We are creatures of duty Captain....

One of the things that connected my old friend Darren (Right on the Left Coast) and I when we met at Fort Carson Colorado (Please don't tell me that was 25 years ago last month!) was we both shared a favorite episode of Star Trek. Balance of Terror. And for the same reason, the statement at the end of the defeated Romulan commander played superbly by the late Mark Lenard.  It was inspired by the World War II naval classic The Enemy Below, where at the end the American captain throws his defeated German U-Boat commander a rope to survive. It is a magnificently written story about how noble people may serve on both sides of a war combined with a mature examination of prejudice, even in the 22nd Century.

Mark Lenard (L) as the Romulan commander with The Centurion (played by the late John Warburton), his friend and confident.

I thought of this because a few minutes ago as I was on Facebook and found this list of The Top 100 Episodes of Star Trek. You see these types of lists all over the internet and for the most part they just an opinion, but I had to agree with many of the episodes and why. In them you see good plots, character development, etc. And they got the number one episode right for a change.

Back to Darren and I, what was spooky is he and I (and our sometimes adversary boss battalion executive officer) all have the same favorite quote. As his ship is wrecked and all hope is lost, Kirk offered to bring Romulan survivors aboard the Enterprise. The Commander declines and when asked "What purpose will it serve to die?", his response is a classic line.

We are creatures of duty Captain... I have lived my life by it... Just one more duty to perform.

Here is the video of it:

Speaking of duty, I need to get to work and baby sit the sleeping prisoners. Once more, unto the breech! Have a nice evening.