50th Anniversary Rewatch Thread

[Pauln6]

I thought that for years, but recently figured it out. This is my explanation:

First they said that nothing in the universe could prevent the antimatter reactor from exploding. Then they said it could be prevented if you stop up the fuel line. And then it seems you can prevent the explosion by jettisoning the service crawlway compartment out to space, which would take a section of the fuel line with it and shut down the reactor. So why did Scotty ever have to get into the crawlway in the first place? They could have jettisoned it right away, with no one inside.

My explanation is that Scotty was trying to prevent the explosion without crippling the ship. If you jettison that compartment to break the fuel line, the ship will coast to a stop and be stranded in interstellar space. There would be no way to restore the warp drive. A predicament like this actually happened in "The Paradise Syndrome", and we just have to assume the Enterprise puttered around Miramanee's solar system after the story ended, waiting for a space tug to arrive. They still have subspace radio, but it's a big deal for a capital ship to become helpless and need its nanny. Very embarrassing and very expensive. So Scotty got in the crawlway and risked his life to save the ship from being stranded between the stars.

There must be a mechanism for space repairs or towing. Giant ring ships or warp sleds?

If they have a method of jettisoning a compartment, presumably they just need a replacement compartment. If a compartment can be jettisoned, you would have thought it could have been more easily hived off. They can beam Nomad on board. The compartment though might be as big as the whole transporter room. Still why couldn't they beam out a small section to cut off the flow?

 

[ZapBrannigan]

There must be a mechanism for space repairs or towing. Giant ring ships or warp sleds?

If they have a method of jettisoning a compartment, presumably they just need a replacement compartment. If a compartment can be jettisoned, you would have thought it could have been more easily hived off. They can beam Nomad on board. The compartment though might be as big as the whole transporter room. Still why couldn't they beam out a small section to cut off the flow?

When tech solutions get good enough, they kill the suspense. And Scotty is all about the showmanship!

 

[Commishsleer]

I thought that for years, but recently figured it out. This is my explanation:

First they said that nothing in the universe could prevent the antimatter reactor from exploding. Then they said it could be prevented if you stop up the fuel line. And then it seems you can prevent the explosion by jettisoning the service crawlway compartment out to space, which would take a section of the fuel line with it and shut down the reactor. So why did Scotty ever have to get into the crawlway in the first place? They could have jettisoned it right away, with no one inside.

My explanation is that Scotty was trying to prevent the explosion without crippling the ship. If you jettison that compartment to break the fuel line, the ship will coast to a stop and be stranded in interstellar space. There would be no way to restore the warp drive. A predicament like this actually happened in "The Paradise Syndrome", and we just have to assume the Enterprise puttered around Miramanee's solar system after the story ended, waiting for a space tug to arrive. They still have subspace radio, but it's a big deal for a capital ship to become helpless and need its nanny. Very embarrassing and very expensive. So Scotty got in the crawlway and risked his life to save the ship from being stranded between the stars.

When tech solutions get good enough, they kill the suspense. And Scotty is all about the showmanship!

So the drama of the ship potentially blowing up would be replaced by the drama of the ship being stranded 900 light years from the planet where the landing party have no food or water and (we know) are at the mercy of mystery murdering woman.
Presumably the tension could be maintained by Scotty staying in the tube thingy past the point where he could safely leave unless he fixed it.
I wonder if this scene was changed to not make sense or whether it was changed in rewrites to add drama.

 

[dahj]

Warp 10 breached, no salamanders. 1/10. Disappointing.

Nah, I quite like That Which Survives, I wouldn't rank it nowhere near the best, but it's a decent episode with a mystery planet, some danger to the Enterprise and it's got some early season 1 vibes going for it, with a specialist beaming down with an away team, and an extra doctor and helmswoman appearing on the Enterprise.

Spock gets about as pedantic as a regular Star Trek fan posting on the forums , but surprisingly everybody just follows his orders, he doesn't get any lip for his damn logical way of command, probably because the usual deliverer of such complaints is stuck on the planet.

Did Spock lose its address?

Nope, in fact that's where they also stored the miracle cures Bones invented in some of the previous episodes, and the plans for the Spore Drive.

How can you keep track of star patterns when they're moving by the ship like that?

The second star to the right was in the wrong place.

 

[Discofan]

" I am for you, Alrik of Valt."...

Wait! Wrong series!


Seriously:

I found it to be an enjoyable episode, not one of the best by a lot, but for a third season episode, quite honorable.

 

[Henoch]

Nope, in fact that's where they also stored the miracle cures Bones invented in some of the previous episodes, and the plans for the Spore Drive.

Now it makes sense, it's the new HQ for Section 31.

 

[dahj]

it's the new HQ for Section 31.

See, it all makes sense.

