Just Saw Journey to Babel

[RookieBatman]

So, I'm going through the whole series, for the first time cohesively, and I was really starting to think that the first season was a lot better than the second, and then I came to "Bread and Circuses," a personal favorite, which was immediately followed by "Journey to Babel," which is one I'd never seen before (at least, not in recent memory). Suffice it to say that the second season has been redeemed. This episode was everything that Star Trek should be, in my opinion. Incredible character development with Spock (I kinda wish they could've fit his parents into the series more), and a real BA moment for Kirk, a lot of original aliens and a classic space-combat scene. I'd say this was really the best episode to represent what Star Trek is at its best since The Corbomite Maneuver and Balance of Terror. (Although shows like Errand of Mercy and City on the Edge... are also great, I personally prefer the ship-based episodes, which are all too few; maybe that's why I appreciate them so much.) This is the kind of episode that I would recommend to a non-fan if I thought they might have the propensity to like Star Trek given the right hook. Again, I really think this one is everything a Star Trek episode should be. *whew* Can you tell I'm excited?

 

[MikeH92467]

Interesting point about the ship based shows. The ship based (bottle) shows were easier to produce and less expensive, but the network geniuses were constantly demanding more planet based episodes. Naturally those cost more money, either for sets or location shooting. At the same time the budget kept getting cut.

TV is such a wonderful business...

 

[Mallory]

Great episode. One of my Top 10. Plus IIRC, the debut of the patented Kirk Kung Fu Butt Chop (that poor Andorian never stood a chance).

I always like the bottle shows myself. Typically they overall were simply better.

 

[RookieBatman]

Actually, I should clarify that it's not just the ship-based shows that I like, it's also the starship battles. They don't need to be fast-paced with kewl effects and stuff like that; I really just like seeing Kirk (and often, the other captain) making strategies and counter-strategies. That's why I love Corbomite Maneuver; even though it's not a battle in the technical sense of weapons being fired, it is very much a battle of wits. And Journey to Babel is probably my favorite episode of all; a space-battle, a slow battle of wits between two very strong commanders, and gripping white-knuckle drama. That's Star Trek at it's finest, in my mind.
That said, the battle scene is hardly the only reason I like this episode. I thought the characterization of Spock was absolutely stellar (no pun intended), and even without the battle, it would probably still be one of my favorites. But as with Deadly Years (even though the fight there was extremely brief and even derivative), the showdown with the enemy ship really put the icing on the cake.
So, I don't know if it's the bottle shows that I like, or if those are just always the ones with the fun battles (I'm also a fan of Age of Sail-type stories, which have similar strategic duels between large ships), but they certainly are tops in my book!

 

[RookieBatman]

Mallory said:
Plus IIRC, the debut of the patented Kirk Kung Fu Butt Chop (that poor Andorian never stood a chance).

Yep, this was definitely the one. Although, I thought it was kinda wierd how it just dropped right into the middle of that fight. I was watching it on the DVD, but I still wondered if a syndication cut had been slipped in.
And then Kirk jumped up, ricocheted off the wall, and gave that dude a piece of gluteus maximus. Amazing! No one else, not even James West, could've made that work. Not only did he kick Thelev's butt, his butt kicked Thelev's butt!
I'd love to find out that there's some alien school of martial arts where all of the blows are made with the butt, and Kirk just took that one move from it. (Okay, maybe I took that one too far.)

 

[MikeH92467]

Well, my school of Ninjutsu includes using the butt as one of the body's many "fists". You can indeed make devastating strikes with a properly timed butt strike, not to mention the extra added impact of a large Mexican dinner....

 

[Forbin]

Explosive Mexican Butt Strike! Heeee-YAH!

 

[Basill]

^^Yes, but timing is everything.

 

[Mojochi]

I love Sarek. His character Rocks! He's my favorite recurring guest. He totally takes that pig nosed jerk right into the wall with a brush off move

& how can you go wrong with Kirk's full frontal ass attack?

One for the record books

 

[RookieBatman]

Mojochi said:
I love Sarek. His character Rocks! He's my favorite recurring guest. He totally takes that pig nosed jerk right into the wall with a brush off move

Another great moment. When I saw that, I'm like "Holy crap! Sarek's a Jedi!!" That was awesome.

 

[Mojochi]

RookieBatman said:

Mojochi said:
I love Sarek. His character Rocks! He's my favorite recurring guest. He totally takes that pig nosed jerk right into the wall with a brush off move

Another great moment. When I saw that, I'm like "Holy crap! Sarek's a Jedi!!" That was awesome.

I miss when Vulcans were tough as nails like that

 

[Mallory]

RookieBatman said:
When I saw that, I'm like "Holy crap! Sarek's a Jedi!!"

