Production Order Group Viewing 2018

We had to read legal texts and photocopy case law when preparing court bundles. Samuel T Cogley has too much time on his hands. It sucked.

 

You pikers had it easy. We had to carve stone tablets. With our hands.

 

A great comic strip for the FF! The Thing gets kidnapped by a Skrull after fighting with the Fantastic Four against the Mole Man! The Skrull takes him to a planet in the Andromeda Galaxy where the culture is based upon the gangs of the nineteen twenties and thirties on earth but they also like watching aliens fight big time! So the Thing battles the robotic Torgo to the death for their amusement but I think they work together to escape! so it's both Gamesters of Triskellion and A Piece of The Action plus the Skrulls were like the FFs version of the Klingons too! FF #89-#93
JB

 

A PIECE OF THE ACTION

This is Star Trek’s 3rd comedy themed episode and IMO it’s the best of the lot. The situation the crew find themselves in is outlandish, but all the players take it very seriously. With all those tommy guns around, there’s a genuine risk to the landing party’s lives at all times! Yes there are a couple of scenes played for laughs like the car driving (and the Fizzbin rhetoric is a classic!) but never do we devolve into the disinterested Kirk of Tribbles or the whacky absurdities of I, Mudd.

Kirk’s solution to the plot is true to many other episodes – working within the confines of the planet’s society to ensure stability and a lasting piece (hopefully!)
In fact, Kirk working with certain inhabitants (Krako, Oxmyx, the boy) is analogous to him trying to persuade locals of the “right” way to live in a free and equal society in other episodes, most recently with Shahna in Triskelion. Even Kirk’s adoption of the lingo is in line with that, to make his thoughts better understood (although he clearly enjoys playing gangster)

Finally (and unlike many previous episodes), Kirk actually has some long term plans for the planet after the Enterprise leaves! All in all, this episode hangs together surprisingly well for what it is.

Having said that, why are only Kirk, Spock and McCoy beaming down? The mission is to investigate the possible contamination of an alien society. Were all the Enterprise’s sociologists and anthropologists killed on earlier missions?
And later on, why do just Spock and McCoy beam back to the planet? They now know the riskiness of the situation, why not bring some security? Are all the redshirts dead as well?
Maybe Krako’s claim that there are only 3 other guys on the Enterprise has more truth than we thought?

Other thoughts:

• Another starship 100 years out of date! To be fair, this trope has not been used since Return Of The Archons but what are the chances that both lost contact at around the same time?
• McCoy gently chides Spock during the radio scene, but only in response to the First Officer’s overconfidence. I’m glad they’re back to being professionals again!
• When the disguised Kirk and Spock break into Krako’s house, they stun some guards. The visual effect is the same as Season One – with a beam and some energy flares. They did shoot the beam from a Phase1, of course. Is it only the larger Phaser2 guns that stun with a flash of light?
• It seems the Enterprise has site-to-site transporter capabilities – they beam Tepo into Oxmyx’s office mid phone call!
• Freeze fame to finish!

That is hand waved away by Oxmyx telling Kirk that the crew of the horizon also left some technical manuals behind.

They keep talking about "investigating" the possible cultural contamination on Sima Iotia, but the unspoken implication is "investigate and correct", the latter of which seems to be Kirk's standing orders (since he gets away with it so much).

 

SPOCK: Horizon reports indicate the Iotians are extremely intelligent and somewhat imitative.​

Since the Lotians are an imitative culture, now they have the opportunity to copy the new culture that the Kirk and the Enterprise brings to them. Based on the track record on how well they copied the gangster culture, I expect they will be just as successful in the change to the Federation culture.

 

Lora Johnson agrees:

 

By Any Other Name

This was always an enjoyable episode for me.

Kirk, while frozen, thinking "we really do need to stop answering distress calls."

So the Kelvans are from another galaxy. I've said before I'm not usually too impressed when sci fi shows opt to have aliens from another galaxy. We know so little about our own galaxy, surely there is plenty of room for a Kelvan empire to exist elsewhere in our own galaxy. But I think it works here. If there was an alien race of humanoids spreading their seed throughout the galaxy explaining why so many aliens are humanoid, well, the Kelvans' natural look is very different, so maybe their coming from another galaxy is a good explanation. Also, it gives us reason for a very long space flight and a reason to pass through the galactic barrier again.

