Episode of the Week : Elaan of Troyius
- Thread starter Botany Bay
- Start date
It's one of my favorite episodes of the series, not just the third season.
- It has a fantastic original music score. For years I wished that Fred Steiner had recorded a suite from "Elaan" for the Varese Sarabande albums. How great would that have been? It's good to finally have the whole score from LLL.
- France Nuyen is super-hot. Just having her featured prominently in the episode took things to a higher level. (I feel the same way about Marianna Hill and Diana Muldaur in TOS. A woman on that level of talent and charisma should have been a regular in a starring role. Instead we got two women that the producer was getting it on with. Biggest flaw of the series.)
- Jay Robinson is great in his role; I also knew him from Bewitched and later Buck Rogers. He was one of the few actors who could have filled the niche created by Jonathan Harris, and played Dr. Smith on Lost in Space.
- There's action with a Klingon warship. Finding the AMT kit was exciting in the early '70s, and it was the most screen-accurate sci-fi model that ever came down the pike.
"Elaan" checks a lot of boxes.
- It has a fantastic original music score. For years I wished that Fred Steiner had recorded a suite from "Elaan" for the Varese Sarabande albums. How great would that have been? It's good to finally have the whole score from LLL.
- France Nuyen is super-hot. Just having her featured prominently in the episode took things to a higher level. (I feel the same way about Marianna Hill and Diana Muldaur in TOS. A woman on that level of talent and charisma should have been a regular in a starring role. Instead we got two women that the producer was getting it on with. Biggest flaw of the series.)
- Jay Robinson is great in his role; I also knew him from Bewitched and later Buck Rogers. He was one of the few actors who could have filled the niche created by Jonathan Harris, and played Dr. Smith on Lost in Space.
- There's action with a Klingon warship. Finding the AMT kit was exciting in the early '70s, and it was the most screen-accurate sci-fi model that ever came down the pike.
"Elaan" checks a lot of boxes.
To me, and I suspect many others my age, Jay Robinson will always be:
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ZapBrannigan wrote:
It's one of my favorite episodes of the series, not just the third season.
- It has a fantastic original music score. For years I wished that Fred Steiner had recorded a suite from "Elaan" for the Varese Sarabande albums. How great would that have been? It's good to finally have the whole score from LLL.
Agreed--the score is one of the best of the series, and only sold the fact the music of ST was as expressive and sophisticated as any film score.
Yes, she was strikingly beautiful. Nuyen gave a believable performance for the demands of the levels Elaan climbs: from petulant, racist brat, to someone who matures enough to understand her greater responsibility, accepting that she could not pursue her heart's desire.
How Robert (I Spy) Culp lost her is anyone's guess.
Nuyen would surface in another sci-fi franchise several years later--as the radiation scarred mutant Alma in the 5th and final entry in the Apes series, Battle for the Planet of the Apes.
The legend of Kirk gained much from interesting, exciting ship battle tactics that was not this strong (arguably) since "Balance of Terror."
Regarding the Klingon Battle Cruiser--another huge score that this brilliant, truly alien ship appeared in an episode where it faced off in a script that utilized it perfectly. Additionally, it worked against a great performance from Shatner, who ends the episode--once again--resigning himself to being dedicated to being captain, at the expense of ever finding true love. That recurring theme would get a final go-around in "Requiem for Methuselah"
Nearly 50 years later, the Klingon Battle Cruiser still stands as one of the greatest sci-fi ship designs ever, on a short list of adversary ships to actually look menacing.
Rating: 8/10.
As I stated elsewhere, a fun romp with music that sounded right out of the old Flash Gordon serials.
Jay Robinson made a fantastic Caligula in Demetrius and the Gladiators..and brings his usual 'elan to this role..
and yes Ms. Nuyen does a fantastic job..the remastered effects are ok for the most part, except for that jarring Klingon avoidance maneuver..a smoother transition would have been ok..
7 out of 10
Jay Robinson made a fantastic Caligula in Demetrius and the Gladiators..and brings his usual 'elan to this role..
and yes Ms. Nuyen does a fantastic job..the remastered effects are ok for the most part, except for that jarring Klingon avoidance maneuver..a smoother transition would have been ok..
7 out of 10
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8. Along with "The Tholien Web" and "The Enterprise Incident," a highlight of the final season. It has much to recommend it--Good premise and script. Superb score. Great effects. Has the feel of a second season episode. Great guests. Nasty Klingons.
The few drawbacks: The goofy placeholder uniforms, a bit chovenistic and just a bit of Shatner hamming.
The few drawbacks: The goofy placeholder uniforms, a bit chovenistic and just a bit of Shatner hamming.
