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]

"I know there was noise about providing McCoy with a daughter at some point - possibly in Season Four if it had existed, but I don't believe it ever got mentioned in the original series."

I read she was supposed to appear in THE WAY TO EDEN.  Instead, they made her Chekov's ex-girlfriend. And considering Chekov had been, up to then, the incarnatin of "youth" on the show, re-casting him as an "offended authority figure" showed just how little some people were actually paying attention to the show in general.

"the main problem is, you know McCoy isn't going to die or stay behind, so there's no real drama to the "soap opera" end of it."

Only if you think that way.  You might as well never ever watch an episode of GILLIGAN'S ISLAND or LOST IN SPACE, because you'd be thinking in ever single episode, "Oh, there's no point to this, they're NOT gonna get back home this week!"

But that could be carried forth to any type of problem dumped on any regular cast member.  "Why bother watching, you KNOW the detective is gonna solve the mystery by the end of the show."

[The Baron]

Only if you think that way.  You might as well never ever watch an episode of GILLIGAN'S ISLAND or LOST IN SPACE, because you'd be thinking in ever single episode, "Oh, there's no point to this, they're NOT gonna get back home this week!"

But that could be carried forth to any type of problem dumped on any regular cast member.  "Why bother watching, you KNOW the detective is gonna solve the mystery by the end of the show."

 

 

You have a good point there. I can only say that even given the above, there are times when the melodrama seems more "forced" than others somehow, and this was one of those occasions for me.

[The Baron]

Plato's Stepchildren:

Written by Meyer Dolinsky

Directed by David Alexander

 

Synopsis:  In which our heroes meet telekinetic layabouts.

 

Thoughts:

1)The highlight of this episode for me is Michael Dunn's performance as Alexander. I feel like he did a really good job here.

 

2)So, essentially we have a planet of Trelanes, here.  One gets the impression that half the galaxy has beenwatching Earth at some point in time or another.

 

3)"Thirty-five." Good one, Spock.

 

4)"Doctor McCoy, you met yet cure the common cold."

 

5)"Parmen is not concerned with my dignoty or safety."  Well, who is?

 

6)OK, the bits with Spock flamenco-dancing and Kirk playing "horsie" go beyond "goofy" into "insane".

 

7)"I have noted that the healthy release of emotion is frequently very unhealthy for those closest to you."  Why, yes.

 

8)Spock crushing the goblet was a nice touch.

 

9)"I guess we weren't sufficiently...entertaining."

 

10)"What would be better than a serenade form the laughing spaceman?"  "The Laughing Spaceman" would be a good name for a pub.

 

11)And the infamous interracial kiss.

 

12)"I have a little surprise for you."  Yuk-yuk-yuk.

 

Overall:

An OK episode saved somewhat by Michael Dunn's performance.

[Philip Portelli]

For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky: Yes, McCoy gets the girl but, like Kirk and Spock, he never gets to keep the girl! ;-)

As for his daughter, Joanna (I think), there was supposed to be an episode where Kirk romances her and McCoy's not happy! Probably thinking about neutering him!

However in Marvel's Star Trek #13 (Ap'81), we finally see Joanna McCoy and she's a doctor. And married to a Vulcan!

The Tholian Web: probably one of William Shatner's "proofs" that the writers wanted to showcase Spock and lessen his role and in some episodes there's definitely that feeling.

Plato's Stepchildren: A small population of pampered, emotionally stunted immortals with incredible mental powers. We've seen variations of these themes before.

As for the "Kiss", I heard one story where they wanted to switch partners and have Kirk kiss Chapel and Spock kiss Uhura. Maybe an alien smooching with an African American was more palatable. Now they would have clamored for Kirk and Spock to kiss but that's why there's fanfic!

When WPIX began syndicating both Star Trek and Star Trek: the Next Generation on alternating days, they ended the promo with Kirk's "I guess we weren't sufficiently...entertaining." line.

 

[The Baron]

When WPIX began syndicating both Star Trek and Star Trek: the Next Generation on alternating days, they ended the promo with Kirk's "I guess we weren't sufficiently...entertaining." line.

 

I like that.

[Henry R. Kujawa]

"Plato's Stepchildren: A small population of pampered, emotionally stunted immortals with incredible mental powers. We've seen variations of these themes before."

Described this way, I'm reminded of "ENLIGHTENMENT" on DOCTOR WHO, which was definitely better than this pile of crap.

