#i wonder if i should rewatched the ep with the horta sometimes during the week...

[lenievi]

KIRK: Mister Spock, we'll need more weapons. SPOCK: I understand. KIRK: We'll try to take it easy, but if we're forced to kill... (A Taste of Armageddon)

KIRK: But if the situation calls for it, we kill, is that clear? SPOCK: Clear, Captain. (Errand of Mercy)

it’s kinda funny how these two episodes I haven’t seen until today have Kirk be very very military and willing to use force, even kill, and he asks the same from Spock

both of these episodes show some quite dark sides of the Federation too imho

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also I guess the reason why Kirk is so uncharacteristically emotional is because McCoy isn’t there to “rein him in”. Usually an episode is done in a way that McCoy is the one projecting Jim’s emotions (because you can’t really have two irrationally emotional characters lol) and only later, Kirk allows his emotions to be shown, but he’s irrational since the beginning in this one (in an episode where McCoy isn’t present) 

I mean I’m not really serious, but Kirk is unbalanced in this episode because of his hatred for the Klingons and his frustration with the Organians who didn’t want to listen, which makes him arrogant and self-righteous, and it makes me wonder if it would be different if McCoy was around (not that McCoy always works but... it does help)

Spock had to restrain him several times even

KIRK: You didn't really think I was going to beat his head in, did you? SPOCK: I thought you might. KIRK: You're right. 

I’m not saying I dislike it, I’m just saying that Kirk is more flawed in this episode than usual, which is good because people often say that Kirk only got flaws in tos films... which isn’t true. He was always pretty complex character with flaws.

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I’ve seen people say that Kirk and his actions are never criticized in universe, but this episode? It literally criticizes Kirk, the Federation, and the United States (since Federation = the US)

KIRK: Even if you have some power that we don't understand, you have no right to dictate to our Federation KOR: Or our Empire! KIRK: How to handle their interstellar relations! We have the right AYELBORNE: To wage war, Captain? To kill millions of innocent people? To destroy life on a planetary scale? Is that what you're defending? KIRK: Well, no one wants war. But there are proper channels. People have a right to handle their own affairs. Eventually, we will have AYELBORNE: Oh, eventually you will have peace, but only after millions of people have died. It is true that in the future, you and the Klingons will become fast friends. You will work together.

watching A Taste of Armageddon and Errand of Mercy back to back really just makes it right in your face that what Kirk did in A Taste of Armageddon was the same what the Organians did here, so his speech and indignation are very hypocritical 

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KIRK: Well, Commander, I guess that takes care of the war. Obviously, the Organians aren't going to let us fight. KOR: A shame, Captain. It would have been glorious.

in a way it was ‘nice’ they pretty much said that the Federation and the Klingon Empire are the same (since this was once again criticism of the Cold War)