Star Trek - General Discussion

[starri]

George’s tweet legitimately broke my heart. 
 

[Cobb Salad]

Wrath of Khan will be in theaters September 4, 5 and 8 courtesy of Fathom Events:

https://www.fathomevents.com/events/Star-Trek-II-The-Wrath-of-Khan-40th-Anniversary-presented-by-TCM?date=2022-09-04

[marinw]

OG Uhura was such a strong, iconic image that became part of our culture: A beautiful black women in a red minidress on the bridge of a starship.

Edited August 1, 2022 by marinw

[marinw]

I just rewatched  ”The Trouble With Tribbles” and “The Gamesters if Triskellion”. The TOS fight choreography was fantastic. 

Also, Triskellion would be ideal for a Lower Decks Poject Swingby. I’m sure the Providers got right on training their gladiator slaves to be independent people.🙄

Edited November 1, 2022 by marinw

[MaryMitch]

23 hours ago, marinw said:

I just rewatched  ”The Trouble With Tribbles” and “The Gamesters if Triskellion”. The TOS fight choreography was fantastic.

I met one of the Star Trek stuntmen about 10 years ago - Jay Jones. He said he was doing a fist fight with William Shatner and Shatner kept hitting him on the follow-through of the punches, but Shatner kept proclaiming his innocence. Apparently he then clocked Shatner pretty good and got into some trouble. He HATED Shatner!

[chessiegal]

13 minutes ago, MaryMitch said:

He HATED Shatner!

That's seems to be the consensus. We have a friend who was hosting an event where Shatner was prominent. He said that as long as the camera was rolling, Shatner was as charming as could be. Once the camera stopped, he ignored everyone.

[BetterButter]

R.I.P. Gerald Fried, Emmy-winning composer of Star Trek's famous "fight music"

[marinw]

I was writing about the TOS fights just up thread. Fried’s music was a huge part of what made many of those scenes great. That theme ranks up there with the Imperial March from Star Wars and the original (1978)Battlestar Galactica theme.

[MagnusHex]

1x02: The Corbomite Maneuver

Watching the remastered version of TOS on Amazon Prime (with the Paramount+ add-on). It's also one of my first Star Trek viewing (minus the 2009 reboot). Greatly enjoying it so far, though I am annoyed that The Cage isn't found on Prime, and TOS is arranged in broadcast order. Left my thoughts on The Cage in another thread, which was a pretty solid pilot to say the least, even with all its campiness.

The 2nd pilot's even better, Where No Man Has Gone Before, and I quite enjoyed that we got into god-like powers this early in the series.

However, the episode I saw earlier was actually the 2nd (or 3rd?) episode, 1x02: The Corbomite Maneuver, and even though I had more fun with the other two episodes, I think Corbomite's ending feels far more refreshing, especially in retrospect when Star Wars is still more beloved than Trek. I remember my first thought finishing the episode was: "If this was Star Wars, Balok would have engaged Kirk in a lightsaber duel where somebody dies." Clearly, Trek favors Paragon diplomacy rather than Renegade violence, which was something I've always appreciated about ST even before watching any installment (also why Mass Effect reminded me immediately of ST because of its similar use of diplomacy in its gameplay and storyline). The fact that Kirk explained to his crew with optimism about the potential for peace from intelligent alien life makes it waaaay ahead of its time in sci-fi classics because, and I don't really like digging that hole again, buuuut... Star Wars would just say "once you go dark side, you go broke and must be killed." Cue Spongebob wha wha wha sound effect.

Was it campy that Balok turned out to be a space-toddler with wisdom beyond his appearance? Maybe. But I liked it. In fact, I've been enjoying Trek's philosophical insights expressed in these three episodes, how Bailey (and perhaps the audience) learned a little lesson in diplomacy over instinctual retaliation. The newly promoted crew member wigging out in the face of danger isn't exactly a groundbreaking subplot, but I appreciate the way it's handled without anyone telling him to suck it up/man up, especially for a '60s show. For comparison, in the Black Mirror Star Trek parody, USS Callister, Daly rebuked Walton with "Walton, you are a space fleet officer; act accordingly" when the latter panicked. Kirk could have used his rank to reprimand Bailey for lashing out (as my sergeant had similarly done during my conscription), but thanks to McCoy's influence, I'd imagine, he's reminded of the human side to his crewmates. DeForest is excellent as McCoy btw, his character almost bringing an essential humanity to Kirk's leadership.

I also heard that TOS had far higher stakes than TNG, where many episodes had Kirk and the gang in mortal danger - and how! This episode exemplifies this effectively, with Kirk literally having to poker-face his way through what the crew had assumed to be a life-or-death situation. I also like how the remastered version not only made the USS Enterprise look like something produced today rather than in the '60s, but the same could be said for the magnificent shot of the Fesarius as well that really showed you the scale of the vessel. Really cleaned up that visual effect nicely.

Of course, with the show being a product of its time, I guess I should probably get the obligatory sexism critique out of the way. The way Kirk expressed his annoyance at a female Yeoman here in this episode definitely left something to be desired, although I guess you could always headcanon the casual sexism away to be something more meaningful besides holding back your urge to sexually harass co-workers in a pre-#MeToo era. Moving on from unfairly holding an older show to task, ST was the first time I learned what a "Yeoman" is despite being a massive Mass Effect fan and having heard Kelly Chambers referred to as "Yeoman Chambers" countless times. I always thought that was her nickname or something. lmao

Aside from the relatively minor Janice Rand scene above, this was a pretty solid and entertaining ep with a great theme and a nice twist.

4/5

1x03: Mudd's Women

"Report to the ship as soon as possible. We'll bang, okay?" - Captain Kirk, maybe, after ogling at Mudd's women

Oh boy. Here we go again. I didn't want the sexism critique to be a recurring thing since that's not what I'm here for nor am I some hardcore feminist, but I think with an episode like this, there's no choice but to bring this up:

"Amen to that, Scotty."

Oh, McCoy. I had such a nice impression of you too in the previous episode. How far and how quickly you've fallen from grace and dignity.

This is made worse by the fact that the women were revealed not to have any special hypnotic or alien powers at all, but merely through the simple ability of... sigh, "believing in themselves," as Kirk so eloquently put it at the end of the episode. That means McCoy's mind wasn't really mind-controlled, manipulated or anything of that sort, but he was actually acting like a drooling idiot of his own will.

 Even if you put aside the problematic portrayal of the women in the episode (did Eve seriously have to settle down with that boorish thug of a man? the scene where the drugs' effect expired also made Harry seem like a shady pimp keeping those girls hooked on drugs to sell their bodies), the plotting is just flimsy and uneven, with merely three miners working on the entire planet. I get that the episode's supposed to be goofy and whimsical, and I guess Harry Mudd would be a fun character for many people, but man, I fell asleep towards the end of the episode (though to be fair, it is getting quite late for me).

Spock is the MVP of this episode for not getting dragged into this soapy melodrama. That being said, let's hear it... "SMUG IS AN EMOTION."

2/5

Edited March 27, 2023 by MagnusHex

[marinw]

Kirk: “We grow annoyed by your foolishness.“ I need that on a tshirt!

[rmontro]

On 11/1/2022 at 8:26 PM, chessiegal said:

He said that as long as the camera was rolling, Shatner was as charming as could be. Once the camera stopped, he ignored everyone.

Ignoring people is better than being a horse's behind though.

[chessiegal]

29 minutes ago, rmontro said:

Ignoring people is better than being a horse's behind though.

Our friend says he was that too.

[MagnusHex]

1x04: The Enemy Within

What the heck is with that overacting when Evil Kirk shows up for the first time? lmao Dramatically spinning around with a face that literally says "I'm the evil version of Kirk prepared to do some dastardly things."

Seriously, what the heck's with this intro? This is Kevin Sorbo's Evil Herc territory of ham, plus tenfold. lmao

And what's with the hugging the control panel too after the intro? The guy looks like he wants to hump it like Robot Chicken's Humping Robot. lol Evil Kirk feels more like Bully Maguire from Spider-Man 3 at times. He even has the freaking eyeliner like Tobey! rofl And then when Kirk flashes his wounded hand (and only his hand and his arm) in front of the camera for no other purpose than to let the audience know he's injured, I just couldn't take the entire episode seriously from that point. It feels like an episode of Power Rangers or even the Japanese Spider-Man (where he would randomly have goofy poses just for the sake of it).

