Revisiting Star Trek TOS/TAS...

[RAMA]

“Obsession” ****

Kirk is driven to destroy a creature he believes he encountered once before.

A decent straight up adventure story. We also get to see how driven Kirk can be when he's convinced he's right. We get to see that even with all the admirable qualities we see in Kirk he can also be enigmatic, uncommunicative and a general pain. He's definately not perfect and it's a good fleshing out of his character.

We get a bit more glimpse into his past as well as finally meeting a redshirt that's something more than just a name.

To this day I still try to wrap my head around how such a creature could exist, and capable of FTL flight as well, but no matter it's still rather cool. Actually the fact that the thing is capable of FTL makes me wonder if, like the doomsday planet killing robot we see earlier, perhaps this thing was in fact engineered by someone somewhere and somehow got loose.

This one makes Kirk look bad, that's for sure...perhaps a bit too single minded, he potentially sacrifices his entire ship to kill a creature that probably isn't even malevolent. Kirk continually ignores the advice of his expert and experienced crewman in episode after episode. Time for another psych evaluation Kirk? Its very likely if this mission hadn't worked, Kirk would have looked bad in the annals of Starfleet...headline: "captain leads 430 crewman to doom for personal agenda."

Once you accept he's Captain Ahab, the actual story isn't bad. The science is pretty spotty, but at least this isn't another late 2nd season episode with another straw, parallel culture. ****

I find it interesting that the rebellious and damaging antics of Kirk that have some wide ranging implications in this episode are accepted by "purists" but those of a lesser scale in ST09, by a young, inexperienced Kirk who just entered Starfleet are not.

“The Immunity Syndrome” ****

The Enterprise investigates a massive lifeform that destroyed another starship and an entire solar system.

It's a bottle show and straight up space adventure investigating new life never before encountered. Cool. There are a lot of character moments in this episode and I liked all of them. I particularly like the scene between Spock and McCoy just outside the shuttlecraft hangar.

I know over the years the episode has taken a lot of flak for the f/x depicting the giant single celled organism, but like the original doomsday machine I still quite like it.

As improbable as the space amoeba is the story nicely encapsulates Star Trek's depiction of encountering the potential deadly unknown during deep space exploration. I like the little touches of perspiration on everyone's face and the constant display of fatigue as their strength is being sapped. In a way it's hard to imagine how the predominantly human crew of the Enterprise manages to survive and succeed where the Vulcans aboard the Intrepid succumbed.

On the face of it there doesn't seem to be a lot to this story and episode, but they manage to wring a lot out of it.

The basic idea of the Enterprise acting as an antibody to an invading organism kind of stimulates the synapses, but in practice, only the Spock-McCoy dynamic really shines in the episode. More than enough for a **** rating in fact.

RAMA

 

[Warped9]

The thing about "The Immunity Syndrome" creature is that it raises the question: how did such an immense thing come to be and no one noticed? Mind you in deep space something 11,000 miles in size isn't at all that big. But it's also far too small to have swallowed a star or planets. So how exactly did it kill an entire solar system?

The only thing I can think of was that, of course, it didn't swallow the star or the planet(s). Note that even before the Enterprise enters the zone of darkness they're already showing signs of this thing's effect. I suppose it's possible that simply being in the proximity of this thing could eventually drain you until you died. Something similar could have happened to the Intrepid. Spock says the Intrepid crew never knew what killed them---perhaps they had focused their effort on getting out that they never actually saw the organism which inevitably drained them of all life energy.

Agreed the science is spotty in "The Immunity Syndrome," but I'm trying to look at this within the context of the Star Trek universe. How the story is told overcomes the story's basic idea: the hoary '50's B-grade sci-fi notion of taking something normally harmless and making it huge and deadly, in this case an amoeba instead of an insect or octopus or whatever. In fact I'm reminded of the '50's film Them! which features giant ants mutated by lingering radiation. On the face of it it's a hilarious notion and scientific nonsense, but the film works simply because of how the story is told.

The same can be said of "Obsession." The story is really about Kirk and the creature is just the catalyst. In a larger context the cloud creature (or whatever it is) isn't that much different than the Horta with the exception that it isn't isolated to one planet. The other distinction is the Horta only killed in self-defense otherwise it was quite harmless. The cloud does kill to feed and it can go anywhere. That does make it very dangerous and it's hard to detect. It could wreak real havoc if it ever landed on a populated planet.

