Revisiting Star Trek Continues...

[Bixby]

"Come Not Between The Dragons" - 3/5

Stardate 6257.4 - An alien seeking refuge aboard the Enterprise brings disruption amongst the crew in its wake.

My brain is a bit all over the place with this one. On the face of it this isn't bad...but then it isn't really stellar either. When you really look at it this feels like a collection of ideas from other episodes both TOS and post TOS.

Production wise this is rather impressive and it's not hard to believe TOS could have pulled off something almost exactly like this albeit with a bit more time and a wee bit more money. I really like the design of the alien Usti. What TOS mightn't have been able to do they could have worked around to achieve much the same end.

The energy waves causing the crew to basically lose any real measure of self-control in an increasing fog of suspicion, anger and resentment strikes me very much like the virus in "The Naked Time" where those infected lost inhibition and self-control. What bothered me with this is that Kirk and Spock's usual impressive self-discipline totally evaporates so quickly and rendering them essentially useless. To that end neither Kirk, Spock or McCoy or even Scotty is instrumental in resolving the problem at hand. They are completely sidelined so that solving the problem falls to the newcomer, McKennah, and the guest star of the week, Eliza (so to speak). That seems very much like a Mary Sue story to me and a very unlikely scenario to have found in TOS.

At the risk of touching a nerve here this is very much the women save the day here while the men can't control themselves. Seriously, does anyone here really believe this story would have been resolved this way in TOS? Imagine Shatner and Nimoy realizing Kirk and Spock do nothing of consequence in this story to resolve the problem... Uh, yeah... And Kirk is a bit too self-aware of his ability to giving a "rousing speech" here--it didn't ring true as something Shatner's Kirk would have ever said.

One could make the argument it was Uhura, Chapel and the women of the Enterprise who save the day in TAS' "The Lorelei Signal," but if STC isn't acknowledging TAS then they can't use that as a precedent.

To that end this once again this feels like a TNG story painted over as TOS. Maybe Mignogna and company should have really been doing the eighth year of the 1701D's voyage rather than the TOS E's fifth year.

One other thing that peeves me in this episode is a reference at the beginning of the episode where we learn the Lexington has been lost. This reference ties into an ongoing plot thread throughout the STC episodes suggesting there is something seriously wrong with a lot of the Constitution-class starships and they're dropping off like flies one-by-one. In TOS loss of starships was easily attributed to some outside catastrophe rather than some inherent design defect. But it's not hard to see what STC is trying to do here because they are trying to tie into that reference in the novelization of TMP that the Enterprise was the only starship to return from its deep space voyage. Once again they're trying to set the stage for TMP which TOS wouldn't and couldn't have ever done.

The subject matter of this story is essentially about domestic violence. It's a worthwhile subject to address, but I'm not so sure it's something TOS would have tackled back in the day, at least not so overtly.

Part of me feels I might be being overly harsh with this and maybe it deserves a higher rating like 4/5. There are parts of this I quite like and I want to really like it, but there are simply too many buzzers going off to keep me from thinking it's anything more than just okay.

End note: I quite like how they make the Enterprise look in STC. It is light years better than what CBS did in TOS-R. Also I cannot fault STC for their episode titles—they are very TOS like.

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What befuddled me is how specific this "rage virus", for lack of a better term, was. When a crewman feels the rage they will attack non-infected people, but they won't attack other rage-filled crewmen? It's sort of explained away in zombie films that the zombies attack only living humans because they don't smell like decayed flesh and blood and guts. But here, there's not really a scientific explanation for it.

For example at 00:25:50 where Kirk, Smith and two security guards beam in, I wondered why they weren't attacking each other, yet still managed to join forces well enough against non-affected people...but they could still be snippy if the need is felt.

As for the Lexington in this episode: this is the first instance for the running subplot of multiple Constitution starships being decimated, with all crew winding up dead. I think by episode 10 perhaps 6 or 7 ships are taken out with possibly a tally of 2100 people dead, but no mention of how this would affect the morale of current and future Starfleet personnel (finally, a job for McKenna!). This would certainly destroy enlistment, I think. How crazy would people be to want to staff big starships where it was so easy to be killed? But, no, at the end of To Boldly Go, everyone is somber but ready to head back into space (except for McCoy). In St:TMP, Starfleet seems just hunky dory...

