The Baron Watches Star Trek (SPOILERS)

[The Baron]

What I've got is the new releases with the enhanced special effects - I'll comment on these as best I can, shame I haven't got the originals to compare and contrast, but such is life. I put up the "spoiler" just on the off chance that there's someone here that hasn't seen all these a million times - you never know, I suppose.

[Henry R. Kujawa]

If memory serves...

In STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN, Scotty tells Kirk a repair job should take 8 weeks.  "But you don't have 8 weeks, so I'll get if for you in two."  "Mr. Scott... do you always multiply your work estimates by a factor of four?" "Certainly, Captain! How else can I maintain my reputation as a miracle worker?"

Later, in STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME, when Scotty & McCoy visit the glass factory, McCoy describes Scotty to the owner, saying, "Back home, we call him the miracle worker."

So, clearly, it was a running gag in the revivals, but never appeared in the original show.

You only run in problems when fans take the revivals MORE seriously than than original source material.  Like the fans who actually complain because the actor who plays "Zephram Cochrane" in the episode METAMORPHOSIS "doesn't look anything like" the guy in the film STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT.  Think about for one second and you'll realize how absurd the complaint it.

[Commander Benson]

The Baron said:

 

 

I always wonder how common amnesia actually is in the real world.

To my understanding, it's quite rare in real life, but on television, virtually a necessity.  In fact, amnesia is one of the four fundamental plot crises Benson's Law of Inevitable Plotting stipulates will happen in an action/adventure series.  If such a series goes at least two or three seasons, the main character will see an episode in which he . . . .

 

1.  Develops amnesia.

 

2.  Goes blind (which will always be temporary, even if believed to be permanent).

 

3.  Will encounter an evil double.

 

4.  Will be unjustly charged with a major crime, usually murder.

 

 

I didn't realise it before, but the original Star Trek series conforms to the model.

 

In "The Paradise Syndrome", Captain Kirk suffers from amnesia.

 

In "The Enemy Within", Kirk encounters his evil double.

 

In "Court Martial", Kirk is charged with manslaughter.

 

There's a slight shift in that it is Mr. Spock, not Kirk, who loses his sight, in "Operation:  Annihilate!"

 

 

 

 

 

[Philip Portelli]

Actually TV amnesia is very selective. They forget who they are but not about current events, how to use appliances and devices, local customs, etc.

What I found interesting was that Miramanee died while pregnant with Kirk's child!! How did that get by the censors? I know they were married (Kirk's only one IIRC) but death seems an extreme way of removing a problem!

[doc photo]

Having fallen way behind in my re-watch I decided to make a U turn and go back and watch the earliest episodes in order of production. This approach does give a better handle on the shows development. A few things that are most evident to me -

- Nimoys portrayal of Spock is a bit more human and is closer to how he played the role in The Cage  as opposed to the mind melding, neck pinching, near super - Vulcan that he would later be. I find I prefer the earlier approach.

- Nichelle Nicols delivery of her lines is very terse - is this how she was told to play it or was she already unhappy with her role at this early stage?

- the bigger budget is very much in evidence with more sets and more extras in the background helping boost the illusion of the Enterprise as a very large ship with a very large crew.

[Henry R. Kujawa]

Hey, DOC, if you're not gonna discuss the episodes being currently discused here, why not post in the general "STAR TREK" thread?  (Just a thought.)

As it happens... last night I watched THE CAGE.  The full-length version, which I had neglected to do so before. (Did they EVER get around to remastering the SOUND on that thing? It's not only bad in the sections where they only had B&W before, but in places where it was perfectly clear in THE MENAGERIE.)

[PowerBook Pete, the Mad Mod]

Good suggestion, Henry, if you want your thread to be a more general discussion of the series.

[The Baron]

And the Children Shall Lead:
Written by Edward J. Lakso

Directed by Marvin Chomsky

 

Synopsis: In which our heroes have problems with some children.

 

Thoughts:

1)What's interesting about this episode in that it plays on the inherent creepiness of children, those bizarre little creatures that one day will replace us all!  (We get the last laugh, though - if they live long enough, they eventually turn into us, and then have to worry about getting replaced by the next set of children!)

 

2)"I am not familiar with anxiety, but I was no aware it could be registered on sensors."  Spock, you've never heard of the Anxietometer?

 

3)I gather that Melvin Belli was a big-deal lawyer slumming as an actor. For some reason, he reminds me of L. Ron Hubbard in this.

 

4)"Play back the chant the children sang to summon up the Gorgan." The Gorgan can be summoned up by a recording? Also, how did Kirk know it was called the "Gorgan"?

 

5)"You are full of goodness." Well, full of something, anyway.

 

6)So, Kirk wins by traumatizing children. Awesome.

 

7)"We shall exterminate all who oppose us!"  Obviously, the Gorgan's a Dalek fan.

 

Overall:

Never was overfond of this episode.  Kids don't do well on Star Trek.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

I watched “And the Children Shall Lead” last night. I am caught up and plan to remain caught up for the duration of this discussion!

