Trivia / Star Trek S2 E19 "A Private Little War"

• Alan Smithee: This was written by prolific screenwriter Don Ingalls. After Gene Roddenberry went through his script and extensively rewrote it, he put the name "Jud Crucis" on it as a way of protesting the changes. Ingalls had wanted more Vietnam references and parallels. Many people think "Jud Crucis" stood for "Jesus Crucified." Ingalls said it was really judicious crucis, by which he meant Combat by Champion.
• Prop Recycling: The Mugato is a white gorilla costume created by János Prohaska, which he used in other productions as well (without the "alien-looking" spikes on the back, of course), most notably the Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea episode "Fatal Cargo" and the Here's Lucy episode "Lucy's Safari".
• Reality Subtext: Any resemblance to the Vietnam War is entirely deliberate.
• Recycled Set: The village set was built on Paramount's "B Tank" for a movie in production at the time, and was borrowed by Star Trek on short notice. The same set was later used in "The Omega Glory".
• Throw It In!: The Mugato was called The Gumato in the original script. But DeForest Kelley kept mispronouncing it so it was changed. The closing credits still name the creature as The Gumato.
  • Kelley also stumbles over the name of his assistant doctor, pronouncing it something like "Mabenga". Guest supporting actor Booker Bradshaw, on the other hand, manages it effortlessly while introducing himself to the nearly-unconscious-but-partly-aware Mr Spock.
• What Could Have Been: In Don Ingalls' original story outline, the Klingon antagonist was Kor from "Errand of Mercy".

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