Production Order Group Viewing 2018

[Pauln6]

Fixed that for you.

Ha ha. But I didn't like to call them a landing party since they were never supposed to land... I suppose 'shuttle crew' is the accurate term?

 

[johnnybear]

I would like to think so, but if that is the case then they must have run out of paint when writing the name on it:
http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/2x09hd/metamorphosishd0189.jpg

Fortunately, by the following year this will have been remedied:
http://www.trekcore.com/tos/hd/albums/3x20hd/thewaytoedenhd1368.jpg

Well spotted, Mytran! Strangely enough for once, the BBC screened Metamorphosis before The Galileo Seven in 1984! The first and only time their order sort of made sense then!
JB

 

[Roundabout]

The story ("Metamorphosis") had a bizarre concept of the role of gender in cross species relations.

After it was revealed that the Companion was female because it had a female sounding voice (via the universal translator), Spock noted that "the matter of gender could change the entire situation".

The Companion is a completely different kind species from humans. It is not even humanoid. Why would it matter that the Companion is "female"? What makes an individual a female or male in the Companion species, anyway?

In terms of biology or genetics, isn't gender a factor in attraction only within a species? Why would gender matter in cross species interaction, especially when one of the two isn't even humanoid?

By the story's logic, a male (or female) human pet owner should be wary of getting a female (or male) pet of whatever other species because their being of opposite genders means they could fall in love (the eros type of love).

Or that zoos should be cautious of assigning a human male (or female) handler to handle a female (or male) animal of whatever other species because there is a chance of them falling in love merely due to the fact that the two are of opposite genders.

That is ridiculous.

Wouldn't the fact that Cochrane is a different species from the Companion matter infinitely more than the fact that he is male (in the human species) and the Companion is female (in the Companion species)?

Why would Cochrane even be biologically attracted or fall in love (the eros type of love) with the Companion, a completely alien species, regardless of whether the Companion is female or male?

 

[Commishsleer]

The story ("Metamorphosis") had a bizarre concept of the role of gender in cross species relations.

After it was revealed that the Companion was female because it had a female sounding voice (via the universal translator), Spock noted that "the matter of gender could change the entire situation".

The Companion is a completely different kind species from humans. It is not even humanoid. Why would it matter that the Companion is "female"? What makes an individual a female or male in the Companion species, anyway?

In terms of biology or genetics, isn't gender a factor in attraction only within a species? Why would gender matter in cross species interaction, especially when one of the two isn't even humanoid?

By the story's logic, a male (or female) human pet owner should be wary of getting a female (or male) pet of whatever other species because their being of opposite genders means they could fall in love (the eros type of love).

Or that zoos should be cautious of assigning a human male (or female) handler to handle a female (or male) animal of whatever other species because there is a chance of them falling in love merely due to the fact that the two are of opposite genders.

That is ridiculous.

Wouldn't the fact that Cochrane is a different species from the Companion matter infinitely more than the fact that he is male (in the human species) and the Companion is female (in the Companion species)?

Why would Cochrane even be biologically attracted or fall in love (the eros type of love) with the Companion, a completely alien species, regardless of whether the Companion is female or male?

There were lots of male/female different species interactions throughout all of Star Trek.

I'm guessing Cochrane admitted to himself that he platonically loved the Companion for years. The way he reacted when told the companion was female (how politically incorrect this episode would be nowadays) made me think that he now knew the Companion loved him and maybe not in the master.pet way (he being the pet) he had assumed/ Perhaps it was when the Companion merged with a human (and came down to his level) that he allowed himself to consider the merged Companion.human as a suitable life partner.

This episode can be interpreted many ways but to me is one of Star Trek's romantic episodes. Like COTEOF and like Sarek and Amanda in Journey to Babel .

 

[Maurice]

The whole "female" idea of the Companion is quaintly antiquated.

 

[Poltargyst]

Friday's Child

I was at first really down on the red shirt for being so undisciplined as to draw on the Klingon like that. As I think more about it, he didn't fire, only drew his weapon. I'm less down on him now.

Another Klingon! I hope they continue to be recurring villains.

This Klingon is a real stab-you-in-the-back weasel. No talk of honor among his kind.

Somehow I've watched this episode numerous times and never noticed that the (male) Capellans are all taller than our heroes. This time I heard McCoy say they're seven feet tall.

Hello, Catwoman! Me-ow.

Kirk saves Catwoman's life, breaks Prime Directive. The Prime Directive was more flexible in Kirk's day.

