Production Order Group Viewing 2018

[Maurice]

[...]The fake Enterprise was fun but sort of impossible to believe that Starfleet's finest attack vessel type could be reproduced so easily[...]

Their "finest attack vessel"? You sure sound like Servalan, Sleer.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

I guess making back-ups has become technologically stupid in the future. Since the data must have come from the member worlds in the first place, the Federation will need to go through the diplomatic hassles in coordinating all member worlds to cough up the info, again.

I don't think that would be much of a problem with the old guard (Andoria, Tellar, Vulcan, etc). Newer members would be unimpressed, while prospective members would re-think joining. PR nightmare for the UFP.

MA may be the central repository, but mightn't there be more specific archives in which to store backups (categorized by world of origin, discipline, century, etc)?

 

[Henoch]

Where is this central repository of knowledge in the heart of Federation Space? Is it equally-spaced between Earth, Vulcan, Andorra and Tellar systems? The story gives the impression that Memory Alpha is "out there someplace". In any event, MA may be in the heart of the Federation in very safe space. At first, Kirk thought the danger is only a space storm. Maybe its deceptive appearance allowed it to escape the notice of Starfleet as it penetrates deep into Federation space.

Why did the Zetarians go out of their way to attack the site? I don't buy random space drifting; we see the Zetar cloud change course, so, they are self-directed. We learn that they need to find one adaptable brain to squat in. Did the "smart" people draw them to MA since they assume that a smarter brain will be more adaptable to their brain patterns? Not a good choice: smart people also have strong wills and resisted the Zetarians which killed everyone on MA. By chance, weak-willed Mira proved the most adaptable brain for them.

 

[Pauln6]

The Lights of Zetar feels like an unfinished story. It has some interesting elements but doesn't have enough plot or story pay-off.

I find Mira to be annoying, although she is clearly written that way deliberately to make it easier for the other characters to dismiss her. She's like a civilian given a Starfleet officer rank for no good reason. I suspect, like McCoy and Chapel, she had an established earthbound career, and she joined Starfleet for this mission specifically.

Scotty doesn't really choose his women wisely but you can at least imagine him engaging in long romantic conversations with Mira about technical specifications. She's a slightly better choice than Carolyn.

 

[Poltargyst]

The Lights of Zetar

There's really something about Jan Shutan's eyes. They're so expressive.

Kirk: "No natural phenomena can move faster than the speed of light. " Kirk has apparently forgotten the cloud creature from the Tycho system. Which is odd considering he obsessed over it for eleven years.

This episode was co-written by Shari Lewis. With help from Lamb Chop I'm sure.

Ha. Mira giving McCoy a hard time in sickbay. How's it feel to be on the receiving end, Doc?

Kirk: "Well, I'm relieved to hear your prognosis, Mister Scott. Is the doctor there with you, or will I find him in Engineering? " Ha ha.

Yikes. That woman who dies on Memory Alpha but not before she spews her garble and her face turns colors is really creepy.

What were the director's instructions? Okay, contort your face for 30 seconds. Be sure to leave your mouth open as if you were spewing garbled speech.

Why did the Enterprise crew survive the initial attack by the Community but not the Memory Alpha people?

Kyle can't beam up Mira. Mr. Kyle, your agonizer please.

Kyle: "Why does this keep happening to me?"

Why was it harder to beam up Mira?

Scotty is pretty darn patronizing to Mira when she tries to tell him about her premonition. Actually, they all are, though I understand this is her first mission.

The Community has no radio equipment. I wonder how they would receive Kirk's message.

I wonder if they could stop the Community with a dose of antimatter like against the giant amoeba. But then that might kill Mira.

Mira: "I didn't mean to be uncooperative, Doctor." McCoy: "No problem, I'm a dick myself every other mission."

Mira's a Martian! Scotty's favorite Martian.

Helen Noel () should really be the one giving the psychological analysis of Mira.

They talk again like telepathy is not unheard of among humans. But then we did meet Miranda Jones recently.

Kirk: "If we can...CONTROL (complete with hand motion)... that moment...we have a chance." Kirkspeak!

LOL, they are so seriously marching down the hall, grim looks on their faces, tense music playing...and they pass that guy cranking the thing in the wall. What is that guy doing??? "The ship is being invaded by an alien presence. According to protocol, my orders are to come here and crank this thing anytime that happens." He must have done that a lot over the five year mission.

Mira, Mira, on the wall...

Good scene where Mira's fighting and declaring her independence from the Community, Kirk looking on, openly proud of her. I bet they respect her more after this.

