This has to be one of my 3 favorite Episodes from the Original TV Series.<br /><br />What makes it great is the battle of wits between The Romulan Commander and Kirk, as well as the top-notch acting from Mark Lenard, who later went on to play Spock's father in other TV Episodes and movies. This is a case where those around rose to the level of the talent around them, and Shatner, Nimoy, and the whole cast deliver an outstanding performance in this episode.<br /><br />The writing and plot are also excellent, and I love the direct approach used to show us the characters, and the feelings and thoughts of those characters, and how freely they are expressed by the actors. <br /><br />This very entertaining episode ranks 10 out of 10. AWESOME!! Desert-Buddha