I always kind of liked the Deela character and the chemistry between her and Kirk. She was one of Kirk's more believable Deep Space Explorations. The episode felt a bit grittier than most of the era (note the infamous pulling on his boot sscene.) It didn't really pull punches about what was going on. Yeah as a kid I thought it was silly. But in retrospect I like it a lot more than I did. There were some interesting attempts to do something different in terms of filming, staging and feel to the story, in spite of the third seasons magical disappearing budget.
Episode of the Week : Wink of an Eye
- Thread starter Botany Bay
- Start date
Thank you for checking!
I think by the time of TNG, I'd have preferred a slug thrower than those slow beams.
Even Picard did too, in FC, but I know that was a different reason.
Why should a prime feature of Star Trek be considered a "mistake"? Their guns are slow - a fair price to pay for them being so useful in every other respect. And it's not as if anybody ever successfully dodges a phaser beam without also manipulating the passage of time one way or another.
Timo Saloniemi
Timo Saloniemi
Well, you have your ideas about phasers not being light weapons, and these ideas are interesting , but I'm not converted to them.
The whole "light weapon" concept is a bit of a chore, as there is no such thing - you have to create it out of whole cloth. But that gives plenty of leeway for doing it in a way that satisfies the Trek requirements if that's the intent.
Yet where would that have been the intent for anybody actually involved in creating Star Trek? If a story touched upon phasers in any way, it invariably made a point in affirming that the things behaved unlike lasers. Indeed, the whole point seemed to be "see, we don't have lasers!", beyond the unaired pilot anyway.
There would have been all sorts of opportunities for making phasers look like "lightguns" - firing at a mirror, say (but the Squire of Gothos was not amused), or asserting lightspeed (but the villain of "Wink" pulled a fast one there). It's almost as if there were a note pinned on the wall reminding everybody in the team that "we really don't have lasers"...
...So, was there? The writers' bible is pretty vague on the subject, but there might have been other channels.
Timo Saloniemi
Yet where would that have been the intent for anybody actually involved in creating Star Trek? If a story touched upon phasers in any way, it invariably made a point in affirming that the things behaved unlike lasers. Indeed, the whole point seemed to be "see, we don't have lasers!", beyond the unaired pilot anyway.
There would have been all sorts of opportunities for making phasers look like "lightguns" - firing at a mirror, say (but the Squire of Gothos was not amused), or asserting lightspeed (but the villain of "Wink" pulled a fast one there). It's almost as if there were a note pinned on the wall reminding everybody in the team that "we really don't have lasers"...
...So, was there? The writers' bible is pretty vague on the subject, but there might have been other channels.
Timo Saloniemi
Timo-- Do we now know that a laser gun, a kind of light beam weapon, is scientifically impossible? I know we don't see them yet, but that always seemed to be one of the safest "predictions" about the future that you could make.
We can sort of tell that any weapon that is a beam of light visible to a third party and nothing else is useless as a weapon: all you need to protect yourself from that is make sure the third party gets most of the light, by throwing a bit more dust in the way of the beam.
There's nothing conceptually untoward about a weapon that incidentally presents a beam of light to a third party to ogle, though (say, a Minigun firing at night is one of those!). Nor about an efficient laser that doesn't waste energy in light shows. But we don't yet know how to build those things, and not for the lack of trying - basically every effort of trying to build a weaponized laser has ended up proving that another technology would be preferable for the application at hand.
Is Trek entitled to lasers? Sure - "The Cage" shows them having those, built into their sidearms. But does Trek use lasers as sidearms? Apparently not - "A Private Little War" tells that hand lasers are a thing of the past when it comes to Earthling weaponry.
Timo Saloniemi
There's nothing conceptually untoward about a weapon that incidentally presents a beam of light to a third party to ogle, though (say, a Minigun firing at night is one of those!). Nor about an efficient laser that doesn't waste energy in light shows. But we don't yet know how to build those things, and not for the lack of trying - basically every effort of trying to build a weaponized laser has ended up proving that another technology would be preferable for the application at hand.
