Stardate: 3417.3
Quick Summary: The Enterprise arrives at Omacron Seti 3 expecting to find no survivors from an agricultural colony, except the settlers are all alive and in perfect health even though there's no other animal life on the planet. The secret is the the spores of a certain plant which make everyone exceedingly lovey-dovey, so much so that the Enterprise crew slowly becomes infected and has a mutiny against Kirk, refusing to go back to the ship. Kirk eventually discovers that getting in touch with one's emotional anger snaps them out of the spore-induced hypnosis, so he ticks off everyone and thus all is right with the universe again.
Review: Eh. I'm starting to dread these everyone-gets-hypnotized-or-goes-insane episodes. They come across as silly rather than sci-fi.
I still can't figure out why Kirk was the only person not infected by the spores. Was this explained and I just missed it? Maybe next time I'll slow down on the beer as I watch. The episode also feels like it was filmed entirely in a public park. Or in someone's backyard.
It's only saving grace are a few standalone scenes that make you say "Wowsers": Kirk and Spock getting into a fistfight! Spock's ex-girlfriend Layla gazing at the sky and saying "I've never met a dragon", to which Spock deadpans, "I have. On Baron Garius 7". That's just delicious. Also, McCoy's horribly over-the-top Southern accent. And Spock admitting that he has another name, but that "you couldn't pronounce it".
Otherwise, we were going nowhere in a hurry. Kirk's big "maybe we weren't made for paradise" speech at the end seemed to contrived. Like the rest of it.
Throwaway episode.
Review: 2 stars
Episode 24: A Taste of Armageddon
Stardate: 3192.1
Quick Summary: The Enterprise arrives at star cluster NGC-321 to make contact with the planet Ameniar 7, but as they approach it they receive a message that under no circumstances are they to proceed. Starfleet Ambassador Fox insists they do so anyway, and once Kirk and a landing party beam down they are immediately taken hostage. They learn that the Amenians have been at war for 500 years, but it's not real war, just "mathematical attacks" after which people must enter disintegration chambers to die. It's a computer simulation, but people really die, with the point being that civilization continues on. Long story short, Kirk destroys the war computers, forcing the two sides to enter peace negotiations in order to avoid real armageddon.
Review: You can feel this episode just oozing Cold War politics. Computer simulations of Mutually Assured Destruction also has us modern viewers drawing analogies throughout to the movie War Games from the 1980s starring Ferris Bueller.
How about a nice game of chess?
Anyway, Scottie takes the great leap forward here, sporting some serious testosterone. Scottie, what do you say we try some diplomacy? - "The best diplomat I know is a fully active phaser bank!". YEAH! "Well, Scottie, now you've done it." - "Aye, now the hagas is in the fire for sure!". Spock continues to surprise us as well, at one point controlling a guard's mind through a wall, and using some mad Vulcan trickery: "Sir, there is a multi-legged creature growing on your shoulder"... and - Ba-Bop! - gives him the Vulcan neck pinch. Sucker.
But this episode is a quality one for several reasons. First, the writers are truly mastering the art of The Bad Guy. Just like with Khan in the previous episode, Anon 7, the leader of the Amenian High Council, is fantastic and riveting and makes you willing to look past the super-obvious Cold War references. Also, the humanity-has-to-fight-its-killing-instinct message is oversimplified, but the real underlying message, questioning the "better" methods of death during wartime, redeems it with a great layer of complexity. Finally, building upon that last point, it's hard to root for Kirk when he says, "I've returned to you the horrors of war". On the surface that appears a horrible thing to have the show's hero say, yet in context, even if you still disagree, it somehow manages to take on a different meaning.
Review: 4 stars
Quick Summary: The Enterprise arrives at star cluster NGC-321 to make contact with the planet Ameniar 7, but as they approach it they receive a message that under no circumstances are they to proceed. Starfleet Ambassador Fox insists they do so anyway, and once Kirk and a landing party beam down they are immediately taken hostage. They learn that the Amenians have been at war for 500 years, but it's not real war, just "mathematical attacks" after which people must enter disintegration chambers to die. It's a computer simulation, but people really die, with the point being that civilization continues on. Long story short, Kirk destroys the war computers, forcing the two sides to enter peace negotiations in order to avoid real armageddon.
Review: You can feel this episode just oozing Cold War politics. Computer simulations of Mutually Assured Destruction also has us modern viewers drawing analogies throughout to the movie War Games from the 1980s starring Ferris Bueller.
How about a nice game of chess?
Anyway, Scottie takes the great leap forward here, sporting some serious testosterone. Scottie, what do you say we try some diplomacy? - "The best diplomat I know is a fully active phaser bank!". YEAH! "Well, Scottie, now you've done it." - "Aye, now the hagas is in the fire for sure!". Spock continues to surprise us as well, at one point controlling a guard's mind through a wall, and using some mad Vulcan trickery: "Sir, there is a multi-legged creature growing on your shoulder"... and - Ba-Bop! - gives him the Vulcan neck pinch. Sucker.
But this episode is a quality one for several reasons. First, the writers are truly mastering the art of The Bad Guy. Just like with Khan in the previous episode, Anon 7, the leader of the Amenian High Council, is fantastic and riveting and makes you willing to look past the super-obvious Cold War references. Also, the humanity-has-to-fight-its-killing-instinct message is oversimplified, but the real underlying message, questioning the "better" methods of death during wartime, redeems it with a great layer of complexity. Finally, building upon that last point, it's hard to root for Kirk when he says, "I've returned to you the horrors of war". On the surface that appears a horrible thing to have the show's hero say, yet in context, even if you still disagree, it somehow manages to take on a different meaning.
Review: 4 stars
Episode 23: Space Seed
Stardate: 3141.9
Quick Summary: The legendary episode with Khan. Need I say more? The Enterprise finds the S.S. Botany Bay - a spaceship from Earth in the 1990s - drifting in space with all its crew in a state of suspended animation. They re-animate Khan and bring him aboard the Enterprise. He and his crew were tyrants who sought to take over the world during the Eugenics Wars - products of a movement to improve the human race through selective breeding - and Khan et al are the genetically superior Supermen. Naturally, Khan attempts to take over the Enterprise, manages to capture its crew, and re-animates his fellow tyrants, but with a little trickery and betrayal on behalf of Lieutenant MacGyvers, Kirk is able to defeat Khan in hand-to-hand combat with little more that a plastic broken-off knob. Kirk then maroons Khan and his men to the planet Seti Aplha 5 in order to keep them out of trouble. Cue the movie credits.
Review: It's basically impossible to review this episode with an open mind. I'm way too emotionally invested in what is perhaps the greatest science fiction movie of all time to see things clearly.
That said, it's a shame Chekhov hasn't yet debuted on the show - "Botany Bay? Botany Bay? OH NO!!!". It's also quite surprising how easily Kirk defeats the physically superior Khan with a simple tool in his hand. It was very anti-climatic considering the 45-minute lead-in about what Khan was capable of. And who knew that the Vulcan neck pinch worked so easily on the Supermen? Wouldn't that elevate Vulcans to such a status?
If you haven't seen this episode (or haven't seen it in a while) what really stands out is how the storyline truly isn't anything special nor are larger philosophical issues explored. Instead, the entire episode, start to finish, is singularly propelled forward by the mere force and intensity of Khan's character alone. His performance is breathtaking. And that may be the first time I've ever used that adjective in real life. And, to be honest, I feel kinda weird about it.
In the closing scene, when Kirk maroons the Supermen on Seti Alpha 5, Spock asks "What seed have you planted today?". We all know the answer. It's just worthy to observe that, in this case, the seed pales in comparison to the spawn.
Review: 4 stars
Quick Summary: The legendary episode with Khan. Need I say more? The Enterprise finds the S.S. Botany Bay - a spaceship from Earth in the 1990s - drifting in space with all its crew in a state of suspended animation. They re-animate Khan and bring him aboard the Enterprise. He and his crew were tyrants who sought to take over the world during the Eugenics Wars - products of a movement to improve the human race through selective breeding - and Khan et al are the genetically superior Supermen. Naturally, Khan attempts to take over the Enterprise, manages to capture its crew, and re-animates his fellow tyrants, but with a little trickery and betrayal on behalf of Lieutenant MacGyvers, Kirk is able to defeat Khan in hand-to-hand combat with little more that a plastic broken-off knob. Kirk then maroons Khan and his men to the planet Seti Aplha 5 in order to keep them out of trouble. Cue the movie credits.
Review: It's basically impossible to review this episode with an open mind. I'm way too emotionally invested in what is perhaps the greatest science fiction movie of all time to see things clearly.
That said, it's a shame Chekhov hasn't yet debuted on the show - "Botany Bay? Botany Bay? OH NO!!!". It's also quite surprising how easily Kirk defeats the physically superior Khan with a simple tool in his hand. It was very anti-climatic considering the 45-minute lead-in about what Khan was capable of. And who knew that the Vulcan neck pinch worked so easily on the Supermen? Wouldn't that elevate Vulcans to such a status?
If you haven't seen this episode (or haven't seen it in a while) what really stands out is how the storyline truly isn't anything special nor are larger philosophical issues explored. Instead, the entire episode, start to finish, is singularly propelled forward by the mere force and intensity of Khan's character alone. His performance is breathtaking. And that may be the first time I've ever used that adjective in real life. And, to be honest, I feel kinda weird about it.
In the closing scene, when Kirk maroons the Supermen on Seti Alpha 5, Spock asks "What seed have you planted today?". We all know the answer. It's just worthy to observe that, in this case, the seed pales in comparison to the spawn.
Review: 4 stars
Episode 22: The Return of the Archons
Stardate: 3156.2
Quick Summary: The Enterprise is in search of the crew from a long-lost ship on planet Beta 3, but while on the planet they discover a population of brainwashed zombies who occasionally also party and riot like there's no tomorrow. They're under the control of a godlike creature named Landrew who either kills or "absorbs" people in order to maintain peace on the planet, bringing them as one into "the Good of the Body". But Kirk and Spock are helped by an underground resistance and track Landrew to his lair where they discover he's little more than a powerful computer, programmed to protect "the Good", so Kirk and Spock convince it that through its actions it is now harming the Good, rather than protecting it. The computer can't process such paradoxical thoughts, so it explodes.
Review: Whew, where to begin? Religious overtones, political philosophy, zombies, and partying at Festival all accounted for. The language is so frustratingly cryptic for the first 30 minutes... "If you did not go to Festival then you are not of the Body", "The Good is All", "You will be absorbed into the Unity of Good", etc. When Festival begins and the women are kissing and trying to jump Kirk's bones and one guy screams out, "FESTIVAL! FESTIVAL!", man did I want to go to Festival!
The entire episode is a mystery that unravels slowly so that only by the end do you know what's going on. Yes, Landrew is The Lawgiver and everything he does is to protect the peace and keep at bay the "ancient evils" of violence - to "Preserve the Good" - but when he asserts that "the infection [of the Enterprise crew's ideas] are strong; for the good of the Body you must die", Landrew raises an entirely new specter of political thought regarding individualism versus the State. Spock interprets this as meaning that "the Good of the Body" equates to free choice and individual creativity, thus Landrew's argument that he carries out his actions stamping out individualism in order to preserve the Good is nullified. "Preserving the Good" has a whole new meaning, and Landrew runs counter to it.
