TheGodBen Revisits Star Trek

[Warped9]

This story could have played out differently, but it would require different circumstances.

In today’s ongoing and serialized plot line format Spock as a character could have been sacrificed in that it would be impossible to retrieve his brain. As such the Enterprise has to continue without him. Bummer, but today’s shows often kill off or get rid of well liked characters and move on.

Yeah, but that wasn’t going to happen in 1960’s television. Spock is a central character so he has to stick around. So the alternatives are to make it possible to retrieve him or have someone else sacrificed to the Eymorg’s needs that cannot be retrieved. “Spock’s Brain” is the first option albeit poorly executed. This needed more rewriting and checking Nimoy’s ego at the door.

The second option would be to introduce a character, be it an alien crew member or Starfleet or Federation representative, that fulfills the Eymorg’s criteria and write it so that they cannot be retrieved. You still have a dilemma if you leave the reveal of it being impossible to retrieve the individual until the end. And maybe you can write the story as a sort of parallel to “Metamorphosis” wherein this character is dying and having their brain become the Eymorg’s Controller is the only way for this person to continue in any way.

In a way this was already explored in previous TOS episodes where one’s consciousness was moved or copied into an android body. So here you’re putting that person into a box, something far removed from a humanoid body. The key distinction is that in previous stories you were not placing someone’s physical brain into a mechanical body, although that could be disputed by what is said and seen in “I, Mudd” and “The Gamesters Of Triskelion.” I believe one of the android Alices tells Uhura her brain could be placed into an android body, and the Providers evidently are meant to look like livinng brains hooked into machinery. Unless it’s meant to be misleading then we take it at face value. In that light then the concept in “Spock’s Brain” wasn’t even new to Star Trek let alone science fiction in general.

 

[Ssosmcin]

The idea of using a humanoid brain to run some thing was actually used in a very early and well regarded episode of Lost in Space a few years earlier. It’s not the concept that’s flawed but the execution. Having Spock’s hair totally undisturbed and using him as a mechanical zuvembie was misstep #1. Having dopey go-go dancers was #2. Had the women just been of normal or even superior intelligence and a strong matriarchal society would have still worked because the ability to transpose a brain in that manner could still require the knowledge of the machines. They could have been terrifying overlords inflicting pain and delight without being morons in goofy outfits.

 

[Lord Garth]

"Spock's Brain" is so bad it's good. It's fun to watch if you treat it like you're watching a B-Movie and don't take it seriously.

Whenever I see someone say, "This is the worst thing ever!" I think: lighten up. There are lots of bad episodes across Star Trek and TV in general that are actually unpleasant to watch and are hard to sit through. Even within the third season of TOS. I'd rather watch "Spock's Brain" than "And the Children Shall Lead". I'd also rather watch "Spock's Brain" than "Plato's Stepchildren" which puts the characters into situations that are legitimately painful to watch.

 

[Warped9]

“Spock’s Brain” over “Wink Of An Eye” or “And The Children Shall Lead?”

Sure.

“Spock’s Brain” over “Plato’s Stepchildren?”

Nope, not me.

 

[Ssosmcin]

"Spock's Brain" is fun to watch. "And the Children Shall Lead" is annoying. When Trek got annoying or, worse, dull, that's when I check out. It was rarely dull, but it did happen for me:

"What Are Little Girls Made Of?" is missing something. Spock maybe? Or better casting: neither Michael Strong or Majel were particularly gripping.
"Miri" is annoying.
Sorry Gene Coon fans, "Devil in the Dark" is a snoozer.
"The Apple" is just poorly done.
"I, Mudd" and :"A Piece of the Action" rub me the wrong way.

I would watch "Spock's Brain" ahead of all of those.

 

[TheGodBen]

Is There in Truth No Beauty? (*½)

Do you know who gets a raw deal in this episode? Ambassador Kollos. He spends almost his entire trip on the Enterprise, perhaps a week or more, locked in a box because the humans think that he’s so ugly. What a shit existence he must have. They didn’t even put a Playstation in there for him or anything. And then at the end of the episode he has the gall to call us lonely? Projection much?

KOLLOS/SPOCK: You are so alone. You live out your lives in this shell of flesh. Self-contained, separate. How lonely you are. How terribly lonely.
KIRK: Jeeze, thanks very much for pointing out our deepest fear. How would you feel if I went on one of your ships and pointed how hideously ugly you all are. Now get back in your box, ambassador dickhead.