OMEGA GLORY: I can’t decide whether the folks behind Star Trek overestimated or underestimated the intelligence of their audience with this one. Did they expect us not to notice the sheer absurdity of the conclusion? Or did they expect us to clearly recognize this episode as an allegory and therefore overlook it? Or are we taking it too seriously? The shame is, a slight addition to the script (indicating that an Earth ship had crashed there years before) could have fixed it. Yes, they’ve played that card before (“A Piece of the Action”), but its better than this “law of parallel planet development” we’ll see over and over again this season.

BY ANY OTHER NAME: Not a favorite of mine, but one which benefits from the enhanced special effects.

THE ULTIMATE COMPUTER: This is a favorite of mine, and likewise benefits from the enhanced special effects, especially the war games involving five starships!

BREAD & CIRCUSES: Common knowledge asserts that, if the sum total of human knowledge were to be suddenly lost, that science would eventually return exactly the same as it exists today, but that religion would return in a vastly different form. This episode would have it that one of Earth’s primary religions (one of America’s, anyway) would be essentially the same on an entirely different planet. I’m not fond of these “parallel Earth” allegories, anyway, but this one’s easy enough to explain: Uhura was simply wrong. Whether Earth had Sun worshippers in ancient Rome or not, a sect of people on this planet worshipped the Sun.

ASSIGNMENT: EARTH: This episode was originally pitched, in script form, as a half hour pilot unrelated to the Star Trek universe. When no interest was shown by NBC to turn it into a series, it was incorporated into an episode of Star Trek (apparently, judging by Kirk’s remarks at the end, Roddenberry was still hoping for a potential spin-off). One thing I hadn’t noticed before is that this episode was co-credited to Art Wallace, who wrote and developed Dark Shadows for Dan Curtis.

It never occurred to me before how like Jon Pertwee Doctor Who “Assignment: Earth” is. We have a man with knowledge of the future (The Doctor/Gary Seven) assigned to Earth by a group of mysterious aliens (Timelords? The “Cellestial Intervention Agency?”) and who works with a ditsy yet intelligent blonde assistant (Jo grant/Roberta Lincoln). He even has his own version of a sonic screwdriver and a TARDIS.

SPOCK’S BRAIN: Some fans refer to the original series as “classic Trek” to differentiate it from Star Trek: The Next Generation. I prefer the abbreviations TOS and TNG in order to avoid such potentially awkward references as, “In the classic episode Spock’s Brain…” Here’s something else I never noticed: the female lead is played by Marj DuSay, cast by Dan Curtis in “A Darkness at Blaisedon,” the pilot for his proposed prime-time series Dead of Night.

Surprisingly, Tracy liked this episode better than “Assignment: Earth.”

THE ENTERPRISE INCIDENT: Another favorite of mine, but discussion above has pointed out its shortcomings. It could have been tightened up. Gotta love the “Vulcan Death Grip” though.

THE PARADISE SYNDROME: At one time this was a favorite episode of mine. Sometimes episodes are my favorites, not because they are inherently good, but simply because I had (at one point) seen them relatively few times. Back when I had seen about half of the episode half a dozen times each and the other half maybe only once or twice, this was one of the latter grouping. This episode is as unique in its own way as “Assignment: Earth.” Not only does this one episode span four months, but Kirk actually marries and fathers a child. Granted, the “reset” button was hit by the end of the episode and the status quo didn’t really change, but it was enough to make it stand out for me when I was younger. These days I see it as little more than another in a seemingly endless string of “parallel Earth” episodes.

AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD: This is one of those episodes I haven’t seen just too many times… thankfully.

[The Baron]

It never occurred to me before how like Jon Pertwee Doctor Who “Assignment: Earth” is. We have a man with knowledge of the future (The Doctor/Gary Seven) assigned to Earth by a group of mysterious aliens (Timelords? The “Cellestial Intervention Agency?”) and who works with a ditsy yet intelligent blonde assistant (Jo grant/Roberta Lincoln). He even has his own version of a sonic screwdriver and a TARDIS.

 

Interesting, never noticed that before.

[Henry R. Kujawa]

I've long read that Barry Letts was a STAR TREK fan.  This can be seen in such stories as THE CURSE OF PELADON or FRONTIER IN SPACE.  But you're right, the whole set-up with Jo Grant makes you think Katy Manning was England's answer to Teri Garr!

[PowerBook Pete, the Mad Mod]

It never occurred to me before how like Jon Pertwee Doctor Who “Assignment: Earth” is. We have a man with knowledge of the future (The Doctor/Gary Seven) assigned to Earth by a group of mysterious aliens (Timelords? The “Cellestial Intervention Agency?”) and who works with a ditsy yet intelligent blonde assistant (Jo grant/Roberta Lincoln). He even has his own version of a sonic screwdriver and a TARDIS.

I made that observation on another online forum once, and no one agreed with me.

[The Baron]

As Terrance Dicks likes to say, "You have to have a good idea. It doesn't have to be your idea."