It's a fair observation to say that Kirk in "Obsession" is behaving somewhat like Decker in "The Doomsday Machine." There are distinctions though. Kirk's tragedy was many years in the past rather than very recent. He thus had time to come to some terms with what had happened. Also events don't unfold with the same rapidity and Spock and McCoy are able to reach Kirk on some level to reason with him.

 

[BillJ]

This one makes Kirk look bad, that's for sure...perhaps a bit too single minded, he potentially sacrifices his entire ship to kill a creature that probably isn't even malevolent.

Man... you really dislike Jim Kirk. Between this, your thoughts on The Changeling and claiming Kirk broke the Prime Directive by just beaming down to Gamma Trianguli VI your really letting your true colors shine through.

 

[plynch]

Immunity Syndrome has a couple nice touches, I guess. But it turns into a kill-the-monster episode. Plus it feels like a half hour premise stretched to fill. The more I think about the routine-ness of S2, the more S3 grows in stature.

Obsession is good, atypical. Better than I remember, due to the character stuff, though the science is sketchy. (Of course FTL space navy with artificial onboard gravity is scientifically sketchy from the get go, so why quibble?). What's your highest rating? I'd give it a half less than that, just to leave room at the top for my beloveds.

Edit: looked up your system. I'll go four stars and skip the whole I/2 star wimpiness I mentioned.

Another thought: the character-driven nature, and the fact that it is a story, rather than just another installment of parallel planet of danger makes this seem more S1-ish to me.

 

[Warped9]

Even if they're bottle shows the fact that the stories are not yet another parallel planet idea holds a great deal of appeal...assuming they're well told.

 

[Warped9]

“A Piece Of The Action” **

An entire planet is found to have been corrupted into a gangster society.

On one level this is a riotous episode. Beyond that narrow context it is strictly

It should also be noted that this story idea of an "Al Capone planet" goes all the way back to when Gene Roddenberry was originally pitching Star Trek as a series. But 1920's gangsters? Really??? This is taking the Earth parallel idea waay too far even beyond a 20th century Roman Empire as seen in "Bread And Circuses."

This story only works as played for laughs. And in that context it's fortunate the TOS cast were comfortable with broad humour. But the moment you start to think about this even remotely critically it all falls apart.

Exactly how did Oxmyx manage to answer the Enterprise's initial hail? How could a society mirror so much of the 1920's era based on solely one book? And, yes, it's a very skewed parallel. How could Spock beam back down right into Oxmyx's office armed with Phaser II's rather than somewhere less disadvantageous? Instead of traveling by car why didn't Kirk and Spock just beam over to Krako's and then beam back to Oxmyx's? Just how in hell did this thing get approval for production???

In a way this episode is an example of Season 2's generally lighter sensibility in comparison to Season 1. Unlike in "The Trouble With Tribbles" yet very much like "I, Mudd" it's carried too far and over the top.

We do learn something in this episode. "Balance Of Terror" established that subspace radio existed a century before TOS yet "A Piece Of The Action" establishes that not all ships of that era were yet equipped with subspace radio. We also learn that the Horizon was lost with all hands to some undisclosed cause. We also learn that the Prime Directive didn't exist a century earlier, but it doesn't say when it came into effect.

Yes, I laughed quite a bit during this episode, but I also cringed over some of the absurdity.

 

[plynch]

When I compare Piece of the Action to S1 first half it makes me a bit sad for what might have been. Serious sci-fi dumbed down into a too-often chuckly space family. Though I love it still. Makes me appreciate Freiberger and his no-comedy precept even more.

 

[Warped9]

Although I've got a bit to go before I get to Season 3 episodes I do know I appreciate the return to a more overall serious sensibility.

 

[Warped9]

“By Any Other Name” ***

Aliens from the another galaxy hijack the Enterprise to return home.

When I was younger I quite liked this episode, but some of the bloom has faded from this rose. There are still things I like in it: Scotty's drinking binge with Tomar is still funny, the death of the pretty yeoman instead of the expected security guard is still rather dark and grim, and I like those shots of the Enterprise heading for Andromeda.

It's basically a good story idea, but this episode now feels a bit too schizophrenic as it bounces between tense drama and humour. Scotty's binge with Tomar aside some of the humour seems a bit forced.

Of course the whole issue of how the Kelvans adopted human form is sidestepped particularly in light of them supposedly being immense beings with a hundred limbs. Of course immense might be a matter of perspective since it's an impression Spock gets from touching Kelinda's mind---it could be how Kelinda sees her kind. Technologically the only real advantage the Kelvans had (that we saw) was the paralysis field. Certainly in terms of ship building they may well not be as advanced as they think---their own ship was destroyed crossing the galactic barrier while the Enterprise sailed through without much difficulty.