Shatner's certainly chewed the scenery in this one. Seriously, I just couldn't help but chuckle whenever Evil Kirk screams, even during the scene when he's lying in the sick bay in pain. I didn't even laugh at Bully Maguire!

There were a few goofs in the episode too, even the remastered version. For one, why would Evil Kirk remove the makeup he applied earlier on his scars (aside from letting the audience know he's the evil one)? For another, when Good Kirk squats down to an unconscious Evil Kirk, you could see double-knees from the split-screen seam. Yikes. Guess Evil Kirk was gonna multiply into even more Kirks! Good thing Spock introduced his Vulcan Nerve Pinch (according to the trivia on Amazon Prime, this was the first time Spock has done that in the production order of the episode list, though I could've sworn I've seen it done previously too). Speaking of Spock, he demoted himself in the captain's log, referring to himself as "second officer Spock" instead of "first officer." Heh.

The Evil Kirk shenanigans aside, I like the subplot of Sulu (and others whose name slipped me) freezing to death planet-side (120 below is ridiculous though; didn't they have anyone with a high school science background to consult back then?), making this episode a more intense race against time. It gives Good Kirk (and Shatner) an opportunity to showcase his more human and tender side, which Shatner delivered magnificently with the right amount of subtlety. Appropriately, it's a total contrast with his performance playing Evil Kirk, though I doubt this juxtaposition was intentional.

Also, even though the attempted rape left me uncomfortable (as it should, especially when it felt more violent than what Spike did to Buffy... in 2002 at that), I like how disturbing it felt when James contemplate the kind of man he is when told Rapey Kirk is a part of him. I also like how the assault wasn't toned down or anything when the characters discussed it, because in a lesser show (or just Gone with the Wind), Kirk might have just handwaved Evil Kirk's action away as just the way men act towards women. Instead, he was appalled by Evil Kirk's action, downright disgusted that such savagery was a part of him.

Star Trek milestone: "He's dead, Jim" uttered for the first time.

Star Trek Dated Moment: "The Imposter had some... interesting qualities. Wouldn't you say, Yeoman?" - Spock joking about Yeoman's sexual assault. SMUG IS AN EMOTION (plus casual misogyny too I'm sure).

Worth noting from the ST Wiki: Grace Lee Whitney (who played Yeoman) noted in her autobiography, "The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy", that she "can't imagine any more cruel and insensitive comment a man (or Vulcan) could make to a woman who has just been through a sexual assault! But then, some men really do think that women want to be raped. So the writer of the script (ostensibly Richard Matheson – although the line could have been added by Gene Roddenberry or an assistant scribe) gives us a leering Mr. Spock who suggests that Yeoman Rand enjoyed being raped and found the evil Kirk attractive!"

I think what made it worse is that this episode was (supposedly) filmed after Grace's real life rape by an executive producer on Star Trek, the same EP who probably got to witness that final scene being filmed, smirking all along. And if this episode was filmed before the rape... well, you could see where the EP got his ideas. And of course, rumor has it that Grace was fired because of the EP's girlfriend not being able to stand the sight of Grace, probably because she's a reminder the kind of man she was dating is. Christ, the politics of this show could get reaaal ugly, huh? And I haven't even touched on the other cast members' issues working with Shatner's ego yet.

3.5/5

Would've scored a bit higher for Shatner's hilarious ham and some nice dramatic moments if not for Spock's tasteless joke at the end, towards an actress rape survivor no less.

1x05: The Man Trap

The first episode to air, but the sixth episode produced, The Man Trap got largely negative reviews, with people calling the show something that will never succeed, or according to Variety, something "better suited to the Saturday morning kidvid bloc." Eat your heart out, Variety. Roddenberry's father had to knock on doors to apologize for this atrocious episode being on air. Christ.

That said, watching it in production order and after having completed almost every season of The X-Files, the episode didn't impress me as much as it probably should have. This is the 2nd time we have a shapeshifter on the show if you count The Cage, and the 2nd time we have "hostile force aboard the ship threatening to kill everyone!" as a plot point after Evil Kirk in The Enemy Within. Watching the salt creature running around deceiving everybody, I was kinda going through the motions, waiting for that deception to resolve itself as I knew it would. I guess watching two episodes consecutively where a similar conflict is executed in similar ways just kinda left me a little bored.

I really enjoy the whole theme of killing a hostile creature that's the last of its kind though, especially Kirk and Spock's poignant discussion at the end. I don't know why people didn't warm up to the idea of a sci-fi show with such an interesting topic of discussion back in the '60s, but I'm glad it worked out.

That said, seeing the two crewmembers ogle Yeoman like she's a piece of meat reminds me of Mad Men and its portrayal of '60s genders politics, not to mention racial politics as Uhura didn't receive the same eye-candy treatment this episode (whether that's a good thing or not depends on which of the two politics you're referring to).

3.5/5

Edited March 28, 2023 by MagnusHex

[rmontro]

1 hour ago, MagnusHex said:

lol Evil Kirk feels more like Bully Maguire from Spider-Man 3 at times. He even has the freaking eyeliner like Tobey! 

Now I want to see scenes of Evil Kirk dancing down the Enterprise corridors.

[MagnusHex]

1x06: The Naked Time

Did Spock look at the camera in the beginning when he told Kirk, "It's like nothing we've dealt with before"? lmao And I thought Bill was the only hammy one around.

It's no wonder Joey Tormolen was acting strange in the beginning - he's part of the Grape People who bleed grape soda! lmao But seriously, that's some iffy blood effect.

George Takei shirtless and fencing would probably be the second most memorable moment of this episode, but it also reminds me of Ice from The X-Files, which had parasitic worms (that cause the host to become violent; basically the Hinamizawa Syndrome from Higurashi When They Cry) in a similarly frozen setting. Interesting note about George's berserk (credit to Amazon Prime's X-Ray trivia): writer of the episode John D.F. Black came up with it, but left the weapon of choice to George between a samurai sword or a fencing foil; George chose the latter because he speculated that by the 23rd Century, people would stop being so racist be more open-minded and associate with cultures beyond their own ethnic background. He was right, and it happened no sooner than the 21st Century, if not the dawn of it.

The most memorable moment of this episode, however, is of course Spock's weeping. I guess my usual "SMUG IS AN EMOTION" joke just wouldn't have the same impact after seeing such emotions from Mr. Spock here. Apparently, Leonard improvised the entire scene too in a single take at the end of a production day, resulting in countless fan-mails demanding more emotional Spock.

Gotta say though, beginning from The Cage, it always feels like there's at least one episode where a woman is being ogled or interacted with in a lecherous way (and of course, Kirk has to suppress his lust for Yeoman Rand again, that temptress whose only purpose seems to be make everyone horny so far). I hope that won't be a pattern I'd need to bring up every episode.

Finally, accidental discovery of time-travel FTW! Too bad this wasn't a two-parter like it originally was and we'd have to wait for another episode to see whether the Enterprise would put their new discovery to use (possibly the originally intended second parter, Tomorrow is Yesterday, which has a title that practically shouts "TIME TRAVEL!").

Last time, I spoke of how The Man Trap had a similar "danger aboard the Enterprise" plot going on, and how the similarity left my mind wandering, perhaps out of boredom. I wasn't aware that this would be a recurring form of plot structure for the series (as evidenced by this episode having the same plotline) because I had assumed that a space-faring show would take place more often groundside on colorful and unique alien planets rather than the confines of the ship. Ah well. I don't really mind to be honest; I would simply need to readjust my expectations for the show.

I guess it's due to budget reasons that these early episodes were largely confined to the ship. But because of that, and the lack of an obvious and visible external threat like all the previous episodes, a lot of the episode's strength comes down to the actors/actresses' performance, resulting in some very well-acted and engaging moments. It's not quite a bottle episode, but it has similar traits that would encourage such strong performances to happen.

4.5/5

1x07: Charlie X

"You smell like a girl."

Seven minutes in and Rand's already treated like a sex object, having her bottoms slapped around. Long siggggh... I'm probably not gonna make it through Perv Trek this show if I keep picking apart these moments, especially considering Gene Roddenberry's reputation as a womanizer. lol Let's move on.