Is Trek entitled to lasers? Sure - "The Cage" shows them having those, built into their sidearms. But does Trek use lasers as sidearms? Apparently not - "A Private Little War" tells that hand lasers are a thing of the past when it comes to Earthling weaponry.
Timo Saloniemi
They already exist. The US Navy and Air Force have them. Google "laser canon" for some neat videos.
...The important thing about them is that they don't work. That is, they don't work well enough to see series production or operational use, yet they work well enough that the builders already know they can't be made to work better.
There are better lasers emerging all the time, though, and there's a parallel trend of putting more and more electric power aboard ships and aircraft, making ammo-less electrically powered weapons attractive despite potential fundamental faults in them. Whether electrically powered lasers are a good choice for such weapons, or a dead end, remains to be seen.
Timo Saloniemi
There are better lasers emerging all the time, though, and there's a parallel trend of putting more and more electric power aboard ships and aircraft, making ammo-less electrically powered weapons attractive despite potential fundamental faults in them. Whether electrically powered lasers are a good choice for such weapons, or a dead end, remains to be seen.
Timo Saloniemi
One of Star Trek's early scientific advisers suggested calling the weapons BEE guns (for Beam of Electromagnetic Energy) or CLEB guns (for Coherent Light Energy Beam). You can retcon phasers to shoot fairy dust and unicorn's milk if you like, but conceptually, they were always meant to be electromagnetic energy weapons.
...It's sort of a relief that they never got what they wanted!
Would Trek be as recognizable if its death rays did laserlike things? Transporters are sort of unique to the show, no comparable media phenomenon relying quite that heavily on teleportation and none having those exact specs. But the stun guns that can make people disappear are quite iconic, too. (I mean, yeah, the Phaser 2 design itself is quite recognizable, but many shows had recognizable, oddball shapes for their sidearms. The exotic functionality is what counts here.)
Timo Saloniemi
Would Trek be as recognizable if its death rays did laserlike things? Transporters are sort of unique to the show, no comparable media phenomenon relying quite that heavily on teleportation and none having those exact specs. But the stun guns that can make people disappear are quite iconic, too. (I mean, yeah, the Phaser 2 design itself is quite recognizable, but many shows had recognizable, oddball shapes for their sidearms. The exotic functionality is what counts here.)
Timo Saloniemi
Coherent
Light
Energy
Targeted
Utility
Sidearm
Light
Energy
Targeted
Utility
Sidearm
Hey, they named it after the hillbilly on the Simpsons.
Imagine the great lines of dialog that could have been written about these "weapons."
"Spock was CLEBed by Captain Tracey and nearly died!"
"Bones, your BEE is not supposed to be in your bonnet!"
"Scotty shot himself and now he has a CLEBed foot!"
"Kepteen, shall I arm de landeeng partee with VEEs?"
Stop me before I think of more......
I'm pleased to contribute to a "Wink of an Eye" thread for my first post here (I'm not sure what took so long; I've only been a Star Trek fan for about 40 years!).
I love this episode. When I was a kid I'm pretty sure I liked it because of all of the fun shots of the crew "frozen" in place, the extensive use of the Enterprise sets - one of the reasons why I quite like S3, in fact - the fast pace and, of course, Deela, Queen of Scalos, who in my mind then (and now) was the ultimate Star Trek babe. And not just because she was gorgeous: she was also in charge, pretty clever, and resolute about her role in the preservation of her species. She seemed, more than just about any other of Kirk's romantic interests or conquests, to be an excellent match for him.
As an adult, my admiration of Kathie Browne (whoa) and the terrific job she did on this episode has only increased. If Deela had less nuance or was acted with less skill, the episode wouldn't have worked nearly as well. I've never counted but I suspect she has close to the most lines of any female romantic interest on TOS; she had to work or the episode wouldn't.
I've also discovered over time another reason I probably liked this one so much as a kid and still do: the dialogue absolutely crackles, with hardly a wasted line in the entire script. Of the many times the Enterprise was seized by aliens, this is easily the best. The methodical way the Scalosians take over the ship, shown mostly in minor lines in the dialogue (the hangar deck controls and the deflector controls being frozen, the Scalosians taking down the intercom system) is very precise and cool. I love Kirk's order to distribute phasers and communicators to all personnel and how Spock quickly and wordlessly hands him a phaser and communicator in the corridor moments later when they meet on the run on the way to environmental engineering. Deela's dialogue is very well written too and the interactions between her and Kirk are even better for it. Spock's brief report to Kirk after examining the area of the city near the beamdown point is also very interesting. It's just a terrific script in terms of believable and effective dialogue.
