It’s Thursday, my friends! That means it’s time for yet another installment of Tor.com‘s weekly feature, Star Trek Re-watch, by Dayton Ward and yours truly.
This week’s subject of scrutiny is the third-season episode “The Empath,” in which our heroes wake up in a dark, featureless space with a mute young woman who can sense emotions and heal with a touch.

This intriguing episode held up even better than I had remembered. Stylishly directed and photographed, smartly written, and beautifully played by everyone involved, this is a thought-provoking and moving hour of Star Trek.
Of course, that didn’t stop Dayton and me from making a few jokes at its expense, because … well, because we’re jerks, and that’s what Tor is paying us to do.
If you haven’t seen it in a while, watch “The Empath” now for free on the CBS website. A story of love, empathy, and sacrifice, it’s a good Star Trek story to watch right before Christmas (except for the whole torture and bondage aspect, which probably would have been a better fit with Easter).
If you’ve got time to spare while waiting for your egg to nog, take a gander at my and Dayton’s previous Re-watch entries:
- Spock’s Brain
- The Enterprise Incident
- The Paradise Syndrome
- And the Children Shall Lead
- Is There in Truth No Beauty?
- Spectre of the Gun
- Day of the Dove
- For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky
- The Tholian Web
- Plato’s Stepchildren
- Wink of an Eye
As always, please leave comments on the Tor.com article, to let us know we’re not just hurling electrons into the ether without purpose. Until next week, a joyous holiday season to one and all!