Revisiting Star Trek TOS/TAS...

[Warped9]

There is another logic hole: a planet is a very big object and even one planet would be able to supply a lot of matter for a device of the planet killer's size. Yes, it was big in relation to a starship, but in relation to a planet it would be awfully small.

On further reflection I realize the short-sightedness of my thinking here. The fact that a single planet could supply an incredible amount of fuel for the robot isn't the point. The planetary rubble is just an efficient by product for the robot's use taking only what it needs then moving on. The machine's sole and primary function is to destroy planets. It's simply a rather effective weapon of terror.

One does wonder if it also destroyed its creators or perhaps they simply had no way to turn it off and let it go on its way to be someone else's problem. Or maybe it's just one that got away. When you really think about it it's rather easy to kill---just lob a big enough explosive down its throat. So if you ever come across another one you'll now know what to do.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

The machine's sole and primary function is to destroy planets.

Right.

So if you ever come across another one you'll now know what to do.

Now that we've seen the episode, we're ready! Bring on the planet killers!

 

[Myko]

12 year old me figured out the weakness in about 2 minutes, I'm not sure why Kirk had to see Decker fly down it's throat to come up with the solution.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Whatever.

 

[Warped9]

12 year old me figured out the weakness in about 2 minutes, I'm not sure why Kirk had to see Decker fly down it's throat to come up with the solution.

As in many things people often don't see the obvious. While a large explosive tossed inside may have been thought of eventually it's not surprising no one is thinking of using an actual ship as a bomb while everything else is happening.

 

[BillJ]

12 year old me figured out the weakness in about 2 minutes, I'm not sure why Kirk had to see Decker fly down it's throat to come up with the solution.

As in many things people often don't see the obvious. While a large explosive tossed inside may have been thought of eventually it's not surprising no one is thinking of using an actual ship as a bomb while everything else is happening.

Problem was that you couldn't toss just any bomb in there. It had to be something it didn't recognize as a threat.

 

[Warped9]

12 year old me figured out the weakness in about 2 minutes, I'm not sure why Kirk had to see Decker fly down it's throat to come up with the solution.

As in many things people often don't see the obvious. While a large explosive tossed inside may have been thought of eventually it's not surprising no one is thinking of using an actual ship as a bomb while everything else is happening.

Problem was that you couldn't toss just any bomb in there. It had to be something it didn't recognize as a threat.

True. But if you disguise the bomb as a ship then it should work. And I'm sure there could be enough old or mothballed ships around to rig as a bomb and let her fly.

 

[Captain Robert April]

Or, just put a really big bomb on an asteroid, then ring the dinner bell.

 

[Warped9]

“Wolf In The Fold” ***

Chief Engineer Scott is accused of murdering several women.

One thing about ClassicTrek, even when it's run-of-the-mill overall it's never boring.

Redjac: "Die, die, die, everybody die!"

This is a fun episode overall, but it suffers from something inescapable: the passage of time. By that I mean that over the years we've been inundated with police procedural shows detailing how crime investigation methods have evolved. And there's every reason to believe that investigation techniques will continue to improve. And yet here we have a number of murders set in the far future and we have nothing as simple as DNA analysis, blood spatter patterns, scene reconstruction and all many of detailed tests. Part of me kept hoping L&A: Criminal Intent's Detective Goren would walk onto the scene and beginning telling everyone what they'd missed.

From the episode we can deduce that Scotty was either temporarily possessed by the entity to commit the murders or he was hypnotized and paralyzed in some fashion to prevent him from interfering. That certainly seems the case with the first two murders. The killing of Sybo is in question because Scotty claimed to not having blacked out during that killing. Or perhaps part of his consciousness was still aware even though his body was possessed. It's sufficiently murky that we never really understand what happened. Also, the idea that Scotty supposedly harboured a recent resentment towards women because of some accident also sounds like some male chauvinist bullshit. Then again the idea of Argelius as some hedonistic society sounds like something Gene Roddenberry would have loved. Although Scotty finds himself in quite a predicament here Doohan's portrayal here has shifted---Scotty seems to be losing his own distinct composure that he had in Season 1 and even within recent Season 2 episodes.

One question I do have: Hengist was apparently dead and the murder knife was not in the briefing room...yet how did Hengist's body get hold of the knife? Or was it another one he had had in his possession? Again no answers.