In defense of this episode, however, Charlie being a horny 17 year old kid (albeit played by someone in his 20s) is at least more understandable from a storytelling point of view (our Gen Z/Gen Alpha teenagers in real life from the TikTok generation aren't any better to be honest). A god-like being who's also a teenager with hormones is indeed a terrifying notion, probably more so than if the god is a younger child, a preadolescence or an infant even (like Toy Story with Sid Phillips). But still, you know what would've fixed the problem? Just give Charlie some weed (or whatever form of space-weed that's available in the 23rd century). Or feed him an entire library of "entertainment" tapes to keep his libido in check.

The objectification aside, I like how Rand was able to handle herself in the face of a horny god (instead of just becoming a whimpering damsel in distress). I like how she had to act like she's talking down to a naughty child.

It's not exactly Robert Daly (of the USS Callister) we're dealing with here, but that trick removing a female crew member's face makes that similar moment in Black Mirror feel like a nice tribute in hindsight. This was probably Robert's favorite Space Fleet episode (assuming that fictional show within the show has a similar "Charlie X" episode too), with him rooting for Charlie. To be fair, I've behaved in similar ways before in the past, being overly sensitive to cruel remarks, and it doesn't help that I have a bad temper either. I tend to try and stay away from conflict though after those arguments rather than keep lashing out at people here in some petty revenge like Charlie did here.

Nice highlight on Uhura and her singing. Wonder if Zoe Saldana ever had the opportunity to sing in her Uhura role (I never saw the reboot sequels after the first film)?

4/5

[MagnusHex]

1x08: Balance of Terror

Before it was revealed whom the alien threat was, even though the Amazon Prime's premise stated it to be Klingons Romulans, I was reminded of the Predator/Yautja with their similar invisibility ability and plasma weapons. Though I'd presume the Enterprise could easily surpass any technology the Yautja have to offer.

It's easy to see why this episode was highly rated, considering its intriguing topic of breaching a treaty to attack an unknown alien force, and the bigotry against Spock (nice to see both sexism and racism still haven't changed much in the 23rd century). But the biggest reason is probably our first space vessel battle with the Enterprise (in production order), showing the NCC-1701's teeth. It's a very well-written battle that lasts for almost the entire episode, rarely leaving me bored with Kirk and the unnamed Romulan Commander going back-and-forth in their strategy, not to mention the intense standoff where each ship had to go "silent" like a submarine. Now I want to see a Death Battle video between the Enterprise and the Normandy-SR2 from Mass Effect. 😂 The NCC has a bigger gun, I think, but the Normandy's shield isn't one to be scoffed at either, not to mention its speed and maneuverability. But I digress.

You gotta love how the Romulan Commander and Kirk have a mutual respect for each other, making the former's fate all the more tragic. I guess that's two times Kirk has beaten a Vulcan in chess. Mark Lenard did a great job portraying the reluctance of the Commander in going through with the battle, but had to because of his sense of duty. Both the Commander and Kirk have angst regarding their responsibility to the crew (and the deaths that would incur from war), but of course, unlike Kirk, the Commander has no McCoy to lean on and to remind him to survive, regardless of their duty.

Poor Tomlinson and Angela, but the couple here did raise a death flag by getting married... at the start of an episode. Come on, we know the rules of the flags: if you're going to be a new secondary character, never get married. The new recruit soldier who has a wife and kids always, always exists just to be killed off in these stories. It gets worse if you utter these words, "We'll get married once we get through this." COME ON. Why did you say that?! 😂 You might as well have been wearing a red shirt!

Also, how many times is it by this episode that we get a helmsman who's unreliable or has some emotional baggage that affects the mission? It's as if Kirk deliberately promoted these people to helmsman just to create these unnecessary drama aboard his ship. If they're not becoming egocentric godlike beings, they're racists with baggages from war. And his one bigotry just happens to be directed towards the only other alien race aboard this ship at this point of the series. I guess I shouldn't be too harsh on the plot-convenience, but it's worth pointing out nonetheless. Plus, Tomlinson was probably deemed by Spock to be less valuable than the racist, which is kinda amusing there in an ironic and morbid way.

Regardless, a strong episode that's easily memorable.

4.5/5

1x09: What are Little Girls Made of?

When Kirk asked for the security men and two red shirts were beamed down... I gasped. lol Congratulations, Mathews; you've started a tradition.

Most people would associate Ted Cassidy with his role as Lurch from Addams Family, but when I saw Ruk, my first thought was Jaws from James Bond. Here comes the brute because that's the only force strong enough to stop Kirk. But Ruk is smarter than your typical brutes like Jaws (the whole reason he rebelled was because humans are dangerous dumb dumb lacking Ruk's intellect, full of "feelings" and not worthy of serving), so maybe the comparison is inaccurate.

But outside of your typical immortality theme that I kinda wish this episode explored more, there's not much to talk about here because it mostly consists of Kirk trying to escape but being stopped by Ruk so that Korby could play armchair philosopher musing about how humans could be perfected by turning into heartless robots (before realizing his imperfection in spite of that and short-circuited). Andrea similarly short-circuited because Kirk seduced her... Sigh, the writing sometimes, I just...

Almost forgot - Kirk hit Ruk with a penis-rock. An euphemism for how powerful Kirk's manhood is (that it could short-circuit robots)?

3/5

Edited March 31, 2023 by MagnusHex

[MagnusHex]

1x10: Dagger of the Mind

It's fascinating the range of topics this show has delved into over the past 10 episodes. In spite of certain dated elements, repeated storylines of "hostile threats aboard the Enterprise!" and just not utilizing the episodes' themes to their full potential, TOS so far has touched on humanity's bestial instincts, the preservation of an endangered but dangerous creature, fear of the unknown, and we even dealt with teenage hormones, just to name a few of the themes in previous episodes.

And this episode, we've got the ethics of brainwashing dangerous prisoners to subdue them... No, wait, that's not it. Perhaps the theme is not to have work relationships in case it gets awkward? Or maybe it's the loneliness a mind can get when it's... devoid of thoughts?

Well, whatever it is, Dagger of the Mind is unfortunately one of those episodes that isn't quite consistent with its theme, ending up meandering on several subplots and not developing all of them enough to make any of them engaging. Helen's Christmas party was amusing, but it feels kinda out of place in an episode about the utilization of brainwashing treatments on a penal colony, not to mention how Helen was written to be this naïve woman too trusting of Dr. Adams, our antagonist, and his machine when it's clear from the very start that there's something fishy about him and his colony (though to be fair, the episode had a decent attempt easing my suspicion at first by having Dr. Adams allowing Kirk to report back to his crew in the beginning). This results in Helen not being the easiest character to care about, so any supposed romance between her and Kirk was soured. Plus, c'mon, it was one drink at a party.

Also, you'd think by now that Kirk would wise up and bring more than one crew personnel to his missions after what happened with Dr. Korby. Even in broadcast order, What are Little Girls Made of came before this episode. Sure, Dr. Adams requested for a small number of personnel groundside, but couldn't he have brought someone who could train to fight and protect them just in case, regardless of Dr. Adams' supposedly wholesome reputation Kirk had put trust in at the beginning? But I guess that's rather nitpicky. Ah well.

3/5

1x11: Miri

"Bonk bonk on the head!" - Famous Words

For some reason, Prime's subtitles listed them as "bunk bunk" instead. AFAIK, "bunk" isn't usually spelled as a sound effect the way "bonk" is.

Quite a few unintentionally funny moments this episode:

• I like how Spock acted confused when Kirk handed him the tricycle at the beginning. "What am I supposed to do with this Earth-based antique?" 
• Shatner had his hammy moments in the series before, but I legit laughed out loud when he shouted "NO BLAH BLAH BLAH!" in a serious manner.
• McCoy's blemishes had a fade-out effect that left his face with perfect skin, no scarring. The wonders of 23rd century medicine, ladies and gents.
• Also, this episode commits the cardinal sin of mistaking a vaccine with a cure. Ah well. It's a '60s show.