If you're scratching your head reading this, rest assured, so am I, and I wrote the darn thing. It's a mind-scrambler, but it does make sense. The really cool idea is that there is no Landrew, thus what does this say about legions of people following imaginary rules and imaginary rulers who enforce them, both in this episode and in reality as well?
The endnote is pitch-perfect. Spock wonders aloud how long humanity has desired a peacemaker like Landrew. Kirk replies, "A long time. We're just lucky, I guess".
This episode will fill your brain with a million references to larger ideas, which is its strength. If only the annoying crypticness didn't go on for so long.
Review: 3 stars
Quick Summary: The Enterprise is in search of the crew from a long-lost ship on planet Beta 3, but while on the planet they discover a population of brainwashed zombies who occasionally also party and riot like there's no tomorrow. They're under the control of a godlike creature named Landrew who either kills or "absorbs" people in order to maintain peace on the planet, bringing them as one into "the Good of the Body". But Kirk and Spock are helped by an underground resistance and track Landrew to his lair where they discover he's little more than a powerful computer, programmed to protect "the Good", so Kirk and Spock convince it that through its actions it is now harming the Good, rather than protecting it. The computer can't process such paradoxical thoughts, so it explodes.
Review: Whew, where to begin? Religious overtones, political philosophy, zombies, and partying at Festival all accounted for. The language is so frustratingly cryptic for the first 30 minutes... "If you did not go to Festival then you are not of the Body", "The Good is All", "You will be absorbed into the Unity of Good", etc. When Festival begins and the women are kissing and trying to jump Kirk's bones and one guy screams out, "FESTIVAL! FESTIVAL!", man did I want to go to Festival!
The entire episode is a mystery that unravels slowly so that only by the end do you know what's going on. Yes, Landrew is The Lawgiver and everything he does is to protect the peace and keep at bay the "ancient evils" of violence - to "Preserve the Good" - but when he asserts that "the infection [of the Enterprise crew's ideas] are strong; for the good of the Body you must die", Landrew raises an entirely new specter of political thought regarding individualism versus the State. Spock interprets this as meaning that "the Good of the Body" equates to free choice and individual creativity, thus Landrew's argument that he carries out his actions stamping out individualism in order to preserve the Good is nullified. "Preserving the Good" has a whole new meaning, and Landrew runs counter to it.
If you're scratching your head reading this, rest assured, so am I, and I wrote the darn thing. It's a mind-scrambler, but it does make sense. The really cool idea is that there is no Landrew, thus what does this say about legions of people following imaginary rules and imaginary rulers who enforce them, both in this episode and in reality as well?
The endnote is pitch-perfect. Spock wonders aloud how long humanity has desired a peacemaker like Landrew. Kirk replies, "A long time. We're just lucky, I guess".
This episode will fill your brain with a million references to larger ideas, which is its strength. If only the annoying crypticness didn't go on for so long.
Review: 3 stars
Episode 21: Court Martial
Stardate: 2947.3
Quick Summary: During a recent ion storm, crewman Ben Finney is killed, and Kirk is made to stand trial for playing a role in his death. The entire episode centers around the court trial, complicated by Kirk's amorous relationship with the prosecuting attorney, Ms. Shaw. The most damning piece of evidence is a computer recording that demonstrates Kirk's wrongdoing, but Spock discovers that the computer has been tampered with by none other than the dead man, Ben Finney, who's still alive and hiding on the engineering deck of the Enterprise! Needless to say, Kirk is acquitted of a murder that never took place.
Review: A few fun oddities here... Spock refers to himself as a "Vulcanian", rather than a Vulcan; McCoy is revealed to be an expert in "space psychology"; and Ms. Shaw's green and pink super-duper-psychedelic dress makes you think that the Austin Powers movies were playing down the styles of the times. Wow.
It's a little tough at first to get wrapped up in a plotline about whether or not Kirk jettisoned an ion pad while in yellow alert - HE DID WHAT?! - but the writers pull it off in the end with the twist of Finney, not only still being alive, but being the main antogonist trying to frame Kirk the whole time. Introducing the theme of computers not being infallible, and letting Kirk "face his accuser" (meaning, bringing the computer before the court for testimony) was also a worthy move. Nice rescue.
Review: 3 stars
Quick Summary: During a recent ion storm, crewman Ben Finney is killed, and Kirk is made to stand trial for playing a role in his death. The entire episode centers around the court trial, complicated by Kirk's amorous relationship with the prosecuting attorney, Ms. Shaw. The most damning piece of evidence is a computer recording that demonstrates Kirk's wrongdoing, but Spock discovers that the computer has been tampered with by none other than the dead man, Ben Finney, who's still alive and hiding on the engineering deck of the Enterprise! Needless to say, Kirk is acquitted of a murder that never took place.
Review: A few fun oddities here... Spock refers to himself as a "Vulcanian", rather than a Vulcan; McCoy is revealed to be an expert in "space psychology"; and Ms. Shaw's green and pink super-duper-psychedelic dress makes you think that the Austin Powers movies were playing down the styles of the times. Wow.
It's a little tough at first to get wrapped up in a plotline about whether or not Kirk jettisoned an ion pad while in yellow alert - HE DID WHAT?! - but the writers pull it off in the end with the twist of Finney, not only still being alive, but being the main antogonist trying to frame Kirk the whole time. Introducing the theme of computers not being infallible, and letting Kirk "face his accuser" (meaning, bringing the computer before the court for testimony) was also a worthy move. Nice rescue.
Review: 3 stars
Episode 20: Tomorrow is Yesterday
Stardate: 3113.2
Quick Summary: After being lured into the gravitational pull of a black star, the Enterprise is slung back through time to Earth in the late 1960s. After a U.S. Air Force pilot takes photos of the ship as a UFO, Kirk beams its pilot, Captain Christopher, aboard the Enterprise, potentially disrupting the space-time continuum. Things get further complicated when a reconnaissance mission to steal the photos from a military base goes awry and even more people become aware of the Enterprise and related suspicious activity. In the end, Kirk gets the photos and gets everyone back on board the ship, and Christopher and his hapless companion are returned to Earth safely, with no memory of the event, as the Enterprise hurtles back forward to the 23rd century.
Review: This is the first time we're introduced to time travel and not just encountering societies that resembles Earth at some point or another in its history. This is the real deal, slingshotting around the sun, back through time, ala the eventual fourth movie.
Captain Christopher is a solid character even before the twist at the end where, after having been seemingly cooperative, he suddenly holds Kirk at phaser-point threatening to tell the military everything. But he's authentic throughout and it's a shame they never reprised his role somehow in later episodes.
The space-time dilemma Kirk faces is deciding which is more disruptive to the timeline of history: Christopher returning with knowledge of the future or hundreds of Enterprise crew members living out the rest of their lives marooned in Earth's past. But isn't this the basic dilemma of every time travel story ever invented? This episode is well produced, and the time paradox is cool as always, but there's nothing more overly original going on here.
Review: 3 stars
Quick Summary: After being lured into the gravitational pull of a black star, the Enterprise is slung back through time to Earth in the late 1960s. After a U.S. Air Force pilot takes photos of the ship as a UFO, Kirk beams its pilot, Captain Christopher, aboard the Enterprise, potentially disrupting the space-time continuum. Things get further complicated when a reconnaissance mission to steal the photos from a military base goes awry and even more people become aware of the Enterprise and related suspicious activity. In the end, Kirk gets the photos and gets everyone back on board the ship, and Christopher and his hapless companion are returned to Earth safely, with no memory of the event, as the Enterprise hurtles back forward to the 23rd century.
Review: This is the first time we're introduced to time travel and not just encountering societies that resembles Earth at some point or another in its history. This is the real deal, slingshotting around the sun, back through time, ala the eventual fourth movie.
Captain Christopher is a solid character even before the twist at the end where, after having been seemingly cooperative, he suddenly holds Kirk at phaser-point threatening to tell the military everything. But he's authentic throughout and it's a shame they never reprised his role somehow in later episodes.
The space-time dilemma Kirk faces is deciding which is more disruptive to the timeline of history: Christopher returning with knowledge of the future or hundreds of Enterprise crew members living out the rest of their lives marooned in Earth's past. But isn't this the basic dilemma of every time travel story ever invented? This episode is well produced, and the time paradox is cool as always, but there's nothing more overly original going on here.
Review: 3 stars
Episode 19: Arena
Stardate: 3045.6
Quick Summary: When the Enterprise arrives at the Sestus 3 outpost, they find it destroyed by aliens who then flee. Kirk vows to make a showing of strength to prevent them from reporting that the sector is vulnerable to invasion, so he pursues them through space. Suddenly, both the alien ship and the Enterprise are stopped in their tracks, held paralyzed by the Metrons, an advanced species disgusted with the violence ensuing. As punishment, they send both Kirk and the alien captain, Agorn, down to a planet to fight mano-a-mano, weaponless, to the death. Kirk prevails through ingenuity, constructing a gunpowder-based projectile from surrounding minerals on the ground, but once victorious, refrains from killing Agorn, winning the respect of the Metrons.
Review: This episode is fantastic. The first half is permeated with mysteriousness; the second half defined by an epic battle. The larger theme... just how enlightened are humans in the 23rd century regarding violence, really?
This also happens to be the classic episode referenced in the film, Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. Kirk has his dramatic Emmy moment, looking down at the ground and speaking in monologue, "An incredible fortune in stones, yet I would trade them all for a hand phaser". This is outright delicious.
The greatest moment of all is when Agorn, the reptile alien, is first unveiled. My reaction was to get all riled up and adrenalized and think, "HECK YEAH!". Kirk notes that he must fight his instinct and remember that, despite appearances, this is still an intelligent, highly advanced creature. Uh huh. Clearly, he is simply justifying a horrendously bad costume that barely lets the actor inside of it move around. But this awful lizard costume really is emblematic of people's love for Star Trek: The Original Series. Some folks might turn off the TV as soon as Agorn appears, laughing at its ridiculousness, while others, like me, also laugh, but find it part of the charm of the series. I want more of this!
Review: 5 stars
Quick Summary: When the Enterprise arrives at the Sestus 3 outpost, they find it destroyed by aliens who then flee. Kirk vows to make a showing of strength to prevent them from reporting that the sector is vulnerable to invasion, so he pursues them through space. Suddenly, both the alien ship and the Enterprise are stopped in their tracks, held paralyzed by the Metrons, an advanced species disgusted with the violence ensuing. As punishment, they send both Kirk and the alien captain, Agorn, down to a planet to fight mano-a-mano, weaponless, to the death. Kirk prevails through ingenuity, constructing a gunpowder-based projectile from surrounding minerals on the ground, but once victorious, refrains from killing Agorn, winning the respect of the Metrons.
Review: This episode is fantastic. The first half is permeated with mysteriousness; the second half defined by an epic battle. The larger theme... just how enlightened are humans in the 23rd century regarding violence, really?
This also happens to be the classic episode referenced in the film, Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. Kirk has his dramatic Emmy moment, looking down at the ground and speaking in monologue, "An incredible fortune in stones, yet I would trade them all for a hand phaser". This is outright delicious.
The greatest moment of all is when Agorn, the reptile alien, is first unveiled. My reaction was to get all riled up and adrenalized and think, "HECK YEAH!". Kirk notes that he must fight his instinct and remember that, despite appearances, this is still an intelligent, highly advanced creature. Uh huh. Clearly, he is simply justifying a horrendously bad costume that barely lets the actor inside of it move around. But this awful lizard costume really is emblematic of people's love for Star Trek: The Original Series. Some folks might turn off the TV as soon as Agorn appears, laughing at its ridiculousness, while others, like me, also laugh, but find it part of the charm of the series. I want more of this!