It's an okay episode with entertaining moments---certainly not boring---but it certainly isn't among the best TOS has done.

 

[BillJ]

“Wolf In The Fold” ***

Chief Engineer Scott is accused of murdering several women.

This is one of the few '*' outings TOS had for me. The story has some fun moments but doesn't hang together very well and Scotty just doesn't seem like Scotty in this episode.

 

[Warped9]

^^ It's one of those episodes I find myself enjoying even though I recognize problems within it. I've noticed this in the TNG episodes as well, particularly in the earlier seasons---episodes I rather liked even though they could have been much better just as there have been technically well executed stories that I still didn't really care for.

 

[BillJ]

^^ It's one of those episodes I find myself enjoying even though I recognize problems within it. I've noticed this in the TNG episodes as well, particularly in the earlier seasons---episodes I rather liked even though they could have been much better just as there have been technically well executed stories that I still didn't really care for.

I think Scotty being so far out of character is what kills it for me.

 

[KeepOnTrekking]

I just watched a movie "Diary of a Madman" starring Vincent Price this week where he was possessed by an entity that forced him to kill people but not remember doing it afterwards until confronted by the entity and the evidence. I kept thinking that this is "Wolf in the Fold."

 

[Tallguy]

Wolf in the Fold: Piglet IS Jack the Ripper. Yeah!

Doomsday Machine: William Windom manages to be a total prick and yet STILL remains a beloved starship captain! (And where the heck does McCoy go half-way through the episode?)

Amok Time: Like it or not, one of the defining moments of Star Trek. (I mostly like it.)

Vulcans having gods (brought up again in Yesteryear): It's only illogical if gods by definition are illogical. Perhaps Vulcans think atheists are illogical? That's not a flame. Seriously. It's really a serious question. Rodenberry gave them a "seventh sense" that there is a creative entity to the cosmos (TMP novel).

Vulcan pacifists: I'm jumping ahead here, but the line that Spock is a pacifist in "The Slaver Weapon" struck me as not really accurate. There are several episodes where Spock decides that the logical course of action is violence (Corbomite, Balance of Terror, reluctantly in Arena, and Errand of Mercy to name a few). And his father would be quite capable of killing if the situation called for it.

 

[Noname Given]

Vulcan pacifists: I'm jumping ahead here, but the line that Spock is a pacifist in "The Slaver Weapon" struck me as not really accurate. There are several episodes where Spock decides that the logical course of action is violence (Corbomite, Balance of Terror, reluctantly in Arena, and Errand of Mercy to name a few). And his father would be quite capable of killing if the situation called for it.

You do realize that the TAS episode The Slaver Weapon was just a retooling of Larry Niven's Tales of Known Space (a fairly consistent fictional Univese onto itself as well - the Larry Niven RingWorld novels take place in the same universe/continuity) shot story by the same name, right.

The TAS script just subtitutes McCoy, Uhura, and Mr. Spock for the non-Kizinti characters (with Mr. Spock in the role of an alien from a non-humanoid race known as 'The Puppeteers - which if you have read the original short story is rather funny IMO - and is prett much the reason why the Spock was written the way it was for that TAS episode.)

The funny aspect is - in Larry Niven's ToKS Universe, Pupeteers aren't Pacifists per se, there extremely technically advanced (they are one of the eldest races in known space) Xeno-phobic, and obverly cautious non-risk takers. In Nivens Universe, there's been an explosion at the core of the Milky Way Galaxy that's expanding out in all directions at the speed of light (and the other races heard this FROM the Pupeteers - and then used FTL ship to verify it was true); and wiping out systems as it hits them. The Humans and other races with FTL capacity aren't too concerned and it's still many tens of thousands of years until their homeworlds are threatened - so they feel they have time. The Puppeteers on the other hand do not trust FTL technology (although tghey have developed the best FTL drives); and also don't want to move from or loose their Homeworld; so they used their highly advanced tech; are moving their Homeworld itself away from the incoming blast at lightspeed, and expect to do so indefinitley.

Also, they consider any Pupeteer who works with such risky advanced tech (like FTL drives etc.), or who decides to leave their Homeworld without a life/death reason, insane; and once they leave, they can't rweturn as they are 'dangerous'; (and usually the ones that leave are still overly Xeno-phobic; and still don't like to take undue risks, and are nervous when using FTL tech, etc.)
^^^^
I relate all this because the Pupeteer in the story is one of those so-called 'insane' Pupeteers; and this is the character Spock in written in for in the TAS version.

