Does anyone understand TAS: "The Infinite Vulcan"?

[david g]

This episode starts off really well--atmospheric and eerie. The plant beings seem like theyre going to be an excellent new race.

But then the mad scientist who makes the Spock giant comes in, and it all goes to pieces. ESPECIALLY because he turns out to be an idealist who wants to create a peace-keeping force!

Thoughts? I love TAS, but this one always leaves me irritated.

I did notice this time out the unusual dialogue much more--it seems very knowing. Koenig in-jokes?

 

[Grant]

Just a terrible episode. No excuse.

 

[Green Shirt]

Just a terrible episode. No excuse.

Yes, there is an excuse. Its a cartoon, people.

 

[plynch]

It's goofy, but I "get" it. It is weird that there's another Spock out there.

 

[Christopher]

Just a terrible episode. No excuse.

Yes, there is an excuse. Its a cartoon, people.

That is a gross insult to an entire medium.

 

[Lieut. Arex]

I once saw an interview with Asimov in which he said a writer can ask a reader to accept one impossible thing. Here Koeing asks us to accept giant people. Aside from that point, is there really anything in this episode which makes it any more or even as much of a train wreck as any number of other episodes? Keniclius feels responsible for the devastation of their civilization and wants to carry on the Phylosians work. They were once giants, so he plans his police force to be the same. Think Gort from The Day the Earth Stood Still but with pointed ears. Yeah, the biology of it doesn't work but it's no more impossible than Spock himself.

Besides: "Who Mourns for Adonais?" - Giant Apollo.
"The Infinite Vulcan" - Giant Keniclius V and Spock II.

I'm not seeing a problem.

 

[KingstonTrekker]

It was a weak episode written by an actor, Koenig, who's character was excluded from appearing in the series. I wonder if it was some type of consolation prize for Koenig?

 

[Green Shirt]

Just a terrible episode. No excuse.

Yes, there is an excuse. Its a cartoon, people.

That is a gross insult to an entire medium.

Relax Cupcake, its a joke.

 

[Warped9]

This episode starts off really well--atmospheric and eerie. The plant beings seem like theyre going to be an excellent new race.

But then the mad scientist who makes the Spock giant comes in, and it all goes to pieces. ESPECIALLY because he turns out to be an idealist who wants to create a peace-keeping force!

Thoughts? I love TAS, but this one always leaves me irritated.

I did notice this time out the unusual dialogue much more--it seems very knowing. Koenig in-jokes?

This isn't hard to understand at all. It really isn't much different than what Khan alluded to in "Space Seed:" "We offered the world order."

Keniclius believed that force was the only way to impose peace and stability onto a wild and hostile galaxy. He thought the only solution was to impose order on those who wouldn't fall in line.

 

[Tan Ru]

The episode only went awry when the giant Spock showed up.

The producers got a little condescending to the Saturday morning kiddies and decided that children loved stories about giants, so they got giants...

 

[22 Stars]

Yes, there is an excuse. Its a cartoon, people.

That is a gross insult to an entire medium.

Relax Cupcake, its a joke.

Lol, best...reply... ever

 

[TIN_MAN]

I think everyone is forgeting (or didn't know) that the writers guide for the animated series specifically instructed writers to "make full use of the animated medium", that's all Koenig is doing here.

 

[Grant]

It was a weak episode written by an actor, Koenig, who's character was excluded from appearing in the series. I wonder if it was some type of consolation prize for Koenig?

I think that is entirely possible. He of the 8 was excluded and wrote a average script with the terrible idea of this giant Spock.

It was below average for the series and got by simply being about the 'most popular character'

 

[david g]

I think what's most disappointing about this episode is its missed opportunity to explore the plant race, the Phylosians, who are quite an interesting new species. The messianic peace-keeping mission of the scientist would have been better as a distinct episode. So the problem is that the two stories dont mesh.

 

[Bad Atom]

I once saw an interview with Asimov in which he said a writer can ask a reader to accept one impossible thing. Here Koeing asks us to accept giant people. Aside from that point, is there really anything in this episode which makes it any more or even as much of a train wreck as any number of other episodes? Keniclius feels responsible for the devastation of their civilization and wants to carry on the Phylosians work. They were once giants, so he plans his police force to be the same. Think Gort from The Day the Earth Stood Still but with pointed ears. Yeah, the biology of it doesn't work but it's no more impossible than Spock himself.

Besides: "Who Mourns for Adonais?" - Giant Apollo.
"The Infinite Vulcan" - Giant Keniclius V and Spock II.

I'm not seeing a problem.

But in this case, we're asked to accept two impossible things - the giant Spock and the "plant people". And I thought in the original script that the clones were normal-sized, but it was changed to "make better use of the animated format"?

 

[Possum]

Is this really all that more unbelievable than an episode that would have tiny people in a submarine going through a person's bloodstream? Granted it wasn't a Star Trek episode but a feature film with the novelization by that hack Asimov... but hey.

 

[Lieut. Arex]

I once saw an interview with Asimov in which he said a writer can ask a reader to accept one impossible thing. Here Koeing asks us to accept giant people. Aside from that point, is there really anything in this episode which makes it any more or even as much of a train wreck as any number of other episodes? Keniclius feels responsible for the devastation of their civilization and wants to carry on the Phylosians work. They were once giants, so he plans his police force to be the same. Think Gort from The Day the Earth Stood Still but with pointed ears. Yeah, the biology of it doesn't work but it's no more impossible than Spock himself.

Besides: "Who Mourns for Adonais?" - Giant Apollo.
"The Infinite Vulcan" - Giant Keniclius V and Spock II.

I'm not seeing a problem.

But in this case, we're asked to accept two impossible things - the giant Spock and the "plant people". And I thought in the original script that the clones were normal-sized, but it was changed to "make better use of the animated format"?

Technically there's a lot more impossible on hand--FTL travel, transporters, human-alien hybrids to name a few--but those are givens in this sort of space opera. In a galaxy filled with aliens of all types, I don't see intelligent aliens who are vegetable rather than animal as impossible.

I don't know about the original script but agree the clones should have been normal size. If you just gotta have giants, keep the Phylosians giants as their ancestors were. It would have been a better choice than enlarging Keniclius V and Spock II.

 

[Nerys Myk]

"Some times you just have to let art flow over you" -Nick, The Big Chill

 

[Joker]

Like a golden shower.