Bitter Dregs

Today's episode: The Squire of Gothos (1/12/1967). The drink: beer (Smithwick's).

This entry gets a double shot: written and podcast (see the end of the post for the link). Eric gets the first part:

Doc and I just did our podcast of this episode, so I’ll keep this short. Simply put, “The Squire of Gothos” is one of my favorite episodes. It’s a wonderfully imaginative story (with a really cool twist at the end) that is not only great Trek but great SF.

First, a couple of pieces of trivia: 1) William Campbell also played the Klingon Captain Koloth in the second season episode “The Trouble With Tribbles.”

2) In the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, William Campbell was originally going to reprise his role as Trelane (a grown up version), but Roddenberry ended up going with John DeLancie as Q. It’s assumed, though, that Trelane and his parents were also part of the Q. If you watch the early ST:TNG episodes with Q, you’ll see that the open handed gesture Q makes when using his powers is the same gesture Trelane uses in “The Squire of Gothos.”

I have no big complaints with this episode. There are some technical errors, but Doc and I covered those in the podcast. One thing that just occurred to me, though, is that Trelane’s folks showing up in the nick of time to rescue Kirk and company could be considered a deus ex machina. But if so, it’s not blatant, and it works well in the context of the story rather than coming across as a contrived plot device.

At its heart, this is just a very well done episode: terrific idea, great writing, solid directing and production, and great acting. For example, Trelane is comic, if a little nuts, at first, and then he steadily becomes more malevolent. Campbell does a great job maintaining a petulant, spoiled brat demeanor throughout, but it doesn’t become clear that that’s what it is until the very end. When his parents come to take him “home” it’s a genuine (and delightful) surprise because everything comes together and makes sense.

So the story is based on a really cool concept—an incredibly powerful alien child who plays with the Enterprise crew like a human child might play with an ant colony—and it’s also an example of excellent story telling. And, unfortunately, great storytelling is not that common in TV, or the movies, today.

Okay, so here are some brief points I got from watching this one.

Even though the idea of beings that can manipulate energy/matter with their minds alone (or with the aid of some sort of tool as in "Forbidden Planet") had been done prior to this episode, I can't think of an example in which this had been done with this kind of flourish. The Q-like (or he is Q) being has human-like traits. One could argue that this is the idea that even if humans get to the point where they can do this sort of thing, they'll retain their immaturity (at least when they're young). And the Q of Next Gen is obviously a being that never grew up! So, Trelane turns out to be a spoiled child. This of course allows for the "parents" to bail out Kirk and co. at the end of the show, but this is tough to avoid when you pit mere humans against all-powerful uber-beings.

The acting is quite good here with Campbell standing out as trelane. Kirk and Spock get to play along while looking annoyed. There is a lot of fun in this episode, which makes it more rewarding for me as a "lightweight" episode than "Shore Leave." Both episodes have ideas behind their plots, but this one is, for me, better executed. And hey, how often does one get to see Uhura play the harpsichord?

And here's Eric and my podcast for this episode:

Download file

Next time: “Arena”

Posted by John Knowles at 08:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Tonight's episode: The Galileo Seven (1/5/1967). The drink: orange juice (I'm trying to get over a cold, so no booze for me).

Without a doubt, this is a Spock episode. Sure, there's the conflict between Kirk and the Commissioner, but this is a sideshow. By placing Spock in a stressful command situation, we get a great chance to see more character development at work.

I've always appreciated this episode for the added complexity it gives Spock. The script shows him having to deal with a very difficult command situation where logic isn't always the right solution. You can really see the character struggling with this as the situation deteriorates on the planet. Nimoy pulls out a good performance with actual nuance. The scene where everyone feels it necessary to kill some of the cavemen/aliens to keep them at bay illustrates the very well. Spock knows that this is the way to go and yet he allows his ideals as a scientist and as an individual, sway him. By refusing to take life, which he slams the human members of the shuttle crew for having disregard for, and stubbornly clinging to the idea that the creatures will behave logically, he puts his command in further jeopardy. This "routine" scientific mission becomes the ultimate command training scenario, with real stakes. Making matters worse is the fact that the crew under his command doesn't have much confidence in his leadership abilities. In fact, they're downright mean to the guy! The one exception is Scotty; probably due to the fact that he's too busy repairing the ship.

Some things I didn't like as much:

The tension between Kirk and the Commissioner was a bit over-the-top. The time crunch pressure should have been enough tension without having the Commissioner, the reminder of the time factor, having to be such a cold-hearted asshat. The shuttle crewmen seem overly hostile toward Spock from the beginning. The blatant disregard for his command seems silly and unrealistic. They could have done that situation with more subtlety. I'm sure they were trying to work in more bigotry and added tension, but this is overdone in the context of the Starfleet military structure. Don't get me wrong, it's really a minor quibble in what's got to be one of the best TOS episodes.

I watched the remastered version of this episode, since I had it handy. I found this to be one of the better efforts with the new F/X. Since there are a number of shots of the shuttle, the planet, and the space quasar phenomenon, I actually liked it pretty well. Here's a sample:

Of course, all the plastic boulders and goofy caveman guys and their spears are just as fake as you remember. The thing I remember being most impressed about growing up was the visual of the shuttle leaving the hangar bay. The original shot still holds up well today, though the new scene adds some CG goodies. Other than that, how can you beat watching a random crewman (non-red shirt) getting impaled by a giant spear!

And on to Mr. Eric:

Somehow, after freezing my ass off shoveling a mountain of snow out of my driveway for the 10,581,869th time (yes, I’m keeping track), I managed to rewatch “The Galileo Seven.” Not surprisingly, it was far more enjoyable than shoveling snow. In fact, this episode holds up very well and remains a favorite of mine. I find it fascinating because it’s an insightful examination of the qualities that make a good leader, and it’s done through a clever comparison of Kirk and Spock in their respective leadership roles.

Before I get started, one bit of trivia is that this was the first episode that featured the shuttlecraft. It wasn’t shown or referred to earlier because AMT (the company that produced the original series model kits) built the full-sized shuttlecraft mockup and was very late finishing it. This is also why Roddenberry came up with the transporter—without the shuttlecraft, he had to have some way of getting people to and from the Enterprise.

Another piece of trivia, technical this time, is that the depiction of the quasar in this episode was accurate based on what we knew in 1967, but in the intervening 41 years, astronomers have reached consensus that quasars are the very bright, distant, and active nuclei of young galaxies. 20/20 astrophysical hindsight...

Anyway, I’ve always enjoyed “The Galileo Seven” because it takes an insightful look at command and leadership. Spock gets his first command when Kirk puts him in charge of the science team being sent to investigate the Murasaki 312 quasar, and as soon as the team’s shuttlecraft crashes on Taurus II (a planet within the quasar), we see just how committed Spock is to basing his command on logic. On the Enterprise, by way of contrast, we see Kirk’s very human approach to command. He is determined not to leave his missing crewmates behind, despite the demands and threats of this episode’s resident bureaucrat, Galactic High Asshole Ferris. Kirk chooses compassion and loyalty, and insists on searching for the missing team until the last possible second, even though it could cost him his captaincy. Spock, however, takes a dispassionate approach that discounts the fact that emotional creatures, humans or the primitive anthropoid inhabitants of Taurus II, don’t react logically to emotionally charged situations. And this causes significant trouble for him. Thankfully, with McCoy’s “guidance,” Spock starts to understand that while logic and reason are important tools for a commander, feelings (intuition?) are just as important. And armed with this realization, he manages to get the team (minus two crewmen) off the planet, hopefully to rendezvous with the Enterprise.

This is where there is a wonderful convergence of loyalty and irrationality. Kirk, under duress from Ferris, is forced to abandon the search for Spock’s team, but he proceeds at the slowest possible speed and keeps every sensor directed toward Taurus II. And as ingenious as this is, it is Spock who makes it possible for the team to be rescued (in the nick of time) by making the completely illogical choice to burn the last of the shuttlecraft’s fuel to send a distress signal that the Enterprise picks up. So the team is rescued and Kirk and Spock show that a good leader has to base decisions on reason and logic that is leavened with emotional insight and occasionally, irrationality. And if they’re lucky, friendship.

Next time: “The Squire of Gothos”

Posted by John Knowles at 12:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

So last night I'm sitting in my home office transferring the Laserdisc of Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) onto the computer for DVD burning and I get to thinking a little about this film. Why am I spending time transferring an old Laser when there's a DVD available (which I own)? Because this is the only way to view the original theatrical cut of the film in its 'scope aspect ratio. The old VHS and Beta (yes, I have one of these too!) video tapes were pan/scanned and used the television cut which ran 143 minutes. This version, which was never mastered at the correct aspect ratio, has a bunch of scenes that are either redundant or detract from the film. Let's face it: the original version (132 minutes) is long enough as it is (there's truth to the joke, "Star Trek: The Motion(less) Picture").

The Laser version is the way the film ran when I first saw it in 1979. The current DVD, which has some interesting updates and a bunch of bonuses, lacks the original theatrical version. They did this kind of tweaking to Blade Runner, but gave fans the option of buying a set with the theatrical cut. So, this is Trek: fans are well used to re-purchasing material. I'm sure they would have paid a few extra bucks for a version of this DVD that included all the various cuts. I know I would have. But they didn't, so here I am copying over the disc. It's analog video that looks inferior to the DVD, but it's original.

So what about this movie? Needless to say, it isn't the best film of the series. Many don't care for or are indifferent to it. Much of the criticism of the film is valid; for one take on it, check out this review by DVD Savant. Allow me to make a few critical comments...

1) The original cast standing around with little to do than pose for reaction shots. I think this gets at the heart of what's wrong with the film: where's the chemistry? They manage to get everyone back (even Janice Rand!) from the original series and the screenplay has them either making speeches or interacting in slight monotones. There are a few moments where the old character interaction comes back, but it's far too infrequent. The Decker (unit!) and Ilia characters seem to have more spark than the crew we all know/love (and this is sad since they're pretty lame characters). I see two reasons for this: the writing and the directing. The dialog is what it is, but couldn't Wise have wrung some emotion out of the scenes sometimes? I found myself missing the Shatner scenery-chewing (scary).

2) Long and boring. This is often why people have negative reactions to the film. Part of the problem here is that all the grand camera sweeps around the new Enterprise don't have the same impact on a small screen. I remember being blown out of my seat at the Rapid Theater when I first saw it. There was a lot of anticipation attached to that film. All I'd seen was the TV show and this was the new, big, shiny Enterprise on the big screen with a pompous (but in a good way) musical score to match. There's even an overture. Some of that slow exposition works well getting us back into the Trek world. They do spend too much time later on in the film showing off the effects and having the actors look like they're as impressed as we should be. There is a lot of standing around talking; this is a slow, deliberate "ideas" movie without much in the way of space battles or Kirk rolling around in the dirt fighting. One scene that stands out in all of this is the opening where the Klingons are re-introduced. Between the great music and the models/effects (which always looked good to me), this section kicks butt.

