TAS Top 5
- Thread starter Arpy
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More Tribbles, More Troubles, Yesteryear, The Time Trap, The Survivor and The Counter-Clock Incident? But they're all good in one way or another!
JB
JB
I have an attachment to "Beyond the Farthest Star," probably because it was the debut episode on NBC (outside of Los Angeles) and thus the first one I saw, and I like that kind of story.
Also, the first act, with that great music score and suspenseful buildup, sounds iconic to me because I audio taped it and played it to death as a kid. It was like a radio show, 11 or 12 years before my first VCR. So that's my favorite episode.
Also, the first act, with that great music score and suspenseful buildup, sounds iconic to me because I audio taped it and played it to death as a kid. It was like a radio show, 11 or 12 years before my first VCR. So that's my favorite episode.
Beyond the Farthest Star and Yesteryear seem to be the consensus. Maybe Time Trap too.
Then I’m seeing:
Albatross
Pirates of Orion
More Trouble More Tribbles
Counter-Clock Incident
The Survivor
Lorelei Signal
Infinite Vulcan
How Sharper Than a Serpent’s Tooth
Anyone want to pick two of those, or tell me why or why not watch those? Again, we’re looking to narrow it down to 5. Are we listing ones that are overall tops, or include specific notable canon, or are sentimental favorites, or...?
Then I’m seeing:
Albatross
Pirates of Orion
More Trouble More Tribbles
Counter-Clock Incident
The Survivor
Lorelei Signal
Infinite Vulcan
How Sharper Than a Serpent’s Tooth
Anyone want to pick two of those, or tell me why or why not watch those? Again, we’re looking to narrow it down to 5. Are we listing ones that are overall tops, or include specific notable canon, or are sentimental favorites, or...?
I like quite the Animated series, and with only 22 episodes, it's really not that dificult to watch them all.
But if you want some additional opinions on the ones you've listed: Counter-clock is probably the weakest of those story wise, it's primary redeeming quality is it features Robert April. Infinite Vulcan was written by Walter Koeing and while the concept was decent, the execution was silly. How Sharper is another Who Mourns type of story. Albatross is intetesting because it's a McCoy story, Lorelai is a scifi twist on the Greek tale and isn't too bad. Pirates is cool, because it's the only other TOS story to feature them. Tribbles is a pretty by the numbers sequel. The Survivor is pretty good and has a nice TOS vibe.
So out of the above, I'd go with Lorelei and Survivor.
But if you want some additional opinions on the ones you've listed: Counter-clock is probably the weakest of those story wise, it's primary redeeming quality is it features Robert April. Infinite Vulcan was written by Walter Koeing and while the concept was decent, the execution was silly. How Sharper is another Who Mourns type of story. Albatross is intetesting because it's a McCoy story, Lorelai is a scifi twist on the Greek tale and isn't too bad. Pirates is cool, because it's the only other TOS story to feature them. Tribbles is a pretty by the numbers sequel. The Survivor is pretty good and has a nice TOS vibe.
So out of the above, I'd go with Lorelei and Survivor.
These are my Top 5 in no particular order:
1. Yesteryear (of course) - makes me like Sarek just a bit
2. Ambergris Element - I don't know why this episode is disliked. Its got the aquashuttle, the life belts
3. The Jihad - Kirks gets hit on and doesn't like it. Kirk and Spock are only 4th best in the galaxy in what they do.
4. The Slaver Weapon - sure it didn't have Kirk but was so well written
5. The Eye Of the Beholder - Great episode
So apart from Yesteryear I have nothing in common with anyone else here.
How unusual.
Don't listen to the others Arpy. I'm right!
1. Yesteryear (of course) - makes me like Sarek just a bit
2. Ambergris Element - I don't know why this episode is disliked. Its got the aquashuttle, the life belts
3. The Jihad - Kirks gets hit on and doesn't like it. Kirk and Spock are only 4th best in the galaxy in what they do.
4. The Slaver Weapon - sure it didn't have Kirk but was so well written
5. The Eye Of the Beholder - Great episode
So apart from Yesteryear I have nothing in common with anyone else here.
