pillory). The question is: Has humanity improved since Salem? Certainly the framing of this question would improve by the time Q asked it.

Meanwhile, Spock discovers you can believe MAGIC into being and change reality at will. In fact, anyone can be a Megan. But not everyone (or anyone) can make this story make sense or seem like it wasn't the product of mass psychedelics.

Oh, yeah. Lucien has another name he sometimes goes by: Lucifer. Boom, roasted. ABRACADEVIL.

It should be noted that TAS 's failures are definitely not for lack of storytelling ambition. Indeed, this is a pretty batshit crazy swing for the fences. But that doesn't make the execution any less ponderous or the narrative any less of a raving lunatic's mess. This is TOS -style history-raiding quasi-literate gibberish at its most patience-straining. Ponderous is the least of what I expected here, given the gregarious personality of Lucien. For an episode so pretentious and disjointed, it's surprisingly little fun.

Previous episode: The Infinite Vulcan Next episode: Once Upon a Planet

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Comment Section

8 comments on this post, doctorjimmy.

Very silly and dull, agreed. But I do sort of admire the whole Lucien bit. Having the Greek gods turn out to be visiting aliens is one thing, but having Kirk and Spock meet The Devil Himself, who turns out to be not such a bad guy, just misunderstood? Surprised they were able to get away with that in a Saturday morning cartoon.

Elizabeth Palladino

Yep, whack-a-doodle and boring. I wasn't sure whether to cringe or yawn, so did both. No use just reiterating what Jammer wrote other than to say I agree 100 per cent. Best to watch this one with your eyes closed.

A lot of elements here have been used in other Trek episodes such as the power of belief ("Spectre of the Gun"), humanity on trial ("Encounter at Farpoint"), advanced beings visiting Earth ("Tattoo", "Return to Tomorrow", "Who Mourns for Adonais"). Lucien's role in relation to the other Megans isn't totally clear -- is he supposed to be an evil or anomalous element? He certainly didn't have any evil intentions and may have been condemned forever had Kirk not shown enough compassion. But he is meant to look like a devil... The problem with a 24-min. show is that resolution must be pat and Kirk convincing Asmodeus with the ship's records happens too quickly. But there are some good elements, including of the sci-fi kind here. The story didn't feel that interesting or realistic by Trek standards. Wonder why they made the stardate such that this episode takes place before TOS, while every other TAS episode thus far takes place around the time of TOS S3. The Salem witch trials was an interesting reference point in history -- used as this was when the Megans visited Earth and were condemned as witches, warlocks presumably. 2*

Louis Brantmeyer

All the above notwithstanding, the shaman battle between Kirk and the other dude was fun, in a batshit crazy sort of way 😜

I agree with Jammer’s one star review. This is just a supremely boring one to sit through, with clumsy dialogue and plotting. The attempt to rehabilitate Lucifer is an amusing, mildly shocking misfire. But it’s hard to get too worked up about something so badly executed. Perhaps the worst of the original Trek cast’s opus.

John Harmon

I love this one. I dunno, just the fact that a kid's cartoon from the 70's had the Star Trek crew meet the actual devil and find out he's the chillest guy in the universe and then defend him. That alone is enough to get a thumbs up from me

Gary Twinem

I loved that Sulu's first impulse when doing some magic was to conjure himself up a geisha girl and Uhura's like, "Get in there, my man!" 🙂

Star Trek meets Forgotten Realms! With all the high magic involved, and Gods walking the lands! You know what, I dig it. Not usally one to like over-the-top silly stuff, but for some reason I like this a lot. Maybe because I'm into the occult and old Pagan gods, and I like the premise how the Original Gods (demons) were the ones who helped humanity in the first place, before they were cast out. Poor Lucifer... he can NEVER catch a break! Also Kirk learning magic and using it in a wizard-duel, was something I never thought I'd see on any Star Trek! Fuck it. 3/4 stars. Two of those highly subjective, but that's where I stand. I liked it.

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The magicks of megas-tu (1973).

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• Not surprisingly, writer Larry Brody originally pitched an idea for the third season of Star Trek that he ultimately shaped and developed into "The Magicks of Megas-Tu".

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Megas-Tu translated in symbols Humanoids could understand

Megas-Tu was an inhabited planet located in an alternate universe , and the homeworld of the Megans .

