You aren't really seeing them the way they were meant to be. So much of the music is re-used I never noticed the change if there is one.
RAMA
Revisiting Star Trek TOS/TAS...
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You aren't really seeing them the way they were meant to be. So much of the music is re-used I never noticed the change if there is one.
RAMA
Saw this in a theater when it was shown a couple of years ago. My wife never saw the Cage and so I think she enjoyed it even more than I did. My biggest quibble is that Spock really could have done this all a lot simpler. Talk about NOT going through the proper channels. Also, does Talos IV deserve the death penalty attached to it any more than the other threats the Enterprise faced?? Other than those misgivings the Menagerie is a very good two-parter..**** for both
RAMA
"Shore Leave" *****
An idyllic planet holds impossible surprises for the Enterprise crew.
This is a wonderful story and nicely told. It begins right off with something absurd and never lets up from there...and it all works.
Granted today cgi could offer more polished f/x, but it really wouldn't add anything because it's all supposed to be absurd anyway.
We get another fetching TOS beauty with Yeoman Tonia Barrows. Kirk's bouts with his Academy arch nemesis Finnigan is a lot of fun. McCoy is a charmer. We also get to see rare sequences of the Enterprise orbiting opposite of it's usual direction.
And loads of nice character moments. One of the real bonuses for me was the on-location shooting which made things seem more real as opposed to be shot on a soundstage.
The Caretaker's reveal at the end got me thinking that if this planet was meant to host numerous different races then the Caretaker's human appearance could also have been as illusionary as the rest of creations we saw.
An idyllic planet holds impossible surprises for the Enterprise crew.
This is a wonderful story and nicely told. It begins right off with something absurd and never lets up from there...and it all works.
Granted today cgi could offer more polished f/x, but it really wouldn't add anything because it's all supposed to be absurd anyway.We get another fetching TOS beauty with Yeoman Tonia Barrows. Kirk's bouts with his Academy arch nemesis Finnigan is a lot of fun. McCoy is a charmer. We also get to see rare sequences of the Enterprise orbiting opposite of it's usual direction.
And loads of nice character moments. One of the real bonuses for me was the on-location shooting which made things seem more real as opposed to be shot on a soundstage.The Caretaker's reveal at the end got me thinking that if this planet was meant to host numerous different races then the Caretaker's human appearance could also have been as illusionary as the rest of creations we saw.
"Shore Leave" *****
An idyllic planet holds impossible surprises for the Enterprise crew.
This is a wonderful story and nicely told. It begins right off with something absurd and never lets up from there...and it all works.
We get another fetching TOS beauty with Yeoman Tonia Barrows. Kirk's bouts with his Academy arch nemesis Finnigan is a lot of fun. McCoy is a charmer. We also get to see rare sequences of the Enterprise orbiting opposite of it's usual direction.
The Caretaker's reveal at the end got me thinking that if this planet was meant to host numerous different races then the Caretaker's human appearance could also have been as illusionary as the rest of creations we saw.
Good episode, I like the idea that "a little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men". The only real problem...why'd the Caretaker--dim-bulb super alien that he is--not understand no one knew what was going on and take so long to fix things? Oops, in Disney World that would prob get you fired and sued.
RAMA
There are a few lapses here and there, such as
. The music is memorable, and the wind chimes are also cool. Overall, a very enjoyable episode.
but nothing that really breaks the spell. Yes, I love the Enterprise orbiting in the opposite directionSULU: Look. Someone beaming down from the bridge.
. The music is memorable, and the wind chimes are also cool. Overall, a very enjoyable episode.
"The Squire Of Gothos" ****
The Enterprise encounters an improbable planet and its lone equally improbable inhabitant.
A little more absurdity and fun with a little extra measure of drama thrown in. Here Star Trek once again displays its sense of theatre much like in the earlier "The Conscience Of The King." William Campbell is enjoyable as the off-the-wall Trelane. Any resemblance to feeling like an episode of The Outer Limits is cemented with the episode's reveal of Trelane as an alien spoiled brat. It also demonstrates that one of the strengths of early Star Trek was allowing its guest stars to have some genuine focus and chances to shine.
The Enterprise encounters an improbable planet and its lone equally improbable inhabitant.
