Journey To Babel

[Zakk]

Hey, guys here is other Star Trek TOS Review, This time its Journey to Babel, now what can i say about this episode, well honestly i think its one of best episodes ever, the episode it self had many introductions first we were introduced to Spock's father Sarek and his mother Amanda Grayson, the story nicely done, this episode was one of the many to make it on the best of star trek dvd vol 2, an must see to all new trekkies and trekers like, what your take.

 

[Admiral Shran]

One of the very best in all of Trek, as far as I'm concerned. It has a lot of introductions which do a lot in terms of universe-building. And, it has a good story dealing with both personal and interstellar political drama.

 

[T'Grinch]

I've always liked this show, minus how silly Amanda seemed at times (stupid 1960s writing) and Kirk's terrible fighting skills (that utterly worthless jump kick he does) against the Andorian.

It was pretty neat to "meet" Spock's parents and to see the family dynamics.

The threat was good, interesting and intriguing enough to hold one's attention.

I LOVE the ending - rock on, McCoy!

 

[Cap'n Claus]

Yes, an amazing episode. I once started a discussion on here about how clumsily we're told Sarek and Amanda are Spock's parents. Most people didn't see it my way ("aye, so what else is new?"), but it still bugs me. It's uncouth of Kirk to put Spock in that position and, really, Kirk should know who Spock's parents are: 1) Vulcan Ambassador with a human wife - Kirk knows Spock's dad is an ambassador with a human wife, 2) it's got to be in Spock's dossier, which Kirk would have reviewed before meeting his XO, 3) Kirk and Spock are best friends. I mean, Spock could at least have said "My parents are coming up, don't embarrass me by saying anything stupid."

Otherwise through, good stuff. I agree about the bad combat move of Kirk's, but the Andorian's not much better as he stops to adjust his outfit instead of finishing Kirk off.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

How about a grading system rather than binary? On a scale from A to E, I'd make "Journey" a B-. It's lovable for filling in some more of Spock's backstory, but it's no "Amok Time."

Fontana basically jams prosaic family soap opera together with a little perfunctory cloak-and-dagger and not much speculative content, if any. Yeah, it's fun to look at all the ambassadors - little gold guys in fezes included - and plates of "food" in Playdough colors. That stuff is mainly a tribute to the marvelous production and design staff of the show, rather than being part of the story content.

Fontana did devote a couple of lines to sketching in the foundation for the Andorians, but it would have to wait for Star Trek: Enterprise to do anything really interesting with them.

 

[propita]

Fontana did devote a couple of lines to sketching in the foundation for the Andorians, but it would have to wait for Star Trek: Enterprise to do anything really interesting with them.

One of the best things to come out of ST:E was the Andorians. I loved how the antennae reflected emotions (and twirled when they drank alcohol). How much of that goodness was due to Combs ... I don't know. But damn he's good no matter what character.

 

[Admiral Shran]

Yes, an amazing episode. I once started a discussion on here about how clumsily we're told Sarek and Amanda are Spock's parents. Most people didn't see it my way ("aye, so what else is new?"), but it still bugs me. It's uncouth of Kirk to put Spock in that position and, really, Kirk should know who Spock's parents are: 1) Vulcan Ambassador with a human wife - Kirk knows Spock's dad is an ambassador with a human wife, 2) it's got to be in Spock's dossier, which Kirk would have reviewed before meeting his XO, 3) Kirk and Spock are best friends. I mean, Spock could at least have said "My parents are coming up, don't embarrass me by saying anything stupid."

I'll agree with that, especially since Sarek is Vulcan's ambassador to the Federation, or is it ambassador to Earth (I don't know). Kind of a pretty important position for Kirk to know nothing about, especially since the man's son is his best friend.

 

[Valin]

^^^Spock was very tight-lipped about his family/personal life. He didn't tell Kirk abut the girl back home or his half brother either.

Also, many things about Vulcan and Vulcans were secrets that others in the Federation (including Kirk and McCoy) didn't know about. Pon farr and the secondary eyelid, to name two (or three).