How are the Klingons transmitting the fake distress signal? Because we learn in Star Trek VI that you can tell when someone's using a Universal Translator, and then you have to page through Klingon to English dictionaries.

Scotty: Always awesome in command.

It's a funny bit, but I'm not sure McCoy slapping a woman would play very well today.

I feel like these stubborn warrior societies must needlessly lose a lot of people. "We laugh at giving cures to the sick!" It's a wonder they have a population at all.

"I'm a doctor not an escalator."

Scotty, I love you in command, but you're wasting way too much time looking for this freighter.

I like these scenes where the different bridge crew members contribute to a discussion.

Weird Catspaw music in the cave.

You have to support a newborn's head, Spock, you're going to kill this baby.

Haha "McCoy, your baby?"

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me." Or in the immortal words of George Bush: "Fool me once, shame on...shame on you. Fool me...you can't get fooled again."

Cool how Sulu's scanner comes up out of his dash like that.

Catwoman's pretty spry for having just given birth.

Huh. Why did the new Teer sacrifice himself? To save his people from the Klingon by distracting him so that his man could kill him.

Haha "oochie woochie coochie coo." I like Scotty laughing about that.

I wonder what ever happened to Leonard James Akaar.

So again I ponder the Organians. While there was no actual violence between the Federation and the Klingons (unless you count Kirk taking Kras down), still there was a lot of aggressive maneuvering. Shall I assume the Organians are no longer interested in keeping the Federation and Klingons from fighting? Whatever happened to their interest in the situation?

Little known fact: the Cappellans invented the form of music where people sing without musical accompaniment...

Alien Watch! Adding the Cappellans.

Season 1
Talosians
That big ugly Rigellian guy Pike fought in illusion
Vina as an Orion girl in illusion
Glimpse of other aliens captured by Talosians
Ron Howard's brother
That dog from Enemy Within
Salt monster
That hand plant...Gertrude
Spock (duh)
Charlie's parents (Thasians)*
Romulans!
(Ruk)
Miri's planet kids (bonk bonk)
Giant ape creatures of Taurus II
Shore Leave Caretaker guy
Trelaine and his folks*
Gorn
Metrons*
The Lazerii
The remarkably human-looking aliens of Beta 3. (RotA)
The remarkably human-looking aliens of Emineminar VII (AToA)
The Triffids of Omicron Ceti III (TSoP)
The refreshingly non-human-looking Horta
Organians*
Klingons! (Remarkably human looking).
(The Guardian of Forever)
Flying pancakes

Season 2
Sylvia and Korob
The Companion
The remarkably human looking (though tall) Cappellans.

*Alien Watch sublist: omnipotent aliens!

 

[Mytran]

FRIDAY’S CHILD

Initial thoughts

• Oh no, it’s the Klingons again! Although apparently the more popular pronunciation is “Kling-Gons”
• I wonder when McCoy visisted the Capellans? He’s wearing the new style uniform so it must have been some time after WNMHGB but before Corbomite Manoeuvre.
• There's a decent reason for a small landing party, if not the inclusion of both Spock and Kirk with McCoy.
• Kirk’s defence of Grant’s actions is a real stretch.
• McCoy fits into the role of cultural guide extremely well – Deforest Kelly gets to do something different and does it well.
• Spock is back to treating emotion with derision instead of disinterest. Perhaps last week’s episode was a bit too much for him?
• Yay, Vaskez Rocks is back for the second season!

Kirk uses the same psychological trick on both Spock and McCoy to get around their pontificating about how difficult their respective tasks are. It's reminiscent of his chiding of Spock back in COTEOF.

Famous Firsts

• Is this the first time that Chekov attributes something to being invented in Russia?
• First appearance of Sulu’s weapon scope! It does take an excruciating long time to emerge though.

Kirk and the others involve themselves in fistfights that are not their concern...TWICE! What’s the matter with them?
The third fistfight (just before they escape the village) is more justified but starts in the most hilarious way – Kirk tosses a CUSHION into the face of a guard and nearly knocks him over!

The episode seems oddly dissatisfying for some reason. It certainly feels like Star Trek, but I think that's only because of all the various Star Trek tropes that are loosely strung together (alien planet, landing party of just the Big Three, a threat to the landing party that leads to fistfights, Vasquez rocks, Enterprise unable to help etc) and wraps up in a suitably brisk fashion (with a jokey ending, of course), Spock even gets to do the “act annoyed” Vulcan thing (although I do like Nimoy’s delivery).