In the Megan universe , magic was the natural law. On Megas-Tu, each Megan was a specialist in a form of magic. Sorcerer-contractors were builders, and others created potions like the love philtre . ( TAS : " The Magicks of Megas-Tu ")

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The Magicks of Megas-Tu

The Enterprise travels to the center of the galaxy only to discover themselves sucked into a dimension where the laws of time and space no longer apply, and "magic" functions for those capable of grasping its fundamentals. Stopping at Megas-Tu, a planet where magic and witchcraft are the norm, the crew finds their guide is Lucien, who is Lucifer of Earth mythology.

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The Magicks of Megas-Tu Stardate: 1254.4 Original Airdate: 27 Oct, 1973

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Star Trek Animated Series Re-Watch: “The Magicks of Megas-Tu”

Season 1, Episode 8 Production episode: 22009 Original air date: October 27, 1973 Star date: 1254.4

Mission summary

It’s Science Day on Enterprise ! The ship takes a jaunt to the center of the galaxy to see what might still be cooking at the site of the Big Bang. Spock warns them that they may “encounter forces and phenomena beyond our understanding,” and sure enough, the ship blunders into the middle of a fireworks and laser light show.

They’re buffeted by a matter-energy whirlwind and pulled deeper into the maelstrom at speeds upwards of warp 10. Sulu shifts into full reverse,  but they can’t break free. Spock finally manages to steer them into the eye of the weird storm and things settle down a bit. Scotty confidently informs them that “everything can be repaired,” so they decide to ride it out. But they don’t get a chance to, because the ship is abruptly zapped out of space and time, to a region where the laws of physics are different. Unfortunately, this means that everything electronic, from the popcorn poppers in the mess hall to life support systems, shuts down.

Their air supply runs out ridiculously quickly. Most of the crew passes out, but Kirk remains conscious enough to watch a jovial satyr appear on the Bridge who seems really happy to see them. Kirk begs him for help and their visitor fixes everything with a wave of his hand and the magic word, “Rhadamanthus!”

Spock is baffled, but the cloven-hoofed man is awfully eager to please his new friends. Or are they old friends? He introduces himself as Lucien, which doesn’t ring any bells. He invites the crew to “rollick” with him; in a flash, Captain Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy are spirited to the surface of a candy-colored planet where things get…expressionist.

LUCIEN: I’d forgotten how much bodily integrity means to you humans. This isn’t easy, you know, holding us together like this. It’s not even natural. MCCOY: Being in one piece is very natural where we come from. SPOCK: I find this all quite absorbing, Doctor. MCCOY: Probably because you’re not very natural to begin with, Spock.

In deference to his simple-minded guests, Lucien turns the whirly-wibbly landscape into a boring forest and city. He welcomes them to his world, Sha Ka Ree Megas-Tu, which exists in a universe that operates by the rules of magic. Lucien tosses McCoy an apple and tells him that here, “women are as young and beautiful as they want to be. So as to ensnare the man of her dreams, she needs an edge.” And what happens at Megas, stays at Megas. Now it all makes sense to Spock:

Of course. Our Federation scientists were more correct than they realized. In order to function, the galactic creation point must extend through space, time, into another dimension where the logic of things is totally different.

Slow on the uptake, Kirk naively asks if he knows Lucien from somewhere. Their devilishly good-looking host thinks the captain’s just playing around, but he humors him–any excuse for an expositional interlude. He says that the Megans visited Earth once and became magical advisers to humanity, until they had to leave. Speaking of which, he informs them that they have to go now and is quite insistent that they must not be detected. But detected by whom?

He sends them all back to Enterprise , where they discover that the surface of Megas-Tu is shrouded by mysterious clouds, and the only system that works on board is life support. With nothing better to do, Spock invites the captain and doctor to his quarters to practice black magic. He scrawls a pentagram on his floor and stands within it, channeling the strange energy of this universe to move a Vulcan chess piece using his thoughts. McCoy is skeptical as usual, but it seems that here, belief really does translate into reality.

Soon everyone’s conjuring things up. Sulu summons a woman on the Bridge, and Uhura cheers him on with, “Good luck.” Lucien appears and demands to know what they’re doing. If they aren’t careful, the mental energy they’re exerting will give them away. Whoops–too late. The Megans are pissed.

So, the people of Earth would spread their evil to our home? We are ready for human perfidy this time. This time, it is the humans who shall suffer, the humans and you, Lucien, who shall pay!

For their next trick, they cut the Enterprise in two and transport the crew into stockades at a reenactment of the Salem Witch trials in 1691 Massachusetts. The Megan leader, wearing a fun Pilgrim outfit, introduces himself as Asmodeus and sets the record straight: They did offer friendship to the humans, but their powers were exploited. When they resisted, the humans burned them all as witches, so they got the hell out of there and went back home to Megas-Tu.

