Episode of the Week : The Enemy Within

Discussion in 'Star Trek - The Original & Animated Series' started by Botany Bay, Feb 6, 2014.

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Rate "The Enemy Within"

Poll closed Feb 13, 2014.
  1. 1

    1 vote(s)
    2.7%
  2. 2

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
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    0 vote(s)
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    0 vote(s)
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  5. 5

    4 vote(s)
    10.8%
  6. 6

    11 vote(s)
    29.7%
  7. 7

    4 vote(s)
    10.8%
  8. 8

    6 vote(s)
    16.2%
  9. 9

    6 vote(s)
    16.2%
  10. 10

    5 vote(s)
    13.5%
  1. Silvercrest

    Silvercrest Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Any guesses what would have happened if they put 'evil' Kirk through the malfunctioning transporter by himself? Would it split him again? Into what?
     
  2. Delta Vega

    Delta Vega Commodore Commodore

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    I love the episode, its a great piece of Trek, but hey, there are so many inconsistencies in the story as you`ve pointed out,
     
  3. Greg Cox

    Greg Cox Admiral Premium Member

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    I am, of course, contractually obligated to point out that this ep was written by the late Richard Matheson, who also gave us The Incredible Shrinking Man, I Am Legend, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," Somewhere in Time, Duel, Hell House, What Dreams May Come, The Night Stalker (script), Stir of Echoes, various Vincent Price movies, and many other classic books, movies, and TV episodes . . . .
     
  4. Harvey

    Harvey Admiral Admiral

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    I haven't read anything which suggests it is "well understood" that Roddenberry was the assailant. I tend to believe that he was, based on a number of details in Whitney's memoir, but she (deliberately) doesn't name the man. That leaves a lot of doubt.

    Unfortunately, this is yet another issue about the original series being muddied by Marc Cushman's work, since These Are The Voyages says that Whitney was assaulted by a "studio executive." Actually, Whitney simply refers to the man as "the executive" (Studio executive? Network executive? Executive producer?).
     
  5. ZapBrannigan

    ZapBrannigan Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I no longer have the book, but I think Inside Star Trek (Solow, Justman) is where I read the details that led to my firm belief on the subject. So much so that I figured everyone should have accepted the same conclusion.
     
  6. Harvey

    Harvey Admiral Admiral

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    Inside Star Trek: The Real Story doesn't mention the assault, although it does say (on pages 243-44):

    There is, however, a memo in the UCLA archives from Roddenberry to Gene Coon (dated October 28, 1966; five weeks after Whitney was released from her contract), which suggests that Roddenberry may have wanted to bring back Whitney. It says, in part:

    (The memo is in the Cushman book, but I can confirm its existence).

    Also in the dread Cushman book, the author quotes a Whitney interview with the official Star Trek Fan Club from 1986:

    It's useful to keep in mind, however, the source of this interview (the Official Fan Club) and the date (ten years before Whitney made her 1966 assault public in her memoir).
     
  7. T'Girl

    T'Girl Vice Admiral Admiral

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    This episode as I understand it saw the origin of the Vulcan neck pinch because Nimoy felt it was out of character for Spock to hit the evil Kirk on the back of his head (in engineering) with the base Spock's phaser grip.

    The most likely explanation that I've come up with that make sense of what Spock said is if Spock and Rand were actually very close friends, it was exactly the kind of comment that one girlfriend would make to another following something bad happening to one of them.

    Spock and Rand are "girlfriends."

    :)
     
  8. Pauln6

    Pauln6 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    There were many factors. Many of Rand's appearances were minor and hardly justified a higher wage than the day players I suppose. The Enemy within is one of the character's best appearances (although the meatiest is Charlie X and my favourite is the Man Trap). It would have been nice to see her return twice per season in a couple of meatier guest appearances though.
     
  9. Commishsleer

    Commishsleer Commodore Commodore

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    The episode was so politically incorrect. Spock's remarks. Rand had no female counsellor. Everyone was more concerned about Kirk rather than Rand (even before they knew about the split). Its not even like they said to her we'll assign you a guard until this is sorted. Nope the captain attacked her in front of witnesses and she was just told to go back to her cabin or something. And then the guy was free to accost her later.
    They even used animals for experiments.

    However this is one of the classic episodes. One of those best remembered.
    Sure it had some problems but overall its good enough to overcome these to make it one of the best TOS episodes IMO.

    Yes and I even liked the unicorn poodle dog.
     
  10. Sir Rhosis

    Sir Rhosis Commodore Commodore

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    Last edited: Feb 9, 2014
  11. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

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    Naturally, since political correctness didn't exist in 1966.

    It was better executed than "the Hand Plant".
     
  12. Maurice

    Maurice Snagglepussed Admiral

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    That actually points out a pet peeve of mine: how so many people seem to credit Star Trek with firsts which are, in fact, old tried and true conventions.
     
  13. Sir Rhosis

    Sir Rhosis Commodore Commodore

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    We have a pretty good record here of setting the... record (Austin Powers moment, there) straight regarding Trek firsts, though. I used to see the old "Kirk used 'hell' first in City as a curse word" a lot, which was debunked, as well as many others.

    Sir Rhosis
     
  14. CorporalCaptain

    CorporalCaptain Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    That's not even partially true, since the space dog was split accidentally to begin with. Its halves would have died, just like Kirk's were going to, if they hadn't tried rejoining it. The procedure would have been the same, even if it had been done after Kirk was rejoined, and the animal likely still would have died.

    The charge of using animals for experiments would stick if they'd taken an initially healthy animal and split it on purpose, just to see if they could rejoin it.
     
  15. Commishsleer

    Commishsleer Commodore Commodore

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    So why was the dog there?
     
  16. CorporalCaptain

    CorporalCaptain Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Sulu's holding the dog in the very first scene on the planet surface. Kirk says:

    Later on:

    I think we can accuse them of taking animals out of their natural habitats for study back at base that they may not ever have intended to return. If there's a crime here relating to mistreating animals, it was kidnapping.
     
  17. Commishsleer

    Commishsleer Commodore Commodore

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    You raise your charge to kidnapping. I reduce my charge to animal testing.:lol:

    They tested the solution on the animal before testing it on Kirk.

    Not that I really have any problem with that
     
  18. CorporalCaptain

    CorporalCaptain Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    This situation isn't like The Andromeda Strain. Not that what they did in that film was unjustified, but they actually took healthy animals and exposed them to a space disease, in order to understand its pathology and find a cure.

    It's true that they took advantage of already having the split animal to test the procedure for Kirk, but all they did was try to cure a space dog that needed curing, and they didn't sacrifice an otherwise viable animal just for Kirk's benefit. That's not even animal testing; it's experimental exoveterinary medicine.

    Yes, I don't believe that they'd just randomly snatch space dogs, especially not as isolated specimens. That's a strike against the episode right there. The only reasons the space dog was in the episode were to reveal to the rest of the crew what was going on to Kirk and to amplify the jeopardy that Kirk was in.
     
  19. T'Girl

    T'Girl Vice Admiral Admiral

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    The way Star trek generated the "evil twin" you have to admit was unique, employing a technological device.

    It's not like born twins. Or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde who was simply one man under the influence of a mind altering drug.

    :)
     
  20. Greg Cox

    Greg Cox Admiral Premium Member

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    I can't resist pointing out that Bette Davis made at least two "evil twin" movies: A Stolen Life (1946) and Dead Ringers (1964). And Boris Karloff did it at least once: The Black Room (1935).

    But, yeah, the transporter twist was new.