Rewatching Star Trek For the 50th Anniversary

[Thomas Amundsen]

Shore Leave was a fun episode and really surprised me. When I saw it on the episode listing, I assumed it'd be a light-hearted drama-comedy and involve no sci-fi elements. Boy was I wrong!

Squire of Gothos... yea not exactly one of the shining stars of the series. I actually laughed out loud the third or fourth time he erupted with "tut tut tut!!!"

 

[tomalak301]

Tomorrow is Yesterday

This episode is still fun, and knowing that it was supposed to tie into The Naked Time makes me wish they had actually done that. Loved Christopher and the whole fixing the timeline thing. Of course this kind of story is done so much now but there's still a sense of fun and wonderment to this story. Also, it's always fun to see the crew out of their element.

 

[Thomas Amundsen]

My favorite line from that episode:

Kirk: "This little thing? ..... Just something I slipped on."

 

[tomalak301]

My favorite line from that episode:

Kirk: "This little thing? ..... Just something I slipped on."

Now I know where the whole Pajama thing in Trek comes from.

 

[tomalak301]

Court Martial

I really like this episode. I always love a good courtroom drama and trek was a master when it came to such episodes. Here we have probably two of the best guest stars in the series in Samuel T Cogley, as well as the prosecutor Areel Shaw. Loved how Cogley would dismiss the witnesses and then come up with a great testimony about man vs machine. Also loved the scene where he has piles of books and how well verse in Literature he was. I also loved that we got to see more of the early federation in this episode as well as how court Martials go.

 

[tomalak301]

Return of the Archons

This episode was strange. I feel like talking a computer to death is the Star Trek cliche similar to Voyager losing shuttles, as in it happens a lot. This episode also had a really awkward Red Hour scene (Which I still don't get) and a lot of repetition (You mean to tell me you're in an underground movement and wanting freedom but you cowar when Landreau is even spoken?). There were some interesting bits, like how Kirk talks the computer to death, but other than that, this isn't one of my favorites from the first season.

 

[starbuck]

I started to watch few again and now going to watch them from start, trying to get my son into watching them too as he did like the reboot films

 

[tomalak301]

Space Seed

I remember before I got this series on DVD there were many marathons and Space Seed was always an episode showed. I regret not seeing this episode that much when I now have the DVDs because I forgot how great this episode was. You've got Khan, McGivers, and the introduction of the Eugenics Wars of the 90s. I wouldn't say it's an iconic episode but it did bring us Wrath of Khan, which is a really great movie. Also Montalban is always fantastic as Khan.

 

[tomalak301]

Taste of Armageddon

I've always liked this episode, mainly for it's anti-war message, which still applicable today, probably even moreso. War is never clean, and all kinds of war just sucks. I loved Kirk in this episode, trying to make that point to Anon 7, and him showing how "Barbaric" he can be. I do kind of wish Fox wasn't such an imacile, but I guess he was portraying what a real politician would be like (I have low regard for politicians).

This Side of Paradise

The end of this episode reminded me a lot of the end of Taste of Armageddon, when Kirk was talking about that inner struggle to achieve and we don't deserve paradise. It's that sense of achievement and work and challenge that keeps us going in our lives, and that's a powerful message, and one of Trek's best. Also, Spock is such a heartless romantic. On a serious note, it was great to see Nimoy get to have emotions and see that relationship with Layla, even if it was under the spore influence. Loved the scene with Kirk just insulting Spock and his race. Not a good idea to get a Vulcan (Or is it Vulcanian) mad.

 

[Thomas Amundsen]

RE: Court Martial:

Are we to believe that the computer somehow incorrectly recorded the events on the bridge (because Finney tampered with it) and that Kirk did not jettison the research pod during yellow alert? This doesn't ever seem to be definitively cleared up by the end of the episode.

 

[tomalak301]

RE: Court Martial:

Are we to believe that the computer somehow incorrectly recorded the events on the bridge (because Finney tampered with it) and that Kirk did not jettison the research pod during yellow alert? This doesn't ever seem to be definitively cleared up by the end of the episode.

That's what I thought. He was proven not guilty after all.

 

[Thomas Amundsen]

That's what I thought. He was proven not guilty after all.

Was he proven not guilty, though? I could have sworn that they just dismissed the case, probably because Finney wasn't dead anyway. But that wouldn't preclude Kirk from having made a mistake. If Finney tampered with the memory banks, does that mean that the video log can actually change? Is that how their technology works?