The distress call distraction worked way too well on Scotty and the Enterprise. They already knew that a Klingon ship was in the area and was up to no good. It’s a good job Scotty was more on the ball back in A Taste of Armageddon otherwise the ship would have been blasted to smithereens!

 

[Pauln6]

FRIDAY’S CHILD

Initial thoughts

• Oh no, it’s the Klingons again! Although apparently the more popular pronunciation is “Kling-Gons”
• I wonder when McCoy visisted the Capellans? He’s wearing the new style uniform so it must have been some time after WNMHGB but before Corbomite Manoeuvre.
• There's a decent reason for a small landing party, if not the inclusion of both Spock and Kirk with McCoy.
• Kirk’s defence of Grant’s actions is a real stretch.
• McCoy fits into the role of cultural guide extremely well – Deforest Kelly gets to do something different and does it well.
• Spock is back to treating emotion with derision instead of disinterest. Perhaps last week’s episode was a bit too much for him?
• Yay, Vaskez Rocks is back for the second season!

Kirk uses the same psychological trick on both Spock and McCoy to get around their pontificating about how difficult their respective tasks are. It's reminiscent of his chiding of Spock back in COTEOF.

Famous Firsts

• Is this the first time that Chekov attributes something to being invented in Russia?
• First appearance of Sulu’s weapon scope! It does take an excruciating long time to emerge though.

Kirk and the others involve themselves in fistfights that are not their concern...TWICE! What’s the matter with them?
The third fistfight (just before they escape the village) is more justified but starts in the most hilarious way – Kirk tosses a CUSHION into the face of a guard and nearly knocks him over!

The episode seems oddly dissatisfying for some reason. It certainly feels like Star Trek, but I think that's only because of all the various Star Trek tropes that are loosely strung together (alien planet, landing party of just the Big Three, a threat to the landing party that leads to fistfights, Vasquez rocks, Enterprise unable to help etc) and wraps up in a suitably brisk fashion (with a jokey ending, of course), Spock even gets to do the “act annoyed” Vulcan thing (although I do like Nimoy’s delivery).

The distress call distraction worked way too well on Scotty and the Enterprise. They already knew that a Klingon ship was in the area and was up to no good. It’s a good job Scotty was more on the ball back in A Taste of Armageddon otherwise the ship would have been blasted to smithereens!

Scotty clearly failed the Kobyashi Maru test .

This isn't one of my favourites, although as a vehicle for McCoy, it's quite fun. The others do seem to be culturally insensitive, throwing the prime directive out the window in the name of self interest.

If Riker could wear feathers foe the sake of diplomacy , I'm sure Kirk and Spock can wear banana hats and feather boas .

 

[J.T.B.]

First appearance of Sulu’s weapon scope! It does take an excruciating long time to emerge though.

With a fairly noticeable motor noise. I give them credit for actually building the working article, but you very rarely see it motion after that.

First appearance of a Klingon ship!

 

[CorporalCaptain]

With a fairly noticeable motor noise. I give them credit for actually building the working article, but you very rarely see it motion after that.

First appearance of a Klingon ship!
View attachment 7439

Visually, yes.

The Enterprise is attacked in the teaser of "Errand of Mercy" by what was in the original VFX an unseen Klingon ship of unknown specification, but we do get a VFX of Klingon fire from the ship impacting on the E's saucer underside.

 

[thribs]

wonder what ever happened to Leonard James Akaar.

Read the post Nemesis novels. He’s in a lot of them.

 

[Marsden]

So again I ponder the Organians. While there was no actual violence between the Federation and the Klingons (unless you count Kirk taking Kras down), still there was a lot of aggressive maneuvering. Shall I assume the Organians are no longer interested in keeping the Federation and Klingons from fighting? Whatever happened to their interest in the situation?

I think the Organian influence is apparent, although not mentioned.
For example, before Organian involvement, 8 ships show up and beam down thousands of occupation troops that round up the population for hostages with barely a reason needed to kill many of them.
After Organian involvement, the Klingons send an agent to negotiate with the leader of the indigenous population for mining rights.

I see a difference, but maybe I want to see it. I know the Organians said they found interference distasteful but when there was a major war erupting right in their yard they couldn't ignore it. Some intrigue on a planet far away, very ignorable .

FRIDAY’S CHILD

The distress call distraction worked way too well on Scotty and the Enterprise. They already knew that a Klingon ship was in the area and was up to no good. It’s a good job Scotty was more on the ball back in A Taste of Armageddon otherwise the ship would have been blasted to smithereens!

