This.
Revisiting Star Trek TOS/TAS...
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This.
The "salt vampire" was a very intelligent creature, its a shame they wrote him contrary to what the episode was trying to portray (the Buffalo/extinction allegory) and it wound up unreasonably attacking people. The only really major failing in the episode, and its a big one.
I'll start by saying I like First Contact a lot. ZC's motivations are a little muddled but no more so that a lot of other great characters in Trek, TOS or TNG (etc.).
But the ZC in Metamorphosis is Chuck Yeager meets Albert Einstein. He's all of 1967 NASA, astronauts AND scientists in one flight suit wearing package. In a lot of ways he's kind of a proto-Kirk. He's got an easy-going gee-whiz manner that you don't see anymore. They say "of Alpha Centauri" (and we'll just leave it at that) but he might as well be from, well, Iowa.
Leaving the historical significance of Mr. Cochrane it's not a bad story. It does seem to run in place for a long time, but that might be because it's so familiar.
Nancy Hedford: Does the Federation have any diplomats / officials that are LIKABLE? I swear, between her, Ferris, and Fox I wouldn't be surprised that the Klingons and Romulans were peace loving pacifists before this gang started negotiating.
It highlights a weakness of TOS: If you weren't from the Enterprise you were an idiot, evil, or both. (With respect to Commodores Mendez, Wesley and -sorta- Decker.)
But the ZC in Metamorphosis is Chuck Yeager meets Albert Einstein. He's all of 1967 NASA, astronauts AND scientists in one flight suit wearing package. In a lot of ways he's kind of a proto-Kirk. He's got an easy-going gee-whiz manner that you don't see anymore. They say "of Alpha Centauri" (and we'll just leave it at that) but he might as well be from, well, Iowa.
Leaving the historical significance of Mr. Cochrane it's not a bad story. It does seem to run in place for a long time, but that might be because it's so familiar.
Nancy Hedford: Does the Federation have any diplomats / officials that are LIKABLE? I swear, between her, Ferris, and Fox I wouldn't be surprised that the Klingons and Romulans were peace loving pacifists before this gang started negotiating.
It highlights a weakness of TOS: If you weren't from the Enterprise you were an idiot, evil, or both. (With respect to Commodores Mendez, Wesley and -sorta- Decker.)
To be fair, Ferris did have a mission to accomplish. Would Kirk have acted any differently if he had a mission to accomplish and someone kept telling him to hold on?
Ro be honest, you could say that of ALL the Star Trek Franchise series:
TNG - Admiral Narah Satie in "The Brumhead"
TNG - Admiral Kennelly in "Ensign Ro"
TNG - Admiral Pressman in "The Pegusus"
DS9 - Admiral Leyton in "Homefront"
My point? You can find examles of this across all Star Trek especially in the later series as the GR mandate in the TNG era was "no real conflict among the crew"; so they had to use the 'miguided' authority figure meme.
I saw that movie in 1979. We didn't like HIM then either.
I guess since Ferris doesn't actually DO anything (he's the ticking clock) he can't be called stupid. He's just nasty and unpleasant.
“Friday’s Child” ***
The landing party must negotiate mining rights with a primitive people while the Enterprise is challenged by a Klingon warship.
All things considered this really is an average run-of-the mill episode, and yet it has quite a few fun moments in it. McCoy is a riot in his interactions with Eleen. And I really like Scotty's turn in command along with Sulu and Chekov and Uhura supporting. In this Scotty isn't yet the excitable engineer but has his own distinct professionalism and composure.
The primitive peoples in this are rather cardboard, though. And Tigre Andrews makes for a truly lousy Klingon.
He has no distinct speech manner and they couldn't even bother to give him some make-up. Additionally while some of the music was neat quite a bit of it was just a little too obtrusive and some of it didn't fit the story's setting and atmosphere.
The landing party must negotiate mining rights with a primitive people while the Enterprise is challenged by a Klingon warship.
All things considered this really is an average run-of-the mill episode, and yet it has quite a few fun moments in it. McCoy is a riot in his interactions with Eleen. And I really like Scotty's turn in command along with Sulu and Chekov and Uhura supporting. In this Scotty isn't yet the excitable engineer but has his own distinct professionalism and composure.
The primitive peoples in this are rather cardboard, though. And Tigre Andrews makes for a truly lousy Klingon.
He has no distinct speech manner and they couldn't even bother to give him some make-up. Additionally while some of the music was neat quite a bit of it was just a little too obtrusive and some of it didn't fit the story's setting and atmosphere.
