Revisiting Star Trek TOS/TAS...

[Warped9]

If you really think about it then a long distance scan of a 22nd century Earth ship might only show something like a saucer or a relatively thin flat like hull with nacelles. If that is the kind of design used by Earth ships to combat the Romulans then it's just conceivable they might copy the design to some extent.

That idea doesn't hold up if you go by ENT that showed Romulan ships of the era that also look more advanced than the TOS BoP. The ENT ships looked more like TMP era style Romulan ships.

It's also conceivable that while they didn't allow themselves to be captured Romulans might have captured some Earth ships and thus had gotten some technical ideas from them.

 

[Tallguy]

For example in BoT it was no shock at all that the Roms looked like Vulcans.

Funny..when I watch the episode, everyone on the bridge seems PLENTY shocked that the Romulans look like Vulcans. I guess that's a matter of perception, though.

That's my point. In the aired ep they ARE shocked. Even Spock. In the adaptation (and possibly the early draft of the script) it was already known that they at least looked like Vulcans.

Yes, as aired Styles seems completely off his nut to be worried about spies and even crazier that Sulu agrees with him. Heck, why are they consulting with Star Fleet? They're probably LOUSY with Rom spies!

 

[Warped9]

Re: "The Survivor"

The other thing that hurts this episode is the reveal is too soon. Later in the episode we see "Winston" render an engineering crewman unconscious with just a touch while still in human form. Yet earlier we saw him revert to his original form before rendering Kirk and then McCoy unconscious. It would have been better if we hadn't seen his true form until Kirk confronts him with the vial of acid to reveal himself. That way we would have been in the dark up to that point as to why the apparently human Carter Winston was doing whatever he was doing. Early on we should have just seen him change from Winston to Kirk in appearance and then later from Winston to McCoy, much like we saw the Salt Vampire do way back in "The Man Trap."

As is it's sloppy storytelling.

 

[Captain Robert April]

Blame the half hour runtime.

 

[Warped9]

Blame the half hour runtime.

That's not a good enough excuse since other TAS episodes managed to tell a decent story and not be this sloppy.

 

[Maurice]

Blame the half hour runtime.

How does that work? It would have taken no more time to do it the more dramatic way than revealing the alien's form earlier.

Sometimes I feel like people give TAS too many passes because of the 22 minute runtime, when, in point of fact, most of the episodes are glacially paced.

 

[plynch]

Blame the half hour runtime.

How does that work? It would have taken no more time to do it the more dramatic way than revealing the alien's form earlier.

Sometimes I feel like people give TAS too many passes because of the 22 minute runtime, when, in point of fact, most of the episodes are glacially paced.

Yes, they even stall for time with extended ship shots.

I think they get a pass because of nostalgia so many of us hold. And because they are mature for what was on Sat. mornings. And because some of the stories are good. But many are atrocious. I wanted to like them a lot more than i do after watching them all a coupla times. I won't soon rewatch them. My 12 year olds don't like them either, tho they love TOS. They ask me if we can watch one of those at least weekly.

 

[Warped9]

There is indeed a nostalgia factor with TAS. And, yes, they were indeed more adult compared to what else was being aired at the time.

As I said upthread I experience a measure of frustration because in many of the episodes I can see something noteworthy within them, something that becomes more evident in ADF's adaptations. I didn't always agree with what ADF did, but his effort does illustrate that there was some genuine substance within many of the stories themselves.

 

[Saxman1]

My kids find TAS series flawless (they are 10 and 12), LOL! Seen through their eyes, it's a lot of fun and a from my perspective a lot better than anyone had a right to expect given budget and animation limits at the time.

The kids are willing to watch anything original series crew at any moment: TOS, TAS, the movies (except 2 and 3, they don't like Spock or David's deaths) and Star Trek 2009. Of the remaining series, my daughter loves all except the TNG movies (I agree with that) and my son only likes DS9.

 

[Tallguy]

Slightly late, but I think Sarek's outfit in Yesteryear is one of the coolest sets of threads in all of Star Trek.

 

[Brian]

It's just a variant of this: http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/2x10hd/journeytobabelhd0074.jpg

I've always been partial to this outfit: http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/2x10hd/journeytobabelhd0524.jpg

ETA: What's the deal with TrekCore lately? You can't even provide a URL to their pics?

 

[Brian]

This is the one I'm partial to: http://allofvulcan.netfirms.com/people/Sarek.jpg

And this is the one the "Yesteryear" outfit was a variant of: http://www.dangermouse.net/blog/images/trek/JourneyToBabel.jpg

 

[Warped9]

"The Infinite Vulcan" ***

A race of intelligent plants abduct Spock to serve their own agenda.

I'm a little torn about this one. I really like the essential story. I really like the idea and design of the Phylosians. I like the idea that they incorporated a Phylosian version of a universal translator to enable the aliens and our heroes to speak. There is just so much about this episode I like.

But sadly there are some things I don't like. Firstly the episode feels just so abbreviated when it feels like there could be so much more story. Also the voice acting in this could feel so flat. And finally why, oh why, did they have to make Keniclius and Spock's clones so oversized??? This was just such an off-the-wall notion that jars you right out of what is otherwise a pretty decent episode. If not for that one visual bit of brain cramp I'd have rated this four stars.

Pity.

 

[BillJ]

"The Infinite Vulcan" ***

A race of intelligent plants abduct Spock to serve their own agenda.

****

I love everything about this episode including the 50 foot Spock clone.

 

[Lieut. Arex]

Has anyone ever asked Koenig why he decided to make the clones giants?

 

[Forbin]

Because he's short. He overcompensated.






What?

 

[Captain Robert April]

Actually, it wasn't his idea. I'll have to do some digging, but I suspect it was someone from Filmation itself (what better way to tell one Spock from another than by making one fifty feet tall? It is a cartoon, y'know...)

 

[RAMA]

I'd also like to recollect the James Blish adaptations. I have the first collection with the cool James Bama cover, but I wish I had the rest.

It's technically incorrect (with flames coming out of the shuttlebay), but that art just stirs the imagination.

I have the original printing of this paperback.

 

[Forbin]

Lordy, I think I do to!

 

[Captain Robert April]

If I don't, I know where I can get one...