Alternative Factor - Worst Episode Ever?

[LOKAI of CHERON]

I love The Alternative Factor, always have - highly enjoyable entry. I also love The Empath and, of course, Let That Be Your Last Battlefield! Honestly, I really wonder what pipe those who vote The Trouble With Tribbles "da best episode evah's" are smoking.

 

[Commishsleer]

I don't really understand the 'hate'.
Sure they pfaffed around a bit. I couldn't tell one Lazurus from the other but I didn't really care.
The episode had great science fiction themes.
There were a lot worse episodes and a lot more boring.

I loved how Starfleet retreated all their ships away from a threat to the 'universe'. Where were those other ships going to hide? LOL.

 

[Hambone]

The only thing I "hate" about The Alternative Factor is that it could have been a really, really good episode. There's an interesting story here. I don't know if it was bad writing, re-writing, editing, or whatever that made the show turn out as it did.

Maybe some imaginative writer could do a re-imagining of this story someday and clear up the mud.

 

[scotpens]

I don't really understand the 'hate'.

It's the damn beard.

 

[jpv2000]

"The Alternative Factor" suffered a lot of backstage problems. The actor originally hired as Lazarus failed to appear on the first day, saying he forgot, resulting in the studio and/or production filing a grievance against him with the Guild. Robert Brown had to be hired at the last minute and the already built costume refitted. Then there's a questionable change in the script where a love story subplot between Lazarus and Lt. Masters was cut entirely because they'd hired a black actress for the role and were worried about offending parts of the United States.

I did not know any of this. Very interesting and explains many of the episodes faults.

I enjoyed the episode, and all of TOS really. The only Star Trek I did not like nor could I watch much of at all was Enterprise and Voyager.

 

[austen_pierce]

As long as And the Children Shall Lead... exists, it is no contest.

Nah, it has the Angel chant. Like "brain and brain" from Spock's Brain or the Eden song from Way to Eden, that puts it above the Alternative Factor.

"Yay, brother....." Way To Eden =

 

[BlueStuff]

Oh, it's horrible alright. But it's got some comic value in Lazarus constantly falling off cliffs.

 

[Push The Button]

Speaking of the Lazarus ship, has anyone figured out what it was? I mean, Star Trek recycled everything, and while I know the dome from the ship appeared as set dressing for other episodes, the ship only being used once makes me think it was something rented or borrowed, since otherwise I'd have expected to see it reused.

It almost looks like part of an amusement park ride. But, I still love it. You could picture George Jetson driving it to work.

 

[Warped9]

I don't really understand the 'hate'.

It's the damn beard.

Are you kidding? Have you seen some of the crazy shit some people wear on their face?

For one thing it would have been better if Lazarus had been alien. In the least you could help rationalize him surviving repeated falls off a cliff.

 

[Komack]

If not the worst, then let me re-phrase - could you say that this is Kirk/security at their worst? How many times are you going to let an intruder steal your d. crystals and then repeatedly fall off a cliff?

 

[BillJ]

If not the worst, then let me re-phrase - could you say that this is Kirk/security at their worst? How many times are you going to let an intruder steal your d. crystals and then repeatedly fall off a cliff?

I do think the security on Kirk's Enterprise was always lackluster, but this episode definitely takes it to a whole new level.

 

[Green Shirt]

I loved how Starfleet retreated all their ships away from a threat to the 'universe'. Where were those other ships going to hide? LOL.

Remember that was the time when we had the famous "duck and cover" drills in school. Like hiding under a wooden desk would keep us safe from the impending atomic holocaust. Just something to do to help us feel safe.

 

[Melakon]

Oh, it's horrible alright. But it's got some comic value in Lazarus constantly falling off cliffs.

*Lazarus kicks rock off ledge*
"Captain, look out! AHHHHhhhhh!"
*splat*

If Abrams wants another story to remake, this is the one that needs it the most.

Re: Lazarus' time ship

When I saw this in first run, the prop looked familiar to me. It reminded me of something I'd seen in either Twilight Zone or Outer Limits. Maybe one of those TZ's, where Russell Johnson was a scientist experimenting with time, not sure what device was used. It's not "Back There", where he tries to stop Lincoln's assassination. Maybe "Execution", which I think has Albert Salmi as well.

 

[Maurice]

It's not Execution with Russell Johnson. The time machine there is made of a bunch of flats.

That said what's funny about Execution is that the time machine sounds are the base noises for the Enterprise bridge background, which pretty much nails that those sound effects weren't created for Star Trek.

 

[The Old Mixer]

The ship looks sort of like a dining booth...maybe it rotates interdimensionally to come out of the wall at some restaurant.

 

[JT Perfecthair]

It would have been interesting had they gone ahead with an earlier script idea of Lazarus getting it on with the lady in Dilithium Control as a way of getting stealing the crystals. We would then have had tv's "first" interracial kiss 2 years earlier in Alternative Factor rather than Platos Stepchildren. Which would then allow Plato to just frickin die finally.

 

[Melakon]

But you know Shatner would have used the same argument, that if anyone was going to do the first inter-racial kiss on television, it would be him.

 

[Nine of Four]

.........Which would then allow Plato to just frickin die finally.

Tru dat!

-

 

[HarryM]

The unintentionally hilarious parts with Lazarus falling off the cliffs with a Trek version of a Wilhelm Scream are the only good parts. We'd watch it half asleep as kids but would always perk right up and laugh when it happened.

 

[Redfern]

Our very own Ptrope (moderator for the fan art section) opted to digitally model Lazarus' "time ship" going so far as to give it a section to seal the entrance gap. I redressed it a bit to serve as a time of proto work bee/inspection pod as it kinda' matches the 60s style a bit better than the shipyard vehicles from the movie era.

I can easily imagine the production doing something similar if it had the opportunity it use it again.

Sincerely,

Bill