In retrospect what gets me about the Kelvans is how they now remind me a bit of the Ga'ould from Stargate: SG-1 in that they're so convinced of their own superiority that they can't imagine anyone resisting them. That said I also think it's a bit trite and easy the way Kirk and company manage to distract the Kelvans. And some of Rojan's dialogue ("This isn't for us. We are are creatures of outer space.") sounds like something from a hoary '50s era B flick.

A watchable and enjoyable enough episode, but not as good as I once thought.

 

[Warped9]

“Return To Tomorrow” *****

The Enterprise is led to a dead world where ancient beings still exist.

Spooky. This is really quintessential Star Trek of the final frontier, where-no-man-has-gone-before variety. The Enterprise ranges hundreds of light years beyond the furthest known space to a long dead world where three beings await to be found. Here Spock as Henoc is creepier and more menacing than the Mirror Universe Spock, and through him we get a glimpse of the ancient struggle Sargon mentions earlier.

In an interesting way this is something of a Prime Directive story yet in reverse. Here it's humankind and the Federation that perhaps need protection from such an advanced race. If Henoc and perhaps Thalassa as well had managed to follow through on their initial ideas then who knows what could have happened. In his own cynical way McCoy was right on the money with his doubts. In counterpoint we also get Kirk's well known "risk is our business" speech.

The one thing I initially questioned was why the planned android bodies seemed to be so rudimentary (comparatively speaking) considering the kind of androids we've already seen in TOS---most notably in "What Are Little Girls made Of?" Then dialogue in this episode started to make sense to me. Sargon was concerned that staying too long in genuine living bodies so full of sensation would be too tempting and corrupting for Henoc and Thalassa and perhaps even for himself. Less than perfect android bodies perhaps wouldn't be so different an existence from what they had already become familiar with over five hundred thousand years and thus likely to be far less distracting and corruptive. Hmm...in that context the simple androids make sense.

Although the TOS writers probably weren't thinking in such terms both "Return To Tomorrow" and "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" played with the quite advanced idea of putting a living consciousness into a machine body. Interesting.

 

[plynch]

These are worthy eps. "Name" is screwy, but very Trek at the end, where Kirk says we'll find em a planet. And "Return" is cool, people-oriented. Could have been written by Sturgeon. Remembering these is raising my esteem for S2.

Plus the risk speech! What a nice touch.

And when i was a kid I loved the styrododecamekagon or whatever it is that the Kelvins turn people into. My grampa gave me a dodecahedron calendar from Dow chemical and I used to pretend I was Kelvin. Never crushed it though, thankfully. Sure miss him many years later. Be well.

 

[Noname Given]

“Return To Tomorrow” *****

The Enterprise is led to a dead world where ancient beings still exist.

Spooky. This is really quintessential Star Trek of the final frontier, where-no-man-has-gone-before variety. The Enterprise ranges hundreds of light years beyond the furthest known space to a long dead world where three beings await to be found. Here Spock as Henoc is creepier and more menacing than the Mirror Universe Spock, and through him we get a glimpse of the ancient struggle Sargon mentions earlier.

In an interesting way this is something of a Prime Directive story yet in reverse. Here it's humankind and the Federation that perhaps need protection from such an advanced race. If Henoc and perhaps Thalassa as well had managed to follow through on their initial ideas then who knows what could have happened. In his own cynical way McCoy was right on the money with his doubts. In counterpoint we also get Kirk's well known "risk is our business" speech.

The one thing I initially questioned was why the planned android bodies seemed to be so rudimentary (comparatively speaking) considering the kind of androids we've already seen in TOS---most notably in "What Are Little Girls made Of?" Then dialogue in this episode started to make sense to me. Sargon was concerned that staying too long in genuine living bodies so full of sensation would be too tempting and corrupting for Henoc and Thalassa and perhaps even for himself. Less than perfect android bodies perhaps wouldn't be so different an existence from what they had already become familiar with over five hundred thousand years and thus likely to be far less distracting and corruptive. Hmm...in that context the simple androids make sense.

Although the TOS writers probably weren't thinking in such terms both "Return To Tomorrow" and "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" played with the quite advanced idea of putting a living consciousness into a machine body. Interesting.

Given th other technology that civilization had; the fact that the best bthey could do was Android bodies with no senses (and given they had done more in What Are Little Girls Made Of - (which you also acknowledge in your review); for me it was alarge detraction with regards to the execution of the episode. Also, the litterally mustasche twirling 'evil' character of Henog was another low point.

