History Recap / StarTrekS1E18Arena

* OnlySmartPeopleMayPass: The Metrons make it clear that the planetoid has all elements necessary to manufacture weapons... including the minerals that are elemental to create basic gunpowder, if someone knows chemistry. The original story by Brown makes it much more specific, by means of the same planetoid having various obstacles like a forcefield that kills anything living that tries to cross it if conscious (meaning the protagonist must figure out a way to go through it ''while'' unconscious).

* BoulderBludgeon: Captain Kirk and the Gorn captain are forced to fight each other with improvised weapons. During their battle, the Gorn captain picks up a boulder and throws it at Kirk.

* ClothingDamage: Kirk tears his pants (in a totally non-{{Fanservice}} way) to make a fuse for his [[LockingMacGyverInTheStoreCupboard cannon]].

* LockingMacGyverInTheStoreCupboard: The Metrons announce that the planet has been stocked with "everything [the fighters] might need to make [a weapon]." Luckily, our good captain is extremely resourceful.

* SecretTestOfCharacter: In the episode "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E18Arena Arena]]", Kirk passes the Metrons' test by refusing to kill his Gorn adversary, thus showing the Metrons that humans have the advanced trait of mercy.[[note]]The Secret Test of Character element was added for the screenplay; in the original story the script was loosely based on, the Kirk-analogue wins by killing the Gorn-analogue, though in a completely different way than Kirk uses to defeat the Gorn.[[/note]]

Almost immediately Kirk and co. are beseiged by unseen aliens. Simultaneously, the ''Enterprise'' is attacked in orbit by an alien vessel, so the away team cannot beam up. Two of the Redshirts are killed (one is allowed to die offscreen), but Kirk finds a mortar-like weapon among the rubble and manages to repel the alien attackers. Beaming back up to the ''Enterprise'', Kirk initiates a pursuit of the alien ship, which was clearly responsible for the outpost's destruction, and he means to [[{{Revenge}} avenge]] that attack.

* BoulderBludgeon: Captain Kirk and the Gorn captain are forced to fight each other with improvised weapons. During their battle, the Gorn captain picks up a boulder and throws it at Kirk, pinning Kirk's leg to the ground.

** ''Series/{{Mythbusters}}'' in an episode dedicated to ''Star Trek'' tropes demonstrated ''exactly'' the uphill climb Kirk was up against. [[ArtisticLicenseExplosives Making gunpowder is not anywhere as easy as the episode makes it look, the Mythbusters ended up having to spend a LOT more time in trial-and-error and meticulous weighing and measuring than the Gorn would have allowed to even get in the ballpark of useable gunpowder and not just a mess that wouldn't even ignite.]] And even if that hurdle was surmounted, bamboo, even reinforced by rope, is NOT strong enough to withstand the pressure of exploding gunpowder[[note]]"But, the Japanese had wooden cannon", you might say. Yes, but those were hollowed out logs orders of magnitude thicker than the bamboo Kirk had to work with. And even then, they still had a tendency to blow up[[/note]]. ''Mythbusters'' showed a near 100% chance that the weapon would have been more deadly to Kirk than to the Gorn. When the Mythbusters set the weapon off (using their trusty guinea pig, Buster), it promptly exploded in a manner that would have shredded an actual human being beyond hope of survival. It was only when they finally cheated in the last try and reinforced the weapon with a metal interior that they had a confirmed Gorn kill. However, in the episode the bamboo, mineral deposits, and diamonds were all placed by the Metrons ''specifically'' so they could be used to construct weapons. It's quite possible the bamboo was stronger than earth-variety bamboo, and the mineral deposits more pure and more easily combined to create gunpowder.

The opening credits say "Story by Frederic Brown, Teleplay by Gene R. Coon." Frederic Brown's "Arena" was first published in the June 1944 issue of ''Astounding''. Gene L. Coon wrote the script [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptomnesia without consciously remembering Brown's story]]. The Kellam de Forest Research Agency, which handled all ST scripts, noted the similarity. Desilu got permission from Brown, not telling him Coon had already written the script, but paying him a fair price and giving him screen credit.

* LizardFolk[=/=]TheReptilians: The Gorn again.

** ''Series/{{Mythbusters}}'' in an episode dedicated to ''Star Trek'' tropes demonstrated ''exactly'' the uphill climb Kirk was up against. [[ArtisticLicenseExplosives Making gunpowder is not anywhere as easy as the episode makes it look, the Mythbusters ended up having to spend a LOT more time in trial-and-error and meticulous weighing and measuring than the Gorn would have allowed to even get in the ballpark of useable gunpowder and not just a mess that wouldn't even ignite.]] And even if that hurdle was surmounted, bamboo, even reinforced by rope, is NOT strong enough to withstand the pressure of exploding gunpowder[[note]]"But, the Japanese had wooden cannon", you might say. Yes, but those were hollowed out logs orders of magnitude thicker than the bamboo Kirk had to work with. And even then, they still had a tendency to blow up[[/note]]. ''Mythbusters'' showed a near 100% chance that the weapon would have been more deadly to Kirk than to the Gorn. When the Mythbusters set the weapon off (using their trusty guinea pig, Buster), it promptly exploded in a manner that would have shredded an actual human being beyond hope of survival. It was only when they finally cheated in the last try and reinforced the weapon with a metal interior that they had a confirmed Gorn kill.
** However, in the episode the bamboo, mineral deposits, and diamonds were all placed by the Metrons ''specifically'' so they could be used to construct weapons. It's quite possible the bamboo was stronger than earth-variety bamboo, and the mineral deposits more pure and more easily combined to create gunpowder.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
** A minor example--the sound effect of the ''Enterprise'' firing phasers is different from what it will end up being.
** An aversion, as this is the first mention of a "Federation" that Kirk works for. It would be fully named in "A Taste of Armageddon."

