And so we welcome the final regular member of the Enterprise crew, Ensign Chekov. This is a good episode to introduce him, as he plays an aside, light banter role with Sulu, which works brilliantly to inject some comedy relief into this otherwise very dramatic episode. In this way they act very much like R2-D2 and C-3PO in the Star Wars saga, who are also another good example of a modern day Greek chorus (with a twist).

Yeah, this was a pretty good start to Season 2 of Star Trek.

Transcript

1
Captain's log, Stardate 3372.7. Ensign Chekov has joined the crew as navigator and Greek chorus member.
{image of Spock throwing soup at Nurse Chapel, with Kirk and McCoy looking on}
Chekov: Our doctor, good McCoy, espied a change in Mr Spock.
Sulu: He threw some soup at Chapel, giving Captain Kirk a shock.
2
{Spock talking to Kirk}
Chekov: Then Spock requested shore leave on the world where he was raised.
Sulu: To Vulcan we could go and lose just 2.8 light days.
3
{Uhura and Kirk on bridge}
Chekov: But Starfleet ordered Kirk to make our scheduled rendezvous.
Sulu: About-face then to Altair VI we turned the ship and flew.
Chekov: Then Spock changed course to Wulcan right behind the captain's back.
Sulu: But Kirk's vext U-turn led to Chekov's space sickness attack.
4
{Kirk and Spock in Spock's quarters, Spock looks embarrassed}
Chekov: Kirk ordered Spock to tell him why he acted so bizarre.
Sulu: "It is the Vulcan mating time, the time of the pon farr."
5
{Bridge, Kirk doing a Picard-esque "Engage" gesture}
Chekov: Kirk couldn't let Spock's hormones kill him, orders then be damned.
Sulu: We turned the ship around again and into top gear slammed.
6
{T'Pring on viewscreen with others looking}
Chekov: At Wulcan poor Nurse Chapel got her biggest shock of life.
Sulu: A Vulcan woman on the screen turned out to be Spock's wife!
7
{T'Pring issuing the challenge}
Chekov: But no! T'Pring decided to invoke the kal-if-fee.
Sulu: A challenge for her hand, with the opponent Kirk to be!
8
{Kirk shocked in front of T'Pau, Spock in fever in background}
Chekov: With Spock in plak tow Kirk thought he could knock him out of breath.
Sulu: Agreed to fight, T'Pau told Kirk the bout was to the death!
9
{Fighting with lirpas}
Chekov: With lirpas raised Spock drew first blood and ripped his captain's shirt.
Sulu: T'Pau called "Kroika!" Captain Kirk lay on the Vulcan dirt.
10
{Spock over Kirk's strangled body}
Chekov: McCoy gave Kirk a shot; the fight resumed with the ahn-woon.
Sulu: Spock used the thing to strangle Kirk and Kirk fell in a swoon.
11
{Spock and T'Pring talking, Stonn behind}
Chekov: Spock freed T'pring to seek with Stonn arrangements conjugal.
Sulu: Kirk would have done the same - her plan was fully logical.
12
{Spock joyous at seeing Kirk alive}
Chekov: Back on the ship Kirk was alive; Spock gave a joyous yell.
Sulu: The Doc had foxed with knock out drops, and so all's well end's well.