I agree the concept was very good, but the execution lacking enough that I'd give it 3 stars at most.

 

[RAMA]

“A Piece Of The Action” **

An entire planet is found to have been corrupted into a gangster society.

On one level this is a riotous episode. Beyond that narrow context it is strictly

It should also be noted that this story idea of an "Al Capone planet" goes all the way back to when Gene Roddenberry was originally pitching Star Trek as a series. But 1920's gangsters? Really??? This is taking the Earth parallel idea waay too far even beyond a 20th century Roman Empire as seen in "Bread And Circuses."

This story only works as played for laughs. And in that context it's fortunate the TOS cast were comfortable with broad humour. But the moment you start to think about this even remotely critically it all falls apart.

Exactly how did Oxmyx manage to answer the Enterprise's initial hail? How could a society mirror so much of the 1920's era based on solely one book? And, yes, it's a very skewed parallel. How could Spock beam back down right into Oxmyx's office armed with Phaser II's rather than somewhere less disadvantageous? Instead of traveling by car why didn't Kirk and Spock just beam over to Krako's and then beam back to Oxmyx's? Just how in hell did this thing get approval for production???

In a way this episode is an example of Season 2's generally lighter sensibility in comparison to Season 1. Unlike in "The Trouble With Tribbles" yet very much like "I, Mudd" it's carried too far and over the top.

We do learn something in this episode. "Balance Of Terror" established that subspace radio existed a century before TOS yet "A Piece Of The Action" establishes that not all ships of that era were yet equipped with subspace radio. We also learn that the Horizon was lost with all hands to some undisclosed cause. We also learn that the Prime Directive didn't exist a century earlier, but it doesn't say when it came into effect.

Yes, I laughed quite a bit during this episode, but I also cringed over some of the absurdity.

It is pretty funny, even if its probably impossible...***1/2

“Return To Tomorrow” *****

The Enterprise is led to a dead world where ancient beings still exist.

Spooky. This is really quintessential Star Trek of the final frontier, where-no-man-has-gone-before variety. The Enterprise ranges hundreds of light years beyond the furthest known space to a long dead world where three beings await to be found. Here Spock as Henoc is creepier and more menacing than the Mirror Universe Spock, and through him we get a glimpse of the ancient struggle Sargon mentions earlier.

In an interesting way this is something of a Prime Directive story yet in reverse. Here it's humankind and the Federation that perhaps need protection from such an advanced race. If Henoc and perhaps Thalassa as well had managed to follow through on their initial ideas then who knows what could have happened. In his own cynical way McCoy was right on the money with his doubts. In counterpoint we also get Kirk's well known "risk is our business" speech.

The one thing I initially questioned was why the planned android bodies seemed to be so rudimentary (comparatively speaking) considering the kind of androids we've already seen in TOS---most notably in "What Are Little Girls made Of?" Then dialogue in this episode started to make sense to me. Sargon was concerned that staying too long in genuine living bodies so full of sensation would be too tempting and corrupting for Henoc and Thalassa and perhaps even for himself. Less than perfect android bodies perhaps wouldn't be so different an existence from what they had already become familiar with over five hundred thousand years and thus likely to be far less distracting and corruptive. Hmm...in that context the simple androids make sense.

Although the TOS writers probably weren't thinking in such terms both "Return To Tomorrow" and "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" played with the quite advanced idea of putting a living consciousness into a machine body. Interesting.

Funny was just watching "Transcendent Man" and I saw this review...its possible we can transfer all the critical information of the brain that makes a person a person into AI...and that AI into a body....before 2045. So this is a case where TOS has erred on the side of timidity (as with much of computers/AI). Data has memories of 100s of humans, but little else by the 24th century. Sargon's people are going to have to switch human bodies all the time if they were to to use humans, so the original idea of using an android would actually be superior. Interesting story, and some well developed guest characters. **** stars

“By Any Other Name” ***

Aliens from the another galaxy hijack the Enterprise to return home.

When I was younger I quite liked this episode, but some of the bloom has faded from this rose. There are still things I like in it: Scotty's drinking binge with Tomar is still funny, the death of the pretty yeoman instead of the expected security guard is still rather dark and grim, and I like those shots of the Enterprise heading for Andromeda.

It's basically a good story idea, but this episode now feels a bit too schizophrenic as it bounces between tense drama and humour. Scotty's binge with Tomar aside some of the humour seems a bit forced.

