I’m watching The Original Series again
- Thread starter The Laughing Vulcan
- Start date
Re: Shore Leave
I agree, Shore Leave is such a light piece of whimsy that I had to exercise suspension of disbelief several times. I enjoyed this episode more as a child than I do now as an adult. Not only did the crew take way too long to realize what was happening to them, the keepers of the planet also took way too long to recognize the crew's slowness.
I appreciate your observation that this is Trek's first holodeck episode. Interesting. In TNG and DS9, there is always mention of "safety features" in place to protect one from getting hurt or killed in a holodeck. Strange that this planet had no such safeties. Again, once McCoy died, the keepers should have appeared immediately with apologies all around.
But here I am, trying to critique a comedic episode that really isn't supposed to make sense. It's just supposed to be a fun ride, which it is.
I agree, Shore Leave is such a light piece of whimsy that I had to exercise suspension of disbelief several times. I enjoyed this episode more as a child than I do now as an adult. Not only did the crew take way too long to realize what was happening to them, the keepers of the planet also took way too long to recognize the crew's slowness.
I appreciate your observation that this is Trek's first holodeck episode. Interesting. In TNG and DS9, there is always mention of "safety features" in place to protect one from getting hurt or killed in a holodeck. Strange that this planet had no such safeties. Again, once McCoy died, the keepers should have appeared immediately with apologies all around.
But here I am, trying to critique a comedic episode that really isn't supposed to make sense. It's just supposed to be a fun ride, which it is.
Re: Shore Leave
Why? When you can apparently resurrect people that easily, I'd think that death ceases to become that big of a deal.
"Shore Leave" is one of my absolute favorites of season one. Just a great romp from beginning to end. And Yeoman Tonia Barrows is my all time favorite Trek chick.
Why? When you can apparently resurrect people that easily, I'd think that death ceases to become that big of a deal.
"Shore Leave" is one of my absolute favorites of season one. Just a great romp from beginning to end. And Yeoman Tonia Barrows is my all time favorite Trek chick.
Re: Shore Leave
Ah, but they should have seen that the Enterprise crew had no idea that McCoy's death was reversable. Why torture Kirk et al. that way?
Oh, one other thing. I believe we are to believe that the Federation befriends the keepers of this pleasure planet. If so, you would think that they would have shared their abilities to reverse death with the Federation. McCoy was dead quite a while before they dragged him off and repaired him. I'd say at least 10 minutes. Their medical technology is obviously light-years ahead of the Federation's.
Ah, but they should have seen that the Enterprise crew had no idea that McCoy's death was reversable. Why torture Kirk et al. that way?
Oh, one other thing. I believe we are to believe that the Federation befriends the keepers of this pleasure planet. If so, you would think that they would have shared their abilities to reverse death with the Federation. McCoy was dead quite a while before they dragged him off and repaired him. I'd say at least 10 minutes. Their medical technology is obviously light-years ahead of the Federation's.
Re: Shore Leave
You'd think Kirk would be MORE uncomfortable having Spock rub him. I always thought they had this scene backwards!
Posted by ssosmcin:
I always thought it was funny when Kirk realized it wasn't Spock giving him a back rub and he suddenly got uncomfortable. "Push! Dig it in there Mr. Sp...thank you, yoeman. That's sifficient."
You'd think Kirk would be MORE uncomfortable having Spock rub him. I always thought they had this scene backwards!
Re: Shore Leave
You're applying human standards to an alien culture. They probably just thought that Kirk & co. were really into the play acting aspect of the game.
Just chalk it up to another revolutionary discovery that is conveniently forgotten by the next week. Like the androids in "I, Mudd" and "Return to Tomorrow" or the spores that can heal the sick in "This Side of Paradise."
You're applying human standards to an alien culture. They probably just thought that Kirk & co. were really into the play acting aspect of the game.
Just chalk it up to another revolutionary discovery that is conveniently forgotten by the next week. Like the androids in "I, Mudd" and "Return to Tomorrow" or the spores that can heal the sick in "This Side of Paradise."