"Now they would have clamored for Kirk and Spock to kiss but that's why there's fanfic!"

It's funny, I was watching THE ENEMY WITHIN last night. There's this scene where Spock walks into Kirk's cabin, Kirk has his shirt OFF, and Spock says, "Is there-- anything I can do for you, sir?"

He seems very uncomfortable saying this, but then it comes out that McCoy told Spock that kirk was "acting like a wildman and demanding brandy".  Kirk denies it, says McCoy has been putting Spock on. And THEN, if you look close, you can see Spock is just barely hiding the fact that this really PISSES HIM OFF. I really LIKE the early portrayal of Spock, where he was more emotional. He came across as more "real", as someone with emotions who is keeping them under control, not someone who appears as if he doesn't have any.

It's sort of like how on COLUMBO, early-on they'd remind you once in awhile that his "retarded" act was just an act-- but in later seasons, you'd forget this, as the "act" became too believable.  That's why I loved the revival in the 90's, as they went out of their way almost every episode (once you got past the first 4) to show you the Lt. away from the bad guys, and you got to see the "REAL" Columbo then.

Another comparison would be Patrick Troughton's "Doctor" vs. Tom Baker's.  With Troughton, they'd usually have a scene somewhere where the real Doctor showed through, and you KNEW his acting like a cowardly idiot was a sham. But Tom Barker, especially in his first season or two, you began to think he really was brain-damaged.  Fortunately, this all but went away by the time Romana showed up. With her around, it had to!

"You know, before I met you, I was actually willing to be impressed."

[The Baron]

Wink of an Eye:

Teleplay by Arthur Heinemann/Story by Lee Cronin

Directed by Jud Taylor

 

Synopsis:  Kirk meets a fast woman.

 

Thoughts:

1)The effect of everything slowing down was funny - it was like Kirk was tripping.

 

2)"Who are you?" "Deela.The enemy."  Much nicer enemy than the Klingons.

 

3)"Why?" "Because I like you." "M-O-U-S-E-E-E-E-E...."

 

4)Compton sold out real easy, didn't he?  Or are we supposed to believe they put the suasion on him?

 

5)No matter how fast they are, if they stay in the same spot for any length of time, shouldn't they be visible?

 

6)Shame they don't have paper in the future, it might've been quicker for Kirk to write Spock a note.

 

7)Oh, I believe in honest relationships, myself." Yeah, OK, Jimbo.

 

8)When I was a kid, I didn't realize the significance of the scene where Kirk and Deela are in his quarters, and we see him pulling his boot on.

 

9)"Allow me the dignity of liking the man I select." Of course, he then rats her out big time.

 

10)Wow, they just give the Scalosians a big "That's just too damn bad about you" and leave, don't they?  Granted, they tried  to take over the ship - our heroes don't owe them a big hug or anything, but you'd think they'd at least leave them some of McCoy's cure to play around with to see if it would do them any good.

 

11)"I found it an accelerating experience." Vulcans make cheap puns!

 

Overall:

An OK episode. Deela seemed particularly nice, as evil aliens go. You almost feel bad for her, the way Kirk manipulates her.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

FOR THE WORLD IS HOLLOW AND I HAVE TOUCHED THE SKY:

This is one of those episodes which, like “The Paradise Syndrome,” at one time I hadn’t seen too often but whose impact has been diminished over time through subsequent viewings. Also like “The Paradise Syndrome,” one of the three main characters marries. I hadn’t really thought of this before, but McCoy does get married, then, at the end of the episode, he just leaves her. Perhaps they planned a follow-up episode in season four. They did pay lip service to a rendezvous when the worldship arrived at its destination, but it was not to be. This aspect of the plot really bothered Tracy, to the extent she searched for, and found, a prose sequel: Ex Machina (2004).

Regarding the worldship, what made them think the planet it was heading toward wasn’t its destination? The ship had been travelling for 10,000 years, after all! And why did they presume it was going to crash? Once they changed the heading and sent it on its way, wouldn’t it appear as if it were going to crash into that one, too?

McCoy’s daughter was introduced in TAS, not in continuity as far as Gene Roddenberry is concerned, but I beg to differ (and D.C. Fontana agrees with me).

