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Spectre of the Gun: Was Wyatt Earp’s gang “real”?

Captrek

Captrek

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Climactic scene. Earp’s gang has just unloaded their weapons into the Clanton gang. The Enterprise landing party is unharmed because they know the bullets aren’t real.

The bullets being expended, Kirk attacks Earp. Given that they have established that they are in absolutely no danger from Earp, I’m not sure why Kirk finds it necessary to attack Earp — I guess he’s just angry. Then Kirk decides not to kill Earp and the Melkotians are impressed.

Given that the bullets aren’t real, and the tranquilizer isn’t real, and everything else isn’t real, is there any reason to believe that the people are real? Is there anybody there for Kirk to kill, or is he just pointing an illusory gun at an illusory person?
 
Obviously, nothing about the Tombstone scenario is anything but an illusion. I've thought about this for a while and the only way this episode makes sense is that the Melkots were testing the landing party for their intentions in a matter similar to the way Balok tested the Enterprise in "A Corbomite Manuever". The Melkots never intended any harm to the landing party, and they were never really in any danger from the illusions. Chekov's still being alive at the end of the episode confirms this interpretation.
 
^I think it's more likely, at least with the Melkotians and possibly with Balok, that whether real harm was done would be contingent on whether Kirk & co. passed the test. If they'd proven to be violent and dangerous after all, they might've been killed.
 
Considering after that sequence they are all standing exactly where they were when the 'scene switch' to Tombstone happened; I assume it was a mental 'shared dream' that was projected into their minds; but once they were able to counteract its 'believability' with Spock's help; they were released from it.
 
ToddPence said:
Obviously, nothing about the Tombstone scenario is anything but an illusion. I've thought about this for a while and the only way this episode makes sense is that the Melkots were testing the landing party for their intentions in a matter similar to the way Balok tested the Enterprise in "A Corbomite Manuever". The Melkots never intended any harm to the landing party, and they were never really in any danger from the illusions. Chekov's still being alive at the end of the episode confirms this interpretation.
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Noname Given said:
Considering after that sequence they are all standing exactly where they were when the 'scene switch' to Tombstone happened; I assume it was a mental 'shared dream' that was projected into their minds; but once they were able to counteract its 'believability' with Spock's help; they were released from it.
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This and this. :)
 
Why are the Melkotians so impressed with Kirk’s decision not to kill a “person” that he knows isn’t real? It’s like being impressed that he put down his shoot-em-up video game before finishing.
 
I always thought the Earps were unreal until I saw this thread. I still do...but it does make one stop and wonder just a little bit. What if the Melkotian planet was near Gorn space and some people from one of their ships were part of the shared illusion as the Earps? Once again Kirk chooses not to kill the Gorn Captain posing as Wyatt Earp. Nyyyyaah. :rolleyes:
 
For Kirk to physically attack the illusory Wyatt is probably a necessary step, psychologically and as a demonstration: he asserts his control over the illusion by showing that he is now invulnerable but the illusion (to him) is not.

That he then halts the attack need not "impress" the Melkots as such. They just see it fit to end the illusion at that point because it no longer serves any purpose; whether Kirk kills his enemies or not may be quite beside the point and of no real interest to the Melkots, beyond one of them idly asking Kirk about it after the test is done. The only significant thing to them may have been that Kirk broke the hold of the illusion.

...Perhaps the Melkots let Kirk in only because their illusion failed, their sole defensive killer satellite overloaded and blew, and they didn't have anything else to defend themselves with? They just made it look like they "accepted" Kirk after he demonstrated something-or-other.

Timo Saloniemi
 
JUST watched this last night.

Is there ANY episode that gets better acting from more guest stars. The barkeep. The sheriff ("Kill him any way you can! There'll be no questions asked!") The creepy Earps. Awesome music. Great directing.

And no, the Earps were non-corporeal, but they were real. Since they had an effect on our heroes, they must have been real. Just not based on any physical stuff other than the manipulated neurons inside our intrepid protagonists' crania.

Though I knew what you meant. Nice thread.
 
captrek said:
Why are the Melkotians so impressed with Kirk’s decision not to kill a “person” that he knows isn’t real?
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Maybe they're simply impressed with his ability and willingness to have reason overrule the evidence of his senses - of course, being, Kirk, he cheated there (assist from Spock). :lol:

In reality, though, it's just another instance of Trek's Sunday School philosophizing - science fictional deities rewarding human beings for being Good.
 
captrek said:
plynch said:
Is there ANY episode that gets better acting from more guest stars.
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Journey to Babel?

Also, do Jeffrey Hunter, John Hoyt, et al. count as guest stars in The Menagerie?
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babel: Lenard yes, Wyman no (wooden), Gav maybe

and no to Hunter, Hoyt, if I'm the umpire, as they were major players originally

opinion only, of course
 
plynch said:
captrek said:
plynch said:
Is there ANY episode that gets better acting from more guest stars.
Click to expand...

Journey to Babel?
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Lenard yes, Wyman no (wooden), Gav maybe
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Wow, really? I think Wyatt (not Wyman) gave one of the best guest performances in the whole series! I don’t understand how you can call it “wooden.” It’s anything but.

I like John Wheeler’s (Gav) performance.

I also like Reggie Nalder (Shras). Small role, but I like the performance. Maybe it’s because he’s the first, but to me he has always been the perfect Andorian. I like him even better than Jeffrey Combs, who’s terrific as Shran. (BTW, the CG antennae suck, but that’s not Combs’ fault.)
 
I signed on specifically to edit Wyman to Wyatt. Oh well. Ironic in a thread with Wyatt Earp. I find Ms. Wyatt sounds as if she's reading her lines. She's so well-written (Amanda) that it still works, especially with the GREAT score.

The more I think about Spectre, the ancillaries weren't even guest stars, just bit players that did great. So often the bit players in Trek eps are terrible, IMO. DEFinitely reading lines.

All opinion. Be well!
 
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