That is a weak episode by any definition but for a season finale that is low.
I remember everyone on the cast talking about how they never thought they would reach a second season and judging by that episode the producers must have felt the same. Not wanting to end on a real cliffhanger yet provide some kind of incentive for viewers to come back should there be one.
From the comment by user "dgw" I would think that strike was a factor but in any case it is badly written throughout with several logical errors. The survivors from the cryo-pod are painfully clichèd. They are, what was thought at the end of the 80s, how people would be like in the future. Yet they appear much more back in time then the 80s. I also don't like the light hearted music they played over a scene everytime something is supposed to be funny. Switching the storylines and making the destroyed outposts and the Rumalans more prominent could have given this episode more grip.
The only real positive for me is the appearance of Marc Alaimo.
For sure not the best TOS episode. But it's also not the worst. The idea is solid - in a sci fi way of course. But some of the dialogue is weak. And the mechanical clicking sounds when Spock is moved are almost comical.
I have a confession to make: this is not among my favorite Star Trek episodes. It is among the better ones of this series but there are many I like more.
I'm not saying its bad. I actually like the general idea of a changed history and that we need to find a way to restore it. There are many good scenes and dialogues. So why don't I like it ?
I can't see past the fact that everthing hinges on a romance involving a guy who has one in every forth episode (rough estimate). It doesn't feel natural in any way. Therefore the emotional weight to carry this decission just isn't there.
At this point of the show one should be used to the fact that many stories revolve around Kirk and women. And so many times it doesn't seem necessary. And this is one of those.
If there is one thing I might envy Data for it's his ability to "delete the appropriate program".
I don't know why this episode has slipped from my memory. It is a sad and heartfelt story about Data trying to emulate love and relations. I always liked those episodes about Data's way towards becoming more human. It makes me look at myself. Is it nessessary to be able to love to be considered human ? There are people incabable of love. Are those not human ?
I really enyoed Datas attempts at a relationship (Honey, I'm home - priceless) and if you are honest it isn't so much different for a real human the first time. You're not born with that abillity. You learn on the fly - you write your own program so to say. And you reserve a lot of memory space for your partner. And, just like in real life, sometimes it doesn't work out. The last scene with Spot was really sad.
A civilization, which planet is bursting at the seams from overpopulation, has abducted Kirk to harvest a rare disease from him. So that they can introduce it to their own population in order to solve their population problem.
OK, that's a good start. But really nothing else makes sense. Where did they get the plans for the Enterprise from ? And for that matter, why even build it in the first place ? They could beam Kirk down to the council chamber, take him prisoner and lock him up. They seem contempt to hold him there for the rest of his life - even if that wouldn't have been nessessary as we learn later. And in another variation of "Kirk and the Women" it's all centered around a beautiful young girl longing for Kirk to fall in love with her. Why ? She thought she was going to die anyway.
The fact that she was willing to sacrifice herself, or the father his daughter, shows their desperation. That's one of the strong points. And the diplomatic dialogue between Spock and Hodin was, unwillingy (?) funny.
But at the end the romance seems to be more important then finding another solution to Gideon's problem.
This episode is among the best of the show's whole run.
Not only is it a thrilling cat-and-mouse game between the Enterprise and the Romulans. It shows their commander as much more than just a one-dimensional enemy. He wonders if everything he does makes sense. If there isn't a better way. But he can't escape his drilled in sense of duty. That alone would have make this story stand out. And even Kirk has it's moment showing a little doubt if his decisions are always right. It's basically the question if war is always unavoidable given certain cirsumsatnces, or if it isn't better to avoid it and search for other solutions.
We also have the character of Stiles who openly hates Romulans because his anchestors dies in the war at their hands. When he learns their is a connection to the Vulcans his hatred reflects upon Spock. Stiles only comes around when Spock saves his life despite everything. Yes, it's very on the nose. But for a TV show in the 60s, openly showing that form of bigotry, is exceptional and a reason for Star Trek popularity to this day.