THE THOLIAN WEB:

What were you doing on the night of November 15, 1968? I can tell you what I was doing: watching Star Trek! Watching this episode is my absolute earliest Star Trek memory. My big brother (14 years old at the time) was a fan and suggested I might like it, too. I was only 4½ and didn’t really understand it. I didn’t necessarily believe in ghosts then, but I didn’t not believe in them, either. I understood that Kirk wasn’t really dead, but it creeped me out a little nonetheless. Afterwards, Steve suggested another show for me to watch until I was old enough to appreciate Star Trek. That show was Lost in Space, which I watched religiously until I was ready for Star Trek. I don’t remember how long that took, but by the time of the debut of TAS, I was well familiar with TOS and had seen perhaps half of the episodes if not more.

This episode really holds up for me. It remains a favorite to this day.

PLATO’S STEPCHILDREN:

Let me get this straight. It was wrong for Parmen to force Kirk to run around on all fours with a dwarf of his back (and letting loose with an occasional high pitched whinny) because it was humiliating and degrading. So why then was it okay for the script writers to do the same thing to Shatner?

Regarding the “infamous interracial kiss,” it wasn’t much of a kiss, was it? I’m not sure their lips even touched. What was TV’s second interracial kiss, that’s what I want to know.

WINK OF AN EYE:

I saw this one quite often when I was a kid. Plus, the clip of Kirk falling to the deck in “slow motion” after being zapped was used in local promo spots, so I saw it over and over and over again. Not a bad episode, but not a great one. I must admit I was intrigued by the concept of living one’s life too fast to be perceived when I was a kid.

[Henry R. Kujawa]

"McCoy’s daughter was introduced in TAS, not in continuity as far as Gene Roddenberry is concerned, but I beg to differ (and D.C. Fontana agrees with me)."

I am so sick of this nonsense.  Everything about the cartoons was meant to be a legit continuation of the series. Same designs, actors, some of the same writers, the works.  I read somewhere online that one of Gene's CRONIES, shortly before Gene died, somehow convinced Gene that the cartoons should not be considered "canon". I forget the reasons, but it may have been because THAT A**H*** didn't like the cartoons, not Gene himself.

The more I watch the cartoons, the more I like 'em, and the more I watch the MOVIES, the LESS I like THEM!!! So to me, the cartoons are MORE "in continuity" than every single thing they've done since.

"This episode really holds up for me. It remains a favorite to this day."

Did you notice how, as usual, Chekov is the FIRST to go stark raving mad?  (And then he keeps at it!!)

"I must admit I was intrigued by the concept of living one’s life too fast to be perceived when I was a kid."

Like so many Season 3 stories,  this had been done already-- and better. In this case, on THE WILD WILD WEST.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Henry R. Kujawa said:

The more I watch the cartoons, the more I like 'em, and the more I watch the MOVIES, the LESS I like THEM!!! So to me, the cartoons are MORE "in continuity" than every single thing they've done since.

So as not to threadjack the Baron’s discussion, I’ll respond to this post on your own more general Star Trek thread.

[Richard Willis]

Like so many Season 3 stories, this had been done already-- and better. In this case, on THE WILD WILD WEST.

Not to digress too much, but at the time THE WILD WILD WEST was the best hero vs supervillain show on TV.

[Henry R. Kujawa]

THE WILD WILD WEST was cancelled after 4 years when it was in the TOP 10 !!!  It was a victim of the times, after 3 political assassinations in a few months, some pressure groups wanted to see "violent" TV shows removed from the airwaves.

It's strange when I think about it, but it seems almost every TV show I was watching during the 1967-68 season got cancelled... except for STAR TREK, which somehow, just barely, made it to a 3rd season, but only after NBC moved it from 8:30 to 10:00.  Since every other show I watched on Fridays was GONE, there was nothing else on Friday nights.  So the TV would not be turned on in my house until 10 PM... and, frustratingly, there were several times when I'd be busy doing something in the next room, look up at the clock, and CURSE a blue streak because I'd forgotten what time it was and that my favorite show was on at 10.  I could still list which stories that year I turned on halfway in, because around 10:30 I suddenly realized what I was missing.

I was never able to see THE WILD WILD WEST until after it was cancelled and went into syndication.  there was always something else I was already watching on opposite it.  For the 1966-67 season, it was THE GREEN HORNET and THE TIME TUNNEL.  The following year, TARZAN.  (I also missed TARZAN's 1st season because I was watching TGH and TTT.)  I think the 1st 2 seasons of WWW, I was watching JONNY QUEST.  (They ran the same episodes 2 years in a row!  Cheap B******s!)