Why is there a galactic barrier anyway?

Once again aliens beam aboard the Enterprise knowing exactly where to go to control the ship and somehow knowing all about Federation technology despite presumably never having seen a Federation starship before. I wondered before if that ancient alien race that seeded the galaxy went around handing out tech manuals of Federation Connies while they were at it.

No form of transmission can penetrate the galactic barrier. But light passes through it, so you'd think you could signal through it.

"How do humans manage to exist in these fragile cases?" Large quantities of alcohol helps as Scotty will demonstrate.

What a badass and frightening scene where Rojan crushes the yeoman's cube.

Rigelian Kassaba fever. Truly Rigel is the most important system in the Federation. How many mentions of the Rigel system are there in TOS? In all of Star Trek?

The galactic barrier is "negative energy." Hmmmmm.

Ooh, this is exciting approaching the barrier. Will Kirk order the self-destruct? I'm on the edge of my seat.

So I take it no one on board has a high ESPer rating and will become another Gary Mitchell? Actually, another one would be helpful in terms of getting rid of the Kelvans, though then they'd have to figure out what to do with that person.

How did the Kelvans know about humans in order to take human form?

I do love Scotty drinking Tomar under the table only to collapse himself. Scotty was partly successful in his mission. At least he kept Tomar busy for a while.

Spock does a good job of using psychology to goad Rojan's jealousy. Spock's not usually that crafty in manipulating humans.

Cool visual, the Enterprise hurtling through a starless field heading for Andromeda.

If the Kelvans mate in human form, are their babies Kelvans in their original form, Kelvans in human form, or just normal humans since they came from human bodies?

How did Kelvans take human form anyway?

This is a triumph of diplomacy for Kirk, beating some sense into Rojan and getting him to agree to share the galaxy. Nice to have a happy ending.

Pretty amazing to think about an entire galaxy made uninhabitable by radiation. Wonder what the source is.

I wonder what the significance of the title is. Kirk quotes "by any other name", but I wonder if it could also apply to the Kelvans. They call themselves Kelvans, but while they are in human bodies they are just humans by another name and smell just as sweet. Or something.

Alien watch! Oh, aliens that look like big squids! THAT would have been cool to see. Instead they choose to look remarkably like humans.

Are they any relation to Cthulhu? Or Illyria? Or the thing whose eye Commander Koenig put an axe into in Space 1999? Maybe that was a Kelvan.

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)
Full-blooded Vulcans
The remarkably human looking citizens of Argelius II (WitF)
Redjac
The People of Vaal (Gamma Triangulians)
Crew of the ISS Enterprise
The remarkably human-looking** (except for maybe a dot on their forehead) Halkans
Tribbles (not at all human looking)
The remarkably human-looking citizens of...892-VI. Is that what they call this planet? (The Roman one.)
Tall guys, short guys, Andorians, Tellurites, purple lady, Orion made up like an Andorian. (JtB)
The remarkably human-looking people of Neural. (APLW)
The awesome Mugato!
Shahna, Lars, Tamoon, Kloog, Thrallmaster Galt, and the Providers
The Cloud from the Tycho system.
The BIG FREAKIN' AMEBA!!!!!
The remarkably human-looking Iotians. (Gangsters)
Kelvans! Who really look like big, cool squids but choose to look remarkably human.

*Alien Watch sublist: omnipotent aliens!
**By request

 

But dere are more than four hundred guys up dere!
JB

 

Ah, but that's the official story, eh?

BY ANY OTHER NAME

This episode features many ideas and tropes that have appeared in earlier episodes but here they are given a fresh spin at least.
There’s an almost overwhelming amount of continuity (in TOS terms) in play:

• The energy barrier from WNMHGB is heavily featured (with a suitably grim Kirk) and there’s also Spock’s mind touch from A Taste Of Armageddon as well!
• It’s been ages since we saw Spock playing tri-dimensional chess but he does it here.
• Finally, the auxiliary control room set also makes a welcome return, doubling as “life support control”.

