Episode of the Week : Is There in Truth No Beauty?

[ZapBrannigan]

This is their third (or actually fourth and fifth) encounter with the barrier, even if it's a fleeting one - they get out, and then get back in, and there's no doing that unless they go through the barrier both ways!

But whether that purple swirl is the barrier... Nope, the dialogue excludes that possibility. Or, rather, Spock thinks they are far outside the galaxy, in the intergalactic void, but he could be wrong, as he admits to having no way of knowing where they really are, and by sheer (and slim) chance they might be inside the barrier.

As for the visuals, they are similar - but they are not identical. It's no recycled footage from "Where No Man", it's an all-new effect. And of course TOS-R does an even more dissimilar effect there, removing any visual connection.

Timo Saloniemi

I thought the original version of "Beauty" did re-use some fx footage from WNMHGB. Am I just thinking of "By Any Other Name"? My DVDs are TOS-R, so I can't check it out.

 

[Timo]

Hard to tell for sure, as my TOS is all VHS.

But TrekCore has both versions of the visuals, and the ones from the original version seem quite distinct from the other two episodes - those twirling ribbons against a dark background are all new.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[erastus25]

Yes.

Yeah, looks the same to me as well.

 

[Timo]

I thought "yes" as in "no"? That is, Zap is just thinking about the reuse in "By Any Other Name"... But as usual, the truth lies somewhere in between.

This is the original:

http://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/1x03/wherenomanhasgone100.jpg

This is "By Any Other Name" (pure reused footage - notice the pilot-style nacelle spires etc.):

http://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/2x22/byanyothername0197.jpg

This is "Is There In Truth No Beauty?":

http://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/3x05/Is_There_In_Truth_No_Beauty_170.JPG (reuse of the same footage)
http://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/3x05/Is_There_In_Truth_No_Beauty_173.JPG (an all-new shot, and most of the VFX is of this sort rather than of the reused sort)

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Forbin]

If you don't like this ep, you have no soul!!

(I tease )

Now I have to go home and watch it.

 

[KeepOnTrekking]

I gave it an 8. The introduction of the IDIC concept. Kollos' revelation of how lonely Spock is in front of the bridge crew to hear before Kirk interrupts him. Some nice Kirk-McCoy interaction after the dinner, and then again, before and after Kirk confronts Miranda about her jealousy.

 

[Spock's Barber]

Kollos needs to get out of his box more often.

 

[Marsden]

I wonder what the Medusan is. Is he a protoplasmic life form, an organic being, or some type of energy creature?

Even though it's really just a box with some funny lights, it's one of the best "alien" aliens in all of Star Trek.
Once again they do more with stone knives and bear skins then others with so much more at their disposal.

 

[The Old Mixer]

The repeated use of the word "ugly" always grated on me. They could have used "disturbing" or somesuch and gotten the point across better.

 

[Spock's Brain]

7.685

I liked watching Nimoy play a new character, especially one so fascinated with our world. I liked the twist of revealing the blindness. I didn't see it coming, and I like story lines that are unpredictable.

I disliked how easily Kollos navigated them back to where they were. Honestly, if it was that easy, couldn't he have just given Sulu the coordinates?

 

[Drone]

This is their third (or actually fourth and fifth) encounter with the barrier, even if it's a fleeting one - they get out, and then get back in, and there's no doing that unless they go through the barrier both ways!

But whether that purple swirl is the barrier... Nope, the dialogue excludes that possibility. Or, rather, Spock thinks they are far outside the galaxy, in the intergalactic void, but he could be wrong, as he admits to having no way of knowing where they really are, and by sheer (and slim) chance they might be inside the barrier.
As for the visuals, they are similar - but they are not identical. It's no recycled footage from "Where No Man", it's an all-new effect. And of course TOS-R does an even more dissimilar effect there, removing any visual connection.
Timo Saloniemi

Fourth or fifth encounter with the barrier in TOS? Please reveal the other couple of instances?

As for the episode, I rate it a sold 8. Muldaur's performance (and I don't think she was ever lovelier), the philosophical content, the mystery and drama of the void/intergalactic space (is it correct to assume that Marvick knew that was where they would wind up by virtue of their position in the galaxy and was there something other than insanity, perhaps an insight from Kollos, that made him think there was safety in this other realm?), and finally the character of the Medusan. I don't believe that I ever thought that it represented ugliness in a conventional sense, rather a form that, in its totality, was an image of reality that was beyond the human mind to process, instead only to have one's psychic markers and means of regulation be overwhelmingly overcome in the attempt. The container in which it resided was also an interesting facet or manifestation of the Ambassador's identity. Not so much in its physical constitution, although its sleek compactness was compelling. I'm thinking more of the act of it opening to reveal Kollos. There was a super or extra natural quality to those moments, a sense of something less than a deity, but more that a just another alien species, however powerful, being allowed to be unencumbered and openly manifest its undefinable nature, for anyone present, to be put in the position of trying to experience. Overall, I apprehended a spiritual revelation implicit in these moments, not on the level of Raiders' opening of the Ark, mind you, but mysterious, powerful, and ineluctable just the same.

