[8.3/10] Hey! This is a landmark episode of *Star Trek*! Not only is it the first appearance of the holodeck (here termed merely “The Rec Room”), but it’s the first instance of the inevitable holodeck malfunction! I’ll admit, I’m a soft touch when it comes to comedy episodes and “we have to fix the ship” episodes in *Star Trek*, so this fit the bill for me. For one thing, I loved how silly the practical jokes were. I laughed at loud at the Dennis the Menace-level “Kirk Is A Jerk” phrase emblazoned on the captain’s uniform.There was a lot of comedy in this one, and having Majel Barrett cackling as the ship’s computer and messing with the crew was a recipe for success. But the episode didn’t skimp on action or excitement either. Watching the crew struggle to figure out what was wrong and try to fix it when the ship was actively working against them made for some interesting puzzles. And, however contrived, using a giant balloon to distract the Romulans and then tricking the ship into steering through the same energy field that started The Enterprise’s “nervous breakdown” was clever and fun. At the same time, McCoy, Uhura, and Sulu surviving the ship trying to freeze them to death had some good drama to it as well. All-in-all, this is one of the more fun and inventive episode of *The Animated Series* so far, with the holodeck and ship-gone-mad conceits creating great opportunities for the show to flex its comedic and creative muscles.