Another thing that DVD Savant points out, which I agree with, is the costumes and color schemes. The film has a drab color that isn't helped by the silly pajama-like uniforms the crew wear. And what's with the probe-Ilia's voice? If the probe duplicates the person "in every detail," why the robo-voice? Did they think the audience wouldn't remember her being zapped beforehand?

The "director's cut" DVD redoes effects and slightly reedits the film. Nothing substantial here. Sure, there are some cool-looking effects that appear, but it doesn't address the fundamental problems with the movie. Not that it could, really, unless there was some completely different version of the film out there.

Okay, so I have problems with the film. If so, why spend the time to preserve the theatrical version I've been slamming?

Nostalgia, obviously plays a big part. I have a soft spot for the film, not as much as the original Star Wars, but it is important. One of the things, besides the nostalgia angle, is how the cast still looks somewhat young in this film. Shatner looks reasonably fit and the rest of the cast is in pretty good shape. It's fun the see the TV cast on the big screen before they really got old. So, this isn't that significant a deal, but there's just something about it being the connection between the series and the long-running movie franchise.

Whenever I see this film today, I can't help but wonder what it could have been. Maybe the pressures of the release schedule (well-documented) were to blame, but if the screenplay had just placed more emphasis on the characters than the "space wedgie", it could have been much better. I was psyched to see the Enterprise on the big screen, but what we all really wanted was to see the old cast get back out there. Just having them present was great, but it could have been so much more. The tired old humans vs. machines thing wasn't what we want, it's Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and co. that we lined up back in 1979 to see. But we have what we have and I'll continue to enjoy it with my nostalgic haze, even from that mediocre Laserdisc.

Posted by John Knowles at 03:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The episode: Shore Leave (12/29/1966). The drink: White Russian (I'm holding a beverage here!).

A friend of mine once came up with a term for this kind of episode: Jiffy Trek. The "jiffy" episode is usually pretty lightweight and doesn't advance the story arc of the show. This sums up this one pretty well. There is some light character development and lots of jokes. Even though this episode isn't one of my favorites, I still enjoy seeing it. Growing up, much of it was a bore for me, save for the extended fistfight sequences between Kirk and his old nemesis Finnegan. Kirk and an Irish guy rolling around in the dirt classic!

The characters get a little bit of fleshing out: you meet two people from Kirk's past (what's with the costume the actress playing Ruth is wearing?!?!) and some fun bits of Sulu playing with guns. The woman, Angela, is the same person as Angela Martine from "Balance of Terror." If you recall, she lost her fiance' in the episode. Funny how she's already rebounded to a new crewman. To be fair, this episode wasn't produced in this order and I don't think the script was written with this intent. I have to admit that I still get a kick out of the Kirk/Finnegan scenes; they're really fun. The other amusing scenes involve McCoy and Kirk. They have some funny lines and I love it when McCoy reappears with the showgirls on his arms. When one of them goes to Spock, Nimoy barely suppresses a smile. Tee hee.

One of the things that bugs me about this one is the subplot about the planet draining the ship's energy. I know they had to do something to keep a bit of tension going, but this just seems like a weak contrivance. The music in this one is a mixed bag, literally. Some of the cues work well, but other parts of the show feel like the cues were just thrown together. Seeing how good the music works in the best Trek episodes, this is a small disappointment.

So, this one is just OK. I appreciate it more watching the run in broadcast order since this one comes after a string of fairly serious episodes. The pacing works and perhaps this is one example where the network put a small amount of thought into which ones to air when.

And now on to Eric:

This will be another short review. Not because “Shore Leave” is a bad episode, it’s just not a fave. When one of the first things we see is a giant, obviously fake, white rabbit and a little blonde girl (Alice from “Through the Looking Glass”) it’s a little hard to regard the episode as something other than camp. This is unfortunate, however, because the premise is actually quite interesting—a planet created by an advanced race for the sole purpose of providing a simple, carefree source of entertainment and relaxation. Cool. But dangerous (or at least unsettling) if you don’t know what’s going on.

Such an imaginative idea really is no surprise given that the episode was written by SF vet Theodore Sturgeon (who also wrote the second season episode “Amok Time”). My understanding, however, is that Roddenberry wrote (or rewrote) the screenplay. In fact, supposedly, he was sitting in a trailer on-site pounding out the last acts of the script as the first acts were being shot. But I digress.

Besides having an interesting premise, this episode also provides a great opportunity for very economical character development: Sulu collects antique guns, McCoy has a streak of gentlemanly lechery, and Kirk, when he was a plebe (or first year cadet) at Starfleet Academy, was tormented by an upperclassman named Finnegan. This is nicely consistent with what’s revealed in “Where No Man Has Gone Before” (i.e. that Kirk was an extremely serious student). We also meet one of Kirk’s long-lost conquests: Ruth. Following the academy years theme, I had to wonder if she was the blonde lab assistant Gary Mitchell mentions in “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” In any case, there were several nice character moments. For example, I really like the way Spock maneuvers Kirk into going down to the planet for shore leave.

Here’s a wild idea--maybe this episode was a way to talk about tripping on LSD without having the crew drop acid. It was the 60s after all.

No? Okay. It was worth a try.

So, there’s nothing wrong with this episode, it’s just a little too campy (or perhaps silly) to be a favorite. Maybe it would be if the production hadn’t been rushed or had been approached differently. Oh well, at least it wasn’t “Spock’s Brain.”

Next time: “The Galileo Seven”

Posted by John Knowles at 04:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Today's episode: Balance of Terror (12/13/66). The drink: Auchentoschen Triple Wood scotch. I should mention that I've stopped using the Startrek.com site for reference as it's going to be shuttered and found the superior Memory-Alpha site. It's basically a big Trek Wiki. Loads of interesting info.

Just for fun, we're going to not only look at the original episode, but also the CG-enhanced remastered version. Content-wise, they're really the same, but the new effects work is an interesting contrast.

Let me just start off my saying that this is one of the best TOS episodes, period. I don't know if it's the best one, but it's got to be in the top 5 or perhaps 3. The show contains a lot of ideas and story for a single episode and despite being cribbed from a WW II movie, still seems fresh and exciting.

When I was watching Trek growing up, this one was always a favorite for obvious reasons: space battle! None of this romance or Earth-like societies run amuck, this has ships fighting, phasers, and explosions. And watching Kirk out-maneuver the Romulan commander was sweet. Today, those aspects do still hold up, but the character and story ideas are what puts this one over the top.

Story-wise, this episode is a re-work of the film The Enemy Below (1957). I haven't seen the movie (I've been meaning to check it out), but there's at least one other WW II submarine film that resembles this episode. The similarities are quite apparent from the dueling captains in their game of space war chess to the Romulan bridge which looks a bit like a submarine control center. It almost looks like there's a periscope in the middle of the console!

The Romulans: the idea of these people being an offshoot of the Vulcans was a great idea, one that was taken well advantage of in TNG and other Trek shows. Sure, they look like Vulcans with different costumes, but there's a well-defined difference between them and it allows the writers to work in the tension between Spock and Stiles. On that note, I find it interesting that even though Roddenberry made great pains to show that racism is a thing of the past in the Trek universe, it's on display with Mr. Stiles. I guess he just meant that to be regarding human racism, not bigotry directed at other species. (!) Nonetheless, it adds character tension and provides the chance for some backstory: the previous war between Earth and the Romulans. The Romulan commander is a classic sea captain, one who is ruthlessly efficient, yet intelligent enough to respect a worthy opponent. He is also wise enough to question the motives of the Romulan leadership's desire for war. Mark Lenard puts in a great performance here. This remains one of the best single performances of the Original Series.

Kirk is very cool-headed and thoughtful in this episode and, in a way, has similar attitudes to his Romulan counterpart. He has a scene in his quarters that seems right out of "The Cage" where he questions whether or not he's really making the right decisions. Swap Pike for Kirk and Dr. Boyce for McCoy and you have it. I don't really mind it being here as it provides a break in the otherwise fast pace of the story, but it is awfully similar. Spock gets to do some background on his race, which is nice and be a hero when he pulls Stiles out of the control room, saving his life. Stiles clearly doesn't know what to say when Spock says he's merely doing his job.

The suspense and drama in this episode work very well. The way they don't reveal the enemy right away is very effective and even though the cloaking device is a stand-in for a submerged submarine, it works. The first time the ship de-cloaks, it looks almost ghostly, an apparition preparing to unleash its cloud of fire. The way we watch the outposts get blasted builds the tension; we don't know who they are of why they're doing it. The human tragedy angle revolves around the Martine/Tomlinson couple, whose wedding is interrupted by the Romulan attack on the outposts. This is one of the only times in TOS where religion is really shown in any way; Martine's clearly praying (some have ID'd this as Catholic) in some kind of chapel. She also prays at the end scene where she's mourning her dead fiance'. I know I'm probably reaching a bit here, but I have to wonder about the fact that she's the one person who is outwardly religious and loses her beloved, the only casualty in the battle. Nothing to it, I'm sure, but I found it interesting. I also noted the end scene where she's mourning and Kirk tries to comfort her. He says something about there being a reason for it; in a way Kirk is playing the part of a priest I suppose. He doesn't sound like he really believes it himself. Martine finds this welcome, but not helpful. This scene appears to be a bookend to the story, a closing bit, but I found it containing a lot more meaning, even in what wasn't said. Kirk wasn't feeling victorious. Between watching the Romulan commander, whom he seemed to respect on some level destroy his own ship and having to place some meaning in the death of one of his crew, he seemed to be feeling empty and unsure of his own beliefs. You could argue that I'm going to far with this, but that's the way it played for me.

Another World War II idea in this episode that occurred to me surrounds the Neutral Zone outposts and the first Earth/Romulan war. This setup reads like another WW II scenario: the earlier war is WW I and the outposts are The Maginot Line. The first World War idea is obvious. The outposts, which are easily bypassed by the invaders (Germans/Romulans), are the symbol representing a false sense of security. The wall is sundered, the conflict begins again. I often see metaphors for the Cold War in original Trek, but clearly Roddenberry was heavily influenced by WW II; this episode really demonstrates it.

So, a very good episode that has really stood the test of time well. Let's talk briefly about the CG-enhanced version that I watched.

