Episode of the Week : The Omega Glory

[GNDN18]

This beef about Hodgkin's law has mystified me for some time. Plausibility is the least of my concerns, unless and until we meet English-speaking, virtually human aliens living on planets that have an environment and gravity roughly approximating Southern California. Along with the Preservers, this is a workable explanation for these seeming coincidences.

Shakespeare used Verona and Rome as convenient locales, but never even attempted verisimilitude. I can live with 20th century TV writers using a made up law to explain this week's explain the Planet of People Who Wear Hats. I mean, my other favorite show features a 2,000 year old time lord that travels through all of time and space in a blue box, so my disbelief is fairly elastic if the story is worth watching.

Thanks to TREK_GOD_1 for his able defense of OG. It's still not my favorite ep, but his comments were right on the money. It took me years to connect VanGelder with Tracey. Morgan Woodward was outstanding.

 

[BillJ]

"Parallel development" is the one thing we don't have to accept as being part of Trek, really. "Corrupting influences from Earth" is the easy way to go, as Earth has had starflight for at least a few thousand years at that point (foreign starflight, that is - Platonians and Greek gods and whatnot). And we already got "Patterns of Force" where corrupting elements from Earth were deliberately introduced. It's just a different flag this time around, but the outcome is the same: the original meddler doesn't survive, and somebody else gets to reap the obvious profits.

Which still doesn't make sense, as the United States Constitution would only be about 500 years old in Kirk's time. The war on Omega IV would have had to have happened, at least, a thousand years prior (Wu's father was well over a thousand).

 

[telerites]

I like the episode quite a lot. I never really was a fan of Woodward since he was usually cast as a baddie and as a child, that's how I thought of him. But now I appreciate his acting very much.

I can tolerate any of the stories with concerns over Earth-similar civilizations and from an entertainment standpoint, it ranks as a high scoring episode.

 

[Timo]

Which still doesn't make sense, as the United States Constitution would only be about 500 years old in Kirk's time. The war on Omega IV would have had to have happened, at least, a thousand years prior (Wu's father was well over a thousand).

But the flag/Constitution/Declaration thing could have come long after the war. Sure, these people live long - but they also breed, and the newer generations would have forgotten about the original issues and adopted the new excuses for hatred in their stead.

The other way to go is to say that the meddler from Earth was a time traveler. Those could be a dime in a dozen just a hundred years after Kirk, and certainly a few centuries after that. But it doesn't have to be that, as a star traveler from Earth's 1900s or even the indigenously warp-driven 2000s would fit the bill, too.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

For anyone complaining about the presense of a parallel American culture, all that needs to be said is--

I always figured an Earth ship with some American trinkets crashed on Omega IV sometime in the prior century or two. The Yangs, took them as their own as they were similar to their own values.

Their culture had been obliterated, they adopted ours.

That's exactly what happens in these novels:

Spoiler: books

Specifically, the 'Department of Temporal Investigations' books written by Christopher. An Earth cargo freighter visits Omega IV and leaves behind copies of the Constitution and other such documents, to inspire the Yangs.

Besides, there's no way the documents in the actual episode could be thousands of years old; they'd have long since crumbled into dust if they were.

 

[Drone]

For anyone complaining about the presense of a parallel American culture, all that needs to be said is--

Hodgkin's Law of Parallel Planetary Development. The brilliant explanation for similar cultures ("Bread and Circuses") is no hand wave, but a sensible way of addressing the notion of earth-like cultures springing from more than one seed, so to speak. Add The Preservers influence from "The Paradise Syndrome," and you have offered yet another likely explanation for the earth mirror, that--frankly--no fan of ST should dismiss, since this is the same franchise where transporters turn humans into insects, a cybernetic race roams the galaxy assimilating hapless cultures, Q, Hortas and a mirror universes where counterparts are somehow all evil.

Star Trek demands nothing--except its viewers to ride with the fantasy and speculation. All examples above are more than enough for someone to dismiss episodes, or an entire series (and have, from some critical pieces i've read on ST), but in the end, they are accepted--usually thanks to the overall message of a story, and its basic execution.


2. Actors returning for more: the measure of a great actor is to be able to create memorable characters completely dissimilar to his other roles. It is a rare talent, and was seen few and far between in the annals of TV or movie history. Woodward's Tracey does not evoke any part of Van Gelder, and is just as strong a captain (in presence) as Kirk.