Review: 5 stars
Episode 18: The Squire of Gothos
Stardate: 2124.5
Quick Summary: While approaching an unrecorded planet in the Star Desert, Sulu and Kirk vanish off the bridge into thin air. A landing party is sent down and not only do they find Sulu and Kirk frozen like waxwork figures, but also a 16th century scene complete with a decked-out General Trulane playing the piano like Beethoven. Trulane appears to be an all-powerful figure, holding the crew and the ship hostage, seemingly able to do whatever he wants at will. However, it soons becomes apparent that he's prone to immaturity and temper-tantrums, thus Kirk coaxes him into a swordfight and subsequent chase, only to have Trulane eventually reprimanded by his parents - two energy blobs - who apologize for indulging Trulane too much and allow the ship to continue on its way.
Review: Trulane is convincing and well-acted; we really can't tell the source of his power, lending the episode some welcome unpredictability. Just when you think the Enterprise has gotten away, the entire planet of Gothos itself comes hurtling fast on a collision course with the ship, forcing Kirk to stand trial and be sentenced to death by hanging. This is great stuff!
The finale where the two energy blob parents mystically appear and scold their spoiled child, telling him to "come inside" and that he won't be allowed to create planets anymore, doesn't seem to fit with the earlier storyline about how a machine behind the mirror is producing Trulane's powers. But whatevs. Evil machinations pulling the strings behind a magic curtain is too Wizard-of-Oz anyway, and entirely played out. I was glad the plot pivoted course.
Not much else going on here. Trulane's character was the clear highlight.
Review: 3 stars
Quick Summary: While approaching an unrecorded planet in the Star Desert, Sulu and Kirk vanish off the bridge into thin air. A landing party is sent down and not only do they find Sulu and Kirk frozen like waxwork figures, but also a 16th century scene complete with a decked-out General Trulane playing the piano like Beethoven. Trulane appears to be an all-powerful figure, holding the crew and the ship hostage, seemingly able to do whatever he wants at will. However, it soons becomes apparent that he's prone to immaturity and temper-tantrums, thus Kirk coaxes him into a swordfight and subsequent chase, only to have Trulane eventually reprimanded by his parents - two energy blobs - who apologize for indulging Trulane too much and allow the ship to continue on its way.
Review: Trulane is convincing and well-acted; we really can't tell the source of his power, lending the episode some welcome unpredictability. Just when you think the Enterprise has gotten away, the entire planet of Gothos itself comes hurtling fast on a collision course with the ship, forcing Kirk to stand trial and be sentenced to death by hanging. This is great stuff!
The finale where the two energy blob parents mystically appear and scold their spoiled child, telling him to "come inside" and that he won't be allowed to create planets anymore, doesn't seem to fit with the earlier storyline about how a machine behind the mirror is producing Trulane's powers. But whatevs. Evil machinations pulling the strings behind a magic curtain is too Wizard-of-Oz anyway, and entirely played out. I was glad the plot pivoted course.
Not much else going on here. Trulane's character was the clear highlight.
Review: 3 stars
Episode 17: The Galileo Seven
Stardate: 2821.5
Quick Summary: While on a relief mission to help plague victims on Machus 3, Kirk decides to investigate an unusual quasar-like formation named Murasaki 312. Problem is, the shuttlecraft he launches with Spock, McCoy, and five others onboard gets launched as a projectile directly into the quasar's center. The seven shipmates are missing, there's no way to find them, gigantic cavemen are trying to kill them, and Kirk is under orders to abandon the search after only two days. They get rescued at the last moment when Spock takes a gamble and jettisons the shuttlecraft's remaining fuel, creating a visible flare in space for the Enterprise to see and beam the crew back aboard just as they're about to be incinerated.
Review: For those of you with a Spock fetish, this one's for you. Unlike most of these early episodes that focus on Kirk, this one's all about Spock. Unfortunately, it's a little awkward at times. I get that the writers were trying to emphasize the point that Vulcans are logical, rather than emotional, but here they take it to extremes, and there's so much animosity towards Spock by the rest of the crew that you have to wonder when he became so cuddly and lovable, as we all know him to be. It sure hasn't happened yet.
Commander Ferris is Kirk's antagonist back on the Enterprise, and you honestly want to punch him in the face. He really serves no purpose other than to give Kirk some relevance in this episode. Meanwhile, the enormous cavemen throwing equally enormous spears are comical as bad guys, but we never get to learn more about them. Call me weird, but I like to indulge my curiosity when it comes to ridiculous B-characters. Why couldn't Spock anticipate their behavior through logic? Is it that they weren't primitive beings at all? And is it just a coincidence that they so strongly resemble my brother?
Anyway, the most interesting conflict presented is between Spock's tyrannical logic versus the majority will of the crew. What happens when logic does, indeed, conflict with majority will? How are such problems resolved in real life, absent a shuttlecraft in low orbit?
If only this were addressed, even marginally, in the episode's conclusion. A disappointment.
By the way, what in the name of Murasake 312 is "Space Normal Speed"???
Review: 2 stars
Quick Summary: While on a relief mission to help plague victims on Machus 3, Kirk decides to investigate an unusual quasar-like formation named Murasaki 312. Problem is, the shuttlecraft he launches with Spock, McCoy, and five others onboard gets launched as a projectile directly into the quasar's center. The seven shipmates are missing, there's no way to find them, gigantic cavemen are trying to kill them, and Kirk is under orders to abandon the search after only two days. They get rescued at the last moment when Spock takes a gamble and jettisons the shuttlecraft's remaining fuel, creating a visible flare in space for the Enterprise to see and beam the crew back aboard just as they're about to be incinerated.
Review: For those of you with a Spock fetish, this one's for you. Unlike most of these early episodes that focus on Kirk, this one's all about Spock. Unfortunately, it's a little awkward at times. I get that the writers were trying to emphasize the point that Vulcans are logical, rather than emotional, but here they take it to extremes, and there's so much animosity towards Spock by the rest of the crew that you have to wonder when he became so cuddly and lovable, as we all know him to be. It sure hasn't happened yet.
Commander Ferris is Kirk's antagonist back on the Enterprise, and you honestly want to punch him in the face. He really serves no purpose other than to give Kirk some relevance in this episode. Meanwhile, the enormous cavemen throwing equally enormous spears are comical as bad guys, but we never get to learn more about them. Call me weird, but I like to indulge my curiosity when it comes to ridiculous B-characters. Why couldn't Spock anticipate their behavior through logic? Is it that they weren't primitive beings at all? And is it just a coincidence that they so strongly resemble my brother?
Anyway, the most interesting conflict presented is between Spock's tyrannical logic versus the majority will of the crew. What happens when logic does, indeed, conflict with majority will? How are such problems resolved in real life, absent a shuttlecraft in low orbit?
If only this were addressed, even marginally, in the episode's conclusion. A disappointment.
By the way, what in the name of Murasake 312 is "Space Normal Speed"???
Review: 2 stars
Episode 16: Shore Leave
Stardate: 3025.3
Quick Summary: The Enterprise arrives at an uninhabited planet in the Amacron Delta region, looking to use the opportunity for some shore leave rest and relaxation. However, the initial landing party immediately encounters what are either bizarre creatures or outright hallucinations. It turns out that an alien people reside on the planet and read visitors' minds to manufacture whatever their imaginations dream up. Hence, shore leave for the Enterprise crew commences.
Review: I was rolling my eyes with dismay from the opening scene with a gigantic walking bunny rabbit before the opening credits even began. This was just atrocious. Quite possibly one of the worst hours of television ever produced. Ridiculous non-hallucination hallucinations included a swashbuckling Don Juan swordsman, a fighting samurai warrior, a jousting knight, dive bomber airplanes, a pride of Bengal Tigers (!), and more.
It was almost unwatchable, complemented even more with farcical music and a repeated poor-production-quality camera angle of a cheap radio antenna in the foreground as it read the crew's minds. It was so weak that I actually took note of the cool updo hairdo that Ruth was sporting. Seriously. A hairdo got my attention. Although one redeeming quality was watching McCoy get his flirt on, then get killed, only to eventually reappear alive with two scantily clad women on his hip at the end. Ooh la la!
As bad as it was, somehow I still got sucked in. Doh-god-I-love-this-series!
Review: 1 star
Quick Summary: The Enterprise arrives at an uninhabited planet in the Amacron Delta region, looking to use the opportunity for some shore leave rest and relaxation. However, the initial landing party immediately encounters what are either bizarre creatures or outright hallucinations. It turns out that an alien people reside on the planet and read visitors' minds to manufacture whatever their imaginations dream up. Hence, shore leave for the Enterprise crew commences.
Review: I was rolling my eyes with dismay from the opening scene with a gigantic walking bunny rabbit before the opening credits even began. This was just atrocious. Quite possibly one of the worst hours of television ever produced. Ridiculous non-hallucination hallucinations included a swashbuckling Don Juan swordsman, a fighting samurai warrior, a jousting knight, dive bomber airplanes, a pride of Bengal Tigers (!), and more.
It was almost unwatchable, complemented even more with farcical music and a repeated poor-production-quality camera angle of a cheap radio antenna in the foreground as it read the crew's minds. It was so weak that I actually took note of the cool updo hairdo that Ruth was sporting. Seriously. A hairdo got my attention. Although one redeeming quality was watching McCoy get his flirt on, then get killed, only to eventually reappear alive with two scantily clad women on his hip at the end. Ooh la la!
As bad as it was, somehow I still got sucked in. Doh-god-I-love-this-series!
Review: 1 star
Episode 15: Balance of Terror
Stardate: 1709.2
Quick Summary: While on patrol, the Enterprise learns that a Romulan ship has attacked several Earth outposts near the neutral zone, constituting an act of war. Kirk engages in a ship-to-ship chess match with the Romulan captain for survival, and despite being at a disadvantage in terms of military technology and lacking a cloaking device, Kirk manages to wrestle a space victory by strutting some serious tactical skills. Oh yeah, and the Romulans all die.
Review: We're in the midst of some seriously worthy episodes in Season One. Here, you can forget all the social commentary and madmen-taking-over-the-ship storylines. This is an hour of pure military strategy.
The Romulans are introduced for the first time, and Spock treats us to a cool historical narrative about how no humans have ever seen a Romulan or vice versa - they don't even know what the other, nor what their ships, look like - yet a peace treaty was agreed to 100 years ago exclusively via subspace communications. Surprise, surprise, they look like Vulcans, but unfortunately instead of delving more deeply into the Vulcans-minus-the-logic-and-instead-filled-with-aggression theme, we're delivered a rather uninspired anti-bigotry storyline. Meh.
Also, Kirk needs to just get with Janice already.
But the chess match between Kirk and the Romulan captain is everything. Maneuver after countering maneuver, we're shown a new, more cerebral, side of Captain Kirk - and it works. Both captains develop a healthy dose of respect for each other by the end. And the way the politics of instigating an all-out war interplays with the military tactics is super duper. Come to think of it, most of that may have occurred more in my own brain then on the show itself.
Still, this is the type of episode you should recommend to convert newbies.