In case you're not up to speed on the "remastered" versions, they basically replaced all the exterior shots with new effects. So, anything that has the actors in it stayed the same. I've always found this a bit jarring. When they go back and forth between the modern-looking space effects and the 1966 bridge, it just doesn't match. However, I do find it interesting to see what they can do with the new technology, so I am a bit mixed on this. The thing that surprised me most about this particular episode is how little the new effects added to the space shots, which are an important part of this show. They tried to keep the look of the ships true to the original, so they don't really look that much more impressive. The only stuff that really looked better to me were the shots of the star background and the comet; nice looking visuals. One effect that was worse, to me, was the shot where the Romulan ship appears for the first time. In the original, the ship fades into view using some kind of optical effect, I assume. It looks fuzzier/grainier than the new shot where the ship just sort of pops in. The rough look gives it more of a ghostly/scarier look to me. This effect has always worked very well for me; a somewhat creepy entrance of a new villain.

My, that was a long, rambling entry! Now, let's see what Eric had to say about this one:

Let me say first that “Balance of Terror” is one of my favorite Star Trek episodes. It succeeds brilliantly on many levels, so I’m really jazzed to do this review. At the same time, it has turned out to be very difficult because there is so much I could address. I’m merciful, however, so I narrowed it down to three reasons this episode works so well: the development of the Star Trek universe is creative and imaginative, the overall production is great, and it is a superbly crafted story that is a metaphor for the Cold War and other important social issues from the 1960s.

Before I get to the actual review, I watched the remastered version of this episode and compared it to the original version. The story and dialog were (thankfully) untouched in the remastered version. but the special effects were cleaned up and enhanced digitally. It was cool to see what the FX might’ve looked like if Roddenberry had had today’s CGI technology in 1966, and the new shots of the ships and battle were well done. In this particular episode, however, it really didn’t make any difference to me. The original FX worked well enough, and the strength of this episode is in the story and the characters.

So, to begin with, the introduction of the Romulans into the Star Trek universe was brilliantly imaginative and effective. They’re an interesting and complex race and culture that has provided grist for many episodes and other interesting extrapolation in various forms. The fact that they’re related to the Vulcan race is fascinating and gives the Trek universe a sense of depth and ancient history. It also provides some delicious intrigue: When, how, and why did the two races split? We also learn that the Federation fought a war with the Romulan Empire over 100 years before “Balance of Terror” takes place. I would’ve loved to see “Enterprise” (the Trek spin-off series) deal with this, but they never did. And although I haven’t kept up with the Star Trek novels, I don’t think the Romulan War has ever been covered substantively. In any case, this episode introduced several important elements to the Star Trek universe, and it did it in an entertaining, believable, and interesting way.

In addition to making major contributions to the Trek universe, “Balance of Terror” was very well produced. The writing, direction, and acting are all top notch, but what I appreciate most of all is that the characterizations are spot on. Characters like Scotty, and Uhura, and Sulu, don’t get much time, but they are exactly as I expect them to be. I liked seeing Uhura take the helm when the navigator is called away and Sulu’s argument with Stiles in the briefing room is well-done. The so-called supporting characters don’t get much screen time, but they’re the ones who really give the show an ensemble feel. But on to the main characters. Kirk is at his best as a tactician, but it’s good to see that his confidence is tempered by a healthy dose of humanizing self-doubt. Kirk’s compassion also comes through movingly when he comforts the young woman whose fiancé was killed in the battle. And to give credit where credit is due, Shatner does an excellent job keeping his performance reined in. Similarly, DeForest Kelley imbues McCoy with his characteristic humanism without getting sappy or maudlin. The reassuring talk McCoy gives Kirk is one of the best in the whole series, and it highlights the quality of their friendship. Spock, as usual, provides the vital scientific/technical support, but there is much more to Nimoy’s performance. He conveys a subtle but very real sense that Spock feels like an outsider (a feeling that is significantly aided and abetted by Stiles’ overt racism). I also like that there is a definite impression that Spock is distressed to learn that the enemy (the Romulans) are an offshoot of the Vulcan race. Finally, Mark Lenard (who later played Spock’s father, Sarek) was superb as the Romulan commander. He managed to tell us volumes about the Romulan race in just a few scenes. And we feel for him too. He isn’t a bloodthirsty martinet, he’s a soldier doing a hateful task because he is duty and honor bound to do so. I’ve seen this episode dozens of times, and I still find it poignant when the Romulan commander tells Kirk: “In a different reality, I could’ve called you friend.”

Finally, there are quite a few themes woven into this episode, but one of the most noticeable is the situation between the Federation and the Romulan Empire and how it parallels the constant game of brinksmanship the United States was waging with the Soviet Union in the 60s. (I don’t think it’s a stretch to suggest that there’s an allusion to the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.) And I like the way the comparison is made without bludgeoning the audience. It’s a good example of why Roddenberry created Star Trek, he wanted to talk about current issues (and the human condition in general), but he wanted to do so through science fiction rather than outright punditry. Another issue this episode deals with is racism, which was a major issue in the 60s (and still is, unfortunately). Lieutenant Stiles is prejudiced against the Romulans because several of his family members were lost in the Romulan War. This is understandable, if unacceptable, but he transfers this bigotry to Spock when they learn that the Romulan and Vulcan races are related. Kirk reprimands him for it, in a nice show of personal loyalty to Spock, but Stiles doesn’t come around until Spock saves his life at the risk of his own. The lesson may be a little overt, but it is well taken and it was just as important then as it is now.

In the end, the underlying theme of this episode is arguably the cost of war. The Romulans needlessly lost an entire ship and crew, and the young Enterprise officer who was going to get married (just before the battle started) dies manning a phaser station. Kirk tells his fiancée, “It never makes any sense.” It never has, it doesn’t now, and it never will.

Next time: “Shore Leave”

Posted by John Knowles at 05:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After "The Menagerie," we make a decidedly different turn to The Conscience of the King (Original air date: 12-8-66). First off, I hadn't seen this one in a while, but remembered enough of it to be wary of revisiting. When I was growing up, this was a bit of a snoozefest for me primarily, as Eric has pointed out that it really isn't science fiction at all. I think I actually appreciated it more now than before. There are some ideas expressed in this episode that are important, such as the revelation that Kirk was present on a colony where there was a mass slaughter and the placing of the often-told Nazi hunter character onto Kirk.

We also get another situation that pits Kirk against Spock. Kirk is going underground in pursuit of Karidian, including taking the Enterprise off course. This scenario will be brought back in the episode, "Obsession."

Highlights: I liked Kirk in this show. He gets to be a slightly more complex character, especially when he seduces Karidian's daughter to get close to him (some of the back and forth flirting is pretty silly though). He is obviously attracted to her, but in the end plans to use her to accomplish his goals. He also expresses a truly thoughtful side when he ponders whether or not Karidian is the man he's after. Kirk really seems to be conflicted when he considers that the man may not be the mass murderer he's looking for instead of just pushing blindly ahead. The actor playing Koridian does a nice job, dramatic, but appropriate. I was also glad to see Kevin Riley return and wish they'd found a way to make more use of him. Finally, there's a short scene where McCoy is drunk in sickbay and tries to get Spock to join in.

Lowpoints: The character of Lenore is really overdone, IMO. The dramatic scenes she's in had the tendency to make me giggle. I blame the acting as well as the writing. And, the superimposing of the Shakespearean elements onto the story are heavy-handed at times.

So, a bit of an oddball episode, but it does have some good qualities.

And now, Eric:

This will be a short review—I think Doc, Andy, and I had a good discussion of this episode in our podcast. And, more to the point, “The Conscience of the King” isn’t one of my favorite episodes. It’s not that there’s anything glaringly wrong with it: the story and direction are both good, the production values are decent, and the acting is reasonably good too. The problem is that this episode isn’t science fiction or Star Trek; it’s Star Trek does Shakespeare. The plot, characters, and even the title are all Shakespearean, and as such, they work pretty well. Lenore has interesting elements of both Lady Macbeth and Ophelia, and Anton Karidian is basically an amalgam of Lear and Macbeth. All well and good, but “The Conscience of the King” is a story that could’ve been done by any TV drama. Star Trek is at it’s best when it does stories that can only be told through science fiction, and we’ll see some great examples of this in upcoming episodes.

Next time: “Balance of Terror”

We've added our latest podcast, "The Briefing Room" to this entry. It's a long one, but we had Eric participating as well.

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Posted by John Knowles at 12:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

And now we get to The Menagerie (Original air dates: 11-17-66 and 11-24-66). The drink this time is a gin Martini (in recognition of the line, "who wants a warm Martini?").

This episode an unusual one. It's the only 2 part episode done for the series. While future Trek series would expand the multi-part format further (DS9, in particular), having a 2 parter was pretty new at the time. According to what I have read, this one was come up with due to the fact that production was falling behind at the time and NBC needed more content. Roddenberry got creative and reused the old rejected pilot, "The Cage" and built a frame story around it with the current cast. I have to wonder if this kind of thing had ever been done like this before. The effective reuse of another episode shows some very original thinking.

The situation in which this episode was produced could have easily resulted in a throw-away show to get around the problem. One Next Generation episode (end of season 2, IIRC) did something like this, but the result was extreme lameness. Truly a fine example of a weak clip show. This episode is anything but a tossed-off effort. Roddenberry constructs a compelling story that not only integrates the material from the old pilot, but even manages to further develop the Spock character. This episode really builds the foundation of Spock's enduring loyalty to his captain(s). The drama of the court martial is well paced and really builds the mystery of the Talos IV world. Kirk gets some good scenes in this one where he grapples with Spock's mutinous actions. Shatner manages a good mix of anger and hurt betrayal when he confronts Spock. The Mendez character makes a good foil for Kirk and serves to keep the story moving.

The core material used from "The Cage" is well-chosen. I've seen the uncut version of the episode and they seemed to have picked the more significant portions of the show. I won't spend a lot of time talking about this material since we're going to review "The Cage" later. One of the things that is fun about this episode is being able to compare the original cast to the more familiar one. At first glance, Jeffrey Hunter's Captain Pike is different from the familiar Kirk, but his character is actually more similar than I used to think. If Shatner has an old-school style of acting, Hunter is even more in this camp. It isn't really fair to compare Roddenberry's first captain character attempt, but Pike always comes off as a bit stiff. One of the characters I always enjoy from this early effort is the doctor, a proto-McCoy, if you will.

So, this one overall holds up very well for me and is perhaps better than I remember.