 

[Warped9]

The underlying common element with those infected with rage is the anger is directed largely toward Usti and resentment toward anyone else is just spillover. But I agree there isn’t even the flimsiest of rationalizations why these echo-location waves affect the crew as it does. The only flimsy rationalization that occurs to me is it could be somewhat like what we saw way back in “This Side Of Paradise” when Spock utilizes a sort of hypersonic sound frequency that causes the Enterprise crew on the planet to become irritable and start fighting with each other with the least provocation. It’s weak, but there it is. And note that some, particularly Eliza, seem totally immune to the energy waves’ effects.

We also get more dialogue that doesn’t ring true to the TOS era—people express themselves in ways and use references that don’t sound like it’s the late 1960s. It’s subtle, but it’s there.

As I said I find myself quite liking this on some levels, but I feel it needed another go-over to iron out the kinks.

 

[Bixby]

"Come Not Between The Dragons" - 3/5
One other thing that peeves me in this episode is a reference at the beginning of the episode where we learn the Lexington has been lost. This reference ties into an ongoing plot thread throughout the STC episodes suggesting there is something seriously wrong with a lot of the Constitution-class starships and they're dropping off like flies one-by-one. In TOS loss of starships was easily attributed to some outside catastrophe rather than some inherent design defect. But it's not hard to see what STC is trying to do here because they are trying to tie into that reference in the novelization of TMP that the Enterprise was the only starship to return from its deep space voyage.

Uh, why the hell should live-action Star Trek defer to Trek books at all? My personal opinion is, if it didn't happen on screen, it didn't happen...
The same goes to deleted scenes...if they're not in the final product, it didn't happen...

 

[Warped9]

Uh, why the hell should live-action Star Trek defer to Trek books at all? My personal opinion is, if it didn't happen on screen, it didn't happen...
The same goes to deleted scenes...if they're not in the final product, it didn't happen...

It gets murky I think.

Way back in the '70s between TOS and TMP a lot of fans deferred to material in print to "fill in the gaps" of TOS' backstory and history. For a long time (and for some of us still ) the details James Blish had in his adaptation of "Balance Of Terror" were accepted as fact in terms of what happened during the Earth/Romulan War. Stuff found in Franz Joseph's blueprints and technical manual, as well as other publications, were accepted as gospel even though any potential future productions were certainly not beholden to them. So it's not surprising that some fans deferred to backstory details Gene Roddenberry put in his novelization of TMP as effectively canon even if none of it appeared in the film itself.

To that end it's not all that surprising the producers of STC just might defer to the TMP novelization given it was written by Roddenberry himself and thus giving it a measure of authenticity no other published work might have.

 

[Shamrock Holmes]

Uh, why the hell should live-action Star Trek defer to Trek books at all? My personal opinion is, if it didn't happen on screen, it didn't happen...

Ordinarily they shouldn't, but there are a few exceptions that are worth at least trying to fit into aired canon, TMP being one of them because...

it was written by Roddenberry himself and thus giving it a measure of authenticity

YMMV.

 

[Bixby]

It gets murky I think.

Way back in the '70s between TOS and TMP a lot of fans deferred to material in print to "fill in the gaps" of TOS' backstory and history. For a long time (and for some of us still ) the details James Blish had in his adaptation of "Balance Of Terror" were accepted as fact in terms of what happened during the Earth/Romulan War. Stuff found in Franz Joseph's blueprints and technical manual, as well as other publications, were accepted as gospel even though any potential future productions were certainly not beholden to them. So it's not surprising that some fans deferred to backstory details Gene Roddenberry put in his novelization of TMP as effectively canon even if none of it appeared in the film itself.

To that end it's not all that surprising the producers of STC just might defer to the TMP novelization given it was written by Roddenberry himself and thus giving it a measure of authenticity no other published work might have.

Going through some boxes this week (it's summer!) I actually found my Star Trek compendium, Mr Scott's guide to the Enterprise and Spaceflight Chronology books I bought back in the early 80s. While it was entertaining back then, I never felt the need to look at them again. I much prefer Inside Star Trek by Solow and Justman because it's filled with actual show content.