Review: 5 stars
Quick Summary: While on patrol, the Enterprise learns that a Romulan ship has attacked several Earth outposts near the neutral zone, constituting an act of war. Kirk engages in a ship-to-ship chess match with the Romulan captain for survival, and despite being at a disadvantage in terms of military technology and lacking a cloaking device, Kirk manages to wrestle a space victory by strutting some serious tactical skills. Oh yeah, and the Romulans all die.
Review: We're in the midst of some seriously worthy episodes in Season One. Here, you can forget all the social commentary and madmen-taking-over-the-ship storylines. This is an hour of pure military strategy.
The Romulans are introduced for the first time, and Spock treats us to a cool historical narrative about how no humans have ever seen a Romulan or vice versa - they don't even know what the other, nor what their ships, look like - yet a peace treaty was agreed to 100 years ago exclusively via subspace communications. Surprise, surprise, they look like Vulcans, but unfortunately instead of delving more deeply into the Vulcans-minus-the-logic-and-instead-filled-with-aggression theme, we're delivered a rather uninspired anti-bigotry storyline. Meh.
Also, Kirk needs to just get with Janice already.
But the chess match between Kirk and the Romulan captain is everything. Maneuver after countering maneuver, we're shown a new, more cerebral, side of Captain Kirk - and it works. Both captains develop a healthy dose of respect for each other by the end. And the way the politics of instigating an all-out war interplays with the military tactics is super duper. Come to think of it, most of that may have occurred more in my own brain then on the show itself.
Still, this is the type of episode you should recommend to convert newbies.
Review: 5 stars
Episode 14: The Conscience of the King
Stardate: 2817.6
Quick Summary: While viewing a theatrical showing of Macbeth, Dr. Tom Layton recognizes one of the Shakespearean actors, Anton Karidian, as actually being "Kodos the Executioner" - a colonial governor who committed acts of genocide 20 years earlier. When the doctor is found dead, Kirk brings the entire Karidian troupe on board the Enterprise to see if there's any credence to the accusation. Karidian all but admits to being Kodos, but the story doesn't end there. Lt. Riley, whose family was murdered by Kodos, learns of his identity, forcing Kirk to prevent his assassination, and THEN it's revealed that Kodos' daughter - not Kodos himself - is responsible for the killing of all seven eyewitnesses from the genocide in an effort to protect her father. Whew!
Review: There are so many unexpected plot twists and turns that make this an excellent episode. The first half is rather slow as Kirk half-heartedly seduces Karidian's daughter, but just when you think the story is over and Kodos admits to his true identity, the fun is really just beginning.
Shakespearean references abound throughout, including the title of the episode itself and even Kirk being referred to as "The Caesar of the Stars". Kodos is clearly the analogous Hitler. Also, notably, there's some real genuine dramatic acting here - I'm loving the Kodos closeup with the mask slowly being lowered from his face during the big revelation scene.
I have no real complaints, but here's just a thought for fodder... At one point, Kodos tries to justify his genocidal actions by arguing, "some have to die so that others might live". Clearly, this is portrayed to be the logic of a madman, however, is it so different than Spock famously asserting in Wrath of Khan, "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one"? Context, of course, is key, and Spock was speaking in terms of self-sacrifice, but when Kodos is ultimately killed by his own daughter through whom he hoped to be redeemed, it should at least enliven the discussion.
Fantastic!
Review: 5 stars
Quick Summary: While viewing a theatrical showing of Macbeth, Dr. Tom Layton recognizes one of the Shakespearean actors, Anton Karidian, as actually being "Kodos the Executioner" - a colonial governor who committed acts of genocide 20 years earlier. When the doctor is found dead, Kirk brings the entire Karidian troupe on board the Enterprise to see if there's any credence to the accusation. Karidian all but admits to being Kodos, but the story doesn't end there. Lt. Riley, whose family was murdered by Kodos, learns of his identity, forcing Kirk to prevent his assassination, and THEN it's revealed that Kodos' daughter - not Kodos himself - is responsible for the killing of all seven eyewitnesses from the genocide in an effort to protect her father. Whew!
Review: There are so many unexpected plot twists and turns that make this an excellent episode. The first half is rather slow as Kirk half-heartedly seduces Karidian's daughter, but just when you think the story is over and Kodos admits to his true identity, the fun is really just beginning.
Shakespearean references abound throughout, including the title of the episode itself and even Kirk being referred to as "The Caesar of the Stars". Kodos is clearly the analogous Hitler. Also, notably, there's some real genuine dramatic acting here - I'm loving the Kodos closeup with the mask slowly being lowered from his face during the big revelation scene.
I have no real complaints, but here's just a thought for fodder... At one point, Kodos tries to justify his genocidal actions by arguing, "some have to die so that others might live". Clearly, this is portrayed to be the logic of a madman, however, is it so different than Spock famously asserting in Wrath of Khan, "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one"? Context, of course, is key, and Spock was speaking in terms of self-sacrifice, but when Kodos is ultimately killed by his own daughter through whom he hoped to be redeemed, it should at least enliven the discussion.
Fantastic!
Review: 5 stars
Episodes 12 & 13: The Menagerie
Stardate: 3012.4
Quick Summary: I'm combining these two episodes into one review because the bulk of their content is the pilot episode, already reviewed. The Enterprise is mysteriously diverted to Starbase 11 at which point Spock kidnaps Captain Pike and hijacks the ship, heading toward Talos IV. This is an admitted act of mutiny, so Kirk and Commodore Mendez put Spock on trial where, in his defense, he shows video evidence of the reason why he hijacked the ship - basically, the pilot episode.
Review: It's no big secret that the producers simply used these two episodes as an excuse to get some mileage out of the pilot which never aired. Without rehashing everything about the pilot, what's unique to these episodes are Spock's mutiny, the subsequent court martial, and Captain Pike paralyzed in a wheelchair. The great twist at the end was that Commodore Mendez was never on the ship at all during the court martial, but was himself an illusion produced by the Talosians!
One aspect of the plot I want to take issue with, though, is Captain Pike's ultimate fate returning to live out his life with Veena on Talos IV. Reviewing the pilot, I wrote...
The original episode had a solid ending with an affirming message - that it's a human virtue to prefer reality over a life of illusion. So why are we backtracking here?! Are we to now revise the lesson and intimate that reality is all well and good except when life becomes too difficult? Pike wanting to escape his wheelchair and live with Veena is completely understandable from his perspective, but the show itself takes a step back in suggesting this path. We know it was done simply to justify the pilot being repackaged, but that's an awfully big sacrifice.
Review: 3 stars
Quick Summary: I'm combining these two episodes into one review because the bulk of their content is the pilot episode, already reviewed. The Enterprise is mysteriously diverted to Starbase 11 at which point Spock kidnaps Captain Pike and hijacks the ship, heading toward Talos IV. This is an admitted act of mutiny, so Kirk and Commodore Mendez put Spock on trial where, in his defense, he shows video evidence of the reason why he hijacked the ship - basically, the pilot episode.
Review: It's no big secret that the producers simply used these two episodes as an excuse to get some mileage out of the pilot which never aired. Without rehashing everything about the pilot, what's unique to these episodes are Spock's mutiny, the subsequent court martial, and Captain Pike paralyzed in a wheelchair. The great twist at the end was that Commodore Mendez was never on the ship at all during the court martial, but was himself an illusion produced by the Talosians!
One aspect of the plot I want to take issue with, though, is Captain Pike's ultimate fate returning to live out his life with Veena on Talos IV. Reviewing the pilot, I wrote...
The Talosians are surprised to learn that Pike prefers death to captivity, even when that captivity would be immensely pleasurable. They interpret such thinking as too violent, but don't the rest of us share the common value of reality being preferable to illusion? Of the struggles associated with individual freedoms being preferable to often-easier forms of social and creative captivity? What the Talosians see as fault, we view as positive strength, and thus, even in this first episode, we the viewers are made to, not only question our values, but also to see what defines our humanity.
The original episode had a solid ending with an affirming message - that it's a human virtue to prefer reality over a life of illusion. So why are we backtracking here?! Are we to now revise the lesson and intimate that reality is all well and good except when life becomes too difficult? Pike wanting to escape his wheelchair and live with Veena is completely understandable from his perspective, but the show itself takes a step back in suggesting this path. We know it was done simply to justify the pilot being repackaged, but that's an awfully big sacrifice.
Review: 3 stars
Episode 11: The Corbomite Maneuver
Stardate: 1512.2
Quick Summary: The Enterprise ventures further out into a part of space that has never previously been explored and encounters a spinning cube that could be either an object or a life form. When the cube emits a lethal radiation, the Enterpise destroys it, but that only draws the attention of an alien named Baylock, claiming to be from the "1st Federation", who seeks to destroy the Enterprise in retaliation. Utterly helpless and at the mercy of a far more advanced species and technology, Kirk decides to bluff Baylock into thinking the Enterprise would actually destroy his ship instead, leading ultimately to a detente and eventually friendly relations and an information exchange between humans and this new alien species.
Review: From the opening shots of an unnecessarily shirtless and sweaty Captain Kirk to the surprise ending of Baylock as a tiny and completely unimposing alien, this episode hits all the right chords. It hadn't even dawned on me that none of the previous episodes thus far had even been centered on space-related issues until the Enterprise fires its phasers for the first time here. The Corbomite Maneuver is the perfect vehicle for not only raising the primal fears and likely problems of deep space exploration, but also for communicating Gene Roddenberry's philosophy for how those problems ought to be addressed in an ethical and enlightened manner. When faced with annihilation by a far more advanced species, Kirk is forced to resort to good old-fashioned human ingenuity in devising the "Corbomite Maneuver" - nothing more than poker-style bluffing - to avoid that annihilation, and then proceeds to reach out and save his distressed adversary as a show of good will. When questioned about why he would help Baylock after everything he just put them through, Kirk's emphatic response is, "WHAT'S OUR MISSION?!". This is the encapsulation of the entire Star Trek ideology; to seek out new life; to be on a mission of exploration, not conquest. Indeed, the greatest threat in the face of the unknown is not what's out there; it is most often ourselves.
Waxing poetic, sure, but this is what it's all about. When the curtain is finally pulled back and Baylock is revealed to have used his own version of the Corbomite Maneuver to bluff the Enterprise into thinking he was more of a threat than was true in reality, it's an awesome twist, but almost unnecessary - the soul of the show had been revealed long before.
Review: 5 stars
Quick Summary: The Enterprise ventures further out into a part of space that has never previously been explored and encounters a spinning cube that could be either an object or a life form. When the cube emits a lethal radiation, the Enterpise destroys it, but that only draws the attention of an alien named Baylock, claiming to be from the "1st Federation", who seeks to destroy the Enterprise in retaliation. Utterly helpless and at the mercy of a far more advanced species and technology, Kirk decides to bluff Baylock into thinking the Enterprise would actually destroy his ship instead, leading ultimately to a detente and eventually friendly relations and an information exchange between humans and this new alien species.