But my point - in the TAS version 'Pacifist' was inserted for 'Cowering Coward' <--- which was what te Pupeteer was for the most part. In the original story, the Pupeter DOES attack and break the Kzin Captain's ribs; but only because he was so scared by the Kzin's actions - he felt he had no choice.

My point? In the end, I don't knoiw if it was GR's or ANY of the original Star Trek production staff to say 'Vulcans are all pacifists' per se; but TAS; The Slaver Weapon introduced it as a fact; and since a lot of the people later involved with the TNG era series productions, it goty 'worked in' to later series lore regarding Vulcans it seems.

 

[Tallguy]

Vulcan pacifists: I'm jumping ahead here, but the line that Spock is a pacifist in "The Slaver Weapon" struck me as not really accurate. There are several episodes where Spock decides that the logical course of action is violence (Corbomite, Balance of Terror, reluctantly in Arena, and Errand of Mercy to name a few). And his father would be quite capable of killing if the situation called for it.

You do realize that the TAS episode The Slaver Weapon was just a retooling of Larry Niven's Tales of Known Space (a fairly consistent fictional Univese onto itself as well - the Larry Niven RingWorld novels take place in the same universe/continuity) shot story by the same name, right.

I actually did know most of that, but thanks. Looking back over the Amok Time posts I'm not sure which one prompted MY post, but it was something I'd been thinking about given the preemptive actions of "first season Spock".

Doomsday Machine Constellation: Say what you want about "put together by ten year olds" but I have yet to see someone convincingly replace it. And face it, the damaged Constellation has been attempted MANY times by artists ranging from very talented amateurs to working professionals. (What IS Moriarty working on these days?)

It's one of those where on paper it should be easy to improve but in practice the original got more right than wrong. No, flying into the Machine is not the FX team's finest hour, but that establishing shot under the titles is one of Star Trek's definitive shots.

 

[Warped9]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it the Kzinti Chuft Captain that refers to Spock as a pacifist herbivore. If so then that's the Kzinti's perception of Vulcans. Spock himself doesn't make mention of being "bred to peace" except in "The Savage Curtain" and even there it's evident he's ready to kill if necessary to save themselves.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

You do realize that the TAS episode The Slaver Weapon was just a retooling of Larry Niven's Tales of Known Space (a fairly consistent fictional Univese onto itself as well - the Larry Niven RingWorld novels take place in the same universe/continuity) shot story by the same name, right.

Actually, the original Known Space story by Larry Niven is called The Soft Weapon.

 

[GSchnitzer]

TELEPATH: "I can read Sulu with difficulty, Chuft Captain. The other human is only a female. The third is a pacifistic herbivore. Surely you would not force me to delve such minds?"

...and then later:


SPOCK: "... I kicked Chuft Captain. Consider: Chuft Captain has been attacked by an herbivorous pacifist, an eater of leaves and roots. One who traditionally does not fight. And the ultimate insult, I left him alive. Chuft Captain's honour is at stake. He must seek personal revenge before he can call for help."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it the Kzinti Chuft Captain that refers to Spock as a pacifist herbivore. If so then that's the Kzinti's perception of Vulcans. Spock himself doesn't make mention of being "bred to peace" except in "The Savage Curtain" and even there it's evident he's ready to kill if necessary to save themselves.

 

[Warped9]

“The Changeling” ****

An alien probe mistakes Kirk as its creator.

This is a riot. I don't mean this in the sense that this is a funny episode because it is played straight and there are some dark moments in it. Scotty is actually killed at one point, but fortunately it wasn't fatal. And an entire star system of four billion people are also killed.

This is the second time since Landru in "The Return Of The Archons" that Kirk outsmarts a sophisticated computer by assailing it with its own brand of relentless logic. In "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" it was more a case of setting the androids against each other.

In terms of having her mind or memory wiped clean we see that Nomad makes another error because we soon see Uhura retains her knowledge of speaking Swahili. So it would seem that Nomad's erasing of her memory turned out to be quite selective and not complete. No wonder she gets back up to speed quite rapidly.

For the most part I also quite liked how they depicted Nomad using antigravity aboard ship. Rarely did I see it wobble noticeably. Again we get pyrotechnics when Nomad self destructs, but this time there's some justification for it since Nomad did have powerful and destructive energies at hand.