Like some, I also had an initial knee-jerk reaction towards Kirk getting too comfy with what's presumably an underaged kid in a romantic way (though Miri's actress, Kim Darby, was 19 at the time), but as I kept watching, I felt that the crush Miri had on an adult was essential to show her one-sided adolescent sense of infatuation, with Kirk and Rand's relationship being the contrasting juxtaposition being displayed to show what adult love, and possibly what a real relationship looks like (obviously, a relationship that didn't last long). It was important to the episode's theme of puberty in teenagers in a sense. So, whatever discomfort one might have felt watching Miri flirt with Kirk (and seemingly vice versa when he called her pretty) could be presumptuous or just reading too much into the scene. At most, he was probably just playing along with a child's harmless fantasies. I blame it on Bill's inability to sell that well enough with his performance that Kirk comes off like Humbert Humbert. That Kirk seductive smile when Miri sharpens the pencils... brrr.

Due to budget constraints, maybe, the episode ended up using a planet that looks exactly like Earth, but this ended up with Spock oddly pointing out that it has the same breathable atmosphere like Earth even though we've seen plenty of times the Enterprise crew landing on breathable rocky planets that all looked the same (minus The Naked Time maybe). Plus, Spock's calculation that it's '60s Earth seems off since it looks like a western town, and Google says western America occurred during early 19th century to early 20th century. Also, it's a shame that no part of the episode was dedicated to the existence of a parallel Earth, especially since this is the series' first parallel Earth that looks, smells and breathes the same as normal Earth.

Of course, none of these should have been noticeable enough if the plot of the episode kept me distracted and entertained, and it did to a certain extent (I didn't really pay attention to the above flaws till after the episode). I liked the threat of the virus constantly harboring over the crew (nice change of setting that isn't aboard the ship or some villain's evil lair) and even how McCoy was seemingly killed off for a moment, which would have been ambitious writing but would have been highly unlikely unless DeForest Kelly resigned from the show. Plus, no red shirt.😏Still, I liked the fake-out, plus Kirk's way of handling the children with kid gloves, patiently telling them about their fate instead of losing himself to anger under the virus' influence.

Fun fact: the BBC apparently blocked this episode from syndication due to, and I quote, "unpleasant subjects of madness, torture, sadism and disease." Go figure. That's like half of the episodes I've covered so far.

3.5/5

Edited April 1, 2023 by MagnusHex

[MagnusHex]

1x12: Conscience of the King

"Logic is not enough."

All things aside, I would have liked to explore a story on synthetic food curing famine (still a very real problem today in our world, if more than ever), but with the solution meeting obstacles.

That said, I like the idea of a murder mystery on the show, even if it's not so much a mystery as it is a quest to attain proof to convict a mass murderer. As I mentioned before, Star Trek being an episodic show allowed for a wider range of topics and themes to be covered, including different formats and experimentations. It's not quite The Twilight Zone, but similar to it, audiences could expect a broad range of unique stories to be found, asking themselves "What incredible adventures would Kirk and his crew run into this time?" Of course, much like many film productions with a low budget, part of the reason such creative inspirations came about was probably due to the budget constraints. A simple spree murder, one usually seen in low budget slasher movies than sci-fi serials, makes for a nice change of pace in genre within Star Trek, not to mention exploring Kirk's struggle between acquiring justice... or his revenge.

Despite being one of the more "talky" episodes, I really liked Kirk and Anton Karidian's exchange. Appropriate to his character, the conversation was very Shakespearean, with Anton questioning Kirk's own humanity in an age when people have long lived in convenience due to the wonders of cold, mechanized technology that could prove easily whether two seemingly different men are the same person. Zack Handlen of AV Club called out on the awkwardness of the episode because it feels like a murder mystery written for a western or a pre-space age setting, because the technology that offered Kirk photographic and auditory records of both Kodos' face and voice means that killing off eyewitnesses is redundant. However, I would argue that the existence of such convenient technology that turns human lives into statistics merely made Kirk's quest all the more meaningful; he had to know for sure whether Anton is Kodos or not because a human life has to be worth more than what a computer determines. Otherwise, he would have been no better than Kodos, a lesson I kinda wish he had conveyed to Riley a little bit in some subtle way (instead of, you know, just shooing him away to the sick bay, never to be seen again for the rest of the episode). Nevertheless, the writing of Kirk's dilemma amidst the ship's technology was a brilliant way of using the show's futuristic setting to put a new spin to its familiar storyline of vengeance and catching a murderer.

Arnold Moss delivered an amazing performance as Anton Karidian. His exchange with Kirk only lasted for one scene before he met his end, but boy, was it a memorable one. You don't usually see such serious acting on a sci-fi show like this in the '60s besides Twilight Zone (which is another reason why this show's as special as TZ), and it's powerful enough to make me somewhat sympathetic to his character. Sure, Anton's a mass murderer, but from what he has described, it seems that he was forced to make a decision in a very desperate situation, something Kirk might have been familiar with (and this familiarity was something Anton called out on during the speech). Such ambiguity to Anton's actions is what makes me love this show's writing so far and what lends strength to the episode despite its mundane premise. The tragedy that Kodos' actions, however justified he might think, led to his own daughter's hands to be stained, made this episode all the more poetic and grandiose. I love my Greek tragedies, so this episode easily lands as my favorite one so far.

While the Lenore flirtations with Kirk were the weakest part of the show (albeit not a boring one, as Kirk seemed to genuinely enjoy Lenore's company, and not in a "I just want to jump your bones" way either), I quite enjoy how it all turns out at the end with Lenore and her father. It's not all too surprising, but I think that predictability only made it more tragic. While Barbara Anderson's mourning might have been a little dramatic (better suited for a stage play than a TV series), I think it fitted the story due to its relations with Shakespeare and Macbeth, which was why it didn't really take me out of the moment, and instead left me captivated.

And I haven't even talked about the nice little moments between Spock and McCoy this episode, which once again establishes their distinctive roles between Spock's intelligence and McCoy's heart as the latter invites the former for a drink (but Spock ultimately declined). It's a nice little moment that shows the mutual respect they have for each other in spite of their polarizing worldviews.

5/5 for this episode. Absolutely brilliant.

1x13: The Galileo Seven

McCoy: "Mr. Spock, remind me to tell you that I'm sick and tired of your logic."
Spock: "That is a most illogical attitude."

Kirk: "Mr. Spock, you are a stubborn man."
Spock: "Yes sir."
Laughter ensues aboard the bridge.

First appearance of the shuttlecraft! No more excuses for not being able to send a small landing party when the Enterprise has some mechanical failure and whatnot. It took a while for the shuttlecraft to be invented due to budget issues, so a couple of the previous episodes seemed amusing in hindsight because the problems there could have been resolved with a small security team (AKA redshirts) sent out on a shuttlecraft. Of course, as shown in this episode, the craft's not perfect either, and it had to be sacrificed this episode. Ah well.

This also marked the first episode in production order where Grace Lee Whitney has mysteriously disappeared from the Enterprise (at least till The Motion Picture).

This was also the first time Spock was in command of an Enterprise crew, and there's an interesting parallel here between Spock's logic failing to protect the crew and High Commander Ferris' strict adherence to the rulebook that results in Kirk abandoning his crew. The lesson of the day is, of course, that logic and rationality aren't always the highest priority, especially in survival situations. Appropriately, in production order, this episode came immediately after Conscience of the King, where Kodos also resorted to the most rational response (in his mind anyway) of sacrificing half of the survivors for the survival of the other half. Kodos' logic could be argued to have been affected by his emotions as well, his panic and urgency of saving what people he could in a desperate situation (as Kirk eloquently put it, "Desperation is a highly emotional state of mind"). Never did it occur to him or Spock any other possibilities or probability beyond the obvious logic, which is what separates a thinking and feeling man from a machine. Of course, what separates Spock from Kodos is the former's human side ultimately succumbing to the illogical emotional state of saving his crew in a last ditch desperate attempt.

By the way, what ever happened to that Ferris with that stick up his butt? Did they jettison him onto Taurus II? lol

On a personal note, the planet Taurus II greatly reminds me of the planet Tarith from one of the side missions Mass Effect 2, which is also consumed by a thick mist where dangerous creatures (in the latter's case, fire-breathing insects called Klixens) attack the landing party (in the latter's case, you, the poor sob).

Unlike last episode's more theatrical style, this one is more of a character study with a simpler plot, albeit one I greatly enjoyed as well. That said, it means the study forces into existence some plot points that are questionable for the sake of the plot, such as Kirk taking the spare time away from delivering a space plague vaccine to launch a scientific exploration in a hostile environment that had been noted to disrupt their sensors, using a crew that's put together seemingly to justify the "head vs. heart" debate that would ensue between Spock and McCoy plus an accompanying Scotty for reasons instead of the latter two's subordinates. As Spock would put it, "Highly illogical."