How do we even know that pressurizing Mira will harm the Community in any way? Why should that be the case?

Scotty is so nuts when he's in love. Charging Apollo and getting blasted, now getting blasted by the Community over MIra.

I wonder what ever happened to Lt. Palamas?

I'm reading that the maximum pressure a human body can take is 70 atms. Kirk orders a rate of increase in pressure of 1 atm per second. How long does it take for the Community to leave Mira? They leave in the nick of time I guess.

That pressure chamber looks like the one Khan tries to have Kirk killed in.

So why didn't the Community kill everyone instead of just leaving? So that's it? The Community is out there wreaking more havoc looking for another host? I wonder what Star Fleet does about that.

And they're just going to go back to Memory Alpha and carry on with the mission despite everyone at Memory Alpha being dead?

Another kind of meh episode for me. The idea of Memory Alpha is cool. It's a creepy horror story, and after knowing what happened to Memory Alpha, we're on the edge of our seats when the Community enters the ship. But overall...meh.

Alien Watch! The title says it.

Season 1
Talosians
That big ugly Rigellian guy Pike fought in illusion
Vina as an Orion girl in illusion
Glimpse of other aliens captured by Talosians
Ron Howard's brother
That dog from Enemy Within
Salt monster
That hand plant...Gertrude
Spock (duh)
Charlie's parents (Thasians)*
Romulans!
(Ruk)
Miri's planet kids (bonk bonk)
Giant ape creatures of Taurus II
Shore Leave Caretaker guy
Trelaine and his folks*
Gorn
Metrons*
The Lazerii
The remarkably human-looking aliens of Beta 3. (RotA)
The remarkably human-looking aliens of Emineminar VII (AToA)
The Triffids of Omicron Ceti III (TSoP)
The refreshingly non-human-looking Horta
Organians*
Klingons! (Remarkably human looking).
(The Guardian of Forever)
Flying pancakes

Season 2
Sylvia and Korob
The Companion
The remarkably human looking (though tall) Cappellans.
Native Pollux IV-ians (Apollo and his gang)
Full-blooded Vulcans
The remarkably human looking citizens of Argelius II (WitF)
Redjac
The People of Vaal (Gamma Triangulians)
Crew of the ISS Enterprise
The remarkably human-looking** (except for maybe a dot on their forehead) Halkans
Tribbles (not at all human looking)
The remarkably human-looking citizens of...892-VI. Is that what they call this planet? (The Roman one.)
Tall guys, short guys, Andorians, Tellurites, purple lady, Orion made up like an Andorian. (JtB)
The remarkably human-looking people of Neural. (APLW)
The awesome Mugato!
Shahna, Lars, Tamoon, Kloog, Thrallmaster Galt, and the Providers
The Cloud from the Tycho system.
The BIG FREAKIN' AMEBA!!!!!
The remarkably human-looking Iotians. (Gangsters)
Kelvans! Who really look like big, cool squids but choose to look remarkably human.
Sargon and the gang of not-quite-omnipotent aliens.
Remarkably human looking Zeons of Zeon and Ekosians of Ekos. (PoF)
The remarkably human looking Yangs and Coms of Omega IV.
Isis! Who looks remarkably like a cat until she wants to look remarkably human.

Season 3
The decidedly non-human looking Melkotians.
The remarkably human-looking Elasians and not so human looking Troyians.
Lawyer in a muumuu. Remarkably human-looking but maybe that was on purpose.
The remarkably human-looking Morgs and Eymorgs of Sigma Draconis.
Kollos the Medusan
Gem the Empath (remarkably human looking)
Vians (the OTHER bumpy-headed aliens)
Tholians!
The remarkably human-looking Fabrini of Yo Mama.
The malicious swirly ball of hate (DotD)
The remarkably human-looking Platonians who are douchebags except for Alexander
The fast, but still remarkably human looking Scalosians.
The remarkably human-looking image of Losira.
The Cheron boys, Bele and Lokai
Lackey's of Garth's some of whom are more human-looking than others.
Way too many remarkably human-looking Gideons.
Discorporated Zetarians and some recently departed Federation scholars and researchers of various races.

*Alien Watch sublist: omnipotent aliens!
**By request

 

[Poltargyst]

The dialogue made it clear that Odona was all lined up to bring death to Gideon.

ODONA: You are no longer needed on Gideon. I can take your place there.
KIRK: Is that what you want to do?
ODONA: That is what I must do. I am needed there now.

The episode not only takes this terrible way out, but treats it like a happy ending. That's rare for TV of the period. Viewers weren't expected to take it seriously or something. It was no different from this week's girl bidding farewell on Bonanza, if you don't think about it.



