My latest rewatch involves Spock trying to figure out how command is more than just spouting facts and wondering why his crewmates can't see the details.
The last time I sat through this, I thought it was a hokey and somewhat contrived, if not pedestrian, presentation. By 2000s-standards, that's not untrue. By 1966 standards, it wasn't.
It's a marvelous exploration of the crew valuing one another and rule-bending. Especially for 1966 standards, but there's still a lot to appreciate.
It's nice to see a planet populated not by a regular human or humanoid colony, and not by incorporeal glowing balls of light that say we have potential or whatever, but a race of giants in a more primitive state of development, which ensures a proper set of variables, or proverbial wild cards. (This is also a new take on the old "David vs Goliath"/"Achilles's Heel" trope but not going in the predictable direction of finding the bare ankle; this time the genius is in the crew scrambling to leg it before they're turned into dinner or smooshed like a bug except the resultant clothes-staining splatter not just much larger, it's also red and not amber or green... and not blue #5 since that's a derivative of calcium and salts that's also banned in countries due to some potential side-effects.
For the record, Q makes its first appearance in the franchise:
(If your monitor has a good contrast ratio, zoom in on the lower-left corner and there is looks like text areas that can be lit from behind to show various statuses. Now that's cool attention to detail, especially for 1966 standards... ...or it's excessive JPG compression that's remarkably tidy and laid out very neatly. )
Kirk's line about the needle in a haystack being child's play is great. No worries, a few minutes later it's clear as car polish how everyone found their way to Taurus II.
How many quadrants are in this area? "779X by 534" sounds more like algebra...
The yeoman at the end sums up what a good captain does - provide inspiration.
Remember kids, when finding an emergency energy source, seven phasers can be rigged to get a small spacecraft into orbit. The actors play it so straight I just about manage to believe it. It also begs the question of how much power they need and how they can be safely be holstered next to one's fun parts.
It's funny how Boma gets on Spock's case and not wanting him to carry dead corpses around, not because none of the corpses is wearing a red shirt but because he's not human and lacks emotions. No worries, Bowman also gets upset when he begs to do chapel services instead of waiting because the might all survive if they work together and delay respects appropriately but Spock refuses. Spock would later put in a zinger involving if the creatures would permit the burial ceremony to take place.
Never mind that Spock going out like a golden retriever (albeit in a blue suit) to fetch the other deadredgoldshirt is what gets the entire village of giants over to play pattycake on the shuttle. (The episode is loaded with more great lines than it does spending time to make everyone look like damn fools...) Since Gitano, a name nobody pronounced the same so let's just go with an earlier utterance of "git-ahh-no" was being a git is what first had the giant scout killed with its comrade running off to tell his buds about the newfound interlopers and all...
McCoy had a point about feelings, though the issue with burial ceremonies dureing an extreme emergency is just as much the fault of all supporting it. True, in real life they'd all wait and the episode is arguably contriving this subplot. On the other hand, the episode is more exploring the emotional condition and logic and facts versus feelings, and the zinger revelation of "inspiration" that more than make up for it.
Note how Spock learns by the seat of his pants; the creatures did respond to fear but quickly adapted and he realizes this when they finally attack the ship. Did Gitano have a point about killing? (Spock had one too about humans not killing and it is arguably Gitano killing that made the situation worse, unless it wasn't - it could go either way and I wish the episode took a couple minutes to play whatisms, but that's okay.)
Also, Commissioner Sheldon Cooper or whatever his name was keeps returning to cite more space core directives. His real name must be Arnold Rimmer and he increasingly acts like a total and complete smeeehead... until the end of the story where he's nowhere to be found, despite taking command, and Kirk's there telling Sulu to return to the planet to investigate Spock's desperate mystery act. But Sheldon Rimmer was right, and this isn't the last time Kirk tries to condense orders. "The Paradise Syndrome" has him stalling despite an emergency, except it's to relax for a minute as opposed to rushing to get medical supplies-- oh yeah, when the shuttle crew are recovered Kirk tells them to return to course at warp one. Not warp 2, 3, 4 or even more?
Is Marcus 3 near Marcus 12, where the deadly Gorgon wanted to be?
In a great scene, McCoy gloats about being human and Spock laments there was no chance either way. It's a great "mic drop" of a scene.
Another scene has a cool camera pan from Uhura to Sulu.
The Big Three at the end also have a great epilogue, before all the corny end-of-episode laughter.