 

[dahj]

"The Lights of Zetar", Episode 73, January 31st

Tonight's Episode: The Enterprise is tasked with a vital mission of returning an overdue book.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

For a time, I considered "Zetar" to be the absolute worst episode. It's still bottom of the barrel, but "Plato's Stepchildren" has held that dishonor most consistently and presently reigns.

 

[johnnybear]

I think we're reading from the same page, Corp!
JB

 

[Discofan]

"Zetar" is an episode that I don't understand and likely never will.

 

[Pauln6]

Zetar feels like a story that isn't fully formed. I like the concept of psychic beings seeking hosts. But the implementation is a bit sloppy. Mira is a bit annoying and whiny for an astronaut; she doesn't seem to me to have any of the qualities required of an officer, let alone a lieutenant. Scotty's patronising really grates as well.

I feel the plot loses focus and direction in the final third, although I'm not sure how they could have kept it on track

 

[Henoch]

Firstly, I had a big crush on Jan Shutan.

Adding to the plot confusion, were the "lights" of Zetar nothing but a bad case gas for Mira? So, the solution was to compress them, or by compressing nitrogen into solution in her blood, it squeezed the Zetar gas beings out of her? Can't kill them with phasers, but a little high pressure does the job.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Mira is a bit annoying and whiny for an astronaut; she doesn't seem to me to have any of the qualities required of an officer, let alone a lieutenant.

SCOTT: She might have something there, Doctor McCoy. This is her first deep space trip, and you know that affects people.

For her, the Enterprise was akin to someone taking a long bumpy ride on a stagecoach from their town to their new home, or riding a boat across the ocean from Europe to America. She was fine at her former posting, and she'll settle in when she gets to her new one, but the journey there is rough for her.

 

[Henoch]

SCOTT: She might have something there, Doctor McCoy. This is her first deep space trip, and you know that affects people.

Mira was probably needing a lot of therapy with the ship's psychologist, Dr. Helen Noel. Being such a gentle soul, she probably let Nomad have cuts in line.
[URL="https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/nomad-refit.297946/page-3#post-12779605"]NOMAD Refit[/URL]

 

[Pauln6]

SCOTT: She might have something there, Doctor McCoy. This is her first deep space trip, and you know that affects people.

For her, the Enterprise was akin to someone taking a long bumpy ride on a stagecoach from their town to their new home, or riding a boat across the ocean from Europe to America. She was fine at her former posting, and she'll settle in when she gets to her new one, but the journey there is rough for her.

Yes, we see Command school Commodores with no apparent command experience, too I suppose (I'm unsure why they wouldn't wear red like Rand if all they are is an administrator though). This is an example of the Federation's loose and odd command/rank structure. All Starfleet personnel should be trained to cope with space travel. If you can't, why not be a civilian advisor? That said, it's not as if McCoy seems to love being in Starfleet.

There's no clear divide as to why Spock in blue is command material but Mira or McCoy are just a technical experts despite their rank.

 

[Henoch]

There's no clear divide as to why Spock in blue is command material but Mira or McCoy are just a technical experts despite their rank.

Spock is the Head of the Sciences Section aboard ship, so, he wears his department's colors. Same reason Scott wears red, he is the Head of the Engineering Section. I assume the same goes for heads of security, etc. where some report directly to the Captain, and some report to the section heads; probably based on rank.

 

[Discofan]

Spock is the Head of the Sciences Section aboard ship, so, he wears his department's colors. Same reason Scott wears red, he is the Head of the Engineering Section. I assume the same goes for heads of security, etc. where some report directly to the Captain, and some report to the section heads; probably based on rank.

But Beverly is a doctor and assumed command of the ship more than once.

 

[Pauln6]

Spock is the Head of the Sciences Section aboard ship, so, he wears his department's colors. Same reason Scott wears red, he is the Head of the Engineering Section. I assume the same goes for heads of security, etc. where some report directly to the Captain, and some report to the section heads; probably based on rank.

It may simply be that Spock and Spock had additional command training. DeSalle was a command officer before being assigned to engineering but then McCoy is of similar rank, and is head of life sciences as well as chief medical officer and is not a line officer.

I suppose the question I'm asking is, on a ship that seems to be two-thirds lieutenants, how does the average crewman tell who should be giving orders in a crisis?

 

[alchemist]

Adding to the plot confusion, were the "lights" of Zetar nothing but a bad case gas for Mira? So, the solution was to compress them, or by compressing nitrogen into solution in her blood, it squeezed the Zetar gas beings out of her? Can't kill them with phasers, but a little high pressure does the job.

The outline and first draft script of this episode were a mess, IMHO. With regards to the ending of the first draft, the authors originally placed Romaine in the cryochamber of the herbarium and lowered its temperature to absolute zero (on the Kelvin scale) because it "rested the Zetars by ceasing the movement of their molecular matter." And yes, if you're wondering, Romaine survived the procedure.

So much of the first draft is contrived and totally unbelievable...