I was always sure the Zetarans were killed, and that's what Kirk was going for. Since they were able to penetrate the shields and the hull in Act 1, the only reason they could not escapes the chamber and attack again is that they were merged with Mira and could not separate themselves from her. Possessing her was a one-way door for them. She was like a Roach Motel.

But why should beings of energy be bothered by a little pressure not even high enough to kill a human?

 

[Henoch]

I'm reading that the maximum pressure a human body can take is 70 atms. Kirk orders a rate of increase in pressure of 1 atm per second. How long does it take for the Community to leave Mira? They leave in the nick of time I guess.

That pressure chamber looks like the one Khan tries to have Kirk killed in.

So why didn't the Community kill everyone instead of just leaving? So that's it? The Community is out there wreaking more havoc looking for another host? I wonder what Star Fleet does about that.

I think Kirk and McCoy were downplaying the final outcome. We don't want our heroes celebrating that they just killed off an alien race. Zetar is truly extinct, now.

But why should beings of energy be bothered by a little pressure not even high enough to kill a human?

The dialog says Kirk, Spock and McCoy's plan was to kill the Zetarians with a new Macguffin this week. Perhaps they discovered the alien weakness off-screen. The cloud's natural environment is space; no gravity and no pressure (i.e. a vacuum). I bet Spock noticed that the cloud got "weaker" when it encounter both gravity and atmospheric pressure. This is proven later in the gravity/pressure chamber when the gravity was neutralized and the cloud got stronger:

KIRK: As soon as she has entered the gravity chamber, secure all ports...<Cut off the escape.>
SPOCK: Captain, if we cannot complete the plan, they will carry out their threat. <The Plan>
KIRK: We must get her into the pressure chamber. <The Macguffin of the Week>
MCCOY: Jim, you realize the pressure needed to kill the Zetars might kill the girl too. <Risk and Reward>
SCOTT: Mira will not kill me.
(Scott picks her up and gets her into the chamber before being thrown across the room)
SCOTT: I told you she wouldn't kill me.
KIRK: Secure the chamber. Neutralise gravity. <The Aliens are sealed in: trapped.>
MCCOY: The Zetars are growing stronger.
SPOCK: The weightless state has become their natural condition.
KIRK: Pressurise the unit. Bring pressure to two atmospheres and then increase one atmosphere per second. Continue increasing pressure. Pressure, Spock. Pressure. <The "Pressure" or suspense>
MCCOY: The pressure is dangerously high, Captain. It may damage her.
KIRK: Continue, Spock.
(The lights leave Mira) <The cloud leaves Mira and tries to escape but can't.>
KIRK: Pressure!
(The lights fizzle away) <The pressure kills them.>
MCCOY: We've done it, Jim. They're gone. <They're DEAD.>
SCOTT: (intercom) It's all right, Mira. They're gone. They're gone!<They're DEAD!><They're DEAD!>

 

[johnnybear]

The way that Kirk, spock and McCoy spoke about the Zetarians would imply that WE knew about them as well!!! A bit like the Fabrini who they name dropped earlier on in season three!
JB

 

[plynch]

When I was a kid I found Mira floating in the chamber very provocative.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

When I was a kid I found Mira floating in the chamber very provocative.

In her Starlog interview (#199, Feb 1994), Jan Shutan said she was embarrassed about her "chubby thighs."

Thin-obsessed women might see it that way, but to the male gaze she's hot as hell.

 

[mb22]

She was in an unsold 1967 pilot for a Batman style Dick Tracy series.
https://www.tvobscurities.com/articles/dozier_dick_tracy/

 

[Maurice]

In early development the library was called Memory 7, suggesting it was not unique.

 

[Henoch]

The way that Kirk, spock and McCoy spoke about the Zetarians would imply that WE knew about them as well!!! A bit like the Fabrini who they name dropped earlier on in season three!
JB

Zetar must be known to something akin to a famous ghost town or the missing colony of Roanoke Island in Virginia which all the colonist mysteriously vanished without a trace. Life on Zetar was mysteriously destroyed a millennia ago:

ZETAR: Yes, we understand you. We have searched for a millennium for one through whom we can see and speak and hear and live out our lives.
KIRK: Who are you?
ZETAR: We are from Zetar.
SPOCK: That is one of the planets where all humanoid life was destroyed.
KIRK: You can't be from Zetar. All life was destroyed there long ago.
ZETAR: Yes, all corporeal life was destroyed.
KIRK: Then what are you?
ZETAR: The desires, the hopes, the mind and the will of the last hundred of Zetar. The force of our life could not be wiped out.
KIRK: All things die.
ZETAR: At the proper time. Our planet was dying. We were determined to live on. At the peak of our plans to go, a sudden final disaster struck us down. But the force of our lives survived. At last we have found someone through whom we can live it out.

