Good Things About Season 3?

[trevanian]

And by the way, there were NO NEW shots of the enterprise in season 3---none!
After season two all the shots were reused.

Somebody tell what shots were new if I'm wrong!!

Aw crap! Does this mean I have to turn in my Trekkie badge?

Nope, it just means i recently read/heard that they stopped making any new enterprise shots after season 2.

Does THE THOLIAN WEB count? According to Mike Minor, that had a huge optical bill, he spent 3 months at whichever fx faciliity did it. (of course I guess all the web shots might have used stock E views ... )

 

[Too Much Fun]

I can't believe it turned out this way when there are season 3 episodes I hate so much that they tempted me to abandon the show forever ("Plato's Stepchildren" and "And the Children Shall Lead"), but I think overall it has just about as many episodes I really like as season 2. For me, highlights are "Day of the Dove", "The Tholian Web", "Day of the Dove", "Whom Gods Destroy" and the very underrated "Turnabout Intruder". Sexism Schmexism, it's still a damn entertaining episode!

"Spock's Brain" is pretty dumb, but I don't mind it much. As previously mentioned, there were a lot of great and hilarious guest stars in this season, like those in "Whom Gods Destory" and "Elaan of Troyus". I like "The Enterprise Incident", but am not as keen about it as most people here, mostly because I was disappointed by how gullible the Romulan Commander lady was. She had a great look and a really cool manner about her, but the way Spock fooled her so easily was really weak. I wish she'd been a smarter, more threatening villain ultimately.

 

[Trekker09]

Hi,
I agree there’s a lot to be said about the third season episodes! many potentially great story ideas didn’t get fully realized, but some of the characters and the drama between them was unforgettable. What I loved about some of my all time favorites in this season:

All our Yesterdays --Spock and Zarabeth – so poignant; have probably watched this more than any other episode

Enterprise Incident --Spock and the Romulan commander manipulating / respecting each other –another one I’ve watched countless times

The Cloudminders -- great plot, delicate sexuality in the Spock/Droxine encounter

Is there in truth no beauty? -- the dinner honoring Miranda, McCoy revealing her blindness, her determined healing of Spock’s madness

Requiem for Methuselah – love the immediate chemistry between Kirk and Rayna, the shock of learning she’s android

Turnabout Intruder – intriguing plot, some of Shatner’s finest acting as a hysterical female.

Day of the Dove – the anti-war plot really grabbed me, also the scenes with Mara slowly learning to trust humans. And the friendly backslapping conclusion

Paradise Syndrome – Kirk the nature lover is convincing as the tribe’s new “Medicine Man” basking in wedded bliss with Miramanee

World is Hollow – finally McCoy gets to be the romantic male lead, though he underplays it disappointingly

That which Survives -- the end where Losira reveals herself to be a noble leader, benign rather than hostile.

Specter of the Gun – the final sequence with Spock mind melding the crew to be immune to bullets

Wink of an Eye – Spock reappears in normal time and declares his experience “accelerating”

On the other hand, I’m not wild about Spock’s Brain, Savage Curtain, And the children shall lead, The Empath, Elaan of Troyius, Plato’s Stepchildren, Mark of Gideon, Lights of Zetar, Way to Eden, Last Battlefield, and Whom Gods Destroy (except for the scene where Spock has to choose between the identical Kirks!)

 

[Warped9]

Good things about Season 3 (in my HUMBLE opinion) in no particular order:

1. The Klingon Ship
2. The musical scores
3. Elaan of Troyius
4. The Enterprise Incident
5. The Tholian Web
6. Spock's Brain
7. For The World Is Hollow and I Have Touched The Sky
8. The inter-character relationships
9. Marj Dusay as Kara
10. Day of The Dove
11. All the new visual effects for Season 3
12. Michael Ansara as Kang
13. Joanne Linville as the Romulan Commander
14. The Imorg spaceship
15. The SS Aurora
16. The Tholian ships

That's a good list to start with. When you really start looking at the good stuff S3 as a whole doesn't look so bad.

I sometimes think folks get into someting of a crowd psychology and chime in with a similar sentiment that something is a total write-off because so many other people seem to be saying it as well.

I equate it somewhat with the take on Spider-man 3. So many people say it's just a horrible movie. No, it's not. The film's real sin is that a questionable choice of villians added up to a film that wasn't as good as it's predecessors. But it's not really a bad film in itself.

