Trek Through Star Trek

[rushy]

As a binge-watching kind of guy, I've always enjoyed going through a long series properly(my ongoing "Going Through Doctor Who" thread is a testament to that). So to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, I'm going back to the 60s and watching the entire show from past to present!

This isn't simply a rerun, however, as I've not really seen huge chunks of it. I enjoyed various episodes of TNG and Voyager quite a bit as a kid, and I've seen the entirety of Enterprise, but I've almost completely missed out on TOS and DS9, so those are the main motivations for this super marathon, which follows the same basic format as "Going Through Doctor Who". Starting off with The Cage...

The Cage doesn't simply stand up to time... it's excellent!

PLOT

Captured by the inquisitive Telosians in the middle of his midlife crisis, Captain Christopher Pike must solve their mind puzzles and prove the capacity of the human race to escape.

ANALYSIS

It's a very intriguing, psychological episode, and not really what I expected going into 60s Star Trek(I picture Kirk slow-mo fighting that Gorn). The storyline is very layered and requires a bit of thought to follow, and the Telosians are a very enigmatic, and effective foe.

I will admit that the whole Adam-and-Eve aspect of it all is a little dated("Will you let me please you?"), but I wouldn't call it sexist either... it makes sense on both the aliens' side, and Vina's, it's just not something you'd see nowadays, I think.

The pace was also noticeably slower than I remembered, but that's just something you have to take in stride. I do enjoy the straightforward, innocent nature of 60s television in general, so I quite liked seeing the Enterprise bridge crew operate in a clinical, realistic atmosphere as opposed to the friendly, cosy environment we all know and love.

The episode also gained a lot from great direction. The budget can't have been that big, but it looked properly cinematic and the focus was definitely in the right place.

CHARACTERS

Jeffrey Hunter made a great impression as Captain Pike, and the episode did a terrific job at establishing his character and background. I would've liked to have seen more adventures with him(and I really look forward to his comeback... don't worry, I don't know all the spoilers!)

The rest of the main cast tended to blend into one another, but I could easily see them evolving into more memorable characters. Already, we had Majel Barrett as the coolheaded Number One(who secretly fantasises about the captain!!) and her rival, the youthful Yeoman Colt.
We also see a precursor of the Kirk-McCoy relationship between Pike and his bartender-doctor Boyce, which was quite funny.

And of course, Leonard Nimoy himself appeared as Spock, although ironically, he didn't really do much.

NOTES

*I saw the episode in black-and-white due to a DVD player malfunction, but hey, so did half of the people in the 1960s, so...

*Gotta love the turtlenecks.

*Okay, between this and the James Bond films, I have to say: women were pretty darn hot in the 1960s.

*The special effects for the Telosians were fantastic. I loved the way the veins in their brains pulsated as they communicated telepathically.

*"Hand lasers"?

*The props for the communicators looked kind of unfinished to me. I thought I could see the wiring when they opened them up.

*The away team costumes looked quite odd, although not necessarily in a bad way... they had these woolly coats and jumpers. I found myself missing the Starfleet insignia on them.

*I didn't really understand the recurring joke of Pike getting upset at the Yeoman for bumping into him. He keeps telling her she's supposed to bring the report, and then she hands it over to him each time. Funny...?

BEST QUOTE

"Sir? I was wondering. Just curious... who would've been Eve?" - The VERY impulsive Yeoman...

CONCLUSION

Who in their right mind didn't pick this up???

[Annoyed]

CONCLUSION

Who in their right mind didn't pick this up???

Better question: Who in their right mind cancelled this? They totally misread the market.

[maneth]

Have fun binge watching!

I'm not sure about misreading the market, though. The rumors about test viewers not finding a female XO believable or acceptable are largely that, rumors. I find the theory that the network execs thought Majel Barrett was unsuitable to such a prominent role much more believable, but as she, by her own admission, got the job by sleeping with Gene Roddenberry, he felt obliged to stretch the truth a bit to keep her as his mistress (they later married). I think Majel Barrett did a decent job as Nurse Chapel, and later she was excellent, if exceedingly annoying, as Lwaxana Troi.

