Episode 80

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Having watched Turnabout Intruder now, the things that make it feel like a last episode is the references to the past when Kirk is trying to convince Spock it's him in her body, and the way everyone rallies around the real Kirk.

 

[Warped9]

Or are "final episodes" overrated? Would you rather just end it on an ambiguous note, i.e. there's the possibility for unlimited adventures out there - engage warp drive!"

Yes.

 

[Warped9]

Kirk orders Sulu to lay in a new course, and then turns to Spock and says, "There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep, and the rivers dream. People made of smoke, and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice, and somewhere else the tea's getting cold. Come on, Spock, we've got work to do!"

I like that.

 

[WebLurker]

I actually liked the way TNG ended, if you want to indicate that the characters are just going to continue to do what they've been doing the whole show after the end. Have a special adventure for them, some reflection on the show's past is nice, and then just have them go happily off into the sunset. It feels like there's more story, but things have been left of at a good breaking point, so it feels like what we have is complete in and of itself.

 

[Grant]

Why bookend the series with Talos?
That was not Kirk's mission.

Bookend it with WNMHGB.
Starfleet advises Kirk that the Klingons have siezed Delta Vega. His mission is to evict the Klingons at all costs. McCoy and Spock know Kirk is flooded with emotions about Mitchell -- guilt, loss , failure -- and they each try to console him in their own way.
A nice scene where Sulu and Scott catch Chekov and Uhura up on that early mission.
They arrive and engage the Klingons (perhaps both Kang and Kor or Koloth depending on which actors were available) first in space and then on the surface. Kirk and company are outnumbered two ships to one and face certain defeat. Then Mitchell appears. He didn't die but continued to evolve. He evolved beyond his petty dreams of godhood and lust for power. He traveled the stars and other dimensions in his mind.
He saves Kirk and the Enterprise and with his vast powers sends the Klingons back to thier empire.
He tells Kirk that his guilt was misplaced and he had done what any good commander would have done. He tells Kirk that from time to time he had observed him and was proud his friend had accomplished so much. He notes that he has now saved Kirk twice. He tells Kirk he's leaving this plane of existance for good, to explore other dimensions and he tells Kirk to continue to explore the universe with his crew.
"Perhaps, there is hope for us all, Mr. spock." could be Kirk's final line.
How about calling it...."Return to Delta Vega."
Pretend that Paramount did the smart thing and green-lit episodes 25&26 for season 3 and made it a two-parter.

In syndication they mostly ran the episodes in production order. Therefore after they showed the two part series finale -- it would have been followed by WNMHGB in an endless loop.

Imagine the return on investment for the measely few hundred thousand spent on two more episodes?

 

[Mr Soak]

Spock: May I remind the captain, that the five year mission is almost over? Perhaps returning to spacedock is in order.

Kirk: (looks at Spock, then) There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep, and the rivers dream. People made of smoke, and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice, and somewhere else the tea's getting cold. Let's see what's out there. Engage warp speed, Mr. Sulu.

Sulu: Aye, captain.

*Crunch*

Kirk: What was that?

Spock: (looking in viewfinder thingy) An asteroid just destroyed the port warp nacelle.

Kirk: *sigh*

Spock: The five year mission...?

Kirk: (disappointed) Set a course. For home.

(thanks/apologies to @Stevil2001, "Encounter at Farpoint", "Caretaker"/"Endgame")

 

[retroenzo]

(thanks/apologies to @Stevil2001, "Encounter at Farpoint", "Caretaker"/"Endgame")

...and 'Survival'?

 

[Ensign Benson]

I would have the final episode be a two-parter wherein the Federation and the Klingon Empire go to war (and the Organians can go pound sand), The Klingon Empire is defeated and badly diminished, forcing them to withdraw from much of their conquered territory, opening said territory up to Federation exploration.

After performing brilliantly in the war, the Enterprise is summoned to Fleet headquarters, Kirk is promoted to Commodore and given command of a three starship task force, one of which is commanded by the newly promoted Captain Spock, and assigned a new five year mission of exploring the newly accessible space and removing any remaining Klingon military die-hards.