The whole idea of Kollos being so ugly that he drives people mad is a bit of a stretch in order to make an obvious point about beauty that everyone already knows. I mean, two decades on the internet has led me to see some pretty fucked up hideous images, and the worst effect is mild nausea. I doubt Kollos could be much worse than all that. But we have to be re-taught the lesson that beauty, and ugliness, is only skin deep, I guess. See, Kollos is hideous beyond our comprehension, but he’s actually a cool dude under it all, and he can fly the ship real good. Miranda is beautiful, so much so that she causes all the men to violate Starfleet’s rules around sexual harassment. But underneath her appearance she’s jealous and petty and she doesn’t put out. Then there’s Kirk, a beautiful man, but he’s also extremely vain. Example:

SPOCK: Her telepathic powers are formidable. If it is at all possible, her mind must be so engaged that no thought of what I am doing shall intrude.
KIRK: I think that... could be arranged.

He then proceeded to walk off the bridge singing I’m Too Sexy. Alas for Kirk, Miranda is blind and thus immune to his incredibly conceited attempt to distract her. Thankfully, Kirk’s ego is saved later in the episode when McCoy reveals this fact.

MCCOY: I'm sorry, Miranda, but you must be realistic. You are blind, and there are some things you simply cannot do.
SPOCK: (Evaluating Miranda’s dress) Evidently a highly sophisticated sensor web. My compliments to you, and to your dressmaker.
KIRK: (Remembering Miranda rejecting his attempt to kiss her) Yes, of course. It's the only reasonable explanation.

So in the end, everyone learns an important lesson about beauty. Except Kirk, who will continue to believe that he’s God’s gift to sighted women.

 

[Ssosmcin]

Damn, do you like any of the good ones? You'd dinged every solid 3rd season episode so far. Ah well..

At least I know if I ever met up with @Warped9 @ZapBrannigan and @Methuselah Flint we'd have a great time over a meal talking about how good some of the third season is...

 

[Warped9]

Damn, do you like any of the good ones? You'd dinged every solid 3rd season episode so far. Ah well..

There is a facetious tone to his reviews making wonder me why he ibothers watching this. When I revisited TNG--a series I was not predisposed to liking--I tried to approach it as objectively as I could. Sure, I could get a bit snarky when something really annoyed me, but overall when I was disappointed it was enough just to say I didn't care for something and why.

 

[Silvercrest]

Sometimes snark is its own reward.

 

[Lord Garth]

Damn, do you like any of the good ones? You'd dinged every solid 3rd season episode so far. Ah well..

At least I know if I ever met up with @Warped9 @ZapBrannigan and @Methuselah Flint we'd have a great time over a meal talking about how good some of the third season is...

I agree with you guys.

Looks like he gave "The Enterprise Incident" 3.5 stars out of 5. On a 10-scale (which I prefer to use) that works out to... 7? Yeeeeah.... No.

On his scale, I'd give "The Enterprise Incident" a 5. I could see a 4.5. Maybe a strong 4, at minimum, but that's pushing it. But 3.5? No way.

 

[Ssosmcin]

You can join us at the table @Lord Garth . Plenty of appetizers to go around.

 

[Mytran]

I like this episode but it definitely loses marks for Roddenberry flagrantly hawking his merch. The dialogue during dinner might just as well have gone like this:

MIRANDA: I was just noticing your Vulcan IDIC
SPOCK: Why yes, available from Lincoln enterprises

To be fair though, at least his spiel on what an IDIC is and why true Trekkie should own one is better written than what was originally intended, i.e. pretty much as a commercial tag at the end of Spock’s Brain

 

[Ssosmcin]

The whole "Roddenberry hawking his merch" only came to my attention when Shatner talked about it in his "Star Trek Memories" book. Before that, I just thought it was a bit of Vulcan culture we learned about. Growing up, that scene never felt awkward, although once I knew it, only Shatner's line rang false "I don't he he would don the most revered of Vulan symbols" yadda etc blah. I remember mostly that fans really loved the concept. And, really, Infinite Diversity Infinite Combinations? It's a great philosophy. I remember seeing the ads for the medallion but really just thought it was just another Star Trek collectible made after the fact. The 70's was full of them.

So while the actors hated the idea, it was worked in very well and in a story that supported it. A story about phycial ugliness. The only other episode where it would have worked well, if not better, would have been "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield."

Another really high point in this episode is David Frankham's performance. He had so many different levels to sell: cool professional, lovelorn ex, jealous ex and then freaky insane guy. When he shrieks his final lines, I still get chills. He's brilliant. The music is wild! Maybe a little OTT but it's one of my favorite scores. The camera work is also very energetic with a lot of unique angles. Nimoy gets to have a good time.

My only real questions are: why is there a danger if Kollos keeps his container shut? You can't see him unless he opens it. And why do so many corridors need to be cleared? Why not just the route to his quarters? I guess maybe that's what they are doing, but the dialog is a little vague.

