Revisiting Star Trek TOS/TAS...

[Captain Robert April]

I think Jean-Luc Picard said it best: "And I say to any creature who may be listening, there can be no justice so long as laws are absolute. Even life itself is an exercise in exceptions."

Why would the Prime Directive be excluded?

There are definitely cases where the PD can be suspended...no law is an absolute, but callous disregard as in this case is not one of them.

It isn't callous disregard when the natives and their machine god attempt to kill you.

If you watch the episode you'll see that Vaal is on the offensive right from the beginning... attacking both the Enterprise and the landing party.

Which sparked my earlier question: is it okay to shoot someone for stepping on your lawn?

Note that when Spock got hit by the poison darts, Kirk essentially says, "Screw this, we're outta here," and tries to bug out, long before they encountered any natives, and Vaal wouldn't let them leave! Besides, can you imagine the damage that'd result from the Enterprise doing a belly flop on the planet's surface?

Sorry, but Vaal had to go.

 

[BillJ]

There are definitely cases where the PD can be suspended...no law is an absolute, but callous disregard as in this case is not one of them.

It isn't callous disregard when the natives and their machine god attempt to kill you.

If you watch the episode you'll see that Vaal is on the offensive right from the beginning... attacking both the Enterprise and the landing party.

Which sparked my earlier question: is it okay to shoot someone for stepping on your lawn?

Note that when Spock got hit by the poison darts, Kirk essentially says, "Screw this, we're outta here," and tries to bug out, long before they encountered any natives, and Vaal wouldn't let them leave! Besides, can you imagine the damage that'd result from the Enterprise doing a belly flop on the planet's surface?

Sorry, but Vaal had to go.

But by even beaming down, some people think Kirk broke the Prime Directive. Poor JTK just can't win.

 

[Forbin]

Further speculation: What if the control of Val was pre-arranged by some grand evolutionary plan of its originators, one that protected the inhabitants from some unknown evolutionary harm, and Kirk could have no knowledge of. What if it was merely a transition period to another level at a later date? Without really knowing the purpose, Kirk has done incomprehensible harm.

RAMA

That's kind of interesting actually - Vaal as the 2001 Monolith.

 

[Forbin]

I don't really find fault with much in the episode, solid story...my one quibble would be the rapidity of finding the cure....an old TV cliche. **** stars from me

RAMA

Some day I'd like to see a rapid aging desease cured, but the effects handled realistically - the cell damage, the skin wrinkled and sagging, the eyesight shot, the organs failing - you'd think all that would take a few months to heal before the person returned to their vigorous real-aged self. A more serialized sci fi show could have the recovery arced over a few episodes.

 

[Noname Given]

"I, Mudd" *

A group of androids hijack the Enterprise and intend to "take care" of humanity.

This is one schizophrenic episode. Granted the TOS cast has always been adept with humour, but this thing is so surreal and absurd that it boggles the mind. Yeah, it has some honestly funny moments, but it's just so over-the-top. This is where the show fell on its face.

These androids are nowhere near as nuanced as Roger Corby's androids in "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" or as Rayna in "Requiem For Methuselah." They're just a cliche and just played for laughs. And it's hard to take their threat seriously because it's all just so stupid.

Even some of the statements made by the characters are dumb. Spock actually says the androids might pull off thier plan. A mere 200,000 androids against the population of the Federation as well as allied races??? I don't fucking think so. And they obviously don't understand a thing about humans if they think humanity would just roll over and hand over the keys to everything.

Yeah, it's got a number of laughs in it, but it's so stupid that it offends me as a Star Trek fan and as a science fiction fan.

TOS will recover, but if you didn't know better you'd be forgiven for thinking that this was a moment TOS "jumped the shark."


Oh, yeah...and Mudd spelled backwards is d, dum.

Wow - While I wouldn't give it 5 stars, IMO 1 star is overly harsh. It's going to be interesting to see your ratings on a lot of TOS season 3 if this one gets a 1.

