I personally need a much better explanation for a musical episode than "We tore a hole into a dimension where everyone sings all the time," or whatever happened there. That was just terrible half-assed writing.
How is that any different than any of the other anomaly of the week plots that made the crew behave oddly?
My knowledge of science has gaps big enough to fit all kinds of weird anomalies that affect biology, but even I know that music needs to come from somewhere.
I dunno if Alternative Factor was a big swing, but I think most people who've seen it would like to take a big swing at it. With something heavy.I've been watching "The Alternative Factor(TOS)" since I was a kid and I still don't know what the hell is going on, and I'm fine with that.
It came from the anomaly.
They explained that in the episode. It came from the anomaly after Uhura transmitted music into it.
I just rewatched that the other week, and I always marvel at Lazarus' facial hair thinning and thickening throughout the episode - sometimes in the very same scene.I've been watching "The Alternative Factor(TOS)" since I was a kid and I still don't know what the hell is going on, and I'm fine with that.
I know I literally just said that I would accept that as an answer to any Star Trek weirdness in my latest review on my own site... but I don't accept that answer.
The only way that music's coming out of anomaly is if someone intelligent was screwing with the crew or they left their mind control music system running, and honestly I would've accepted either option. "A wizard did it" or "a computer did it" explain half of TOS episodes. But they said they were under the influence of a musical reality created by an improbability field and that's a bit too Hitchhiker's Guide for this universe.
Quantum.
As opposed to thought as the basis of reality in TNG?
I have never much liked that explanation, but I have to admit that it was built into the universe right at the beginning of TOS, when Gary Mitchell developed godlike abilities because something affected his mind. He was able to use his intelligence alone to screw with the crew like a powerful wizard.
After Spock Amok and Charades, I'm pretty sure something suitably weird is going to happen to him. It's tradition.More crazy stuff? Will Spock switch heads with a dog?
Ah, so "I don't like the episode and you can't convince me to like it." Got it.
Is it though? As you mentioned we have Gary getting god like powers. Q might as well be a wizard. Pills that give psychic powers. Liquids that give you super speed. Yet somehow being affected by reality that causes you sing is a step too far?
Has anyone ever convinced anyone to like anything?
Lots of things have been a step too far for me. The consciousness jumping in Voyager's Cathexis, the probability warping in DS9's Rivals, the cavernous turbolift chamber in Discovery, literally everything in TAS's The Counter-Clock Incident etc. Some of the stuff with the Pah-wraiths in DS9's finale too to be honest.
