Revisiting Star Trek TOS/TAS...

[Captain Robert April]

As someone who's done some VO (and directed too); it's just a fact that some TV actors seem to need the trappings (ie set, costumes, etc.) to 'get into character' and give a good performance. With just a mic and a small room, and street clothes, some just can't get into character or punch up and 'act' the dialogue too well.

Add in that most of the time, everyone recorded their dialogue separately (Shatner often recorded his lines into a tape recorder in between takes of whatever film or tv show he was working on at the time), and it really challenges some actors to key into the moment.

Add to that that they usually have the script in front of them; will in fact read off it (and it'll sound just like that they're reading too); and if the VO director doesn't care or speak up to try and get a line the way he wants it - they'll just read it and walk off.

Especially Nimoy.

Given what I've heard from TAS, I have to wonder if the VO director was just of the mentality, "These guys played these characters for 3 years. Don't want to upset them, as long as I can understand what they say, it's fine.

There's a rather famous outtake from TAS where the director or engineer or some twerp tries to correct Shatner on the pronunciation of "sabotage" (somebody around here even quotes it in his sig line); a slightly-recent appearance on the Howard Stern Show found Shatner getting all kinds of shit over it, along with the little pipsqueak for daring to tell William Shatner how to deliver a line.

I still remember as a kid, the TAS episode with the Orion Pirate ship, and William Shatner mis-pronounced "Orion" through the entire thing; so either the VO director was clueless too; or hedidn't have teh nerve/guts to correct Mr. Shatner's pronunciation.

I'm not sure what happened there, but EVERYONE was pronouncing it "Or-ee-on", so it wasn't just Shatner forgetting how to pronounce "Orion", it was somebody's lame idea about "Here's how we want it pronounced, never mind how it was pronounced in the original show or what the freakin' dictionary says."

 

[plynch]

I might follow your lead and read the logs. I purged my old original ones. Hello, ebay. Be well!

Much to my regret I did that many, many years ago back in the '80s or so. Then some years ago I had a change of heart and picked up the compilations that had two Log volumes per book for a total of five books. True I don't have those original covers anymore, but I do have the stories which is more important. And I'm so glad I have them.

Candidly in many respects ADF's adaptations feel more like the real episodes than TAS itself.

I'd also like to recollect the James Blish adaptations. I have the first collection with the cool James Bama cover, but I wish I had the rest.

Picked up the box set for my boy on ebay a while back for not much dough. Are you thinking of the cover with the flames coming out the back of the E? I love the paintings on the others, some of my all time favorite Trek art.

If I get some logs, I'm going with the original covers I remember just so they feel right. Be well!

 

[Warped9]

I'd also like to recollect the James Blish adaptations. I have the first collection with the cool James Bama cover, but I wish I had the rest.

It's technically incorrect (with flames coming out of the shuttlebay), but that art just stirs the imagination.

 

[Brian]

Maybe that's what Captain Kirk meant when he told Scotty to blast out of there with rockets if he needed to. Woe to the poor guy swabbing the shuttlebay deck.

 

[Warped9]

Quite a few of the Blish covers were inaccurate, but they really worked nonetheless. I remember getting so excited when I had spotted a new one on the store shelf.

Way back then, even before mass market VHS, those books were the only way to revisit the episodes outside of catching a rerun on TV. Ditto the Star Trek Log series by Alan Dean Foster. After TAS' run the series seem to disappear here in Canada and ADF's adaptations were all many of us had of TAS. Later the books were reprinted with disappointing art of the Enterprise where they obviously used the AMT model kit as a reference. It should be said, though, that this wasn't the first time we'd seen that model used on a book cover. Blish's Star Trek 5 also had the model as basis for the art, but it was set above a planetary landscape beaming down personnel. Again the cover was off technically (why is the ship so impossibly close to he surface?), but it was a rather cool image anyway.

In contrast many of the photo based book covers of today are drab and lifeless in comparison.

Another one of my favourite covers was done in reddish tones. It was the cover to Blish's Star Trek 8. I'll see if I can find an image.

 

[Vance]

It's technically incorrect (with flames coming out of the shuttlebay), but that art just stirs the imagination.

"Captain, and this is how I sent the flare..."
"NOT NOW, SPOCK!"

Seriously this art always bugged me, not just because it was inaccurate, but it did show me that a lot of artists of the 1970s really didn't see Trek in any different light than the old Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers serials, though. A lot of the 1970s Trek cover art rubbed me the wrong way accordingly.

 

[Forbin]

Blish bored me to tears. I guess I have a certain affection for those books, but I really never liked his writing.

 

[Warped9]

I loved his backstory for "Balance Of Terror" and "Miri." For me that will always be the way it really happened rather than what ENT tried to do.

 

[Tallguy]

I loved his backstory for "Balance Of Terror" and "Miri." For me that will always be the way it really happened rather than what ENT tried to do.

Or what TOS tried to do? For example in BoT it was no shock at all that the Roms looked like Vulcans. They didn't have subspace communication but they DID find bodies. The BIG shock was that the Rom ship looked like it came right out of San Fransisco yards.

 

[Warped9]

^^ It is a bit weird. I suppose we can only ascribe their reaction in the episode to finally seeing the resemblance for themselves rather than only knowing about it from history texts.