I don't think Scotty could have ignored the first distress call, those things are kind of important. He took a big risk ignoring the second really but he saw through it, presumably. I hope the Carolina didn't really need some help.

Scotty clearly failed the Kobyashi Maru test .

This isn't one of my favourites, although as a vehicle for McCoy, it's quite fun. The others do seem to be culturally insensitive, throwing the prime directive out the window in the name of self interest.

prime directive and prime directive! What is prime directive?

Who threw what out the window? The non-interference directive does not mean that communications can not be conducted with different people, they are seeking out new life and civilizations, not hiding from them. What they are committed to is that their culture stays their own, the Federation is not invading and ruling over these new civilizations and none of it's representatives can use their technological advantages to set themselves up for personal gain. See Ron Tracey for a textbook example of a violation of the prime directive. There was no violation here, just a negotiation with the planetary government.

 

[Mytran]

I don't think Scotty could have ignored the first distress call, those things are kind of important. He took a big risk ignoring the second really but he saw through it, presumably. I hope the Carolina didn't really need some help.

The thing is, 30 seconds of analysis on the first distress call (not done until much later) quickly revealed suspicious oddities about it. That was what Scotty should have done straight away and what a much more proactive Scotty did in A Taste Of Armageddon.

 

[Poltargyst]

I think the Organian influence is apparent, although not mentioned.
For example, before Organian involvement, 8 ships show up and beam down thousands of occupation troops that round up the population for hostages with barely a reason needed to kill many of them.
After Organian involvement, the Klingons send an agent to negotiate with the leader of the indigenous population for mining rights.

I see a difference, but maybe I want to see it. I know the Organians said they found interference distasteful but when there was a major war erupting right in their yard they couldn't ignore it. Some intrigue on a planet far away, very ignorable .

That's an interesting take.

prime directive and prime directive! What is prime directive?

Who threw what out the window? The non-interference directive does not mean that communications can not be conducted with different people, they are seeking out new life and civilizations, not hiding from them. What they are committed to is that their culture stays their own, the Federation is not invading and ruling over these new civilizations and none of it's representatives can use their technological advantages to set themselves up for personal gain. See Ron Tracey for a textbook example of a violation of the prime directive. There was no violation here, just a negotiation with the planetary government.

In later series, though, even just showing yourself to a non-warp enabled culture is breaking the Prime Directive.

 

[johnnybear]

After events on Organia, The Klingon Empire moved out into the larger galaxy and made friends with the Romulans, the Villagers on Neural and an attempt was made to secure mining rights on Capella IV for the rare mineral known as Topaline! They also returned to their feuds with the Federation over Sherman's planet and the Tellun star system both of which they claimed was directly under their sphere of influence and besides Elas had a large reserve of dilithium crystals which were as common as rocks on that planet and which the Federation was unaware of at that time!
JB

 

[gottacook]

My favorite Enterprise-in-orbit scene of the entire series is the absolutely majestic one at the start of act I of "Friday's Child," especially the remastered version where the ship orbit is uninterrupted. What makes it majestic is not only its length but Gerald Fried's music for that scene.

 

[Poltargyst]

Who Mourns for Adonais?

For the longest time, I thought the title was "Who Mourns for Adonis?" Adonis I remember from Greek mythology. But who or what is Adonais?

Women hold careers in Starfleet, but it is expected that they will get married and leave Starfleet.

Uhura mentions "calculating" the right frequency with which to respond to Apollo. It's not just a matter of pushing buttons for her.

Wonder what Apollo would have done with a ship from another planet? Let them go because they weren't from Earth? Interesting that he mentions how it's written that humans will come someday. Apollo was the god of prophecy. Somehow he knew.

Michael Forest is really buff.

"Welcome to Olympus, Captain Kirk!" Another of those iconic lines that stuck with me as a kid.

"You seem wise for a woman." Ouch!

Scotty's an atheist.

Is Spock holding a slide rule????

Is Pollux IV the home planet of Apollo and his friends?

"Your gods have passion." Yes, the gods get horny.

Uhura gets to show some technical prowess.

M rays? Is that a real thing, or is that technobabble?

Good moment for Lt. Palamas, standing up to Apollo, protecting Kirk.

Suppose Apollo doesn't force anyone to stay on his planet. Suppose he just wants Kirk to put out the word that people are welcome to live on Pollux IV voluntarily. I bet he'd have all kinds of people from all kinds of planets wanting to live there.