[Annoyed]

Have fun binge watching!

I'm not sure about misreading the market, though. The rumors about test viewers not finding a female XO believable or acceptable are largely that, rumors. I find the theory that the network execs thought Majel Barrett was unsuitable to such a prominent role much more believable, but as she, by her own admission, got the job by sleeping with Gene Roddenberry, he felt obliged to stretch the truth a bit to keep her as his mistress (they later married). I think Majel Barrett did a decent job as Nurse Chapel, and later she was excellent, if exceedingly annoying, as Lwaxana Troi.

I'm not talking about the misgivings people had about the pilot, female XO and stuff
I'm saying that the TV exec who made the decision to cancel the series after 3 seasons totally misread the market as far as how popular this show was.

[rushy]

Have fun binge watching!

I'm not sure about misreading the market, though. The rumors about test viewers not finding a female XO believable or acceptable are largely that, rumors. I find the theory that the network execs thought Majel Barrett was unsuitable to such a prominent role much more believable, but as she, by her own admission, got the job by sleeping with Gene Roddenberry, he felt obliged to stretch the truth a bit to keep her as his mistress (they later married). I think Majel Barrett did a decent job as Nurse Chapel, and later she was excellent, if exceedingly annoying, as Lwaxana Troi.

For the record, I thought Majel Barrett was really good in her role, and if she's the main reason behind the no-go, then that's really irritating. Also, why did they only keep Leonard Nimoy? I mean, we know Nimoy is great now, but if I'd seen it back then, the only noteworthy thing about him would've been the ears.

I'm not talking about the misgivings people had about the pilot, female XO and stuff
I'm saying that the TV exec who made the decision to cancel the series after 3 seasons totally misread the market as far as how popular this show was.

I heard the third season wasn't that popular. Besides, we can't really complain, since that sequence of events led to Wrath Of Khan.

[rushy]

The Man Trap has made me hungry for more TOS...

PLOT

After a crewmember is killed on a desolate planet during a routine away mission, it's up to Kirk, Spock and McCoy to track down a mysterious shape-shifting creature and discover what happened to McCoy's old flame Nancy - the wife of the irrational professor Crater.

ANALYSIS

This episode really surprised me on multiple levels. First of all, since I saw The Cage in monochrome, I had failed to notice all the colour. There is SO much colour in The Original Series. It's seriously the most aesthetically pleasing television show I've ever seen.

Secondly, it's interesting to see how the show's approach differs from what I'm used to, having grown up watching TNG, the movies and ENT. Unlike those shows, where the background extras are just that, here you get a real sense that this is a crew of people who work together every day. There's a mixed sense of both formality and relaxation coming from everyone, the main characters included. Maybe it's just that 60s television was paced in a slower, more realistic manner. I love the 60s.

There are also drawbacks, however: there's a distinct lack of subtlety. The scene in which Uhura flirts with Spock and argues with him about his lack of emotion is as cringeworthy as any Uhura/Spock scene in the newer movies. Can Star Trek in general please stop giving me Uhura/Spock? It's not meant to be.
Also, Dr. McCoy's confusion over the creature being his former girlfriend was WAY too drawn out, to ridiculous levels. It's almost like the show is trying to appeal to very little children and drawing everything in broad lines.

CHARACTERS

I really like Captain Kirk and the way he detaches himself from the crew and handles the situation first. I mean, he actually tells McCoy to shut up and get back to work at one point. I would've expected the opposite. Kirk is far more competent than I imagined him to be.

Spock on the other hand, came across as very human. Whereas the films make him stand out and act kind of aloof and wise(kind of like Yoda), here he's a very hands-on first officer and straightforward.

