Which Episode Grew On You?
- Thread starter Spock's Barber
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"Day of the Dove" here.
The extra reconstructed film footage really adds something to that fight scene. I think it can be seen on Youtube.
For me, the top episode for this subject is "Bread and Circuses." As a kid, I hated the whole "Sword and sandal" genre (I'm still not a fan) and the "son of God" punchline made me cringe, being raised by agnostics and having a die-hard atheist sister. We used to joke that Flavius' name was really Gluteus Maximus. Yeah, we were hilarious...
Anyways, as I got older, I fell in love with this episode. It is wickedly funny, if you like satire about TV networks, has many classic Star Trek moments, a fantastic Spock/McCoy discussion (which was usually cut by my local station until the 80's), and a really exciting finale. The son of God bit actually works when you're open minded, so there.
Also, "A Private Little War." I found this very corny as a kid, but - again - over time, as I actually began to pay attention to what these episodes were saying, I found myself appreciating it. It was a dark episode where Kirk is actually preaching "equal firepower" rather than peace. It's a tough sell to have your series hero advocate war, but it was the only way to keep the weaker tribe alive and Kirk's regret at his actions - being a necessary evil - is powerful. One of the few episodes to end on a very downbeat note with the only use of the "Captain Play Off No. 3 (Sad and Lonely)" library cue in the series. It hits hard, and I remember finally noticing that Tyree actually crushed that dude's skull with a rock over and over again. They don't make much out of it, but it's a HUGE shift for this man. I felt awful for him. Tyree was once this happy primitive guy who wanted to live in peace with his people and his hot Kanutu woman and thanks to the damned Klingons, his entire life and philosophy was irrevocably changed. "I will kill them" are his last words to his old friend and Kirk leaves without a goodbye. A hell of a great episode showcasing the collateral damage of war and the escalation of firepower. I may just watch this one again....
Anyways, as I got older, I fell in love with this episode. It is wickedly funny, if you like satire about TV networks, has many classic Star Trek moments, a fantastic Spock/McCoy discussion (which was usually cut by my local station until the 80's), and a really exciting finale. The son of God bit actually works when you're open minded, so there.
Also, "A Private Little War." I found this very corny as a kid, but - again - over time, as I actually began to pay attention to what these episodes were saying, I found myself appreciating it. It was a dark episode where Kirk is actually preaching "equal firepower" rather than peace. It's a tough sell to have your series hero advocate war, but it was the only way to keep the weaker tribe alive and Kirk's regret at his actions - being a necessary evil - is powerful. One of the few episodes to end on a very downbeat note with the only use of the "Captain Play Off No. 3 (Sad and Lonely)" library cue in the series. It hits hard, and I remember finally noticing that Tyree actually crushed that dude's skull with a rock over and over again. They don't make much out of it, but it's a HUGE shift for this man. I felt awful for him. Tyree was once this happy primitive guy who wanted to live in peace with his people and his hot Kanutu woman and thanks to the damned Klingons, his entire life and philosophy was irrevocably changed. "I will kill them" are his last words to his old friend and Kirk leaves without a goodbye. A hell of a great episode showcasing the collateral damage of war and the escalation of firepower. I may just watch this one again....
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Spock's Brain. 
You mean it wasn't Biggus Dickus?
I hate to admit it but I never really liked The Doomsday Machine as a kid as there was no alien threat or planet in it unlike most episodes of the show! But after watching it again back in 79 it became one of my favourite episodes and still is to this day!
JB
JB
Patterns of Force seemed kind of dumb to me as a kid in the '70's. Today, that and most Prime Directive eps are my faves (Who Watches the Watchers being at the top). The ethical questions of interfering with lesser civilizations fascinate me. Another would have to be A Taste of Armageddon. Dull ep for a kid, great story about artificial intelligence and computer control of society today. A timely ep in 2017.
Wow, what a great analysis.
I can't help it. I keep reading the title of this thread and thinking "Like a barnacle?"
I always enjoyed each episode in some way, obviously some being favorites over the rest.
My appreciation for each episode grew as I got older... or more to the point, I got a bit more out of them than as a kid.
And some things in episodes make more sense as an adult than a kid simply because of your experiences.
My appreciation for each episode grew as I got older... or more to the point, I got a bit more out of them than as a kid.
And some things in episodes make more sense as an adult than a kid simply because of your experiences.
