Pleasant Screams

[Too Much Fun]

I've been thinking back on all the Star Trek I've watched in a year of watching "Star Trek" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" season by season from the beginning for the first time and re-watching "Star Trek: The Next Generation" the same way again. Upon such reflection, it has occurred to me that all of these series have had their fair share of moments where men are screaming. In almost all cases, these screams were meant to express anger or sorrow in dramatic moments, but actually ended up being funny.

After realizing this, I decided to make a tribute to some of my favourite screams in Star Trek history, and ask everyone which they liked most. Keep in mind I'm only talking about screams and yells and not actual words spoken loudly, so this leaves out what would naturally be popular choices like Spock yelling, "PAIN!", Picard yelling, "NO! NOOOOOOO!!!!" and of course, Kirk's immortal "KHAN! KHAAAAAANNN!!!", which I'm sure would run away with all the votes in the poll if included.

Even with such specific criteria, I've probably left out some peoples' favourites, so feel free to point out any that you would have put in the poll. These are just the only ones that were most memorable to me that I could remember off the top of my head.

1. Kirk shrieks with pain as the Salt Vampire places its hands around the side of his head in "The Man Trap".

2. Klingons torture Chekov in "Day of the Dove".

3.Picard thinks the Turbolift is going to crush him in "Night Terrors" (in my opinion, one of the most hilarious moments in all of TNG )

4. Worf growls in agony over the death of his mate in "Reunion".

5. In "For the Uniform", Sisko viciously pounds on a punching bag and rants at Jadzia about how ashamed he is after being fooled and betrayed by Eddington after months of trusting and socializing with the man. His punching and complaining is followed by what is more of a 'manly bellow' than a scream.

6. One instance where screams by men are actually supposed to be funny! At the end of "You Are Cordially Invited...", Julian and Miles spring into action with a battle cry, anxious to finally get even with Worf for what he put them through as part of his "Klingon bachelor party" rituals.

 

[Michael]

Chekov is the Original Screamer; no doubt about it. I voted accordingly.

 

[Too Much Fun]

I forgot all the times when Spock used the Vulcan neck pinch on someone and they screamed as they passed out. Like in "The Enemy Within", which I believe was the first instance of the Vulcan neck pinch being used! Oops.

 

[The Badger]

^ In an interview Leonard Nimoy said that the Vulcan nerve pinch worked so dramatically because Shatner gave such an intense reaction.
Odd then that in later episodes it merely causes the target to slump silently unconscious. Less a 'knock out' technique, more of a 'gently lull to sleep' one.

 

[barnaclelapse]

That's a really, really tough call.

I guess I'd have to pick Worf. I don't know. I think because that was the first one out of those that I remember seeing. It was very dramatic and such.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Chekov is Trek's champion screamer.

 

[JamesSmith]

you forgot Sulu's scream when he is cured from the PSI-2000 virus (The Naked Time), La Forge's scream when the Romulan's brainwashing him (The Mind's Eye), Picard's screams when he experiences temporal narcosis (Timescape) and Garak's scream when the Cardassian boy bites his hand (Cardassians).

 

[Too Much Fun]

you forgot Sulu's scream when he is cured from the PSI-2000 virus (The Naked Time), La Forge's scream when the Romulan's brainwashing him (The Mind's Eye), Picard's screams when he experiences temporal narcosis (Timescape) and Garak's scream when the Cardassian boy bites his hand (Cardassians).

I have no recollection of "Timescape" and "Cardassians" because I don't like much of the first two DS9 seasons and TNG season 7, and those are some of the episodes I skip. I should have remembered Sulu in "The Naked Time", but all I remember about him in that episode are his topless fencing antics. As for Geordi's torture, I think I blocked that out of my memory because it was so traumatizing! Watching him scream while the camera does a close-up of his creepy white eye contact-lensed eyeballs scared the hell out of me as a kid! Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[Gary7]

Chekov is the Original Screamer; no doubt about it.

Agreed. Chekov may be the one recurring actor that has screamed the most:

"The Deadly Years" - encounters the dead old people.
"Mirror, Mirror" - the agony booth.
"The Way To Eden" - touches the acid flower.
"Day of the Dove" - tortured by Klingons.
"The Tholian Web" - goes psycho from the space sickness.

 

[kythe]

Wow, some of you are quite the scream experts here. Do you all keep a running notebook in your mind when you see characters scream?

I remember most of these episodes, but I would actually have to go back and rewatch them to see which screams were carried out the best. And that's a little weird for my taste, just looking for random clips of people screaming.

 

[KimMH]

there's another scream poll running. this one is definitely preferrrable but I am wondering what ????

I voted Chekov. could it be Trek w/o him screaming?

 

[Too Much Fun]

Nobody has voted for Picard! Was I the only who thought it was awesomely hilarious to see this usually so disciplined and dignified man lose his freaking mind like that? I just realized I also forgot his scream when trying to endure Sarek's suppressed emotions in "Sarek". Too many screams to remember in Star Trek!

 

[Herkimer Jitty]

I voted Picard. The turbolift bit is hilarious taken out of context.

 

[JamesSmith]

Chekov is the Original Screamer; no doubt about it.

Agreed. Chekov may be the one recurring actor that has screamed the most:

"The Deadly Years" - encounters the dead old people.
"Mirror, Mirror" - the agony booth.
"The Way To Eden" - touches the acid flower.
"Day of the Dove" - tortured by Klingons.
"The Tholian Web" - goes psycho from the space sickness.

He screamed in:

Star Trek: The Motion Picture - hand gets burned by exploding console.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - slug enters his ear and leaves his ear later after Terrell kills himself.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home - falls off the aircraft carrier Enterprise.

 

[Crewman47]

I was actually expecting a scream of some sort out of Checkov in Trek XI, even a hyped up scream of joy over something would've done.

 

[kythe]

I was actually expecting a scream of some sort out of Checkov in Trek XI, even a hyped up scream of joy over something would've done.

Well, he did get quite excited when he was running to the transporter room yelling, "I can do that!". I love how they portrayed his enthusiasm, they gave his character a very positive introduction.

Maybe we'll get a good scream out of him in the next movie.