I'm watching them in production order to get a better sense of the series' progression.
“Catspaw” ***
“Metamorphosis” ****
“Friday’s Child” ***
“Who Mourns For Adonais?”
“Amok Time”
“The Doomsday Machine”
“Wolf In The Fold”
“The Changeling”
“The Apple”
“Mirror, Mirror”
“The Deadly Years”
“I, Mudd”
“The Trouble With Tribbles”
“Bread And Circuses”
“Journey To Babel”
“A Private Little War”
“The Gamesters Of Triskelion”
“Obsession”
“The Immunity Syndrome”
“A Piece Of The Action”
“By Any Other Name”
“Return To Tomorrow”
“Patterns Of Force”
“The Ultimate Computer”
“The Omega Glory”
“Assignment: Earth”
And Tigre Andrews makes for a truly lousy Klingon.
Koloth and later Klingons will also appear without the make-up. Personally, I prefer that look to the brown-faced Klingons.
I love TOS, but that always struck me as really cheap. At least some effort was made with Kor, Kang, Mara and Kahless. Didn't some of Kang's crew also have makeup?And Tigre Andrews makes for a truly lousy Klingon.
Koloth and later Klingons will also appear without the make-up. Personally, I prefer that look to the brown-faced Klingons.
^^^^And Tigre Andrews makes for a truly lousy Klingon.
Koloth and later Klingons will also appear without the make-up. Personally, I prefer that look to the brown-faced Klingons.
That's not correct as 'Kang' (played bi Michael Ansara) will have the TOS Klingon makeup in the 3rd season episode - Day of the Dove
Didn't say that all later Klingons would appear without the make-up, but I phrased that badly. It's correct that Kang and others in "Day of the Dove" definitely have make-up (although, to be honest, I think the make-up work in that episode is pretty mediocre -- and Kahless looks even worse in "The Savage Curtain").
“Friday’s Child” ***
The landing party must negotiate mining rights with a primitive people while the Enterprise is challenged by a Klingon warship.
All things considered this really is an average run-of-the mill episode, and yet it has quite a few fun moments in it. McCoy is a riot in his interactions with Eleen. And I really like Scotty's turn in command along with Sulu and Chekov and Uhura supporting. In this Scotty isn't yet the excitable engineer but has his own distinct professionalism and composure.
The primitive peoples in this are rather cardboard, though. And Tigre Andrews makes for a truly lousy Klingon.
I always rank this one higher than most others do. It's a solid '****' outing for me as I find it highly re-watchable. Absolutely love 'Bob the Klingon' he's so out of place its' ridiculous, yet it's still fun. Especially the shot where he takes the 'kligat' to the chest and it switches to the stunt double...
Perhaps to be a teer is to see in new ways. I begin to like you, Earthman, and I saw fear in the Klingon's eye.
“Who Mourns For Adonais?” ****
A being claiming to be the ancient Greek god Apollo demands worship from the crew of the Enterprise.
I'm sure I may get roasted for this, but while not awesome this is a fun episode. Michael Forrest makes for an interesting Apollo with all the requisite haughtiness and capriciousness. I really like the evocative music with its sense of an era long since past. The secondary characters are used to reasonably good effect with Chekov standing in for Spock on the landing party.
There are a couple of interesting ideas in this episode. One of them was being discussed at the time based on a book written by Erich von Daniken called Chariots of the Gods where he put forth the idea that ancient mythologies could have been spawned by star travelers visiting Earth thousands of years ago. The other idea is another time worn one, that there are those who are destined to rule and others who are destined to serve. Apollo here isn't much different from Khan Noonien Singh in believing it is his manifest destiny to rule over others.
I also liked that this episode had a touch of downbeat in its ending, that Kirk and company actually feel a touch of remorse for having to destroy Apollo.
I also really liked Carolyn Palamas' Grecian style dress.
Thank you William Theiss!
Not all is peachy, though. Scotty behaves rather unprofessionally in this. It seems out of character and more befitting someone closer to Chekov's age in the midst of obsessive puppy love. And again we have a professional Starfleet officer who's head gets turned rather easily, although not quite as unbelievably stupidly as McGivers in "Space Seed" thanks to Kirk bringing Palamas back down to Earth.
A being claiming to be the ancient Greek god Apollo demands worship from the crew of the Enterprise.