And now Eric's take:

Before I start this review, I should note that I have a cat in my lap “helping” me, so this will no doubt be the best review I’ve done…

When I was much younger, the only way I could see Star Trek was to catch it in reruns. (Yes, I lived in the time before VCRs.) Of course, there was no way to control which episodes were shown, so I was particularly thrilled when I got to see “The Menagerie.” I think this was because I saw it as a chance to step back into the future history of Star Trek, where there’s an earlier captain and crew (except for Spock) and the Enterprise is visibly different. Besides that, it’s just a good episode: It’s unique among original Star Trek episodes, and it features not just one, but two wonderfully imaginative science fiction stories where we get to see some great character development.

“The Menagerie” is unique because it is the only two-part episode in the original series, and as far as I know, it is the only television show that has managed to televise an unaired pilot as an integral part of a different episode. The unaired pilot I refer to is, of course, “The Cage,” Gene Roddenberry’s first pilot that was rejected by the NBC studio execs as being too “cerebral” and not having enough action. I’ve never been able to understand these criticisms, but I admire Roddenberry’s ingenuity in getting his original pilot aired (indirectly at least) over the protests of the studio pinheads. Of course, the official story is that there was a budget crunch, so Roddenberry had to use whatever footage he had to his best advantage. Hence, a two-part episode that incorporated an edited version of “The Cage.”

So from a production standpoint, “The Menagerie” is unique, but what really makes it a standout episode among original Trek episodes is that both “The Cage” and “The Menagerie” are excellent examples of imaginative science fiction. I won’t go into an analysis of the “The Cage” right now, (Doc and I will address it once we finish reviewing all three seasons of classic Trek) but there is much to say about “The Menagerie.” First, it is remarkably clever. It is a good story in its own right, but Roddenberry, who wrote the episode, managed to work most of “The Cage” into the narrative without it seeming contrived. There is also a nice element of suspense: Why is Spock so intent on taking Captain Pike to Talos IV? Why would the Talosians want a human who is a complete invalid? And will Spock be executed for violating General Order 7?

These are all interesting questions, but I feel obliged to voice one other nagging question I’ve never been able to reconcile—why didn’t Spock simply do a mind meld on Pike to find out what he wants and what he’s thinking? Someone once suggested, in a fan magazine, that it was because too many of Pike’s nerves had been damaged by the radiation he’d endured. I find this hard to accept, however, because it doesn’t explain how the doctor’s able to tap into his brain so that Pike could signal yes and no.

In any case, what to me overrides any flaws like this is the character interaction and development in this episode. Spock’s concern for Captain Pike is touching, and we quickly discover that his loyalty to Pike is so strong that he’s willing to risk his life for his former captain’s welfare. This is the first time the audience really gets to see the extent of Spock’s loyalty and how complete his integrity is. And it is not just Spock’s loyalty we see exemplified— both Kirk and McCoy, despite being confused and angry at his behavior, stand by him. These character traits are central to the theme and tone of the entire series and will play a decisive role in many later episodes.

Finally, “The Menagerie” concludes on a positive note of redemption, even for the seemingly malignant Talosians, who turn out to be quite compassionate. And that’s really the basis of this episode: compassion, loyalty and friendship. But it’s couched in a fascinating story about the power, and danger, of illusion. Only in science fiction…

Next time: “The Conscience of the King”

Posted by John Knowles at 07:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This time, Andy and I tackle "The Ultimate Computer."

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Posted by John Knowles at 12:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I took my end-of-Summer hiatus and now we're back with The Corbomite Maneuver (11/10/1966). The drink: Johnnie Walker Green Label.

Eric gets to go first this time:

Tonight’s episode, “The Corbomite Maneuver,” is the first production episode (after the two pilots), and it remains one of the better original Trek episodes. The character interaction is well done, Kirk is in fine form as a tactician, the underlying theme is meaningful, and the story is good, imaginative science fiction.

I may have mentioned this in an earlier review, but McCoy, Spock, and Kirk have often been referred to as the heart, mind, and soul of Star Trek (with McCoy being the heart, Spock the mind, and Kirk the soul). This may sound a bit trite, but after watching Trek for as long as I can remember, I find it accurate, and this episode brings out these qualities quite nicely—Spock provides Kirk with the intellectual analysis he needs, and McCoy is the advocate for the human side of the equation (which is exemplified by the way he stands up for Lt. Bailey). Kirk, of course, personifies Star Trek’s spirit of exploration and adventure, and he eloquently sums this up when he addresses the crew after Balok’s threat of destruction. (Two notes: Balok was played by a young Clint Howard, the younger brother of actor/director Ron Howard; and Kirk’s address strongly reminded me of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first inaugural address when he said “…the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”)

Another aspect of this episode I find very appealing is Captain Kirk’s inspired improvisational tactics (i.e. his use of the mythical “corbomite”). Again, I probably mentioned this in an earlier review, but Roddenberry modeled Kirk after C.S. Forester’s Horatio Hornblower, the brilliant fictional commander in the British navy during the Napoleonic wars. Hornblower is portrayed as a superbly creative, if unorthodox, tactician who always finds a way to overcome his adversaries. Sound familiar? But this is at the core of Kirk’s character, and it’s one thing that makes him so admirable. To paraphrase McCoy (in Star Trek III): Kirk always takes a deadly situation and turns it into a fighting chance to live.

So enough about the characters, the theme of this episode is that we shouldn’t fear the unknown. And we see this fear personified in Lieutenant Bailey. He is frightened of Balok’s warning buoy and wants to destroy it immediately. And later, when faced with the much greater threat of Balok and the Fesarius, he loses it (at least for a while). Then we discover that Balok is not only harmless, he’s actually friendly. So all is well with the Enterprise and her crew. But you don’t have to dig very far to find a subtle message to the Vietnam era audience that once you get to know them, there’s really no reason to be afraid of, and hate, all those strange Asian people with their strange Asian cultures.

Finally, the basic story in “The Corbomite Maneuver” is good science fiction. Granted, an encounter with a strange alien life form is hardly a unique basis for an SF story, but it’s the imaginative approach I find so captivating. What is the First Federation? Are there other ships like the Fesarius? Does Balok have compatriots, and if so, where are they? What’s all that space in Fesarius used for? In short, this story did a good job of evoking a sense of wonder. And to me, that’s what science fiction is all about.

Eric really nailed it on the head with the great characters and classic Trek ideas. Shatner plays Kirk just right in this one with the correct mix of military macho and contemplation. Nimoy does Spock a bit on the aggressive side, but seeing as this was one of the first episodes produced after the pilots, this is totally understandable. The one character I get a bit tired of is Lt. Bailey. I appreciate the reason for his character as the part of the inexperienced crew. A bit of Bailey is actually standing in for the audience, in a way, those of us who would be scared shitless at a giant alien ship with a disembodied head (a simple effect that always creeped me out growing up) and impressive voice counting down the minutes to our annihilation. My only problem with him is that he comes off a bit too whinny. No big deal. The suspense is built very nicely as Kirk struggles to come up with a tactic to save the ship. You just can't beat the whole Trekian ideal of friendly aliens who are just messing with us humans for, well, interstellar peace!

Besides the alien head effects, there's the huge lightbulb-filled alien ship, which looks very cool when it approaches and dwarfs the Enterprise. Some very efficient use (including camera angles and lighting) of limited effects. The suspense is build very nicely as Kirk struggles to come up with a tactic to save the ship.

That's about all I have to add to Eric's excellent review. Besides, I want to get to the next episode, "The Menagerie."

Posted by John Knowles at 07:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Check it out, Andy and I have done our first podcast for the episode, "This Side of Paradise." Yes, I know we're going out of order! It's geeky, dorky, and something indescribable. We had fun recording it, so I'm sure there'll be more.

Download the Podcast!

Posted by John Knowles at 10:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tonight's episode: Dagger of the Mind (11/3/1966). The drink: Scotch (Glenfiddich 12 year).

Well well well, another show devoted to science gone awry. This time, the Enterprise visits an asylum run by the famous Dr. Adams. Adams has supposedly revolutionized the treatment of the criminally insane. Fair enough, he has indeed. The writers were trying to make a statement about the misuse of medicine for "legitimate" purposes. After all, the Neural Neutralizer is really a high tech lobotomizing machine. Just a causal look at the patients in the place makes this clear. There is some dialogue at the beginning of the show where clearly McCoy and Kirk clearly are having some form of debate on this topic. It sets up the show well.

When the crazed Van Gelder shows up (in a painted cardboard box), be shifts the center of the attention to his character. After all, playing a crazy man gives an awful lot of dramatic license to an actor and he takes full advantage. The potential menace of him is clear, yet the character gives you just enough to wonder if something odd is going on. The most important thing that happens in this episode is the first Vulcan mind meld between Spock and Van Gelder. Certainly one of the highlights of the episode.

Besides Van Gelder, we have the Adams character. He's pretty well played, particularly at the beginning where he's covering up the problems at the facility. Adams is slippery as well as charming. The only thing I question is how he thinks he's going to get away with using this thing long-term. Particularly after he tortures Kirk in it; it's not like no one's going to notice him either missing or being a mental case.

Other stuff: The Dr. Noel is a mixed bag for me. On one hand, she turns out to be a somewhat strong female character. For example, she sneaks into the engineering section and ends up killing one of the station security guards. On the other hand, her introduction where she tries to embarrass Kirk in the transporter room makes her seem very unprofessional. In the beginning, she just comes off as an naive ditz. However, she's actually quite attractive and has a slight wardrobe malfunction (sorry!) where you see her underwear through her uniform. Okay, so that was a sexist/objectification comment...bye bye credibility!

And now, Eric:

I’ve got iTunes playing as I start writing. Stevie wonder is singing “Sir Duke,” so it’s an auspicious beginning to tonight’s review of “Dagger of the Mind,” which is a decent original Trek episode. Upon rewatching it, however, I was struck by its similarity to “What are Little Girls Made Of.” In fact, the plot is basically the same with the exception that “Dagger of the Mind” deals with mind control, instead of life extension, via technology. I didn’t think about it until Doc and I started doing these reviews, but those two topics are common, in one form or another, not only in Trek but also science fiction in general.

One little note about this episode is that Simon Van Gelder (played by Morgan Woodward) must have a close cousin in Starfleet, because he bears a remarkable resemblance to Captain Ron Tracey of the U.S.S. Exeter. (See “The Omega Glory.”)

Another note that Doc will probably mention is that this episode features the first instance of Spock performing a “mind meld.” I seem to remember hearing, or reading, that Leonard Nimoy came up with the mind meld, but that may be apocryphal. He did invent the “V” shaped Vulcan salute, which was taken from a gesture he saw a Rabbi make, and he also suggested the Vulcan nerve pinch. But I digress—back to the episode.