The void is wonderful and a great, if abstract, third season concept. One of the really high points about this year - one that doesn't get mentioned often enough - the high concept sci-fi weirdness. A being so ugly as to cause madness? A swirling colored space void? More episodes would have these kind of concepts. I know, I know, Gene Coon and DC Fontana were brilliant storytellers and whatevers. but the second season fell into a rut. At the very least, the third season had a renewed visual energy and a pulp style that looked more expensive than it was.

Third season Star Trek was a legitimate space opera.

 

[Michael]

There is a facetious tone to his reviews making wonder me why he ibothers watching this.

Yeah, it's called humor. It's a difficult concept, I guess. I for one love the way @TheGodBen writes these reviews. There's no one “objective” way reviews have to be written. And the notion that someone shouldn't review a show because they are not liking the episodes you like is preposterous.

 

[Warped9]

Yeah, it's called humor. It's a difficult concept.

That used to be amusing, but that was an eternity ago. The reviews sound more dismissive than funny.

 

[Michael]

That used to be amusing, but that was an eternity ago. The reviews sound more dismissive than funny.

Then I guess, I don't know, don't read them?

Oh, the audacity of free online reviews not agreeing with me!

 

[J.T.B.]

These are thoughtful reviews written in a tongue-in-cheek style and raise good points, sometimes points that never occurred to me. I don't always agree with the rating but so what? It's a good read.

On his scale, I'd give "The Enterprise Incident" a 5. I could see a 4.5. Maybe a strong 4, at minimum, but that's pushing it. But 3.5? No way.

In the weekly episode polls 2014-2016, members on this forum rated "The Enterprise Incident" 7.83/10, so 4/5.

 

[TheGodBen]

There is a facetious tone to his reviews making wonder me why he ibothers watching this. When I revisited TNG--a series I was not predisposed to liking--I tried to approach it as objectively as I could. Sure, I could get a bit snarky when something really annoyed me, but overall when I was disappointed it was enough just to say I didn't care for something and why.

Well, I express myself differently than you do. Humour has always been a big part of my review threads and, like it or not, this is my sense of humour. And a decent number of people seemed to enjoy my humour in the past. I had basically given up on this because I decided that I valued spending my time doing other things more, the main reason why I came back is because I was still getting messages years later from people encouraging me to write more reviews. And despite what it may seem, I do enjoy doing watching the show and reviewing the episodes.

I don't claim nor try to be objective. I try to be fair, especially with TOS where I intentionally don't criticise the production values like I did the other Trek series I covered. But beyond that my reviews are subjective opinions. My scores reflect my feelings after finishing watching an episode, perhaps slightly raised or lowered after a day of reflection on it.

Don't worry, I'm almost done. Although I'll probably move on to TAS then, just to get that off the list. And if you think I've been unkind to TOS, just wait until I have a go at that bloody cartoon...

I for one love the way @TheGodBen writes these reviews.

Thanks. I don't comment as much in the thread as I used to, I just can't find the mental energy to comment on Star Trek all day like I used to. So It's nice getting the positive feedback to know that I'm not completely wasting my time here.


The Empath (**½)

This was the first episode of TOS I chose to watch. I had seen other episodes like Amok Time and The Trouble with Tribbles, but those were episodes that others chose to watch while I was in the room, this was the first time that I decided that I was going to watch a TOS episode. I was 21, and it was late on a Friday night when this episode came on BBC2, and with nothing else to watch I decided to give it a shot. What I got reinforced all the stereotypes about TOS. It’s slow, it’s weird, it’s low budget, and it has plenty of Shatner haminess.

But it was interesting enough to keep me watching. Which is odd as there’s plenty of boring bits in the episode, wordless sequences of Gem trying to express herself with modern dance, or scenes that are unnecessarily drawn out. Even the core premise of the episode is pretty flimsy when you get down to it. But there’s also some good material for the main trio, and the episode’s heart is in the right place. It was enough to convince me that I should give TOS a full watch-through, which I got around to doing this following year.

All of this is to say that I have a strange sort of nostalgia for this episode. Had I not first watched it in the way that I did then I’d probably be more harsh with it than I’m being. Like Spectre of the Gun, I actually like the surrealness of the setting that was forced by the budget constraints, and the musical score gave the episode some extra flavour. It’s not an episode I’m in any hurry to rewatch, but it’s something I can tolerate and find reasonably interesting in infrequent doses.

Captain Redshirt: 15
The God Things: 13

 

[Lord Garth]

In the weekly episode polls 2014-2016, members on this forum rated "The Enterprise Incident" 7.83/10, so 4/5.

This is what I get for barely posting in this forum since 2006.

I also barely posted on the board in general for almost 10 years, from about the end of 2007 to the end of 2017, so there we are.

"The Enterprise Incident" has always been one of my favorite episodes. Not just of the third season, but also TOS.

 

[Warped9]

I was stating an observation and the impression I got from it. I didn’t say he shouldn’t do the reviews.