 

[Chrisisall]

I equate it somewhat with the take on Spider-man 3. So many people say it's just a horrible movie. No, it's not. The film's real sin is that a questionable choice of villians added up to a film that wasn't as good as it's predecessors. But it's not really a bad film in itself.

I liked 3 better than 2.

 

[Myasishchev]

I equate it somewhat with the take on Spider-man 3. So many people say it's just a horrible movie. No, it's not. The film's real sin is that a questionable choice of villians added up to a film that wasn't as good as it's predecessors. But it's not really a bad film in itself.

I liked 3 better than 2.

Moi aussi. I think I liked it better than 1. The only part I hated was the sloppily contrived way they got the symbiote in play.

 

[Orcus]

Just been watching The Lights of Zetar; no idea why this so maligned - it's not a bad ep...

 

[Chrisisall]

Just been watching The Lights of Zetar; no idea why this so maligned - it's not a bad ep...

Not at all. I like it a lot. But peeps have very vested interests in why they like an ep or not. For instance, I hate "The Apple" for the reason that they speak English for no possible reason I can fathom; others can get past that.
It's all good, though.

 

[Too Much Fun]

I think there's a lot more wrong with "Spider-Man 3" besides questionable villain choices.

- Sandman's ridiculous origin (he fell into the machine and no one noticed a full-grown man inside, mistaking it for a tiny bird?)

- The horrible cheap writer tactics:
1) Having one character injured with amnesia for awhile
2) Having another presumed dead at temporarily
(just to get them out of the way because there were too many characters to juggle at once)
3) Introducing a third villain so late into the movie, rushing his backstory and killing him off fast
4) The awful deus ex machina reveal with the butler

- The painfully melodramatic Mary Jane and Peter Parker 'romance' scenes which were much worse than those of the previous movies.
- The hero and villain having a touchy feely moment at the end where (God help us) it looks like they're about to hug and cry with each other
- A hideously corny and weepy death scene for one of the best characters in the whole series

But we digress.

 

[Orcus]

I think there's a lot more wrong with "Spider-Man 3" besides questionable villain choices.

- Sandman's ridiculous origin (he fell into the machine and no one noticed a full-grown man inside, mistaking it for a tiny bird?)

- The horrible cheap writer tactics:
1) Having one character injured with amnesia for awhile
2) Having another presumed dead at temporarily
(just to get them out of the way because there were too many characters to juggle at once)
3) Introducing a third villain so late into the movie, rushing his backstory and killing him off fast
4) The awful deus ex machina reveal with the butler

- The painfully melodramatic Mary Jane and Peter Parker 'romance' scenes which were much worse than those of the previous movies.
- The hero and villain having a touchy feely moment at the end where (God help us) it looks like they're about to hug and cry with each other
- A hideously corny and weepy death scene for one of the best characters in the whole series

But we digress.

I didn't like any of the Spiderman films - but mainly because I can't stand Tobey Maguire...

 

[QuasarVM]

Whoever said there were no new FX shots of the Enterprise needs to get their eyes checked...because they are as wrong as...well, anything you can think of that's wrong.

Here's a few "New for Season 3" screencaps I dug up off TrekCore. These happen to be some of my favorite shots of the ship, BTW...mostly because I like the lighting on the model and the fact that the nacelle caps are very visible and the pylons aren't disappearing.

These are from The Way To Eden:
I really like these three frames because they make the ship look really big!

This one is also from The Way To Eden. It's clearly a redo of the beauty pass that we saw throughout the series -- only with this one, the engine pylons do not disappear due to bluescreen spill...

Now if anyone can point out episodes from earlier seasons that used these shots, then I will retract my claim that there were new shots of the Enterprise in Season 3.

However, I highly doubt anyone would be able to find these exact frames and shots in Season 1 or 2. Clearly, they had improved the visual effects techniques for this series when these shots were created. Even the opening shot of the Enterprise in Spock's Brain had the disappearing engine pylons, so the improvements had to have either come after that episodes visuals were completed or these shots were created by a different FX house.

Witness the worst shot of the Enterprise in TOS...at least with regard to bluescreen compositing. This one, I "Grant" you, could be as old as the First Season -- but recomposited in an utterly terrible way complete with lots of dust and scratches (what WERE they thinking?) Behold the opening shot of the Enterprise from Spock's Brain:

I'm tempted to do my own edit and replace that shot with this one:

or this one >>

Finally, these AWESOME shots from Let That Be Your Last Battlefield. Again. CLEARLY NEW shots for Season 3.
I defy anyone to tell me which other episodes -- pre-Third Season -- that these glorious babies showed up in.
In fact, LTBYLB may be the ONLY episode this sequence appeared in! So, take THAT mofos!