It’s a shame, but the bad experience soured them on mankind and exploration. But, if they only had a good reason not to hurt the humans, then maybe they could avoid all this fuss. Spock volunteers to speak for them and Asmodeus agrees. He interviews Lucien and asks why he trusts humans.

LUCIEN: They are like me, with questions to be answered, with minds that range outward, boundless. But every Megan is always alone in his sphere of knowledge. Humans are always together. They share. That is why I adopted your ship when I saw it arrive.

Then Spock calls Captain Kirk as a witness. Kirk tells all of them that humanity has changed a bit since 1691–that thought they’re still flawed, they try to treat others with respect. As proof, he offers up the Enterprise library in their defense, citing the Prime Directive as a perfect example of their evolved sensibilities.

The Megans consider the evidence and vote to let Enterprise and her crew go, figuring their trip to this universe was just a fluke that will hopefully never be repeated. (Amen!) Lucien, on the other hand, must be punished for being an individual: a magical generalist among specialists who has betrayed his own people. They sentence him to an eternity in limbo, “to live only with himself.” Kirk protests.

KIRK: No. To isolate someone like Lucien, that’s the same as sentencing him to death. MEGAN: Do you realise who you defend? He has told you his name is Lucien. Would you defend him still if you knew he had another name too? The Rollicker, the Tempter, Lucifer.

Ohhh. Well, now that you mention it…

But that doesn’t matter to Kirk. Let bygones be bygones, he says. So after that whole legal rigamarole, it all comes down to a battle of the magics. Er, magicks . Spock encourages Kirk to master the strange powers of this universe in an epic struggle against Asmodeus. Kirk insists that the Megans are responding in fear, and he seems to get through to them. He and his men are returned to Enterprise , to the amazement of all, where Asmodeus reveals that–surprise!–it was all just a test of compassion. Kirk passed with flying colors, naturally, and he didn’t even have to cheat. Now they’re all friends and everything is back to normal.

MCCOY: You think Lucien really was the demon some men call Lucifer? KIRK: Does it really matter? SPOCK: It just might, Captain. If he was, this would be the second time Lucifer was cast out, and thanks to you, the first time he was saved.

Whoa. The last thing I ever expected to see on animated Star Trek was the crew hanging out with the devil, let alone saving him from banishment. I also never expected to see Spock summoning evil spirits or Kirk shooting magic beams from his hands, but there it is.

This is an absurd episode that cracked me up during Kirk’s entire magic battle with Asmodeus and practically pinching myself to make sure I hadn’t fallen asleep and was just dreaming this nonsense up. Spock’s attempts to telepathically move a chess piece is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen him do, right up there with jamming with space hippies. It’s like all pretense of having these characters act realistically was simply thrown out the window a couple of episodes ago. I mean, what was up with Sulu’s imaginary woman and Uhura’s comment, “Good luck”?

It’s hard to pick this one apart on a scientific basis, since it’s founded on the fact that science doesn’t work in this other universe. Okay, fine. Maybe magic even explains why all the air on the ship suddenly runs out as soon as life support fails. But it’s still surprising that after all the times characters have joked about Spock looking like the devil, that when the devil actually shows up, no one recognizes him!

The premise suffers a bit because it’s all been done before. We have alien beings who influenced Earth’s past and legends; a pretty heavy Biblical motif, complete with a more blatant than usual appearance of the apple to represent temptation; space douches with incredible cosmic power; and all of this being another test. In fact, it also prefigures the first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation in some interesting ways. Lucien is Q-like in nature, a sort of mischievous rebel among his own kind who is banished for being a troublemaker. The aliens put humanity on trial, as they do in “Encounter at Farpoint,” and arguably, the special effect that accompanies Lucien’s magic tricks look a bit like Q’s white flashes of power. So, is Megas-Tu part of the Q-Continuum?

Despite its predictability and childishness, like Spock, I began to find it all quite absorbing. After a while, I embraced it for what it was, just as I accepted the magic on Megas-Tu. After seriously wondering if it was any worse than some of the more random developments on the live-action show, I concluded that elements of it are on par with episodes like “ Catspaw ,” “ Spectre of the Gun ,” and “ Who Mourns for Adonais? ”

And really, it’s simply fascinating that any show, let alone a cartoon, got away with portraying Lucifer as a likable, sympathetic, and redeemable character, or was able to feature a freaking demon of lust like Asmodeus . For some perspective, some years ago, an episode of Disney’s Darkwing Duck cartoon was banned from repeat broadcasts because a character inadvertently sells her father’s soul to Beelzebub–which shows how much humanity changed from 1973 to 1993, not necessarily for the better. Any bullied geek can relate to Lucien’s non-conformist nature, and his impassioned appreciation of humanity’s curiosity was kind of moving. But of course, it’s that curiosity that got us all into trouble, if you believe the legends.