As I mentioned in an earlier review, I’m not an expert on 60s culture, but there does seem to be a fascination, perhaps a preoccupation, with issues like mind control and brainwashing. I have to wonder if this isn’t due, in part at least, to a lingering fear of some of the more insidious programs of this nature that were undertaken by Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan during World War II. There were movies around that time, like “The Manchurian Candidate,” that dealt with this subject, and it was also the subject of some original episodes of “The Twilight Zone” and “The Outer Limits.” In any case, the World War II connection makes sense, since Gene Roddenberry was a World War II vet. (He was a bomber pilot stationed in Europe.)

Finally, I found the “romance” between Kirk and Dr. Noel a bit ridiculous, but overall, the episode was well-acted. Morgan Woodward did a good job with Simon Van Gelder, and I liked how James Gregory kept Dr. Adams’ sinister nature from being too overt or overdone.

So, overall “Dagger of the Mind” is one of the better original Star Trek episodes.

Next time: “The Corbomite Maneuver”

Posted by John Knowles at 12:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Today's episode: Miri (10/27/1966). The drink: a rye Manhattan (very tasty).

When I was growing up, I used to think the episodes where they visited "alternate Earths" (yes, there was more than one) were kinda cool. Maybe I latched onto the idea of seeing our world in a different state or something. Nevertheless, it was intriguing, in a post-holocaust kinda way. Now, I understand their need to have a story that allowed the use of existing studio backlot space and costumes, but did they really need to have it be a planet that was identical to Earth? It seems a bit silly and unnecessary, considering they didn't have the time to actually explain it.

Bonk Bonk!

Once we get past that premise, the mystery of why the adult population is all dead is interesting and has some degree of suspense as the landing party begins to contract the disease. The part of Miri (Kim Darby) is well acted and the mob of small children is actually somewhat menacing at times. Check out the part where one of the kids gives Kirk a good whack with a hammer or when the kids shower Spock and the Red Shirts with rocks in an alleyway. The subplot of Miri having a crush on Kirk is kind of sweet, but could also be interpreted as icky. Shatner does attempt to make it as sensitive and un-creepy as he can, despite the obvious problem with the script. Of course, one of the funniest things in this one is where Kirk yells out, "No more BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!" Classic...and speaking of amusing things, there's the line where McCoy snarks about never having seen a worse collection of bad architecture. This almost seems a dig at the fact that they were shooting on a generic studio backlot with its inevitable collection of differing styles, like the building front that looks like a stable from a western. And this is supposedly the 1960s on this planet...right.

The writers were, besides trying to save money, attempting to interject a message about the dangers of medicine going too far to prolong human life. I find it interesting that this episode ran right after "What Are Little Girls Made Of," which also has a similar idea about using technology to cheat death. I doubt there's any real connection there; the network people probably didn't give anywhere near that much thought to what order the stories should go. In the end, while this one has its moments, it really feels compromised on a number of levels.

And now, hello Eric!

This is going to be a shorter review, primarily because “Miri” is not among my better liked original Star Trek episodes. It’s not a complete bomb—the basic story premise is interesting—but the execution leaves something to be desired.

Doc and I actually had a brief chat about this episode and agreed that a major flaw is the “duplicate Earth” plot device. Not only is it a lazy way to reduce production costs (no special efforts for art direction or special effects), but it’s also ridiculously implausible. I’m sure that if the entire (presumably infinite) universe was the search base, there would be a possibility of finding an exact duplicate of Earth somewhere. In our own galaxy, however, the odds have to be so astronomically slim that it’s, for all intents and purposes, impossible. And it’s hard to be a self-respecting viewer and accept this kind of disregard for science. That’s not to say that Star Trek hasn’t frequently played fast and loose with science, but I find this instance particularly annoying.

One thing I did like about this episode was Kim Darby’s performance— she did a convincing job despite being much too old for the role of Miri. Michael Pollard, who played Miri’s friend Jahn (the ringleader of the kids) did a good job as well. He was also too old for his role, but in both cases, their acting was good. It occurs to me, though, that one reason their performances stand out is that the rest of the acting was pretty much underwhelming.

My final complaint has to do with the relationship that was portrayed between Kirk and Miri. It appears that Kirk was using her and the fact that she had a crush on him, which would be despicable if she were a grown woman, but the fact that she was an adolescent girl makes it particularly reprehensible (and slimy). I may be misinterpreting what was portrayed, but even if that’s the case, I still found Kirk’s interaction with Miri unsavory.

But that’s enough criticism. Even Shakespeare had flops.

Next time: “Dagger of the Mind”

Posted by John Knowles at 11:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Tonight's show, What Are Little Girls Made Of? (10.20.1966). Tonight's drink, vodka and lemonade (sorry no real connection there).

First, Eric's review:

“What Are Little Girls Made Of?” is another original Trek episode I’ve always liked. It has a claustrophobic feeling that I find appealing, and the director did a good job of immediately conveying, and maintaining, a feeling that things aren’t quite right. In that respect, it reminds me of John Carpenter’s remake of “the Thing.” The story is also good science fiction, but it occurs to me that the theme of a civilization moving underground (by choice or due to necessity) is hardly original. It was used in other original Star Trek episodes, including the first pilot, “The Cage,” and it was originated, as far as I can tell, by H.G. Wells in his story “The Time Machine.” So what is it about living underground that appeals to science fiction writers? It provides a good way of analyzing how humans are affected by being deprived of open spaces, sunlight, and natural surroundings. And this is an interesting ponderable (given that the human race evolved under such conditions), but there must be more than that. Any ideas, John?

Anyway, another reason I like this episode is the character Ruk. He looks outlandish, maybe even campy, but Ted Cassidy did a great job with the role. Ruk is immensely old and there’s a wonderful sense of menace and mystery about him. In fact, the mysteries hinted at in this episode are probably a major reason I like it. Who were the “old ones” Ruk refers to? How long ago did they live? What were the circumstances surrounding their extermination at the hands of their android servants? (Hmm, is it just me or does that sound a bit like the new Battlestar Galactica?)

McCoy was absent, but the interaction between Kirk and Spock is great. (Shatner does a good job—no overt overacting.) What I like best is the way Kirk deduces what’s going on, and, as he’s being duplicated in android form, intuits how to tip off Spock. And Spock, of course, picks up on the clue immediately.

Now to be fair, there are several reasons that I like this episode, but there is one problem I noticed—a main plot point is that nurse Chapel is searching for her lost fiancé, whom she is still very much in love with. In production order, however, this episode comes after “The Naked Time” in which she confesses her love for Spock. So is she totally fickle, or does she just conveniently forget about loving Spock when her fiancée turns up alive?

Finally, we’re left with the idea that machines cannot have emotions and feelings as humans do. There is something special about inhabiting a human body that cannot be transferred to or duplicated in an artificial life form. (This is an issue that will be dealt with both in later episodes and in The Next Generation with Data.) I have to wonder if this isn’t a product of the zeitgeist of 60s, but I’m not an expert on 60s culture. I do know that the question of whether or not machines can be alive, or sentient, or have feelings or a consciousness like humans is a very common one in science fiction. It is interesting, however, that this episode purports that androids can’t have feelings because Gene Roddenberry created Data who obviously could feel emotions (once he had an emotion chip). Roddenberry also has said that transferring a human consciousness into an android is a viable alternative to living in a human body and that it would be possible to have sensation and feelings in such an existence. This would seem to be an inconsistency, but then again, it’s a complex issue—one science fiction is uniquely well-suited to examine. (Take that you literary snobs!)

Hi, I'm back!

I believe this episode marks the first time that Trek dealt with the robots/computers replacing humans idea. I'm sure Eric can refresh us all on the "robots are people too" canon of sci fi literature, but much of this has been at least written before. That is, the loss of "humanity" when machines become a replacement for us. Throw in a dash of good old mad scientist and mix in some drama with the TOS cast, and you have this episode. This one was better than I remember, on the whole. I think at the time, the ideas expressed must have been somewhat novel to the TV audience. The acting is decent and Kirk has finds some clever ways out of situations. Some observations:

Ted Cassidy (he also played Lurch in the TV Addams Family), who played the android Ruk, is great. He might be my favorite thing about this one. Not only is he a giant and has that growling deep voice, but the way he's made up makes him look like some freaky undead-like guy. The eyes alone do the trick.

How about that giant turntable with the paper mache' "blank" android? They really do whip them up fast (maybe Dr. Soong from TNG should have checked this place out). Speaking of Kirk's double, couldn't they have found a closer double for him? There's one scene where you see that back and it's obviously not him.

What a dramatic ending! Kirk, for the first time, convinces a machine that it needs to commit suicide (along with his girlfriend). Rinse, repeat.

Speaking of firsts, this marks the first episode where guys wearing read shirts get offed.

And finally, how about the android Andrea's (Sherry Jackson) outfit? Thus begins a long tradition of scantily-clad alien/robotic women and you can even see her nipples on this one (probably not noticed by the TV audience at the time).

Eric asked me to comment about the "aliens moving underground" theme. The only thing I can think of is the perhaps unconscious (to the writers) ideas in the 60s about the cold war and the fear of nuclear holocaust. The example that comes to mind is "Dr. Strangelove." Particularly, when they're talking about having to move the survivors underground. The cold war had a pronounced effect on many science fiction writers (obviously, Trek is loaded with examples).

Posted by John Knowles at 11:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Tonight's episode: Mudd's Women ( Original air date: 10-13-66). Tonight's drink: who the hell knows, something involving Sprite and watermelon Pucker. In a sense, the choice of drink, while seemingly gross and random, actually has a symbolic connection to the episode. On one hand we have the lively effervescence (the Sprite) of the Harry Mudd character. On the other hand, we have the lemon-lime flavor mixed with an over-sweet fake watermelon flavor (rendering the drink a pale pink) clash that represents the ideas in this story. When I ponder this episode, I vacillate between thinking the show is trying to make a forward-thinking social statement about drug dependency and "just being you" and thinking that it's a clumsy attempt to make the statement that beauty is only skin-deep. Oh, and along the way, reinforce conventional stereotypes about women and their role in society (in the 60s).