Of course the whole issue of how the Kelvans adopted human form is sidestepped particularly in light of them supposedly being immense beings with a hundred limbs. Of course immense might be a matter of perspective since it's an impression Spock gets from touching Kelinda's mind---it could be how Kelinda sees her kind. Technologically the only real advantage the Kelvans had (that we saw) was the paralysis field. Certainly in terms of ship building they may well not be as advanced as they think---their own ship was destroyed crossing the galactic barrier while the Enterprise sailed through without much difficulty.

In retrospect what gets me about the Kelvans is how they now remind me a bit of the Ga'ould from Stargate: SG-1 in that they're so convinced of their own superiority that they can't imagine anyone resisting them. That said I also think it's a bit trite and easy the way Kirk and company manage to distract the Kelvans. And some of Rojan's dialogue ("This isn't for us. We are are creatures of outer space.") sounds like something from a hoary '50s era B flick.

A watchable and enjoyable enough episode, but not as good as I once thought.

Yeah good concept, badly executed. Somewhat campy as well. **

RAMA

 

[Warped9]

“Patterns Of Force” ***

A Federation historian corrupts a society into resembling Nazi Germany.

Younger viewers might find this episode laughable, but they would be missing part of the story's context. In the mid 1960s the world was only twenty years removed from World War 2 and the fascist Nazi terror. Indeed some folks even worried that former Nazis were still at large waiting for another chance. Yes, some of them were still at large, but much more likely simply trying to remain hidden and unrecognized.

I mention this because at the heart of this episode is a worthy story to be told. But I feel it's hurt by a lack of nuance. That and moments of humour that seem out of place. During Season 2 it sometimes seems that Spock is some sort of straight man and made to look ridiculous for it. I can't help but feel that if this story, and a few others from Season 2, had been produced during Season 1 or at least with the first season's overall sensibility that it would have come off better. Even so there are some moments in this episode, particularly at the end, that are pretty good.

I mention nuance and by that I mean that we could appreciate the story's stand against fascism and sadism yet without the oh-so overt Nazi symbolism. Of course the use of sets, props and uniforms was a cost savings measure, but here I think it really hurts the story or at least does it no favours. Like "A Piece Of The Action" (even though that one is a comedy) the Earth parallel is simply too blatant.

Yet even with all my disappointments with this episode I still find myself liking it to some extent. That's why I rate it as a 3, watchable, but it really could have been better.

 

[RAMA]

“Patterns Of Force” ***

A Federation historian corrupts a society into resembling Nazi Germany.

Younger viewers might find this episode laughable, but they would be missing part of the story's context. In the mid 1960s the world was only twenty years removed from World War 2 and the fascist Nazi terror. Indeed some folks even worried that former Nazis were still at large waiting for another chance. Yes, some of them were still at large, but much more likely simply trying to remain hidden and unrecognized.

I mention this because at the heart of this episode is a worthy story to be told. But I feel it's hurt by a lack of nuance. That and moments of humour that seem out of place. During Season 2 it sometimes seems that Spock is some sort of straight man and made to look ridiculous for it. I can't help but feel that if this story, and a few others from Season 2, had been produced during Season 1 or at least with the first season's overall sensibility that it would have come off better. Even so there are some moments in this episode, particularly at the end, that are pretty good.

I mention nuance and by that I mean that we could appreciate the story's stand against fascism and sadism yet without the oh-so overt Nazi symbolism. Of course the use of sets, props and uniforms was a cost savings measure, but here I think it really hurts the story or at least does it no favours. Like "A Piece Of The Action" (even though that one is a comedy) the Earth parallel is simply too blatant.

Yet even with all my disappointments with this episode I still find myself liking it to some extent. That's why I rate it as a 3, watchable, but it really could have been better.

I like this one better than other recent parallel Earth stories...an Earth historian specifically changes the society into a parallel of Nazi Germany. Why he would do this isn't exactly clear...Nazi fascism might be seen as "efficient" in terms of control as a force for change but in practice Germany was still a mess. There were a lot of unqualified people in gov't including Hitler! You'd think a Historian would also know better, seeing the end results of one history that already existed..but as a message, the episode is hard to fault, and is more relevant today then ever...if we forget the lessons of history we are doomed to repeat them.