The drama of the young couple supposed to get married at the beginning, with one of them being killed in the line of duty, looses a bit of impact under the weight of everything else. But it leaves us with a final word from Kirk:
"There's always a price to pay"
You want to know what Star Trek is all about than this is an episode you should see. If you don´t get it from this one you propably never will.
Wish I could say the show ended on a high note. But it didn't.
Shatner's portrayal of what he thinks a woman, even a mentally ill one, behaves is shameful. We had male characters that were mentally ill and they still behaved in a somewhat dignified manner. But a woman becomes hysterical. Now this show, despite being progressive when it comes to the portrayal of women, sure still had its issues concerning just that. If they weren't Starfleet they were mostly light clad, there for romantic involvement by one of the cast. More often than not in the form of James Kirk. There were still remnants of sexism and patronizing and I don't know if the studio was to blame or the writers and producers.
And the story in general was also weak. It should have been easy to prove who is who as Lester doesn't posess Kirk's memories. Which is only slightly indicated by Spock and than dismised by saying those infos were public record. So how about one that isn't ? And at the end, when all hope is dwindling away, the change just happens to reverse itself.
And the last words we hear from this show are: "she could have had a life as rich as every other woman....if only she'd....."
What ?
Because in a way Dr Lester was right. We never saw a female Captain in this show. Officers, yes - scientists, of course. But no Captain or even an Admiral. Now that was to lay at the feet of studio execs, I know that.
After all it still was the 60's
The first product placement in Star Trek History (maybe in TV History ?). Also the second appearance from Diana Muldaur as a leading guest actor.
The story isn't bad but it didn't really grip me. And I fail to see the described ugliness in the ambassador's appearance. But that could be on purpose because beauty indeed is subject to taste.
This must be the weakest evil being in the whole universe if he needs a bunch of children to do his bidding.
And this episode makes "Spock's Brain" appear like a walk in the park.
The idea with aliens from the neighbouring Andromeda galaxy is good. And up to the point they are leaving our galaxy it was a great episode. It was dreadful to watch how everyone was turned into those little cubes and they didn't even bother to take them anywhere but just left them lying around. You really felt the hopelessness of the situation.
The solution ? Turning it into a comedy. Even if the part with Scotty and that Alien was well played everything hinges again on Kirk smooching a woman and invoking jealousy in the Kelvan leader. Who than within seconds agrees to the same things he rejected as impossible.
That's a bit to simplistic and easy even for 60s TV. Especially since on many occasions the show did better.
Yeah, a little bit on the nose. I know they got away with a lot of things because they where using sci fi as a means to "talk" about certain issues. But in this episode they explicitly talk about South Asia and I'm surprised that got through. As it was a total no no to have that on a TV show back then.
The character of Nona was not very good. It would've helped to give her a less sexy outfit. And all the time when she was attacked by the villagers and holds the phaser - why not just use it ? She'd seen how it worked, how to operate it. But she had to die for the sake of the story so that war can break out. Which is also a bit thin that her death then brings a sworn pacifist like Tyree over the edge.
Would have liked to see more of the Klingons, some interaction with Kirk. Althought we had that before already in other episodes. And what was the reason for the Klingon intervention, anyway ? What was their endgame ?
The Mugato is cool, even thought it's just another guy in a suit. But I like the look.
The famous and loved Tribble episode. Lighthearted yet serious at the bottom.
This is probably the TOS I laughed the most. And it's honest laughter because the humor was great. The scene where Scotty explains to Kirk he didn't fight because the Klingon insulted his Captain but rather the ship - the look on Kirk's face feels so genuine.
Interesting to watch the original episode after the DS9 re-visit. In my mind I see the DS9 crew in the background.
Another one of the ten best Classic epsiodes.
A great personal story about Spock that tells again a lot about him. He's the best drawn out character of the whole show and this episode has implications moving forward.