Who's your daddy?

Um, I think that's ME! Are you ShamWowed by my superior Trek intellect on this issue? You should be. You should be. Mwahahaha!!!

So, ya know...don't even bother trying to dispute me on this one. You know I'm right. The "eyes" have it. Don't trust me...trust your own peepers.

 

[Myasishchev]

That was weird.: /

 

[Orcus]

That was weird.: /

Agreed. That kind of weirdness can only be displayed by a fan...

 

[QuasarVM]

That was weird.: /

Pointing out with pictures that there were new third season shots of the Enterprise (after Grant -- earlier in this thread -- said there were NONE) is weird?

Mmmmm ok...

I may be weird...but I'm right.

 

[Myasishchev]

That was weird.: /

Pointing out with pictures that there were new third season shots of the Enterprise (after Grant -- earlier in this thread -- said there were NONE) is weird?

Mmmmm ok...

I may be weird...but I'm right.

The "who's your daddy" was weird. But yes, you appear to be right.

 

[QuasarVM]

That was weird.: /

Pointing out with pictures that there were new third season shots of the Enterprise (after Grant -- earlier in this thread -- said there were NONE) is weird?

Mmmmm ok...

I may be weird...but I'm right.

The "who's your daddy" was weird. But yes, you appear to be right.

Ah yes...well, it was late when I posted that and I was a little punch drunk...

 

[Chrisisall]

Ah yes...well, it was late when I posted that and I was a little punch drunk...

Right there with ya pal. Romulan ale should be illegal.

 

[KeepOnTrekking]

1. Introducing the Klingon ships.

2. Scotty being surprised at finding the Klingon ship being used Romulans. The implications of a Klingon/Romulan alliance could have set up a nice tone for the remainder of the third season (like the Borg in "Q Who") if the writers had followed up on it.

3. A very looked over and understated revelation about Spock discovering how emotional his Vulcan side really is in "All Our Yesterdays."

4. A good look at the Kirk/Spock/McCoy triad and how it works thanks to the "last orders" tape.

5. The Romulan Commander from "the Enterprise Incident." She may have come across as gullible but I found her to be the closest thing to a real love interest for Spock. She was a Romulan who was Vulcanlike with emotions and saw Spock as a Vulcan/human hybrid as being alone and unique in his condition. She honestly thought that she could offer Spock a place to feel at home that he couldn't find on Vulcan or earth. Her one fault was that she thought like a Romulan and was all caught up in the Romulan soldier's life of duty and honor. She thought Spock deserved place of command that Starfleet wasn't providing for Spock not realizing that Spock had honestly answered her question about not wanting a command (especially after "Galileo Seven"). The number of passing years may not be right but I'd rather had Saavik been their daughter rather than an orphan on hellguard. Oh well.

6. "The Empath" was another fascinating look at the Kirk/Spock/McCoy triad and another peek under the Vulcan's facade cleverly portrayed by Gem's touching Spock and her reaction. She could pull it off without ever having Spock break his character. She could only read feelings but it's no wonder Spock's not too open with mind melding and sharing too much.

7. Michael Ansara as Kang. Another klingon cut from the same cloth as Kor. He won't fight for the benfit as another alien being any more than Kor would stop fighting because of the Organians. Klingons decide their own destiny whenever possible. Koloth, Kras, and Krell always semmed 2-dimensional to me. Maybe the fact that Kang was originally written as Kor for John Colicos explains the similarity.

 

[QuasarVM]

Ah yes...well, it was late when I posted that and I was a little punch drunk...

Right there with ya pal. Romulan ale should be illegal.

That's a fact!

 

[Myasishchev]

5. The Romulan Commander from "the Enterprise Incident." She may have come across as gullible but I found her to be the closest thing to a real love interest for Spock. She was a Romulan who was Vulcanlike with emotions and saw Spock as a Vulcan/human hybrid as being alone and unique in his condition. She honestly thought that she could offer Spock a place to feel at home that he couldn't find on Vulcan or earth. Her one fault was that she thought like a Romulan and was all caught up in the Romulan soldier's life of duty and honor. She thought Spock deserved place of command that Starfleet wasn't providing for Spock not realizing that Spock had honestly answered her question about not wanting a command (especially after "Galileo Seven"). The number of passing years may not be right but I'd rather had Saavik been their daughter rather than an orphan on hellguard. Oh well.

Man, that would've made Star Trek III pretty strange.