First, Spock says Zetar is "one of the planets..." Is there a Bermuda Triangle of dead worlds out there? All we learn from the Zetarians was that their planet was dying from some unknown reason, and a sudden mysterious disaster finished them off as they were about to leave the planet. If it was their star dying, then they wouldn't have said it was their planet that was dying. Speculating, what causes mass extinctions? On Earth, we had mass extinctions from both massive volcanic activity and huge asteroid impacts. I get the feel that they were undergoing mass volcanic activity where a massive super volcano (Yellowstone+ size) suddenly erupted and killed off the last of the Zetarians.

 

[johnnybear]

Either the Zetarians prepared themselves this way knowing the disaster was upon them or their life forces coalesced together to become one entity in defiance of death!
JB

 

[Henoch]

The mysterious sudden disaster that killed them might have also caused their disembodied life forces to form. Something like the mysterious effects from the Great Energy Barrier. Scenario: an strange energy storm sweeps into and stalls (in a gravity node) in their solar system. The planet scraps against storm in repeating orbits slowly destroying the planet, then the storm suddenly breaks loose and sweeps over the planet, killing the last people but releasing their spirits. Does the space storm go on to wipe out several more planets in adjoining star systems?

 

[Pauln6]

The mysterious sudden disaster that killed them might have also caused their disembodied life forces to form. Something like the mysterious effects from the Great Energy Barrier. Scenario: an strange energy storm sweeps into and stalls (in a gravity node) in their solar system. The planet scraps against storm in repeating orbits slowly destroying the planet, then the storm suddenly breaks loose and sweeps over the planet, killing the last people but releasing their spirits. Does the space storm go on to wipe out several more planets in adjoining star systems?

Maybe a supernova that threatened the galaxy?

 

[johnnybear]

That's odd, I thought the voice was that of a young man!!! It made it a lot creepier for me back then to watch with a woman talking like a man! But nowadays where I live I see it all the time!
JB

 

[johnnybear]

Bart La Rue was one of the Providers wasn't he?
JB

 

[Mytran]

THE CLOUD MINDERS

The mission this week is to avert yet another terrible plague, one that will wipe out all vegetation on the WHOLE planet!!!
Damn, the future is harsh.

There’s extensive discussions on the separation of the “workers” and the “elite” in society, equal rights and so forth, really spelling it out for the slower members of the audience.
LTBYLB gets a lot of flak for ham fistedly slamming the “message” home but honestly; it’s no worse than this. In fact, Cloud Minders comes as less enjoyable because it’s so preachy.
Say what you will about Bele and Lokai – they weren’t boring! TCM’s lack of subtly is no more apparent than when Kirk literally forces societal change at gunpoint. In fact, Kirk and Spock spend a deal of time acting out of character as well (more on that later).

Further unsubtly is demonstrated through Plasus who (after Kirk and Spock beam away) puts a contract out on his life.
What?
And then Spock later agrees that this is perfectly legal???
With that and the torture I guess the writers felt that this episode really needed a Bond villain – but Plasus is also the one who agrees to major societal changes at the end of the episode: So he’s both a villain and a progressive leader?

The turning point of the plot is when Vanna shouts out that the zenite gas is causing behavioural change after all, a plot point hammered home with as much grace as anything else so far.
However, I’m not sure her conclusions (even if correct) are entirely well supported as those two oafs have been gunning for a scrap ever since that whole death sentence thing on Stratos. She does make the best out of a bad situation though and beams them all out of there. She’s also instrumental in getting them both to drop the charges against each other at the end of the episode. I guess Vanna really is a born peacemaker at heart, even if she indulged herself a bit in getting Kirk to dig with his bare hands.

So I don’t think anyone comes out of this episode looking good, not even the Federation itself who seem to be complicit in allowing near-slavery on one of its member worlds.
There’s been much discussion on a recent thread here on the BBS.

In conclusion, this episode has way too much preaching and not enough else to raise it above a very middle average.