All in all, this is a great ensemble piece, with convincing and even compelling acting by all, whose philosophical themes overcome various plot points and handlings. 7/10 but still ends up as a "highly recommended, must-see" episode since the number of great quotes and acting transcends any nitpicks, of which not all are reflected in this initial post. Including how the forced perspective doesn't always work, but roll with it and the story makes up for it.
As for Arnold Rimmer, there:
The last time I sat through this, I thought it was a hokey and somewhat contrived, if not pedestrian, presentation. By 2000s-standards, that's not untrue. By 1966 standards, it wasn't.
It's a marvelous exploration of the crew valuing one another and rule-bending. Especially for 1966 standards, but there's still a lot to appreciate.
It's nice to see a planet populated not by a regular human or humanoid colony, and not by incorporeal glowing balls of light that say we have potential or whatever, but a race of giants in a more primitive state of development, which ensures a proper set of variables, or proverbial wild cards. (This is also a new take on the old "David vs Goliath"/"Achilles's Heel" trope but not going in the predictable direction of finding the bare ankle; this time the genius is in the crew scrambling to leg it before they're turned into dinner or smooshed like a bug except the resultant clothes-staining splatter not just much larger, it's also red and not amber or green... and not blue #5 since that's a derivative of calcium and salts that's also banned in countries due to some potential side-effects.
For the record, Q makes its first appearance in the franchise:
(If your monitor has a good contrast ratio, zoom in on the lower-left corner and there is looks like text areas that can be lit from behind to show various statuses. Now that's cool attention to detail, especially for 1966 standards... ...or it's excessive JPG compression that's remarkably tidy and laid out very neatly. )
Kirk's line about the needle in a haystack being child's play is great. No worries, a few minutes later it's clear as car polish how everyone found their way to Taurus II.
How many quadrants are in this area? "779X by 534" sounds more like algebra...
The yeoman at the end sums up what a good captain does - provide inspiration.
Remember kids, when finding an emergency energy source, seven phasers can be rigged to get a small spacecraft into orbit. The actors play it so straight I just about manage to believe it. It also begs the question of how much power they need and how they can be safely be holstered next to one's fun parts.
It's funny how Boma gets on Spock's case and not wanting him to carry dead corpses around, not because none of the corpses is wearing a red shirt but because he's not human and lacks emotions. No worries, Bowman also gets upset when he begs to do chapel services instead of waiting because the might all survive if they work together and delay respects appropriately but Spock refuses. Spock would later put in a zinger involving if the creatures would permit the burial ceremony to take place.
Never mind that Spock going out like a golden retriever (albeit in a blue suit) to fetch the other dead
McCoy had a point about feelings, though the issue with burial ceremonies dureing an extreme emergency is just as much the fault of all supporting it. True, in real life they'd all wait and the episode is arguably contriving this subplot. On the other hand, the episode is more exploring the emotional condition and logic and facts versus feelings, and the zinger revelation of "inspiration" that more than make up for it.
Note how Spock learns by the seat of his pants; the creatures did respond to fear but quickly adapted and he realizes this when they finally attack the ship. Did Gitano have a point about killing? (Spock had one too about humans not killing and it is arguably Gitano killing that made the situation worse, unless it wasn't - it could go either way and I wish the episode took a couple minutes to play whatisms, but that's okay.)
Also, Commissioner Sheldon Cooper or whatever his name was keeps returning to cite more space core directives. His real name must be Arnold Rimmer and he increasingly acts like a total and complete smeeehead... until the end of the story where he's nowhere to be found, despite taking command, and Kirk's there telling Sulu to return to the planet to investigate Spock's desperate mystery act. But Sheldon Rimmer was right, and this isn't the last time Kirk tries to condense orders. "The Paradise Syndrome" has him stalling despite an emergency, except it's to relax for a minute as opposed to rushing to get medical supplies-- oh yeah, when the shuttle crew are recovered Kirk tells them to return to course at warp one. Not warp 2, 3, 4 or even more?
Is Marcus 3 near Marcus 12, where the deadly Gorgon wanted to be?
In a great scene, McCoy gloats about being human and Spock laments there was no chance either way. It's a great "mic drop" of a scene.
Another scene has a cool camera pan from Uhura to Sulu.
The Big Three at the end also have a great epilogue, before all the corny end-of-episode laughter.
All in all, this is a great ensemble piece, with convincing and even compelling acting by all, whose philosophical themes overcome various plot points and handlings. 7/10 but still ends up as a "highly recommended, must-see" episode since the number of great quotes and acting transcends any nitpicks, of which not all are reflected in this initial post. Including how the forced perspective doesn't always work, but roll with it and the story makes up for it.
As for Arnold Rimmer, there:
