for Old Town Newhall Association's Night Under the Stars Sept. 13 for SCVTV.com • Local Television for Santa Clarita
for Old Town Newhall Association's Night Under the Stars Sept. 13 for SCVTV.com • Local Television for Santa Clarita
Capt. Kirk vs. the Gorn
Vasquez Rocks, California
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Star Trek (The Original Series) Episode 19: "Arena," Original Air Date: Jan. 19, 1967 — Capt. James T. Kirk (William Shatner) battles the Gorn commander (Bobby Clark, a Santa Clarita Valley resident) at Vasquez Rocks in Agua Dulce.During the filming of this episode, Shatner and Leonard Nimoy (as Spock) got too close to an explosion and ended up with tinnitus — severe ringing in the ears. In an Oct. 21, 2006, interview, Nimoy told us the pyrotechnic incident took place on a sound stage, not at Vasquez Rocks. They used Vasquez Rocks for exteriors but didn't damage the rocks. (Images 7 and 8 in this series appear to be on a sound stage.)
Directed by Joseph Pevney and written by Gene L. Coon, this first-season episode sees the Starship Enterprise pursue the attackers after a Federation starbase is destroyed. The Enterprise enters an uncharted sector of space where Kirk and the commander of the other vessel, the lizard-like Gorn, are transported to the surface of a desert planet (Vasquez Rocks) where they engage in a fierce battle. Kirk, of course, is the victor, carrying on to command the Enterprise for two more seasons and exploring many more alien planets, several of which were located in the Santa Clarita Valley.
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