A little more absurdity and fun with a little extra measure of drama thrown in. Here Star Trek once again displays its sense of theatre much like in the earlier "The Conscience Of The King." William Campbell is enjoyable as the off-the-wall Trelane. Any resemblance to feeling like an episode of The Outer Limits is cemented with the episode's reveal of Trelane as an alien spoiled brat. It also demonstrates that one of the strengths of early Star Trek was allowing its guest stars to have some genuine focus and chances to shine.
I love Shore Leave, though I agree with the writer (IIRC) that they give up the game a little early by showing the crew being watched by the scanner (which is hilariously anachronistic 40+ years later). The score is fantastic -- I have it on CD and listen to it regularly.
Probably one of the episodes that has non-fans think of TOS as campy as a whole. The aliens are somewhat confusing..at first Trelane has technologically derived powers, then possibly later his "parents" seem to have something closer to Organian evolution. The writers can't seem to make up their minds. Unlike Q, Trelane has no purpose, he seems a bit too aimless, and the normally allegorical TOS suffers somewhat, laboring with some rather mean-spirited mental and physical torture in its place. Some of the logic is missing too...a "genius" child that doesn't know anything about time and distances in the universe?? William Campbell almost saves the episode with a over the top performance, but not totally. *** stars
RAMA
"Arena" *****
Kirk is pitted in personal contest with the alien who destroyed an Earth outpost.
Awesome. This is essentially a remake of The Outer Limits' episode "Fun And Games" yet in my opinion it's the superior of the two. It's also one of those episodes that non-Trek fans can laugh at because of the Gorn being portrayed by some guy in a rubber suit. But to do so really does the episode a disservice because in this one we get everything promised by Star Trek's essential premise: space adventure encountering new life along with moral ambiguity.
There are so many good moments in this that I really can't pick favourites. Among the best of Season 1 this is one of the jewels as science fiction television at its best right along with "Where No Man Has Gone Before," "The Corbomite Maneuver" and "Balance Of Terror." CBS can try to polish it with cgi f/x and they still won't make it any better.
I thought it was interesting seeing a Starfleet uniform with yet a different division colour, this one being somewhat grey although it was probably a reuse of Finnagan's costume from "Shore Leave." Although it's a rubber suit I really like the conceptual design of the Gorn, it being a reptile yet with something like compound eyes, something totally lost and ruined in ENT's cgi version. One could even rationalize the Gorn's slow movements as a creature out of its element in a cooler climate while Kirk could still be mobile without being overheated. As for the Metron I simply rationalize that it's appearance was likely an illusion that Kirk could relate to and not feel threatened by.
I've got some episodes to go before wrapping up this season, but so far I have to say that TOS delivered everything it promises in its premise. It is generally first-rate, straight up SF space adventure and usually well executed and can easily stand with anything that has come along since. It's first strength was good writing, but then that's built on and enhanced with generally solid cast performances, good direction, good cinematography and decent post production. And at this point there isn't yet a dog in the bunch---maybe three so far are just okay (and even those have their moments), but everything else has been good to excellent.
Kirk is pitted in personal contest with the alien who destroyed an Earth outpost.
Awesome.
This is essentially a remake of The Outer Limits' episode "Fun And Games" yet in my opinion it's the superior of the two. It's also one of those episodes that non-Trek fans can laugh at because of the Gorn being portrayed by some guy in a rubber suit. But to do so really does the episode a disservice because in this one we get everything promised by Star Trek's essential premise: space adventure encountering new life along with moral ambiguity.There are so many good moments in this that I really can't pick favourites. Among the best of Season 1 this is one of the jewels as science fiction television at its best right along with "Where No Man Has Gone Before," "The Corbomite Maneuver" and "Balance Of Terror." CBS can try to polish it with cgi f/x and they still won't make it any better.
I thought it was interesting seeing a Starfleet uniform with yet a different division colour, this one being somewhat grey although it was probably a reuse of Finnagan's costume from "Shore Leave." Although it's a rubber suit I really like the conceptual design of the Gorn, it being a reptile yet with something like compound eyes, something totally lost and ruined in ENT's cgi version. One could even rationalize the Gorn's slow movements as a creature out of its element in a cooler climate while Kirk could still be mobile without being overheated. As for the Metron I simply rationalize that it's appearance was likely an illusion that Kirk could relate to and not feel threatened by.