How unusual.
Don't listen to the others Arpy. I'm right!
SPOILERS AHEAD:
I just watched the "Lorelei Signal." I liked it more than I thought, but, alas, I don't think this series will do it for me.
It was great seeing Uhura take charge. She was probably the least well served of the original characters. It was kind of hilarious seeing the all-female security away team beam down in short skirts. Scotty's singing was a little longer than I was comfortable with, but I'm glad he got it in. The planet reminded me a bit of She-Ra. TAS deserves royalties. A trek tech problem was the way the transporter saved the day – it would mean immortality under different circumstances. The ending didn't make sense how quickly the She-Rans gave up, and the Head Girl's thoughts on love over immortality needed more exploring beyond at the last moment. On to the next one.
I just watched the "Lorelei Signal." I liked it more than I thought, but, alas, I don't think this series will do it for me.
It was great seeing Uhura take charge. She was probably the least well served of the original characters. It was kind of hilarious seeing the all-female security away team beam down in short skirts. Scotty's singing was a little longer than I was comfortable with, but I'm glad he got it in. The planet reminded me a bit of She-Ra. TAS deserves royalties. A trek tech problem was the way the transporter saved the day – it would mean immortality under different circumstances. The ending didn't make sense how quickly the She-Rans gave up, and the Head Girl's thoughts on love over immortality needed more exploring beyond at the last moment. On to the next one.
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SPOILERS AHEAD:
And that was "Albatross." For a McCoy episode, it was rather annoying that Kirk figured out the medical trick. It seems like Kirk and Spock do all the saving – a problem with TV of its day. A problem with a series geared toward kids? I don't quite understand the point of this series. It's too complicated for kids (unless I'm underestimating them) but it's too kiddy for adults. (Rick and Morty or The Simpsons this is not.) ...Maybe this is why it wasn't more successful – too narrow an audience. I can see someone in that target audience (Michael Chabon) loving it, but, at my age, it's not doing it for me.
I've seen "Beyond the Farthest Star," "Yesteryear," and "The Survivor" previously. I think some others too. It's been a long time. Some interesting stuff there and in these two episodes that I wouldn't mind revisiting in live-action. I'm a little dubious of upcoming animated series now....though, they may not be geared toward kids as this was, fingers crossed.
I like the non-humanoid Vendorians, Nasat, Aurellians...I liked the pod ship from BtFS...some the family drama of "Yesteryear."
I'm surprised no one recommended "The Slaver Weapon." The Kzinti seem to be such cult-favorites.
And that was "Albatross." For a McCoy episode, it was rather annoying that Kirk figured out the medical trick. It seems like Kirk and Spock do all the saving – a problem with TV of its day. A problem with a series geared toward kids? I don't quite understand the point of this series. It's too complicated for kids (unless I'm underestimating them) but it's too kiddy for adults. (Rick and Morty or The Simpsons this is not.) ...Maybe this is why it wasn't more successful – too narrow an audience. I can see someone in that target audience (Michael Chabon) loving it, but, at my age, it's not doing it for me.
I've seen "Beyond the Farthest Star," "Yesteryear," and "The Survivor" previously. I think some others too. It's been a long time. Some interesting stuff there and in these two episodes that I wouldn't mind revisiting in live-action. I'm a little dubious of upcoming animated series now....though, they may not be geared toward kids as this was, fingers crossed.
I like the non-humanoid Vendorians, Nasat, Aurellians...I liked the pod ship from BtFS...some the family drama of "Yesteryear."
I'm surprised no one recommended "The Slaver Weapon." The Kzinti seem to be such cult-favorites.
Yesteryear also has the Godzilla roar too! 
JB
JB
For what it's worth, I never found it complicated when I originally watched as a kid, and my kids didn't have any problem with it when they were younger.