Poor Plum. It really wasn't his episode. As I already mentioned, McCoy's confused by the creature to a completely ridiculous extent. From discussing his girlfriend minutes after a crewman dies, to almost letting Kirk die, he's completely out of his element. I suppose you could argue that he was hypnotised, but that was never confirmed(it really should've been) and just makes him look incredibly foolish and slow-witted.

Alfred Ryder seemed really confused as professor Crater, like he didn't really understand his character and frankly, neither did I. They do explain his motivations for protecting the creature, but it seemed convoluted to me. And Ryder's general bewilderment only added to that.

Jeanne Bal was nicely creepy as Nancy Crater/the creature, and made for a good one-off villain. I thought his-her dependence on salt was a very creative scientific motivation and the fact that he-she wasn't malevolent, but a unique, animalistic intelligence was also a grand idea.

Continuing with the sexy 60s ladies theme, here we have Yeoman Janice Rand("Hellooooo nurse!") and dare I say it, Nichelle Nichols as Uhura. It's so weird seeing Nichelle Nichols be attractive, because I grew up watching her in full grandma mode in the TOS movies(and especially fan films). Sorry if that sounds offensive, but it's true! I don't mean anything bad by- oh, forget it.

And last, but not least, George Takei's Hikaru Sulu. I wonder if we'll ever see his apparent love for botany reappear. Takei himself is warm and lovably confident in the role. Again, he defies expectations. Don't worry, I knew he was going to be good, but I didn't know he was *this* good from the start.

NOTES

*I love the studio-bound atmosphere of TOS. Doctor Who always mixed it up with location filming, but I think the studio sets give TOS its identity.

*Why have none of of the other shows ever feature this truth serum?? Was it outlawed?

*There's a wonderful sense of logic going through this episode. Apart from a select few scenes, the characters always acted and said exactly like you would expect them to act in the given situation(no "horror movie" moments).

*I found it kind of odd how Crater kept saying that he owned the planet. Kirk never corrected him, so I assume he's correct. Can scientists own desolate planets in the Star Trek universe?

*At one point, Kirk eats those famous color-cubes and it sounds and looks like he's eating celery or rhubarb. Is that what those cubes are? Plant snacks?

*Even the captain's log in this episode surprised me. At one point, Kirk mentions something that his character doesn't know about yet... like an actual log made after the event!

LESSON OF THE DAY

In this segment, we discuss Kirk's final words as Enterprise flies off to the next episode.

"I was just thinking about the buffalo."

Kind of crap last words, if you ask me. The buffalo was a metaphor for the villain of the episode(who is also the last of his kind), but apart from that, it means nothing. There is something poetic of course about killing something that is both not inherently evil and the last of its kind, but... why not actually talk about that then?

CONCLUSION

It was a bit wonky, but I liked the concept a lot and the crew gave me a really good first impression.

[Cluas]

Good thread.
I agree with a lot of this analysis ...
I will follow your journey, as I am also binge-watching the entire series. I've made it to season 5 of TNG this far...

[norival1992]

I'm so grateful for everything Trek has done for me, and meant to me

[rushy]

Ever wanted to see a whiny, socially awkward, prickly teenager with superpowers throw temper tantrums on Enterprise for a whole episode?

PLOT

The Enterprise is made to escort a newly recovered boy who grew up without human contact to a nearby colony. On the way, they discover that Charlie has immense mental powers, which he used to wreak havoc when he doesn't get what he wants.

ANALYSIS

I never want to see this episode again. The image of Robert Walker rolling his eyes up is now forever burned into my brain as the ultimate picture of a self-centered brat.

Whilst there are some valuable dramatic scenes(I am particularly fond of the somber ending), most of the episode is just about Charlie being emotionally and socially stunted, making him a sexist, disrespectful baby.

Oh, I almost forgot: Uhura is (literally) the star of a scene so painful that I think I'm trying to block it out of my memory. I was hoping the Uhura/Spock thing was a completely one-off thing that was later expanded in the Abrams movies, but nope, they're pushing it hard. Way, way too hard.