I’m still stunned that Kirk forgave the devil . What a guy.

Eugene’s Rating: Warp 3 (on a scale of 1-6)

Torie Atkinson: Did… that just happen?

So Lucifer, alien space sorcerer, invites Kirk and the gang to put on their cloak and wizard hats and have a 70s acid trip, but the other alien space sorcerers think the humans–the humans –are the crazy ones, and force them to re-enact a traumatizing memory of the Salem witch trial? I don’t even… what the hell?*

The sufficiently advanced technology that’s indistinguishable from magic thing isn’t anything new for Star Trek , and the space douches putting humanity on trial through Kirk, the paragon of human compassion and evolution, definitely isn’t new. This is regurgitated warp 1 material. As a morality tale it’s transparent and serviceable for any uninitiated, but the lessons are so dumbed down that I think as a kid I would’ve resented the condescension. That said, as a kid, I would’ve thought this was seriously demented and if the rest of the show were like this episode I would have tuned in religiously** every week. It felt a little like Mr. Wonka’s trippy tunnel, animated for half an hour. I mean, this is territory I thought the Krofft brothers owned, but “The Magicks of Megas-Tu” seriously gives wacky cracked-out shows like Bugaloos and Pufnstuf a run for their money.

But unlike the Krofft brothers extruded kids’ show product, this one articulates humanities virtues rather nicely. Lucien’s description of humans as “like me, with questions to be answered, with minds that range outward, boundless,” is really beautiful (and again, unexpected coming from a cloven-hooved alien demon wizard). That a race with such power to create would remain so cut off from one another is one of those fictional ironies that just works. Coupled with Lucien’s exuberance and joy, his personal arc winds up surprisingly compelling. Even when the ending revealed he was never in any real danger of exile, I have to wonder if he knew that. So overall I actually rather enjoyed this one. And Kirk has sympathy for the devil! I can’t believe no one guessed his name.

I guess I could say something about Milton, but what’s the point? This episode is just bizarre. I can’t believe it ever got past the censors. The idea of Kirk and friends hanging out with Lucifer and shooting magic missiles at one another at Sturbridge Village is, honestly, not something I ever expected to see in my wildest imagination. For that alone it gets a warp 2.

* No pun intended. ** OK, this pun was intended.

Torie’s Rating: Warp 2

Best Line: LUCIEN: Ah, humans. Lovely primitive humans. Can’t you do anything right?

Trivia: Brody’s original pitch for this episode had the same title, which Gene Roddenberry liked, and was supposed to involve God instead of the devil–a concept that Roddenberry always wanted to explore on the show. Unfortunately, God didn’t survive notes from the network, numerous revisions, and the usual heavy rewrites from Roddenberry–and neither did Brody’s dialogue. But of course, God finally makes an appearance, sort of, in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.

This is the only episode of the series that shows Earth.

The stardate for this episode precedes that of the first broadcast Star Trek episode, but that probably doesn’t mean anything.

Other notes: Larry Brody has written for many genre cartoons and live-action television series, including Star Trek: Voyager (“Tattoo”).

Ed Bishop (Asmodeus) is best known as Commander Ed Straker on the British SF series UFO and appeared in 2001: A Space Odyssey with Gary Lockwood (“Where No Man Has Gone Before”).

Rhadamanthus was a demi-god, the son of Zeus and Europa, a wise king who was one of the judges and punishers of the dead in the Underworld.

Previous episode: Season 1, Episode 7 – “ The Infinite Vulcan .”

Next episode: Season 1, Episode 9 – “ Once Upon a Planet .” US residents can watch it for free at the CBS website .

About Eugene Myers & Torie Atkinson

12 comments.

What does the devil need with a starship? OK, he doesn’t, but somebody had to say it.

For all that this episode does try to deal with some interesting concepts, I just can’t warm up to it. There’s too much weird $%&@ going on and logic and sense have the week off. Not to mention that this episode may be directly responsible for ST V. Apparently, while Roddenberry had always been interested in the theme, the Brody’s original concept using God blew him away and he really, really wanted to use it. The network wouldn’t go for it, though, so he filed it away for later use. It also has Roddenberry’s fingerprints all over it. Brody went through a bunch of rewrites and there was still not a single word of his dialog left in the show that aired. I’m going to have to agree with Torie’s rating.

