50th Anniversary Rewatch Thread

[GNDN18]

The inherent sexism can’t be papered over, but the time could have been fixed easily enough. I could live with this if the landing party had been stranded for days or weeks.

The Rigellian fever threat was largely unnecessary, although Flint’s reminiscence about the plague was effective.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Star Trek
"Requiem for Methuselah"
Originally aired February 14, 1969
Stardate 5843.7

While seeking a cure for a fever ravaging the Enterprise, Kirk and Spock encounter Flint, a hermit-like Earthman, and his beautiful young ward.

What was going on the week the episode aired.

The quickness with which Kirk falls in love with Rayna I can live with. Whether it's four hours or four months in the story, ultimately it's the same one hour of old-school episodic television as, say, "The City on the Edge of Forever". What doesn't work about it for me is the melodramatic intensity with which it's portrayed, right down to the coda when Spock feels that this one situation above all the others that they've been in warrants such an unusual solution, as if somehow Kirk wouldn't have learned to live with this pain the way he did with other losses.

Kirk gives the usual spiel about their missions being peaceful and their weapons defensive minutes after he'd just threatened to use the ship's phasers on Flint and take his rocks. Smooth.

I also feel that the message is a bit muddled in the climax. Rayna's breakdown over her dilemma is presented as if it had been meant to prove that she's "a real girl"...but that she basically has a programming malfunction underscores that she's not.

Next week we find out who the Herberts are:

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

Don't trust anyone over -270!

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Yeah, I've always viewed "Requiem" as shorthand for a longer stay. The Enterprise could have been damaged by an ion storm and making repairs in orbit, for instance.

The melodramatic display of miniaturization tech was melodramatic—and unnecessary. Flint didn't need to be a monster for the story to work; he had disappeared before and he easily could have again. I can't believe that he didn't have an escape plan including a starship of his own that the Enterprise could not track.

As for the sexism. Yeah, but I think it was trying not to be, by giving Rayna agency and having the climax of the story begin with her asserting her right to decide for herself. That doesn't erase the fact that the hero of the series was reduced to one of two stags fighting over her.

I'd rather forget about "forget."

I mentioned this before, but TNG "The Offspring" revisits a lot of the themes of this episode, really.

 

[J.T.B.]

As for the sexism. Yeah, but I think it was trying not to be, by giving Rayna agency and having the climax of the story begin with her asserting her right to decide for herself. That doesn't erase the fact that the hero of the series was reduced one of two stags fighting over her.

Yeah, when I first saw this episode in the '80s I thought that Kirk must be working on another level, trying to maneuver Flint into something by his moves on Rayna. But it was nothing more than who's going to be the winning stud.

I have nothing against Louise Sorel but I think she was miscast here. She was fine for playing the innocent girl with her heart torn but I never thought the powerful scientific intellect came across.

 

[Henoch]

Strong pheromones must be in play. Either from Flint to cause Kirk to be aggressive to other males in order to mate, or Flint built Rayna with pheromone emitters which were overactive, attracting male mating behavior. Orion women have a similar effect.

 

[GNDN18]

Strong pheromones must be in play. Either from Flint to cause Kirk to be aggressive to other males in order to mate, or Flint built Rayna with pheromone emitters which were overactive, attracting male mating behavior. Orion women have a similar effect.

Your tale, sir, would cure deafness.

There’s been a lot good script-doctoring in this thread.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

You had to be a model-building kid to fully appreciate it, but the tabletop Enterprise scene in "Requiem" was beyond awesome.

Another thing that grabbed me as a kid was TOS music, and that never let go. "Requiem" has a tracked score, and they assembled a medley of third season love themes for Kirk finding Rayna in the lab. I've identified the cues in the medley, as named in La La Land's box set:

S3 D2 T15 "Goodbye, Elaan" (Elaan of Troyius)
S3 D2 T07 "Magic Tears" (Elaan of Troyius)
S3 D4 T15 "Time Grows Short" (later in cue) (The Empath)
S3 D2 T15 "Goodbye, Elaan" (early in cue) (Elaan of Troyius)
S3 D4 T15 "Time Grows Short" (early in cue) (The Empath)

Sadly, I'm not much of a music editor, so I tend play it via an episode sound clip when I'm not listening to full scores.