Myself - 3 stars (and depeding on my mood, even 4); I really liked the scene between Spock and Mudd where Mudd is detailing how he 'escaped' detention and eventually wound up at the Class K planet.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Further speculation: What if the control of Val was pre-arranged by some grand evolutionary plan of its originators, one that protected the inhabitants from some unknown evolutionary harm, and Kirk could have no knowledge of. What if it was merely a transition period to another level at a later date? Without really knowing the purpose, Kirk has done incomprehensible harm.

RAMA

That's kind of interesting actually - Vaal as the 2001 Monolith.

Yes.

As written, the function of the racist insult in the epilogue was to discount the negative concerns that follow from the parallel with the Biblical Fall. Instead, a more insightful analysis could have been presented in the epilogue, along the lines you suggest, and without the cocksure dismissal of Spock's concerns.

Kirk did say that the Federation would help the primitives. Presumably, the Federation would ensure that no long term damage was done and that the species stayed on track to develop a mature culture.

It seems reasonable to me that the purpose of Vaal was to keep the primitives from getting out of balance with nature.

 

[Warped9]

I really liked the scene between Spock and Mudd where Mudd is detailing how he 'escaped' detention and eventually wound up at the Class K planet.

Yes, that's a decent scene. The episode actually starts off reasonably, but soon after Mudd's introduction into the story (and the scene you refer to) the thing slides into ridiculousness. The Alices speaking in chorus was just plain stupid.


...but I have to say after reading some of the remarks and upon further reflection perhaps I might have been just a tad harsh. And I mean just a tad. I'll give it a 2 instead of a 1.

 

[Warped9]

“The Trouble With Tribbles” ****

Kirk must protect a vital shipment of grain from Klingon sabotage and a horde of cute alien creatures.

Humour again, but why does this work so much better than "I. Mudd?" Simply, context and a little restraint. Granted the situation or threat here isn't nearly as dire as that put forth in "I, Mudd" and subsequently it's easier to make light of it. There's an element of absurdity to the events as they transpire onscreen, but it resonates just enough that we can identify with them. Who among us in our own lives or regarding something we've read or seen on the news hasn't thought something actually quite important yet also found ourselves amused by the irony or absurdity of the situation? Hell, some of the best standup comics make a good living by playing on the absurd realities of life and the world around us. Ditto with the best sitcoms or comedy films.

This episode also has a load of charm for even as the situation is bizarre and even the characters appreciate the irony they never step out of character. In "I, Mudd" it feels like we're laughing at the characters while in "The Trouble With Tribbles" we're laughing with them---a distinct difference. In a way "I, Mudd" presages what we will see in varying degree years later in TVH and TFF, where we find ourselves laughing at the characters more than with them.

For me the real strike against this episode is...William Campbell. He was wonderful as Trelane in "The Squire Of Gothos," but he has no real presence, no weight here as a Klingon. Granted they weren't able to get John Colicos as Kor back again, but Campbell as a Klingon was a poor substitute. Someone like Colicos or like a Michael Ansara would have been so much better and would have lent the story a more tangible undertone of menace even if their screen time was so abbreviated. Koloth's aide, Korax, was more entertaining yet he, too, just wasn't menacing enough.

 

[RAMA]

"I, Mudd" *

A group of androids hijack the Enterprise and intend to "take care" of humanity.

This is one schizophrenic episode. Granted the TOS cast has always been adept with humour, but this thing is so surreal and absurd that it boggles the mind. Yeah, it has some honestly funny moments, but it's just so over-the-top. This is where the show fell on its face.

These androids are nowhere near as nuanced as Roger Corby's androids in "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" or as Rayna in "Requiem For Methuselah." They're just a cliche and just played for laughs. And it's hard to take their threat seriously because it's all just so stupid.

Even some of the statements made by the characters are dumb. Spock actually says the androids might pull off thier plan. A mere 200,000 androids against the population of the Federation as well as allied races??? I don't fucking think so. And they obviously don't understand a thing about humans if they think humanity would just roll over and hand over the keys to everything.

Yeah, it's got a number of laughs in it, but it's so stupid that it offends me as a Star Trek fan and as a science fiction fan.

TOS will recover, but if you didn't know better you'd be forgiven for thinking that this was a moment TOS "jumped the shark."