It was considered family entertainment so the idea was that it was supposed to appeal to both kids and adults. If it had been made 5+ years earlier it probably would have been less "kiddie" (think Jonny Quest) but 70s trends pushed it more towards the juvenile end of the spectrum.
It's a rather odd story: the heroes (sans Kirk) achieve essentially nothing at any point. They just watch as a bunch of aliens shoot themselves in the foot, almost literally, and do most of that watching while tied up in the corner like a silly damsel-in-distress character from a sitcom.
Sure, those aliens are interesting as such. And there's this tiny bit of worldbuilding, too, with the Slaver Boxes and their role in galactic history and all. But for all their considerable effort, the heroes just manage to get captured time and again, while the "Don't play with guns, kids" message plays on its own, and would have, even were the heroes completely absent.
Thin, straightforward plots I don't mind: the episode-long chase in "Survivor" is fine, say. But even that is more than we got in "Slaver". Oh, how much more we could have done with "The ratcats don't think Uhura is sapient" or "Spock's vegetarian pacifism is a deadly weapon" if Larry Niven didn't just retell his The Soft Weapon word for word in the Trek environment...
Timo Saloniemi
That is honestly littered throughout the franchise.
Well I disagree. Well mostly. I much prefer this to the Survivor.
What I agree with - its hard to sum up this episode with any great achievement . I suppose you could say it was the episode where the Federation lost a great weapon because of Spock's greed.
Otherwise it was more realistic having the escape attempts fail. Spock knew they probably would. It was just a part of the bigger plan. Despite Spock failing in his initial mission, he used his intellect and his team to outsmart their captors not in Kirk blast down the doors style but in his scientific intellectual way.
So even though the Kzinti intellectuallly knew Spock and Uhura were intelligent, their prejudices caused them to underestimate them.
In the end they were lucky but Spock and his team had put themselves in a position to survive.
I actually cant believe they did so much in 22 minutes.
So say the message of "The Survivor" is love survives, perhaps the message of the Slaver Weapon is that prejudice is stupid.
Otherwise it was more realistic having the escape attempts fail. Spock knew they probably would. It was just a part of the bigger plan. Despite Spock failing in his initial mission, he used his intellect and his team to outsmart their captors not in Kirk blast down the doors style but in his scientific intellectual way.
So even though the Kzinti intellectuallly knew Spock and Uhura were intelligent, their prejudices caused them to underestimate them.
In the end they were lucky but Spock and his team had put themselves in a position to survive.
I actually cant believe they did so much in 22 minutes.
So say the message of "The Survivor" is love survives, perhaps the message of the Slaver Weapon is that prejudice is stupid.
SPOILERS AHEAD:
I just finished "Pirates of Orion." McCoy's racism is disturbing here. He gets angry and literally presses, "That green blood of yours...almost did you in. You can't deny it!" To which Spock replies, "I still prefer my physiological structure to yours." Like, what is Spock supposed to do, hysterically proclaim, "It is true! I repent! I admit that I would prefer the red Earther blood flowing in your veins!" then do this? I mean, I get it, they're simplifying McCoy's racial teasing from the series (already problematic there) for the younger audience watching TAS, but it's just that much more stark and unnecessary here, especially for this audience.
Dramatically, the Huron took too long to run from the Orions. They're carrying valuable dilithium (this isn't their first rodeo) yet they keep trying to hail the predatory ship until it's basically top of them, then try evasive maneuvers. They should have gone to flank speed to reach the Enterprise the moment their hails were denied. We know they're going to be a problem, the kids know they're going to be a problem, the sound guy knows they're going to be a problem, but the director takes his merry time cutting to the chase.
The Orions themselves were uninteresting to look at but their mustache-twirling deviousness was fun. ...If a bit too arch...I mean, the number of alien races practically begging to commit suicide in Trek is a bit much. It becomes a way to make the baddies seem especially evil and "other" instead of fellow players in an unending game.
