"Omega Glory" and "Mudd's Women" as alternate pilot episodes?

[Lance]

We all know the story, but to summarise:

When NBC rejected "The Cage", it was for a number of reasons. The folk-lore is that it was 'too cerebral', but another factor is that the episode simply failed to deliver what Gene promised: 'Wagon Train To The Stars', a western in space. To this end three story outlines were written up to be chosen for the second pilot: "Where No Man Has Gone Before" by Sam Peeples, "Mudd's Women" by Stephen Kandel and Gene Roddenberry, and "The Omega Glory" by Gene Roddenberry.

NBC picked "Where No Man..." to put into production as Pilot#2, but the other two stories were eventually rewritten and mounted as regular episodes.

I was watching "Omega Glory" last night, and it occured to me that I can totally see where both it and "Mudd's Women" were going with the whole thang. Both episodes feel like westerns. "Mudd's Women" is the old western story of ladies being married off to rural folks, whereas "Omega Glory" is a visceral shoot-em-up in a rustic township. Ironically, "Where No Man..." is arguably the least like a western, although it's certainly more action-packed than "The Cage", so maybe the suits were willing to let it slide (although if we were to squint, I guess we could say that the lithium cracking station is a bit like 'the old abandoned mine' or something ).

In any case, I suddenly realised that, yes, each of the other two episodes does feel kind of like a pilot for a Wagon Train in space. Obviously a lot changed and a few characters that weren't in there originally came to the fore etc, but conceptually at least I can see the analogy.

What do you guys reckon? And... the obvious question, what if one of the other episodes was chosen instead? I can see "Omega Glory" maybe selling as a pilot, it's got a lot of similar strengths in concept to "Where No Man Has Gone Before", but I think if they'd gone with "Mudd's Women" then we'd never have heard of Star Trek at all.

What say youse?

 

[Metryq]

McCoy (yuck-yuck) on the front porch of sickbay with a ceramic jug of moonshine hanging from his thumb, and Spock calling the captain "Paw" while he and Scotty direct the roundup of the tribbles. Hog-tying those little critters for branding is a complicated task.

 

[Lance]

 

[Metryq]

Correction: Scotty would be the chief wrangler, while Checkov would be calling Kirk "Paw." Spock would be the mysterious, wandering Shaolin priest. Marshall Kirk would call all the black hats "dirt bag" and jump on the hood of their horses as they tried to get away.

 

[Marsden]

How about:

Kirk and his son, Pavel, have just set up their homestead, and meet the local marshal, Bones. The local Medicine Man of the Indian tribe Spock adds his wisdom to the mix but the marshal and he have different ways and often clash.

There is a strange Asian man that wanders into town, Sulu, might belong to some exotic sect. Miss Uhura owns the local saloon. A grumpy but amible Scotsman is the local blacksmith.

There are occasional problems with another Indian tribe, led by WarChief Kor, that raid the area for cattle.



This was fun, but I'm mostly just stealling from Metryq

But 3 of my favorite shows, after Star Trek of course, are Rifleman, F-Troop, and Kung Fu, so it's easy to mash them all togethter..

Kirk is newly promoted to the Captaincy and is assigned to Fort Courage....

 

[Melakon]

McCoy (yuck-yuck) on the front porch of sickbay with a ceramic jug of moonshine hanging from his thumb, and Spock calling the captain "Paw" while he and Scotty direct the roundup of the tribbles. Hog-tying those little critters for branding is a complicated task.

The Enterprise is Dodge City, Kirk is Matt Dillon, Spock is Chester/Festus, McCoy is Doc Adams, Yeoman Rand is Miss Kitty, and Scott is Sam the bartender.

 

[Ssosmcin]

Well, obviously, Where No Man was the most "sci-fi" of the three, but of the other two, Omega Glory is probably the one they would have picked based on the high action content, lack of overt sexuality and no drug angle. It was a action filled, brawl fest and only gets wacky when they haul the flag out in the last act. I actually like this episode a lot , but it's far too on the nose in respect to hammering home the point of the story. I don't think the series would have been all that different with TOG as the pilot, other than NBC hating it and not greenlighting the series at all. The other episodes would still have been written and NBC would probably have held back the broadcast like they did with WNMHGB.

 

[EnriqueH]

You know, I enjoyed both episodes.

Mudd's Women was one I didn't care for all that much as a kid and later as a teenager, but it's grown on me a lot as an adult.

