"Is There In Truth No Beauty?" stumbles trying to tease meaning from an odd set of contrived circumstances. The repeated and senseless use of the terms "hideous" and "ugly" to describe Kollos is both inaccurate and unfortunate. The prejudice (towards beauty) Kirk describes is not only inappropriate for an enlightened humanity (though he suggests this himself) but is contradicted by the very philosophy of the show itself. (Can you say, "IDIC?") Fortunately though the story is weak the production is not. The soundtrack is typically distinctive yet only occasionally disharmonious. And watch for a rare if not unique turbolift view of the bridge and other nice fish-eyed tricks from director Ralph Senensky.

The actors somehow manage to hold this rattletrap together. Marvick is such a loser one wonders how his career advanced this far, or why Scotty is so impressed with anything except his combat skills. (He earns one of the show's most deserved "He's dead, Jim.") Star Trek veteran Diana Muldaur brings interest to the unlikable Miranda Jones but can only work with what she's given, a character born telepathic but grown annoying and crabby. It's not clear why Spock would be interested in the Medusan assignment, or be preferentially indicated for it, so the "depths of her jealousy" remain unexplained. Nimoy however does an fine job portraying the marveling mind-melded ambassador.

Sadly though the episode is uncomfortably full of problems. If the Medusans are such tremendous navigators why do they have to be ferried back and forth? How can "ugliness" drive a human mad? It can't be Medusans messing with brain waves (or something "sublime" like that) since Miranda would succumb and the silly red visor would be worthless. And what's going on in that strange dinner sequence anyway, kilt and kaboodle but no ambassador (what do Medusans eat, anyway?), with Kirk and McCoy fawning over her like she's a sales rep for Venus Drug. And lastly (literally!), why can Kirk look at the ambassador beaming down but not up?

After they leave the galaxy (that was quick!) they find no reference points at all, just a trippy colored void. What kind of "space-time continuum" nonsense is that? If anything redeems the sorry technical aspects of the episode it's the magnificent sensor-web Miranda wears. For such a non-invasive device to provide superior acuity long before Geordi's VISOR is remarkable, one of the technical outliers of TOS. There may indeed be no truth in beauty, but thoughts behind a script (and no padded corridor shots!) are worth much more.