The Squire Of Gothos
The Enterprise is on the way to Beta 6 to deliver essential supplies. They are currently in what can best be described as an interstellar desert, so they are surprised to find a planet in the void. Their mission taking precedence, Kirk orders a course change to avoid the planet, when both he and Sulu vanish from the bridge. The only logical assumption is that they must be on the planet somewhere, and when the message “Greetings and Felicitations” appears on Spock’s screen, it becomes obvious that there is intelligence behind the abduction. A landing party beams down to the surface, and are surprised to find a hospitable environment, contrary to the ship’s readings. More surprising is the presence of a castle similar to that of old Earth. Inside, they find a veritable museum, with the frozen forms of Kirk and Sulu taking pride of place. Suddenly a dandy figure appears at a harpsichord, introducing himself as General Trelane (ret), the Squire of Gothos. He releases the Captain and Sulu and indicates his enthusiasm at making the acquaintance of genuine Earth people. He claims to be something of an aficionado, having observed Earth from this distance, and wants to know all about Kirk’s wars of conquest. Spock meanwhile has determined the landing party’s location, and with a judicious transporter beam the crew are returned safely to the ship. Kirk is ready to continue his mission, and orders the ship to leave, when Trelane appears on the bridge, irate at having his fun spoiled. With an awesome display of power, he and his new guests appear back in the castle, where he insists that they stay and regale him of their exploits, while he entertains them in turn. With such power at his disposal, and such a whimsical attitude, he represents a danger to the Enterprise and her crew, and it comes down to a battle of wits between Kirk and Trelane, a simple human and a being of godlike powers.
God like beings playing fast and loose with the overwhelmed Enterprise crew seems such a staple of the Original series that it approaches cliché, yet there had to be a first such episode, and The Squire Of Gothos is also one of the best. There was the second pilot of course, but since Gary Mitchell started out as human, it doesn’t really compare. This episode makes for an excellent mystery, as the Enterprise crew are confronted by this rather enigmatic being, apparently human, that has taken a vicarious interest in humanity. He’s almost a fan. Kirk briefly humours him, but as the story progresses, it becomes apparent that Trelane has limitless power at his beck and call, and Kirk finds himself increasingly out of his depth. What makes this episode so agreeable is the outstanding character of Trelane, played brilliantly by William Campbell. His portrayal is of a playful whimsical imp (he reminds me of Bugs Bunny of all characters), but with an undercurrent of menace that indicates steel to his character. Initially, his desire to have his own way is presented as an example of absolute power corrupting. His lack of experience and petulance is introduced gradually, making the climactic revelation of a being in his childhood surprising, but understandable given what has occurred up to that point. Despite the exuberance and passion in the performance, it is a carefully measured and judged one that never fails to impress.
This is Star Trek’s first attempt to narrow down a time frame for the series. At the beginning, they state that they are 900 light years from civilisation, and Trelane’s rudimentary error is that in observing Earth, he hasn’t taken account of the distance. His fascination with all things Napoleon and Regency, suggests a timeframe some 700 years or so in our future. This is a subtle way of suggesting this and one that I appreciate, as it indicates thought and more than an element of science in the story. I also like the idea of Trek so far away in our future that it is essentially a different universe. The idea of defining a Trek history becomes less relevant the further away it is. Of course Space Seed would soon contradict this, and subsequent Treks have taken the opportunity to fill in the gaps, leaving scope for the great canon wars that erupt in fandom as time passes.
Small things worth mentioning include the return of the Salt Vampire in one of Trelane’s alcoves, Spock’s tantalising comment about the rare exception to Vulcan’s lack of predators, and the echo of Charlie X at the end. One thing that strikes me is when Spock comments to Kirk about how Trelane knows the form but not the substance of Earth history, Kirk immediately extrapolates from this that Trelane relies on an instrumentality to maintain his illusions. It’s a jump in logic that I just can’t follow, and it seems to me that Kirk pulls it out of thin air. And while his actions with the mirror do prove successful in the short term, he is ultimately proved wrong when he ends up being judged by Trelane.
Ah, the judgement scene. I don’t suppose it’s plagiarism if it is yourself you are copying from. Trelane is Q in all but his lack of knowledge. Last night I was struck by the similarity to TNG’s pilot more than ever, especially when a jaunty Trelane appears on the Enterprise Bridge, and the moment when Kirk is put on trial for the crimes of humanity, I mean treason against a superior life form. All that Q lacked in that first episode was the playful quirkiness, and that was an aspect that he developed as the Next Generation progressed. It’s no surprise that the two entities were matched in Peter David’s novel, Q-Squared. While Q became an integral character over the seven years of TNG, I find that William Campbell created an exceptionally vivid character in the space of just one episode. The Squire Of Gothos established the Original Series’ penchant for god entities, but this particular story has a strong SF heart to it that ranks it among the best of Star Trek It’s eminently quotable too “Hang by the neck until you are dead, dead, dead!”