I've got some episodes to go before wrapping up this season, but so far I have to say that TOS delivered everything it promises in its premise. It is generally first-rate, straight up SF space adventure and usually well executed and can easily stand with anything that has come along since. It's first strength was good writing, but then that's built on and enhanced with generally solid cast performances, good direction, good cinematography and decent post production. And at this point there isn't yet a dog in the bunch---maybe three so far are just okay (and even those have their moments), but everything else has been good to excellent.
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Well, Fredric Brown gets screen credit for his 1944 short story Arena. From http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Arena_(episode)#Script:
Yo, the similarities were more than slight. Brown got screen credit, which is 'nuff said.
I agree. The gimmick of making the Gorn's eyes blink was applied inconsistently. Although there is a case to be made that it might be an improvement, the gimmick draws attention to itself during the long passages in which the Gorn's eyes do not blink. Therefore, the eye blink effect is a total wash, and can just as easily be done without. The matte work at the base in the beginning is good, though.
IMAO, the improvements in the remastered editions over the originals are almost exclusively in how the original footage has been restored and made significantly clearer. In many cases, the restoration yields a staggering improvement. So much so, that some fans have said it is too much of an improvement, because, for example, makeup flaws become apparent.
IMAO, the improvements in the remastered editions over the originals are almost exclusively in how the original footage has been restored and made significantly clearer. In many cases, the restoration yields a staggering improvement. So much so, that some fans have said it is too much of an improvement, because, for example, makeup flaws become apparent.
Negative. This is a common misconception. From http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Arena_(episode)#Props_and_Costumes:
From http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Hansen_(Commander)#Background:
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Gene Coon had apparently read "Arena" years before and forgotten about it, much as David Gerrold had read Robert Heinlein's "The Rolling Stones", with its furry, and rapidly breeding flatcats, long before writing "The Trouble With Tribbles".
In the case of "Arena", it was decided to secure the rights to Brown's story and cover their asses. In the case of "Tribbles", Heinlein just wanted an autographed script, since all stories along those lines can be traced directly back to "Pigs is Pigs", so suing over the matter would be rather pointless.
In the case of "Arena", it was decided to secure the rights to Brown's story and cover their asses. In the case of "Tribbles", Heinlein just wanted an autographed script, since all stories along those lines can be traced directly back to "Pigs is Pigs", so suing over the matter would be rather pointless.
"The Alternative Factor" ***
The Enterprise encounters a man of highly erratic behaviour in the midst of an unexplained spatial phenomenon.
This episode gets panned a lot and not entirely undeservedly. Still, I have something of a soft spot for it---I think there's a viable story to be told at the heart of it, but there's some sloppy execution. Lazurus is definately unhinged and in fairness it isn't clear that there are indeed two of him until later in the episode. My biggest beef is how someone so obviously unbalanced could be allowed to wander freely aboard ship without a security escort. Indeed he should have been confined and his movements restricted. Of course doing so would hamper the necessity of having him at large to do what he needs to for the sake of the story. Still I can't help but think it could have been done better.
I don't think it's poor or outright bad, but it definately could have been better.
The Enterprise encounters a man of highly erratic behaviour in the midst of an unexplained spatial phenomenon.
This episode gets panned a lot and not entirely undeservedly. Still, I have something of a soft spot for it---I think there's a viable story to be told at the heart of it, but there's some sloppy execution. Lazurus is definately unhinged and in fairness it isn't clear that there are indeed two of him until later in the episode. My biggest beef is how someone so obviously unbalanced could be allowed to wander freely aboard ship without a security escort. Indeed he should have been confined and his movements restricted. Of course doing so would hamper the necessity of having him at large to do what he needs to for the sake of the story. Still I can't help but think it could have been done better.
I don't think it's poor or outright bad, but it definately could have been better.
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I give them credit for at least trying something unusual, and cut them more than a little slack for having to deal with the whole John Drew Barrymore nonsense. Under the circumstances, this episode is lucky to be as coherent as it is.
What really allows it to work as well as it does (for what it is) is the regular casts' performance and the rest of the crew's generally polished execution as already seen throughout the season. When I look at any individual aspect of it it's hard to define precisely what doesn't work...except that the sum of the parts is somewhat lesser than the whole.