Review: From the opening shots of an unnecessarily shirtless and sweaty Captain Kirk to the surprise ending of Baylock as a tiny and completely unimposing alien, this episode hits all the right chords. It hadn't even dawned on me that none of the previous episodes thus far had even been centered on space-related issues until the Enterprise fires its phasers for the first time here. The Corbomite Maneuver is the perfect vehicle for not only raising the primal fears and likely problems of deep space exploration, but also for communicating Gene Roddenberry's philosophy for how those problems ought to be addressed in an ethical and enlightened manner. When faced with annihilation by a far more advanced species, Kirk is forced to resort to good old-fashioned human ingenuity in devising the "Corbomite Maneuver" - nothing more than poker-style bluffing - to avoid that annihilation, and then proceeds to reach out and save his distressed adversary as a show of good will. When questioned about why he would help Baylock after everything he just put them through, Kirk's emphatic response is, "WHAT'S OUR MISSION?!". This is the encapsulation of the entire Star Trek ideology; to seek out new life; to be on a mission of exploration, not conquest. Indeed, the greatest threat in the face of the unknown is not what's out there; it is most often ourselves.
Waxing poetic, sure, but this is what it's all about. When the curtain is finally pulled back and Baylock is revealed to have used his own version of the Corbomite Maneuver to bluff the Enterprise into thinking he was more of a threat than was true in reality, it's an awesome twist, but almost unnecessary - the soul of the show had been revealed long before.
Review: 5 stars
Episode 10: Dagger of the Mind
Episode 10: Dagger of the Mind
Stardate: 2715.1
Quick Summary: While transporting a package from the penal colony Tantalus, an escaped prisoner sneaks onboard the Enterprise - only he's not a prisoner at all but the director of the colony, gone mad and seeking asylum. The real protagonist is his associate, Dr. Adams, who rehabilitates prisoners on the colony with a mysterious machine that makes their minds go blank and transforms them into brainwashed zombies. Kirk beams down to check it out along with Dr. Helen Noel, but is soon put under the machine himself, and only after being rescued by Noel and Spock does he get away and kill Dr. Adams in the process.
Review: It's pretty easy to spot early on that this is going in a Clockwork Orange direction, what with rehabilitating incorrigibles with the neural neutralizer, producing pain if subjects' minds veer off the suggested path; that is until you realize that this episode pre-dates Clockwork Orange (in movie form) by five full years, which makes you appreciate the imagery a bit more.
Anyway, watching these episodes in sequence is paying dividends. If a common theme among the first few episodes was that of a crazy person taking over the ship, the theme currently underway is that of a genius with noble intentions going astray and losing sight of the fact that the ends do not justify the means.
Here we get the first ever Vulcan mind-meld - noticably more similar to a creepy form of hypnosis than in its later incarnations. It may not be a coincidence that it's introduced here either because (and tell me if I'm reading too much into this) the way the mind-meld is portrayed like hypnosis creates an undeniable parallel to the hypnosis produced by the neural neutralizer. Are we to question why taking advantage of a suggestionable mind is Ok in certain circumstances but not in others? Also, the episode might be worth its salt just on the basis of the outstanding three-way interplay between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy - they're playfully adversarial, but it's so clear they loooooove each other. Truly delicious for the avid fan. And here are two things that I am incredulous about: 1) Why on Alpha Centauri would Kirk ever voluntarily sit in the neural neutralizer chair himself?! and 2) Give me more details about what happened at the "Science Lab Christmas Party" with Dr. Helen Noel!!!
Review: 3 stars
Stardate: 2715.1
Quick Summary: While transporting a package from the penal colony Tantalus, an escaped prisoner sneaks onboard the Enterprise - only he's not a prisoner at all but the director of the colony, gone mad and seeking asylum. The real protagonist is his associate, Dr. Adams, who rehabilitates prisoners on the colony with a mysterious machine that makes their minds go blank and transforms them into brainwashed zombies. Kirk beams down to check it out along with Dr. Helen Noel, but is soon put under the machine himself, and only after being rescued by Noel and Spock does he get away and kill Dr. Adams in the process.
Review: It's pretty easy to spot early on that this is going in a Clockwork Orange direction, what with rehabilitating incorrigibles with the neural neutralizer, producing pain if subjects' minds veer off the suggested path; that is until you realize that this episode pre-dates Clockwork Orange (in movie form) by five full years, which makes you appreciate the imagery a bit more.
Anyway, watching these episodes in sequence is paying dividends. If a common theme among the first few episodes was that of a crazy person taking over the ship, the theme currently underway is that of a genius with noble intentions going astray and losing sight of the fact that the ends do not justify the means.
Here we get the first ever Vulcan mind-meld - noticably more similar to a creepy form of hypnosis than in its later incarnations. It may not be a coincidence that it's introduced here either because (and tell me if I'm reading too much into this) the way the mind-meld is portrayed like hypnosis creates an undeniable parallel to the hypnosis produced by the neural neutralizer. Are we to question why taking advantage of a suggestionable mind is Ok in certain circumstances but not in others? Also, the episode might be worth its salt just on the basis of the outstanding three-way interplay between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy - they're playfully adversarial, but it's so clear they loooooove each other. Truly delicious for the avid fan. And here are two things that I am incredulous about: 1) Why on Alpha Centauri would Kirk ever voluntarily sit in the neural neutralizer chair himself?! and 2) Give me more details about what happened at the "Science Lab Christmas Party" with Dr. Helen Noel!!!
Review: 3 stars
Episode 9: Miri
Stardate: 2713.5
Quick Summary: The Enterprise stumbles upon a distress signal from a planet that is an exact replicate of Earth. As the crew beams down, they find its ruins are populated with no adults, only children, and that a plague was responsible 300 years earlier. When the Enterprise crew gets infected with the plague, they have seven days to find an antidote before they die, all while fending off the harassment of the troublesome children.
Review: That the planet is an exact replicate of Earth is, perhaps, the most interesting characteristic of this episode, and it's never addressed again after the pre-credit introduction. See where I'm going with this?
The entire story is an obvious analogy to Lord of the Flies - a group of children living in their own self-created society whose original playfulness has given way to dangerous mischief and anarchy. Kirk shows his paternalistic/authoritarian side stating, "Children have an instinctive need for adults, they like to be told right and wrong". That he is portrayed as Order in contrast to the kids who represent Chaos smells strikingly like Federation propaganda to me. Also, there's no real conflict or issue here either; the crew seeks an antidote to the plague, and Kirk has to convince the kids that they'll need it too. Ho-hum. The best line is that if they test the antidote without first processing it through the ship's computer, it could be "a beaker full of death!". That's about as dramatic as it gets.
Some episodes are bad. This one's just boring.
Review: 2 stars
Quick Summary: The Enterprise stumbles upon a distress signal from a planet that is an exact replicate of Earth. As the crew beams down, they find its ruins are populated with no adults, only children, and that a plague was responsible 300 years earlier. When the Enterprise crew gets infected with the plague, they have seven days to find an antidote before they die, all while fending off the harassment of the troublesome children.
Review: That the planet is an exact replicate of Earth is, perhaps, the most interesting characteristic of this episode, and it's never addressed again after the pre-credit introduction. See where I'm going with this?
The entire story is an obvious analogy to Lord of the Flies - a group of children living in their own self-created society whose original playfulness has given way to dangerous mischief and anarchy. Kirk shows his paternalistic/authoritarian side stating, "Children have an instinctive need for adults, they like to be told right and wrong". That he is portrayed as Order in contrast to the kids who represent Chaos smells strikingly like Federation propaganda to me. Also, there's no real conflict or issue here either; the crew seeks an antidote to the plague, and Kirk has to convince the kids that they'll need it too. Ho-hum. The best line is that if they test the antidote without first processing it through the ship's computer, it could be "a beaker full of death!". That's about as dramatic as it gets.
Some episodes are bad. This one's just boring.
Review: 2 stars
Episode 8: What Are Little Girls Made Of?
Stardate: 2712.4
Quick Summary: Seeking out the famous scientist Dr. Roger Corby on Planet Exo-III, Kirk and Nurse Christine beam down to the planet's underground caverns only to find themselves held captive by the doctor who insists that his research cannot be reported back to the ship because it's too important. Turns out that he has invented a way to produce androids that are perfect replicas to humans, and even produces an android version of our beloved Captain Kirk. He is determined to have the Enterprise relocate him to a colony where he can make lots of "the right kind" of androids, but Kirk manages to free himself by persuading two other androids on Exo-III the illogic of their programming. In the end, the androids actually kill themselves off, and that's after a surprise ending is revealed - that Dr. Corby himself is an android!
Review: Fun epsiode. We're still in the early phase of Kirk-centric fare, with the rest of the crew hardly present at all, and for now that's still ok. From the indigenous android, "Roc", who's a clear knockoff of Lurch from the Addams Family, to hot-babe-android Andrea, we're roped in from the mysterious beginning to the meaty guts of the show in the end. Corby clearly takes an elitist stance in not wanting Kirk to report back to the ship because the crew would see them only as objects of curiosity where foolish theories would result. Plus, his desire to be relocated is an obvious reference to fascist ideas of The Master Race.
We learn a lot about androids that I'll bet you didn't know - they can forget memories that happened a long time ago, and they can be created basically by spinning a disc with a human on one side and a paper mache mummy on the other, and that's pretty much all that's required. Hmmmmm... There's one subtlety that's also interesting - how Corby isn't just trying to produce androids but is actually converting humans into androids, transferring their soul for "immortality" and "heaven".
This is obviously serious stuff, so forgive me if your simple view of "robots" gets a dismissive eyeroll.
The climax is clearly when Roc looks off into the distance (a.k.a. - the other side of the room) and proclaims, "THAT WAS THE EQUATION! EXISTENCE/SURVIVAL MUST CANCEL OUT PROGRAMMING!!!", and then all the androids kill each other off within three minutes. As a computer scientist, I must take issue with the writers' understanding of programming logic; someone take an undergraduate object-oriented design class, please. Lastly, the final line of the episode leaves a great aftertaste: "Dr. Corby was never even here". BA-BOP! Stew on the multiple meanings of that for a while.
Review: 4 stars
Quick Summary: Seeking out the famous scientist Dr. Roger Corby on Planet Exo-III, Kirk and Nurse Christine beam down to the planet's underground caverns only to find themselves held captive by the doctor who insists that his research cannot be reported back to the ship because it's too important. Turns out that he has invented a way to produce androids that are perfect replicas to humans, and even produces an android version of our beloved Captain Kirk. He is determined to have the Enterprise relocate him to a colony where he can make lots of "the right kind" of androids, but Kirk manages to free himself by persuading two other androids on Exo-III the illogic of their programming. In the end, the androids actually kill themselves off, and that's after a surprise ending is revealed - that Dr. Corby himself is an android!
Review: Fun epsiode. We're still in the early phase of Kirk-centric fare, with the rest of the crew hardly present at all, and for now that's still ok. From the indigenous android, "Roc", who's a clear knockoff of Lurch from the Addams Family, to hot-babe-android Andrea, we're roped in from the mysterious beginning to the meaty guts of the show in the end. Corby clearly takes an elitist stance in not wanting Kirk to report back to the ship because the crew would see them only as objects of curiosity where foolish theories would result. Plus, his desire to be relocated is an obvious reference to fascist ideas of The Master Race.
We learn a lot about androids that I'll bet you didn't know - they can forget memories that happened a long time ago, and they can be created basically by spinning a disc with a human on one side and a paper mache mummy on the other, and that's pretty much all that's required. Hmmmmm... There's one subtlety that's also interesting - how Corby isn't just trying to produce androids but is actually converting humans into androids, transferring their soul for "immortality" and "heaven".
This is obviously serious stuff, so forgive me if your simple view of "robots" gets a dismissive eyeroll.