The Enterprise is on the way to Beta 6 to deliver essential supplies. They are currently in what can best be described as an interstellar desert, so they are surprised to find a planet in the void. Their mission taking precedence, Kirk orders a course change to avoid the planet, when both he and Sulu vanish from the bridge. The only logical assumption is that they must be on the planet somewhere, and when the message “Greetings and Felicitations” appears on Spock’s screen, it becomes obvious that there is intelligence behind the abduction. A landing party beams down to the surface, and are surprised to find a hospitable environment, contrary to the ship’s readings. More surprising is the presence of a castle similar to that of old Earth. Inside, they find a veritable museum, with the frozen forms of Kirk and Sulu taking pride of place. Suddenly a dandy figure appears at a harpsichord, introducing himself as General Trelane (ret), the Squire of Gothos. He releases the Captain and Sulu and indicates his enthusiasm at making the acquaintance of genuine Earth people. He claims to be something of an aficionado, having observed Earth from this distance, and wants to know all about Kirk’s wars of conquest. Spock meanwhile has determined the landing party’s location, and with a judicious transporter beam the crew are returned safely to the ship. Kirk is ready to continue his mission, and orders the ship to leave, when Trelane appears on the bridge, irate at having his fun spoiled. With an awesome display of power, he and his new guests appear back in the castle, where he insists that they stay and regale him of their exploits, while he entertains them in turn. With such power at his disposal, and such a whimsical attitude, he represents a danger to the Enterprise and her crew, and it comes down to a battle of wits between Kirk and Trelane, a simple human and a being of godlike powers.
God like beings playing fast and loose with the overwhelmed Enterprise crew seems such a staple of the Original series that it approaches cliché, yet there had to be a first such episode, and The Squire Of Gothos is also one of the best. There was the second pilot of course, but since Gary Mitchell started out as human, it doesn’t really compare. This episode makes for an excellent mystery, as the Enterprise crew are confronted by this rather enigmatic being, apparently human, that has taken a vicarious interest in humanity. He’s almost a fan. Kirk briefly humours him, but as the story progresses, it becomes apparent that Trelane has limitless power at his beck and call, and Kirk finds himself increasingly out of his depth. What makes this episode so agreeable is the outstanding character of Trelane, played brilliantly by William Campbell. His portrayal is of a playful whimsical imp (he reminds me of Bugs Bunny of all characters), but with an undercurrent of menace that indicates steel to his character. Initially, his desire to have his own way is presented as an example of absolute power corrupting. His lack of experience and petulance is introduced gradually, making the climactic revelation of a being in his childhood surprising, but understandable given what has occurred up to that point. Despite the exuberance and passion in the performance, it is a carefully measured and judged one that never fails to impress.
This is Star Trek’s first attempt to narrow down a time frame for the series. At the beginning, they state that they are 900 light years from civilisation, and Trelane’s rudimentary error is that in observing Earth, he hasn’t taken account of the distance. His fascination with all things Napoleon and Regency, suggests a timeframe some 700 years or so in our future. This is a subtle way of suggesting this and one that I appreciate, as it indicates thought and more than an element of science in the story. I also like the idea of Trek so far away in our future that it is essentially a different universe. The idea of defining a Trek history becomes less relevant the further away it is. Of course Space Seed would soon contradict this, and subsequent Treks have taken the opportunity to fill in the gaps, leaving scope for the great canon wars that erupt in fandom as time passes.
Small things worth mentioning include the return of the Salt Vampire in one of Trelane’s alcoves, Spock’s tantalising comment about the rare exception to Vulcan’s lack of predators, and the echo of Charlie X at the end. One thing that strikes me is when Spock comments to Kirk about how Trelane knows the form but not the substance of Earth history, Kirk immediately extrapolates from this that Trelane relies on an instrumentality to maintain his illusions. It’s a jump in logic that I just can’t follow, and it seems to me that Kirk pulls it out of thin air. And while his actions with the mirror do prove successful in the short term, he is ultimately proved wrong when he ends up being judged by Trelane.