Is it wrong of me to have wanted to see Kirk give Elaan a spanking? 
ZapBrannigan wrote:
It's one of my favorite episodes of the series, not just the third season.
- It has a fantastic original music score. For years I wished that Fred Steiner had recorded a suite from "Elaan" for the Varese Sarabande albums. How great would that have been? It's good to finally have the whole score from LLL.
Agreed--the score is one of the best of the series, and only sold the fact the music of ST was as expressive and sophisticated as any film score.
Yes, she was strikingly beautiful. Nuyen gave a believable performance for the demands of the levels Elaan climbs: from petulant, racist brat, to someone who matures enough to understand her greater responsibility, accepting that she could not pursue her heart's desire.
How Robert (I Spy) Culp lost her is anyone's guess.
Nuyen would surface in another sci-fi franchise several years later--as the radiation scarred mutant Alma in the 5th and final entry in the Apes series, Battle for the Planet of the Apes.
The legend of Kirk gained much from interesting, exciting ship battle tactics that was not this strong (arguably) since "Balance of Terror."
Regarding the Klingon Battle Cruiser--another huge score that this brilliant, truly alien ship appeared in an episode where it faced off in a script that utilized it perfectly. Additionally, it worked against a great performance from Shatner, who ends the episode--once again--resigning himself to being dedicated to being captain, at the expense of ever finding true love. That recurring theme would get a final go-around in "Requiem for Methuselah"
Nearly 50 years later, the Klingon Battle Cruiser still stands as one of the greatest sci-fi ship designs ever, on a short list of adversary ships to actually look menacing.
Rating: 8/10.
I voted 8, also.
Are you guys stealing my thoughts with your sorcery?
It was the first Star Trek episode I saw on NBC, I was age 6. I've always enjoyed it, and really enjoy the 'Klingon spy' and 'Ship to Ship Battle' music cues of the episode. (9/10) 
Let us not forget it also has the Klingon theme which would stay with the bearded baddies when they came back in Day of The Dove too!
JB
JB
Those shots of the klingon ship were beautiful indeed, and it makes me sad to think of the earlier battles The Enterprise had with them in other episodes that were not shown on screen, just The Enterprise maneuvering about or a golden triangle to represent the Klingons as in Friday's Child! And no I don't count the newer versions of the episodes as Elaan's models did not need updating one bit!
JB
JB
I agree with regard to the Klingon D-7 model work in the original version. IMO the CGI Klingon D7 model in the remastered version is TERRIBLE (low poly, bad texture map, and the WRONG color - the ship was always white - and they even paid homage to that design and color choice back in the 1991 feature film STVI:The Undescovered Country.)
I have little problem with that part of the VFX work - TOS effects always were pretty dismal, so while this is no improvement, it's not a loss, either.
However, the reworking introduces a disgusting piece of visual nonsense - when the ship finally reaches her destination, she is shown disappearing halfway behind the horizon of the planet. From this we can easily calculate that the planet is about twenty kilometers across...
TOS never featured such stupid scenes. And if this one had been cut two frames short, there'd be no problem here, either. Alas, those two frames show half a ship peeking from behind the horizon, when they shouldn't really be showing anything more than perhaps one bright pixel.
Timo Saloniemi
However, the reworking introduces a disgusting piece of visual nonsense - when the ship finally reaches her destination, she is shown disappearing halfway behind the horizon of the planet. From this we can easily calculate that the planet is about twenty kilometers across...
TOS never featured such stupid scenes. And if this one had been cut two frames short, there'd be no problem here, either. Alas, those two frames show half a ship peeking from behind the horizon, when they shouldn't really be showing anything more than perhaps one bright pixel.
Timo Saloniemi
The same type of error occurs in the main titles of Star Trek: Voyager. The ship flies directly over the rings of a Saturn-like planet, and Voyager's reflection in the rings is so large that the planet must be very small. I think Disney was sub-contracted to create that title sequence.
...The fundamental problem with that is the discrepancy between the quoted, pseudorealistic combat speeds; the understandable desire to show the adversary in impressive close-up visuals; and the compromise distance quotes that match neither the visuals nor the speed references.
"The Ultimate Computer" did better by neglecting to show the adversary ships in close-ups or tight maneuvers. The -R version of "Elaan" did worse by showing both the heroes and the villains in the same shot.
Timo Saloniemi
"The Ultimate Computer" did better by neglecting to show the adversary ships in close-ups or tight maneuvers. The -R version of "Elaan" did worse by showing both the heroes and the villains in the same shot.
Timo Saloniemi
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