Another trope subverted is the young, headstrong, black security guard – is NOT killed! Sucks for Yeoman Thompson though

This episode starts off like many other “Kirk on planet / Enterprise in danger” episodes but then mixes things up, resulting in a series of comedic skits. Hey, at least it’s different! And while I appreciate the change, Unfortunately, I know that this is the start of several “empty starship” episodes that are to come. Here it works quite well, but I have no idea why Kirk was allowed to remain walking around. Medicine and engineering I can understand, maybe science but isn’t Rojan the one in command?

I also like the reason given for the human-like appearance of the aliens – it actually makes sense!
The notion of an alien race seeding the Milky Way galaxy has not yet been established yet though, has it? Therefore, what makes less sense is the discussion about the long odds of a humanoid alien evolving in another galaxy, when they seem so numerous in ours!

This is an excellent point! And even if they are born and raised as tentacled squids until old enough to take on human form, are humans really able to care for such creatures?

The landing party play the “one of the prisoners is sick” card…again! They’ve done this in I, Mudd (and maybe one other episode, I’m not sure) but this time it actually works! Fortunately, the ploy ultimately turns out to be unsuccessful and the crew must resort to “the human factor” to win the day. As part of this Kirk yet again uses his seduction moves in order to manipulate an enemy female but this time dialled up to eleven!

Other, random thoughts:

• Kirk seems appalled at the notion of exploding the Enterprise to stop the Kelvans. Was he just bluffing all the times in the past when he threatened to do the same or otherwise risked the ship in some foolhardy wager?
• Rojan’s freeze ray doesn’t work on Kirk’s eyes, such is the awesomeness of the captain! Either that or Shatner didn’t understand what “neutralises nerve impulses to the voluntary muscles” meant
• When interrupting Kirk and Kelinda, Rojan enter’s the cabin through the side door, which some blueprints say is the bathroom. What was he doing in there, checking the captain’s log?

 

The alien seeding thing isn't known until Spock explains it in The Paradise Syndrome in Season 3.

I saw Kirk's eyes moving, but I assumed that the paralysis wasn't 100%, that small motions could be made.

 

The lack of decorations in the room indicates that it is a guest room. Either Rojan was visiting Kelinda and was on the pot (human biology gives a new experience of taking a good ...), or it is half of a set of two joined guest rooms with perhaps a common bathroom between the two suites. The bed is a single bed, so, this was probably Kelinda's suite for the 300 year trek, and Rojan's suite was on the other side connected via the bathroom. Or no bathroom between the joined rooms, rather Kelinda's room has its own bathroom on the unseen 4th wall.

 

The Andromedans had come to the Milky Way before as described in I, Mudd, but whether they were Kelvans or not is unexplained and they were not humanoid in form as Spock asked Norman who replied that they were quite humanoid, whatever that meant?
JB

 

I love the fact that the gambit was successful, even though it was ultimately futile. It showed that the Kelvans weren't infallible - a bit of foreshadowing, perhaps.

Uhura also blinks her eyes while Hanar uses her console to report back down to the surface.

 

ROJAN: You are all paralyzed by a selective field that neutralizes nerve impulses to the voluntary muscles. We can control you at will. I will now release you.​

Blinking is both involuntary and voluntary, and it is necessary to keep the eyes moistened. The field is selective, so maybe eye muscles were not selected to be paralyzed because they are necessary to keep the eyes moistened, hence blinking and eye movements.

 

Extra shielding would have been used on the Starship after the Mitchell disaster I'm sure, Polty! Plus if the crew are transmogrified into cuboids maybe the barrier has no effect upon them in that form that or the Kelvans knew how to neutralise the negative energy effects anyway?
JB

 

What if one of the Kelvans became another Gary Mitchell on their 300 year voyage home?

 

Maybe only humans were susceptible to the barrier radiation? Or like I said the Kelvans knew how to negate the forces within the barrier! No communications could penetrate the barrier!
JB

 

I like By Any Other Name although it does feel a lot like a rehash.

I love that the black dude survived. They definitely toyed with our expectations. If Rand had stayed on the show and been featured as the yeoman in this one, what an awesome shocker this would have been.

On the plus side, I like that the aliens are not humanoid (technically). I like giving the functional characters their own little niche to play with. The Scotty scenes are great fun. I like the notion of revisiting the Galactic Barrier with technology tweaked to bypass it.

