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CAPTAIN KIRK: Classic Dangers he never faced - LIST

Captain Tracy

Captain Tracy

Commander
Red Shirt
Throughout the TOS stories,TREK writers threw at KIRK and crew, a host of hurdles, dangers, and evils-in-pursuit. Planet-side, KIRK faced many naturally occurring type - on Earth or an Alien world - dangerous animals, monsters, aliens, rock slides, cave-ins, killer plant-life, and all the like.

No, the STUKA from 'Shore Leave', clever as it is, is not what we are talking about for here.

Many of these were employed, 'as-is' in their cliche' form, and others were clever re-dressings of STOCK DANGERS used in the ACTION/ADVENTURE realm of the pulp fiction of the early to mid 1900's.

Think Indiana Jones, or Doc Savage.

I would like to compile a list of DANGERS KIRK NEVER FACED, or could have faced, which come from the stock-and-trade of all action heroes of the past, or right out your own imagination!

If one comes to your mind, please copy the entire list into your post after adding your contribution to next open spot.

I'll kick the list off with three DANGER CLICHE' contributions:

1) The Giant Rolling Boulder Down the Skinny Tunnel - ala' Indiana Jones (which actually comes from Jules Verne's 1864 story 'Journey to the Center of the Earth'.)

2) POOL OF QUICKSAND

3) PIT OF VIPERS

4) ???

Okay, who has a good one to add?

Thanks.
 
4) Tarantula crawling on him?

When filming 'Shore Leave', they had a tiger for a couple of scenes. I recall reading (in 'The Making Of Star Trek') that, during filming of the episode, William Shatner was massively gung-ho with the idea that Captain Kirk should wrestle the tiger. Roddenberry and co eventually talked him out of it.

Hmmm, that's it!

5) Crocodile wrestling. Ok, he wrestled a Gorn once, which probably shares a few similarities but not really the same.
 
1) The Giant Rolling Boulder Down the Skinny Tunnel

2) POOL OF QUICKSAND

3) PIT OF VIPERS

4) TARANTULA CRAWLING ON HIM

5) CROCODILE WRESTLING

6) THE WALLS ARE CLOSING IN! I don't think Kirk was ever in a small enclosed space where the walls started closing in ala Star Wars
 
Slowly retracting floor or gang-plank over a pit of whatever (crocs, pool of sharks, molten lava.

Tied to a dangling rope over the same perils.

Sincerely,

Bill
 
1) The Giant Rolling Boulder Down the Skinny Tunnel

2) POOL OF QUICKSAND

3) PIT OF VIPERS

4) TARANTULA CRAWLING ON HIM

5) CROCODILE/ TIGER/ GIANT SNAKE/ETC/ WRESTLING

6) THE WALLS ARE CLOSING IN!

7) RETRACTING FLOOR OVER PIT OF _____.

8) FALLING/CRUMBLING BRIDGE OVER CHASM

These are cool additions, but let's try to think NATURALLY OCCURRING DANGERS,... as opposed to man-made Death Traps.

Copy and Paste the list as you make your "adds", Thanks.
 
There was a Stuka in Shore Leave? I remember stock footage of a Grumman Hellcat painted up in Japanese markings.
 
Forbin said:
There was a Stuka in Shore Leave? I remember stock footage of a Grumman Hellcat painted up in Japanese markings.
Click to expand...

Thanks for correcting that.

I could be wrong - wouldn't be the first time, just ask my former crew of 430 - but, we never did see KIRK have to deal with the old 'Volcano which is gonna blow', or was that spoken of in some episode?

Could we add ABOUT TO ERPUT VOLCANO to our list?
 
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Captain Kirk may never have faced some of these perils, someone else did.
Who showed his mettle by:
1) Facing down a giant dinosaur armed only with a spear
2) Escaping from a giant pit of quicksand
3) Fighting his evil double on a bridge over another dimension
4) Escaping after being grabbed by a giant one-eyed monster
5) Surviving being caught in a supernova explosion during a spacewalk
6) Shooting his way out of a giant alien spacecraft
7) Jumping from his spacecraft in orbit to land alive on a desolate planet
8) Fighting off possession by an alien spirit
9) Beating an alien computer for possession of his space ship
10) Dying as the result of a laser blast while protecting his crew (but later being brought back to life)
11) Beating the leader of a warlike race in a duel with electrified swords
12) Defeating the proposed leader of an alien world in a knock-down, drag-out fistfight
13) Blowing up an about to erupt volcano

This guy could make up for Captain Kirk's never having had to face these dangers. He and Kirk could stand side by side to face down any threat!

I know this is an easy question, but who was he?
 