Oh, yeah...and Mudd spelled backwards is d, dum.

It occurred to me...what if this episode was remade but with a dark tone..it would be creepy as Hell! Kind of creepy already even if it isn't dark...

TOS was woefully inadequate when speculating on AI of any kind.**1/2

RAMA

 

[Warped9]

It occurred to me...what if this episode was remade but with a dark tone..it would be creepy as Hell! Kind of creepy already even if it isn't dark...

RAMA

Yes, I agree. I can see that. A good story idea is indeed at the heart of this episode, but it's buried under a lot of misguided nonsense that's all over the map...even if it makes you laugh along the way.

In a way it's not that far off of "What Are Little Girls Made Of." In that Roger Corby has the idea of replacing people with android duplicates because he thinks they would be better suited to manage humanity's affairs. In "I, Mudd" the androids plan on skipping the substitution part and just take over.

 

[Captain Robert April]

Myself - 3 stars (and depeding on my mood, even 4); I really liked the scene between Spock and Mudd where Mudd is detailing how he 'escaped' detention and eventually wound up at the Class K planet.

KIRK: All right, Harry, explain. How did you get here? We left you in custody after that affair on the Rigel mining planet.

MUDD: Yes, well, I organized a technical information service bringing modern industrial techniques to backward planets, making available certain valuable patents to struggling young civilizations throughout the galaxy.

KIRK: Did you pay royalties to the owners of those patents?

MUDD: Well, actually, Kirk, as a defender of the free enterprise system, I found myself in a rather ambiguous conflict as a matter of principle.

SPOCK: He did not pay royalties.

MUDD: Knowledge, sir, should be free to all!

KIRK: Who caught you?

MUDD: That, sir, is an outrageous assumption!

KIRK: Yes. Who caught you?

MUDD: I sold the Denebians all the rights to a Vulcan fuel synthesizer.

KIRK: And the Denebians contacted the Vulcans.

MUDD: How'd you know?

KIRK: That's what I would have done.

MUDD: It's typical police mentality. They've got no sense of humor. They arrested me.

MCCOY: Oh, I find that shocking.

MUDD: Worse than that, do know what the penalty for fraud is on Deneb V?

SPOCK: The guilty party has his choice. Death by electrocution, death by gas, death by phaser, death by hanging --

MUDD: The key word in your entire peroration, Mister Spock, was.... death. Barbarians. Well, of course, I left...

KIRK: He broke jail.

MUDD: I borrowed transportation...

KIRK: He stole a spaceship.

MUDD: The patrol reacted in a hostile manner...

KIRK: They fired at him.

MUDD: They've no respect for private property, they damaged the bloody spaceship! Well, I got away, but I couldn't navigate, so I wandered out through unmapped space, and here I found...Mudd.

SPOCK: You went to substantial risk and effort to bring a starship here. Logically, you must have a compelling motive.

MUDD: Spock, you're going to love it here. They all talk just the way you do.

 

[Warped9]

“Bread And Circuses” ****

The wreckage of a missing merchant ship leads to a world resembling a 20th century Roman Empire.

This episode is a lot of fun with quite a few good moments. McCoy and Spock's banter is spot on. All the characters are good. But it's the verbal sparring and contest of wills between the Proconsul and Kirk that really lights up this story. And Kirk really illustrates why he and Merrick are distinctly different breeds.

--Merrick: "He commands not just a spaceship, Proconsul, but a starship. Very special vessel and crew. I tried for such command..."

And if the Roman TV network didn't cut transmission then the audience got quite a surprise in place of the simple execution they were led to expect.

This episode really does play on one of the ideas used to sell Star Trek as a series: that of using parallel worlds to stage a story. Here they play with the rather interesting idea of a Roman Empire that manages to avoid decline and fall and to survive into an industrial age similar to mid twentieth century Earth while also institutionalizing slavery within its society. And like ancient Rome here on Earth we also see the early roots of a new philosophy that could well signal the eventual end of this alien Roman Empire. On that point I quite like that for a change it's Uhura who really grasps it all and it explains it to her superior officers. Nice touch.