* SssssnakeTalk: The Gorn says "I weary of the chasssse. Wait for me. [[YouWillBeSpared I ssshall be]] [[MercyKill mercccciful and quick.]]"

* ForgedMessage: The Enterprise is sent a faked transmission to lure them into beaming down with their Tactical personnel. [[CassandraTruth Everyone ignores Spock questioning this]] SchmuckBait.

!!This episode contains examples of the following tropes:

** However, in the episode the bamboo, mineral deposits, and diamonds were all placed by the Metrons specifically so they could be used to construct weapons. It's quite possible the bamboo was stronger than earth-variety bamboo, and the mineral deposits more pure and more easily used to create gunpowder.

* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: The Metrons state the planet has materials with which the combatant's can fashion weapons. Kirk mishears or misremembers this as the Metrons saying there ''were'' weapons, and spends the bulk of the episode running around, hoping to find a phaser under a pile of sand or a sword stuck in a rock. Meanwhile, the Gorn captain, having paid more attention, has fashioned a crude stone knife a net.

* GeorgeLucasAlteredVersion: The remastered version includes a few shots of the Gorn blinking.

* MightyGlacier: The Gorn may be much stronger than Kirk, but is also much slower.

* DisproportionateRetribution: We're meant to think the Gorns may have been justified in repelling what they saw as an invasion of their territory, but this kind of ignores their killing helpless women and children. It's made worse when you consider the fact that the Gorn can understand our language, meaning that they decided to kill everyone at the outpost without trying to communicate with them and knowingly refused their attempt to surrender.
** Justified in that, while Kirk and the Gorn were able to communicate, it was the Metrons that were facilitating the translation. It's implied that the Federation was not able to communicate with the Gorn, and vice versa, prior to this. Even 100 years later the universal translator doesn't always work (especially right away) when encountering new species.

* NoNameGiven: The Gorn Captain's name is never mentioned. Some Expanded Universe sources gave him different names: either [[IHaveManyNames S'alath, S'slee or S'salk]].

* SheatheYourSword: Kirk refuses to kill the Gorn.

** ''Series/{{Mythbusters}}'' in an episode dedicated to ''Star Trek'' tropes demonstrated ''exactly'' the uphill climb Kirk was up against. [[ArtisticLicenseExplosives Making gunpowder is not anywhere as easy as the episode makes it look, the Mythbusters ended up having to spend a LOT more time in trial-and-error and meticulous weighing and measuring than the Gorn would have allowed to even get in the ballpark of useable gunpowder and not just a mess that wouldn't even ignite.]] And even if that hurdle was surmounted, bamboo, even reinforced by rope, is NOT strong enough to withstand the pressure of exploding gunpowder[[note]]"But, the Japanese had wooden cannon", you might say. Yes, but those were hollowed out logs orders of magnitude thicker than the bamboo Kirk had to work with.[[/note]]. ''Mythbusters'' showed a near 100% chance that the weapon would have been more deadly to Kirk than to the Gorn. When the Mythbusters set the weapon off (using their trusty guinea pig, Buster), it promptly exploded in a manner that would have shredded an actual human being beyond hope of survival. It was only when they finally cheated in the last try and reinforced the weapon with a metal interior that they had a confirmed Gorn kill.

** ''Series/{{Mythbusters}}'' in an episode dedicated to ''Star Trek'' tropes demonstrated ''exactly'' the uphill climb Kirk was up against. [[ArtisticLicenseExplosives Making gunpowder is not anywhere as easy as the episode makes it look, the Mythbusters ended up having to spend a LOT more time in trial-and-error and meticulous weighing and measuring than the Gorn would have allowed to even get in the ballpark of useable gunpowder and not just a mess that wouldn't even ignite.]] And even if that hurdle was surmounted, bamboo, even reinforced by rope, is NOT strong enough to withstand the pressure of exploding gunpowder. ''Mythbusters'' showed a near 100% chance that the weapon would have been more deadly to Kirk than to the Gorn. When the Mythbusters set the weapon off (using their trusty guinea pig, Buster), it promptly exploded in a manner that would have shredded an actual human being beyond hope of survival. It was only when they finally cheated in the last try and reinforced the weapon with a metal interior that they had a confirmed Gorn kill.