Star Trek-RM: The Enemy Within… Grading/Discussion

[AstroSmurf]

This is the grading & discussion thread for Star Trek Remastered for the weekend of 01/26/08.

The Enemy Within

While surveying the planet Alpha 177, the U.S.S. Enterprise experiences a catastrophic transporter malfunction, one that splits Captain Kirk in two, one evil and one good. As his villainous counterpart wreaks havoc on the ship, the good captain must track down his darker side while Scotty finds a way to repair the disabled transporter. And with the remaining landing party crew trapped on the frigid planet’s surface, the two find that they are in a race against time before the marooned personnel and the Kirk they know are lost forever.


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[Procutus]

Funny, I've been thinking about this one, and I'm not sure there's all that much to be changed, aside from the shots of the ship. As I recall, that ep was not heavy in FX in the first place.

 

[AstroSmurf]

This episode has one of those moments that was meant to be serious but comes across as hilarious. I try so hard not to laugh but I do. I can't help it. And I think you all know what I mean... "I want to live!" It just kills me. Does anyone else smell the ham?

But I have to give this one a B-. It had an interesting premise and was well done considering the show was still getting its space legs. I do have some issues with some of Shatner's performance and those damn side-switching scratches but I can overlook it.

As for the remastering, there is not much to tell. We have some space shots and not much else. The only thing I wished they had worked on was the split screens. The one in engineering has always bugged me since none of the shadows match. I gave it an Average.

 

[MANT!]

SAURIAN BRANDY!!...lol..yep Shatner was really hamming it up (about 12 lbs worth)..but all in all watchable and fun..and a daring for 60's TV rape attempt...

 

[Amasov]

This one has always been one of my favorite episodes. Never did see the RM version, so am I still allowed to comment?

I'm curious, were any of the shots of the "double" Kirk actually fixed to look more like Shatner? I mean, it's fairly noticeable in a few shots that it's a stunt actor.

 

[Kelso]

I wish they had put an image on the viewscreen and cleaned up some of the effects.

 

[cbspock]

Nice of Channel 9 in NY not to show the episode tonight. GRRRRR


-Chris

 

[Blake]

I used to love this ep,but i've changed now.
Now i think this is a nightmare anti religion ep.
Spock who is another anti religion issue(trying to deny himself positive emotions,love,having friends,joy,warm feelings for kirk and co etc) which is virtually gods 1st law,the whole point of religion.
Anyway Spock says to Kirk A properly disicplined evil side(spirit) gives him his strength of character .he's not the successfull captain without his evil side.
Kirk can't do his job because his evil side(spirits) has left him Begging his evil side(spirit) to come back to him .Kirk is virtually helpless without his evil half,physically week even.
Terrible anti religion,loving god episode.
Also this ep influenced me when i was an atheist i accepted my evil side because of the enemy within.Don't get me started on the vulcans.

 

[Nerys Myk]

So was the make up in Rand's quarters or Kirk's?

 

[EnsignHarper]

Anti_Drone said:
This episode has one of those moments that was meant to be serious but comes across as hilarious. I try so hard not to laugh but I do. I can't help it. And I think you all know what I mean... "I want to live!" It just kills me. Does anyone else smell the ham?

Are you kidding??? EW just might Shatner's best pure performance on TOS...ever..

His performance as the 'double' is EXACTLY what it should have been - totally inbridled..totally uninhibited. By contrast, as the 'good' Kirk, you can almost see the life draining out of that Kirk - the indecisiveness, the sentimentality taking over - the almost whispered 'be careful' when they use the dog for the transporter experiment, is SO un-Kirk like! Then when the dog dies after reintergration, his palpable shock is also dead on.

I have literally seen this ep hundreds of times over the last 30+ years, and that final scene on the bridge never ever fails to move and impress. Shatner has never been better as Kirk - even when, at the very, very end, the last shot from above, when he firmly announces 'This the The Captain', you see him give that little nervous tapping of the finger on the chair arm - subtle...but telling!

 

[Forbin]

cbspock said:
Nice of Channel 9 in NY not to show the episode tonight. GRRRRR


-Chris

Okay, I thought I just couldn't find it. I finally figure out what time it's on around here and they stop showing it!

 

[Hambone]

I was disappointed at the remastered effects. There were a few chances to correct some obvious gaffes and they blew it. The space scenes were same-old-same-old, no new angles or extreme close-ups or anything.

I always thought this was a decent episode, and dismissed Shatner's hamminess as being appropriate for "evil" Kirk. Nothing much is ever said about his subdued portrayal of "good" Kirk.

 

[Son_of_Soong]

Probably overdid the niceness to make the evilness worse.

 

[EnsignHarper]

Ch 9 in NY showed it at around midnight Sat night...it always pays to check their listings ahead of time!

UC will be on at 6 pm next Sunday in NY - directly against the Super Bowl! (and the Puppy Bowl, also!)

 

[UssGlenn]

While watching this episode I thought how great it would be if once footage of Pine as Capt. Kirk is released, someone would edit it into the viewer in Kirk's quarters and then we can see Shatner as Kirk violently reacting "I'm Captain Kirk!" when he sees it.

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

UssGlenn said:
While watching this episode I thought how great it would be if once footage of Pine as Capt. Kirk is released, someone would edit it into the viewer in Kirk's quarters and then we can see Shatner as Kirk violently reacting "I'm Captain Kirk!" when he sees it.

Been done...sort of...

Shatner is Kirk (2nd edition)

 

[22 Stars]

cbspock said:
Nice of Channel 9 in NY not to show the episode tonight. GRRRRR


-Chris

They showed it late Saturday night. Dude, you really need to get a DVR to keep up with it.

 

[cooleddie74]

Average Remastering, since so few effects exist in this one. It's almost all sets and character interaction. A very good story with little to alter and tweak. Just Enterprise and space/planet shots is all.

 

[JGordon]

I missed the first few minutes of this episode, but did they mention some reason they couldn't use shuttles to pick up the landing party? And at one point, did I hear Sulu say "It is now 170 degrees below zero."? He may have said 70 below, but if it was 170 I'm pretty sure you couldn't breathe the air.

The side-switching scratches were particularly bad in this episode, as I'm not normally the type to notice something like that but it was so obvious that it annoyed me.

I thought Shatner's performance was quite good, aside from the afore-mentioned "I want to live" line.

Overall, I'd say B. Solid plot let down a bit by production problems and possible plot holes.

 

[cooleddie74]

I tend to give this one a bit of a grade curve because it was only the fifth episode ever made and just the third after the two pilots. It was so early in the history of the TREK universe and its characters you can forgive some of how they act and well as the clunkier effects and makeup, since Desilu and NBC were still new at the whole "big-budget TV Sci-Fi" thing at that stage.