History Recap / StarTrekS2E7Catspaw

* HalloweenEpisode: Originally aired October 27, 1967. Nearly all HauntedCastle tropes are present and occasionally discussed. Spock is familiar with a few Terran superstitions, but not with the custom of "Trick or Treat". Interestingly enough, neither is Karob.

Scotty, Sulu and [[{{Redshirt}} Ensign Jackson]] have been beamed down to explore Pyris VII. Only Jackson beams aboard to die and then (yes, in this order) give a prophesy of doom and destruction in an eerie, echoing voice. Kirk, Spock and [=McCoy=] beam down to investigate. The place has an eerie, spooky atmosphere and there's a creepy looking castle nearby. The crew goes there in search of their lost crewmates. The interior looks like something out of a HauntedHouse, complete with dust and cobwebs. And a hissing and spitting black cat. Kirk and company fall through a trap in the floor and land in a dungeon where they're chained to the walls. A zombified Scotty and Sulu release them and they are transported to the sumptuous throne room of Korob the Wizard, who seems very interested in humanity, but doesn't seem very educated on modern (as of Stardate 3018.2) human culture. And there's something about that black cat that keeps hanging around him....

* MauveShirt: Lt. [=LaSalle=], who made a few appearances in the first season, had to take command of the Enterprise due to all the Senior Staff being down on the planet.

* HalloweenEpisode: Originally aired October 27, 1967. Nearly all HauntedCastle tropes are present and occasionally discussed. Spock is familiar with a few Terran superstitions, but not with the custom of "Trick or Treat".

* {{Redshirt}}: In a surprise inversion, Ensign Jackson wears a yellow shirt, while the most prominent Red Shirt character in the episode has command of the bridge while Kirk is offship and survives the whole episode.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: As Sylvia is blatantly coming on to Kirk, Spock warns him, "Don't let her touch the wand..."

* MauveShirt: Lt. [[=LaSalle=]], who made a few appearances in the first season, had to take command of the Enterprise due to all the Senior Staff being down on the planet.

* MauveShirt: Lt. LaSalle, who made a few appearances in the first season, had to take command of the Enterprise due to all the Senior Staff being down on the planet.

[[caption-width-right:350:Here's Sylvia rocking [[Website/SFDebris the divorced aunt in the clown pajamas look]].]]

* TheMainCharactersDoEverything: Someone explain, again, why it was a good idea for the captain, first officer, second officer, and chief medical officer all to be on a strange and possibly sinister planet at the same time.

* GallowsHumor: Kirk and Spock are shackled with their arms raised against a wall next to a skeleton in the same position. At one point while discussing the situation with Spock, Kirk pauses as he looks at the skeleton, momentarily cocks his head in the same position as the skeleton's, then turns back to continue talking to Spock. Earlier, when Dr. McCoy was also in the dungeon, Kirk turned his head to ask if 'Bones' was all right, saw the skeleton, and called McCoy 'Doc' for the rest of the episode.

* DodgyToupee: This was the first Season 2 episode filmed; since it wasn't to be the first one aired and Walter Koenig hadn't yet had time to grow his hair out into the "Monkee" style planned for Chekov, he was given a wig. The result was... [[https://www.letswatchstartrek.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Picture-37.png well]]...

* VoodooDoll: Sylvia calls it "sympathetic magic." It's how she killed Jackson. She makes a model of the starship ''Enterprise'' that she uses as a voodoo doll. Incidentally, the prop used is now in the Smithsonian.

* StockFootage: A brief shot of crewmembers (wearing the turtleneck shirts from the pilots) passing a red alert signal on a corridor is recycled from "[[{{Recap/StarTrekS1E3WhereNoManHasGoneBefore}} Where No Man Has Gone Before]]".

* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: Sylvia and Korob can't get enough of human sensation.

* HoldYourHippogrifs: Lt. [=DeSalle=] says "I bet you credits to navy beans!" where most would say "I bet you dollars to donuts!" They don't have donuts in the future? What sort of Dystopia is this?!

* ThisWasHisTrueForm: The true forms of Sylvia and Korob looked like something a kindergartner made out of blue pipe cleaners.

!!Tropes for this episode include:

* CallARabbitASmeerp: Lt. [=DeSalle=] says "I bet you credits to navy beans!" where most would say "I bet you dollars to donuts!" They don't have donuts in the future? What sort of Dystopia is this?!

* StrippedToTheBone: There is a whole, bleached human skeleton in an iron maiden in the dungeon for no purpose other than to be scarey.
* VoodooDoll: Sylvia calls it "Sympathetic magic". It's how she killed Jackson. She makes a model of the starship ''Enterprise'' that she uses as a voodoo doll. Incidentally, the prop used is now in the Smithsonian.
* ThisWasHisTrueForm: The true forms of Sylvia and Korob looked like something a Kindergartner made out of blue pipe cleaners.

* GhostButler: When the landing party enter the castle, the door closes itself behind them.

* OminousFog: It's all over the place. Spock comment that due to the low level of water vapor in the air, it shouldn't exist. It's there purely to look scarey.

'''Spock''': [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Very bad poetry]], Captain.

* HalloweenEpisode: Was originally aired around Halloween of 1967. Nearly all HauntedCastle tropes are present and occasionally discussed. Spock is familiar with a few Terran superstitions, but not with the custom of "Trick or Treat".