There is also the matter of Blish working from early draft scripts and whether he actually saw the episode before he wrote the adaptation. I suppose we may never know.

 

[Tallguy]

^^ It is a bit weird. I suppose we can only ascribe their reaction in the episode to finally seeing the resemblance for themselves rather than only knowing about it from history texts.

There is also the matter of Blish working from early draft scripts and whether he actually saw the episode before he wrote the adaptation. I suppose we may never know.

In the show it was explicit that neither side had seen the other. This was the first time anyone knew anything about what the Romulans looked like.

Blish was definitely working from early drafts. IMHO this is why the earlier books are more interesting than the more literal adaptations that came later when he was writing from finished episodes.

 

[Warped9]

Blish was definitely working from early drafts. IMHO this is why the earlier books are more interesting than the more literal adaptations that came later when he was writing from finished episodes.

Agreed.

 

[Warped9]

“More Tribbles, More Troubles” *

The Enterprise once again encounters Cyrano Jones, a cargo of tribbles and irate Klingons.

"The Trouble With Tribbles" was an amusing diversion, a lighter note amidst TOS' usual drama. But there was really nothing in it that urged a revisit. Nonetheless someone saw fit to go back and retread already trodden ground...and the effort is a poor one.

This episode is just plain bad and the story within it offers nothing of value or genuine humour. Not one bit of the original episode's charm is evident here. This is exactly the kind of episode that might appeal to the usual Saturday morning crowd and exactly the kind of effort Star Trek fans were hoping they wouldn't see from TAS.

The only elements of note in this are the interesting automated freighter design and the introduction of the glomar tribble predator. The rest is just plain bad.

 

[Captain Robert April]

It's technically incorrect (with flames coming out of the shuttlebay), but that art just stirs the imagination.

"Captain, and this is how I sent the flare..."
"NOT NOW, SPOCK!"

Seriously this art always bugged me, not just because it was inaccurate, but it did show me that a lot of artists of the 1970s really didn't see Trek in any different light than the old Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers serials, though. A lot of the 1970s Trek cover art rubbed me the wrong way accordingly.

For the record, the artwork on that first book began life as early NBC promotional art.

To be honest, as wonky as some of those cover paintings were, I'd love to get some images of them without the typography.

 

[scotpens]

I was about to post what Captain Robert April just said above, but he beat me to it. Anyway, here’s the art as it appeared in a 1966 newspaper/magazine ad:

. . . The only elements of note in this are the interesting automated freighter design and the introduction of the glomar tribble predator. The rest is just plain bad.

The genetically engineered tribble predator was called a “glommer,” meaning one who steals, catches or grabs from others.

The Glomar Challenger was a research ship.

 

[Warped9]

The genetically engineered tribble predator was called a “glommer,” meaning one who steals, catches or grabs from others.

I stand corrected, but the correct spelling doesn't help the episode any.

 

[Warped9]

“The Survivor” ***

The Enterprise rescues a renowned space trader on the edge of the Romulan Neutral Zone.

I like this story although I think the voice acting and some of the writing is clumsy. It also features one the coolest looking aliens we've ever gotten in Trek: the shape-changing Vendorian. It's also offset by one of the biggest by having the Vendorian assume the form of one of the Enterprise's deflector shields! At least in ADF's adaptation the Vendorian assumes the form of the damaged deflector circuits, which is somewhat less incredible.

I like that we got to see another look at a female security officer, Lt. Ann Nored. Too bad they couldn't have depicted her a little more professionally. Nchelle Nichols' voice acting was also wanting (I'm assuming it was her from the sound of Nored's voice).

With a little deft rewriting and more polished execution this could have been noticeably better.

 

[Hambone]

For example in BoT it was no shock at all that the Roms looked like Vulcans.

Funny..when I watch the episode, everyone on the bridge seems PLENTY shocked that the Romulans look like Vulcans. I guess that's a matter of perception, though.

The BIG shock was that the Rom ship looked like it came right out of San Fransisco yards.

This was explained in an earlier draft of the script which, sadly, didn't make it onto the screen.

http://startrekhistory.com/DS3.html

 

[BillJ]

For example in BoT it was no shock at all that the Roms looked like Vulcans.

Funny..when I watch the episode, everyone on the bridge seems PLENTY shocked that the Romulans look like Vulcans. I guess that's a matter of perception, though.

The BIG shock was that the Rom ship looked like it came right out of San Fransisco yards.

This was explained in an earlier draft of the script which, sadly, didn't make it onto the screen.

http://startrekhistory.com/DS3.html

Now Stiles line about traitors makes sense! For thirty-five years that line always seemed like it came from left field.

 

[evilnate]

For example in BoT it was no shock at all that the Roms looked like Vulcans.

Funny..when I watch the episode, everyone on the bridge seems PLENTY shocked that the Romulans look like Vulcans. I guess that's a matter of perception, though.

The BIG shock was that the Rom ship looked like it came right out of San Fransisco yards.

This was explained in an earlier draft of the script which, sadly, didn't make it onto the screen.

http://startrekhistory.com/DS3.html

Wow... I've not seen that before. I love the episode, but Stiles comment about spies being onboard the ship seems like a huge leap of logic in the aired episode. That makes the whole thing make sense. Imagine the episodes that could have spun off from that. Not to mention, "The Enterprise Incident" would have been more of a tit for tat that it was.