Or, let me steal a quote from the Star Trek website comment section: "What's not to like about an episode in which the Enterprise is taken over by an insane pimp and his three junkie whores?" Crap, I wish I'd come up with that very amusing and accurate statement about the episode (there's even a shot of his police record where it mentions psychiatric treatment). This one, in some ways, is more satisfying than Charlie X in that the cringe-inducing moments are balanced by a smattering of good acting and funny situations as the crew is knocked for a loop by their hormones, not to mention some 60s-sounding pseudo-lounge music that accompanies the women as they swing their hips down the Enterprise corridors (I also couldn't help but notice the very obvious ass camera shots -- I've recently learned that this was edited out of the syndicated TV cuts). I've always enjoyed the appropriately slimy Harry Mudd character, well played by Roger Carmel, and the Eve character actually has a small amount of development. However, too many things in this one bug me. Maybe it's the fact that some of the ideas haven't aged well.

A few other issues:

What's with Uhura wearing a yellow uniform; was she afraid of being the first red shirted character to be killed? At the end of the episode where Eve swallows the placebo drug, how does she instantly don makeup and restyle her hair (looks like she also had a facial)? For that matter, how does a drug do those things?! Yeah, yeah, I know Roddenberry was going for the idea that attractiveness is at least partially dictated by self-attitude, but because they really went overboard making the women look unattractive, the "transformation" seems really contrived, even within the context of this story. And finally, why weren't the bridge crew giving Spock a hard time about "noticing" the women? There are scenes where he certainly looks interested. Oh yeah, he only notices the "interesting qualities" of Kirk (sorry, couldn't resist!)! So, that's my take on this one. If someone wants to point out something I'm missing about this one, I'm certainly open to alternate opinions...

And here's Eric:

Original air date: 10-13-66 Today’s date: 8-2-07

I’ve always liked “Mudd’s Women,” largely, I think, due to the fact that Harcourt Fenton Mudd (dontcha love the name) is a fun character, and the late Roger C. Carmel did a great job in the role. The scenes with the male crew members going hormonal over the three women were also amusing (although I’ll bet the female crew members didn’t appreciate it). I also loved the scene where McCoy has one of the women in sickbay for an exam: “I wouldn’t trust my…judgment.” Right Doc. And I liked the fact that Kirk apologizes to Scotty for getting snapping at him. It’s little touches like these that really help flesh out characters, and it does much for making Kirk likable.

One problem I have with this episode is that it uses the “crisis with the engines that results in a race against time” plot device for the second time in the series, but it was only the fourth episode produced. It worked in story, but it was a definite harbinger of that particular plot device being badly overused. This episode also had a very noticeable (somewhat off-putting) 60s sensibility with regards to sex roles, but the story was written by Gene Roddenberry, who was known for being lecherous. And keep in mind that the distaste for 60s sexism is from a 40-years-later perspective. In 1966, the viewing audience probably didn’t bat an eye.

Finally, the moral of the story, that you can be anything you want as long as you believe in yourself, is perhaps a little too blatant, but at the same time it’s positive and life-affirming, which is sadly missing in much of our entertainment these days.

Next time: “What Are Little Girls Made Of”

Posted by John Knowles at 10:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tonight's episode, The Enemy Within, tonight's drink, a Moscow Mule (no particular reason other than it's a good Summer drink).

All right, we all know the drill. A transporter accident creates two Kirks: one good, one evil. If there is one episode you'd want to pick to most effectively torture someone who despises Shatner's acting, this would be the one (okay, there may be one more...). To give him credit, he does manage to play the split personality role with a great amount of contrast between the parts. He really pulls off the part of the character that is horrified by the side of himself he's forced to see and the loss of his command abilities. There is some good acting (I do have an appreciation, in the right context, for Shatner's acting) and even a bit of uncharacteristic subtlety. But my god, when he goes into "evil" mode, he goes for the dramatic jugular! I had forgotten how, shall we say, enthusiastically gets into the part. He must have had a ball wandering down the Enterprise deck swilling the bottle of brandy with a distinct swagger. That reminds me, my favorite line from this one has to be, "I said, GIVE ME THE BRANDY!" Now, why McCoy is the designated liquor distributor on board, I have no idea. Shatner's performance isn't helped by the goofy camera angles and other "differences" placed on the evil Kirk. The production team wanted to be absolutely sure everyone at home knew when the bad Kirk was on screen. Just look for Shatner with lots of sweat and eyeliner! OK, so some of the camera angles are fun, but they went a bit overboard on the rest.

One of the other notable things about this one is watching Spock figure out what's going on and how he helps Kirk deal with it. Despite the fact that he comments about his logic seeming insensitive, sensitivity is exactly what he's expressing in his own way. It can be called loyalty, duty, or logic, but there is no doubt that the Spock character feels for Kirk's situation. This is also the first time McCoy utters the words, "he's dead Jim" (in case Eric forgets to mention it).

I haven't talked about the music yet, so this seems like a good time to mention it. If you look at TOS as a whole, the music is memorable, but often gets overlooked. It was typical of television during that time period (and still might be true today) in that there were sections of music written for the show, which were reused throughout the series (The Twilight Zone is a prime example of this method of using a "stock library" of musical cues). They didn't have the resources to have new scores written/recorded for each episode. TOS had, particularly once it was going, a collection of cues that were used where appropriate. However, in the beginning, there wasn't much repetition and I heard something in the score for this episode I don't remember elsewhere. During the scene in sickbay where Kirk is trying to figure out how to cope, there is a fairly nice cello solo in the score. I'm sure it was used again, but seemed awfully particular to this scene. I've always liked the music in TOS. Sure, it was bombastic and cliched, but it had real character and seemed better than other TV shows had. The composers who wrote for the show definitely had an old school style (old school Hollywood) of writing. It's also the only Trek show in which the music left any real impression on me. The later shows, whatever their strengths, didn't have memorable music.

A couple of other things: For many years, I've always wondered why they just didn't send the shuttle down to fetch the landing party? Oh yeah, because they hadn't introduced the shuttle (coming soon!) yet. One thing I never thought about before was the scene where "evil" Kirk stalks Yeoman Rand (poor Janice Rand, some creep is always stalking her!) and attempts to have his way with her. There is definitely an intent to rape here and I'm a bit surprised that NBC would have let it on the air. It's kind of disturbing; he's got her on the floor and ready to go, but oh wait: this is the Evil Kirk...never mind. On that note, how about the end of the episode where Spock turns to Rand and makes a comment to her about the evil Kirk having "certain qualities?" So Spock is implying that women are attracted to that side, eh? An interesting observation coming from him.

And now, Mr. Shipley:

Now for “The Enemy Within.” This episode has the interesting, but highly improbable, premise that a transporter malfunction splits Capt. Kirk into two versions of himself—one with the “good” part of his psyche and the other embodying the “evil” part. But before I get to my review, the nerd in me has to point out that the transporter can’t make value judgments and therefore wouldn’t have been able to discern between the “good Kirk” and the “bad Kirk.” A transporter malfunction (as was graphically demonstrated in “Star Trek: The Motion Picture) wouldn’t have been polite enough to simply split Kirk into two living, physically complete beings; if he was lucky, it would’ve simply turned him into an unconscious pile of unappetizing goo.

But I quibble. The point of this episode is to examine the function and importance of the positive and negative aspects of the human psyche. And it does this very well. Shatner effectively differentiates between the way each half behaves--good Kirk is compassionate and intelligent and unafraid, but he’s also mild and unable to summon the strength and decisiveness necessary for command. Evil Kirk, on the other hand, is plenty decisive and strong, but he’s also brutal and aggressive and ultimately, cowardly. (Unfortunately, Shatner overacts the Evil Kirk scenes. It still works within the context of the episode, but I can’t watch this episode without remembering one time when my wife and I were watching this episode with Doc and his wife, Shades, and she commented: “Gee, Evil Kirk sure does sweat a lot!”) In any case, Shatner’s portrayals serve to underscore the conclusion that both Spock and McCoy come to, which is that the negative part of ourselves is necessary to our strength and force of will and that, as McCoy admonishes, it’s not really ugly, it’s just human. And later, ever the humanist, McCoy also points out that the intelligence of the “good” half is where our courage comes from. These differences are brought into even sharper contrast in the scenes where Good Kirk confronts Evil Kirk (which are pretty cool scenes). The scenes between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are also well done--their concern and compassion for their friend is genuine and touching.

So in the end, after observing how Kirk’s two halves fail to be able to function on their own, we see the inescapable reality that the “good” and “evil” parts of the human psyche need each other if we’re to live and function as humans. Of course, the unspoken corollary is that these two halves must balance each other. And therein lies the rub…

Next time: “Mudd’s Women”

Posted by John Knowles at 11:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tonight we have one of better shows of the run: The Naked Time. I poured myself a single malt Scotch (Macallan 12) for this one which seemed appropriate. After all, this is pretty much an episode where half the crew gets sloshed and the first episode aired that gives Scotty something real to do.

Most of you probably know this one well so I won't waste much time on the particulars. The real highlights of this one for me include:

1) Spock breaking down and having a good cry in the briefing room. This is really an important episode for the Spock character. For the first time, we really get in on the nature of his personality and the constant conflict between his human and Vulcan sides. Nimoy really gets to act out in this one. Even Shatner's soliloquy where he goes on (and on) about his relationship with the Enterprise doesn't stand up to Nimoy letting it all hang out (well, as much as he can). This episode sets up a lot of future character development. I am going to take advantage of revising my post after reading Eric (dirty pool, I know!) and make the comment that I think the intoxication idea is spot on. To paraphrase the guy who wrote this one, it was drunkenness without the stumbling around. Spock is in an artificially hyped state and Kirk...well, I'll agree with you on that. Crap, I just realized I'm arguing in favor of overacting! Shatner is doing his usual and I'll leave it at that.

2) Sulu gets to do something fun. Normally, he sits at the helm and says, "aye sir!" Well, not this week! The scenes where he rampages through the ship, sans shirt, with a fencing sword are especially amusing. You can really tell that George Takei was having a great deal of fun doing those scenes.

3) The introduction of time travel as a story device. Even though it's tagged on at the end, the fact that they wrote time travel (not a new concept in science fiction, even then) into the show at that early stage was further evidence that this show, unlike most that had come before, was going to try to handle real sci fi concepts.

4) Last, but certainly not least, Lt. Kevin Riley. Riley does show up unexpectedly in one more show, but I always liked him as a character and wished they'd found a way to use him somehow. His drunken Irishman routine is hilarious (funny, I just realized that Riley is actually acting alchohol-drunk...appropriate I suppose). The bit where he shouts, "one...more....time!" and Kirk says, "please not again," is just classic. "I'm sorry, but there'll be no ice cream for you tonight."

Other than the above, the show moves along with great pacing and real suspense, despite the comic relief sprinkled throughout. It's a rare episode that manages to do this balancing act so well. I could go on and one about this, one of my favorites. And hey, it gave us the line, "I can't change the laws of physics."