Ah, the judgement scene. I don’t suppose it’s plagiarism if it is yourself you are copying from. Trelane is Q in all but his lack of knowledge. Last night I was struck by the similarity to TNG’s pilot more than ever, especially when a jaunty Trelane appears on the Enterprise Bridge, and the moment when Kirk is put on trial for the crimes of humanity, I mean treason against a superior life form. All that Q lacked in that first episode was the playful quirkiness, and that was an aspect that he developed as the Next Generation progressed. It’s no surprise that the two entities were matched in Peter David’s novel, Q-Squared. While Q became an integral character over the seven years of TNG, I find that William Campbell created an exceptionally vivid character in the space of just one episode. The Squire Of Gothos established the Original Series’ penchant for god entities, but this particular story has a strong SF heart to it that ranks it among the best of Star Trek It’s eminently quotable too “Hang by the neck until you are dead, dead, dead!”
Re: The Squire Of Gothos
It's true that Trek has always gone to great lengths to ensure that 23rd and 24th century humans are humbled by the knowledge that far, far more advanced life forms exist. I like your observation that Trelane is a Q-like character with seemingly limitless powers (although the power source hidden in the mirror suggests a far more limited being than Q).
Interestingly, in Errand of Mercy, Spock describes the Organians as being as far above humans as humans are to amoeba. I'm curious how the Organians stack up against Trelane's people and the Q in terms of relative position on the evolutionary scale.
It's true that Trek has always gone to great lengths to ensure that 23rd and 24th century humans are humbled by the knowledge that far, far more advanced life forms exist. I like your observation that Trelane is a Q-like character with seemingly limitless powers (although the power source hidden in the mirror suggests a far more limited being than Q).
Interestingly, in Errand of Mercy, Spock describes the Organians as being as far above humans as humans are to amoeba. I'm curious how the Organians stack up against Trelane's people and the Q in terms of relative position on the evolutionary scale.
Arena
The Enterprise is paying a visit to the Earth Outpost on Cestus III, as well as responding to a personal invitation from base commander Commodore Travers. The landing party beam down to find that the outpost has been utterly destroyed, the messages apparently faked. There is one survivor, but before the landing party can return to the ship, a simultaneous attack is launched by an unseen foe. While Kirk and his crew are pinned down in the ruins on the planet, the Enterprise comes under fire in orbit. It’s only when Kirk can get to the base’s armoury that he can respond to the aliens and drive them off. Returning to the ship, he interrogates the survivor, but the Lieutenant can only express disbelief at such an unprovoked and brutal attack. Kirk has no other option but to interpret the attack as a prelude to invasion, despite Spock’s counsel. He has no choice but to stop the ship with force to indicate the fleet’s readiness to defend its borders. He orders the Enterprise to pursue the alien ship, and to do so at breakneck speeds into unexplored space. They are passing an innocuous world when both ships are seized by an unknown power. The Enterprise is rendered powerless, and all that the crew can do is wait. They don’t have to wait long as the Metrons make their presence known. They have been watching the battle between two primitive species unfold, and they are disgusted at such behaviour interfering in their sphere of influence. They decide to put an end to it, and take the Captains of both ships. They will be set down on a world prepared for a duel, furnished with the raw materials suitable for weapons of their choice, essentially reduced to the primitive level that their behaviour indicates. There they will fight to the death, but the loser will lose more than his life, his ship will be destroyed too.
I remember the James Blish adaptation of Arena most fondly. The story is compelling, a base destroyed, a mysterious alien foe, interfering beings with godlike powers, and a battle to the death on the surface of an alien world, where wits will be pitted against brute strength. It’s just a shame about the actual show then. In this respect it has much in common with Spielberg’s Jaws. Both the film and this episode have this tremendous build up and suspense that leads to the big reveal of the foe. With Jaws, Spielberg had to work around his problems with his shark, and that led to even greater suspense and character. By the time the shark’s big reveal came, audiences were so far into the film that they didn’t care that it looked like a waterborne Saveloy (Wiener for Americans). But in Arena, the menace of the Gorn is introduced half way through, and the battle between Kirk and the Gorn takes centre stage for the remainder of the episode. It simply doesn’t work when the Gorn is so obviously a man in a rubber suit. It’s a tacky rubber suit to boot, wrapped in a caftan and wholly inadequate in portraying any menace or a performance of any kind. You can even seen the manufacturers indentations where the mask was removed from the mould (Or are they supposed to be ears?) For me, Arena is 25 minutes of tension and excitement, followed by a laughable conclusion, set once again in Bill & Ted country. The fake boulders don’t help much either, with Kirk pinned by a boulder large enough to have crushed his pelvis, but resulting in only a limp.