 

[dahj]

I'd rather forget about "forget."

The episode should have ended with Kirk waking up, looking at the camera and saying "bluey?"

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

who upon discovering conflicting emotions of love then conveniently dies from the fear of disappointing one of the men

And the fact that she's a robot and not a human being (or biological alien being) doesn't explain that somewhat?

The episode should have ended with Kirk waking up, looking at the camera and saying "bluey?"

Forget Rayna. Not everything. LOL

If we do assume Kirk was sick at this point, perhaps Spock made him think it was all a fever dream - Rayna, Flint, everything. Bones got the ryetalyn and they left without incident, except Kirk fainted and went into delirium for a day or so.

 

[Henoch]

If we do assume Kirk was sick at this point, perhaps Spock made him think it was all a fever dream - Rayna, Flint, everything. Bones got the ryetalyn and they left without incident, except Kirk fainted and went into delirium for a day or so.

Spock would have to alter the Captain Logs, too, so Kirk couldn't review them, later. I guess he's no stranger to altering official records. But what of the crew's memories, too, discussions would occur.
I think that "forget" would only apply to the strong love, loss and guilt "emotions" for Rayna, but not Rayna and Flint.

 

[Poltargyst]

And the fact that she's a robot and not a human being (or biological alien being) doesn't explain that somewhat?



Forget Rayna. Not everything. LOL

If we do assume Kirk was sick at this point, perhaps Spock made him think it was all a fever dream - Rayna, Flint, everything. Bones got the ryetalyn and they left without incident, except Kirk fainted and went into delirium for a day or so.

My problem is that Kirk is the captain. He HAS to know what happened on that mission. I'm thinking/hoping it wasn't so much Spock making him forget any facts so much as forgetting/fading the pain.

 

[plynch]

yup

 

[dahj]

And the fact that she's a robot and not a human being (or biological alien being) doesn't explain that somewhat?

Somewhat, yeah, but as @The Old Mixer noted, they make a really big deal how this proves she's REALLY REAL right before it so the whole sequence is a bit confusing. If I were an android I'd probably die trying to make sense of it.

 

[dahj]

"The Way to Eden", Episode 75, February 21st

Tonight's Episode: Listen, to what the flower people say...

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[The Old Mixer]

The truly empowering choice would have been cutting the Gordian knot and going with neither Flint nor Kirk, but rather pursuing some third option. Shutting down because she had a difficult choice...they might as well have had smoke coming out of her ears.

 

[Discofan]

"The Way to Eden", Episode 75, February 21st

Tonight's Episode: Listen, to what the flower people say...

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

That episode contains one of the worst caricatures of hippies I have ever seen and I've seen some really bad ones!

 

[The Old Mixer]

^ Our first Herbert has spoken!

 

[ZapBrannigan]

Somewhat, yeah, but as @The Old Mixer noted, they make a really big deal how this proves she's REALLY REAL right before it so the whole sequence is a bit confusing. If I were an android I'd probably die trying to make sense of it.

I've always disliked the line, "Down to the last blood cell, she's human!" It's plainly false, but even as a metaphor it overstates the case and probably contributes to Rayna's fatal confusion.

 

[erastus25]

My problem is that Kirk is the captain. He HAS to know what happened on that mission. I'm thinking/hoping it wasn't so much Spock making him forget any facts so much as forgetting/fading the pain.

That was my assumption forever too. I didn't even realize there was a question -- imagining that Spock is saying "forget the last day entirely!" just creates too many plot holes.

 

[Henoch]

Shutting down because she had a difficult choice...they might as well have had smoke coming out of her ears.

Done it with Norman. It would have made her "death" less real and more comedic. Glad they didn't do it.