Better Than The Regulars

[BillJ]

Morgan Woodward in both "Dagger of the Mind" and "The Omega Glory", and William Marshall as Richard Daystrom in "The Ultimate Computer".

 

[ZapBrannigan]

View attachment 14131
Nnnnnnope on the radiation and heat.

We can't know what the director and Windom discussed for this or what Windom decided himself. The only thing we do know—thanks to @ alchemist and Star Trek Lost Scenes—is that they filmed it so Decker slumped down, either unconcious or dead, in at least one take.

"The light effect almost washes out the frame. Decker's face is a mask of blue fire."

Put the blazing light effects they filmed him under together with Windom's in extremis performance, and it still sounds like heat and radiation to me. Of course that's what it meant. Spock later announces the planet killer's deactivation by noting the drop in its radiation output. How is this even a question?

 

[BillJ]

I always thought the final scenes of Decker in the shuttle, the actions and emotions were of a man who realized he was cashing in his chips for the final time.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

I'd like to add another note about the blue lighting effect in Maurice's script excerpt. Writer Norman Spinrad may have known about the blue glow you get from plutonium when it gets concentrated enough for the radiation to kill you:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticality_accident#Blue_glow

Specifically, Spinrad might have read about this famous accident:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_and_radiation_accidents_and_incidents#Human_error
"In 1946 Canadian Manhattan Project physicist Louis Slotin performed a risky experiment known as "tickling the dragon's tail" which involved two hemispheres of neutron-reflective beryllium being brought together around a plutonium core to bring it to criticality. Against operating procedures, the hemispheres were separated only by a screwdriver. The screwdriver slipped and set off a chain reaction criticality accident filling the room with harmful radiation and a flash of blue light (caused by excited, ionized air particles returning to their unexcited states). Slotin reflexively separated the hemispheres in reaction to the heat flash and blue light, preventing further irradiation of several co-workers present in the room. However, Slotin absorbed a lethal dose of the radiation and died nine days later. The infamous plutonium mass used in the experiment was referred to as the demon core."

So while I never saw the script before that Maurice cited, and I appreciate it, I'll bet the writer's choice of blue light was no coincidence. Sci-fi writers devour information like that, and Norman Spinrad was in that category for sure.

 

[Maurice]

I'd like to add another note about the blue lighting effect in Maurice's script excerpt. Writer Norman Spinrad may have known about the blue glow you get from plutonium when it gets concentrated enough for the radiation to kill you:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticality_accident#Blue_glow

Specifically, Spinrad might have read about this famous accident:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_and_radiation_accidents_and_incidents#Human_error
"In 1946 Canadian Manhattan Project physicist Louis Slotin performed a risky experiment known as "tickling the dragon's tail" which involved two hemispheres of neutron-reflective beryllium being brought together around a plutonium core to bring it to criticality. Against operating procedures, the hemispheres were separated only by a screwdriver. The screwdriver slipped and set off a chain reaction criticality accident filling the room with harmful radiation and a flash of blue light (caused by excited, ionized air particles returning to their unexcited states). Slotin reflexively separated the hemispheres in reaction to the heat flash and blue light, preventing further irradiation of several co-workers present in the room. However, Slotin absorbed a lethal dose of the radiation and died nine days later. The infamous plutonium mass used in the experiment was referred to as the demon core."

So while I never saw the script before that Maurice cited, and I appreciate it, I'll bet the writer's choice of blue light was no coincidence. Sci-fi writers devour information like that, and Norman Spinrad was in that category for sure.

So it’s of course possible but that doesn’t necessarily make it likely.

Lack of evidence to the contrary is not evidence.

 

[EnriqueH]

Scotty checking out the Constellation’s engineering reminded me of the Poseidon Adventure.

I thought Scotty was a stand out in the episode as well.

I loved Spock’s delivery when the Constellation was about to blow: “Mister Scott...MISter Scott...”

 

[johnnybear]

Windom's emotional outburst to Kirk in the wreck of the Constellation against Woodward's, "My entire crew, gone, Jim!" And Shatner's reply of 'I know, we saw it!' One losing control, one calm and only slightly peturbed and the other seemingly couldn't care less!
JB

 

[EnriqueH]

I love Shatner’s acting when he’s trying to talk Decker out of his suicide run.

“We’re stronger with you than without you!” Is one of my all time favorite Star Trek lines.

 

[johnnybear]

Episodic television of the sixties and seventies and ways to write out possible new continuing actors in the show!
JB

 

[Dale Sams]

I just want to say that TNGs "Too Short a Season" greatly reminds me of a TOS ep because the guest actor takes over and the regular cast spends the entire episode trailing behind him.

 

[Cуrano Mudd]

Frank Gorshin as Bele was a great performance.

 

[plynch]

Separated by a screwdriver!?

Sounds like me tryin to build my AMT Ent without the nacelles drooping. Yikes.

 

[Dale Sams]

Separated by a screwdriver!?

Sounds like me tryin to build my AMT Ent without the nacelles drooping. Yikes.

This is my imitation of a kid who just got the nacelles glued in...."Bummm ba BUMMMMMm bumm bum b-GODAMNIT!!!!"

 

[Cуrano Mudd]

I always managed to overfill the cavity with glue, only to have it come splurting out when I inserted the strut tab.