The climax is clearly when Roc looks off into the distance (a.k.a. - the other side of the room) and proclaims, "THAT WAS THE EQUATION! EXISTENCE/SURVIVAL MUST CANCEL OUT PROGRAMMING!!!", and then all the androids kill each other off within three minutes. As a computer scientist, I must take issue with the writers' understanding of programming logic; someone take an undergraduate object-oriented design class, please. Lastly, the final line of the episode leaves a great aftertaste: "Dr. Corby was never even here". BA-BOP! Stew on the multiple meanings of that for a while.
Review: 4 stars
Episode 7: Mudd's Women
Stardate: 1329.8
Quick Summary: The Enterprise is unable to save a small ship before it's destroyed, but does manage to save, not its crew, but a man named Harry Mudd and three gorgeous women. Turns out that Mudd sells women to settlers on the outer edges of the galaxy, but has to make them take Venus pills to enhance their beauty. When the Enterprise needs to buy some Lithium crystals from a mining colony on Rijel 12 in order to avoid disaster, the miners don't want money but insist on trading only for the women - leaving Kirk with a moral dilemma. He does, ultimately, trade away the women, but only after getting their consent.
Review: What a portrayal of women! Not only are they described as "cargo", they come across as evil-hypnotic seductresses with the temperament, at times, of insane hormonal teenage girls. When they don't take their pill, they become ugly, old-looking, and mean-spirited - and you can draw whatever analogies you want to PMS there. But perhaps the worst part is the central moral lesson the episode tries to convey: that if given the choice between a "sexy but useless" wife versus a wife "for cooking and sewing", the latter is a better decision. This is supposed to be the moral lesson?!!
Some feminists, or at least some even remotely rational people living in the modern world, ought to take issue with the premise of the question.
That said, the episode has a good tempo and the storyline moves along nicely. It's funny how the oddities keep drawing my attention though. For instance, Mudd is charged with not having a predetermined galaxy flight plan or a ship identification beam. Someone call a civil liberties attorney, please. Also, I'm curious as to what the Republican presidential candidates might think of the idea of "Subspace Radio Marriages". Seems like a family values issue to me. And the faux-tech is just a bit more ridiculous than usual here: a medical scanner is literally two blinking dots and a computer at Mudd's trial displays a basic wave pattern and voices only a robotic "INCORRECT" over and over. To be clear, it's campy; not annoying.
My lingering question... why is Kirk seemingly the only one who is so impervious to the women's magnetism? Is it that they're not actually beautiful but only "act beautiful"; that, as suggested, women's true beauty is determined by whether they believe in themselves or not?
I don't know. But it's almost two o'clock in the morning and I'm starting to feel like Doogie Howser typing this.
Review: 2 stars
Quick Summary: The Enterprise is unable to save a small ship before it's destroyed, but does manage to save, not its crew, but a man named Harry Mudd and three gorgeous women. Turns out that Mudd sells women to settlers on the outer edges of the galaxy, but has to make them take Venus pills to enhance their beauty. When the Enterprise needs to buy some Lithium crystals from a mining colony on Rijel 12 in order to avoid disaster, the miners don't want money but insist on trading only for the women - leaving Kirk with a moral dilemma. He does, ultimately, trade away the women, but only after getting their consent.
Review: What a portrayal of women! Not only are they described as "cargo", they come across as evil-hypnotic seductresses with the temperament, at times, of insane hormonal teenage girls. When they don't take their pill, they become ugly, old-looking, and mean-spirited - and you can draw whatever analogies you want to PMS there. But perhaps the worst part is the central moral lesson the episode tries to convey: that if given the choice between a "sexy but useless" wife versus a wife "for cooking and sewing", the latter is a better decision. This is supposed to be the moral lesson?!!
Some feminists, or at least some even remotely rational people living in the modern world, ought to take issue with the premise of the question.
That said, the episode has a good tempo and the storyline moves along nicely. It's funny how the oddities keep drawing my attention though. For instance, Mudd is charged with not having a predetermined galaxy flight plan or a ship identification beam. Someone call a civil liberties attorney, please. Also, I'm curious as to what the Republican presidential candidates might think of the idea of "Subspace Radio Marriages". Seems like a family values issue to me. And the faux-tech is just a bit more ridiculous than usual here: a medical scanner is literally two blinking dots and a computer at Mudd's trial displays a basic wave pattern and voices only a robotic "INCORRECT" over and over. To be clear, it's campy; not annoying.
My lingering question... why is Kirk seemingly the only one who is so impervious to the women's magnetism? Is it that they're not actually beautiful but only "act beautiful"; that, as suggested, women's true beauty is determined by whether they believe in themselves or not?
I don't know. But it's almost two o'clock in the morning and I'm starting to feel like Doogie Howser typing this.
Review: 2 stars
Episode 6: The Enemy Within
Stardate: 1672.1
Quick Summary: While a survey team is down on Planet Alpha 177, there is a transporter malfunction and not only does Kirk beam back aboard the Enterprise, but so does his evil duplicate! The race is on to, first, capture the imposter, then, to figure out how to re-combine the good and evil Kirks back together again - all before Sulu and the away team die on the freezing planet. Of course they're successful, and all it takes is reconfiguring the transporter. How shocking.
Review: In case you can't already tell, the ending was pretty disappointing, predictable, and unimaginative. But can someone please explain to me, where the heck is the friggin' shuttle-craft all episode??? I also want to take issue with the transporter malfunction as the central protagonist. We're told in Next-Gen episodes later down the road that there have never been serious transporter issues in centuries of records. Holy inconsistency. And Sulu making repeated bad jokes about things like wanting hot coffee in the face of imminent death was too much. But I digress...
Haven't we all at some point, when no one was home, screamed into the bathroom mirror, "I'M CAPTAIN KIIIIIIIRK!!!", as the evil imposter does here? Ah, it's a fun moment to watch, reminiscent of my still-single bachelor days. (sigh)
The heart of this episode is the overtly psychoanalytic take on the two opposing sides of Kirk's personality. When facing his alter-ego face-to-face he states, "You can't kill me, I'm a part of you". As the good Kirk loses his strength of will and ability to make decisions, Spock observes with enthusiasm that "it's his negative side which makes him strong". This is great fodder. Later, the good Kirk realizes, "I have to take him back inside myself". There's even a Gollum-style LOTR-type camera-panning between his two "faces" to highlight his multiple personalities towards the end.
Isn't this so profound? Um, no. It's a bit too manufactured for my taste. The writers were trying too hard and, as a result, lost the subtlety that the truly profound episodes are able to muster. I do, nevertheless, think it's a pretty cool idea that the strong decision-making ability that ultimately makes Kirk the captain stems from his evil side. This is a new lens through which I'm going to watch and analyze future epsiodes. How often does Kirk's evil side really come to the forefront? How many times does the bad side save humanity through decision-making when the good side's timidness would have killed millions? Wouldn't that redefine the two terms? I want to explore this further.
Be forewarned... The evil Kirk wants to live!!!
Review: 3 stars
Quick Summary: While a survey team is down on Planet Alpha 177, there is a transporter malfunction and not only does Kirk beam back aboard the Enterprise, but so does his evil duplicate! The race is on to, first, capture the imposter, then, to figure out how to re-combine the good and evil Kirks back together again - all before Sulu and the away team die on the freezing planet. Of course they're successful, and all it takes is reconfiguring the transporter. How shocking.
Review: In case you can't already tell, the ending was pretty disappointing, predictable, and unimaginative. But can someone please explain to me, where the heck is the friggin' shuttle-craft all episode??? I also want to take issue with the transporter malfunction as the central protagonist. We're told in Next-Gen episodes later down the road that there have never been serious transporter issues in centuries of records. Holy inconsistency. And Sulu making repeated bad jokes about things like wanting hot coffee in the face of imminent death was too much. But I digress...
Haven't we all at some point, when no one was home, screamed into the bathroom mirror, "I'M CAPTAIN KIIIIIIIRK!!!", as the evil imposter does here? Ah, it's a fun moment to watch, reminiscent of my still-single bachelor days. (sigh)
The heart of this episode is the overtly psychoanalytic take on the two opposing sides of Kirk's personality. When facing his alter-ego face-to-face he states, "You can't kill me, I'm a part of you". As the good Kirk loses his strength of will and ability to make decisions, Spock observes with enthusiasm that "it's his negative side which makes him strong". This is great fodder. Later, the good Kirk realizes, "I have to take him back inside myself". There's even a Gollum-style LOTR-type camera-panning between his two "faces" to highlight his multiple personalities towards the end.
Isn't this so profound? Um, no. It's a bit too manufactured for my taste. The writers were trying too hard and, as a result, lost the subtlety that the truly profound episodes are able to muster. I do, nevertheless, think it's a pretty cool idea that the strong decision-making ability that ultimately makes Kirk the captain stems from his evil side. This is a new lens through which I'm going to watch and analyze future epsiodes. How often does Kirk's evil side really come to the forefront? How many times does the bad side save humanity through decision-making when the good side's timidness would have killed millions? Wouldn't that redefine the two terms? I want to explore this further.
Be forewarned... The evil Kirk wants to live!!!
Review: 3 stars
Episode 5: The Naked Time
Stardate: 1704.2
Quick Summary: While orbiting a dying planet, Spock and crewman Joey unknowingly bring a virus on board the Enterprise. As it spreads around the crew making everyone insane, the ship spirals further in towards the dying planet, threatening the Enterprise itself. Once an infected crewman Riley wrestles engineering control away from the bridge, Kirk has only 20 minutes to regain his ship and crew in the face of certain death. In the end, he decides to take a 10,000 to 1 chance on an unproven scientific theory that combines matter and anti-matter to bust out of there just in the nick of time. And it works.
Review: The same theme of these early episodes is repeated yet again - someone loses their mind and takes over the ship. Is it overanalyzing to suggest that perhaps the writers were trying to send the message that, even amidst the unknown mysteries of far-away galaxies, man's greatest threat remains himself? While you ponder that, allow me to pick my nose and complain about how the lack of variety among the plot lines in these early episodes is getting on my nerves. However, with that said, if you weren't watching all of these episodes in sequence, standing on its own, this one really is the best so far.
A few things I love... Joey questioning what business humans have being in space, even saying that it's "unnatural" and "we don't belong here". Not only can this be interpreted literally in the context of exploring space, but also in the context of the growing skepticism of America's increasing presence in Vietnam in 1966. Sulu's unconvincing response that we are here simply "to do good" only adds fuel to the fire. How subversive...
You've got to love a swashbuckling, insane Sulu fencing topless... Also, an insane crewman Riley is singing Irish ballads for waaaaaaaay too much of the episode which makes you want to punch him in the face. Kirk displays some wry humor, though, when he rolls his eyes and concurs, "Please, not again". The smile this produces almost makes the singing worth it. Almost. Actually, no, it doesn't... Spock also noticably lets out an exasperated exhale upon reading graffiti that says, "Love Mankind". Does this mean Spock's character is a political conservative, as originally conceived? Are Vulcans as a whole on the ideological right? Or do I just have dirty hippies from the 60s on the brain?... We would also be remiss without mentioning one of Kirk's first classic over-acting moments as he yells at Spock, "WE'VE GOT TO TAKE THAT 10,000 TO 1 CHANCE!!!". Mmmmmm...