Additional note: One of the things I've really enjoyed on the DVD sets has been the original broadcast teaser trailers. They're remarkably well edited and lacking the exaggeration and outright distortion of the plot that typically characterize TV show promotional material. I haven't watched all the bonus material on the set yet, but so far, the trailers are the best of the lot.

And now Eric's section:

So, our next Star Trek episode is “The Naked Time.” I’ve always found this episode to be something of a mixed bag. The premise was interesting--it was basically a vehicle for character development, but it served that purpose quite well. We finally get to meet Scotty and see him actually doing something. (He’d been absent since a very brief appearance in the second pilot.) Nurse Christine Chapel also made her first appearance, so with this episode, all of the original cast (except Chekov, who joined the cast and crew in the second season) is in place.

In addition to presenting the entire crew for the first time, this episode gave some nice character moments. Sulu as a revolutionary French swashbuckler was great. And Lt. Riley (in one of his two appearances in the series) provided good comic relief, although I don’t think I want to hear the ballad “Kathleen” ever again. All of the characters, in fact, were in fine form, and it was interesting seeing some of their hidden insecurities and passions laid bare. For instance, Nurse Chapel’s unrequited love for Spock is introduced (and will be further developed in later episodes). We also see the depth of Kirk’s passion for his ship and Spock’s anguish over being able to feel but not show love. These interludes are revealing, but they’re also where I have problems with this episode. Leonard Nimoy is a fine actor, but I wasn’t impressed by his portrayal of Spock having an emotional breakdown. It just wasn’t convincing. And I found Kirk’s discourse on love to be overdone. IMO, both performances needed to be more subtle and restrained. Then again, according to Dr. McCoy, the effects of the “infection” were supposed to be like those of alcohol intoxication, and I don’t recall ever encountering a drunk who is either subtle or restrained.

So, despite a few annoying flaws, this episode succeeded admirably in providing a great deal of character development very economically, and it also set up some story threads that would be used to good effect in later episodes.

Next time: “The Enemy Within”

Posted by John Knowles at 11:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Today, we have Charlie X.

Since Eric got his review done first, I figure it should go first in this post:

Original air date: 9-15-66

As I begin writing this, a cat is perched on my shoulder and Steely Dan is playing on iTunes. All in all, good conditions for reviewing our next Star Trek episode, “Charlie X.” This was the eighth episode produced and the second episode aired. Like “The Man Trap,” it’s not one of my favorites, but it is definitely a good episode. The basic plot of the story is reminiscent of the original Twilight Zone episode “It’s a Good Life;” a kid has lots of nifty super powers but little self-control or discipline (as tends to be the case with kids) and thus causes big problems for the grown-ups around him. And the subject of “Charlie X,” one 17 year-old Charles Evans, does indeed cause problems for Kirk and company, including the destruction of a survey ship and its crew. But it’s hard to view Charlie as villain, largely due to the sensitive and sympathetic portrayal of Charlie by Robert Walker Jr. He’s just a confused kid. For the last 14 years, the only company he’s had has been the incorporeal aliens who gave him his powers. Naturally, he doesn’t know how to relate to other humans, especially women, and he has no clue about functioning in human society. This affords an excellent opportunity to examine the experience of growing up and navigating the trials and travails of life as a human being.

Kirk and the crew do their best to help Charlie learn what he needs to know, particularly Kirk and Yeoman Janice Rand, and this results in some excellent scenes. One of the best is when Charlie gives Janice a playful swat on the rear end. She, of course, is not appreciative, which makes for a very amusing scene. But what I enjoyed even more than this interchange is Kirk’s awkward attempt to explain to Charlie why swatting women on the butt is a no-no.

Shortly after this is another memorable scene that takes place in the rec room. This is one of the few times in the series where Uhura sings. And despite the mildly overwrought nature of her performance, it is a good scene, particularly due to her interaction with Spock. She even gets him to smile. This is something of a dramatic reversal from the harangue she gives him in “The Man Trap,” which makes me wonder if the producers weren’t laying the foundation for a romance between these two. I haven’t read or heard anything to indicate that this was ever planned, and I doubt that it would’ve been approved by the network, so I’m guessing it was just a way to show the camaraderie amongst the crew. (On a personal note, I have heard Nichelle Nichols, the actress who portrayed Uhura, sing live. She really has a great voice, and she used to sing with Duke Ellington’s band!) Okay, back to the review.

Throughout the episode there is a minor theme of McCoy trying to pawn off the “father figure” job on Kirk. It was well-done, and amusing, but I don’t understand why both of them were so adamant about not wanting to fill this role. Maybe they both thought they wouldn’t be able to do a good job, but when it gets thrust on him, Kirk does very well: “Charlie, there are a million things in this universe you can have, and there are a million things you can’t have! It’s no fun facing that, but that’s the way it is.” This whole scene, where Kirk gives Charlie the condensed version of Life 101, is oddly touching, perhaps because Kirk is sympathetic to Charlie’s anguish and admits he’s just as subject to the realities of life as everyone else.

The scene with the chess game is a good one too. It gives a good sense of the friendship between Spock and Kirk. And Spock’s interaction with Charlie is classic. Nimoy did a brilliant job (not just in this scene) of subtly conveying how intelligent and perceptive Spock is. Absolutely nothing gets by him, and he’s utterly logical about applying his deductions. This saves the day on many occasions, but it also drives McCoy nuts. And speaking of that, the Spock-McCoy feud is clearly evident in this episode, maybe for the first time. I remember reading that this relationship wasn’t planned, but the chemistry between Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley brought it out, and Roddenberry let the writers and actors run with it.

So by the end of the episode, we’re left with Charlie suffering from a healthy dose of adolescent hormones and an unrequited crush on Janice Rand. This is a perfectly understandable situation, given that Charlie is a young human male, but young human males (and we all should be fervently thankful that this is the case) typically do not have super powers at their disposal when they vent their frustrations. Fortunately, in something of a Deus Ex Machina, the same aliens who gave Charlie his powers return take him back to their planet so that he won’t cause any more trouble. It’s a better conclusion than Kirk having to kill the boy, but Charlie’s poignant plea to be allowed to stay reminds us he’s just a kid trying to fit in and make his way through the minefield that is life.

I'll be upfront about this: this isn't one of the worst episodes, but it may be one of the ones I would be least likely to just sit down and watch. Some of it is cringe-inducing, but some of it is actually decent. It isn't campy and silly enough to be entertaining, but isn't all that great either. Eric did a really nice job pointing out the positive aspects of it. I would disagree with him about Robert Walker's performance (and they really should have gone easy on his eye makeup!). Some of it just comes off as grating and it made it difficult for me to find his character very sympathetic, which is necessary for the conclusion to work. All things being equal, when Charlie gets taken back to the alien world, we should feel kinda sorry for him as it sounds like a lonely place for a human. I've always thought that the appearance of the alien, just a basic visual projected effect, was a bit creepy. But when this scene comes up, all I can do is think how glad they all are to be rid of him. I also got the impression that some of the dialog about Charlie's adolescent issues was grafted into the script from some psychology textbooks.

There were things in this episode I enjoyed, such as the amusing awkwardness in which Kirk goes about explaining how things work to Charlie. A piece of choice dialog: "There's no right way to hit a woman." I also felt the Kirk/Spock chess game was a great scene. As far as Uhura's singing goes, it did indeed come off like a bit of flirtation with Spock and hey, he did smile! Of course when Spock starts playing that autoharp with knobs instrument, all I could think of was a certain third season episode....but we'll be getting to that.

Next up: "The Naked Time"

Posted by John Knowles at 11:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As you may notice, it's around Midnight as I begin posting this installment. I wanted to begin while the show was still fresh and yes, I resisted the temptation to drag out the projector and watch my faded 16mm print!. The Man Trap: this episode kicked off the run of the show when it premiered on NBC in the Fall of 1966. I was a bit mystified as to why they began with this one, but it actually does a decent job of introducing the characters, particularly Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, who gets to be the one who has to kill a monster that still has residual personal attachment. Sure, it isn't quite the same as Kirk killing the super-charged Gary Mitchell, but it's still a bummer. McCoy is his folksy self, but a bit subdued (Spock hadn't gotten on his nerves yet) as well as a pretty sensitive character. We actually learn quite a bit about Spock in this episode, in particular, that his blood is different than humans (a fact that, IIRC, saves his ass in a later episode too). There's also this interesting exchange between him and Uhura at the beginning where it seems as though she's really giving him a hard time, messing with him if you will. Either that or she's a really unprofessional officer! I feel like Spock is finally settling in as a character here. Kirk, considering it's the first time he's shown, isn't really given background, but his style and personality are readily apparent. Remember how I talked about Spock being the security toughie in "Where No Man..."? Well, Kirk reclaims it here. He plays it a bit like a combination sea captain and police detective.

You know, this really isn't far off since this episode is really, story-wise, a suspense/horror show. You've got a mystery, people being killed, and a monster. Funny enough, none of the crewmen killed had red shirts (a later development I suppose)! Shatner really gets into the cop mold when he's interrogating Professor Crater (seems like an unfortunate name for an archeologist) and, as another review I saw of this pointed out, he really does one impressive scream. The guy who played Crater was actually pretty good, even if he seemed at times to be a poor man's Spencer Tracy.

Story-wise, I liked this one a fair bit. It had some good pacing and suspense and a monster that still looks pretty creepy. One thing I noticed about the monster (I don't think it was given a name) was that it looked a bit like the Morlocks from the 1960 The Time Machine film (OK, so the Morlocks had beer bellies!). Still, a great effect, especially since you don't see it until the end of the episode.

And now we hear from Eric:

Ah, more Trek talk. And this time it’s “The Man Trap.” As established in the last review, this episode was not the pilot, but it was the first episode aired, so it served as the pilot. As such, I’m not sure how well it succeeded. Some regular characters, such as Scotty and Nurse Chapel, weren’t even seen. This can be forgiven, however, since it was the sixth episode produced and was never intended to serve as the pilot.