That's not even counting the fact that Spock was right anyway about placing priority on the ship repair (and their escape) over holding a funeral ceremony. I'm guessing the Enterprise isn't a military ship, because if it is, such subordination and the endangerment of the crew for a ceremony would not have been tolerated.

3.5/5

[rmontro]

16 hours ago, MagnusHex said:

That's not even counting the fact that Spock was right anyway about placing priority on the ship repair (and their escape) over holding a funeral ceremony. I'm guessing the Enterprise isn't a military ship, because if it is, such subordination and the endangerment of the crew for a ceremony would not have been tolerated.

The Enterprise is certainly a military ship.  I suppose Spock was somewhat tolerant of their behavior because of his experience working with "emotional humans".

I always liked Scotty's comment near the end, something like "A distress signal?  That was a good gamble, Mr. Spock", followed by Spock's grim assessment "No one there to see it".

[MagnusHex]

1x14: Court Martial

For a show like Star Trek that features the episodic adventures of the protagonist without much continuity, it's inevitable that the writers would try to shake things up with special set-pieces or genre-changes from time to time, or in this episode's case: LAWYERS. IN. SPAAACE!!! Then again, perhaps it's not so much an attempt at changing up the formula as it's an attempt to cut cost since courtroom dramas are cheap to produce, especially when they're usually restricted to a single set.

Of course, being a courtroom drama (IN SPAAACE), the plot plays out predictably, with the last minute evidence showing up at the final act of the episode to turn the verdict around. One also has to wonder why they didn't just use any thermal or motion sensors to track the existence of any other crew member outside the bridge and the transporter room. You'd think that by the 23rd century, the Enterprise would have technology to track the motions of crewmembers aboard the ship.

But as flimsy as the plot is, I like most of it enough, save the abrupt insertion of a fight scene with Kirk's shirt being torn open, again. As far as courtroom dramas go, one where the supposedly infallible technology is called out for providing bad evidence, it's not too bad, and it could have been worse.

3/5

1x15: The Menagerie, Part 1

In an episodic show like this, it's inevitable that we would get a clip show. But to be completely fair, The Cage wasn't really aired officially till decades later after this episode, so it was less of a clip show and more of an in-depth exploration of a guest character for many audience. That said, having already seen The Cage, however, I do feel that some of the scenes are rather redundant in showing the reason why Spock forced the Enterprise to land on Talos IV, like Pike's conversation with Dr. Boyce (which is really there just to let the audience connect with Pike).

That said, it's amusing that Mendez pointed out the detailed recording of the video log entry showing scenes from The Cage, especially with the recording featuring multi-cam footage and an external pan-in from outside the Enterprise at the beginning. Not to mention that the footage also shows the Talosians looking at Pike and his landing party through the monitor. Usually, a clip show like this would silently treat the multi-cam footage of previous episodes like it's a natural thing, but I do like that there's an in-universe explanation here that the footage might be a transmission from Talos IV, possibly streamed through the Talosians' psychic powers (sort of like Teletubbies if you think about it).

Looking back at the footage from The Cage, I also realized how much younger Leonard Nimoy looked in the episode, even though it was filmed just a year or two prior to TOS' true pilot. That's some nice make-up to either de-age or age Leo here.

I've read that poor Captain Pike here would learn about his unfortunate fate in the future on Strange New Worlds, so that's something that would draw me to the spin-off at least, even if it's spun off from the widely hated Discovery (which many have claimed is worse than Enterprise, so that's saying something). Still, at this point of the canon, Pike has only been seen in one episode of the series: the pilot, The Cage, and in hindsight, he seemed like a throwaway prototype to Kirk. Of course, I'm not too familiar with what plans Roddenberry initially have for Pike. But all the same, it's not easy to feel much for Pike aside from surface-level sympathy (as opposed to someone like Kirk or even Spock whom we've spent half a season with by this episode), even if the clip show here was meant to connect us with his character.

I will admit, however, that I liked Pike as a captain, possibly even more than Kirk in some cases. Pike is more grim and serious, not exactly the quippy and wisecracking leader you'd usually find in such shows. He feels more like a veteran suffering from PTSD next to Kirk, and I've always found such qualities in a leader of a story to be more interesting and engaging because I'd be invested in seeing how he's going to work past his demons to lead the team (such as Angel when he started out in the Buffy spin-off, feeling the weight of his past and working through his depression).

That said, how about that iconic wheelchair, huh? I can't watch this episode without remembering Captain Musky from Futurama. Still, you'd think that by the 23rd century, technology would advance enough for quadriplegics that Pike would get some sort of Darth Vader armor deal.

I really love how McCoy stood up for Spock here. While these episodes don't usually have a continuity, watching the series in production order kinda gives you a sense of how close these two have become despite their ideological differences, especially after The Galileo Seven (which was aired after this episode, despite having been produced earlier), not to mention the previous episode, Court Martial, where he accused Spock of being the most cold-blooded man he had ever known (before realizing what Spock's true intention was at the time). It was also kinda cute when he had to ask Spock if confinement to the quarters was sufficient as punishment for mutiny.

Of course, we've seen Spock show his emotional side before (SMUG IS AN EMOTION, MR. SPOCK), but aside from Galileo Seven, this feels like the first time Spock really went out of his way to bend the rules in a very human way. Spock's merely half-Vulcan, after all.

That said, the vagueness of his intentions can feel rather frustrating, especially if you have already seen The Cage and might have also guessed why he had brought a crippled Pike to Talos IV. This means that all the footage we've seen in Part I so far feels like filler that contributes little meaning to Spock's trial. Like I said, it feels like it's more of a lost episode meant for an audience that hasn't seen the pilot, so perhaps it's unfair to judge it through the perception of someone watching the series for the first time in 2023. Perhaps it's simply because I'm just not a fan of rewatching things. lol

3.5/5

[chessiegal]

Do we know if Star Trek episodes were aired in the order that they were shot? I know that is not the case for The Wild Wild West. For example, the Season 2 premiere, "The Night of the Eccentrics", was the 34th episode filmed, but was the 29th episode to air. The producers wanted what they considered to be a stronger episode to be the season's premiere. 

[starri]

2 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Do we know if Star Trek episodes were aired in the order that they were shot? I know that is not the case for The Wild Wild West. For example, the Season 2 premiere, "The Night of the Eccentrics", was the 34th episode filmed, but was the 29th episode to air. The producers wanted what they considered to be a stronger episode to be the season's premiere. 

No. Production order was very different. “The Man Trap” was the first episode to be aired, and it was the sixth episode to be produced. “Charlie X” was next, and that was filmed eighth. They didn’t get to the second pilot until the third week. 

[rmontro]

10 hours ago, MagnusHex said:

That said, how about that iconic wheelchair, huh? I can't watch this episode without remembering Captain Musky from Futurama. Still, you'd think that by the 23rd century, technology would advance enough for quadriplegics that Pike would get some sort of Darth Vader armor deal.

Oh, that wheelchair is so iconic!  They parodied it on South Park too.  But you're right, surely 23rd century technology should have given Pike a few less restrictive options.  One light that beeps once or twice for all communication?  Doesn't really make sense, unless his mind was heavily impaired, which it apparently was not.  But it doesn't matter if it makes sense, because it's so iconic.

The part I like about that show is (and I may be mixing this up with The Cage) when Pike is given the added options to mate with Number One or Yeoman Colt to become the new Adam and Eve.  And at the end of the show, Yeoman Colt has Pike sign something and then asks him "Captain, who would have been Eve?".  And this seems to really annoy Number One, who scolds her and tells her to get back to her work.  Personally, Yeoman Colt would have been hard to turn down in that kind of situation...

[MagnusHex]

12 minutes ago, rmontro said:

But it doesn't matter if it makes sense, because it's so iconic.

True. The rule of cool means you don't have to explain it because it's too cool to not include it. Why did James Bond chase bad guys in a tank in Goldeneye in the middle of the street? Because it's cool and iconic, even if it's impractical and over-the-top.