The ending is doubly tragic: the Scalosians appear to be destined to wither away without any help (unless Kirk managed to impregnate Deela, or Compton got the unnamed Subsidiary Scientist pregnant - - they appear to have had plenty of time), and I think Kirk sees a truly awesome, yet completely impossible relationship elude his grasp. I'm moved more by this pairing than by any other one Kirk ever had except for Edith Keeler.
So for me, this is always the one with the beautiful space gal, the cool takeover of the ship, the awesome premise of the hyperacceleration, and the fantastic dialogue. I give it a 10.
A few problems/questions:
-People have touched on it above, but shouldn't the bridge crew have noticed a sudden phaser stun beam? (As the phaser was operating at normal speed.) Just a quick effect or line of dialogue would have been cool.
-I've never cared much about the discrepancy in how fast the Scalosians move versus the Enterprise crew. I've seen it broken down quite logically and it just doesn't bother me. However, I've never been able to figure out an in-universe reason for Spock sending Scotty to the transporter room. The real-world explanation is so that you can have the transporter room scenes at the end without the issue of how the Scalosians get through the closed door; Scotty's there as a handy doorstop, and he also provides Kirk with someone to talk to after McCoy's antidote to the Scalosian water takes effect. (However, Scotty's line asking if Spock is coming too makes little sense, as Scotty should have no way of knowing that Spock also became hyperaccelerated.) But what basis does Spock have for sending Scotty to, of all place, the transporter room? Maybe he planned to use the transporter to lock on to the Scalosians and beam them forcibly off the ship? That would seem to violate TOS beaming protocols, but anyway. Maybe someone here has a good suggestion.
-For that matter, Spock's plan once he drinks the Scalosian water does not bear close scrutiny. He saunters down the corridor on his way to life support (lacking, I believe, a tricorder, which always struck me as odd) and only when he gets close does he whip out his phaser, just before Kirk runs up behind him and there's the great moment of wordless recognition and mutual appreciation (another nice script touch). First, shouldn't Spock have had the phaser out earlier? And what about deducing that it wouldn't work? Further, he didn't know anything about the Scalosians except their number as relayed by Kirk on the message, and he almost certainly deduced that they were the same five seen on the distress call, so he had an idea of what they looked like. He should also have known that they were armed since his and Kirk's phasers disappeared when they first encountered the suspended animation unit. Strolling down the hall in full view with a weapon he ought to have known wouldn't work just didn't seem like the best plan. Maybe he intended to "freeze" and "play decelerated" if he spotted a Scalosian?
-I just don't buy that the Enterprise simply leaves at the end. Starfleet/the UFP apparently helped the Kelvans, who murdered Yeoman Thompson in cold blood. Compton dies as a result of Rael's actions, but it's not premeditated. And Deela (if not Rael) was certainly less menacing than the Kelvans were. So why fly off and allow the Scalosians to die? I prefer to think that Starfleet returned later and worked something out, but it would have been nice to find a way to indicate that while still maintaining the poignancy of the "Goodbye, Deela" at the end.
I love this episode. When I was a kid I'm pretty sure I liked it because of all of the fun shots of the crew "frozen" in place, the extensive use of the Enterprise sets - one of the reasons why I quite like S3, in fact - the fast pace and, of course, Deela, Queen of Scalos, who in my mind then (and now) was the ultimate Star Trek babe. And not just because she was gorgeous: she was also in charge, pretty clever, and resolute about her role in the preservation of her species. She seemed, more than just about any other of Kirk's romantic interests or conquests, to be an excellent match for him.
As an adult, my admiration of Kathie Browne (whoa) and the terrific job she did on this episode has only increased. If Deela had less nuance or was acted with less skill, the episode wouldn't have worked nearly as well. I've never counted but I suspect she has close to the most lines of any female romantic interest on TOS; she had to work or the episode wouldn't.