But this episode really earns its bones with the ending. The Enterprise is ultimately able to break out of its doomed orbit by combining matter and anti-matter in an explosion that makes the ship "travel faster than is possible" with the chronometer running backwards. Yes, it's the first time warp! However, what REALLY makes this interesting is the response on the bridge. Spock points out that now that time warp is possible, it can potentially be used to alter events "on any planet, in any era". Kirk's response: "We may have to risk it". Wow! Holy what-about-the-prime-directive moment?! The episode concludes on that note, teasing the viewer into watching more, and, honestly, making you forget half the details of this episode's otherwise forgettable plot.
Review: 2 stars
Quick Summary: While orbiting a dying planet, Spock and crewman Joey unknowingly bring a virus on board the Enterprise. As it spreads around the crew making everyone insane, the ship spirals further in towards the dying planet, threatening the Enterprise itself. Once an infected crewman Riley wrestles engineering control away from the bridge, Kirk has only 20 minutes to regain his ship and crew in the face of certain death. In the end, he decides to take a 10,000 to 1 chance on an unproven scientific theory that combines matter and anti-matter to bust out of there just in the nick of time. And it works.
Review: The same theme of these early episodes is repeated yet again - someone loses their mind and takes over the ship. Is it overanalyzing to suggest that perhaps the writers were trying to send the message that, even amidst the unknown mysteries of far-away galaxies, man's greatest threat remains himself? While you ponder that, allow me to pick my nose and complain about how the lack of variety among the plot lines in these early episodes is getting on my nerves. However, with that said, if you weren't watching all of these episodes in sequence, standing on its own, this one really is the best so far.
A few things I love... Joey questioning what business humans have being in space, even saying that it's "unnatural" and "we don't belong here". Not only can this be interpreted literally in the context of exploring space, but also in the context of the growing skepticism of America's increasing presence in Vietnam in 1966. Sulu's unconvincing response that we are here simply "to do good" only adds fuel to the fire. How subversive...
You've got to love a swashbuckling, insane Sulu fencing topless... Also, an insane crewman Riley is singing Irish ballads for waaaaaaaay too much of the episode which makes you want to punch him in the face. Kirk displays some wry humor, though, when he rolls his eyes and concurs, "Please, not again". The smile this produces almost makes the singing worth it. Almost. Actually, no, it doesn't... Spock also noticably lets out an exasperated exhale upon reading graffiti that says, "Love Mankind". Does this mean Spock's character is a political conservative, as originally conceived? Are Vulcans as a whole on the ideological right? Or do I just have dirty hippies from the 60s on the brain?... We would also be remiss without mentioning one of Kirk's first classic over-acting moments as he yells at Spock, "WE'VE GOT TO TAKE THAT 10,000 TO 1 CHANCE!!!". Mmmmmm...
But this episode really earns its bones with the ending. The Enterprise is ultimately able to break out of its doomed orbit by combining matter and anti-matter in an explosion that makes the ship "travel faster than is possible" with the chronometer running backwards. Yes, it's the first time warp! However, what REALLY makes this interesting is the response on the bridge. Spock points out that now that time warp is possible, it can potentially be used to alter events "on any planet, in any era". Kirk's response: "We may have to risk it". Wow! Holy what-about-the-prime-directive moment?! The episode concludes on that note, teasing the viewer into watching more, and, honestly, making you forget half the details of this episode's otherwise forgettable plot.
Review: 2 stars
Episode 4: Where No Man Has Gone Before
Stardate: 1312.4
Quick Summary: As the Enterprise leaves the galaxy, a weird forcefield/lighting storm ravages the ship, killing a few crewmembers, and really zinging anyone on board with high levels of ESP. One of them is Kirk's longtime friend, Gary Mitchell, who soon develops god-like powers. As he becomes a threat to the Enterprise, Kirk and Spock hatch a scheme to maroon Gary on the planet Delta vega, where they can also repair the warp drive with the planet's Lithium reserves. Gary becomes aware of their plan, gets loose, and even dreams of destroying the rest of the human race back on Earth... until, that is, Captain Kirk defeats Gary in a good old-fashioned shirt-tearing fistfight and saves humanity! Yeah!
Review: First of all, who is this "Gary Mitchell" character? He's way too buddy-buddy with Kirk for someone who's never been mentioned before or since. This wouldn't bother me so much if they didn't seem like they were so madly in love with each other. And Spock is totally jealous. You can see it in his eyes.
Speaking of Spock, I'm still thrown off by his demeanor in these early episodes. He might not be emotional, but he's definitely more opinionated than his later character; more of a wild card. He actually recommends to Kirk that Gary should be killed. Yes, killed! In this episode, he also sports a strange wild-west-style gun belt around his waist and then busts out a huge phaser rifle (!) which reverberates with psychedelic rainbow effects when shot. Actually, writing this paragraph, I take back my earlier comment. This early Spock kicks ass.
A few other quick notes... When ship psychiatrist Dr. Elizabeth Dana becomes one with Gary and develops white beadie little eyes of her own, it proves the old addage - zombie chicks are hot. Some statements need no further explanation... When Gary telepathically strangles crewman Kelso in a visually hilarious way with a black cable, allow me to speak on behalf of all the minions out there in communicating to the writers a sincere "Thank you". Crewman Kelso was pompous and lame... Did I mention how the central plot of the episode centered around ESP??? Yes, that ESP. I was actually kind of amused by the idea of a super-pimped-out form of ESP, and all Starfleet officers having ESP scores, but really, where is this nonsense coming from? But when Kirk gets angry and sternly asks, "Are we sure there isn't such a thing [as super-pimped-out ESP]?", I forget that it's nonsense and believe the seriousness of the possibility. After all, this is Captain Kirk... On a related note, the "Mutated, Superior Man" description is an overly obvious reference to Nietze's philosophical ideal of the Übermensch. Give us a little credit...
Finally, this being one of those rare occassions when my wife actually agreed to sit down and watch the episode with me, her initial reaction was one of confusion. About three minutes in she asked, "Where's that Dr. McCoy? Where's Uhura? Where is everybody?". Despite her falling asleep about thirty seconds after that, I have to concur. These early episodes are historical curiosities for the knowing fan, but to everyone else they're not very representative of the Star Trek TOS franchise, and, as a result, the quality isn't yet up to par either. And even to those of us with Ferengi blood running through their veins who have a connoisseur's interest in the early developmental process of the show, I still find myself just WAITING FOR EVERYBODY and to finally get into that groove we all know and love. Reminder to myself - it's a marathon, not a sprint.
Review: 1 star
Quick Summary: As the Enterprise leaves the galaxy, a weird forcefield/lighting storm ravages the ship, killing a few crewmembers, and really zinging anyone on board with high levels of ESP. One of them is Kirk's longtime friend, Gary Mitchell, who soon develops god-like powers. As he becomes a threat to the Enterprise, Kirk and Spock hatch a scheme to maroon Gary on the planet Delta vega, where they can also repair the warp drive with the planet's Lithium reserves. Gary becomes aware of their plan, gets loose, and even dreams of destroying the rest of the human race back on Earth... until, that is, Captain Kirk defeats Gary in a good old-fashioned shirt-tearing fistfight and saves humanity! Yeah!
Review: First of all, who is this "Gary Mitchell" character? He's way too buddy-buddy with Kirk for someone who's never been mentioned before or since. This wouldn't bother me so much if they didn't seem like they were so madly in love with each other. And Spock is totally jealous. You can see it in his eyes.
Speaking of Spock, I'm still thrown off by his demeanor in these early episodes. He might not be emotional, but he's definitely more opinionated than his later character; more of a wild card. He actually recommends to Kirk that Gary should be killed. Yes, killed! In this episode, he also sports a strange wild-west-style gun belt around his waist and then busts out a huge phaser rifle (!) which reverberates with psychedelic rainbow effects when shot. Actually, writing this paragraph, I take back my earlier comment. This early Spock kicks ass.
A few other quick notes... When ship psychiatrist Dr. Elizabeth Dana becomes one with Gary and develops white beadie little eyes of her own, it proves the old addage - zombie chicks are hot. Some statements need no further explanation... When Gary telepathically strangles crewman Kelso in a visually hilarious way with a black cable, allow me to speak on behalf of all the minions out there in communicating to the writers a sincere "Thank you". Crewman Kelso was pompous and lame... Did I mention how the central plot of the episode centered around ESP??? Yes, that ESP. I was actually kind of amused by the idea of a super-pimped-out form of ESP, and all Starfleet officers having ESP scores, but really, where is this nonsense coming from? But when Kirk gets angry and sternly asks, "Are we sure there isn't such a thing [as super-pimped-out ESP]?", I forget that it's nonsense and believe the seriousness of the possibility. After all, this is Captain Kirk... On a related note, the "Mutated, Superior Man" description is an overly obvious reference to Nietze's philosophical ideal of the Übermensch. Give us a little credit...
Finally, this being one of those rare occassions when my wife actually agreed to sit down and watch the episode with me, her initial reaction was one of confusion. About three minutes in she asked, "Where's that Dr. McCoy? Where's Uhura? Where is everybody?". Despite her falling asleep about thirty seconds after that, I have to concur. These early episodes are historical curiosities for the knowing fan, but to everyone else they're not very representative of the Star Trek TOS franchise, and, as a result, the quality isn't yet up to par either. And even to those of us with Ferengi blood running through their veins who have a connoisseur's interest in the early developmental process of the show, I still find myself just WAITING FOR EVERYBODY and to finally get into that groove we all know and love. Reminder to myself - it's a marathon, not a sprint.
Review: 1 star
Episode 3: Charlie X
Stardate: 1533.6
Quick Summary: The Enterprise picks up a passenger named Charlie. He's a teenager who's survived all by himself since the age of three, being the sole survivor of a transport crash, and as a result exhibits some serious social awkwardness. As the plot unfolds, he also exhibits god-like capabilities - destroying another ship, making crew members disappear, turning one girl into a lizard, and removing another one's face altogether - before trying to take over the Enterprise. He succeeds, but before he can more damage, his matterless alien father comes to pick him up and return him home, back to a miserable, solitary existence.
Review: I think the lasting image from this episode is that of Charlie rolling his eyes into the back of his head whenever he uses his powers. Man, it looks so painful. Like watching an infant baby push out a poop with all his might.
Strange moments abound... Charlie smacking Janice on the rear-end, Uhura singing and expressively dancing, Spock playing the harp, etc. Somehow these were weirder than Charlie removing a woman's face. Call me crazy.
The ending was noteworthy because it was actually pretty sad. Despite Charlie's pleas to the captain for mercy, Kirk nevertheless allows him to be retaken by his alien blob of a father after only a half-hearted attempt to prevent it. You genuinely had to feel bad for the kid, raging hormones and all, for being doomed to a life of loneliness. I would have felt even worse for him if the plot had been more interesting. This was an hour-long exploration of how babysitters should handle a kid throwing a temper-tantrum.
Review: 2 stars
Quick Summary: The Enterprise picks up a passenger named Charlie. He's a teenager who's survived all by himself since the age of three, being the sole survivor of a transport crash, and as a result exhibits some serious social awkwardness. As the plot unfolds, he also exhibits god-like capabilities - destroying another ship, making crew members disappear, turning one girl into a lizard, and removing another one's face altogether - before trying to take over the Enterprise. He succeeds, but before he can more damage, his matterless alien father comes to pick him up and return him home, back to a miserable, solitary existence.
Review: I think the lasting image from this episode is that of Charlie rolling his eyes into the back of his head whenever he uses his powers. Man, it looks so painful. Like watching an infant baby push out a poop with all his might.