All isn't perfect, though. I think there is some sloppy writing or sloppy thinking. How could Kirk be so adamant about heeding the Prime Directive and yet they hastily beam down in their own uniforms and loaded with obvious non native equipment. They couldn't have done a bit of research first and tried to adapt something approximating native clothing? Spock doesn't even make any effort to cover his ears. And for all the caution about making references to other worlds they all seem to be a little loose with their words among the slaves.

But you don't have much time to dwell on the flubs because this story moves right along and the characters keep you engaged.

 

[BillJ]

“Bread And Circuses” ****

The wreckage of a missing merchant ship leads to a world resembling a 20th century Roman Empire.

Five star outing for me. One of my favorites.

 

[Warped9]

You gotta love the irony of Spock and McCoy worrying about Kirk and the very next thing we see Kirk "suffering" and being "tortured" at the hands of the Proconsul's slave Drusilla. Kirk was really "hurtin'" and I laughed my fool head off!

 

[GNDN]

Great ep, I still want a Jupiter II. I wouldn't complain if Drusilla came with

 

[Tallguy]

I think Jean-Luc Picard said it best: "And I say to any creature who may be listening, there can be no justice so long as laws are absolute. Even life itself is an exercise in exceptions."

Why would the Prime Directive be excluded?

There are definitely cases where the PD can be suspended...no law is an absolute, but callous disregard as in this case is not one of them.

I think that a society technologically advanced enough to nullify a ships warp drive from orbit is no longer under the PD.

 

[Warped9]

I think that a society technologically advanced enough to nullify a ships warp drive from orbit is no longer under the PD.

It's iffy. The natives certainly didn't build Vaal and yet one could question whether the original builders of Vaal weren't already interfering with the natives' development. Then again the natives might well be the descendants or all that's left of the civilization that built Vaal. For all we know the planet could be riddled with archeological ruins.

 

[BillJ]

I think that a society technologically advanced enough to nullify a ships warp drive from orbit is no longer under the PD.

It's iffy. The natives certainly didn't build Vaal and yet one could question whether the original builders of Vaal weren't already interfering with the natives' development. Then again the natives might well be the descendants or all that's left of the civilization that built Vaal. For all we know the planet could be riddled with archeological ruins.

I think we have to work under the assumption that the characters know more about the Prime Directive than the audience does. In the case of Gamma Trianguli VI, we have the first officer on record disagreeing with the decisions made and yet Jim Kirk is sitting in the center seat the very next week.

We have to work under the assumption that there's more to the Prime Directive than what's been spoken on screen.

Warped9, you may want to start a separate thread when you review A Private Little War.

 

[Tallguy]

Warped9, you may want to start a separate thread when you review A Private Little War.

A wise precaution, I'm sure.

 

[Warped9]

Warped9, you may want to start a separate thread when you review A Private Little War.

A wise precaution, I'm sure.

I suspect it may not remain private.


“Journey To Babel” *****

The Enterprise comes under attack while ferrying Federation representatives to an important conference.

Simply, in layman's terms, this is good shit. It's a notable example in a number of respects. Firstly we finally get to meet Spock's parents and Mark Lenard gives us a role that will live on in Trek lore even though he will rarely reprise that role again. Ditto with Jane Wyatt as Amanda.

This episode is also notable for introducing two of Star Trek's most notable humanoid aliens: the Andorians and the Tellarites. One of the things I really liked here was the aliens given unusual speech patterns and accents to at least suggest that English was not wholly second nature to them---a nice touch. I really liked the Andorian, Shras, and his manner of speaking and how in only a few moments onscreen and with a few lines he comes across as something more than two dimensional. My only regret is that Andorians like him will never be seen on this level in TOS again---a damned shame.

Finally this story is notable in how it properly meshes two plot lines together, in this case Spock's relationships with his parents and the Enterprise's diplomatic mission. TNG rarely got the A/B plot structure as well as it's done here.

This story moves right along from the beginning in a taut fashion and it's all done in a bottle story that takes place wholly aboard ship. There is a good balance of dramatic as well as touching and humorous moments throughout it.

It's just simply bloody well done.

Oh, and I also liked seeing Shatner doing his own stunts in the fight scene. Neat.