The first time I saw this episode back in 1973, I tuned in late and missed everything up to the trial. Let me tell you, that’s a weird place to start the episode. And since I hadn’t seen TOS, this was my first exposure to the concept of “space douche puts humanity on trial”.

Alan Dean Foster’s novelization in Star Trek Log Three adds a line to Spock’s initial incantation: “For every action, yea, let there be an equal and opposite reaction.”

Yeah this . . . mystified me. I can only imagine that it must have preceded the moral panic that led to things like The Devil’s Web and similar treatments of silly magic in, say, Chick Tracts and generally led to the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon being hounded off the air (though as I never saw it, that latter might’ve just been because it was terrible — couldn’t say).

I was disheartened by Lucien’s goat-voice, but even more disturbed by the animation of his rib cage. I do like, though, that they couldn’t get the color matching quite right on the cells — so you can tell a scene where he’s going to shrug or raise his arms because the moving parts will be slightly lighter-colored than the non-moving part of his body. That’s pretty low, even for Filmation.

@2 JohnnyPez

Ha, I kind of like that additional line–using magic to reinforce classical physics.

@3 DeepThought

That’s pretty low, even for Filmation. I’ve actually noticed that in most cartoons, though the cheaper the animation the more noticeable it is, making it practically non-existent in animated feature films.

Recycled ideas, poor characterization, and just too damn weird. I can’t give this one a passing grade, jazz-hands devil or not. This one must be one of the reasons the animated series was de-cannonized.

@ECMyers #4 I think it’s also more noticeable here because Filmation has more of a habit of trying to use more realistic anatomy despite the low-budget animation. If you look at the picture at the top of this write-up, Lucien’s got a rib cage that’s separate from his abs (his arm raise in this scene made his rib cage move). Most animation companies would’ve put that all under a shirt, or at least made it all one piece; Filmation’s making individually articulating body parts that look *weird* since nobody shrugs their shoulders while their abs stay completely still. (Outside of some kind of strange body-building exercises anyway). I mean, good on them for noticing that rib cages move when you show the world you’re Sure! But bad on them for not noticing that the same thing happens to your midsection . . .

Just a thought. Maybe the not recognizing the name, the ‘Oh, it was all a test’ bit and the questioning if he really was at the end was a way of getting the story past the censors.

“Cdr. Straker” moving on to Star Trek ? I like it.

But did Roddenbery drop acid with the Krofts one weekend? And was he permanently affected?

Tonight I will have to decide whether to watch this episode or an episode of Larry Brody’s Silver Surfer cartoon. I do not think it will be a difficult decision.

About the censors, this episode did NOT get by unscathed: David Gerrold wrote an editorial in Starlog magazine around ’74, about the fact that after this episode aired the first time, some Holy roller Mother got offended that Kirk gave the Devil a pass on a “children’s” show and started a letter writing campaign to NBC. Unfortunately the network blinked, and in future re-runs edited out all references to Lucien being Lucifer, completely eviscerating the ‘message’ of this episode, and making it lose any moral it might have contained.

I can vouch for this, because for years, I had the re-edited version recorded on audio cassette, and can remember being puzzled by the changes before the Starlog article was published.

Scientists in 1973 didn’t believe that the center of the Milky Way created matter or was the origin of the Big Bang, so why would the crew of the Enterprise? And it’s amazing how the 2nd Enterprise can get out of the galaxy and to its center within a few episodes, but those poor saps on Voyager, which was much faster than the 2nd Enterprise, had to spend 7 years going through the Delta Quadrant before they got zapped back home.

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The Magicks of Megas-Tu

Exploring the center of the galaxy, the very heart of creation, the Enterprise is caught inside an energy/matter tornado and all computer systems fail. A being named Lucien appears on the bridge, repairs the ship's systems and takes the crew to explore his planet, Megas-Tu. On this planet, what we would consider to be magic is normal. The Megans are an ageless species that had, at one time, lived on Earth, and were responsible for the legends about witches. They decide to put Kirk and crew on trial for the crimes of mankind.

The Animated Series, seizoen 1

The Magicks of Megas-tu (Q7749553)

• The Magicks of Megus-Tu

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Wikipedia (5 entries).

• cswiki Mágové Megas Tu
• dewiki Das Geheimnis von Megas-Tu
• enwiki The Magicks of Megas-tu
• rowiki O lume fermecată
• shwiki The Magicks of Megas-tu

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