Moreover, Tracey was a perfect "evil" counter as a Starfleet captain every ounce as formidable (if not more so) than Kirk. In a way, that made him more dangerous than Kor, Khan, Rojan or anyone else, as he had a real "inside line" on his opponent (and far beyond anything Merik would be able to tell Proconsul Marcus).

The theory is well established and its detail is quite credible. Personally though, I think I would have preferred their being used other than as a convenient arena for conflicts, disasters, or historical mimicry that transposes scenarios that Earth has pretty much directly dealt with in kind, at least not in every instance. I would like seeing a scenario that treats the reproduction from a different angle, such as finding only the archaeological remnants of that culture and sussing out something unexpected about why the culture went extinct or perhaps where they went. Alternately, more action oriented perhaps, such a culture in conflict with a totally different kind of alien culture, presented in a way that presents Enterprise with PD dilemmas of its own or having to discern which is the aggressor (I know sort of like Nemesis). But the constant overlay of the direct parallels that Earth did or easily could have experienced, seems a bit too pat and formulaic.

For anyone complaining about the presense of a parallel American culture, all that needs to be said is--

Hodgkin's Law of Parallel Planetary Development. The brilliant explanation for similar cultures ("Bread and Circuses") is no hand wave, but a sensible way of addressing the notion of earth-like cultures springing from more than one seed, so to speak. Add The Preservers influence from "The Paradise Syndrome," and you have offered yet another likely explanation for the earth mirror, that--frankly--no fan of ST should dismiss, since this is the same franchise where transporters turn humans into insects, a cybernetic race roams the galaxy assimilating hapless cultures, Q, Hortas and a mirror universes where counterparts are somehow all evil.

Star Trek demands nothing--except its viewers to ride with the fantasy and speculation. All examples above are more than enough for someone to dismiss episodes, or an entire series (and have, from some critical pieces i've read on ST), but in the end, they are accepted--usually thanks to the overall message of a story, and its basic execution.


2. Actors returning for more: the measure of a great actor is to be able to create memorable characters completely dissimilar to his other roles. It is a rare talent, and was seen few and far between in the annals of TV or movie history. Woodward's Tracey does not evoke any part of Van Gelder, and is just as strong a captain (in presence) as Kirk.

Moreover, Tracey was a perfect "evil" counter as a Starfleet captain every ounce as formidable (if not more so) than Kirk. In a way, that made him more dangerous than Kor, Khan, Rojan or anyone else, as he had a real "inside line" on his opponent (and far beyond anything Merik would be able to tell Proconsul Marcus).

You are obviously well versed in the minutiae and big picture aspects of mass entertainment productions, concepts, and personalities from what I've read. Morgan Woodward certainly played a wide variety of characters during his long career, not just Westerns or crime dramas or TV only for that matter. I don't dispute a very strong versatility, though can only claim to having seen him in a small percentage of his roles. I don't think I'm taking you out of context in relating the attributes you cite of what has made the very best actors in history to Woodward specifically. You didn't mention it, but perhaps you have seen a lot of his other work. Frankly, I don't find it so rare to find actors whose talent and honing of their craft allowing them to superlatively convey meaning in very disparate turns, starring or otherwise. In their prime, or throughout their careers, I think performers such as Harry Dean Stanton, William H. Macy, DeNiro, Pacino, Mark Ruffalo, Javier Bardem, Viggo Mortensen, just to name a few randomly chosen contemporary male actors, also have this capability and some in obvious excess as compared to Woodward IMO. I have no doubt that he is considered a consummate professional, but honestly I can't make the connection to his being one of the greats of this or any era. I will pursue some critical sources though, to try and get a broad perspective on his reputation, its provenance and consistency through his career. If you know of such critiques, please make mention of them. It would be much appreciated.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

I'm sure this has been asked a bunch of times, so I apologize, but what is the story behind the retro episode posters? Who did them? Are they online someplace where we can see them all at once?

 

[telerites]

I'm sure this has been asked a bunch of times, so I apologize, but what is the story behind the retro episode posters? Who did them? Are they online someplace where we can see them all at once?