 

12 minutes ago, rmontro said:

The part I like about that show is (and I may be mixing this up with The Cage) when Pike is given the added options to mate with Number One or Yeoman Colt to become the new Adam and Eve.  And at the end of the show, Yeoman Colt has Pike sign something and then asks him "Captain, who would have been Eve?".  And this seems to really annoy Number One, who scolds her and tells her to get back to her work.  Personally, Yeoman Colt would have been hard to turn down in that kind of situation...

Yeah, that's from The Cage as I remember it. In my opinion, and hopefully not to get too creepy/sleazy here, but I think both Number One and Colt have their own good points in their own way. I found Number One's annoyance not to really be out of jealousy for Colt or anything, but more out of the professionalism she seems to uphold, which is something I've found respectable about her when I first watched it. Colt felt like a schoolgirl with a crush more than anything to be honest; Number One felt like Pike's equal. It's no surprise that Strange New Worlds included her but not Colt.

Edited April 13, 2023 by MagnusHex

[rmontro]

1 hour ago, MagnusHex said:

I found Number One's annoyance not to really be out of jealousy for Colt or anything, but more out of the professionalism she seems to uphold, which is something I've found respectable about her when I first watched it. Colt felt like a schoolgirl with a crush more than anything to be honest; Number One felt like Pike's equal. It's no surprise that Strange New Worlds included her but not Colt.

Actually, I thought Number One's response was more of a mix of the two.  Professionalism, yes, and not necessarily jealousy for Colt, but maybe some embarrassment over some genuine feelings she had for Pike, that she wasn't ready to admit yet.  

Majel Barrett has a long history with Star Trek, so yeah Strange New Worlds had to include her.  But I wouldn't count Yeoman Colt out, she may pop up yet.  

Anyway, you're right, Number One has her own good qualities (as the aliens pointed out).  But I have a thing about redheads, so hence my comment.  But the thing about Laurel Goodwin (who died last year, sadly), who played Colt, that I always wonder is if she had sex with Elvis.  Supposedly he did with many of his co-stars (hope I'm not getting too salacious).

I haven't seen Strange New Worlds, but I do plan on getting Paramount Plus soon, because there are a number of things on there I want to see.

[MagnusHex]

1x16: The Menagerie, Part 2

"It was thought the fiction of a court-martial would allow us ample time to show the entirety of Captain Pike's journey on Talos IV." - The Talosians, maybe

"You forgot you are on trial, Spock. You WILL answer all questions put to you." I get that the reason for Spock's response to the above statement is that the others (mostly Kirk) wouldn't believe him even if he tells them the truth, but c'mon, they're already seen a psychic projection of a movie with multi-cam angles on their projector, and in that movie, they've already seen what the Talosians' powers could do by the time that quote above showed up. If those things aren't enough to convince them, then nothing will. Plus, I don't know why Spock would be so secretive to Kirk anyway.

In fact, much of Spock's behavior and just this entire episode don't make sense this episode. There's being emotional as a half-Vulcan, and then there's breaking all manner of rules to save one man, even if it's his former captain. Spock, the "logic is the end-all, be-all" guy, risking the entire Enterprise for one man. I was also a little confused about Commodore Mendez's message at the end until the Star Trek wiki explained what happened to me (that he also received the Talosians' feature presentation transmission back at Starbase 11).

Furthermore, that final shot of Pike on the screen walking alongside Vina whose beauty is restored... Yeeeah, The Cage AND that final shot were produced before TOS. But okay, granted, never aired, so never canon till this episode. Fair enough. A bit of narrative maneuvering that makes that final shot lose a bit of that intended heartwarming magic if you've already seen The Cage before this episode. In The Cage, that Pike you see walking away with Vina is an illusion created by the Talosians for Vina's sake, while the real Captain Pike could be seen walking away back to his ship. Knowing that fact makes the edited footage feel a bit awkward. lol Reminds me of Power Rangers (especially the older seasons) where budget constraints forced Saban to recycle footage in ways that sometimes don't make a whole lot of sense when you think too hard.

And finally... Talosians, a dying alien race whom Pike left behind to die, slowly. Is it such a good idea to leave his fate in their hands? Especially in his quadriplegic state that's not ideal for breeding (the Talosians' initial goal for keeping life going on Talos IV)? I mean, I guess Vina and him could work something out but... I don't see how.

A bit of a mess, a bit too much Cage footage than necessary even this episode (the Orion girl footage would've sufficed for Spock to make the point tbh), and questionable intent from the Talosians. Let's call it a 3/5.

Interesting side note: while reading up on Spock in Strange New Worlds, someone pointed out that was pre-Kolinahr Spock, which would retroactively explain why Spock smiled so goddamn much in The Cage, but since Kolinahr wouldn't really be introduced yet by this episode, it was a pretty clever way to explain Spock's behavior in Cage down the road.

1x17: Shore Leave

We are still some ways off from the first appearance of the holodeck in Star Trek: The Animated Series (and a whole GENERATION away from frequent holodeck hijinks 😉), so we would have to make do for now with a VR planet.

We've had a revolving door of cast members and Enterprise crewmembers early on in the show (Pike, Gary Mitchell, and even Rand was gone) before it settled on the crew of Kirk, Spock and McCoy. However, if you didn't know anything about the show or perhaps Star Trek in general (not knowing Kirk or Spock would probably qualify you as living under a rock, but McCoy, not so much), it's understandable if you thought that this is the episode McCoy bites it. The cast members had certainly sold it well enough with their performance. Poor Bones, finally found love with not-a-doctor only to be pierced through his heart - quite literally. Emily Banks and DeForest Kelly shared great chemistry with each other, so Barrows breaking down in tears felt quite powerful, as was her attempt to calm herself down. It's too bad this is seemingly Emily's only role as Barrows for TOS (I couldn't find any record of any other appearance) as I quite enjoyed her acting here, particularly her scenes with DeForest.

That said, perhaps it's for the best as Yeomans seem to fall into the problematic fate of having their sexuality exploited for the plot. I know, I know, product of its time, and while I respect Barrows' fantasy of being ravished by a dashing Don Juan, it's still a rather disturbing idea to have your rape fantasies come to life. Sulu had a samurai, Rodriguez had a tiger, Kirk an old flame, McCoy a black knight, all rather tame concepts, but then out of nowhere - rapey Juan! Just saying.

Still, an amusement park planet where your greatest fantasies - or fears - could come to life. Obviously, this could be the most fun or the most uncomfortable experience you'll ever have, even if it's all harmless. While writing reviews for The Twilight Zone, I had often touched on the concept of escapism from reality, and what a delight it might be to just get away from the hassles of real life (even having written a fan fiction about a similar VR concept decades ago as a kid), and I still stand by this statement after this episode, even if I don't necessarily think it's very healthy. It's a drug for the mind for sure, but it's one we would possibly never experience in our lifetime with our limited VR technology anyway, so why not dream a little? We could all probably use a shore leave on Shore Leave Planet, given the chaos of real life affairs at the moment.

3.5/5 It's a fun harmless little episode with some seemingly real stakes midway through, and I had a rather good time watching it. 

Footnote: for a moment there, I thought that Kirk had wandered onto the set of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, but then I found out it's just Vasquez Rocks.

[rmontro]

6 hours ago, MagnusHex said:

Poor Bones, finally found love with not-a-doctor only to be pierced through his heart - quite literally. Emily Banks and DeForest Kelly shared great chemistry with each other

McCoy didn't get many opportunities to have some romantic entanglements on the show, so it was nice to see.  I think this one was my favorite, because as you say, they had very good chemistry, and made for a believable couple.

I know the Shore Leave planet idea has been redone elsewhere, and in later Trek.  But really, they could have just invented a holodeck.

[chessiegal]

I watched Season 3 episode "Is There in Truth No Beauty?" last night on MeTV. At the end I noticed Fred Freiberger was the producer, and thought, hey, I know that name from The Wild Wild West. In checking today, I see Freiberger produced all of Season 3. Freiberger is credited with putting WWW season 1 back on track.

[MagnusHex]

1x18: The Squire of Gothos

The ending's kinda amusing after having seen Futurama's parody of this episode, especially because their version of "Trelane" was also a man-child, but one that feels more closer to modern takes on keyboard warriors living in their parents' basement. I don't think writer Paul Schneider, when he wrote this anti-war episode, quite knew how future children would similarly behave like Trelane with war simulations (AKA Call of Duty) in their control.