CHARACTERS

Where's Scotty? I know Chekov doesn't show up until the second season, but shouldn't James Doohan be around already?

I liked that they set up Kirk as the only man Charlie respects. I didn't like that they completely abandoned that later, essentially nullifying the dramatic angle of their conflict.

Spock is pretty good in this episode, beginning to rely more on logic(especially with the awesome 3D chess game).

I felt like McCoy was underused. They initially have him talk a little with Charlie, but then he disappears until the very end of the episode.

Charlie's obsession with Yeoman Rand was really tiresome, and so her character suffered from it. I wish this would've been a TNG episode, with Deanna acting gentle towards Charlie instead of constantly aggravating him by direct refusal and making the tense situation worse.
All I'm saying is, on a sexual level this is a REALLY 1960s episode. It just oozes awkward on every level.

NOTES

*Are there actual, real-life rules for the 3D chess game? Because it looks awesome.

*Charlie later returns in the fanfilm Star Trek: Of Gods And Men. I highly recommend it, it's terrific.

*It was interesting to see the gymnasium on the ship, and actual social interaction in the mess hall and all around. The trend of this ship's crew feeling far more tightly knit than any other in the franchise continues.

*Whilst the redesigned uniforms look really comfortable, I have to admit - the cast look really silly trying to act all professional in those comfy jumpers. At least the 24th century costumes gave a formal impression.

*I have to admit, I was more than a little surprised to see William Shatner so fit. His round face doesn't exactly scream action hero.

*Isn't it a little anachronistic for Janice to reprimand Charlie for not knocking on the door? Shouldn't it be "ringing the bell" or whatever they call it in Star Trek?

LESSON OF THE DAY

There isn't any. The episode just ends with the crew silently pondering what will happen to Charlie.

CONCLUSION

Why do people complain about Threshold when this exists?

[rushy]

First of all, my sincere apologies for being gone a whole month... things came up and I didn't find time to watch Star Trek. But I'm back now, and thankfully, this is a really good episode, and I can see why Roddenberry managed to get the show on air with it.

Where No Man Has Gone Before is the classic "power corrupts" parable. Unfortunately, it doesn't try to be much more than that.

PLOT

Skirting the edge of the galaxy(whoa, what??), Enterprise picks up the log of a long-lost Earth spaceship which self-destructed under mysterious circumstances. At the same time, the barrier that closes the galaxy off has a destructive effect on the ship, damaging its engines.
The barrier also has an effect on Lt. Commander Gary Mitchell, who begins exhibiting increasingly extraordinary mental powers, including telekinesis and mind control, and he starts to lose patience with the slow-witted humans around him...

ANALYSIS

It's a fantastic concept, but there's something off about the execution... it feels like they just came up with it and let the story write itself, without adding in the character development that this episode desperately begged for.
Instead of having Mitchell initially appear normal and then build up the effect that the barrier has had on him, we just see him sit in Sickbay, cause a few objects to float and suddenly Spock wants to shoot him in the head.
The friendship between Kirk and Mitchell should've been the driving force of the episode, and a source of struggle for both men, but instead, it's more of a footnote that gets brought up now and again.

We don't even know whether Mitchell was evil because of greed(in which case, he turned evil far too quickly for it to be plausible) or because the barrier removed his ability to feel compassion(in which case, everyone's determination to kill Mitchell idea seems absurd, since the power is controlling him).

It's these little details that TNG would not have missed. Besides that, I think this episode would've worked considerably better if it came later in the series, and the character of Mitchell had been a regular. I mean, how awesome would it have been to turn McCoy or someone into a villain like this?

CHARACTERS

William Shatner continues to impress me as Captain Kirk. He's a bona fide action hero in this episode, leading the investigation on Mitchell and having an epic battle with him on the surface of Delta Vega. He's terrific(even if I wish he had a little more to work with).