Consider the invisible Gorn menace, described by Spock as cold-blooded and inhuman, yet they are stunningly intelligent. They are able to lure the Enterprise crew down to Cestus III with a faked message, interfere with their communications, and even turn Spock’s tricorder into a bomb by remote. Yet when the Gorn is revealed, it is a creature that relies on brute force, that lumbers like a zombie and that lacks any trait of intelligence in its physicality implied by the first half of the episode. It looks like a poor man’s Godzilla. I half expected the A-Team’s Hannibal to pop up from beneath the mask. I refuse to attribute the Gorn’s failure to the sixties effects and budgets. Star Trek is the same show that gave us the Horta and a half dozen other non-humanoid aliens. I wonder how much is down to the suit and how much is down to the man inside the suit. Could another actor have delivered a more convincing performance? It’s true that movies have more time and budget, but the same era gave us Planet Of The Apes and 2001, and barely 10 years later, George Lucas would present a menagerie of aliens that would entertain millions.
The disappointing alien makes it easy to nitpick the rest of the episode. It’s another God episode, so soon after The Squire Of Gothos, only this begins the Star Trek tradition of dressing omnipotent beings in togas. It is also a tale of two halves, with the conclusion seeing Kirk tested by the escapee from Animal House, while the start of the show is a replay of Balance Of Power, with Spock providing the same rationale for the pursuit of the Gorn ship that he did for the Romulan ship. This story made enough of an impact to be remade as TNG’s Last Outpost, with the Ferengi and the Tkon portal replacing the Gorn and the Metrons.
This show is a let down in the ensemble cast department, with only Kirk really shining in terms of performance. His concern for the ship comes through clearly when the landing party are pinned down on Cestus, his determination to follow the Gorn ship is once again indication of his strength of character, and the ordeal on the planet gives him a chance to overcome his instinctive prejudices towards reptiles (that we all apparently share). It’s his final display of mercy that saves the day. That argument against prejudice is a strong one, and one that this episode does well, despite it’s failings. In comparison, Spock comes off second best, acting as the voice of reason throughout the episode, yet overruled by Kirk at every turn. At the end, all that the crew can do is watch impotently as their Captain battles the Gorn (The Metrons are apparently sadists), and all the Spock can do is approve while Kirk solves the puzzle on the planet and builds his bamboo cannon. Although McCoy has one charming moment when Spock accuses him of being a sensualist in the pre-credits sequence, all he can do in the episode is bluster at Spock when the Captain is on the planet, urging him to do the impossible. Poor Scotty is even worse off. When the ship is climbing through the warp factors, chasing the Gorn, there are plenty of dramatic moments and meaningful looks as Kirk orders each successive burst of acceleration. Yet while Scott stands dumbfounded at the Engineering station, it’s actually Spock who warns that ‘the puir bairns cannae take any more Captain’
Interesting things to note, include the Captain Pike look-alike DePaul at the navigation station. (The same actor played chairbound Pike in The Menagerie, and the fact that Spock can identify saltpetre by sight alone. Just as The Squire Of Gothos hinted at a timeframe for Star Trek, Arena hints at a starship’s velocity. Before the Enterprise goes off chasing the Gorn, they leave a group of specialists behind on Cestus III to hunt for survivors. After the battle with the Gorn, the ship is cast over 500 parsecs away. That is well over 1000 light years. Kirk orders a return to Cestus ostensibly to pick up the landing party, but he orders a velocity of Warp 1. That would imply that Warp 1 is a whole lot faster than the measly speed of light indicated by the Franz Joseph technical manual, and all other subsequent literature.
Arena is a brilliant story, let down on screen by a man in a rubber suit. It makes this an episode I’d rather read than watch, as my suspension of disbelief stretches only so far.