 

[tomalak301]

Was he proven not guilty, though? I could have sworn that they just dismissed the case, probably because Finney wasn't dead anyway. But that wouldn't preclude Kirk from having made a mistake. If Finney tampered with the memory banks, does that mean that the video log can actually change? Is that how their technology works?

I thought the chess scene made it clear that the computer was tampered with and that the damning evidence wasn't really evidence after all. Also, the case was Kirk being negligent and killing Finney, but Finney wasn't really dead so that would also throw out the case.

 

[Thomas Amundsen]

I thought the chess scene made it clear that the computer was tampered with and that the damning evidence wasn't really evidence after all. Also, the case was Kirk being negligent and killing Finney, but Finney wasn't really dead so that would also throw out the case.

Yea, I also assumed the same because of the chess scene. But I thought it was ultimately left up in the air because they didn't definitively state it by the end of the episode. But I guess the logical conclusion is that we are intended to assume that the logs are incorrect because of the chess scene, as you said. I was probably over-thinking this...

 

[tomalak301]

Yea, I also assumed the same because of the chess scene. But I thought it was ultimately left up in the air because they didn't definitively state it by the end of the episode. But I guess the logical conclusion is that we are intended to assume that the logs are incorrect because of the chess scene, as you said. I was probably over-thinking this...

I will admit though that the episode definitely changed directions in the final 15 minutes. The Court Martial really didn't seem all that important anymore when it was found out Finney was still alive.

 

[tomalak301]

Devil in the Dark

This is my favorite episode of the series, and probably the episode I've watched the most overall (Either this or Catspaw, when I was celebrating Halloween). This exemplifies what Star Trek is, intolerance coming to an understand and a sense of tolerance and having it work in both parties favor. Loved that iconic scene with Spock and Kirk with the Horta and Spock mind melds with it, and then McCoy treats it with the I'm a Doctor, not a Bricklayer quote.

One thing I loved this time around that I barely noticed the last time and it added to the classic feel of this classic was the friendship between Kirk and Spock. They both got some pretty fun jabs in towards one another, even though the mutual respect is still there.

50 years later and this episode is still relevant today as it was back then. Also, as an aside, and maybe this makes me weird, but I found the Horta kind of cute.

 

[tomalak301]

Errand of Mercy

Oh, look, another anti-war episode. There was a lot of these in the first season, but this one was really one of the better ones. What a way to make an entrance for the Klingon Empire and Kor was awesome. Heck, watching this one, I was reminded of Colicos appearances in DS9 and was amazed on how right they got the character. Loved his scenes with Kirk and his bemusement of it all, especially at the end. Also loved the audacity of Kirk's speech about what right the Organians have to interfere in their war.

 

[ST-321]

Errand of Mercy and The Devil in the Dark are two of my favorites. You are right, Kor is awesome. They are both fabulous.

 

[tomalak301]

Errand of Mercy and The Devil in the Dark are two of my favorites. You are right, Kor is awesome. They are both fabulous.

My top 3 favorite Klingons might be Martock, Worf, and Kor in that order. Kor was such a slimy, yet very good at his job, guy.

 

[tomalak301]

The Alternative Factor

I used to have an utter distaste for this episode. I thought it was nonsensical and pretty boring. I mean you had an alternate universe story, and this is the best they could come up with? Well, I watched this episode tonight and to be honest, I still think it's a weak episode but it was a lot more interesting than I thought before. Maybe it was Kirk and Spock's discussion about matter and anti-matter, or Kirk's going into the alternate universe and talking with sane Lazerus, who I wished played a bigger role. It's still a little boring but I don't utterly hate it as I did before. It is still worse than a lot of the 3rd season episodes, like Spocks Brain, though.

City on the Edge of Forever

I find this episode a little overrated, but watching it again, maybe not as overrated as Trouble with Tribbles. This is your classic love story and Edith Keeler reminded me of Julie Andrews playing Marry Poppins (A movie I watched over the Holidays for the first time in years). That last scene is still one of the most dramatic and probably the most iconic scene in the franchise though, but the reason I think this episode is overrated is because I don't gravitate towards romance stories like a lot of people do. It is great to see Kirk and Spock in present day clothing though. Always love wihen characters are out of the uniform.