I feel like Spock's lack of emotion is a little overplayed in this episode. His suggestion to kill Mitchell comes out of the left field and the idea that he doesn't even know what's irritation is more than a little ludicrous.

This episode also introduces James Doohan's Scotty amidst a bunch of never-seen-again "department heads"(also including Sulu and I think someone who's meant to be the Chief Medical Officer before McCoy). He doesn't do much, but he's good regardless.

Gary Lockwood(of 2001: A Space Odyssey fame) plays Gary Mitchell, and I really enjoyed his performance. He comes across as a genuinely nice guy at the beginning, and then gradually becomes creepier and more distant as the power takes hold of him.

Sally Kellerman is equally great as Dr. Elizabeth Dehner, whose abilities are a little inferior to Mitchell's, thus allowing her to retain her sanity and save the day at the end. She has very little to do aside from that, mostly serving as someone for Mitchell to talk to and be creepy with. Because in the 1960s, all you had to do to be the main villain was assault the lady. It's just not the gentleman way.

NOTES

*As we open the episode, Kirk and Spock are playing 3D chess and Kirk comments "you play a very irritating game of chess". He's clearly a poor loser, because a game of logic cannot be "played irritatingly".

*But of course, Kirk wins because of human intuition... equally impossible in a game of logic.

*I am so glad the costumes were changed after this, they look dreadful here. Baggy, bland, turtle-necked... Spock's beige "uniform" is the worst.

*Apparently, Kirk's answer for everything is "We'll feed it through mr. Spock's computer."

*When they discover that the Valiant's log is transmitting, what prompts Kirk to announce it over the ship's intercom? What are the engineers-janitors-chefs supposed to do about it?

*Unlike the previous episodes, I saw this with the original effects. I'm still not sure how I feel about that.

*Hilariously, there's a crewman walking around with a 20th century jumpsuit and cap.

*The crew seem very relaxed, as helmsman Mitchell calls his captain "Jim" in front of Spock without any issues.

*When in doubt, call all department heads to the bridge! Yeah, the chief medical officer can really help you drive the ship through the barrier or read a 200-year old log.

*If this is the 23rd century, and the ship's log is from the 21st... how did the Valiant even get out here? 2063 was First Contact, and by 2154, most Earth ships were still on Warp 2 or 3. How did a spaceship with Warp 1 or 2 and a full crew get to the edge of the galaxy?

*You have to love how casually Kirk announces that Enterprise is leaving the galaxy. Yeah, just taking a stroll into the complete unknown just like that, no need to talk to Starfleet or anything.

*People have a very annoying habit of ANNOUNCING INFORMATION AS LOUDLY AND CLEARLY AS POSSIBLE WHEN ON THE BRIDGE in this episode. I'm pretty sure they didn't do that in The Cage.

*Counting from this episode and The Man Trap, 16 crewmembers have already been lost under Kirk's command.

*The vest thing Mitchell wears in Sickbay is very odd.

*Why doesn't Kirk ever confront Mitchell about his superpowers? At least when Riker got Q powers, Picard told him to man up.

*For once, we actually see the bridge repairs after the consoles explode!

*Like Charlie Evans, Gary Mitchell reappears in Star Trek: Of Gods And Men.

LESSON OF THE DAY

"He did not ask what happened to him." That's really nice.

CONCLUSION

In spite of its flaws, the concept was very good and the acting was top-notch, carrying a mediocre script through and making a mark. It's not nearly as intellectual and interesting as the original pilot, but it sure has a shirt-ripping battle to the death!

[rushy]

Okay, I am SERIOUSLY gonna try and do faster than one review per month, but I am loaded with responsibilities at the moment... I hope you're not upset.

The Naked Time is a terrific thriller that provides some great characterisation for our main characters.

PLOT

During an away mission, an uncautious crewman is infected with a contagion that spreads throughout the ship and removes inhibitions from various members of the crew. When a particularly intoxicated officer takes control over the Engineering section, it's up to the dwindling main staff to try and save the ship from certain destruction...

