Trivia / Star Trek S1 E17 "The Squire of Gothos"

• Enforced Method Acting: William Shatner really was startled when William Campbell, Trelane's actor, fired the flintlock. On the blooper reel he said "Jesus Christ, that really scared the shit out of me!"
• Inspiration for the Work: Paul Schneider originally wrote this episode as an anti-war statement, and got his inspiration by seeing children playing war.
• On-Set Injury: William Campbell dislocated his shoulder while filming the climactic chase. Fortunately, his instinctive reaction of throwing his arms back in pain caused the shoulder to pop back into place.
• Prop Recycling:
  • The Salt Vampire from "The Man Trap" can be seen on display in Trelane's castle (this was an in-joke from the part of the producers).
  • Trelane's coat can be seen in the Gilligan's Island episode "Lovely's Secret Admirer" and The Monkees episode "The Prince and the Pauper".
• Recycled Script: The plot of this episode shares many similarities with "Charlie X" in that they both feature a person of limited maturity with psychic powers who abuses them and in the end is taken away by other powerful psychic beings.
• Wag the Director: William Campbell's first wig was a French hairpiece. He demanded that an English barrister's wig be found to fit his character. William Shatner complained that precious production time is going to be wasted for something he found to be a minor and unimportant detail. Director Don McDougall didn't want a conflict with the series star, so he called producer Gene Coon to the set to arbitrate the matter. Coon decided in favor of Campbell, and filming was halted until the English wig was found.
• What Could Have Been: Roddy McDowall was casting director Joseph D'Agosta's original choice for Trelane. However, producer Gene Coon recommended William Campbell for the role, as he saw him ideal for an "English fop" type of role. Campbell's audition turned out so great, D'Agosta said "Go straight to wardrobe. He's perfect for the part".

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