Strictly for reasons of real-world budget (stock costumes, no elaborate makeup, Paramount lot generic facades and sets), but incorporated as the Parallel Earth Theory in the Writers' Bible.
News Star Trek IV Remastered Coming To Theaters Next Month
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Strictly for reasons of real-world budget (stock costumes, no elaborate makeup, Paramount lot generic facades and sets), but incorporated as the Parallel Earth Theory in the Writers' Bible.
"Tomorrow is Yesterday" Not very convincing and it was terrible??? Ouch!
Because Earth is not an unexplored frontier and as this episode demonstrated, possesses nothing of value that our crew learns that would aid them in the future. Traveling back in time is literally going back to where we have all been before.
And why study the 20th century? The episode establishes that they have extensive records on events that transpire during that time so why not do something more bolder? Why not go back to a few hundreds years prior where records weren't written or kept properly? How about all the works that Archimedes created before they were lost? How was Greek Fire created? Who the heck was B.D. Cooper? How about observing the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs? Of all the opportunities time travel has to offer, they picked the one era that offered nothing.
The time travel elements were kind of stupid, but I'd watch it any day over your average copy-of-a-copy Berman Trek TT adventure.
"Assignment Earth" is just an oddity, even by TOS parameters (and I don't even care about any other Treks' parameters while watching TOS, 'canon' be damned). It's not a bad episode, but it belongs next to the 2nd TOS pilot as something of an oddity.
Studying history is not about "aiding" you as a benefit, but the need to assess and learn what has happened as part of the greater understanding of a culture or period. TOS already established that there were periods where historical records were not complete ("Space Seed"), so there is value in the trip in question. The crew of the 23rd century have not "all been" there before, neither had anyone else from their time.
Why not? Again, some earth records are not complete, or--as in real historical accounts of the 20th century--subject to bias, omissions or a lack of objectivity in the account. Seeing the events for themselves grants clarity no previously published record is ever going to match. Whether one is talking about the 1968 of the episode, or the real 1968, it was an enormously consequential year in history--especially American history.
Kirk is pretty bone headed throughout the episode.
Saw the screening Thursday evening in southern New Jersey at an ok Regal cinema. Presentation was overall excellent, sound could have been a touch louder but still a pleasure to see on screen.
I did notice 2 audio omissions. Wondering if a side or rear track of the soundtrack was not being properly played in the theater, it did not seem to be presented in surround sound.
When Spock resumes testing on Vulcan, there was no audio for the first question, "Who said logic is the cement of our civilization with which we ascend from chaos using reason as our guide?", only Spock's answer was heard.
The rest of the test seemed unaffected, until the final question.
was only heard 2 times instead of 3.
Oddly enough, these same omissions are also present in the script transcript at chakoteya.net... curious. In any case I hope this was just a fluke of this theatrical presentation and these lines will not be missing from the upcoming 4K release
I did notice 2 audio omissions. Wondering if a side or rear track of the soundtrack was not being properly played in the theater, it did not seem to be presented in surround sound.
When Spock resumes testing on Vulcan, there was no audio for the first question, "Who said logic is the cement of our civilization with which we ascend from chaos using reason as our guide?", only Spock's answer was heard.
The rest of the test seemed unaffected, until the final question.
"How do you feel?"
was only heard 2 times instead of 3.
Oddly enough, these same omissions are also present in the script transcript at chakoteya.net... curious. In any case I hope this was just a fluke of this theatrical presentation and these lines will not be missing from the upcoming 4K release
Sounds like the right front speaker wasn't working. Sorry you had a sub-par presentation.
I didn’t notice any issues at my screening. It was a full surround sound.
Generally these kind of events are shown in smaller Auditoriums so perhaps the auditorium wasn't in as good as shape speaker wise and sound wise as some of the others in the theater. At any rate in 16 days we should be watching the discs and all enjoying the Voyage Home! But yeah I would have like to seen it in the theater.
