A perfect, and highly appropriate, summation. Couldn't have said it better myself.This episode makes my ass bleed.
This is the kind of episode that makes a DVD copy of "Catspaw" stop, put down the gun and take a breath.
Star Trek-RM: The Mark of Gideon… Grading/Discussion
- Thread starter AstroSmurf
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This is the kind of episode that makes a DVD copy of "Catspaw" stop, put down the gun and take a breath.
Odona and the creepy atmosphere and sound effects aboard the fake Enterprise are the ONLY things keeping this one from sinking to worst all-time.
It just struck me that they must have built the duplicate Enterprise in the middle of a multi-level housing estate. How else could they have people pressing against the hull and looking in through the portholes on every deck?
"Okay, so, Mr... Vorgnum? We're going to be requisitioning your living cubicle here on level 17 to turn it into a replica of the access panel behind bulkhead 374-Alpha aboard the USS Enterprise, on the offchance that the guy we're going to kidnap might look inside. But don't worry, as soon as we're done you'll have a 4' by 3' cubbyhole to call your very own!"
"Okay, so, Mr... Vorgnum? We're going to be requisitioning your living cubicle here on level 17 to turn it into a replica of the access panel behind bulkhead 374-Alpha aboard the USS Enterprise, on the offchance that the guy we're going to kidnap might look inside. But don't worry, as soon as we're done you'll have a 4' by 3' cubbyhole to call your very own!"
If I were a Gideonite citizen I'd be pissed. "Hey...that fake ship the ruling Council wasted all that time and money on has hundreds of spare rooms! LET ME IN!"
Colonization could never be an efficient remedy to overpopulation, not at the rate humans and Trek near-humans tend to procreate. One would need hundreds of millions of ships to make a reasonable dent in the population - quite impractical in comparison with mass killings.
Why did the Gideonites have a population progam? Hodin makes it rather clear:
-Long lifetimes which the people don't want to give up
-Failure to find efficient contraceptives, because most chemicals and surgeries are negated by the regenerating physique of the Gideonites
-A religious conviction that contraception is wrong to begin with
The last point was obviously the most important here. And of course, the idea of massive "postnatal abortions" would not have been accepted by the religious folks of Gideon, either. Voluntary steps like contraception or suicide were forbidden and would not have been performed by the populance, so they clearly wouldn't have willingly participated in wholesale slaughter. Yet succumbing to a government-provided disease was supposed to work - probably because the government would spread the disease without telling anybody.
As Hodin later says, though, the true effect of the disase program would not be limited to mass murder. In addition, the radically blasphemous attitudes of Hodin and his suicidal daughter would hopefully set an example for the masses. Of course, that part is spoiled by Kirk who saves Odona's life, leaving only the mass murder program as such.
Timo Saloniemi
Why did the Gideonites have a population progam? Hodin makes it rather clear:
-Long lifetimes which the people don't want to give up
-Failure to find efficient contraceptives, because most chemicals and surgeries are negated by the regenerating physique of the Gideonites
-A religious conviction that contraception is wrong to begin with
The last point was obviously the most important here. And of course, the idea of massive "postnatal abortions" would not have been accepted by the religious folks of Gideon, either. Voluntary steps like contraception or suicide were forbidden and would not have been performed by the populance, so they clearly wouldn't have willingly participated in wholesale slaughter. Yet succumbing to a government-provided disease was supposed to work - probably because the government would spread the disease without telling anybody.
As Hodin later says, though, the true effect of the disase program would not be limited to mass murder. In addition, the radically blasphemous attitudes of Hodin and his suicidal daughter would hopefully set an example for the masses. Of course, that part is spoiled by Kirk who saves Odona's life, leaving only the mass murder program as such.
Timo Saloniemi
This ranks even lower than ENT's "Rogue Planet" on the common sense and scientific logic scale. It's a wonder this one isn't ranked as the worst episode of the Original Series ever considering the logical loopholes big enough to sail a Trident sub through.
They only had to built one set for this one, the council chamber and that was pretty mininal. The comsummate "bottle" show.
Yeah, they were afraid of overpopulation at the time. The hysteria of some scientists and groups was realized in this episode.
It makes no sense that they could feed, shelter and clothe the number of people apparently on Gideon. (Though admittedly the Gideonites don't seem to spend a lot on clothes.)
It would also seem that the Enterprise could look down from orbit and see the teeming masses.
"I hear you knockin' but you can't come in..."
Yeah, they were afraid of overpopulation at the time. The hysteria of some scientists and groups was realized in this episode.
It makes no sense that they could feed, shelter and clothe the number of people apparently on Gideon. (Though admittedly the Gideonites don't seem to spend a lot on clothes.)
It would also seem that the Enterprise could look down from orbit and see the teeming masses.
"I hear you knockin' but you can't come in..."
What problem do they have with the original chronometer?
I didn't keep time very well.
They only had to built one set for this one, the council chamber and that was pretty mininal. The comsummate "bottle" show.
Yeah, they were afraid of overpopulation at the time. The hysteria of some scientists and groups was realized in this episode.
It makes no sense that they could feed, shelter and clothe the number of people apparently on Gideon. (Though admittedly the Gideonites don't seem to spend a lot on clothes.)
It would also seem that the Enterprise could look down from orbit and see the teeming masses.
"I hear you knockin' but you can't come in..."
Looks like TREK got the jump on Pink Floyd by a few years in doing moody costume stuff with creepy faces.
Common sense and scientific logic aside, I suspect the main reason it doesn't turn up on more people's "worst of" lists is because it's also rather dull.
Even if they didn't like the episodes, people remember space hippies and Melvin Belli in drag and "Brain and brain! What is brain?"
Besides the semi-creepy shots of people crowded up against the glass, nothing in "The Mark of Gideon" really stands out very much in the memory. In syndication, it seemed they even forgot to run the ep along with all the others. Or maybe they did, and we just didn't notice.
Yeah, the eerieness works only so long as you either forget or don't know about the gaping plot loopholes. Once the hidden story reveals itself no amount of eerie ambient background noise on the fake Enterprise or hearing pounding noises on the faux hull can make up for the cheesiness and thudding disappointment.
They could just select another young person to take Odona's place since she took Kirk's and then the plan is back on track.
Strangely enough that goes to the tune of "can't Get No Satisfaction".
"Sympathy for the Birth Rate."
"It's Only Casual Sex in Hooded Jumpsuits(But I Like It)."
"It's Only Casual Sex in Hooded Jumpsuits(But I Like It)."
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