The Enterprise is paying a visit to the Earth Outpost on Cestus III, as well as responding to a personal invitation from base commander Commodore Travers. The landing party beam down to find that the outpost has been utterly destroyed, the messages apparently faked. There is one survivor, but before the landing party can return to the ship, a simultaneous attack is launched by an unseen foe. While Kirk and his crew are pinned down in the ruins on the planet, the Enterprise comes under fire in orbit. It’s only when Kirk can get to the base’s armoury that he can respond to the aliens and drive them off. Returning to the ship, he interrogates the survivor, but the Lieutenant can only express disbelief at such an unprovoked and brutal attack. Kirk has no other option but to interpret the attack as a prelude to invasion, despite Spock’s counsel. He has no choice but to stop the ship with force to indicate the fleet’s readiness to defend its borders. He orders the Enterprise to pursue the alien ship, and to do so at breakneck speeds into unexplored space. They are passing an innocuous world when both ships are seized by an unknown power. The Enterprise is rendered powerless, and all that the crew can do is wait. They don’t have to wait long as the Metrons make their presence known. They have been watching the battle between two primitive species unfold, and they are disgusted at such behaviour interfering in their sphere of influence. They decide to put an end to it, and take the Captains of both ships. They will be set down on a world prepared for a duel, furnished with the raw materials suitable for weapons of their choice, essentially reduced to the primitive level that their behaviour indicates. There they will fight to the death, but the loser will lose more than his life, his ship will be destroyed too.
I remember the James Blish adaptation of Arena most fondly. The story is compelling, a base destroyed, a mysterious alien foe, interfering beings with godlike powers, and a battle to the death on the surface of an alien world, where wits will be pitted against brute strength. It’s just a shame about the actual show then. In this respect it has much in common with Spielberg’s Jaws. Both the film and this episode have this tremendous build up and suspense that leads to the big reveal of the foe. With Jaws, Spielberg had to work around his problems with his shark, and that led to even greater suspense and character. By the time the shark’s big reveal came, audiences were so far into the film that they didn’t care that it looked like a waterborne Saveloy (Wiener for Americans). But in Arena, the menace of the Gorn is introduced half way through, and the battle between Kirk and the Gorn takes centre stage for the remainder of the episode. It simply doesn’t work when the Gorn is so obviously a man in a rubber suit. It’s a tacky rubber suit to boot, wrapped in a caftan and wholly inadequate in portraying any menace or a performance of any kind. You can even seen the manufacturers indentations where the mask was removed from the mould (Or are they supposed to be ears?) For me, Arena is 25 minutes of tension and excitement, followed by a laughable conclusion, set once again in Bill & Ted country. The fake boulders don’t help much either, with Kirk pinned by a boulder large enough to have crushed his pelvis, but resulting in only a limp.
Consider the invisible Gorn menace, described by Spock as cold-blooded and inhuman, yet they are stunningly intelligent. They are able to lure the Enterprise crew down to Cestus III with a faked message, interfere with their communications, and even turn Spock’s tricorder into a bomb by remote. Yet when the Gorn is revealed, it is a creature that relies on brute force, that lumbers like a zombie and that lacks any trait of intelligence in its physicality implied by the first half of the episode. It looks like a poor man’s Godzilla. I half expected the A-Team’s Hannibal to pop up from beneath the mask. I refuse to attribute the Gorn’s failure to the sixties effects and budgets. Star Trek is the same show that gave us the Horta and a half dozen other non-humanoid aliens. I wonder how much is down to the suit and how much is down to the man inside the suit. Could another actor have delivered a more convincing performance? It’s true that movies have more time and budget, but the same era gave us Planet Of The Apes and 2001, and barely 10 years later, George Lucas would present a menagerie of aliens that would entertain millions.
The disappointing alien makes it easy to nitpick the rest of the episode. It’s another God episode, so soon after The Squire Of Gothos, only this begins the Star Trek tradition of dressing omnipotent beings in togas. It is also a tale of two halves, with the conclusion seeing Kirk tested by the escapee from Animal House, while the start of the show is a replay of Balance Of Power, with Spock providing the same rationale for the pursuit of the Gorn ship that he did for the Romulan ship. This story made enough of an impact to be remade as TNG’s Last Outpost, with the Ferengi and the Tkon portal replacing the Gorn and the Metrons.