William Campbell played a Trelane with enough suave that his stereotyping of the crewmembers' cultural backgrounds came off as amusingly ignorant than mean-spirited (I really love George Takei's reaction to Trelane bowing to him and going, "Is this guy for real?"). It's interesting that compared to someone younger like Charlie X, Trelane, a full grown adult man in our eyes, feels like a far less threatening child trapped in a man's body, full of the playfulness that a spoiled little kid might display. With Charlie, I could feel the foreboding danger everytime he comes on screen due to how mentally disturbed he acted; with Trelane, I just felt like he's a sheltered little man who needed a reality check (or I guess a good spanking from his parents, it seems).

That said, William played the role with enough glee that the entire episode feels fun from start to finish, even with some of the more outrageous things that came out from Trelane's mouth ("Ah, a Nubian prize!").

Interesting trivia regarding that particular line I caught from IMDB: "During filming, William Campbell blew the line with a supposedly embarrassing blooper, "Ah, a Nubian slave!" According to Campbell, Nichelle Nichols, an activist of African-American Civil Rights Movement, responded, "I'll kick you in the ankle!" Now I kinda wanted to see that version of Uhura kicking Trelane instead.

4/5

[rmontro]

20 hours ago, MagnusHex said:

1x18: The Squire of Gothos

Did Trek ever make any sort of official connection between Trelane and the Q?  

You keep mentioning Star Trek references in Futurama.  I never could get into Futurama.  Makes me think I should give it another chance, except I am always looking for opportunities to pare down my TV viewing.  

[SVNBob]

34 minutes ago, rmontro said:

Did Trek ever make any sort of official connection between Trelane and the Q?  

Not in the shows (unless there's something in Disco or Picard.)  But one of the TNG novels made a connection, and some of the comics released after that novel did as well. 

And of course, John de Lancie believed that Trelane was the inspiration for Q.

[MagnusHex]

5 hours ago, rmontro said:

You keep mentioning Star Trek references in Futurama.  I never could get into Futurama.  Makes me think I should give it another chance, except I am always looking for opportunities to pare down my TV viewing.  

Hah, yeah, sorry, I couldn't help it seeing as Futurama really left a good impression on me, and not just as a sci-fi fan. It's also the only other show I've seen (or at least remember) Star Trek references from. Haven't really seen enough South Park long enough (only six seasons in so far) to catch references I could mention here in my reviews.

Futurama's a fun show for the first four seasons with lots of great emotional moments (it wears its heart on the sleeve much more than Simpsons), and from what I read of other people's thoughts, sci-fi fans should have plenty of scientific references to have fun with as well (many of them seemed scientifically accurate according to those who know better than me). I'm currently in the Comedy Central era, which has its ups and downs, but I love the characters so much I haven't stopped watching it.

Plus, it also has a really fun parody of Captain Kirk/Shatner in Zapp Brannigan, a massive ass who lacks all the charm of Shatner but was placed in charge of an Enterprise-lookalike (he also wears a redshirt).

Edited April 19, 2023 by MagnusHex

[MagnusHex]

1x19: Arena

Another day, another godlike being threatening the lives of the Enterprise crewmembers. All in a day's work.

In this episode, it's the classic Kirk vs. Gorn fight! And of course, in traditional Star Trek fashion, conflicts are resolved in a diplomatic manner, with Kirk once again displaying the best of humanity in all our merciful ways (ha!) despite our frequent savagery. As Kirk put it, in 1000 years, maybe we'll actually impress someone as a species.

I love the way Spock and the crewmembers are watching Kirk's fight on-screen the same way we're watching the show despite their imminent destruction, and it comes with all the appropriate audience commentary too as Spock nudges for Kirk to make the correct move. Pass the popcorn, Mr. Spock.

Because honestly, if Spock could have transmitted his comments to Kirk, we might have gotten something like this:

GALAXY QUEST! Need to watch it someday.

Speaking of related YouTube videos, it feels appropriate to link this as well:

I haven't played the Star Trek video game, but I'll bet that for the reboot version, the Gorn's speed and agility would be "updated" to be more fearsome and threatening. That's understandable, of course, but there's something unique about a big lumbering lizard who's intelligent enough that he doesn't necessarily need to kill you via brute force. During Kirk and the Gorn's fight, I was expecting the Gorn captain to be as non-threatening as he seems to move, but I was surprised by his ability to set traps (and then of course, he talks too). Only critique I would offer for the campy but fun battle is the missed opportunity for shirtless Kirk. You're gonna have Kirk in one of the most classic fights of all time against a deadly cold-blooded lizard and you're not gonna have Kirk tear open his shirt to show how dangerous the fight was? C'mon.

The whole revelation of the classic Gorn alien was nice too. Like a monster in a B-movie, he didn't show up till at least halfway into the episode, with the episode teasing us with what seemed to be the setting for the rest of the ep: the destroyed colony on Cestus III (if a redshirt tells you he sees something, duck). I get that Commodore Travers is probably a trusted ally, but you'd think that given the amount of times Kirk and his crewmembers beamed down into a trap, he'd be more cautious by now.

I like the design of the Metron at the end as well. Contrary to previous godlike beings who place their judgment over humans, this time we get someone who actually looks the part. The Metron we got here looks like someone who walked out of a Greek theater play, or one of the Greek pantheons even (he would fit right in Kevin Sorbo's Hercules show). Instead of a green space cloud or a Benjamin Buttoned Clint Howard, we have someone who actually looks like a deity with all the exotic make-up. Here's hoping Space Greek God would make a reappearance in the future.

3.5/5 Things didn't really get that exciting for me till the Gorn fight, but the episode was pretty much uphill from there.

Edited April 19, 2023 by MagnusHex

[QuantumMechanic]

6 hours ago, rmontro said:

Did Trek ever make any sort of official connection between Trelane and the Q?  

You keep mentioning Star Trek references in Futurama.  I never could get into Futurama.  Makes me think I should give it another chance, except I am always looking for opportunities to pare down my TV viewing.  

You should at least watch the episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before", starring the actual voices of several ST:TOS stars.

[JTMacc99]

The Futurama references to Star Trek were usually done with a clear love of the show. The Simpsons typically stayed much more in its social satire lane, poking fun at all things Star Trek.

Although they did do this end credits scene which was pretty great:

 

[marinw]

Lisa as the Borg Queen is everything.

[JTMacc99]

1 hour ago, marinw said:

Lisa as the Borg Queen is everything.

That became my favorite.  The first time through I guffawed at Patty and Selma with Barney. 

[QuantumMechanic]

On 4/19/2023 at 1:25 AM, QuantumMechanic said:

You should at least watch the episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before", starring the actual voices of several ST:TOS stars.

As an example

 

[BusterHymen]

I'm a die hard Star Trek fan (TOS) and have enjoyed reading the comments and opinions of others on this thread and forum. Sometimes we agree and sometimes we disagree...But all in good spirit and debate. One thing that always bothered and irked me was the narrative of the prime directive that was being pushed on us (basically meaning that no starship from the federation shall intervene or interfere with the history, people, culture, etc. and alter it in any way, shape, or form with the civilization(s) of that planet) but yet in just about every other episode that is EXACTLY what happens! Right off the top of my head, "Return of the Archons", "A private little war",  "Omega Glory", "Patterns of Force", "The Apple", "Piece of the Action", "Breads and Circuses", "Miri", "A taste of armageddon", etc, etc! I could go on and on (there are many more episodes), but you get the point. I just never understood why Rodenberry felt the need to remind the audience of that false premise and objective when it was constantly and consistently being violated  over and over again! Another thing that I see mentioned on these threads are the sexist and misogynistic attitudes and behaviors in the shows. I agree but will take it a step further. Was there some kind of clause in Shatner's contract about him always getting the hot chick in just about every episode and also having some hot scantily clad female (whether it be a crew member, yeoman, or alien chick) that had to make out with him? not to mention the numerous times we see his raging hormones and literally force himself on a female (sometimes against her will! borderline rape!) The episode "What are little girls made of" comes to mind when he forces himself on Andrea the female android and in the episode " By any other name" on the smoking hot Kelvan alien Kelinda! This theme really pushed the pushed the envelope to the sublime/ridiculous in the episode "Requiem for Methuselah" where yes, Captain Kirk literally goes bonkers and falls in love with Yes, another female robot and android and this time is even willing to fight to the death for her!"...Star Trek definitely had it's moments (both good and bad) but I'm just merely nitpicking like the rest of us.