Strange moments abound... Charlie smacking Janice on the rear-end, Uhura singing and expressively dancing, Spock playing the harp, etc. Somehow these were weirder than Charlie removing a woman's face. Call me crazy.
The ending was noteworthy because it was actually pretty sad. Despite Charlie's pleas to the captain for mercy, Kirk nevertheless allows him to be retaken by his alien blob of a father after only a half-hearted attempt to prevent it. You genuinely had to feel bad for the kid, raging hormones and all, for being doomed to a life of loneliness. I would have felt even worse for him if the plot had been more interesting. This was an hour-long exploration of how babysitters should handle a kid throwing a temper-tantrum.
Review: 2 stars
Epsiode 2: The Man Trap
Stardate: 1513.1
Quick Summary: The Enterprise arrives at Planet M-113 for a routine checkup of Professor Crater and his wife, Nancy, who McCoy had known intimately several years prior. But as different crewmembers start dying off, first on the planet and then on the Enterprise itself, what becomes apparent is that Nancy is actually a changeling alien who sucks the salt out of people's bodies in order to survive. She can project herself to appear in any form, thus the Enterprise crew has a hard time identifying her, until finally it's up to McCoy to overcome his emotions and do what must be done.
Review: Oh baby, here we go! Since the pilot never aired, this is the first "real" Star Trek episode, complete with Captain Kirk, tan and taking charge; Spock and McCoy engaged in their trademark banter; even Uhura flirting with Spock and later speaking Swahili. You've got to love it. Even some of the early campiness is there, like when crewmember Janice brushes off a flirtation with the line, "Why don't you go chase an asteroid!". This is why we live :-)
Putting aside the giddy smiles for a second, as for the episode itself, "The Man Trap" is a classic What-If. What if women really could project any image of themselves custom-tailored to each guy? What if men could? What would you project yourself as? What if animals could do it? How about inanimate objects? DOHMYGODIMBUGGINGOUT!!!
Seriously though, "The Man Trap" could just as easily be titled "The Hickie Monster". When Nancy kills people by sucking the salt out of their bodies, she leaves these circular clear-as-day hickie marks all over their faces. If that's not a subtext for woman-bashing to adolescent boys, then I don't know what solar nebula you're passing through. The ridiculous orange-smoothie colored backgrounds and awful ghetto TV studio sets are a little distracting, but it is 1966 and at least the show's in color. Gotta give them a pass on that.
But what makes this episode a truly representative sample of the series as a whole is that, once Nancy is discovered to be a life-sucking alien who's killing the crew one member at a time, rather than following the stereotypical serial action model where the good guys need to simply kill the bad guys, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy share a very revealing conversation. They openly question whether, despite killing the crew, this Nancy creature should even be considered dangerous; if it's the last of its kind and simply using its natural abilities to stay alive, then, in that sense, wouldn't it actually be wrong to kill the killer? This moral ambiguity and make-you-think social commentary is the hallmark of the series; it's what gives the show its decades-long staying power. Yummmmm...
One last inspired suggestion for all you brave ladies out there... when Nancy's visual projection is finally shed at the end of the episode and this supercool hairy octopus alien thing is ultimately revealed, I think it would make for a great Halloween costume. Be "The Man Trap"!
Review: 2 stars
Quick Summary: The Enterprise arrives at Planet M-113 for a routine checkup of Professor Crater and his wife, Nancy, who McCoy had known intimately several years prior. But as different crewmembers start dying off, first on the planet and then on the Enterprise itself, what becomes apparent is that Nancy is actually a changeling alien who sucks the salt out of people's bodies in order to survive. She can project herself to appear in any form, thus the Enterprise crew has a hard time identifying her, until finally it's up to McCoy to overcome his emotions and do what must be done.
Review: Oh baby, here we go! Since the pilot never aired, this is the first "real" Star Trek episode, complete with Captain Kirk, tan and taking charge; Spock and McCoy engaged in their trademark banter; even Uhura flirting with Spock and later speaking Swahili. You've got to love it. Even some of the early campiness is there, like when crewmember Janice brushes off a flirtation with the line, "Why don't you go chase an asteroid!". This is why we live :-)
Putting aside the giddy smiles for a second, as for the episode itself, "The Man Trap" is a classic What-If. What if women really could project any image of themselves custom-tailored to each guy? What if men could? What would you project yourself as? What if animals could do it? How about inanimate objects? DOHMYGODIMBUGGINGOUT!!!
Seriously though, "The Man Trap" could just as easily be titled "The Hickie Monster". When Nancy kills people by sucking the salt out of their bodies, she leaves these circular clear-as-day hickie marks all over their faces. If that's not a subtext for woman-bashing to adolescent boys, then I don't know what solar nebula you're passing through. The ridiculous orange-smoothie colored backgrounds and awful ghetto TV studio sets are a little distracting, but it is 1966 and at least the show's in color. Gotta give them a pass on that.
But what makes this episode a truly representative sample of the series as a whole is that, once Nancy is discovered to be a life-sucking alien who's killing the crew one member at a time, rather than following the stereotypical serial action model where the good guys need to simply kill the bad guys, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy share a very revealing conversation. They openly question whether, despite killing the crew, this Nancy creature should even be considered dangerous; if it's the last of its kind and simply using its natural abilities to stay alive, then, in that sense, wouldn't it actually be wrong to kill the killer? This moral ambiguity and make-you-think social commentary is the hallmark of the series; it's what gives the show its decades-long staying power. Yummmmm...
One last inspired suggestion for all you brave ladies out there... when Nancy's visual projection is finally shed at the end of the episode and this supercool hairy octopus alien thing is ultimately revealed, I think it would make for a great Halloween costume. Be "The Man Trap"!
Review: 2 stars
Episode 1: Pilot - The Cage
Stardate: (none)
Quick Summary: The Enterprise arrives at Talos IV in search of survivors from the S.S. Columbia which crashed there years earlier. As it turns out, the group of ragtag survivors they discover are only illusions, produced by the alien Talosians in order to trap Captain Pike and take him prisoner. Once in his cage, the Talosians create different illusory scenarios for the captain and his female counterpart, Veena, reading their minds and trying to gain insights into humanity. Pike is eventually able to break free by threatening suicide, demonstrating that humanity is too violent a species to be suitable for their purposes.
Review: If you're even remotely familiar with the Star Trek series, you're going to feel immediately like a fish out of water. Dare we say, like you're suddenly occupying an alternate universe. This pilot episode is different and unique for all sorts of reasons. First, and most importantly, there is no Captain Kirk, but rather Captain Pike. With the exception of Spock, the entire rest of the crew is different as well - Dr. Boyce, Lieutenant Colt, etc. For both casual viewers and hardcore fans, this pilot is an historical curiosity more than a "real" Star Trek episode, although the plot definitely could have been just as easily been adopted for Captain Kirk. It gives you a taste of what's to come, but it's decidedly not what's to come.
Where to begin? The opening theme music and credits are missing the standard "Space, the final frontier..." intro, and - I know I might be a weirdo over this type of thing - even the font style of the credits is different too. The theme music plays again when the ship goes to warp speed while a dissolving effect is displayed. One supercool lasting image is that of the camera panning in from a space-view of the Enterprise directly into the bridge of the ship. That's pretty sweet.
Alright guys, for any of you with a green alien fetish (and you know who you are), this one's for you. Veena is awesome. There's a lot of overt sexism going on here that, thankfully, doesn't get incorporated into the rest of the series. It's uncomfortable to watch. Captain Pike saying, "I just can't get used to having a woman on the bridge"? Lieutenant Colt is clearly dismayed. Veena is scantily clad and performing sexy dances and playing into every stereotype imaginable throughout (not that I'm necessarily complaining in every instance). And at the story's conclusion, Pike and the doctor even make a joke about how he's a dirty old man. Sheesh.
Despite all of these oddities, the plot itself is actually pretty solid. It's got aliens, hot babes, fist fights, and larger philosophical themes as well. Early on, Pike is lamenting to the doctor how he'd like to give up Starfleet and become an iron miner living a life with no frustration, no responsibility. But after the Talosians grant him exactly that, he sees the fallacy of his thinking. The Talosians are surprised to learn that Pike prefers death to captivity, even when that captivity would be immensely pleasurable. They interpret such thinking as too violent, but don't the rest of us share the common value of reality being preferable to illusion? Of the struggles associated with individual freedoms being preferable to often-easier forms of social and creative captivity? What the Talosians see as fault, we view as positive strength, and thus, even in this first episode, we the viewers are made to, not only question our values, but also to see what defines our humanity.
Let's get it on.
Review: 4 stars
Quick Summary: The Enterprise arrives at Talos IV in search of survivors from the S.S. Columbia which crashed there years earlier. As it turns out, the group of ragtag survivors they discover are only illusions, produced by the alien Talosians in order to trap Captain Pike and take him prisoner. Once in his cage, the Talosians create different illusory scenarios for the captain and his female counterpart, Veena, reading their minds and trying to gain insights into humanity. Pike is eventually able to break free by threatening suicide, demonstrating that humanity is too violent a species to be suitable for their purposes.
Review: If you're even remotely familiar with the Star Trek series, you're going to feel immediately like a fish out of water. Dare we say, like you're suddenly occupying an alternate universe. This pilot episode is different and unique for all sorts of reasons. First, and most importantly, there is no Captain Kirk, but rather Captain Pike. With the exception of Spock, the entire rest of the crew is different as well - Dr. Boyce, Lieutenant Colt, etc. For both casual viewers and hardcore fans, this pilot is an historical curiosity more than a "real" Star Trek episode, although the plot definitely could have been just as easily been adopted for Captain Kirk. It gives you a taste of what's to come, but it's decidedly not what's to come.
Where to begin? The opening theme music and credits are missing the standard "Space, the final frontier..." intro, and - I know I might be a weirdo over this type of thing - even the font style of the credits is different too. The theme music plays again when the ship goes to warp speed while a dissolving effect is displayed. One supercool lasting image is that of the camera panning in from a space-view of the Enterprise directly into the bridge of the ship. That's pretty sweet.
Alright guys, for any of you with a green alien fetish (and you know who you are), this one's for you. Veena is awesome. There's a lot of overt sexism going on here that, thankfully, doesn't get incorporated into the rest of the series. It's uncomfortable to watch. Captain Pike saying, "I just can't get used to having a woman on the bridge"? Lieutenant Colt is clearly dismayed. Veena is scantily clad and performing sexy dances and playing into every stereotype imaginable throughout (not that I'm necessarily complaining in every instance). And at the story's conclusion, Pike and the doctor even make a joke about how he's a dirty old man. Sheesh.
Despite all of these oddities, the plot itself is actually pretty solid. It's got aliens, hot babes, fist fights, and larger philosophical themes as well. Early on, Pike is lamenting to the doctor how he'd like to give up Starfleet and become an iron miner living a life with no frustration, no responsibility. But after the Talosians grant him exactly that, he sees the fallacy of his thinking. The Talosians are surprised to learn that Pike prefers death to captivity, even when that captivity would be immensely pleasurable. They interpret such thinking as too violent, but don't the rest of us share the common value of reality being preferable to illusion? Of the struggles associated with individual freedoms being preferable to often-easier forms of social and creative captivity? What the Talosians see as fault, we view as positive strength, and thus, even in this first episode, we the viewers are made to, not only question our values, but also to see what defines our humanity.
Let's get it on.
Review: 4 stars
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