I'm sure I may get roasted for this, but while not awesome this is a fun episode. Michael Forrest makes for an interesting Apollo with all the requisite haughtiness and capriciousness. I really like the evocative music with its sense of an era long since past. The secondary characters are used to reasonably good effect with Chekov standing in for Spock on the landing party.There are a couple of interesting ideas in this episode. One of them was being discussed at the time based on a book written by Erich von Daniken called Chariots of the Gods where he put forth the idea that ancient mythologies could have been spawned by star travelers visiting Earth thousands of years ago. The other idea is another time worn one, that there are those who are destined to rule and others who are destined to serve. Apollo here isn't much different from Khan Noonien Singh in believing it is his manifest destiny to rule over others.
I also liked that this episode had a touch of downbeat in its ending, that Kirk and company actually feel a touch of remorse for having to destroy Apollo.
I also really liked Carolyn Palamas' Grecian style dress.
Thank you William Theiss!Not all is peachy, though. Scotty behaves rather unprofessionally in this. It seems out of character and more befitting someone closer to Chekov's age in the midst of obsessive puppy love. And again we have a professional Starfleet officer who's head gets turned rather easily, although not quite as unbelievably stupidly as McGivers in "Space Seed" thanks to Kirk bringing Palamas back down to Earth.
“Who Mourns For Adonais?” ****
A being claiming to be the ancient Greek god Apollo demands worship from the crew of the Enterprise.
There are a couple of interesting ideas in this episode. One of them was being discussed at the time based on a book written by Erich von Daniken called Chariots of the Gods where he put forth the idea that ancient mythologies could have been spawned by star travelers visiting Earth thousands of years ago. The other idea is another time worn one, that there are those who are destined to rule and others who are destined to serve. Apollo here isn't much different from Khan Noonien Singh in believing it is his manifest destiny to rule over others.
I also liked that this episode had a touch of downbeat in its ending, that Kirk and company actually feel a touch of remorse for having to destroy Apollo.
I also really liked Carolyn Palamas' Grecian style dress.
Not all is peachy, though. Scotty behaves rather unprofessionally in this. It seems out of character and more befitting someone closer to Chekov's age in the midst of obsessive puppy love. And again we have a professional Starfleet officer who's head gets turned rather easily, although not quite as unbelievably stupidly as McGivers in "Space Seed" thanks to Kirk bringing Palamas back down to Earth.
Agreed. Another fun episode.
“Who Mourns For Adonais?” ****
A being claiming to be the ancient Greek god Apollo demands worship from the crew of the Enterprise.
There are a couple of interesting ideas in this episode. One of them was being discussed at the time based on a book written by Erich von Daniken called Chariots of the Gods where he put forth the idea that ancient mythologies could have been spawned by star travelers visiting Earth thousands of years ago. The other idea is another time worn one, that there are those who are destined to rule and others who are destined to serve. Apollo here isn't much different from Khan Noonien Singh in believing it is his manifest destiny to rule over others.
I also liked that this episode had a touch of downbeat in its ending, that Kirk and company actually feel a touch of remorse for having to destroy Apollo.
I also really liked Carolyn Palamas' Grecian style dress.
Not all is peachy, though. Scotty behaves rather unprofessionally in this. It seems out of character and more befitting someone closer to Chekov's age in the midst of obsessive puppy love. And again we have a professional Starfleet officer who's head gets turned rather easily, although not quite as unbelievably stupidly as McGivers in "Space Seed" thanks to Kirk bringing Palamas back down to Earth.
A rather dangerous statement on 60s TV (oy the viewership in the South!) this episode's allegory just appeared fanciful enough to distract from Gene's statement about worshiping gods. I still don't think most people knew what hit them...Still, the production was rather cheap, Scotty comes off as a buffoon, and Kirk could have negotiated a bit better in the face of mortal danger to his crew. Better versions of this episode: TAS's How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth, STNG's Who Watches the Watchers. *** stars
RAMA
^^ Well I don't think Apollo was really inclined to negotiate for anything. He wanted unconditional subservience and that's it.
Yeah, I picked up on the gods idea as well. Today no biggee, but back in the '60s it would have been a whopper if you were perceptive enough to pick up on it.
Yeah, I picked up on the gods idea as well. Today no biggee, but back in the '60s it would have been a whopper if you were perceptive enough to pick up on it.
Well would it have hurt to "appease" Apollo just a bit..a very REAL super powered/super technological being? This is Kirk at his hardheaded best (worst?). A more diplomatic captain could probably have come out of it without a scratch.
RAMA
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