This show is a let down in the ensemble cast department, with only Kirk really shining in terms of performance. His concern for the ship comes through clearly when the landing party are pinned down on Cestus, his determination to follow the Gorn ship is once again indication of his strength of character, and the ordeal on the planet gives him a chance to overcome his instinctive prejudices towards reptiles (that we all apparently share). It’s his final display of mercy that saves the day. That argument against prejudice is a strong one, and one that this episode does well, despite it’s failings. In comparison, Spock comes off second best, acting as the voice of reason throughout the episode, yet overruled by Kirk at every turn. At the end, all that the crew can do is watch impotently as their Captain battles the Gorn (The Metrons are apparently sadists), and all the Spock can do is approve while Kirk solves the puzzle on the planet and builds his bamboo cannon. Although McCoy has one charming moment when Spock accuses him of being a sensualist in the pre-credits sequence, all he can do in the episode is bluster at Spock when the Captain is on the planet, urging him to do the impossible. Poor Scotty is even worse off. When the ship is climbing through the warp factors, chasing the Gorn, there are plenty of dramatic moments and meaningful looks as Kirk orders each successive burst of acceleration. Yet while Scott stands dumbfounded at the Engineering station, it’s actually Spock who warns that ‘the puir bairns cannae take any more Captain’
Interesting things to note, include the Captain Pike look-alike DePaul at the navigation station. (The same actor played chairbound Pike in The Menagerie, and the fact that Spock can identify saltpetre by sight alone. Just as The Squire Of Gothos hinted at a timeframe for Star Trek, Arena hints at a starship’s velocity. Before the Enterprise goes off chasing the Gorn, they leave a group of specialists behind on Cestus III to hunt for survivors. After the battle with the Gorn, the ship is cast over 500 parsecs away. That is well over 1000 light years. Kirk orders a return to Cestus ostensibly to pick up the landing party, but he orders a velocity of Warp 1. That would imply that Warp 1 is a whole lot faster than the measly speed of light indicated by the Franz Joseph technical manual, and all other subsequent literature.
Arena is a brilliant story, let down on screen by a man in a rubber suit. It makes this an episode I’d rather read than watch, as my suspension of disbelief stretches only so far.
Re: Arena
I enjoy watching Arena. More so than in any other trek series, TOS seems intent on making its captain the weekly hero.
The cheap rubber Gorn suit has never bothered me. Considering the show was produced at bare-minimum cost and at break-neck speed, they did a nice job working with what they had. Every episode has several potentially cringe-worthy backgrounds, props, sets, and creatures. I just ignore them and enjoy the ride.
I enjoy watching Arena. More so than in any other trek series, TOS seems intent on making its captain the weekly hero.
The cheap rubber Gorn suit has never bothered me. Considering the show was produced at bare-minimum cost and at break-neck speed, they did a nice job working with what they had. Every episode has several potentially cringe-worthy backgrounds, props, sets, and creatures. I just ignore them and enjoy the ride.
Re: Arena
but, i have wondered what the gorn would have been like if
janos prohaska had created it.
as for what kirk did in arena..
i dont totally agree with that. spock tried to point out they had another option ie catch the ship and knock out ships systems and try and get them to communicste again.
only after did they know for sure that inded they were part of an invasion force did spock agree the ship needed to be destroyed.
considering the gorn saw the humans as invaders it is a good thing kirk didnt catch the ship becase he could have had a war on his hands.
but, i have wondered what the gorn would have been like if
janos prohaska had created it.
as for what kirk did in arena..
i dont totally agree with that. spock tried to point out they had another option ie catch the ship and knock out ships systems and try and get them to communicste again.
only after did they know for sure that inded they were part of an invasion force did spock agree the ship needed to be destroyed.
considering the gorn saw the humans as invaders it is a good thing kirk didnt catch the ship becase he could have had a war on his hands.
Re: Arena
"Guy in the suit" effects have rarely been successful, especially during 60's television. Have you ever seen Lost in Space or Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea? Even in the later Godzilla movies, it still looks like a guy in a suit. As for the Star Wars aliens, the Mos Eisley aliens weren't that convincing. And Return of the Jedi had even worse costumes.
