50th Anniversary Rewatch Thread

[UnknownSample]

TOS has moments of sexism and anti-sexism wrapped up in the same concept or scene. I guess the sexism here is more stereotyping than sexism-- the computer's "female personality". Note, though, that the female dominated society referred to is a friendly one they're on good terms with, which they trust enough to hand over their computer repairs to. Apart from the personality thing, everything's been repaired perfectly, something a 60s sexist wouldn't have expected of women. Roddenberry was a weird mixture.

 

[wayne66]

Fun episode. I like the prediction that the landing on the moon happened in the 1960s. Having faith in our space program. I always get a laugh when McCoy gets mad at Spock after he looks at the film and calls it crude. Mr. Kyle even got something to do, showing the security guard how to use the food replicator to make chicken soup.

 

[Tallguy]

Roddenberry was a weird mixture.

That pretty well sums it up. The rest is just details.

 

[scotpens]

Fun episode. I like the prediction that the landing on the moon happened in the 1960s. Having faith in our space program.

It wasn't a matter of "faith." America's space program was coming along according to schedule. By the time that episode aired, it was a near certainty that we would land men on the moon before the end of the decade.

 

[The Old Mixer]

America's space program was coming along according to schedule. By the time that episode aired, it was a near certainty that we would land men on the moon before the end of the decade.

More on that in next week's historical post (plug, plug).

 

[scotpens]

. . . They apparently use a sonic screwdriver to unlock the computer room, but Kirk gets captured. He sucks at fibbing, which is funny, because he can talk a computer into killing itself, but somehow can't pretend he's from the IT department and confuse a human security guard with his computer lingo?

I was going to say no one in the 1960s would have known what "IT" was, but apparently that abbreviation for "information technology" has been around since 1958.

How would Kirk explain the uniform, though? "Just something I slipped on" didn't impress the Colonel.

 

[dahj]

How would Kirk explain the uniform, though?

Just some rags he found, didn't wanna get the real uniform dirty working on those big filthy machines called computers.

 

[Tallguy]

It wasn't a matter of "faith." America's space program was coming along according to schedule. By the time that episode aired, it was a near certainty that we would land men on the moon before the end of the decade.

Well, the day after it aired there was some doubt.

 

[dahj]

"Court Martial", Episode 20, February 2nd

Tonight's Episode: Following Kirk being put on a sham trial by Trelane, and Spock being fakely court martialed by the Talosians it is finally time for the real thing. The court is in session. Atmosphere is ionic. Verdict will be... deadly!

 

[The Old Mixer]

This episode has been brought to you by a massive contrivance--that Kirk had sole control of jettisoning the ion pod with the push of a button on his chair. Any other run-of-the-mill, life-and-death decision, he'd give a command and somebody else would carry out the order...but no, that would mean human witnesses to back up his story.

Also contrived, and downright nonsensical, is that altering records somehow affects the chess program...and that this effect is a sure enough thing that Spock would deliberately pursue that avenue at all.

I can never tell how competent Cogley's supposed to be. They sell him up like he's some brilliant eccentric, but he seems to be letting the prosecution railroad Kirk until a lucky break falls in his lap. When he says, "No, but I may be getting ready," it implies that Jamie's given him some sort of idea, but there's no follow-up to that. He's ready to give up in the courtroom when Spock comes in.

This strikes me as a pretty decent world-building episode for such an early point in the franchise, though. In particular, Kirk's impressive list of awards supports the idea that the Enterprise wasn't his first command, and that his previous command involved combat experience.

Ah, but then there's the "White Sound Device"...that might have looked like an exotic, futuristic prop in the 1940s, when Frank was crooning into some big-ass art deco piece of business.

"B-Deck"? By what deck scheme does Engineering fall on "B-deck"?

It's ironic that an episode in which the story hinges on the reliability of visual evidence climaxes in a fight with such blatantly obvious use of stunt doubles....

 

[dahj]

Yeah, this is definitely one of those "don't really think about why this is happening just go with it" type of episodes.

"Conflict of interest" seems to be a very foreign concept to future humans, because this sort of thing where people who know each other start playing court seems to happen a lot across all Star Trek shows.

A lot in this episode doesn't make sense, from the question of why that ion storm monitoring system works the way it works? Why must the pod be jettisoned? Why must the captain be the one to do it and why is it apparently so important that the only buttons he has direct control over are yellow alert, red alert (where is the button for "double red alert" by the way?) and "jettison pod"? Why can't they beam the guy out, why can't they rig a remote monitoring system?