I think you're definitely a little kind on "The Alternative Factor." Plot issues aside (you bring up the bizarre choice of letting a madman wander around the ship unaccompanied), at times the odd visual effects leave things totally incoherent.
There was definitely production problems involved, though, on account of the original guest actor not showing up for work and all.
There was definitely production problems involved, though, on account of the original guest actor not showing up for work and all.
Oh, certainly. I'm not at all sure how I would choose to execute it. But the way it is done on screen just doesn't work for me.
I skipped your review of "Arena." It's an excellent episode. In the recent hurt/heal thread, it was voted down a little early. I'm not sure why -- it's a key episode of the original series (silly Gorn costume be damned).
"Tomorrow Is Yesterday" *****
The Enterprise is thrown back in time to the 1960s and mistaken for a UFO.
This episode is really enjoyable and a lot of fun. Strictly speaking it isn't Star Trek's first dabble with time travel ("The Naked Time") but this is the first time it's a central part of the story. And they're able to do it with an acceptable measure of levity along with the drama. There are a lot of good moments in this and the story moves right along. There's also a nice touch of lucky guessing in that the writer's pegged the first Moon launching as a Wednesday, and it just so happened that Apollo 11 launched on July 16th, 1969, a Wednesday. (-:
While thoroughly enjoyable this episode does raise questions. You can't help but wonder if other events involving time travel ever happened before only they are kept classified and hushed up due to the sensitive nature of the issue. That said we do get some feeling that this is a major event in terms of time travel because while Kirk and crew realize many of the implications they still make mistakes---namely: how could they consider beaming down into a U.S. military installation while still dressed in their Starfleet service wear rather than '60s era military service wear to minimize being noticed? And they do it more than once. How could they not assume that security systems might not be in place and it's an oversight Christopher doesn't mention the possibility of an alarm being triggered if the Photo Lab was entered? I'm not calling these mistakes of writing but oversights of the Enterprise crew. As advanced as they are in comparison to us they were still fish-out-of-water in a time not their own.
The final big one has been debated for decades: how can they beam Christopher and the Airforce Sergeant back into place when their earlier selves are already there? Could the crew actually be lying to them and not really returning their present selves at all?
The major strength of this story is in how it's told because in all candor some of the details are fudged.
The Enterprise is thrown back in time to the 1960s and mistaken for a UFO.
This episode is really enjoyable and a lot of fun. Strictly speaking it isn't Star Trek's first dabble with time travel ("The Naked Time") but this is the first time it's a central part of the story. And they're able to do it with an acceptable measure of levity along with the drama. There are a lot of good moments in this and the story moves right along. There's also a nice touch of lucky guessing in that the writer's pegged the first Moon launching as a Wednesday, and it just so happened that Apollo 11 launched on July 16th, 1969, a Wednesday. (-:
While thoroughly enjoyable this episode does raise questions. You can't help but wonder if other events involving time travel ever happened before only they are kept classified and hushed up due to the sensitive nature of the issue. That said we do get some feeling that this is a major event in terms of time travel because while Kirk and crew realize many of the implications they still make mistakes---namely: how could they consider beaming down into a U.S. military installation while still dressed in their Starfleet service wear rather than '60s era military service wear to minimize being noticed? And they do it more than once.
How could they not assume that security systems might not be in place and it's an oversight Christopher doesn't mention the possibility of an alarm being triggered if the Photo Lab was entered? I'm not calling these mistakes of writing but oversights of the Enterprise crew. As advanced as they are in comparison to us they were still fish-out-of-water in a time not their own.The final big one has been debated for decades: how can they beam Christopher and the Airforce Sergeant back into place when their earlier selves are already there? Could the crew actually be lying to them and not really returning their present selves at all?
The major strength of this story is in how it's told because in all candor some of the details are fudged.
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Maybe General Order 47 "You're with Starfleet, you don't lie" isn't enacted for another 78 years.
Whenever I see "Tomorrow Is Yesterday," most particularly the beginning, I'm reminded of the first time I saw the episode back in the very early '70s. I saw nothing that looked like Star Trek and thought it had been preempted by something else. I was rather pissed...until I heard the familiar fanfare and saw the Enterprise flying overhead.
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