For what it's worth, I know at least one award-winning SF author who LOVES that episode. And it certainly has it virtues, even if I don't quite buy the love story given how briefly Kirk and Rayna know each other.
Beloved episodes you hate/Reviled episodes you love
- Thread starter Jim Of Seattle
- Start date
For what it's worth, I know at least one award-winning SF author who LOVES that episode. And it certainly has it virtues, even if I don't quite buy the love story given how briefly Kirk and Rayna know each other.
Oh, I do. It's a very good ep with great performances.
I dislike "Shore Leave" because of that stupid white rabbit.
It seems so fake to me.
.
I love "Empath" and "Plato's Stepchildren". Some great interaction between the three main characters in these episodes. Kirk, Spock and McCoy show themselves as the true heroes and friends they are.
It seems so fake to me.
.
I love "Empath" and "Plato's Stepchildren". Some great interaction between the three main characters in these episodes. Kirk, Spock and McCoy show themselves as the true heroes and friends they are.
"The Trouble with Tribbles"---I don't hate it, there's actually no episodes of the original series I hate. But it's noted by a lot of fans and casual fans as a favorite. It's ok, but I usually only watch it when I'm doing a series watch through. It's not something I'll pull out at random to watch like I would something like "The Doomsday Machine" (I love the remastered version of The Doomsday Machine BTW--hell, even the original was kick ass).
A lot have mentioned "Spock's Brain" as a guilty pleasure. I'm in that camp too. I even get into "And the Children Shall Lead" and for all it's cringe worthiness I count "Plato's Stepchildren" as a guilty pleasure. "Turnabout Intruder" too, yeah. For all it's sex discrimination aspects it was sort of a classic old fashioned sci-fi story. As an aside I remember a novel tried to address that, that Lester was passed over for command not because she was a woman (after all we know now women were indeed in positions of authority thanks to Enterprise and Discovery), but because she couldn't pass the tests. She convinced herself it was due to her being a woman and Kirk finally gave up trying to convince herself otherwise.
"Catspaw" was a personal favorite. I mentioned this once before but when I was a nubie fan back in 1986 my local supermarket had several episodes of the original series for rent and that was really my first exposure to the TV series after I saw the movie. They had "Catspaw" as a selection but for some reason it wasn't in stock for weeks and weeks, I guess someone forgot they had it. One day I saw the box out for rent and I was thrilled, but sad to find out someone accidently put the box back out, it still wasn't returned.....then one day it was back. I was so thrilled because I had already rented the other 10 or so episodes they had at least twice and "Catspaw" was the only one of the bunch I hadn't seen yet. Finally I got to see it----so I always have a certain fondness for that one.
A lot have mentioned "Spock's Brain" as a guilty pleasure. I'm in that camp too. I even get into "And the Children Shall Lead" and for all it's cringe worthiness I count "Plato's Stepchildren" as a guilty pleasure. "Turnabout Intruder" too, yeah. For all it's sex discrimination aspects it was sort of a classic old fashioned sci-fi story. As an aside I remember a novel tried to address that, that Lester was passed over for command not because she was a woman (after all we know now women were indeed in positions of authority thanks to Enterprise and Discovery), but because she couldn't pass the tests. She convinced herself it was due to her being a woman and Kirk finally gave up trying to convince herself otherwise.
"Catspaw" was a personal favorite. I mentioned this once before but when I was a nubie fan back in 1986 my local supermarket had several episodes of the original series for rent and that was really my first exposure to the TV series after I saw the movie. They had "Catspaw" as a selection but for some reason it wasn't in stock for weeks and weeks, I guess someone forgot they had it. One day I saw the box out for rent and I was thrilled, but sad to find out someone accidently put the box back out, it still wasn't returned.....then one day it was back. I was so thrilled because I had already rented the other 10 or so episodes they had at least twice and "Catspaw" was the only one of the bunch I hadn't seen yet. Finally I got to see it----so I always have a certain fondness for that one.
I still remember waiting to see if Spock would call the empathy Gem after McCoy gave her that name. I knew Kirk would go along with it but I was wondering would Spock give in to McCoy and call her Gem (which he did finally do-as did the aliens even). A bit of a dopey thing to look for but I was curious. And the sets were interesting there. The changing lights, the way they made short distances seem longer, how lights would go on and off to create an illusion of distance. And I even liked some of the music for that episode.
"The Trouble with Tribbles"---I don't hate it, there's actually no episodes of the original series I hate. But it's noted by a lot of fans and casual fans as a favorite. It's ok, but I usually only watch it when I'm doing a series watch through. It's not something I'll pull out at random to watch like I would something like "The Doomsday Machine" (I love the remastered version of The Doomsday Machine BTW--hell, even the original was kick ass).
A lot have mentioned "Spock's Brain" as a guilty pleasure. I'm in that camp too. I even get into "And the Children Shall Lead" and for all it's cringe worthiness I count "Plato's Stepchildren" as a guilty pleasure. "Turnabout Intruder" too, yeah. For all it's sex discrimination aspects it was sort of a classic old fashioned sci-fi story. As an aside I remember a novel tried to address that, that Lester was passed over for command not because she was a woman (after all we know now women were indeed in positions of authority thanks to Enterprise and Discovery), but because she couldn't pass the tests. She convinced herself it was due to her being a woman and Kirk finally gave up trying to convince herself otherwise.