I've also discovered over time another reason I probably liked this one so much as a kid and still do: the dialogue absolutely crackles, with hardly a wasted line in the entire script. Of the many times the Enterprise was seized by aliens, this is easily the best. The methodical way the Scalosians take over the ship, shown mostly in minor lines in the dialogue (the hangar deck controls and the deflector controls being frozen, the Scalosians taking down the intercom system) is very precise and cool. I love Kirk's order to distribute phasers and communicators to all personnel and how Spock quickly and wordlessly hands him a phaser and communicator in the corridor moments later when they meet on the run on the way to environmental engineering. Deela's dialogue is very well written too and the interactions between her and Kirk are even better for it. Spock's brief report to Kirk after examining the area of the city near the beamdown point is also very interesting. It's just a terrific script in terms of believable and effective dialogue.
The ending is doubly tragic: the Scalosians appear to be destined to wither away without any help (unless Kirk managed to impregnate Deela, or Compton got the unnamed Subsidiary Scientist pregnant - - they appear to have had plenty of time), and I think Kirk sees a truly awesome, yet completely impossible relationship elude his grasp. I'm moved more by this pairing than by any other one Kirk ever had except for Edith Keeler.
So for me, this is always the one with the beautiful space gal, the cool takeover of the ship, the awesome premise of the hyperacceleration, and the fantastic dialogue. I give it a 10.
A few problems/questions:
-People have touched on it above, but shouldn't the bridge crew have noticed a sudden phaser stun beam? (As the phaser was operating at normal speed.) Just a quick effect or line of dialogue would have been cool.
-I've never cared much about the discrepancy in how fast the Scalosians move versus the Enterprise crew. I've seen it broken down quite logically and it just doesn't bother me. However, I've never been able to figure out an in-universe reason for Spock sending Scotty to the transporter room. The real-world explanation is so that you can have the transporter room scenes at the end without the issue of how the Scalosians get through the closed door; Scotty's there as a handy doorstop, and he also provides Kirk with someone to talk to after McCoy's antidote to the Scalosian water takes effect. (However, Scotty's line asking if Spock is coming too makes little sense, as Scotty should have no way of knowing that Spock also became hyperaccelerated.) But what basis does Spock have for sending Scotty to, of all place, the transporter room? Maybe he planned to use the transporter to lock on to the Scalosians and beam them forcibly off the ship? That would seem to violate TOS beaming protocols, but anyway. Maybe someone here has a good suggestion.
-For that matter, Spock's plan once he drinks the Scalosian water does not bear close scrutiny. He saunters down the corridor on his way to life support (lacking, I believe, a tricorder, which always struck me as odd) and only when he gets close does he whip out his phaser, just before Kirk runs up behind him and there's the great moment of wordless recognition and mutual appreciation (another nice script touch). First, shouldn't Spock have had the phaser out earlier? And what about deducing that it wouldn't work? Further, he didn't know anything about the Scalosians except their number as relayed by Kirk on the message, and he almost certainly deduced that they were the same five seen on the distress call, so he had an idea of what they looked like. He should also have known that they were armed since his and Kirk's phasers disappeared when they first encountered the suspended animation unit. Strolling down the hall in full view with a weapon he ought to have known wouldn't work just didn't seem like the best plan. Maybe he intended to "freeze" and "play decelerated" if he spotted a Scalosian?
-I just don't buy that the Enterprise simply leaves at the end. Starfleet/the UFP apparently helped the Kelvans, who murdered Yeoman Thompson in cold blood. Compton dies as a result of Rael's actions, but it's not premeditated. And Deela (if not Rael) was certainly less menacing than the Kelvans were. So why fly off and allow the Scalosians to die? I prefer to think that Starfleet returned later and worked something out, but it would have been nice to find a way to indicate that while still maintaining the poignancy of the "Goodbye, Deela" at the end.
Oh, and if anyone knows for sure what set the "life support center" was, please do tell. I guess it was probably a redress of auxiliary control, but I've never been able to tell for certain.
I like the idea of Scotty the doorstop.
Similar threads
