Bread and Circuses (Episode)

Bread and Circuses

"Bread and Circuses" (TOS 43)

Series	Star Trek
Season	2
Episode	25
Production Number	43
Previous	The Trouble With Tribbles (TOS 42)
Next	Journey to Babel (TOS 44)
Released	15 Mar 1968
Advertising	Amazon

Prime Timeline
(The root of all realities)

Stardate 4040.7: Spock and McCoy are forced to fight in Roman-like games.

Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Dr. McCoy visit planet 892 IV, after they discover the wreckage of the S.S. Beagle, a Federation vessel. On the surface they meet a band of primitively-dressed people who claim to be sun worshipers before their capture by a group of well-armed individuals. Kirk and crew learn that the planet is technologically on par with 20th-century Earth, though the world's civilization closely resembles that of ancient Rome, as it might have been if the Roman Empire had lasted that long. Kirk meets Captain Merik, the commander of the destroyed Beagle, and discovers that Merik betrayed his crew, instructing them to beam down so that they could die in the arena. The Beagle's captain is now known as First Citizen Merikus, and the empire's proconsul, Claudius Marcus, is using him to convince Kirk to do the same with the Enterprise crew. McCoy and Spock are sentenced to die in the arena, and Kirk's execution seems imminent. Sensing that something is wrong, Scotty cuts off the planet's electrical power, enabling Kirk to free Spock and McCoy. Merik saves the trio, giving Kirk a stolen communicator before the proconsul stabs him. Back on the Enterprise, Uhura realizes that what Kirk thought were sun worshippers were actually calling themselves the Children of the Son: that planet's counterpart of early Christians.

Image Gallery

892 IV
Surface of 892 IV
Surface of 892 IV
Surface of 892 IV
Surface of 892 IV
gladiatorial games
Achilles
Announcer
Drusilla
Roger Lemli
Flavius Maximus
Claudius Marcus
Master of Games
R.M. Merik
Septimus
sound effects person
jail
police
machine gun
Jupiter 8
The Gallian
television set

Related Data

Astrometrics	892 IV; Earth
Chronology	Prime Timeline; 1868; 2262; 2268; Stardate 4040.7-4041.7
Culture	angels; archangels; Children of the Son; English language; Gabriel; gladiator; gladiatorial games; Heaven; Jupiter (mythology); Mars (mythology); Neptune (mythology); Romans; Romans (892 IV)
Education	doctor; doctorate; physician
Food	grapes; wine
People	Achilles (23rd Century); Announcer; Brent; Augustus Caesar; Julius Caesar; Pavel Chekov; Jesus Christ; Drusilla; Hadley; William B. Harrison; James T. Kirk; Roger Lemli; Leslie; Claudius Marcus; Master of Games; Maximus; Flavius Maximus; Leonard McCoy; R.M. Merik; Montgomery Scott; Septimus; Spock; Nyota Uhura
Politics	Emperor (Roman); First Citizen; jail; Merchant Marine; police; Praetor (Roman); Praetorian Guard; Prime Directive; Proconsul (Roman); Roman Empire; Roman Empire (892 IV); Senator (Roman); Starfleet; Starfleet Ranks (Crewman, Ensign, Lieutenant, Starfleet Lieutenant Commander, Commander, Captain); World War I; World War II; World War III; United Federation of Planets
Science & Technology	antimatter; atmosphere; audio receiver; bullets; carbon; carbon monoxide; Class M planet; communications; communicator; computer; guns; Hodgkins' Law of Parallel Planet Development; hydrocarbons; impulse drive; iridium; iron; knife; machine gun; medicine; medkit; meteor; microtapes; nacelle; nerve pinch; nitrogen; nuclear power; orbit; oxygen; PADD; parsec; phasers (Type 2); pollution; psycho-simulator; radio; rifle; sensors; smog; steel; subspace; sword; television; time (second, year, century); transporter; tricorder; turbolift; whip
Ships & Vehicles	S.S. Beagle; Constitution class; U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701; Jupiter 8
Xenology	bulls; Humans; hybrids; sparrows; Vulcans
Miscellaneous	bridge; The Gallian; logs; Navigator; slavery; Starfleet Uniforms (2266)

Credits

Created by
Gene Roddenberry

Starring
William Shatner

Also Starring
Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock
and
DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy

Written by
Gene L. Coon & Gene Roddenberry

Directed by
Ralph Senensky

Produced by
Gene L. Coon

Executive Producer
Gene Roddenberry

Associate Producer
Robert H. Justman

Guest Star
William Smithers as Merik

Co-Starring
Logan Ramsey as Claudius
Ian Wolfe as Septimus
William Bramley as Policeman
and
Rhodes Reason … Flavius

Featuring
James Doohan … Scott
Nichelle Nichols … Uhura
Walter Koenig … Chekov
Burt LaRue … Announcer
Jack Perkins … Master of Games
Max Kleven … Maximus
and
Lois Jewell … Drusilla

Script Consultant
D.C. Fontana

Assistant to the Producer
Edward K. Milkis

Theme Music by
Alexander Courage

Director of Photography
Jerry Finnerman

Art Director
Walter M. Jefferies

Film Editor … Fabien Tordjmann
Unit Production Manager … Gregg Peters
Assistant Director … Phil Rawlins
Set Decorator … John M. Dwyer
Costumes Created by … William Ware Theiss
Photographic Effects … Vanderveer Photo Effects
Sound Effects Editor … Douglas H. Grindstaff
Music Editor … Jim Henrikson
Re-Recording Mixer … Elden E. Ruberg, C.A.S.
Production Mixer … Carl W. Daniels
Script Supervisor … George A. Rutter
Casting … Joseph D'Agosta
Sound … Glen Glenn Sound Co.
Makeup Artist … Fred B. Phillips, S.M.A.
Hair Styles … Pat Westmore
Gaffer … George H. Merhoff
Head Grip … George Rader
Property Master … Irving A. Feinberg
Special Effects … Jim Rugg
Key Costumer … Ken Harvey

A Desilu Production
In Association With
Norway Corporation

Executive in Charge of Production
Herbert F. Solow