Star Trek: "The Survivor"

Data
Title: Star Trek [The Animated Series]: "The Survivor"
Year: 1973
Network: NBC
Episodes: the sixth (of sixteen) from season one; 24 minutes
Creator: Gene Roddenberry
Director: Hal Sutherland
Writer: James Schmerer
Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley
With: George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Majel Barrett, James Doohan, Ted Knight
Music: Alexander Courage (theme); Ray Ellis, Norm Prescott
I saw it: on video a couple times, most recently a couple days ago (have on DVD)
Synopsis: shape-shifting floaty squidy thing

My reaction
Concept: 4/4 (Great)
Story: 3/4 (Good)
Characters: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Dialog: 1/4 (Bad)
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 4/4 (Great)
Acting: 1/4 (Bad)
Music: 4/4 (Great)
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good, 3/4). It completely misses out on the psychological thriller elements that you'd expect from a story about a shape-shifter (and that the original series did quite well with in a very similar episode). On the other hand, it's a space squid with the voice of Ted Baxter. Space squid!
Objective Rating (Average): 2.6/4 (Good)