 

[Maurice]

While I loved the episode as a kid its by-the-numbers family drama-ness really sticks out to me as an adult. Sturgeon made the Vulcans nicely alien in Amok Time. Fontana made them 50s TV parents. Bah.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Well, Jane Wyatt had a lot of experience as a 50s TV parent.

 

[Myasishchev]

I liked it overall, but it bothered me that Spock was being a dick again. When did Scotty or Sulu become unqualified to run the ship? They did that in combat situations all the time. Heck, they left Sulu to face a Klingon invasion.

The answer, obviously, is that Spock hates the crap out of his dad, apparently enough to justify letting him die based on a pretty flimsy excuse. You know, on reflection, I think it actually makes me like the episode more.

I also liked the little gold dudes. Whatever happened to them?

 

[T'Grinch]

No, the answer is that Spock is a bit insecure as a Vulcan and overcompensates by being overly attentive to Vulcan ways, or to Federation rules, etc. He has to be BETTER than those around him because he feels he's always being judged.

Or so it seems to me.

 

[Myasishchev]

Yeah, and he's insecure because Sarek is a dick, too! Seriously, I don't blame Spock for not speaking to him for like a century.

 

[Surfin' Santa]

^^^Spock was very tight-lipped about his family/personal life. He didn't tell Kirk abut the girl back home or his half brother either.

Also, many things about Vulcan and Vulcans were secrets that others in the Federation (including Kirk and McCoy) didn't know about. Pon farr and the secondary eyelid, to name two (or three).

Yes, Vulcans are a private and secretive lot. But Spock is not only Kirk's best friend, he's his SECOND-IN-COMMAND. You'd think the captain of a starship would at least know who his First Officer's father is, especially if it's someone in an important position like Sarek.

Face it, the only reason Kirk was surprised to learn that Sarek and Amanda were Spock's parents was to have a “hook” at the end of the pre-credit teaser. It was a cheap bit of writing.

And as for Sybok -- well, a lot of fans don't even regard TFF as canon. They think of that movie as more like a bad mushroom hallucination.

 

[Mytran]

You mean a bad bean hallucination!

 

[Surfin' Santa]

You mean a bad bean hallucination!

Uh . . . sorry, I don't get it.

 

[Anika Hanson]

Yes it was great seeing the interaction between Sarek and Spock.

 

[Myasishchev]

You mean a bad bean hallucination!

Uh . . . sorry, I don't get it.

I think he meant "marshmellon."

I still don't see what people's problem with Sybok being Spock's half-brother is. Sarek might have a dozen kids for all we know (indeed, appears to have at least one other, going by some dialogue in TNG).

 

[Paul Weaver]

I liked it overall, but it bothered me that Spock was being a dick again. When did Scotty or Sulu become unqualified to run the ship? They did that in combat situations all the time. Heck, they left Sulu to face a Klingon invasion.

Sulu was presumably off the ship at the time given the unknown at the helm, and Scotty was needed in engineering (they lost power to sickbay FCOL!)

What I don't understand is how Ensign Chekov was given the bridge at the end of the episode, rather than Lieutenant Uhura.

 

[Timo]

Why should the fact that the ship has more than one helmsman mean that when Sulu is off camera, he's also off ship? Surely the helmsmen operate in shifts?

The heroes get an inordinate amount of time at their bridge positions in terms of a shift arrangement - but they might well be Kirk's "Alpha Team", the folks who get summoned to the bridge when the ship is approaching an important adventure. Hence they are there when the episode opens with something exciting going on (which isn't the case in "Journey to Babel"). But Kirk doesn't reshuffle his bridge if there's a sudden alert, and so the current shift here stays put rather than the Alpha Team being summoned from their bunks.

As for being "given the bridge", that's a menial task often befalling the most junior of officers in the real life. Higher-ranking officers typically have better things to do. Commanding the ship is a separate job that at least in Starfleet often seems to involve releasing the officer in charge of the bridge to do other things. Chekov getting the bridge watch is a plausible event, and something we should have seen a bit more often...

Why Spock didn't want to give up command to Sulu or Scotty is rather understandable IMHO. It's a matter of pride for him, especially with dad watching, but also something he cannot admit to as Vulcans aren't entitled to pride, so he's in a jam there.

Timo Saloniemi