"Catspaw" was a personal favorite. I mentioned this once before but when I was a nubie fan back in 1986 my local supermarket had several episodes of the original series for rent and that was really my first exposure to the TV series after I saw the movie. They had "Catspaw" as a selection but for some reason it wasn't in stock for weeks and weeks, I guess someone forgot they had it. One day I saw the box out for rent and I was thrilled, but sad to find out someone accidently put the box back out, it still wasn't returned.....then one day it was back. I was so thrilled because I had already rented the other 10 or so episodes they had at least twice and "Catspaw" was the only one of the bunch I hadn't seen yet. Finally I got to see it----so I always have a certain fondness for that one.
This story is awesome. I love hearing about how people first learned about Star Trek.
I think your observations about episodes are pretty much spot on, too; I like the remastered version of TDD and I also find redeeming and entertaining qualities about ATCSL.
If nothing else I loved the Gorgon's line "Death to you all....death to you all" I use it myself sometimes.
Though Tilly did one up that one with "If I were your captain I'd cut your tongue out and use it to lick my boot". And to think I didn't think I was going to like her very much
Yeah, I found the Gorgon pretty scary as a kid, and honestly STILL pretty creepy. The high-pitched echo effect they did on his voice was cool - I think they were going for the idea that he was not just one entity, but the collective intelligence of the evil marauders that Spock discovered in the space legends.
There are parts of it that are problematic, particularly the unfortunate HONK gestures and sounds. The actors playing the oldest two children were actually pretty solid. Shatner's two utterly incredible freakouts (cave, turbolift) also impair everyone's ability to take the episode seriously. Fix or ignore those problems and the episode actually has a lot to like.
I love "Requiem For Methusela"
And I am not keen on "City On The Edge Of Forever" mostly because I fucking despise Joan Collins for no good reason
The episode with the greatest disparities between fan love and my dislike is probably Trouble with Tribbles. People love that show. I find it tedious (and the DS9 crossover dreadful).
There are lots of shows I like that others dislike, but there isn't consensus. So for instance, I love Who Mourns for Adonais and Is there in Truth no Beauty and Spectre of the Gun and I actually quite like Plato's Stepchildren. But while many people greatly dislike those, many people feel the way I do.
Really, there's no BAD Trek. Just Trek that isn't as good as other Trek. At least for me.
There are lots of shows I like that others dislike, but there isn't consensus. So for instance, I love Who Mourns for Adonais and Is there in Truth no Beauty and Spectre of the Gun and I actually quite like Plato's Stepchildren. But while many people greatly dislike those, many people feel the way I do.
Really, there's no BAD Trek. Just Trek that isn't as good as other Trek. At least for me.
Except for The Alternative Factor and The Cloud Minders. FEH
(though the former has Lt. Charlene Masters, at least)
It's strange to think back to when Plato's Stepchildren, Whom Gods Destroy, The Empath and Miri were all banned by the BBC for years! We all wanted to see them back then but when I did finally get to see them in the eighties on rental video tape I realised why they'd been banned! Miri I like, The Empath I can take but the other two, especially Plato is just the pits of hell for me! 
JB
JB
Somehow Lazarus reminded me of a Klingon as a kid! So I couldn't understand why they were helping him? The episode has it's faults I agree but I quite accept it as a first season show that entertains and is no better or worse than others of that era, the conclusion is still good even after all these years and of course all the incessant moaning! 
JB
JB
I love "The Way to Eden." It's fun, funny. Sevrin and Adam are wonderfully played. I really like "Heading Out to Eden." The cult angle hangs together very well, and "we reach" is a wonderful phrase.
I enjoy "Obsession" and "A Private Little War."
I'm not a hater of "The Corbomite Maneuver," but it doesn't make my top ten for sure. It's not bad, but it's awfully boring. It feels kinda like a half-hour concept stretched out into an hour.
I enjoy "Obsession" and "A Private Little War."
I'm not a hater of "The Corbomite Maneuver," but it doesn't make my top ten for sure. It's not bad, but it's awfully boring. It feels kinda like a half-hour concept stretched out into an hour.
The sci-fi aspect, which is horrific, holds up great. Tracy Morgan too puts in one heck of a performance.
Liked it as a kid but the Earth parallel stuff is a little too miraculous to have gotten that far to have a US Constitution and US flag (and how many stars were on the flag?) before divergence, complete with consonantal shift with Yangs, Kohms, etc - which in concept is as much cool as it is plausible in real life (ditto for observing history, as "Living Witness" (VOY) demonstrated rather nimbly. But being so parallel.
Total agreement, and I definitely nitpicked the dickens out of it. And very true, it could easily have been a lot worse. Or a lot better. I feel disappointment over how much more it could have been. In its own right, I do maintain it's a good story - especially for the time and the context (in front of or behind the screen.)
Never knew that about Mirror Mirror either.