If you do a google search on retro star trek posters, there are a ton of articles but here is I believe the first announcement from startrek.com with Juan Ortiz interview, artist, back in 2012 - http://www.startrek.com/article/first-look-new-retro-art-prints

And available from many retailers like Amazon but here is the startrek.com shopping site link with them - http://shop.startrek.com/juan-ortiz-art-prints/index.php?v=startrek_home-office_posters_juan-ortiz

 

[ZapBrannigan]

If you do a google search on retro star trek posters, there are a ton of articles but here is I believe the first announcement from startrek.com with Juan Ortiz interview, artist, back in 2012 - http://www.startrek.com/article/first-look-new-retro-art-prints

And available from many retailers like Amazon but here is the startrek.com shopping site link with them - http://shop.startrek.com/juan-ortiz-art-prints/index.php?v=startrek_home-office_posters_juan-ortiz

Thanks!

 

[CrazyMatt]

I'm sure this has been asked a bunch of times, so I apologize, but what is the story behind the retro episode posters? Who did them? Are they online someplace where we can see them all at once?

It is very nice... I hate to nit-pick but shouldn't the uniform have the Exeter patch on it?

 

[johnnybear]

It does have Irene Kelley in it as well..!

 

[Forbin]

I used to get a little patriotic tingle at the end, when I was an idealistic kid. Last time I tried to watch, I didn't even make it halfway thru the episode. Oy vey!

On a side note, and proving that repeated watching of Trek scars you for life:
I once came home from work to find that my wife had laid her clothes out on the edge of the bathtub in almost-perfect as-worn arrangement. A moment's thought, and I realized she'd got caught in the rain and laid them out to dry. But for a few moments I panicked and started looking for dessicated crystals. I think I even squeeked out her name.

 

[gottacook]

With respect to comments on Miri, there was no "identical to Earth" aspect of Miri's planet in James Blish's adaptation (which I read before ever seeing the episode). Given that Blish is supposed to have been working from early versions of scripts, this aspect must have been added closer to shooting the episode.

As a very young fan (around 1970) I acquired the View-Master adaptation of "The Omega Glory." Of all episodes they might have chosen to adapt, why that one!? One important aspect of the plot is altered: "Woman's intuition" is the reason Spock gets his hands on the communicator, rather than his Vulcan ability to implant the suggestion. (Also, the Yangs are for some reason changed to the Meraks.)

This is important Star Trek lore, dammit!

 

[Harvey]

With respect to comments on Miri, there was no "identical to Earth" aspect of Miri's planet in James Blish's adaptation (which I read before ever seeing the episode). Given that Blish is supposed to have been working from early versions of scripts, this aspect must have been added closer to shooting the episode.

As a very young fan (around 1970) I acquired the View-Master adaptation of "The Omega Glory." Of all episodes they might have chosen to adapt, why that one!?

1. Blish's adaptations are not a good barometer for what early drafts were like.

2. "The Omega Glory" was probably chosen because Roddenberry was the sole writer on that episode (which, presumably, meant a larger share of the royalties).

 

[UnknownSample]

The idea of parallel development was one of the most interesting ideas in Trek, even if it was really a budget measure. I didn't realize some fans thought we were just meant to consider planets similar to Earth to be a coincidence. It's supposed to have to do with conditions on the planet starting out exactly the same leading to culture and history possibly leading exactly the same way. The idea of this, hovering in the background of these stories, is half of what's going on, the thing that gets your imagination going. Of course it's an extreme long shot that anything like this would happen, but on the other hand, just think of how many planets there are out there.

Of course, when in the second half of season 2 they used other-Earths in every third story, that killed the idea. They never used it again.

I liked how in Next Gen, in "Who Watches the Watchers?", they expanded on this in a way I'd wondered about... are there parallels for other planets, too? They had a parallel Vulcan, though in an earlier stage of developement... As for the Omega Glory planet having its USA era much farther in its past than it was in the Federation's, there's no reason those exactly similar conditions that led to a USA, China, etc, couldn't have begun at an earlier date, there. So that would make us the "second Earth", I suppose!

 

[Timo]

Here on Earth, there are people of specific origin all across the globe, and sometimes they have reproduced their originating culture in the new location amazingly faithfully. "Parallel development" isn't part of that deal, and is quite an alien idea overall: when two cultures develop separately, they don't share originating parameters other than the human biology, and they certainly don't march in parallel.

Should Trek embrace the idea of parallelism exactly because it is so alien? Or should it just go with the flow of what is familiar to the audience, the ever-branching, ever-mutating development free of rules or directions, with "laws" only existing as a means of gaining academic credit or promoting a political agenda? I'm not sure. Scifi and fantasy usually benefit from the introduction of rules, even (and especially) nonsensical ones, as without them the viewer is out of his depth in a world where the usual rules don't apply. Yet alienness alienates...

Timo Saloniemi