[MagnusHex]

1x20: The Alternative Factor

It's been a while since I took a break being busy finishing a few video games (Persona 5 Royal/Strikers if you want to know), and my return to Trek is welcomed with a supposed stinker, one that's hailed as among "worst of Trek." But after having seen it, I realized that maybe I just don't have the proper mindset or perspective to tell a good episode from a bad one. There were often times that I would appreciate certain elements in widely hated shows/episodes, while other times, it's the complete opposite, being bored by a "masterpiece."

I wouldn't say I've enjoyed this episode - if anything, it's pretty "mid" - but I like the concept of parallel universes and how even time travel is incorporated into the concept (time traveling branching off into alternate parallel universes probably didn't enter the mainstream pop culture language for at least a few more decades). Of course, the execution here is pretty dull, full of exposition (Kirk and Spock literally droned on about parallel universes in one conversation for about two minutes) and a lack of exploration of what were otherwise interesting sci-fi elements that would become more well-known down the road. But in spite of all that, I thought Lazarus served his function well enough, his storyline an interesting concept on paper if undercooked, plus Robert Brown delivered a decent enough performance despite being a last minute replacement for a missing John Drew Barrymore (probably one of the more commonly recited trivia of this episode). Kirk and Bones' illogical behavior of letting the dangerous Lazarus roam free aboard the ship didn't really occur to me till just now because I have a tendency to miss these detailed character beats that are supposed to be out-of-place. Bad (or selective) memory, I suppose.

One thing that did stand out for me though was how Kirk refused to believe Lazarus that a single living creature being able to destroy entire universes. But this is more of a problem with the format of the show being episodic (and Kirk not remembering previous godlike beings he encountered) than the writing of Kirk... probably.

Kirk randomly rambling "What of Lazarus" without making a point was kinda annoying too.

2.5/5

[MagnusHex]

1x21: Tomorrow is Yesterday

And so I've arrived at what was supposed to be the second part to The Naked Time. Big Top Gun vibe when I saw the opening to this episode (Danger Zone was literally playing in my head), even though it wouldn't come out for a few decades. I initially enjoyed the prospect of the Starship traveling to '60s America because cool shots like the ones in the cold open appearing on this show felt so different and out-of-place that they felt like a refreshing change of pace. Unfortunately, the episode didn't do much in mining the potential of showing much of the past besides some dull grey corridors. I understand the reasoning (budgeting, and most of the plot takes place in a military base, so not much chance for showing Time Square New York or some other colorful setting like that), but it does leave much to desire.

The ending also feels kinda weird, since Captain John Christopher (Roger Perry) kinda just went along with Kirk's plan of sending him back a day before and wiping his memory of the Enterprise, even though John literally fought against that idea and threatening Kirk with a gun just a scene prior. Plus, the whole "sending you to the past and your memory is wiped" is ridiculous too, naturally.

All that being said, I have to admit that I had fun with the episode for the most part, because the whole idea of a present day man finding out how far technology advanced in the future is just a breeding ground for fun interactions, and the episode sort of delivered on that. I also love how much fun Sulu seemed to have when he beamed down with Kirk to the military complex. I freaking love how George Takei spread that huge grin across Sulu's face, playing well the Sulu that (from what I've observed of the character so far) seems to be a history nerd with romantic ideas about past Earth cultures. It must've been like Christmas at Disneyland for him. He didn't even say much this episode and let his body (and facial) language do the acting for him. Genius.

All in all, a pretty decent episode with some decent laughs. Bonus points for George's acting.

3.5/5

Edited June 12, 2023 by MagnusHex

[marinw]

I’m watching “Turnabout Intruder.” It’s pretty bad😶

Edited June 27, 2023 by marinw

[rmontro]

51 minutes ago, marinw said:

I’m watching “Turnabout Intruder.” It’s pretty bad😶

Yeah, it's pretty awful.  And Shatner's over the top acting makes it almost surreal.

[chessiegal]

2 minutes ago, rmontro said:

And Shatner's over the top acting makes it almost surreal.

No one can chew the scenery like Shatner!

[SVNBob]

6 hours ago, chessiegal said:

No one can chew the scenery like Shatner!

Vic Mignogna tries, as seen in Star Trek Continues.

Since we're on the subject of "Turnabout Intruder", here's a vignette that's a remake of the conclusion of that episode, followed by a couple of little epilogue scenes they created.

 

 

[marinw]

Interesting. I am unfamiliar with Star Trek Continues. Good set duplication.

[SVNBob]

ST Continues was a fan project designed to emulate TOS and be the unofficial continuation thereof.  Released between 2013 and 2107, they only did 12 episodes and 3 vignettes, all available on YouTube, but they achieved their goal of "completing the five-year mission" in those episodes.

 

47 minutes ago, marinw said:

Good set duplication.

They were apparently built according to the original blueprints, so it ought to be.

[rmontro]

4 hours ago, SVNBob said:

ST Continues was a fan project designed to emulate TOS and be the unofficial continuation thereof. 

There are a couple of fan shows doing their own TOS episodes.  Hopefully, someday I'm going to get a chance to watch them.

[CeeBeeGee]

On 6/27/2023 at 4:02 AM, SVNBob said:

Vic Mignogna tries, as seen in Star Trek Continues.

Since we're on the subject of "Turnabout Intruder", here's a vignette that's a remake of the conclusion of that episode, followed by a couple of little epilogue scenes they created.

 

 

 

On 6/27/2023 at 7:00 AM, SVNBob said:

ST Continues was a fan project designed to emulate TOS and be the unofficial continuation thereof.  Released between 2013 and 2107, they only did 12 episodes and 3 vignettes, all available on YouTube, but they achieved their goal of "completing the five-year mission" in those episodes.

 

They were apparently built according to the original blueprints, so it ought to be.

Okay, I have to share with you my experience re: Star Trek Continues.

 

In the winter of 2019-2020 I was rediscovering Star Trek TOS. Podcasts, rereading the very first fan novels, rewatching the remastered versions--the whole works. I came across a couple of fan-produced episodes on YouTube (including one that had been written by David Gerrold (writer of The Trouble with Tribbles)) and through that, discovered Star Trek Continues. 

I start watching it. I'm thinking hey, this is pretty good. Production values are excellent, it's competently filmed, scored well. And I notice the same name over and over--Vic Mignona. He plays Kirk, he's a director, a writer, a producer. Even composes some of the score. And I'm thinking, he's pretty talented, I wonder if he has a website?

I look him up and find a resume/bio. And I see he graduated from Liberty University in Virginia, which is just down the road from the women's college I attended. And I see the roles on his resume and the truth dawns on me--I know this guy. I remember this guy! He was a very controversial cast member in a couple of productions we needed (we had to be creative--if the role was at all ambiguous, you could cast a woman as a man, or just be ambiguous about what gender it was (I played the Emcee in Cabaret for example). But sometimes we cast male actors in the community).

He was controversial because he was a huge in-your-face Christian bigot, not at all shy about his evangelism. Most of us disliked him, although he is certainly talented. He and I got into a huge argument at a cast party about the English language (my major)--he was taking the unoriginal, unsupported position that the English language has "degraded" over the years "since it was first established." I won the argument simply by asking him over and over to define his terms. "When was that? When Johnson wrote the first dictionary? When Anglo-Saxon turned into Middle English, a process that took hundreds of years? When the work f*** first appeared in print?" He didn't understand that languages are constantly changing--there's no such thing as a single origin point. And he was very firm that everyone not an evangelical Christian was hellbound.

After this realization I also found an old AV article--apparently there have been a  ton of complaints about his behavior at fan conventions and the like. Lawsuits were traded, he lost and his career kind of evaporated, as far as I know.

I will say, I quite enjoy Star Trek Continues, and they've gotten some major talent to sign on.

[SVNBob]

I was aware of Vic being problematic (at best).  Lots of his fans are worse, as MarzGurl can attest to.  (She got attacked a lot for restating the stories others had told and supporting a (successful, from what I recall) movement to get him removed from convention appearances.)  I was somewhat hesitant to bring it up because of him, but the other performers (including the late Grant Imahara) made me decide to share.  It's a quality production with lots of great people involved, even if there is at least the one bad one.

So for me, ST Continues is a definite case of separating the art from the artist.