The Apple is one, but maybe time will tell. The first time I saw it, I was put off by the unforgiving body count of redshirts, and by "What is this Earth thing you call love?" trope at it's worst rendering. The second time I watched it I was able to relax and enjoy the story more. I like it as one of those landing-party oriented stories, and the Star Trek Beyond movie makes for interesting speculation about how this story might have unfolded differently and more desparately.
A Private Little War has kind of grown on me. Very interesting politics are going on between different players. There's the expected politics of tribe against tribe, but then there's the relationship between Kirk and a tribal leader, but there's also a fascinating relationship between this tribal leader and his wife, who seems to be able to use genuine magic to heal wounds and tap into the beyond. There's no attempt to explain the mystical effects she harnesses, so it's nice to have some Star Trek where a civilization's spirituality isn't diminished by scientific rationalization, it stands as something we see and cannot explain.
Friday's Child. Another bread and butter landing party story, but there's some nice character beats with Kirk egging on Spock and McCoy for push themselves.
The Omega Glory. There's something mythic and huge in scope about this story, the flag and pledge at the end say to me to take the story as a symbolic warning, our society could end this way and this is what Star Trek looks like standing in the ashes of a world-ending cataclysm. I like that exploration of post-apocalyptic tribalism. Ron Tracy's madness is mesmerizing to watch, his admission "We killed thousands of them!" is genuinely haunting. And the gladiatorial combat at the end keeps me on the edge of my seat.
Bread and Circuses. This is one of my favorites now, I keep watching it and liking it more and more. Good usage of the Prime Directive, nice satirical critique on the series own home medium of television, and this story makes me curious about the possibilites of the same religious founder manifesting on different worlds in parallel, makes me wish a story could go deeper and explore that possibility in a thoughtful way (seems unlikely, though). My favorite moments are the conversation between Spock and McCoy, which is a troubling reveal of what could sometimes be behind the actions Spock takes; and then there's the conversations between Kirk and his rival, and the proconsul: Kirk commands a starship and is credited as operating on a different level from the average Starfleet officer. There's a lot of fun with this one, too.
A Private Little War has kind of grown on me. Very interesting politics are going on between different players. There's the expected politics of tribe against tribe, but then there's the relationship between Kirk and a tribal leader, but there's also a fascinating relationship between this tribal leader and his wife, who seems to be able to use genuine magic to heal wounds and tap into the beyond. There's no attempt to explain the mystical effects she harnesses, so it's nice to have some Star Trek where a civilization's spirituality isn't diminished by scientific rationalization, it stands as something we see and cannot explain.
Friday's Child. Another bread and butter landing party story, but there's some nice character beats with Kirk egging on Spock and McCoy for push themselves.
The Omega Glory. There's something mythic and huge in scope about this story, the flag and pledge at the end say to me to take the story as a symbolic warning, our society could end this way and this is what Star Trek looks like standing in the ashes of a world-ending cataclysm. I like that exploration of post-apocalyptic tribalism. Ron Tracy's madness is mesmerizing to watch, his admission "We killed thousands of them!" is genuinely haunting. And the gladiatorial combat at the end keeps me on the edge of my seat.
Bread and Circuses. This is one of my favorites now, I keep watching it and liking it more and more. Good usage of the Prime Directive, nice satirical critique on the series own home medium of television, and this story makes me curious about the possibilites of the same religious founder manifesting on different worlds in parallel, makes me wish a story could go deeper and explore that possibility in a thoughtful way (seems unlikely, though). My favorite moments are the conversation between Spock and McCoy, which is a troubling reveal of what could sometimes be behind the actions Spock takes; and then there's the conversations between Kirk and his rival, and the proconsul: Kirk commands a starship and is credited as operating on a different level from the average Starfleet officer. There's a lot of fun with this one, too.
Not an example of one I never liked, but Friday's Child is now one of my absolute faves. I adore clever dialogue in movies and TV, and FC is one of the series' very best in that department. I believe D.C. Fontana wrote it, so no surprise. The planetside dialogue is outstanding ("He was young . . . and inexperienced" // "Or let the Klingon and me fight. It might amuse you." // "The Klingon? / One of us must get him. / Revenge, Captain? / Why not") and there are the wonderful scenes aboard the Enterprise with Scotty in command. Add in some really good action scenes, some very well-developed characters among the Capellans and the sneering Klingon, plus a good message, and it's jumped from good to great in my estimation.
Confession...this is a beloved episode. But I can't stand it.
How long did it take you to realize that the ponytails sported by the Capellan men are actually each character's hair pulled through a hole on the top of their hood/cowl?
I guessed that straight away but I doubt any of the Capellan actors really had hair that long especially Mike Dante!
JB
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