The Animated Series 1x14 "The Slaver Weapon"

rating: ***

Memory Alpha summary

Continuing the series-specific hotstreak from "The Ambergris Element," "The Slaver Weapon" is another quintessential episode.

via the Viewscreen

In a one-and-done affair, "Slaver Weapon" features the Kzinti, who might be considered this show's true Klingons (featured for the only time in "Ambergris").  I've always wanted to reconcile the Kzinti with a hostile species mentioned in Deep Space Nine ("The Adversary"), the Tzenkethi.  (Apparently Robert Hewitt Wolfe agrees.)

The Kzinti might be considered at the very least the Gorn of the series.  They're one of several distinctly alien species that have never appeared elsewhere, even in the expanded CGI depictions from Enterprise, and they alone merit an entire episode featuring their impact as a species as well as a fairly extensive look at their culture.

In the episode, they contend with Starfleet in pursuit of an ancient weapon.  The only truly unfortunate element is the name of the species who created the weapon.  

This is your chance to see what Kirk-era Star Trek is like without Kirk, by the way, and of course that's the more objective selling point of "Slaver Weapon."  It's an episode that features Spock squarely in the lead, supported by Sulu and Uhura.  Scotty and McCoy join Kirk in omission, though Jimmy Doohan remains in his versatile voice acting capacity.  As a Spock episode, it's perhaps not very enlightening, other than the fact that he clearly can carry Star Trek just as well as Kirk.  Historically significant in that regard.

four quarter analysis
franchise * series * essential * character

notable guest-stars:
James Doohan
Majel Roddenberry