Pick 1 Episode, Add, Modify or Delete One Thing To Improve It

I just re-watched this episode and yeah, that spray bottle takes you out of the moment. I guess spray bottle technology hasn't evolved much in 400 years.

 

A quick hypo would have looked cool, just like when Spock/Henok got zapped by Chapel in Return to Tomorrow.

 

the first thing that leaps to mind is "The Lights of Zetar", swap all of the instances where Mira Romaine is called "The Girl" and refer to her by her name and rank instead, she's an officer refer to her as such, "the girl" is dated and grates

 

I like that idea.

 

TAS final episode "The counter-clock incident" i would obliterate that de-aging nonsense and retitle it as "The antimatter universe"

 

You just basically threw out the entire story,

 

People don't get the whole "change one thing" concept.
"Make the episode a two-parter" = change one thing??

 

Y'all may not be old enough to remember, but those plastic spray bottles were a brand new thing in the mid-60s. Most products then came in glass bottles. I remember new products being advertised as "now in the new drop-proof, no-break plastic bottle!!" at the time, those things were strange and amazing.

 

Errand of Mercy: Have the flyer announcing the new Klingon laws, NOT BE WRITTEN IN ENGLISH! :facepalm:

 

Don't have Joe Tormolin commit suicide with a butter knife in "The Naked Time"

 

What Are Little Girls Made Of has Kirk save the day by inserting a racist barb into his machine double's thinking, to alert Spock.

I'd like for Spock's appearance on the planet below to mean something, he just seems to turn up after Kirk has solved everyone's problems. More importantly, I'd like Kirk to apologise to him for the obviously hurtful turn of phrase and not just laugh it off after.

 

The dialogue, as written and played, actually strikes just the right tone and underscores Kirk and Spock's friendship.

KIRK: Something bothering you, Mister Spock?
SPOCK: Frankly, I was rather dismayed by your use of the term "half-breed," Captain. You must admit it is an unsophisticated expression.
KIRK: I'll remember that, Mister Spock, the next time I find myself in a similar situation.

An explicit apology from Kirk would have been heavy-handed and gratuitous.

 

It's frankly astonishing that people still make the assumption that Mudd's women were prostitutes. The episode makes it abundantly clear that they were mail order brides, happy and freely choosing to seek better lives for themselves. They were NOT PAID.

 

You're right.
But the other two girls were gold diggers by implication. So there's a bit of a crossover.

The fact that Mudd was so heavily invested implies wrong doing,

 

Harry Mudd and Wrongdoing are never far apart from each other, true!
However, his crimes (as stated clearly in the episode) were limited to illegally operating a space vessel. Whatever motivated the 3 women to go out seeking husbands was their own business, again explicitly supported by the episode. So, had Mudd simply followed spaceflight operating procedures he would have committed no misdemeanour whatsoever, no matter how large a "finder's fee" he eventually ended up with.

Well, until the deception about the venus drug was uncovered, anyway

 

What about blackmail, is that a crime anyway?
Were the miners actually committing a crime by depriving the Enterprise of crystals and potentially sentencing everyone on the ship to death?

 

Aren't mail order bribes sort of prostitutes though? I asume Harry Mudd was going to profit on them finding a husband though I guess they might word any transaction simply by saying he is being rewarded for providing transportation. Of course this all even assumes prostitution is illegal in the federation. That wasn't how things worked on "Firefly." I'm not sure though why these woman would need Harry Mudd's help though other than getting a ride but even then why go with the guy with a stolen ship, instead of someone who has his/her ownship.

Jason

 

Harry did end up committing a good variety of crimes by the end of the episode, without doubt. However, initially he was only guilty of the space vessel operating violation.

Once it was established that the women were not being coerced by Mudd, the episode affirms no crime was being committed by their intended actions.
I think you would struggle to define them as "prostitutes" though, since the intended consequence was lifelong marriage as opposed to a ten minute quickee, and there's no evidence that they were getting paid for their part in it.

 

I forget. DId they have specific men they were headed towards meeting or just a specifc place? For a mall order bride, don't the two people at least have to meet and legal agreements have to be signed. Also Mudd did maintain control over them by the drug that makes them look magically sexy which I got to figure is illegal even if the drug is legal. Something along the lines of brainwashing or spiking a womans drink on a date so you can have sex with them.

Jason

 

Your recollection is spot on - the target husbands had been prearranged and Mudd's ship was en route to that destination, according to one of the women herself:

The Venus Drug that the women were later revealed to be using just enhanced their physical appearances; there was no mind control from Mudd, he was just facilitating the means for them to escape their dismal lives.
Now, the fact that the women were using illegal drugs was not known at either the time of their interception nor the hearing on the Enterprise when Kirk outlined the charges. However, if the situation had in fact been as presented (Mudd simply ferrying 3 ladies to a prearranged destination to meet with 3 men for the prospect of marriage) then it is clear that no wrongdoing would have been committed.