The Fox make up guys (John Chambers especially) were better at the full body make ups than the the Paramount guys were (who were masters at small appliances, like ears and noses).
Sorry, but you really should excuse the costume here. It is primitive. but it's audacious. Instead of the wrinkled forehead, we got a full monster. I bought it.
You do have a point about the fake rocks, though. I never bought into those, especially the big rock Kirk pushes up the cliff!
"Guy in the suit" effects have rarely been successful, especially during 60's television. Have you ever seen Lost in Space or Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea? Even in the later Godzilla movies, it still looks like a guy in a suit. As for the Star Wars aliens, the Mos Eisley aliens weren't that convincing. And Return of the Jedi had even worse costumes.
The Fox make up guys (John Chambers especially) were better at the full body make ups than the the Paramount guys were (who were masters at small appliances, like ears and noses).
Sorry, but you really should excuse the costume here. It is primitive. but it's audacious. Instead of the wrinkled forehead, we got a full monster. I bought it.
You do have a point about the fake rocks, though. I never bought into those, especially the big rock Kirk pushes up the cliff!
Re: Arena
The odd thing about all this is, is that it is only this episode that affects me this way, and has done from an early age. The first time I saw it, I was left totally underwhelmed by the Gorn, yet at the same age, I was quivering behind the sofa in fear at the wavering image of Balok in The Corbomite Maneuver, and I instantly bought into the Horta.
I guess what I'm saying is that it isn't an intellectual opinion, so much as it is an instinctive reaction to the Gorn suit.
The odd thing about all this is, is that it is only this episode that affects me this way, and has done from an early age. The first time I saw it, I was left totally underwhelmed by the Gorn, yet at the same age, I was quivering behind the sofa in fear at the wavering image of Balok in The Corbomite Maneuver, and I instantly bought into the Horta.
I guess what I'm saying is that it isn't an intellectual opinion, so much as it is an instinctive reaction to the Gorn suit.
Re: Arena
That's certainly fair enough, but remember, that was the best damned monster they could make. Perhaps having the mouth move better or something would have helped, but for the time and money, it was a pretty danged good costume.
Not as terrifying as the Salt Vampire, but still memorable. I love this episode.
That's certainly fair enough, but remember, that was the best damned monster they could make. Perhaps having the mouth move better or something would have helped, but for the time and money, it was a pretty danged good costume.
Not as terrifying as the Salt Vampire, but still memorable. I love this episode.
Re: Where No Man Has Gone Before
I watched "WNMHGB" today before going downtown. This episode gets better every time I watch it. I don't think I've seen anyone through one of those 1950s/1960s "haymakers" in a staged fight in years. While it's easy to get tired of the constant references to Spock as an alien, once should have been enough, many of the performances were so much more nuanced than what you see on many canned TV shows today.
ST:TOS gets beat up a lot because of cheesy sets, bad science, and hammy acting. Still, if anyone ever wants to know what the appeal of ST, they should begin their inquiry with this episode.
I watched "WNMHGB" today before going downtown. This episode gets better every time I watch it. I don't think I've seen anyone through one of those 1950s/1960s "haymakers" in a staged fight in years. While it's easy to get tired of the constant references to Spock as an alien, once should have been enough, many of the performances were so much more nuanced than what you see on many canned TV shows today.
ST:TOS gets beat up a lot because of cheesy sets, bad science, and hammy acting. Still, if anyone ever wants to know what the appeal of ST, they should begin their inquiry with this episode.
Re: Where No Man Has Gone Before
This episode crackles and really should have been the one to start the series on NBC. It's got everythintg the network needed and gave viewers a solid plot, serious acting and great effects. And it's exciting to boot.
Shatner, in my opinion, sold the series. His performance in this is just about his best work. When he give the speech about compassion, you really by it. The cast may have been pissed by his ego, but you know something? He earned it.
Damn fine episode, in my top 5.
This episode crackles and really should have been the one to start the series on NBC. It's got everythintg the network needed and gave viewers a solid plot, serious acting and great effects. And it's exciting to boot.
Shatner, in my opinion, sold the series. His performance in this is just about his best work. When he give the speech about compassion, you really by it. The cast may have been pissed by his ego, but you know something? He earned it.
Damn fine episode, in my top 5.