The part about the delegates and the spy wasn't bad either. The Tellarites are introduced and I think this is the first time the Orions are mentioned, but not yet seen.
I, too, am a bit uncomfortable with this story. They literally force Federation views and values upon a culture that knows nothing about them. Kirk and McCoy claim this is done for the good of the people and only Spock is a voice of reason. Now, this is of course very similar to what western civilization has been doing for a long time to what they think of as "lesser" cultures. But this episode doesn't take a stand against that but rather promotes it. There is the point made that the influence of the landing party turned the peaceful inhabitants, that didn't know the concept of killing, into murderers. But it is again shrugged off, even laughed off, by Kirk and McCoy.
Furthermore, what exactly is/was Val? Where did he/it come from? Was he evil in forcing the inhabitants to serve him or benevolent by caring for them? Is this another case of a civilization building a machine to help them that then turned against them ?
Plot holes over plot holes.
What I found interesting was that Kirk told Scotty to seperate the main section of the ship. I missed that detail before. I also missed David Soul (of Starsky & Hutch fame) being in this episode.
They had no idea at the time what they introduced here. And while not every Parallel-Universe story was a hit it always gave characters the opportunity to leave their comfort zone.
And Spock rocks that goatee.
This is as close to a perfect episode you'll get from the show.
Acting - top notch from everyone
Story - very personal on all accounts. A great display of friendship
Music - a score that became iconic
Also, the introduction of Chekov who was added for the younger audience at the time.
There is really nothing bad anywhere.
One of the best episodes of the series.
Also, this episodes introduce the Klingons and, althought their appearance will chance through the years, they are here to stay. But Colicos already shows many traits of the Klingons in his brilliant portrayal of Kor.
Of course this episode is very political. It's an allusion to Vietnam where the Federation acts as the US - with Kirk arrogantly proclaming how they can help them and bringing them progress and values - and the Klingons playing the role of the Communists. Who, according to Kirk, are evil war mongerers who only conquer and suppress. Crushing free will and liberty. Of course they both don't really care about the Organians. They want the planet because it has startegic importance in getting an advantage over your opponent. It's a battle of systems threatening to turn into an all out war where everyone thinks he has a right to battle.
But the Organians are having none of it. They resist by not resisting and it turns out they are far more superior than either the Federation or the Klingons could imagine. They're are telling both sides there is no right to wage war and prevent both sides from battleing each other. I'd enjoy how they put both, but especially Kirk, at their place. Would be nice to have some Organians for real.
This all lead then to the Treaty of Organia and the end of the war. So, not only an important message but also an important episode in Star Trek mythology.
Do I detect a logical error in the story ?
If the Commodore was also an illusion why was Spock pleading to Kirk to not "let him stop me" ? If Spock was working on this, like it is implied, in unison with the Talosians, he should have know Mendez wasn't real, and his own reaction would be illogical, no ?
Or was he just trying to uphold the charade ?
From a production standpoint it makes absolute sense to use the scenes shot for the unaired pilot as you basically get a free episode. The studio already paid for it and no one then knew that it would be released decades in the future.
But instead of simply showing it they weave an intruguing and exciting story around it where Spock is willing to risk in life out of loyalty to his former Captain. At the same time he has to be loyal to Kirk and that dilemma presents us with what will become, in my eyes, one of the highlights of the whole show
Now, is it just my imagination or was Kirk flirting with a minor ?
The most interesting part of this epsiode, the second Earth is never explained. It's just a throw-in. And how does a civilization on par with 1960s Earth posess such knowledge as to experiment with immortality on that level ? That would've been important to look into.
The rest of the episode is rather thin. The kids really are annoying and somehow I have my doubts that they even would behave that childish if they are 300 years old. As it stands the plot implies that a human cannot learn by himself if no one is around to teach him. And Kirk said it himself - kids want to be told. They need the guidance of grown ups. In any case those kind of stories have the flaw that you know a death threat to the main cast bears little weight. And Janice being proud that she could make Kirk look at her legs....yes, it's the 60s.