****

 

[Warped9]

^^ There are two thoughts that occur to me regarding this. Firstly, one can make the case that even a historian looking at Earth history yet removed by some three hundred years could easily miss or misinterpret a lot of things about that era. The other thought is one Gill actually makes himself indirectly: historians can often fail to learn from history. We like to think that we are so much smarter than our fathers, grandfathers and ancestors and yet we can make the very same mistakes when the situations are similar.

I've met a number of people over the years who can glorify the past or some particular aspect of it yet seem to avoid looking at the whole picture and putting that past into its proper context. I know one fellow in particular who is deeply disappointed over the decline and ending of Soviet Russia. And you should hear this fellow talk about and defend Stalin.

Then again you may know someone like that yourself. There are quite a few of them around.

 

[Warped9]

“The Ultimate Computer” *****

The Enterprise serves as a testbed for a revolutionary computer system.

There are some conceptual shortcomings in this, but nonetheless it's a very well told space adventure in similar vein as "The Doomsday Machine." William H. Marshall gives a wonderful and somewhat quirky performance as Dr. Richard Daystrom, the M5 computer system's creator.

To some extent the story is an allegory for the human fear of losing one's job or one's place to a machine, a genuinely felt concern in the 1960s and throughout the early part of the industrial age. That concern seems much less prevalent today as society appears to embrace each new advance in computer technology.

The episode takes the view that relinquishing total control of our lives to machinery inevitably leads to disaster. Of course, there's the important point that M5 was built inherently unstable since it's Daystrom's quirky personality that serves as the basis for M5's operating system or "mind" for lack of a better term. And that's where I see a conceptual flaw. Whether real artificial intelligence is ever achieved is anyone's guess, but the sophistication of computer intelligence is only going to get ever better. Assuming continuing progress then by the 23rd century computer intelligence should be very sophisticated, and certainly likely capable of operating a starship largely autonomously in many situations. Indeed contemporary space probes are being designed to operate ever more autonomously simply to help overcome the time lag of trying to control them from Earth---the more distant the probe in space the greater the time lag in sending a signal and receiving feedback that the action has been initiated. The probe's likelihood of survival increases dramatically if it can deal with unforeseen variables on its own rather than having to wait for responses and instructions from Earth.

My essential point is that if this story were being written today M5's abilities wouldn't seem quite so extraordinary because the Enterprise crew would already be quite with familiar A.I. on some level or other.

All that aside, though, I find this a very engaging and well told story.

 

[evilnate]

This episode is also notable for giving us the only competent, sane, stable, and alive starship CO not in command of the Enterprise. Commodore Bob Wesley is awesome!

EDIT: One thing to add: the battle in this one is pretty well paced and exciting. Seeing that many sister ships of the Enterprise at once was a real treat. One thing I noticed was that the way Kirk let Wesley know that the Enterprise was no longer a threat (running with the shields down) was what got Kirk into trouble in TWOK. Guess you can trick the trickster!

 

[Maurice]

Back to Patterns of Force, this episode is the one I point to most when I talk about not taking advantage of the sci-fi mileu. The show is using a parallel Earth culture as a cost-saving measure, but they go about it by pulling out stock costumes that make it seems as if the Feds who corrupted the culture had books of sewing patterns on them. They could have used ANY stock costumes or mixed and matched and just slapped Nazi armbands and other accoutrements on them and it actually would have been more believable. Same with the cars.

 

[Warped9]

This episode is also notable for giving us the only competent, sane, stable, and alive starship CO not in command of the Enterprise. Commodore Bob Wesley is awesome!

EDIT: One thing to add: the battle in this one is pretty well paced and exciting. Seeing that many sister ships of the Enterprise at once was a real treat. One thing I noticed was that the way Kirk let Wesley know that the Enterprise was no longer a threat (running with the shields down) was what got Kirk into trouble in TWOK. Guess you can trick the trickster!

Yes, you touch on two points I overlooked mentioning. Yes, Commodore Wesley is the only one (other than some remote Starfleet Admirals) that doesn't bug out and displays actual competence. And I do wish they could have managed something else in Starfleet designs for variety in the task force rather than just cut-and-pasting reused long shots of the Enterprise.

Back to Patterns of Force, this episode is the one I point to most when I talk about not taking advantage of the sci-fi mileu. The show is using a parallel Earth culture as a cost-saving measure, but they go about it by pulling out stock costumes that make it seems as if the Feds who corrupted the culture had books of sewing patterns on them. They could have used ANY stock costumes or mixed and matched and just slapped Nazi armbands and other accoutrements on them and it actually would have been more believable. Same with the cars.

You're quite right and it's partly that which undermines the episode in my view. It's too blatant, too carbon copy.