Early concept for "Spock's Brain"

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

According to MA, there were some differences between what we got and the original concept for the episode.

• Spock's brain was taken while he, Kirk, and McCoy were exploring the surface of an asteroid.
• The antagonists were from the planet "Nefel," and were known as the "Nefelese." Their leader is a male named "Ehr Von." Also, there is no mention of the "Teacher."
• When Kirk contacts Spock's brain, he instructs the brain to go into the slon porra, the Vulcan state of complete mental control.
• McCoy received no transfusion of any special surgical knowledge except for a study of the planet's advanced surgical techniques. Only when combined with his existing surgical knowledge is he then able to perform the surgery.
• After McCoy completes the brain implant surgery, Spock experiences several side effects from McCoy having reversed the connections of several nerve endings, causing Spock to, among other things, laugh when he wants to sneeze. He is, however, able to restore the errors with his own mental disciplines.

Would these differences have made the episode better or worse?

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

@1001001 can you move this to the TOS board? I didn't realize I'd posted it here.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

That last point would have been played for laughs, not brain injury recovery angst.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

Would these differences have made the episode better or worse?

Worse! The first draft sounds terrible.

The finished episode is extremely good by period television standards, and even pretty decent for Star Trek. It starts with a mysterious alien spaceship, and then a hot woman knocks everyone out and prowls across the bridge, lighting on Spock like a vampire. That's TV magic.

Then the episode throws in a unique projector scene on the bridge, good action, prop close-ups, and a tremendous Fred Steiner score with new melodies, plus climactic stingers that would become utterly iconic in Star Trek's musical language.

Yes, the alien women are dumb, and that's where all '70s blowback came from, but it's a good show.

 

[Metryq]

No fembots until Westworld, though.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Spock's brain was taken while he, Kirk, and McCoy were exploring the surface of an asteroid.

That's not so bad, I guess...

The antagonists were from the planet "Nefel," and were known as the "Nefelese."

Sounds like "Nephilim". Is that why it was rejected?

When Kirk contacts Spock's brain, he instructs the brain to go into the slon porra, the Vulcan state of complete mental control.

Kirk does? How does he know about this state?

McCoy received no transfusion of any special surgical knowledge except for a study of the planet's advanced surgical techniques. Only when combined with his existing surgical knowledge is he then able to perform the surgery.

This would have been a good vehicle for M'Benga if we didn't need McCoy's attitude.

After McCoy completes the brain implant surgery, Spock experiences several side effects from McCoy having reversed the connections of several nerve endings, causing Spock to, among other things, laugh when he wants to sneeze. He is, however, able to restore the errors with his own mental disciplines.

As I said, this would be played for laughs. Though I can see them joking after the fact about Spock having his wires crossed, it would be alarming for someone who prides themselves on their self-control and logic.

 

[Shat Happens]

I dont know.

I just lament (everyday) they didnt show the actual brain in the episode. I imagine it's green.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Like this guy?

 

[publiusr]

The finished episode is extremely good by period television standards, and even pretty decent for Star Trek. It starts with a mysterious alien spaceship, and then a hot woman knocks everyone out.

The ship is the big failure to me.

We’d have to retcon the TMP wall scene to show the NX-01…but she should have been in Matt’s ringship.

That is the only design I see lighting up Scotty’s face and it should have been on TOS-R.

Having the planet the way it was actually could be seen as quite feminist.

Keep the brutes out…keep them the dumbest.

But there came a population crash, IQ’s dropped….so the leader has her mind running not just a ship—but Helva here runs her own civilization…outlives the Eloi to her one Morlock.

She can give Krell brain boosts to her favorites…on an ever decreasing basis. McCoy can’t take but one being only human

One of her “Hands” discovers an aneurysm ready to burst at any moment, and dispatches the last warp capable craft to find a replacement.

So when others were doting on Spock as Frankenstein monster, and the Barbarella kitch…my thoughts were…who’s brain had the stroke and died that only Spock’s mind could succeed if not replace?

So, I picture a cross between DC’s Diana, and sadly…Mongul.

She liked being the only brilliant mind on the planet…had everything just so…or maybe she got bored and left….hmmm.

https://tardis.fandom.com/wiki/Cassandra_O'Brien.Δ17

“moisturize me!”

 

[Ssosmcin]

Would these differences have made the episode better or worse?

When I was a kid, I ragged on this episode because everyone said it was bad.