Sulu is promoted to Lt. Commander and assigned to Spock's ship as First Officer, Scotty is promoted to Commander and strong-armed into taking the First Officer job on the Enterprise, Chekov is assigned to Spock as Science Officer, McCoy remains on the Enterprise, Chapel gets her MD and is assigned to Spock's ship (for the potential stories), Uhura remains of the Enterprise, is promoted to Lt. Commander and gets more duties and more screen time.

Pinhead NBC execs are dazzled and renew the series.

 

[Mr Soak]

...and 'Survival'?

I was using Stevil's adaption of the quote.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Why bookend the series with Talos?
That was not Kirk's mission.
Bookend it with WNMHGB.

I like the redemption angle; he has potential in him, he was just power-mad and "not himself". I feel it's missing something and can't quite put my finger on it, though.

I suppose Gary might even have joined the Q continuum?

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Since the entire 22 episodes of TAS completed the five year mission began on TOS, I would want it set in 2270. The five year mission done and the 1701 returning to drydock for it's planned eighteen month refit. Kirk and crew celebrate the success of their mission and decide their next move.

I too accept TAS as part of the 5-year mission, but even that is not complete, so I don't believe that entire world realistically jumps from "The Counter-Clock Incident" to TMP in just 18 months. Since TAS characters were obviously based on TOS actor age/look, there's no realistic way to expalin away the near decade advancement of actor ages--along with the near total visual changes to ships, devices and clothing, I offer that there should be at least another season's worth of TAS adventures before returning to drydock.

Other science-fiction series were not so fortunate because they did get renewed, so no final episode was filmed because of that. Unfortunately, the renewal was terminated:
Lost In Space(1965-68) was renewed for a fourth season '68-'69, then canceled before production began.

It was not officially renewed. According to series star Guy Williams from Starlog #100 & 102:

A few weeks after the third season wrap party, Williams met producer Irwin Allen and a CBS representative at a plush Beverly Hills hotel. On the agenda were publicity photos and some questions by the press about the fourth season of Lost in Space, but Williams didn’t know that Allen was sitting on some important information.

"I found out about the cancellation in typical Lost in Space fashion," says Williams. "A reporter at the photo session asked me when filming would begin on the next season. I was about to answer when the network person said, ‘That isn’t certain yet.’ I said to the reporters, ‘You heard him… it’s not certain yet.’" Allen took Williams aside and quickly explained why he didn’t tell anyone about the cancellation. "Irwin told me he wanted to fight it first, and hand everyone a new season on a ‘silver platter.’ He tried and failed, and shortly afterward, we were definitely cancelled."

Space:1999(1975-77) was renewed for a third season '77-'78, then canceled before production began.
These two franchises have not had the longevity of Star Trek's many films & tv series either.

Common for ultimately inferior series, Lost in Space in particular.

 

[WebLurker]

I too accept TAS as part of the 5-year mission, but even that is not complete, so I don't believe that entire world realistically jumps from "The Counter-Clock Incident" to TMP in just 18 months. Since TAS characters were obviously based on TOS actor age/look, there's no realistic way to expalin away the near decade advancement of actor ages--along with the near total visual changes to ships, devices and clothing, I offer that there should be at least another season's worth of TAS adventures before returning to drydock.

I took the actor's aging to be just part of suspension of disbelief, in all honesty.

It was not officially renewed...Common for ultimately inferior series, Lost in Space in particular.

I don't know. I've started watching Lost in Space recently, and I don't think it's half bad.

 

[locutus101]

I don't know what the problem is because if you add the three seasons of TOS and the two seasons of TAS, you get the five year mission exactly.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

I don't know what the problem is because if you add the three seasons of TOS and the two seasons of TAS, you get the five year mission exactly.

Filmation only produced 22 episodes of TAS--that's barely a standard single season of the period, so to complete a televised 5 year mission, you would need at least another 22 or so TAS episodes.

Remember, at the time, Filmation's practice (and what was ordered by networks) was to produce up to 16 episodes in a season, and if renewed, produce another 6 or so, with the network padding the second season with reruns from the first. You will see the same kind of truncated second season not only with TAS, but Filmation's The Brady Kids (ABC, 1972-73), and The New Adventures of Gilligan (ABC, 1974-75). The point being that in counting a certain number of episodes from TOS making up at least three years of the 5-year mission, to complete it, ST would need more than an additional 22 episodes.