When Scotty falls for a girl, he really loses his mind.

Another woman willing to betray the ship for a man? But Palamas does her duty in the end.

I have submitted that Star Trek is an atheist series, "we find the one quite adequate" not withstanding. Every time we meet a god, it always turns out to be some alien who has to get overthrown. The overarching theme is humans have intellect and don't need any gods. "You ask for something we can no longer give."

Charlie X, Trelane, and Apollo team up for a rap:

Charlie X: Stay stay stay
Trelane: I would've I would've
Apollo: Take me take me

Put it to music, it's a hit!

Alien Watch! Apollo!

Season 1
Talosians
That big ugly Rigellian guy Pike fought in illusion
Vina as an Orion girl in illusion
Glimpse of other aliens captured by Talosians
Ron Howard's brother
That dog from Enemy Within
Salt monster
That hand plant...Gertrude
Spock (duh)
Charlie's parents (Thasians)*
Romulans!
(Ruk)
Miri's planet kids (bonk bonk)
Giant ape creatures of Taurus II
Shore Leave Caretaker guy
Trelaine and his folks*
Gorn
Metrons*
The Lazerii
The remarkably human-looking aliens of Beta 3. (RotA)
The remarkably human-looking aliens of Emineminar VII (AToA)
The Triffids of Omicron Ceti III (TSoP)
The refreshingly non-human-looking Horta
Organians*
Klingons! (Remarkably human looking).
(The Guardian of Forever)
Flying pancakes

Season 2
Sylvia and Korob
The Companion
The remarkably human looking (though tall) Cappellans.
Native Pollux IV-ians (Apollo and his gang)

*Alien Watch sublist: omnipotent aliens!

 

[johnnybear]

Friday's Child

I was at first really down on the red shirt for being so undisciplined as to draw on the Klingon like that. As I think more about it, he didn't fire, only drew his weapon. I'm less down on him now.

Another Klingon! I hope they continue to be recurring villains.

This Klingon is a real stab-you-in-the-back weasel. No talk of honor among his kind.

Somehow I've watched this episode numerous times and never noticed that the (male) Capellans are all taller than our heroes. This time I heard McCoy say they're seven feet tall.

Hello, Catwoman! Me-ow.

Kirk saves Catwoman's life, breaks Prime Directive. The Prime Directive was more flexible in Kirk's day.

How are the Klingons transmitting the fake distress signal? Because we learn in Star Trek VI that you can tell when someone's using a Universal Translator, and then you have to page through Klingon to English dictionaries.

Scotty: Always awesome in command.

It's a funny bit, but I'm not sure McCoy slapping a woman would play very well today.

I feel like these stubborn warrior societies must needlessly lose a lot of people. "We laugh at giving cures to the sick!" It's a wonder they have a population at all.

"I'm a doctor not an escalator."

Scotty, I love you in command, but you're wasting way too much time looking for this freighter.

I like these scenes where the different bridge crew members contribute to a discussion.

Weird Catspaw music in the cave.

You have to support a newborn's head, Spock, you're going to kill this baby.

Haha "McCoy, your baby?"

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me." Or in the immortal words of George Bush: "Fool me once, shame on...shame on you. Fool me...you can't get fooled again."

Cool how Sulu's scanner comes up out of his dash like that.

Catwoman's pretty spry for having just given birth.

Huh. Why did the new Teer sacrifice himself? To save his people from the Klingon by distracting him so that his man could kill him.

Well he'd just realized what a despicable, deceitful, cowardly creature that Kras was! Although his just calling him Klingon might have given us a hint to that!
The Klingon ship is just a grey bump with a light around it and Kras seems a little light on the skin colour compared to Kor and his legions!
And Lieutenant Fred was a bit rash in his drawing a phaser on the Capellans and their 'guest' too!
JB

 

[Ssosmcin]

I wouldn’t say Star Trek is in “atheist“ series as much as it is a “humanist” series at this point. There are a scant few references to God and Christ peppered throughout the series, but they are there.

And all of that analysis and not one mention of Fred Steiner’s superb muscular score? Sure, some of it is a reworking of his earlier scores, but there’s so much powerful goodness that really makes this episode work. They “welcome to Olympus” moment kills because of the music, effects and performance.

Love this episode, even with Scotty’s over the top puppy love.

 

[mb22]

For the longest time, I thought the title was "Who Mourns for Adonis?" Adonis I remember from Greek mythology. But who or what is Adonais?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adonaïs