When I was a kid, I called that year the "Turd Season" because everyone said it sucked.

When I was a kid, I thought Freiberger was a terrible producer because David Gerrold said so.

I got older, watched, read, absorbed like Lanrdu and you know what?

The episode ain't that bad. There were worse long before this one aired and there will be a few more before the final episode.

The season is pretty solid overall, but with a darker and different vibe. It's someone else's vision.

Freiberger was a competent show runner. He just wasn't the best fit for the series.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

When I was a kid, I thought Freiberger was a terrible producer because David Gerrold said so.

Yes. This was also the era when I thought Gene Roddenberry was a visionary and saint. I mean, he told us he was!

 

[Metryq]

I never liked "Spock's Brain." And while I will defer to Zap's appreciation for the music, I really can't see much redeeming about the episode. The reason for stealing his brain is patently absurd, and does not dovetail with other aspects of the episode, such as the omnipotent high-tech that allows the alien to just waltz in and take Spock's brain. (Scotty salivating over ion drive was just stupid.) With that kind of tech, they wouldn't need Spock as a thermostat. The rest of the episode was a mish-mash of B-movie tropes, like the gender division and slave society, etc. Star Trek was all about allegory. This episode was just shaggy dog nonsense, but the Wonder Years spoof was funny. Okay, Shatner silently mouthing "his brain!" was also funny.

Space: 1999 season 2 was so bad it made space implode, but even those writers came up with a better reason for aliens to show up and try to steal a chunk of Maya's brain. If the reason behind "Spock's Brain" had been something along the lines of Arthur C. Clarke's Overlords in Childhood's End, that would have been suitably compelling for a story.

>After McCoy completes the brain implant surgery, Spock experiences several side effects from McCoy having reversed the connections of several nerve endings, causing Spock to, among other things, laugh when he wants to sneeze.<

I just rolled my eyes so hard the momentum knocked me out of my chair. (Move over Farmer Wilmouth.) Brain-nerve connections are not GPIO triggers that can be miswired to peripheral sub-routines.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Ironically, anything illogical would be handwaved with "he's half Vulcan, so ____".

 

[tonk'peh]

Hm, not sure if these changes would've improved the episode or made it worse. Without knowing how these plot points would be executed, it's hard to really make a judgement one way or the other.

I'm in the minority of liking Spock's Brain as it is, partly in a 'so bad its good' way and partly because its a genuinely funny and enjoyable episode. I think its more self-aware than many give it credit for. It made me laugh more than any other Trek episode, I'm pretty sure.

 

[Metryq]

The Roger Corman Trek episode.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

The finished episode is extremely good by period television standards, and even pretty decent for Star Trek. It starts with a mysterious alien spaceship, and then a hot woman knocks everyone out and prowls across the bridge, lighting on Spock like a vampire. That's TV magic.

Then the episode throws in a unique projector scene on the bridge, good action, prop close-ups, and a tremendous Fred Steiner score with new melodies, plus climactic stingers that would become utterly iconic in Star Trek's musical language.

Yes, the alien women are dumb, and that's where all '70s blowback came from, but it's a good show.

I wouldn't go quite that far, but much like VOY's "Threshold," I think "Spock's Brain" is a decent episode with a goofy premise that goes totally off the rails in the last act. But it's good up until that point.

 

[DonIago]

Not that TOS was big on arcs, but I wonder whether there was a missed opportunity here to build more of a connection between Spock and McCoy...

 

[Sir Rhosis]

Here's my synopsis of the story outline... http://www.orionpressfanzines.com/articles/spock.htm

Sir Rhosis

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Here's my follow-up fanfic (to the episode, not that outline)

https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/the-bequest-request.314954/

 

[Mudd]

Worse! The first draft sounds terrible.

The finished episode is extremely good by period television standards, and even pretty decent for Star Trek. It starts with a mysterious alien spaceship, and then a hot woman knocks everyone out and prowls across the bridge, lighting on Spock like a vampire. That's TV magic.

Then the episode throws in a unique projector scene on the bridge, good action, prop close-ups, and a tremendous Fred Steiner score with new melodies, plus climactic stingers that would become utterly iconic in Star Trek's musical language.

Yes, the alien women are dumb, and that's where all '70s blowback came from, but it's a good show.

It's a funny show. But it's a terrible show. It was terrible the first time I saw it on NBC, and it's gotten no better since.