On the minus side, I would have liked more crew left to interact with the aliens. Kirk distracting alien overseers with snoo snoo seems oddly familiar, and the alien superior technological changes to the ship are immediately abandoned.

 

Interesting trivia: Julie Cobb, who played the unfortunate Yeoman Thompson was the daughter of actor Lee J. Cobb and was married for a time to James Cromwell (Zefram Cochrane in ST: First Contact). She is also the mother of ST: Voyager guest star Rosemary Morgan.
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Julie_Cobb

 

Return to Tomorrow

I get this title confused with Tomorrow is Yesterday. Return to Yesterday, Tomorrow is Tomorrow. Don't even get me started by including All Our Yesterdays. What does this title even have to do with this episode?

They've gone further than any Earth vessel has gone before, so far it takes three weeks for a message to arrive at Starfleet. They are on their own out on the frontier "where no man has gone before."

It's Sargon, ancient ruler of Akkadia. Oh, okay, it's another Sargon.

Hello, Ann Mulhall with your pretty eyes. It's a woman! Cue the soft "woman" music. You know there's going to be lovin' when the soft music starts.

But why doesn't Kirk know who she is?

The walls are stronger and harder than anything Spock has read before, a substance completely unknown to Spock. Adamantium?

What a sense of wonder and mystery as Sargon's ball is revealed.

Spock says "pure energy." He also says it in Errand of Mercy. I see from the wiki page it's the one from Errand of Mercy that is used in Information Society's "What's On Your Mind."

Second episode in a row that aliens assume human form and wonder at human senses. That's another recurring theme in this series. Our senses part of the wonder of being human.

Wow, look at all those big balls on the wall. Cue AC/DC. I've got big balls, Sargon has big balls, Henoch has big balls, and Thalassa has big balls....but we've got the biggest balls of them all!

It's the Risk Speech! Risk is our business! That's why we read this message board!

I like Diana Muldaur and her character here.

So why'd they give Henoch the most powerful body? Should have given him Chekov.

Oh, Henoch, you scamp and your "kill Sargon" plot.

Oh, Sargon and Thelassa, go have sex already. You know you want to.

Throughout the series, Spock gets compared to the Devil, but Henoch in Spock's body is truly diabolical. Nimoy makes him truly chilling with that creepy smile and sarcastic attitude. Henoch in Spock's body is one scary dude. Great badguy!

Henoch, if you don't behave, the mods will have to ban you from the message board.

I wonder if they couldn't clone or create human bodies for themselves once they were in the android bodies.

You're dead, Jim. Dead! What do you mean he's dead!?!

Damn, what did Henoch do to Uhura? Yeah, that's how I feel when I read Henoch's posts here. Just kidding, just kidding. You're great, Henoch-poster.

Christine finally had Spock all to herself.

It's a good intriguing premise, but I'm kind of left with a feeling of...that's it? We get the big Risk Speech, but the payoff is driving off Henoch and Sargon and Thelassa fading to oblivion. Okay.

Alien Watch! I don't think we ever hear the name of their race or their planet. And the big question: are they omnipotent aliens? I guess not if they needed help getting new bodies.

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)
Full-blooded Vulcans
The remarkably human looking citizens of Argelius II (WitF)
Redjac
The People of Vaal (Gamma Triangulians)
Crew of the ISS Enterprise
The remarkably human-looking** (except for maybe a dot on their forehead) Halkans
Tribbles (not at all human looking)
The remarkably human-looking citizens of...892-VI. Is that what they call this planet? (The Roman one.)
Tall guys, short guys, Andorians, Tellurites, purple lady, Orion made up like an Andorian. (JtB)
The remarkably human-looking people of Neural. (APLW)
The awesome Mugato!
Shahna, Lars, Tamoon, Kloog, Thrallmaster Galt, and the Providers
The Cloud from the Tycho system.
The BIG FREAKIN' AMEBA!!!!!
The remarkably human-looking Iotians. (Gangsters)
Kelvans! Who really look like big, cool squids but choose to look remarkably human.
Sargon and the gang of not-quite-omnipotent aliens.

*Alien Watch sublist: omnipotent aliens!
**By request