OTHER THOUGHTS:

• Spock seems to have shared his notes with Kirk after Mark Of Gideon as the captain deals with the bureaucracy at the start of the episode in a very fast and effective manner.
• Just after beaming to the planet for the first time, Kirk encounters the Troglytes and tries to put them off their guard through use of his impressive ventriloquist skills!
  Either that or it’s a really bad and obvious dub.
• Speaking of voiceover dubbing, Spock does a whole speech in that manner! This is a first for Star Trek and features multiple crossfade flashbacks (also a first I believe).
• That “public viewing gallery” is blatantly a very small set – but the director does his best by filming it from different angles
• Just how close are the 2 star systems? Spock at one stage says they have just 10 hours left to get the zenite to their destination. They leave with less than 3 hours to go! I thought that Spock might have discounted travel time in his countdown but apparently not – Kirk tells Vana outright that the zenite can be delivered in “a few hours” after which he can return for her.
• Kirk beams directly into Vanna’s cell but they elect to use the city’s transfer platform to get back to the surface. Wouldn’t the ship’s transporter be safer? It seems to have no trouble beaming in and out of the city, or even into the heart of the mines.
• Shatner brings out the old “brooding Kirk” persona for when he’s starting to get affected by the zenite gas, and does a fairly good performance.
• Those filter masks just look ridiculous and will clearly fall off if anyone so much as coughs while wearing them
• That zenite is pretty potent stuff – 5 small containers are enough to stop the plague on Merak II

COMMANDER “HOUND DOG” SPOCK
The characterisation of Spock and Kirk is just a bit off kilter in this episode, especially in the first act and comes off (not for the first time this season) as someone’s fanfic interpretation of the characters. It’s almost like they’re treating their time on Stratos as a wild “lads” weekend away!
Whilst remaining reserved, Spock nonetheless gives out unusually complimentary one-liners and makes a bee-line for Droxine right from the start.
Kirk on the other hand verges on relishing his position of physical power over Vanna as he pins her to the bed. He doesn’t seem interesting in thezenite mission for quite some time afterwards, just in time to block Spock’s attempted canoodling.

The fact is, if their mission were just about the zenite there’s little reason for them to remain in the city rather than return to the ship. It’s therefore very interesting that Spock is the one to accept the offer of accommodation.
Then we see Kirk asleep in his uniform! One too many afternoon tequilas, maybe?

Spock’s voiceover offers a rare glimpse into the Vulcan’s inner thoughts; apparently he wasn’t merely being polite to Droxine, he has quite the eye for a pretty lady!
Then he openly lies to her, stating “your movements awakened me”. He was not asleep, nor even in meditation by that point, so there’s that myth busted wide open!
This is the first mention of the 7 year mating cycle with Vulcans, which Droxine apparently googled because she is the one who mentions it to Spock. Then she asks about how she can rouse him to action any sooner than that. And Spock agrees!
Wowsers!!!
Honestly, all this off-kilter dialogue is not well written but Nimoy does his professional best with the material (and with the clunky summing up at the end as well).


SITE TO SITE TRANSPORTING
We get a deep dive here – it’s been mentioned in Assignment Earth and even seen it in A Piece Of The Action where the process appears to be instantaneous (the mob boss arrives with his hands held as if in the middle of a phone call). In this episode though it seems that the subject needs to be at least partially rematerialized on the platform first – certainly all we get to see is a stream of sparklies and not a complete person. Scott claims he could see the expression on Plasus’ face but he’s likely somewhat of an expert in seeing human features through the energy stream, having seen a lot of them!


Where have all the good Star Trek episodes gone?

 

[Henoch]

I think there might be rumors on the set that the show will be cancelled...let's hope otherwise and give good performances.

I guess the Enterprise sensors can't detect zenite from orbit. Maybe the Troglytes moved it too deep underground, or the containers are sensor proof. Smart for dumb Troglytes.

Vanna is the supreme leader of the Disruptors. Her time on Stratos has given her system time to remove the effects of the zenite gas so she can think and plan clearly. In addition, because of her "working in the household" background, she has been educated (more than the average Troglyte), and learned the inner workings of the Stratos city, the political structure and its systems. Smart.

There is this very brief discussion in the episode:

SPOCK: Troglyte is an abbreviation of an ancient Earth term. Its technical translation is cave dweller.
KIRK: Yes, I should have realized.​

So, I assume that the planet Ardana was once colonized by Earth since they still use ancient Earth language terms. If it was originally a mining colony settled one to two hundred years ago, then the planet population may be smaller than we think; a small societal ecosystem developed where the workers and administrators grew apart. If so, then I can see why only one floating city was built for "advisors and studiers" for the whole planet. Plus we see the miners (and probably farmers) toiling on the surface literally under their "administration" in their high perched offices. Reminds me of early coal mining towns where the management owned everything in the town and the labor conditions were dangerous and unhealthy. I think the answer to the problem is "unionization".