So, was it a good episode? Yes. It’s not one of my favorites, but it was still good. The acting and directing were solid and given the time and budget, the special effects were reasonably good. Most importantly, the story was good (if somewhat plagiarized). But before I talk about that, a few observations: First, I really noticed Shatner’s opening narration (“Space: the final frontier…”), probably because it was absent in “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” I also noticed that the red uniforms had been introduced by the time this episode was produced, but there was no “curse of the red shirt” (i.e. a crewman wearing a red uniform wasn’t automatically a walking corpse). In fact, the two crewmen who bought the farm were wearing either blue or tan uniforms. And speaking of uniforms, if you look closely, you can see some of the older uniforms from the first and second pilot. You can also see a female crewperson in pants instead of the inspid miniskirt. This might be a continuity problem or simply an example of Starfleet’s inefficiency at implementing dress code changes. Also, when Dr. Crater is shooting at Kirk and Spock, he has an old-style phaser from the pilots, which makes perfect sense--he’s been on this planet for years, largely cut off from “civilization,” so he’s not going to have the latest equipment. And finally, there was some significant character development evident in this episode. Kirk has more swagger and cockiness than in the second pilot or the first episodes that were produced, and I tend to think that this was due more toWilliam Shatner than the writers and producers. Roddenberry had conceived Kirk as a character very similar to C.S. Forester’s Horatio Hornblower (who was neither swaggering nor pompous), but from what I’ve gleaned from various sources, Shatner exerted a significant influence away from this (especially later in the series). Spock too is much more characteristically logical and unemotional than in earlier episodes and the pilots, and I suspect this is simply a result of Leonard Nimoy and the writers having a better handle on the character. But enough observations--on to the story…

I’ve seen this episode dozens of times, but upon rewatcing it for this review, I was amazed to make a connection I never saw before: its plot is very similar to that of the 50s SF movie “The Forbidden Planet.” If you haven’t seen this movie (and you should), it’s set about 300 years in the future and deals with a military spaceship from Earth that’s traveling to a colony on a distant planet to check up on the colonists. The ship arrives and is promptly rebuffed by the presumptive leader of the colony, Dr. Morbius. The Captain insists on landing, and to make a long story short, they discover there’s a monster loose on the planet that wreaks havoc on the ship and crew. Sound familiar? But the episode isn’t completely plagiarized. There are several significant differences. For example, there is a love interest in both stories, but in “The Man Trap” it’s between Dr. McCoy and Dr. Crater’s wife, Nancy. In “The Forbidden Planet” the love affair is between the Captain and Morbius’ daughter. And to me, the most important difference is that the monster in “The Forbidden Planet” is a genuine monster. The “monster” in “The Man Trap” turns out not to be a monster at all, merely a starving, intelligent creature (the last of its kind) that’s trying to survive. So, it is both regrettable and sad when it is killed. And it’s this genuine pathos that ultimately makes the story and episode a success. Although I have one nagging question: At the end of the episode, why didn’t Spock or McCoy stun the creature instead of killing it?

Next time: “Charlie X”

Posted by John Knowles at 11:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Is this name, "TOS Rewind," too lame? Well, feel free to suggest something else, but for now I'm going with it. As I said before, Eric and I are going to watch the entire run of Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) in the next few months (or however long it takes) and write about each episode. So, let's get rolling with our first show, Where No Man Has Gone Before (for a synopsis, click here).

Here's Eric's section:

Hey there. Just a quick personal background before I talk about the original Star Trek episode “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” I’m Eric Shipley. Doc Dregs and I have been friends since high school (about 23 years), and we share a die-hard affection for original Trek, so he invited me to participate in his reviews of the original Trek episodes. Coolness, so here we go…

Doc and I agreed to review the episodes in broadcast order, but we decided it would be best to start with “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” which was the second pilot for the series. Gene Roddenberry (Star Trek’s creator and executive producer) filmed his first Start Trek pilot, titled “The Cage,” and submitted it to the network (NBC). It was rejected because it was, as the network execs reportedly put it, too intellectual and didn’t have enough of an action/adventure element. They were, however, impressed with some aspects of the episode (e.g. it made them feel like they were looking into a working starship), and on that basis, they commissioned a second pilot. So, Roddenberry retooled the cast (Spock was the only character to make the cut), and filmed “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” which was written by Samuel Peeples and directed by James Goldstone. The network pinheads were satisfied and gave Star Trek the green light, although “Where No Man Has Gone Before” was not aired as the pilot. “The Man Trap” and “Charlie X” were aired first and “Where No Man Has Gone Before” was the third episode the network broadcast. Why? Your guess is as good as mine, but Doc and I decided it would be best to review WNMHGB first given that it has some fundamental differences from the rest of the series: the uniforms and sets are the same as those from “The Cage,” and there are some cast differences such as Sulu being in the Astrophysics department (rather than at the helm) and Dr. Piper being the ship’s surgeon instead of everyone’s favorite country doctor, Leonard McCoy.

So, with that bit of exposition out of the way, here are my thoughts about “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” (Was that a sigh of relief I heard?!) I’m assuming that Doc has provided a synopsis of the episode, so I’ll jump in with my impressions. First, it’s good SF. Only in science fiction can you examine human nature by having people with latent psionic abilities bestowed with god-like powers through exposure to an energy field at the edge of the galaxy. (Some people call this corny or idiotic. To me, it’s wonderfully imaginative.) This episode is also good Trek, but it’s noticeably different from the Trek that would go on to capture the imaginations of millions. The “Age of Aquarius” sentiment isn’t evident, although the way the episode is written doesn’t leave much opportunity to bring it out. The close friendship between Kirk and Spock is clearly nascent, and the chemistry of the Kirk-Spock-McCoy triumvirate is missing (and missed). One thing that really struck me, though, is the serious tone of the episode. There are a few lighter moments, but overall, it’s very somber. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate this and much prefer it to the campy tone of some of the later episodes.

What puts this episode in the ranks of the best original Trek episodes, however, is that in the best tradition of Star Trek (and any good story), underneath it all is a thought-provoking theme or question, in this case: What happens when a man has limitless power thrust upon him? And as it turns out, the answer this episode offers is both an indictment and a vindication of the human spirit. Gary Mitchell is consumed by his powers and comes to exemplify the old adage about absolute power corrupting absolutely. Dr. Dehner, on the other hand, is possessed and corrupted by the same powers, but she, at Kirk’s eloquent, impassioned plea, lets her humanity win out and, at the cost of her own life, buys Kirk time to fight Mitchell. Ultimately, it’s Kirk’s resolution of the conflict between his compassion for his friend and his responsibility to civilization that saves the day, but it’s a close thing. He very nearly lost (on more than one occasion), because he was reluctant to do what he knew was necessary, i.e. kill Mitchell. The point, though, is that in the end, he did what he had to do. So, the human spirit wins out, but not without some bumps and bruises (and deaths). Both Kirk and Dr. Dehner found the strength to do what was right, but it wasn’t easy for them, and this adds a satisfying touch of reality—doing what’s right is rarely easy and can be extremely difficult. And in a way, even Mitchell is vindicated when, as the episode closes, Kirk observes: “He didn’t ask for what happened to him.”

Wow, thanks a lot for that Eric. Eric has such a vast head of knowledge on all things Trek and I appreciate him filling in a lot of the background details on this episode. It's important in this particular episode since it feels a little bit off and always has to me. When I say that, I mean that it doesn't quite fit. This is all quite normal for a pilot (or a second pilot), but as Eric pointed out, it was not shown first in the run of the show. That's pretty strange and must have been a head scratcher for the TV audience who'd already been introduced to the characters. I'd love to hear an explanation for that programming choice! To be fair, TOS doesn't really have a traditional "intro" episode where the characters and overall story are introduced. If you want to see a pilot really nail the whole show introductions job well, watch the pilot for Freaks and Geeks; it's amazingly well covered for a 45 minute episode.

The story: Eric already said it, this subject is classic sci fi; humanity colliding with or encountering powers beyond our control. Beyond the central idea expressed in the story, this show also introduces us the some of the "mechanics" of the Trek environment in a fairly economical way. The transporter is used and the concept of warp drive is introduced when Kirk explains how far out they really are when their faster-than-light (spool up the FTL Drive!!! ... sorry, random Battlestar reference) drive is knocked out. Beyond what was said before, I remember noticing that near the end of the episode, when Kirk and Mitchell are having their showdown, Shatner really has this expression on his face that says, "crap, this isn't going to work, is it!" It's a nice touch considering how often Kirk is so confident in later shows. Of course this is part of his central makeup, but it widens the character just a tiny bit. One point, after Mitchell and Dehner have their battle of lightning zaps, Kirk could have just burned him down with the phaser rifle, but instead begins a fistfight, the first of many. I'm sure they felt it had to be in there to sell the show (such action was missing from "The Cage"), but it seems rather odd in a way. After all, at that point, wasn't Kirk pretty sure he needed to kill Mitchell?

The main characters in this episode are given space to do their thing. The non-McCoy doctor isn't given much to do (some of his job seems to be done by the Dr. Dehner character), which is just as well given that he's a stand-in. Sally Kellerman, who also played "Hot Lips" in the MASH film, actually has a pretty good role in this show. I didn't used to think much of her performance, but it's actually fairly sensitive to the material and well acted. Gary Lockwood gets to do something here that he didn't get to do in 2001, play a real character. I'm sure he's done other things, but those two titles are going to be what people remember. Sure, he overacts a bit, but hey, he thinks he's a god...who wouldn't overact! I found it fun to watch Nimoy's protoSpcok in this episode. Sure, some of what the character was to become was there, but he comes off as a bit of a badass Science Officer/First Officer/Security Officer. He's really the one with "Balls of Steel" (hi Scott!) in this episode: "kill him, while you can." Don't believe me? He's the one that makes sure a big-ass phaser rifle gets sent down and is basically doing what Worf might do in Next Gen. The Captain Kirk character is surprisingly well formed in this first episode which tells me two things: One, Roddenberry had the character down from the outset. Two, Shatner made Kirk. This sounds obvious, but it bears repeating. Whether or not you like the character of Captain Kirk, Shatner was a big part of what it was and it's made plain watching the very first minutes of this episode.

Other stuff: I'm really glad they changed Nimoy's eyebrows! The sets look pretty much like recycled ones from the first pilot, "The Cage." However, there are some differences which make the ship sets look like an odd hybrid of the earlier ones and the ones used throughout the run of the show. I'm so glad they ditched the goose-neck lamp-looking things on the bridge and changed the uniforms. Now, we all know this show was ahead of its time as far as social issues go, but there is still some sexist stuff in this one. OK, I could write entries just about this topic, so I'm not going to mention every single instance of stereotyping, but there's a scene in this one where Mitchell complains about Dr. Dehner being assigned to observe him (some line about there being more "pretty girls" on board). Kirk's response, "consider it a challenge!" Hmm, Ok.... All in all though, this one still really works for me. It seemed better than I remember. As Eric said, it has a somber tone and is kind of a downer (Kirk has to kill one of his friends) and the show actually conv