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NTRPRZ said:
Captain Kirk may never have faced some of these perils, someone else did.
Who showed his mettle by:
1) Facing down a giant dinosaur armed only with a spear
2) Escaping from a giant pit of quicksand
3) Fighting his evil double on a bridge over another dimension
4) Escaping after being grabbed by a giant one-eyed monster
5) Surviving being caught in a supernova explosion during a spacewalk
6) Shooting his way out of a giant alien spacecraft
7) Jumping from his spacecraft in orbit to land alive on a desolate planet
8) Fighting off possession by an alien spirit
9) Beating an alien computer for possession of his space ship
10) Dying as the result of a laser blast while protecting his crew (but later being brought back to life)
11) Beating the leader of a warlike race in a duel with electrified swords
12) Defeating the proposed leader of an alien world in a knock-down, drag-out fistfight
13) Blowing up an about to erupt volcano

This guy could make up for Captain Kirk's never having had to face these dangers. He and Kirk could stand side by side to face down any threat!

I know this is an easy question, but who was he?
Click to expand...


1) Screw spears. He built a cannon!

2) Granted.

3) Fought his evil double. Fought on a bridge. Fought in another dimension. Just not all at once.

4) Escaped a giant God. More than once.

5) No super nova. Although he did phase into another universe a couple times.

6) Did that.

7) Deleted scene. Other universe...

8) Sargon and an ex-girlfriend.

9) Several. By talking them into suicide. It's kind of his thing.

10) Lost to another dimention, but brought back by his crew.

11) Bamboo cannon.

12) Blew up the mechanical god of a planet. And talked another into suicide.

13) Fought the Klingon responsible for the death of his son on an exploding planet!
 
1) The Giant Rolling Boulder Down the Skinny Tunnel

2) POOL OF QUICKSAND

3) PIT OF VIPERS

4) TARANTULA CRAWLING ON HIM

5) CROCODILE/ TIGER/ GIANT SNAKE/ETC/ WRESTLING

6) THE WALLS ARE CLOSING IN!

7) RETRACTING FLOOR OVER PIT OF _____.

8) FALLING/CRUMBLING BRIDGE OVER CHASM

9) Tied to the train tracks, and the train is coming!

10) Tied to the table while an axe swishes back and forth, lowering ever closer...

11) Falling into a black hole.

12) Lost in a blizzard (in the TV series)

13) Bitten by a poisonous snake and there's no antidote!
 
Timewalker said:
1) The Giant Rolling Boulder Down the Skinny Tunnel

2) POOL OF QUICKSAND

3) PIT OF VIPERS

4) TARANTULA CRAWLING ON HIM

5) CROCODILE/ TIGER/ GIANT SNAKE/ETC/ WRESTLING

6) THE WALLS ARE CLOSING IN!

7) RETRACTING FLOOR OVER PIT OF _____.

8) FALLING/CRUMBLING BRIDGE OVER CHASM

9) Tied to the train tracks, and the train is coming!

10) Tied to the table while an axe swishes back and forth, lowering ever closer...

11) Falling into a black hole.

12) Lost in a blizzard (in the TV series)

13) Bitten by a poisonous snake and there's no antidote!
Click to expand...



TIMEWALKER - Isn't #13 is a coupling of two ideas fused into one?. with Part A being#3 - Pit O' Vipers, and Part B - TREK covered time and again as the Disease, Poison, Missing Brain, etc, with no known cure,.. until the end of Act IV.

#12, Although it was Spock & McCoy, was done.

#11 Not even sure how one would 'fall into a Black Hole'?

#8 and #9, Not Naturally Occurring. Though #9 sounds like something we might have seen on an episode like: 'Squire' or 'Catspaw'.

Thanks for trying; I know it is not easy, as the TREK writers covered the whole Danger Situation, Danger Environment very well, and it is interesting to see just how many of the classic Pulp Hero cliche's were so well re-worked by the writers, as to avoid identification as same, and discover those which they could have uses in a story, but did not appear.

In a way, it is also interesting to note, how alike TREK and TARZAN formats are, in that KIRK has a new adventure when he discovers a new planet, and TARZAN has a new adventure when he discover a Lost/Hidden Jungle City of _____ .

Again, thank for ideas.

OKay, so far we have:

1) The Giant Rolling Boulder Down the Skinny Tunnel

2) POOL OF QUICKSAND

3) PIT OF VIPERS

4) TARANTULA CRAWLING ON HIM

5) CROCODILE/ TIGER/ GIANT SNAKE/ETC/ WRESTLING

6) THE WALLS ARE CLOSING IN!

7) RETRACTING FLOOR OVER PIT OF _____.

8) FALLING/CRUMBLING BRIDGE OVER CHASM


Oh, TIMEWALKER, your answers got me thinking about the old, 'Trap the guy in with the confined area with ____,... a bear, or a wolf, or Rancor,... to fight for his life,... classic routine.

The TREK writers did this classic bit as well - when they locked KIRK in the cell with CLOUD WILLIAM (The Bear),

... and The GORN (The Bear)

,... even the 'Royal Hunt' with TRELANE

,... and The GAMESTERS

,... and in BREAD & CIRC

,... and with SPOCK in AMOK TIME

,... even the DOOMSDAY MACHINE is the same basic formula conflict.

wow, could be another list,... KIRK VS. THE BEAR,.. with this weeks 'Bear' being disguised as _______.

Thanks again for posting.
 
