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TAS Top 5

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. :devil:

Timo Saloniemi
I was going to mention the Potemkin bit but cut it. Really wasn’t any use to add the ship in the episode and might have negated some questions if they’d omitted it. At best I’m imagining they were dealing with another emergency of their own.

Best case the Huron was at flank, but flank is an emergency speed I don’t know that they’d be at necessarily. Maybe at full, especially as they would have met 20+ hours before Spock was critical. And, again, Potemkin couldn’t be bothered.

And why was Spock working, using up all that oxygen he had left, when he should have been in his quarters resting or in sickbay in a medically-induced coma or something? That’s another thing I let go. Ditto Spock’s concern about the ship’s mission not being delayed...you don’t think it would have been if its first officer croaked and they needed to find another? But I get it, it’s a 30-minute animated series geared toward a younger audience, and we have an economy of time and attention to consider.

EDIT: Another positive was Arex. I loved seeing a non-humanoid, and a tripedal species at that. Stuff like this is what fewer budget constraints animation is for. I would have loved to see the Riker Titan crew from the novels come to life in an animated series.
 
It is sort of consistent for the Vulcan officer to be expendable: if it's bad for diplomacy for Kirk to be unfashionably late even when lives are at stake, it also makes sense not to unduly delay the Potemkin for the mere survival of Spock.

And Kirk was willing to redline his own ship two hours before the rendezvous, supposedly having asked Scotty several times already to go a bit faster than would be reasonable, and having gotten his wish; O'Shea might have been contractually expected to do the same.

One wonders about the risk-benefit analysis of the pirates. They see a transport at high speed, possibly off the beaten path, they can expect exceptional valuables to be on board. But they would also have to assume that this could happen far away from support assets - that is, they wouldn't strike if they thought the ship was operating at a truly unsustainable speed and thus clearly counting on nearby help if and when the engines blew. They may still have the specs of a Huron-type transport down pat, though, and decide that even if she's at dash, she's not about to stall just yet and thus there isn't a starship lurking around the corner.

Oh, the joys of overanalyzing. But the Huron is in interesting contrast to Sulu's adamant "a freighter's speed is warp two" from "Friday's Child". Obviously, the Huron is not a freighter but a transport, despite Kirk twice calling her by the former, exclusively civilian designation; the difference wouldn't need to be in anything but the designation, but it might also be that Starfleet wants higher performance out of its transports than the commercial operators require of their freighters.

Timo Saloniemi
 
FWIW, here is my Top 5:
  • Yesteryear (a splendid character story by DC Fontana)
  • Beyond The Farthest Star
  • One Of Our Planets is Missing
    (Both of these are decent space exploration tales)
  • Time Trap
  • Eye Of The Beholder
    (Both are good Star Trek "message" stories)
  • Pirates Of Orion (a classic Star Trek adventure with all the trimmings)
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.
The plot also mishandled vaccines, quarantine and common sense, and had blatantly obvious plot contrivances.
Pirates Of Orion handled the medical stuff better and is a more enjoyable romp IMO

Sharper Than A Serpent's Tooth has some splendid visuals but retreads too many old Trek themes and plot threads for me to put it on the top 5, although it's definitely in the top 10.

For me, TAS was at it's best when it stopped trying to do sequels to TOS and just try and tell a good story of its own. Leaning into the epic scope and versatility of the animated medium was also crucial too.
 
Or that I couldn't narrow down a list of my favourite TAS episodes to a mere five?
Bingo. Listing 6 when the mission even you stated is to list 5 is a cheat. Very Kirk-like. :devil: The next thing you will telling me that there are four lights.
 
Bingo. Listing 6 when the mission even you stated is to list 5 is a cheat. Very Kirk-like. :devil: The next thing you will telling me that there are four lights.
I thought you were making a snarky aside to my mention of Serpent's Tooth but I just realised you're right - I'm that sneaky I even fooled myself! :guffaw:
Must be Friday.
Or working from home.
Or both :brickwall:

Now I'm really torn though, which one do I consign to oblivion?
Has to be the episode which features reel to reel tapes and the Enterprise humping a D7 - just no need for that sort of thing ;)

Here is my actual Top 5:
  • Yesteryear (a splendid character story by DC Fontana)
  • Beyond The Farthest Star
  • One Of Our Planets is Missing
    (Both of these are decent space exploration tales)
  • Eye Of The Beholder (a good Star Trek "message" story)
  • Pirates Of Orion (a classic Star Trek adventure with all the trimmings)
 
I find far too many of the TAS stories unsatisfying because they are anti-dramatic.

"Slaver Weapon" is a fave because it's a got a unique premise and interesting opponents, but its key flaw is that our heroes do nothing except get captured, escape, discover the one setting the Kzinti want, and then the Kzinti blow themselves up looking for it. Our heroes do not outsmart them or do anything to motivate the final resolution of the story.

"Yesteryear" is fine, has a nice moral dilemma for young Spock, and a bittersweet resolution. That's probably why it's the best.

The flat cats/tribbles and Mudd sequels are largely a waste of time. Gerrold's not funny without Coon.

"The Jihad" should be better than it is as the premise is intriguing but the journey isn't all that interesting.
 
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Yeah, most of the TAS episodes play out more like rough drafts than finished stories. And there are just too many sequels overall: Tribbles, the "Shore Leave" planet, Harry Mudd, even Sarek & Amanda and the Guardian of Forever in "Yesteryear"... It seems like "Star Trek's Greatest Hits" a lot of the time.
 
Yesteryear
Beyond the Furthest Star
Slaver Weapon
One of Our Planets is Missing (I like the novelization part where Scotty nearly beams a piece of anti-matter outside the containment box)
The Eye of theBeholder
 
One of Our Planets is Missing (I like the novelization part where Scotty nearly beams a piece of anti-matter outside the containment box)
I love the technical aspects of this episode. This one put the most technical thought (and animation) in it than the other TAS episodes. First climb through a warp nacelle! :techman:
 
I just watched "The Slaver Weapon" and am watching "One of Our Planets is Missing." I paused just after the Enterprise fired an anti-matter charge from its shields that seem to be emanating from the bridge dome, about 6 minutes in lol

I liked that Kirk and others weren't in TSW – it used more of the ensemble cast. And the Slaver history was interesting. I kind of wish the tech they used in Cats to catify the actors was cheaper so we could see the Kzinti (and Caitians) in Chabon's PIC.
 
:rommie:
You saw how Data looked in Picard, I think Kzinti are a little beyond them.
Really they only need to look vaguely catlike which the Cats tech gets close enough. Data had to look like someone we distinctly remember, and that was just beyond reach. They nearly ditched the effect it was so expensive so maybe if they had more money it’d have gotten closer? Still, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a Caitian sometime this decade :rommie:
 
It really did a disservice to Nurse Chapel though!
Maybe Harry Mudd had previously used the love crystals on himself which made anyone he touches agreeable.
(Chapel tends to where Harry got hit by a rock)
CHAPEL: A minor bruise, Captain. He'll live.
mudds-passion-hd-087.jpg
Chapel was in the brig to treat Mudd'd head wound when he first arrives on the Enterprise, so, she TOUCHED him. Then she started to act flakey, first with Spock right outside the brig (which Mudd observed), then later with Mudd in the brig as he seduces her into testing the love crystal on herself. Harry is the devil. :devil:
 
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