Omega Glory, when I saw it again recently for the first time since the 80s, I thought, "Hey, this is pretty good!" but by the end, I can see where the criticisms come from. But you know what? Despite that ending, I really enjoyed the first 80% of it quite a bit.

 

[LMFAOschwarz]

Mudd's Women was one I didn't care for all that much as a kid and later as a teenager, but it's grown on me a lot as an adult.

I felt the same way back then. One thing I've come to notice and like about it was the character of Eve. She really comes across as a well-balanced, reasonable and intelligent person, possibly the closest to a "normal" person the series ever had as a guest star. She knew the situation she was in, and seemed able to grasp the ups and downs of it quite naturally. In fact, she probably would make a great wife! She could do much better than Ben Childress, that's for sure, but I'll bet she set him straight!

Oh, and I the only person who isn't bothered by the American flag in The Omega Glory? I think it fits right in, in a galaxy jam-packed with 20's gangster planets, Miri planets, Roman gladiator planets and the like.

 

[Lance]

Omega Glory, when I saw it again recently for the first time since the 80s, I thought, "Hey, this is pretty good!" but by the end, I can see where the criticisms come from. But you know what? Despite that ending, I really enjoyed the first 80% of it quite a bit.

I'm the same. I actually think Morgan Woodward and William Shatner both do impressive work in conveying their characters viewpoints and the desperation of their situation. IMO, Captain Ronald Tracy is right up there with Khan as one of the most imposing and effective villains in TOS.

 

[LMFAOschwarz]

...Captain Ronald Tracy is right up there with Khan as one of the most imposing and effective villains in TOS.

Isn't he great? I watch him (Morgan Woodward) in everything I see he's in. Ron Tracy was a great antagonist

 

[EnriqueH]

I really loved Captain Ronald Tracey.

I was impressed when he took down Kirk!

 

[Nerys Myk]

McCoy (yuck-yuck) on the front porch of sickbay with a ceramic jug of moonshine hanging from his thumb, and Spock calling the captain "Paw" while he and Scotty direct the roundup of the tribbles. Hog-tying those little critters for branding is a complicated task.

The Enterprise is Dodge City, Kirk is Matt Dillon, Spock is Chester/Festus, McCoy is Doc Adams, Yeoman Rand is Miss Kitty, and Scott is Sam the bartender.

Spock should be Quint Asper, the half Indian blacksmith.

 

[Maurice]

Spock is Mingo from Daniel Boone.

 

[Melakon]

He threw a tomahawk real good on Johnny Carson.

 

[Albertese]

I have a strong love/hate relationship with "The Omega Glory." Although, to this day, any time I'm out and about and happen to see a weather-beaten tatered Stars and Stripes flying, I think to myself in a solemn tone, "E plebnista."

I always liked "Mudd's Women."

I don't see either of them as a pilot show, though. The whole idea of going out there and discovering the unknown is much better made with WNMHGB. I feel that if the series had been sold on TOG, we would have seen a lot more "parallel Earth" stories, which I guess I always like ("Miri," "Bread and Circuses") but they seem rather silly to me. OTOH, I suppose a series sold on "Mudd's Women" might have had more of a "patrol" vibe than an "exploration" feel; more shows dealing with other guest star characters and their doings.

Or, once picked-up, it could have just gone more-or-less as it did, hiring the same writers to do the same stories. It might not have had any major impact at all, which episode it was sold with.

--Alex

 

[Jonas Grumby]

Oh, and I the only person who isn't bothered by the American flag in The Omega Glory?

Nope. It doesn't bother me either.

 

[J.T.B.]

Spock should be Quint Asper, the half Indian blacksmith.

By the way, Jimmy Doohan was one of the frontier lowlifes who made Quint hate the white man, in the minute or so before Quint killed him.

 

[Marsden]

It doesn't bother BillJ, either. In fact, he convinced me that it doesn't bother me, either. It used to, but his rationale caused me to change my opinion. And LMFAOschwarz make another good point in it's favor.

I don't know how it would have been as a pilot, though. I think that needs some type of establishment before to really see what Kirk is saying about his position against Tracey's position. It's too much to explain and defend at one time without becoming too bogged down in exposition, not good for a pilot.

Mudd's Women already seems to have some aspects of a pilot, showing the way the legal system works, explaining Spock would fall for that, showing people out on the frontier mining necessary minerals. Too bad it's plot wasn't more substantial.