ANALYSIS

I really loved this one, and there's very little to nitpick about. I was expecting this episode to be a frivolous distraction like its TNG counterpart, but it was actually quite tense at times.

Most notably, The Naked Time explores the different crewmembers(the main cast has now thankfully solidified) and their strengths and weaknesses by having them lose control over their inhibitions and the ship itself. So there's both a mental and a real disaster brewing. This keeps the momentum of the episode going all the way through and ensures there's something for every kind of fan.

CHARACTERS

You know, for a character that has the reputation of being a flippant, rulebreaking ladies' man, James Kirk sure is very unexpectedly responsible in this show. Even as the ship is falling apart around him, the captain keeps a level head and struggles to save his crew. This is a great outing for Kirk, no doubt.

However, it's almost a masterpiece for Leonard Nimoy's Spock, whose struggle with balancing his humanity with his Vulcan upbringing is established in a terrific scene where Spock locks himself in his quarters and despairs over losing his grip on things. You know, as a fan of the show, seeing emotional Vulcans is nothing new, but seeing Leonard Nimoy laughing and crying... that really got me.

Considering how much McCoy handled the virus, I was a little surprised that he was not infected as well, but that's my only complaint. He was just fine in this episode, nothing else to say.

This is the first episode starring James Doohan as chief engineer Montgomery Scott, and I already love him. As with Kirk, it's great to see these characters in their prime, and Scotty is also more than a little different from the snappy Scottish rascal we see in the TOS movies and Relics. I loved the scene where he and Kirk figure out they have to switch on the engines cold.

George Takei is of course best remembered for his little musketeer act(and his Twitter activism against Donald Trump, but that's another story) and whilst it's fun on its own, I actually found it a bit distracting and silly when compared with how the others were affected. It's the only time when the intoxication seemed to be used purely for comic relief.

By far the most entertaining character of the episode was Bruce Hyde's(seriously parents... why did you not name him Edward??) Lt. Riley. I'm not sure what it is about him, but this Irish junior officer taking over the ship was just endlessly hilarious for me. Though his singing did get annoying after a while.

NOTES

*The helmets of the away team's environmental suits looked far too loose.

*How dumb do you have to be to take your glove off on an alien planet to scratch your nose??

*There's a brief moment, where Spock says the word "Enterprise" with a peculiar accent... Russian, I thought.

*I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I love the classic Star Trek theme. It's such a lovely, quaint, bouncy theme.

*"If you can call that green stuff in your veins blood." Lovely casual racism from
Dr. McCoy there.

*I get that the contagion unlocked inhibited emotions, but Tormolen didn't appear disturbed by what was around him on the planet whatsoever. So for him to turn suicidal seemed like an utter U-turn. They should've set it up better.

*Also, how was Kirk able to guess that Tormolen was wondering whether they should even be out here?

*Why do intoxicated men in this show always turn into sexual predators?

*Was tearing Kirk's shirt open to inject him with a hypospray really necessary?

*Gotta love the analog meters on Sulu's console.

*So... apparently our crew just discovered how to travel in time. Cool. Um... how the heck was that never mentioned in the 24th century?

LESSON OF THE DAY

Not really a lesson as such(although they really should have learned something about away team protocol to be honest), but they set up a future time travel episode with Kirk's
"We may risk it someday, mr Spock."

Interesting that they don't even mention asking for permission to go gallivanting through history.

[rushy]

I just wanted to pop back into this thread and say that I haven't forgotten about my Trek marathon! However, I've been busy with exams so unfortunately I've been unable to keep my promise... not to mention that I'm also soon to be drafted into national service, which will last for a year so this hiatus must sadly go on.

But I do promise that as soon as I'm able, I will continue, because I really do love Star Trek and want to see it from the beginning. So don't be surprised if you see this thread updated somewhere in 2018 or 2019, lol!