While I'm grateful to Roddenberry for the kernel from which Trek was born, Gene's Coon's brilliance and overwork is more what we all see as Trek. During the disco era and long into the movie era, something happened to Roddenberry where he became obsessed with religion (his every attempt at crafting an early treatment for Trek 2, 3, and 4 were all about the Enterprise encountering God, which I guess was finally adopted for #5).

I don't think i ever read Roddenberry's TMP book, nor do I feel the need to. It's been 45 years, if someone was ever going to make use of the tidbits inside, it would have been done by now...

Sooooo,,,back to STC.

 

[Warped9]

Concurrent with me revisiting STC I am following a Youtuber, who calls herself bunnytails, who has been reacting to the STC episodes (for the first time) after watching TOS and TAS. Her reactions are largely quite positive, but she is not watching them as critically as I am. She is watching them largely in terms of how much she enjoys a given episode and how well she thinks it was done—which is fair enough. But she is not viewing it as I am in the sense of not only is an episode entertaining (or not), but how convincing is it as something we could have seen if it had actually been made in 1969.

Although the TMP novelization is not a stellar piece of writing it is still interesting and partly due to some of the ideas Roddenberry introduces. But it’s also evident where Roddenberry’s mind was at the time—sex was prominent in his thinking. Roddenberry’s ideas of human society on Earth in the 23rd century seem very 1970s rather than what might have been envisioned in the 1960s.

 

[Bixby]

I just had another re-watch of COME NOT BETWEEN THE DRAGONS...I think I agree with your grading...
Gigi whatshername (she's a Doctor Who actress, right?) is a good actress here, effortlessly capturing a high level of vulnerability.

Warped9 and some others here mentioned the creeping influence of TNG-type of storytelling in STC, and I found an instance here. In the early part of this episode on the bridge, Sulu teases Chekov and says Chekov wants to get some stripes...The following episode when Chekov must save Scottie and Uhura from death, he earns a new lieutenant stripe...In TOS, this would all be in the same episode.

In this episode Dickerson the security red shirt has an expanded role, good for him. But although Drake has previously appeared in 2 other episodes (I think his first app. is in Lolani) it is clear he is not yet the acting security chief here either. This must have been a later decision to put him in charge.

I had noticed the insertion of 21st century slang in some of the episodes, but CNBTD has one that sticks out like a sore thumb: "ya-think?"

And finally, if you hadn't noticed, for this episode STC got a LAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaarge amount of extras for this episode: the end credits has a total of 25 names there...I think this episode was scheduled for shooting right after the end of one of their Kickstarters, which would explain how so many people showed up...(I wonder if they all provided their own uniforms, or did STC have a whole bunch?)

 

[Warped9]

One thing thats apparent in STC are the threads of continuity throughout the episodes, something that TOS didn’t really do. In TOS there are occasional references to past events seen in prior episodes, but they’re spaced a long ways apart.

In TOS Spock starts out as a Lt. Commander, but in Season 3 he’s a full Commander, and we never saw that promotion happen onscreen. It’s just there and they never made of point of drawing your attention to it. It’s not really a criticism of what STC did, but an observance of them injecting 21st century style storytelling into a 1960’s episodic format. But it is one more thing they did to set the stage for TMP.

 

[Bixby]

setting the stage for TMP: a lot of it is just too much worrying on their part...a lot of it could have simply been left up to "things that happened while we were away"

The same for the recent Han Solo movie where they felt obligated to explain the origin of his surname "Solo", or that singular bauble hanging in the cockpit of the Millenium Falcon, and so many unnecessary bits.

In Star Trek, the worst one they felt obligated to include in To Boldly Go, is why in WNMHGB Kirk's tombstone said James R, Kirk...

Like who the hell cares?

 

[CorporalCaptain]

I had noticed the insertion of 21st century slang in some of the episodes, but CNBTD has one that sticks out like a sore thumb: "ya-think?"

FWIW, FYI, in this Stack Exchange conversation, it is claimed that "ya think" gets usage hits in the 1970s and that it takes off in the 1990s. The claim is that an NGram search showed this, which is theoretically repeatable, and can be confirmed (or denied).

Also FWIW, this resource claims usage in the 1990s, without citation.

 

[Warped9]

It was never going to happen, but part of me wishes I could have been a story editor for STC. I would have tried to make them rethink certain choices and zi would have been making fair use of a red Sharpie.