 

[Shaw]

I always thought the barrier was awesome!

Click images to enlarge






​

 

[Timo]

Fourth or fifth encounter with the barrier in TOS?

Ah, no. Fourth and fifth.

They go into the barrier in "Where No Man", fumble around a bit and emerge on the inside again. That's one.

They go through the barrier and make some headway towards Andromeda, turn back and go through the barrier again in "By Any Other Name". That's two and three.

They go through the barrier and leave Milky Way behind, then get back. That's four and five.

I wonder... Kirk's mission in "Where No Man" was to see if it were safe to go through the barrier. It wasn't. Probably nobody else braved the barrier immediately after that, then. But in "By Any Other Name", there was no evidence of danger. So did Starfleet launch a series of exploration missions at that point? Did any of these run into the problem in "Is There In Truth", getting stuck in the spacetime continuum or whatever? Or do you need the genius of Larry Marvick for that?

Timo Saloniemi

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

I don't get the appeal of this one.

Well Neil, you of all people should know one part of the appeal was the music; its absolutely beautiful. Among the most memorable of just about any TV score.

This is the one where our enlightened characters ("Alexander, where I come from, size, shape, or color makes no difference..." [Plato's Stepchildren] start saying things like, "You're young, attractive and human. Sooner or later, no matter how beautiful their minds are, you're going to yearn for someone who looks like yourself, someone who isn't ugly."

Not judging based on size (midget--specific to that quote), shape (same) or color has nothing to do with the natural human perception of beauty--or what makes on attractive to another. Not judging based on the aforementioned details does not mean one will just find themselves attracted to anyone. That's certainly not the way humankind worked at the time TOS was produced, its not that way today, and I doubt it will be that way in a future, where race and size are not judged for whatever motives.

The episode is so poorly handled dramatically that the revelation (SPOILER ALERT!) of Miranda's blindness is completely out of left field. There's no set up for it.

That's the good part; poor writing has everything spelled out for audiences right out of the gates (I will leave the movies and TV series nameless), instead of letting events be revealed as they are to the characters.

Aside from that, good character moments for Spock (while under Kollos' influence), and the last, great FX sequence of the series with the void.

My rating: 7.

 

[Spock's Barber]

Ralph Senensky, in his internet blog, states that he cast David Frankham as Larry Marvick because they were friends, and still are friends to this present day. The ST production people were initially against casting Diana Muldaur because they had an unwritten rule that returning guest stars must play the same character from previous episodes. However, they relented when Senensky said she would wear a wig.

 

[Indysolo]

Well Neil, you of all people should know one part of the appeal was the music; its absolutely beautiful. Among the most memorable of just about any TV score.

I prefer "The Empath" (recorded the same day!).

Neil

 

[Forbin]

So many subtexts - casting Muldaur to juxtapose her beauty against Kolos' "ugliness", leading to the whole discussion that Indysolo takes exception to - a discussion which, as it turns out, existed to bring up the very point the story was working toward:
"Who's to say Kolos is too ugly to behold - or too beautiful?"

Miranda was beautiful on the outside, but revealed an ugly soul in her jealousy and coldness.
Kolos was ugly on the outside (if he had one!), but had a beautiful soul.

 

[J.T.B.]

This is one of the first episodes I remember seeing when I was little. At some point I thought that lowering the red visor was what activated the transporter. It was probably the S3 episode I saw the most in the pre-home video era.

And it's still pretty good. Good guest stars, good music, some VFX, some interesting shots like the POV entrance on the bridge, and some '60s SF ideas. And the first time Scotty wears his kilt, is it not?

A few odd moments... The line "I think most of us are attracted by beauty and repelled by ugliness" has always been a dud to me, maybe it's Shatner's reading. And Bones's little speech reveling in Kollos's "ugliness" and then toasting Dr. Jones just makes it seem like he's hitting on her.

Marks down for Roddenberry's product placement (great Star Trek Fact Check article by @Harvey here), but still 7/10.

ETA:

The ST production people were initially against casting Diana Muldaur because they had an unwritten rule that returning guest stars must play the same character from previous episodes. However, they relented when Senensky said she would wear a wig.

It must have been a rule more honored in the breach, because it wasn't applied to Babcock, Woodward, Campbell, Lenard etc.

 

[UnknownSample]

If you don't like this ep, you have no soul!!

This is my concise response about a lot of episodes of shows, films, songs, etc.. The emotion in season three is often cringed at, but is really the season's strength.

I'm about to see the remastered version. We'll see how much the Barrier is ruined... In one ep they made it look like a cloud of gas, making it so ordinary, and taking away the jarring and fascinating look to it that I always loved.

It's a great episode.

 

[Push The Button]

I'm guessing that after the events of WNMHGB, any Starfleet personnel with higher than average esper ratings are given ground assignments, so they can't be "Mitchellized" by accidental encounters with the barrier.