Interesting perspective. I've never really given much thought the idea that some people actually saw Star Wars before they saw Star Trek. And that might be a fairly sizable group of people.

 

[A beaker full of death]

Mallory said:
I've never really given much thought the idea that some people actually saw Star Wars before they saw Star Trek. And that might be a fairly sizable group of people.

It's still bizarre to me that anyone saw TNG or the movies before TOS.

 

[seigezunt]

A beaker full of death said:

Mallory said:
I've never really given much thought the idea that some people actually saw Star Wars before they saw Star Trek. And that might be a fairly sizable group of people.

It's still bizarre to me that anyone saw TNG or the movies before TOS.

Poor bastards.

 

[TheLonelySquire]

RookieBatman said:
So, I'm going through the whole series, for the first time cohesively, and I was really starting to think that the first season was a lot better than the second, and then I came to "Bread and Circuses," a personal favorite, which was immediately followed by "Journey to Babel," which is one I'd never seen before (at least, not in recent memory). Suffice it to say that the second season has been redeemed. This episode was everything that Star Trek should be, in my opinion. Incredible character development with Spock (I kinda wish they could've fit his parents into the series more), and a real BA moment for Kirk, a lot of original aliens and a classic space-combat scene. I'd say this was really the best episode to represent what Star Trek is at its best since The Corbomite Maneuver and Balance of Terror. (Although shows like Errand of Mercy and City on the Edge... are also great, I personally prefer the ship-based episodes, which are all too few; maybe that's why I appreciate them so much.) This is the kind of episode that I would recommend to a non-fan if I thought they might have the propensity to like Star Trek given the right hook. Again, I really think this one is everything a Star Trek episode should be. *whew* Can you tell I'm excited?

I agree with you 100%. Tremendous episode. I only wish they could have given Scotty a few more lines with regard to the Orion ship.

One of my top 5 all-time TOS episodes. Hey, please vote for my Trek Pasta Night episode.

TLS

 

[Maurice]

TheLonelySquire said:
I agree with you 100%. Tremendous episode. I only wish they could have given Scotty a few more lines with regard to the Orion ship.

Any lines would be more lines than he's got. He doesn't even appear in the episode!

 

[TheLonelySquire]

DS9Sega said:

TheLonelySquire said:
I agree with you 100%. Tremendous episode. I only wish they could have given Scotty a few more lines with regard to the Orion ship.

Any lines would be more lines than he's got. He doesn't even appear in the episode!

Now that you mention it...lol

 

[TheLonelySquire]

RookieBatman said:

Mallory said:
Plus IIRC, the debut of the patented Kirk Kung Fu Butt Chop (that poor Andorian never stood a chance).

Yep, this was definitely the one. Although, I thought it was kinda wierd how it just dropped right into the middle of that fight. I was watching it on the DVD, but I still wondered if a syndication cut had been slipped in.
And then Kirk jumped up, ricocheted off the wall, and gave that dude a piece of gluteus maximus. Amazing! No one else, not even James West, could've made that work. Not only did he kick Thelev's butt, his butt kicked Thelev's butt!
I'd love to find out that there's some alien school of martial arts where all of the blows are made with the butt, and Kirk just took that one move from it. (Okay, maybe I took that one too far.)

Hey! Don't bring Miguelito Loveless/Alexander into this! Although when we used to play guns as a kid I pretended to be James West. I have a cool denim jacket and a Deringer up the sleeve. Ahh, the early 70's...

http://www.uvm.edu/~glambert/twww1.html

 

[Red Ranger]

RookieBatman, et al.,

Yes, "Journey to Babel" is one of my all-time favorite eps. We get to see just where Spock gets his cutting sense of humor: from dear ole dad! Sarek has some of the best "snarky Vulcan" lines ever.

My faves:

-The Tellarite ambassador tells Sarek there will be "payment" for his slander against his people. Sarek cooly replies: "Threats are illogical. And payment is usually expensive."

-Spock asks Sarek why he married his mother Amanda if she has always been emotional (after she says she's "sick to death" of logic), and Sarek says, "At the time, it seemed the logical thing to do."

Let's not forget Kirk and Amanda's observations of the pig-headed feud between Sarek and Spock. Kirk says, in an exasperated tone, "They'r both . . . stubborn!" And Amanda replies, with a glint in her eye, "A human trait, Captain?"

And one of my all-time favorite last words are when the Orion spy (the disguised Andorian) reveals he's dying of a slow poison. He says he has maybe 10 minutes to live. As Kirk orders the security guards to take him to sick bay, he doubles up in pain and says, "I seem to have . . . miscalculated." And he dies. I just love that scene!

Red Ranger

 

[Basill]

My favorite scene is with Amanda and Spock in his quarters, while she pleads for him to go through with the live saving procedure. All the drama that leads up to her splapping him across his face is pure treasure.