Fix an episode----Obsession

[Melakon]

I was going to mention that this is one of my favorite episodes, but that doesn't seem to be what OP wants to hear.

I am thrilled you like it.

I like lots of it. Always have.

Just the more I watched it--I found parts I found to be weak and not consistent.

I know 100% consistency is impossible--not even 50% is likely, but I thought it might be fun to speculate on little fixes.

Obviously if you think it doesn't need fixing-you won't have any ideas.

It's just how many times do you want to come here and state the episode is great as-is.

That depends on the person.

I make one comment and you're criticizing me for repeatedly coming in here?

 

[Grant]

If I went with my intial suggestion of the creature being artificially created then just adding a line or two of dialogue would have nailed it down and thus no problem to be fixed anymore.

Spock's line about the creature's abilities not necessarily being an indicator of intelligence is slightly in error. If the creature were an artificial construct then that speaks of someone's intelligence somewhere.

So all Spock had to say was affirm that no creation of nature could possibly do the things this creature does. And yet here it is. So possibly this thing was created by someone somewhere at some undetermined time. To which Kirk would reply it didn't really matter where it came from, but that they had to deal with it.

The only slight flaw I see with this approach is that it becomes somewhat similar to the doomsday machine and its unknown origins.

Right.

I don't want an in-depth explanation how it can do what it does, but I'd damn sure like an acknowledgement that is doing something extraordinary.

And I kind of like the bookend theory that if one alien race can create a technological ultimate weapon that another race may have created a biological super-weapon.

Very cool idea and not necessarily redundant. Some ruthless alien race creates a biological weapon that kills all animal life forms and leaves a given planet ready for colonization! they of course have the method they need to kill it after it does their dirty work---or do they? LOL

 

[Jedi_Master]

Just a quick tip to the OP:

In threads like these people will show up who disagree with your premise. It's their right to post, and its your right to ignore those posts and respond to someone willing to discuss your premise. Saves a lot of time and effort, believe me.

Carry on...

 

[Warped9]

If it is an artificial biological construct they also thought of making it self-replicating. If the creators miscalcutated then it's possible at least one of these things got loose and proceeded to breed duplicates of itself. And since the things are capable of travelling from one star system to another that means a big problem for inhabited planets.

This thing isn't anything like the Horta which they could reason with and reach an understanding. This thing is more like the Alien xenomorph or TNG's crystalline entity--it kills to sustain itself and whatever intelligence it has is sufficient solely for it to hide itself and hunt.

 

[Grant]

I was going to mention that this is one of my favorite episodes, but that doesn't seem to be what OP wants to hear.

I am thrilled you like it.

I like lots of it. Always have.

Just the more I watched it--I found parts I found to be weak and not consistent.

I know 100% consistency is impossible--not even 50% is likely, but I thought it might be fun to speculate on little fixes.

Obviously if you think it doesn't need fixing-you won't have any ideas.

It's just how many times do you want to come here and state the episode is great as-is.

That depends on the person.

I make one comment and you're criticizing me for repeatedly coming in here?

I wasn't referring to you! Sorry about the confusion.

The "you" was generic not specific.

I think you're a pretty decent poster from what I have read.

 

[Melakon]

I think you're a pretty decent poster from what I have read.

Ha! Fooled you there!

 

[Grant]

If it is an artificial biological construct they also thought of making it self-replicating. If the creators miscalcutated then it's possible at least one of these things got loose and proceeded to breed duplicates of itself. And since the things are capable of travelling from one star system to another that means a big problem for inhabited planets.

This thing isn't anything like the Horta which they could reason with and reach an understanding. This thing is more like the Alien xenomorph or TNG's crystalline entity--it kills to sustain itself and whatever intelligence it has is sufficient solely for it to hide itself and hunt.

Actually it could explain how there are so many planets that are ripe to be colonized--Class M ----that DON'T have life.

What did kill off all the "salt-vampires" ?
Why is that planet in "By Any Other Name" seemingly vacant but completely habitable?
"Shore Leave" planet------the people find a completely vacant planet and turn it into an amusement park!

Damn vampire clouds got loose millennia ago and killed all the animal life !!

 

[Grant]

I think you're a pretty decent poster from what I have read.

Ha! Fooled you there!

No, I've read your posts you're not 1/4 the trouble-maker I am.

 

[Kemaiku]

If the creature was artificially created then the need for ingesting blood could have been an in-built mechanism to keep it from surviving long in the wild.

Well, that would be the idea, a semi-organic (organo-metallic even) system that could fail without it's creators constant support. Iron peeled from the Haem to help create a complex metallic construct in it's basic makeup, but engineered to only take it from one source, unable to take enough from space, or solid enough to pry it from rock.

But like a lot of the other WMD's TOS dealt with, the race behind the idea either died off, moved on, or released it at a target and thought it would burn out in the process.

 

[BK613]

Might have been said but what if hemoglobin is like heroin to the cloud creature; not something needed but something craved.

 

[Kemaiku]

Might have been said but what if hemoglobin is like heroin to the cloud creature; not something needed but something craved.

Well it could serve two functions.

One, to control it in captivity while being engineered, and to prevent it spreading if it got loose. Breeding would be possible, but without a blood source, they would tend not to.

Two, release it onto a planet, let it eat the population alive, breed, spread and kill everyone. Follow them as they escape to warp, and de-populate their ships, leaving both intact for invasion/recovery.

Without enough blood, the creatures would die off, the rare element in them collected up and more made if necessary. It would be an effective weapon, and explain a lot about it's abilities.

Either it needs it to live, or is simply bred to crave it, it would do the same.

 

[Melakon]

Since the creature was essentially a threat to only a select group of humanoids with a certain blood composition, it's a lucky thing the Klingons or Romulans didn't capture it to use as a weapon.

 

[Grant]

Since the creature was essentially a threat to only a select group of humanoids with a certain blood composition, it's a lucky thing the Klingons or Romulans didn't capture it to use as a weapon.

Heck the idea that it was a created weapon is so intruiging--it's almost a shame that TNG didn't use that thing for an episode.

The Romulans or rogue Klingons or Cardassians find/capture one of the vampire clouds and let it loose on a federation colony--perhaps in the disputed area near bajoran space that the Maquis inhabited.

Then they could have actually reveled the creatures backstory as a weapon of mass destruction.

 

[1001001]

You are so deluded that you have to pretend that every writing blunder was actually a clever idea that the writers had thought of at the time.

GM Chrysler, man!



Calling someone "deluded" is not okay. Consider this your one and only friendly.

And please do not start any more of these threads until you hear back from us. We're trying to figure out the best way to proceed. I definitely don't want to see 79 threads here.

Thanks.