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Captain Tracy said:
Timewalker said:
1) The Giant Rolling Boulder Down the Skinny Tunnel

2) POOL OF QUICKSAND

3) PIT OF VIPERS

4) TARANTULA CRAWLING ON HIM

5) CROCODILE/ TIGER/ GIANT SNAKE/ETC/ WRESTLING

6) THE WALLS ARE CLOSING IN!

7) RETRACTING FLOOR OVER PIT OF _____.

8) FALLING/CRUMBLING BRIDGE OVER CHASM

9) Tied to the train tracks, and the train is coming!

10) Tied to the table while an axe swishes back and forth, lowering ever closer...

11) Falling into a black hole.

12) Lost in a blizzard (in the TV series)

13) Bitten by a poisonous snake and there's no antidote!
Click to expand...


TIMEWALKER - Isn't #13 is a coupling of two ideas fused into one?. with Part A being#3 - Pit O' Vipers, and Part B - TREK covered time and again as the Disease, Poison, Missing Brain, etc, with no known cure,.. until the end of Act IV.

#12, Although it was Spock & McCoy, was done.

#11 Not even sure how one would 'fall into a Black Hole'?

#8 and #9, Not Naturally Occurring. Though #9 sounds like something we might have seen on an episode like: 'Squire' or 'Catspaw'.

Thanks for trying; I know it is not easy, as the TREK writers covered the whole Danger Situation, Danger Environment very well, and it is interesting to see just how many of the classic Pulp Hero cliche's were so well re-worked by the writers, as to avoid identification as same, and discover those which they could have uses in a story, but did not appear.

In a way, it is also interesting to note, how alike TREK and TARZAN formats are, in that KIRK has a new adventure when he discovers a new planet, and TARZAN has a new adventure when he discover a Lost/Hidden Jungle City of _____ .

Again, thank for ideas.

OKay, so far we have:

1) The Giant Rolling Boulder Down the Skinny Tunnel

2) POOL OF QUICKSAND

3) PIT OF VIPERS

4) TARANTULA CRAWLING ON HIM

5) CROCODILE/ TIGER/ GIANT SNAKE/ETC/ WRESTLING

6) THE WALLS ARE CLOSING IN!

7) RETRACTING FLOOR OVER PIT OF _____.

8) FALLING/CRUMBLING BRIDGE OVER CHASM

Oh, I was going to add, 'Trap the guy in with the confined area with ____,... a bear, or a wolf, or Rancor,... to fight for his life,...

but the TREK writers did this one as well - when he is locked KIRK in the cell with CLOUD WILLIAM,... and The GORN,... even the 'Royal Hunt' with TRELANE,... and The Gamesters,... and even with SPOCK in AMOK TIME,...

wow, could be another list!
Click to expand...

#1-8 were not my suggestions, so don't criticize me for them, please.

How you fall into a black hole is to get caught in its gravity well. It's a natural hazard of space travel, and unless you have super-duper technology or can technobabble your way out of it, there's no escape.
 
TIMEWALKER - PLEASE do not misunderstand me, I am not criticizing, I am merely pointing out these suggestions are simply not inline with the qualifiers of the original question, that is all.

In fact, I believe I even THANKED YOU, at least three times for posting something substantive,... and that led to an enriched exploration of the general concept behind the question itself.

So, no, no criticism,.. in fact, much thanks.
 
1) The Giant Rolling Boulder Down the Skinny Tunnel

2) POOL OF QUICKSAND

3) PIT OF VIPERS

4) TARANTULA CRAWLING ON HIM

5) CROCODILE/ TIGER/ GIANT SNAKE/ETC/ WRESTLING

6) THE WALLS ARE CLOSING IN!

7) RETRACTING FLOOR OVER PIT OF _____.

8) FALLING/CRUMBLING BRIDGE OVER CHASM

9) Tied to the train tracks, and the train is coming!

10) Tied to the table while an axe swishes back and forth, lowering ever closer...

11) Falling into a black hole.

12) Lost in a blizzard (in the TV series)

13) Bitten by a poisonous snake and there's no antidote!

14)Falling off a cliff.
 
Bones_McCoy21 said:
1) The Giant Rolling Boulder Down the Skinny Tunnel

2) POOL OF QUICKSAND

3) PIT OF VIPERS

4) TARANTULA CRAWLING ON HIM

5) CROCODILE/ TIGER/ GIANT SNAKE/ETC/ WRESTLING

6) THE WALLS ARE CLOSING IN!

7) RETRACTING FLOOR OVER PIT OF _____.

8) FALLING/CRUMBLING BRIDGE OVER CHASM

9) Tied to the train tracks, and the train is coming!

10) Tied to the table while an axe swishes back and forth, lowering ever closer...

11) Falling into a black hole.

12) Lost in a blizzard (in the TV series)

13) Bitten by a poisonous snake and there's no antidote!

14)Falling off a cliff.
Click to expand...


15) In a ground vehicle that crashes, inexplicably bursts into flames and explodes.

(Hmmm, could have made for a real cliffhanger or Shock Ending for 'A Piece Of The Action')
 
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