"Spectre of the Gun" shoots a new (or rather, old) spin on a tale oft told in TOS, that of forcing the Enterprise crew to redeem their peaceful intentions to a powerful yet xenophobic race. The Melkotians (like the Metrons, Organians, or more so the Talosians) have the ability to manipulate minds at a distance, manipulations sometimes based on not-quite-accurate memories of their target. That flavors their efforts with a surreal quality this episode expresses well with its incomplete sets and free-hanging fixtures. (The Melkots, by the way, would certainly be finalists in a contest of strangest appearing species in TOS!)

This is certainly a strange first encounter as well. What the Federation could possibly offer the Melkotians is best left to be guessed since they appear no more in any series. Kirk's mission is to make such contact though and come bourbon or branch water he's going to do so. He's challenged as commander here, since after some initial bluster waving a non-functional phaser his attempts to resolve the situation without violence pass without success. The apparent trap of the Melkotians for Kirk is to enflame his revenge, echoed in Sheriff Behan's plea, "Kill them any way you can!" By this point he clearly appreciates the better part of valor, choosing to exercise discretion with a quick (unsuccessful) scurry past the "deadline."

It's interesting to see the Melkotian illusion envelop each according to his desires. They're being indulged, quite literally to death (or in Scotty's characteristic yet ironic words, "to kill the pain"). Chekov gets plenty of material here, from repeated "good relations with the natives" with Sylvia to his fearless and foolish gunfight challenge. (Scott and McCoy largely hang around, and participate in an emotional outburst over Chekov's "death" that resembles "The Galileo Seven." Have they really advanced so little since then?) And kudos to veteran Western actors Ron Soble, Charles Maxwell, Rex Holman, and Sam Gilman for bringing a believable menace to otherwise trail-worn, clockwork characters.

When all else fails Spock is ready with his life-saving multiple mindmelds that lead to Kirk's act of mercy. The flash at the end implies the action took place entirely in the heads of the participants, confirmed by the presence of the telepathic buoy while the Enterprise is still at warp distance from the planet. Chekov remembers the girl, and the players obviously remember the play, but we're cheated out of any easy explanation as to what really happened, except that the Melkots were impressed. Once again, teamwork provides the rescue.