I would argue that keeping your mind engaged on anything new is a benefit. To say otherwise would imply that the crew simply went back in time peep in on people's private lives just for the heck of it.
No there isn't. Those records had key details left out for one very specific purpose.
Spock: I have collected some names and made some counts. By my estimate, there were some eighty or ninety of these young supermen unaccounted for when they were finally defeated.
Kirk: That fact isn't in the history texts.
Spock: Would you reveal to war-weary populations that some eighty Napoleons might still be alive?
Kirk and Spock now understand why those historical records are missing certain information and how it pertains to Khan and the Botany Bay. No time travel needed.Kirk: That fact isn't in the history texts.
Spock: Would you reveal to war-weary populations that some eighty Napoleons might still be alive?
Exploration and seeking knowledge has never been limited to "anything new." Mankind would not have a foundation or legacy (much less growth moving forward) if they exclusively operated on the "here and now."
Spock: "Records of that period are fragmentary, however."
Emphasis on period--more than the Eugenics Wars and Khan, period indicated an entire era, which is another way of saying there are parts of history not known to 23rd century records.
It's pretty clear that you enjoy the concept behind 'Assignment: Earth'. If it was it's own show without any connection to Star Trek, I'd enjoy it too. But no matter how much you try to justify why things happen the way they do, or how 'philosophical' the reasons are, it doesn't change my perspective that the whole episode is just a hollow attempt at creating a back door pilot for another show that would ditch the Star Trek brand rather than trying to expand it. It's an episode that is so lazily written and executed that even the 'remastered' version featured it's own lazy additions like having the Earth rotate in the wrong direction.
Don't forget the line that came before that. "No such vessel listed. Records of that period are fragmentary, however."
Everything that involves missing details in the records all point to one thing. Khan and his followers leaving Earth in the Botany Bay. The leaders of Earth had to make a decision. Do they tell the world that the most dangerous tyrant and many of his followers escaped Earth, or write it off and say he was defeated like the rest of the tyrants? It wouldn't be enough to erase just the Botany Bay from the records. They would have had to erase whole other records involving ship/satalite launches so it would appear fragmented. That way anyone who looked into the records would dismiss it as just bad record keeping rather than suspect that someone was trying to hide something. And it worked!... Until the Botany Bay was found.
Haha! I had a great time and enjoyed the movie as much as ever, also noticed a few visual details I had missed all these years. Such a solid script, great comic performances and a cast fully utilized. No regrets at all, and looking forward to viewing again in 4K in my home theater very soon!!
I don't need to "change" your perspective, but you are performing a number of cartwheels trying to tear down a great TOS episode. Further, "ditching the Star Trek brand" says nothing; endless spin-off series worked independently of the tone or influence of the parent series. Examples: the sitcom Silver Spoons (NBC. 1982-86) was connected to Diff'rent Strokes (NBC/ABC, 1978-86) with the Arnold Jackson character appearing on Silver Spoons, yet there was no creative or "universe" linking the series at all. Lou Grant (CBS, 1977-82) was a direct spin-off from the sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show (CBS, 1970-77), but Lou Grant was not only a drama, but did not retain any of the approach in characterization established on the parent series, or direct links to the former's "world". To that end, "Assignment: Earth" did not need to drag the TOS element / feel / universe over to a spin-off series, as it was clearly designed to be its own product. Backdoor pilots, crossovers and spin-offs do not operate by some hammered-in-stone edict saying all guest appearances or spin-offs "must" share the traits and approach to the parent series.
Bad EFX artists" of the 21st century making mistakes has zero bearing on the episode.
The point is that Spock was acknowledging that historical records were not complete (and not just about Khan as he specifically says "period"--an era, not a single event)--just as that is the case in real world history, hence the neverending need to study and uncover, thus justifying why Starfleet would authorize a trip to observe the serious problems of a years as disastrous as 1968.