But I'm being too negative. One thing I really liked about this episode is that it's McCoy who figures out how to get Spock the medicine in time by having another ship already at Beta Canopus rendezvous with the Enterprise in between.
And I really like the look of the Enterprise in this series.
I just finished "Pirates of Orion." McCoy's racism is disturbing here. He gets angry and literally presses, "That green blood of yours...almost did you in. You can't deny it!" To which Spock replies, "I still prefer my physiological structure to yours." Like, what is Spock supposed to do, hysterically proclaim, "It is true! I repent! I admit that I would prefer the red Earther blood flowing in your veins!" then do this? I mean, I get it, they're simplifying McCoy's racial teasing from the series (already problematic there) for the younger audience watching TAS, but it's just that much more stark and unnecessary here, especially for this audience.
Dramatically, the Huron took too long to run from the Orions. They're carrying valuable dilithium (this isn't their first rodeo) yet they keep trying to hail the predatory ship until it's basically top of them, then try evasive maneuvers. They should have gone to flank speed to reach the Enterprise the moment their hails were denied. We know they're going to be a problem, the kids know they're going to be a problem, the sound guy knows they're going to be a problem, but the director takes his merry time cutting to the chase.
The Orions themselves were uninteresting to look at but their mustache-twirling deviousness was fun. ...If a bit too arch...I mean, the number of alien races practically begging to commit suicide in Trek is a bit much. It becomes a way to make the baddies seem especially evil and "other" instead of fellow players in an unending game.
But I'm being too negative. One thing I really liked about this episode is that it's McCoy who figures out how to get Spock the medicine in time by having another ship already at Beta Canopus rendezvous with the Enterprise in between.
And I really like the look of the Enterprise in this series.
I gather that from the treknological point of view, there's nothing the transport could have done. Why wouldn't they already be at flank speed? We hear of no speed or power reserve, and the whole point here is to get the emergency medicine to Spock as fast as possible.
Yet one does wonder why the Huron needs to be involved here at all, when the Potemkin supposedly has greater capabilities and might complete the rendezvous faster (and would survive the Orions). At worst, she wastes four days in the maneuver - two going to Kirk's ship, two going back to her own business. And Kirk was intent on wasting that much of his own starship's precious time to save Spock. But we get the dialogue on the drug having been transferred to the Huron first, and the dialogue on "Now tell me, Bones, what is this disease all about?" second, suggesting the Potemkin made the drop really early on.
I guess I get the greatest kicks out of TAS episodes when they fail, that is, when the writers omit things or do things that require explanations and rationalizations and contradicting of the original misguided intent. I mean, I get that from all of Trek anyway - but TAS is especially accommodating in this respect.
Timo Saloniemi
Yesteryear
The Counter-Clock Incident
Albatross
The Slaver Weapon
The Practical Joker
I'm surprised nobody recommended the last one on my list. TNG can claim the holodeck, but TAS had it first.
The Counter-Clock Incident
Albatross
The Slaver Weapon
The Practical Joker
I'm surprised nobody recommended the last one on my list. TNG can claim the holodeck, but TAS had it first.
For me:
"Yesteryear" - such a multi-layered story
"How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth" - really captured my imagination as a teen
"The Jihad" - great aliens, twist ending (with a Möbius Strip!) and felt like "Mission: Impossible"
"The Counter-clock Incident" - wacky premise, baby Arex and the Aprils
"Albatross" - saw it in b/w - and the repeat episode I most looked forward to when colour TV came to Australia in 1975, 'cos Auroral Plague.
"Yesteryear" - such a multi-layered story
"How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth" - really captured my imagination as a teen
"The Jihad" - great aliens, twist ending (with a Möbius Strip!) and felt like "Mission: Impossible"
"The Counter-clock Incident" - wacky premise, baby Arex and the Aprils
"Albatross" - saw it in b/w - and the repeat episode I most looked forward to when colour TV came to Australia in 1975, 'cos Auroral Plague.
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