The blaming of Kirk doesn't make much sense either. I could buy that people would think he made a mistake, an error, but everyone, from commodore to the people from his class in the bar(what a coincidence?), jump at the conclusion that he did it deliberately. The entire case basically hinges on proving that Kirk wants to murder people who don't like him... is that the sort of person that usually rises to command of a starship in Starfleet? Maybe in the Mirror Universe...

The rushed ending doesn't help either, they set up a Finney's encounter with his daughter, but they don't show it, they set up the danger to the Enterprise, but just solve it in a quick voice over.

Speaking of that, again there's the danger of Enterprise falling out of orbit. First... how? If they're in orbit why would they suddenly start falling down? Second, they mentioned the Intrepid is there as well, couldn't they just tractor them up if they're in danger?

Overall, revenge of an insane underachieving underling is an interesting concept, the character moments work, mostly, and a glimpse at Starfleet outside of the Enterprise is welcome, but the episode is just bogged down by so much nonsense.

Ah, and the most criminal offense this episode makes... McCoy looks for Spock's heartbeat in the wrong place.

 

[The Old Mixer]

I can rationalize the button itself...it's a multi-purpose button that was wired to jettison the pod for that occasion, perhaps...but why? Why is this one function so important that it's the only thing Kirk can do on the bridge without anyone else noticing? Nobody else even gets a readout that the pod is being jettisoned?

I was also reminded of a line in "The Menagerie" about no starship keeping records so detailed as the pilot footage that they were watching. The visual record shown in court here seemed just as detailed. Let's not just zoom in on Kirk's hand, but from a completely different angle!

 

[dahj]

Let's not just zoom in on Kirk's hand, but from a completely different angle!

The wrong angle makes it so obvious that it was doctored footage, someone should have called it out during the trial

 

[mb22]

I was also reminded of a line in "The Menagerie" about no starship keeping records so detailed as the pilot footage that they were watching. The visual record shown in court here seemed just as detailed. Let's not just zoom in on Kirk's hand, but from a completely different angle!

I think that remark was made regarding Pike's time as captain, the bridge cameras must have been enhanced since then.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Mister Spock, no vessel makes record tapes in that detail, that perfect.

An absolute statement in the present tense.

 

[NickintheATL]

Yeesh, do I have problems with this episode. Details here.

Next week, Landru tries to wash the bad court martial taste out of our mouths...

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[The Old Mixer]

^ That guy up front...don't make him angry....

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[The Old Mixer]

50 years ago this week:

February 5

• NASA launches Lunar Orbiter 3.
• Italy's first guided missile cruiser, the Vittorio Veneto, is launched.
• General Anastasio Somoza Debayle becomes president of Nicaragua.

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February 6 – Alexei Kosygin arrives in the UK for an 8-day visit. He meets The Queen on February 9.
February 7

• The Chinese government announces that it can no longer guarantee the safety of Soviet diplomats outside the Soviet Embassy building.
• Serious bushfires in southern Tasmania claim 62 lives, and destroys 2,642.7 square kilometres (653,025.4 acres) of land.
• Mazenod College, Victoria opens in Australia.

February 10 – The 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution (presidential succession and disability) is ratified.
February 11 – Burgess Ice Rise, lying off the west coast of Alexander Island, Antarctica is first mapped by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).

New on the U.S. charts:

"Darling Be Home Soon," The Lovin' Spoonful

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(#15 US; #44 UK)

"I Think We're Alone Now," Tommy James & The Shondells

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(#4 US)

"There's a Kind of Hush," Herman's Hermits

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(#4 US; #7 UK)

"Happy Together," The Turtles

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(#1 US the weeks of Mar. 25 through Apr. 8; #12 UK)


And airing Thursday night:

Star Trek
"The Return of the Archons"
Stardate 3156.2

The Enterprise encounters a seemingly peaceful civilization run by a "benevolent" being named Landru.

 

[wayne66]

There have been a lot of good points made about the flaws in this episode. I do not care. I still think this is a good episode. As somebody said, there are a lot of good character moments in it. I like the confrontation between Kirk and the Commodore(?). He suggest that Kirk lied about his actions and Kirk demands a trial. I like how Kirk stands up for himself. Also the scene in the briefing room where KIrk's lawyer Cogley suggest that Finney could be alive. Kirk's reaction is great. I also like when they clear all the heartbeats of the crew and there is still one left. It has to be Finney.Good dramatic episode with many flaws which I usually can ignore pretty well.

 

[UnknownSample]

The daughter's silly metallic sailor suit is distracting.