If you keep up with these Flash references, we're gonna have to start a drinking game.
50th Anniversary Rewatch Thread
- Thread starter dahj
- Start date
I want you to go think about what you've done.Are you implying there's an XS of them? I'd say it's quite the Reverse!
Not much of a Thinker me, but I got the Vibe that my Killer puns are getting a Frosty reception so I'll just go ahead and Zoom on out of here...
"Pain,pain... so much pain... Loneliness... so much loneliness."
The Empath: There are a few episodes like this that while I don't revisit them often I know they're trying hard. And they make me wonder what a fourth or fifth season of Star Trek might have really looked like. I know somethings in season Three actually moved BACK to Roddenberry's ideas: A more formal, more "professional" atmosphere between the crew. Less humor. But the shows themselves sometimes pushed further from the original "Forbidden Planet" space opera that First season dove into. I wonder if that trend would have continued.
I'm sure it's not an original thought that if we had gotten more TOS we might not have gotten the movies, TNG, and all that followed. But TOS would not have been as crystallized as it ended up being since it was fairly containable.
I'm sure it's not an original thought that if we had gotten more TOS we might not have gotten the movies, TNG, and all that followed. But TOS would not have been as crystallized as it ended up being since it was fairly containable.
"The Empath"
Not on the bottom shelf, but maybe the next one up.
I like the "outdoor" scenes. I always thought the illusion of Scotty waving was cool. Some other good moments, like Gem being frightened and healing people, but it feels like a half-hour concept stretched out to an hour and the premise doesn't hang together.
Not on the bottom shelf, but maybe the next one up.
I like the "outdoor" scenes. I always thought the illusion of Scotty waving was cool. Some other good moments, like Gem being frightened and healing people, but it feels like a half-hour concept stretched out to an hour and the premise doesn't hang together.
I agree. It was about time that they take a hiatus. More TOS would have likely killed the franchise for good.
What?
TOS had barely enough episodes to go into syndication and syndication is what is claimed made Star Trek popular (although I've seen some evidence it was fairly popular at the time).
Another season and I can only see it being more popular in syndication.
The movies were bought (largely) about the success of Star Wars but also the success of TOS in syndication.
I am speaking of the quality of the episodes, toward the end of season 3, it just wasn't there. I don't see how a fourth season would have made things better.
I've never really liked the Empath. Part of it might be that I prefer episodes where it isn't just Kirk, Spock, and McCoy (or to quote M5, Non-Essential personnel) involved in the action but I think the pacing feels off. I might have felt differently if Gem had not looked like a reject from a Christmas Panto.
I guess I should have said pre-use, because the shot was from the very next episode. It seems The Empath was saving money even before it aired...
In production order they're five episodes apart, but in episode order they air back to back, and the same shot is in the intro sequence both times so I wonder if people at the time thought they were tuning in to a rerun.
Yep, the last 10 minutes somehow manage to be both a particular slog and a super vague infodump at the same time. Nobody even mentioned any civilizations in danger before, and now suddenly there's a bunch of them, but there can be only one? And I know we're supposed to root for Gem, but if she fails, that means another civilization gets saved, right? And we don't get any info on those suckers that Kirk basically screwed out of survival with a passionate speech.
For that matter why wasn't Starfleet saving some civilizations? This was prior to the "let them all die" version of the TNG Prime Directive and they clearly had time to save some people since they set up a research station and had it working long enough for people there to get bored out of their minds, disappear and gather months of dust in their abandoned workplace.
Those are the sort of questions I'd usually let slide if the episode wasn't dragging on for to long to let my mind wander about them, and to notice some super-obvious things like the titular Empath not even being an actual empath.
The Enterprise stuff also feels superfluous, Scotty gets to command again which is nice, but has an uneventful turn in the big chair, basically just outwaiting the storm. And the coda with waxing poetic about how fantastically great Gem is and gosh darn she's the best being ever is super weird.
I don't actually mind the episode that much as the above paragraphs suggest, it actually starts of rather good, there's a nice mystery there, I like the minimalist surreal sets, and it moves along quite decently but somewhere along the halfpoint it just slows down and disintegrates into underdeveloped cliches leaving a somewhat sour aftertaste.
By the way, what's the official canon reason that Kirk gets tortured shirtless but McCoy doesn't?
Ugh.
I suppose I don't agree that Season 3 was all that bad.
However I agree that Season 4 could not stand another budget cut
I guess I should have said pre-use, because the shot was from the very next episode. It seems The Empath was saving money even before it aired...
In production order they're five episodes apart, but in episode order they air back to back, and the same shot is in the intro sequence both times so I wonder if people at the time thought they were tuning in to a rerun.
Yep, the last 10 minutes somehow manage to be both a particular slog and a super vague infodump at the same time. Nobody even mentioned any civilizations in danger before, and now suddenly there's a bunch of them, but there can be only one? And I know we're supposed to root for Gem, but if she fails, that means another civilization gets saved, right? And we don't get any info on those suckers that Kirk basically screwed out of survival with a passionate speech.
For that matter why wasn't Starfleet saving some civilizations? This was prior to the "let them all die" version of the TNG Prime Directive and they clearly had time to save some people since they set up a research station and had it working long enough for people there to get bored out of their minds, disappear and gather months of dust in their abandoned workplace.
Those are the sort of questions I'd usually let slide if the episode wasn't dragging on for to long to let my mind wander about them, and to notice some super-obvious things like the titular Empath not even being an actual empath.
The Enterprise stuff also feels superfluous, Scotty gets to command again which is nice, but has an uneventful turn in the big chair, basically just outwaiting the storm. And the coda with waxing poetic about how fantastically great Gem is and gosh darn she's the best being ever is super weird.
I don't actually mind the episode that much as the above paragraphs suggest, it actually starts of rather good, there's a nice mystery there, I like the minimalist surreal sets, and it moves along quite decently but somewhere along the halfpoint it just slows down and disintegrates into underdeveloped cliches leaving a somewhat sour aftertaste.
By the way, what's the official canon reason that Kirk gets tortured shirtless but McCoy doesn't?
Well I used to like Empath before you pointed out all its flaws.
Actually "The Empath" is one of my favourite episodes. Its a change of pace I admit like seeing a play instead of a TV episode.More about the characters than the action. Some great character interaction that I wouldn't have wanted to miss
I also wondered why the Federation can't be involved in a rescue. I'm assuming since they had left the two scientists there they had enough notice. There should have been a convoy of Starships/Red Cross out there saving as many people as possible.
I thought the lack of marks and the shirt on McCoy detracted from the scene at the end, I was thinking McCoy didnt look all that bad and I know Dr Spock explained it all but since we didn't see the torture or evidence of the torture.
Even the Vions are powerless to resist Kirk's manly chest and biceps.By the way, what's the official canon reason that Kirk gets tortured shirtless but McCoy doesn't?
Gaaaaaaaaah! MISTER Spock!!!!!!!!!
Sorry, I had a bad flashback. When I was a kid my mother had the habit (which used to really annoy me) of calling Mr. Spock Dr. Spock, probably due to the popularity of Dr. Benjamin Spock.
I actually meant "Dr" Spock because Spock seemed to be acting like a medical doctor at the end of this episode. Is there no end to this man's talents?
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