In some TOS fan circles, they believe TOS was the complete 5-year mission, since they consider the significant overhaul between "Where No Man Has Gone Before" and "The Corbomite Maneuver" demanded a long period of time, thus "unseen" missions adding up to two years took place in that period.

 

[locutus101]

Filmation only produced 22 episodes of TAS--that's barely a standard single season of the period, so to complete a televised 5 year mission, you would need at least another 22 or so TAS episodes.

Remember, at the time, Filmation's practice (and what was ordered by networks) was to produce up to 16 episodes in a season, and if renewed, produce another 6 or so, with the network padding the second season with reruns from the first. You will see the same kind of truncated second season not only with TAS, but Filmation's The Brady Kids (ABC, 1972-73), and The New Adventures of Gilligan (ABC, 1974-75). The point being that in counting a certain number of episodes from TOS making up at least three years of the 5-year mission, to complete it, ST would need more than an additional 22 episodes.

In some TOS fan circles, they believe TOS was the complete 5-year mission, since they consider the significant overhaul between "Where No Man Has Gone Before" and "The Corbomite Maneuver" demanded a long period of time, thus "unseen" missions adding up to two years took place in that period.

Yes, I supposed that that is a way of looking at it.
However, the number of missions in one season is very variable. up to 29 for the first TOS season and down to 16 for the first Voyager season. That's why I was counting less in numbers of episodes and more in you know, one Season = one year way.

 

[WebLurker]

Filmation only produced 22 episodes of TAS--that's barely a standard single season of the period, so to complete a televised 5 year mission, you would need at least another 22 or so TAS episodes.

Remember, at the time, Filmation's practice (and what was ordered by networks) was to produce up to 16 episodes in a season, and if renewed, produce another 6 or so, with the network padding the second season with reruns from the first. You will see the same kind of truncated second season not only with TAS, but Filmation's The Brady Kids (ABC, 1972-73), and The New Adventures of Gilligan (ABC, 1974-75). The point being that in counting a certain number of episodes from TOS making up at least three years of the 5-year mission, to complete it, ST would need more than an additional 22 episodes.

Interesting.

In some TOS fan circles, they believe TOS was the complete 5-year mission, since they consider the significant overhaul between "Where No Man Has Gone Before" and "The Corbomite Maneuver" demanded a long period of time, thus "unseen" missions adding up to two years took place in that period.

The Stat Trek Chronology shows that the TOS seasons do have that early gap, and that the seasons are spead out across the years. On top of that "Q2" (VOY) does state that the last missions of the TOS crew were not depicted onscreen, so we know there's a gap between "The Counter-Clock Incident" [TAS] and the end of the mission.

 

[Warped9]

In some TOS fan circles, they believe TOS was the complete 5-year mission, since they consider the significant overhaul between "Where No Man Has Gone Before" and "The Corbomite Maneuver" demanded a long period of time, thus "unseen" missions adding up to two years took place in that period.

Yep.

My basic view is that WNMHGB happens during a period of maybe a year to two between Kirk assuming command of the Enterprise and the ship refit before embarking upon the 5-year mission.

The 5-year mission starts some weeks or few months before the first events of Season 1. Then TOS and TAS make up the bulk of the 5-year mission to near completion. If one excludes TAS then it still works as TOS taking up at least four to four-and-a-half years.

I like this because it allows for more routine and travel time (on average) between the high-point events seen in the episodes.


I couldn't care less what the "official" Chronology says.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

What about Kirk's encounters with the Baezians and the Chenari, mentioned in the Voyager episode "Q2"? (Ex Machina covers the Pelosians, the third people mentioned in that episode, but AFAIK these other two stories have not been told in lit.)

 

[Warped9]

What about Kirk's encounters with the Baezians and the Chenari, mentioned in the Voyager episode "Q2"? (Ex Machina covers the Pelosians, the third people mentioned in that episode, but AFAIK these other two stories have not been told in lit.)

Since I ignore VOY it makes no difference to me what is said there regarding TOS. If TOS or TAS didn't say it then it's meaningless to me.

 

[CrazyMatt]

What if, sensing there was no future for Star Trek, GR wrote a final episode where the ship was destroyed (in a heroic manner) and the crew (who survived) said their goodbyes to one another before going off to new (and separate) assignments?