I liked Kim Darby who played really well and of course she was way older than the character she portrayed. I don't think the studio would have gone for an actual teen with Shatner. The Grups makeup was well made. Sure, on HD it looks cheap but on a 60s TV set this must have looked very real.
Intrestingly both red-shirts survived. Must be one of the only times.
So, they did the close-ups quite a lot. They use it very often I must say. Was probably a thing then.
The early episode could be quite odd at times. We get Uhura singing in the mess hall. And I notice that Spock is a bit too emotional, he even smiles (a little).
Charlie is basically a teenager in puberty who tries to make sense of things he doesn't understand. And he wants everyone to like him and be at the center. That is something very relatable and I wonder how much of Roddenberry, who wrote the story, is in Charles Evans. But he is an adolecent with a dangerous talent. He has the power to make people and things dissapear, hurt them and even change them. This is where the relatable meets SciFi.
At the end we learn there's another reason to Charlie's behavior and it becomes very dramatic with him pleading for help from people he just recently threatened and tormented. But one can almost understand his behavior, he's afraid. Again we're shown that you shouldn't judge before you know the whole picture.
The quote that "he will use his power no matter what" and that it will ultimately lead to him destroying them (the crew or all mankind ?) or be destroyed himself, for me, reads that no one person should have the power to force his will upon others.
And on a completely unrelated subject: no matter how often I watch the show - I always go crazy about Rand's hairdo. There, I said it.
It was a nice episode to get some emotional reactions out of Spock. But, again, instead of a romance I would have been more interested to learn more about that civilization.
As far as I understand time travel wouldn't sending back the whole population into your own past play havoc with the timeline ? With the millions of possible new outcomes it is more than likely that there will be lots of paradoxons up to the point where no timeline with that technology exists.
I know, it's beside the point. But that's what I thought about while watching this episode.
Feels hollow and pointless. What's the deal, here ? That Good and Evil use the same methods to achieve their goals if driven by incentive ? And therefore they are but different sides of the same coin ? It's all pretty foggy.
I must say so, I never forgot the picture of Lincoln floating in open space on his chair since I watched this as a child.
A society where the upper echelon has all the amenities of life provided through the work of those at the bottom of the food chain. Sounds familiar ? It's another one of Star Trek's metaphors that still works well in our time.
Another one of "Star Trek's Worst Episodes" candidates. And another last ditch attempt to generate viewership.
At the core not a bad idea but it's just too much. Maybe if they hadn't turned this into a musical.
This could have been a great episode. Flint is one of the most interesting characters Star Trek has created and the mystery surrounding him should have been the story. Than there is the part about an AI evolving feelings. Again in itself not a bad starting point for any sci fi show. I even would have gone for the concept as love as a trigger for that. But here comes the "could have" part into play.
It is too much to ask from me as the viewer to accept Kirk to madly fall in love with her within hours. Oh, I don't dispute those things can happen. I know they do. But with Kirk ? The guy has a different woman in every third episode.
And if you want to talk about something, why not talk about it why it matters if she's human or an android. If he fell in love with her the way she was, what does it matter ? There is a topic worth discovering. Suddenly he can't love her because of her status. Until he accepts her as being human again. Kirk then yelling at Spock to "stay out of it, we fight for a woman" is one of the low points of the show.
But the most blatant display of convenient writing came at the end when Spock erases the memory of Rayna from a sleeping Kirk and tells him to "forget".
That's the straw that broke the camel's back.
Other than the fact that Scotty was really patronizing at times towards Mira this was a solid episode.
And if you haven't already known, yes, this is where the famous Star Trek Wiki got his name from.
I remembered Lee Meriwether's character from this episode but nothing about the plot. Which tells you a thing or two. Lee has an incredible screen presence and she is drop dead gorgeous. Such a shame that the episode itself feels completely lifeless.
And they really went out of their way to make Spock extremely annoying, don't they ?
