TASifying TOS Episodes

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Suppose you were tasked with converting 1 hr (timeslot) TOS episodes into 1/2 hour TAS episodes.

How would you change the stories? What would you leave out?

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

I guess I'd TAS ''The Empath,'' reduce much of the on-screen torture, eliminate the interminable pink barrier blocking Kirk and Spock, and leave Kirky's shirt on from start to finish.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

It would certainly have more color than the original episode did. And something would be oddly pink.

 

[Methuselah Flint]

You could shrink Bread and Circuses by removing the McCoy/Spock jail scenes, Kirk and the girl, and heavily condense the various discussions.

A Piece of the Action - lose the repeated capture/escapes.

Return to Tomorrow - cut the first transference

Lights of Zetar - cut Memory Alpha

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

Return to Tomorrow - cut the first transference.

For time? Or other, specific grounds, such as hammy acting from old Yellowgut?

 

[Methuselah Flint]

For time? Or other, specific grounds, such as hammy acting from old Yellowgut?

Ha! Both?!

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

After all, ''excellent'' bod or not, he's no James Doohan.

 

[Farscape One]

"THE RETURN OF THE ARCHONS" - the episode is very creepy because of the length (which is one the reasons why I like this episode), but if you take the repeated attempts at figuring out the contradictions of the society and the capture of the crew, and shorten the scenes of bliss of the people, you can easily tell the story in TAS time.

 

[Shawnster]

Spock's Brain. Condense the hunt for where the ship went. Have the Enterprise follow the ion trail straight to orbit. Cut out the discussion about the males. Condense the interaction with the female captors

 

[Shat Happens]

 

[Shat Happens]

But this is an interesting concept. Let me try with Space Seed.

No Marla. Kirk and the gang visit the derelict spaceship, one of the suspended animation pods starts, malfunctions, McCoy has the occupant beamed to the Enterprise Sickbay. Kirk visits the patient, stabilized but still asleep, McCoy reports the patient is very strong, high oxygen levels, extreme metabolism and such but he'll be unconscious for several hours at least. Kirk goes to the bridge and Spock already identified Khan. Kirk orders security to the sickbay on the double, but they find only McCoy waking up with a headache. Intruder alert is called, Khan is seen running through a corridor and going into the Jefferies tube. On the bridge, the distinct hum of a capacitor charging is heard. Spock has only the time to explain what's that sound is, then a electrical discharge zaps everyone on the bridge unconscious. After the commercial, the Botany Bay floats away from the Enterprise, while Kirk dictates a Captain's Log explaining Khan already restored his supermen comrades and took control. Everyone is in cells guarded by Khan's guys. Khan takes Kirk to the Briefing room to tell him he needs the Enterprise command codes, or he will kill the hostages. Kirk refuses, and Khan completes: starting with Spock. As Spock is brought from his cell, a capacitor hum is heard. Khan leaves the room running, followed by Kirk and Spock, just before everybody else is zapped. Scotty appears, a wrench on his hand, is pleased with his handiwork.
Kirk corners Khan, they fight, Khan has Kirk on a chokehold, then Spock arrives and FSNP's him.
Kirk says thank you mr spock

 

[Phoenix219]

I would rather do the reverse, and replace TAS sound effects and music with classic TOS ones lol.

 

[Farscape One]

There are a few TOS episodes that would actually benefit from TASifying them.

"THE WAY TO EDEN" - by the gods, what a terrible episode. (Not the worst of TOS, that dishonor falls squarely on "AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD"... clearly a widely held consensus if it has won 'Most Disliked Episode' of TOS 4 out of 5 times.) Take out all the hippie music bits, and it's already almost TAS length! Cut down a few of the Irina/Chekov scenes and the Sevrin scenes of his disease, and you have it exactly the length of a TAS episode. And I daresay, an improved episode.

 

[Farscape One]

"THE ALTERNATIVE FACTOR" - Another one that would benefit from slicing the episode in half. Take out the various Lazarus switchings, and several of the conversations of trying to figure out what is going on (because, let's face, even the audience had trouble trying to figure this one out), and you not only have a TAS length episode, but an improved episode.

 

[DonIago]

Cut out some of the uncomfortable torture scenes and "Plato's Stepchildren" could be a candidate.

 

[PCz911]

There are a few TOS episodes that would actually benefit from TASifying them.

"THE WAY TO EDEN" - by the gods, what a terrible episode. (Not the worst of TOS, that dishonor falls squarely on "AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD"... clearly a widely held consensus if it has won 'Most Disliked Episode' of TOS 4 out of 5 times.) Take out all the hippie music bits, and it's already almost TAS length! Cut down a few of the Irina/Chekov scenes and the Sevrin scenes of his disease, and you have it exactly the length of a TAS episode. And I daresay, an improved episode.

If they removed all the hippie parts and just had a crazy cult leader and his devoted followers then it wouldn’t be a bad episode. But, then, I’d miss my favorite song…. Going to Eden, yea brother.

 

[FederationHistorian]

"Balance of Terror"

Cut the wedding, Tomlinson and Angela. Keep the distress signal from Outpost 4 and message from Hansen, Keep the briefing on history between the Federation and the Romulans as the Enterprise enters the Neutral Zone, the reveal of the Romulans and Spock’s reaction.

After returning from first break, keep Stiles negative reaction upon the reveal and Kirk’s response of there being no room for bigotry on the bridge. Cut out the scenes on the Romulan BoP. Scotty remarks that the BoP is running on simple impulse. Keep the battle between the Enterprise and the BoP brief, with the BoP cloaking at the end of it.

After returning from second break, Kirk narrates that it’s a waiting game, and that the Enterprise has been powered down for nearly 10 hours, while scene show the crew repairing the Enterprise, and the debris field and dead centurion left by the BoP. Keep McCoy’s speech of ‘Don’t destroy the one named Kirk”. The BoP will emerge from a comet to attack. After the Enterprise disable the Romulan BoP, the Romulus Commander refuses Kirk’s offer of assistance, and says “it’s the Romulan way” and “in another life, I could have called you friend.” The BoP self destructs. The episode ends with Kirk saying “it never makes any sense” on the bridge.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

So what elements would most often be cut out (and which TAS episodes still depict such, but briefly)? Based on the answers above:

* Romance ("The Survivor" managed to have one anyway)
* Duplicated scenes
* Drawn out song and dance ("The Lorelei Signal" did have Scotty's Welsh ditty)
* Extraneous description

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

Space Seed.

Everyone is in cells guarded by Khan's guys.

TURNABOUT INTRUDER had four men a lady share what may be the only brig. What do the blueprints indicate?

 

[Shat Happens]

TURNABOUT INTRUDER had four men a lady share what may be the only brig. What do the blueprints indicate?

I have no idea. Where did Khan put all the crew in the TOS episode?