The Alternative Factor (episode rating and discussion)
- Thread starter Darth_Pazuzu
- Start date
i just don't get why this episode is hated so much. i never have. sure, it's no "city on the edge of forever" or anything, but i always kinda dug this episode in an obtuse way. bad science? yeah - who cares? unbelievably fake looking goatee on the guest star? yeah. HELL yeah. an alien named LAZARUS?!?! yeah.
this episode has, though, got some GREAT location photography, a very spooky and memorable ending, and one absolutely classic spock line:
"i fail to comprehend your indignation, sir. i have simply reached the logical conclusion that YOU are a LIAR."
not the best episode of the series, OK. but far from "and the children shall lead"-level stupidity.
i think i am the only person that actually LIKES this episode. i gave it a seven. go figure.
this episode has, though, got some GREAT location photography, a very spooky and memorable ending, and one absolutely classic spock line:
"i fail to comprehend your indignation, sir. i have simply reached the logical conclusion that YOU are a LIAR."
not the best episode of the series, OK. but far from "and the children shall lead"-level stupidity.
i think i am the only person that actually LIKES this episode. i gave it a seven. go figure.
That basically gave it my three points (and the aforementioned Charlene.)
One of the best FX shots in the series. :thumbsup:
Worst episode of the 1st season and one of the top ten worst episode of TOS, one of the top 25 worst episodes of all of Trek.
Needless to say I hated it.
One thing I will give TOS, I never knew one week I could be blown away by an absolute classic the next seeing crap so bad that it drove me away from teh television. Thankfully I tend to cherish teh gems and, just push the crap aside.
Needless to say I hated it.
One thing I will give TOS, I never knew one week I could be blown away by an absolute classic the next seeing crap so bad that it drove me away from teh television. Thankfully I tend to cherish teh gems and, just push the crap aside.
Good Will Riker
Admiral
This episode receives such a bad rap by the fans that even to this day, I skip this episode whenever it is on, and I intentially avoid it because I don't want to waste too much of my valuable, precious time.
I still haven't seen it, and I don't intend to anytime in the foreseeable future.
I still haven't seen it, and I don't intend to anytime in the foreseeable future.
Yeah, AF commits the sin of being boring, which the space hippies, evil kids, and brainless Vulcans never did.
When I was recording Sci-Fi's special editions I had to get drunk to get through this one, and have not watched it since, wxcept once on the DVD set.
AF just falls flat in so many ways, except for the above mentioned Lt. Masters and phaser shot. Now if we could digitaly replace Lt. Mira Romaine from "The lights of Zetar" with Masters, that would be rightious!
When I was recording Sci-Fi's special editions I had to get drunk to get through this one, and have not watched it since, wxcept once on the DVD set.
AF just falls flat in so many ways, except for the above mentioned Lt. Masters and phaser shot. Now if we could digitaly replace Lt. Mira Romaine from "The lights of Zetar" with Masters, that would be rightious!
If the old Star Trek Compendium is right, this episode was torn apart and redone at the 11th hour to remove the romantic subplot. Sane Lazarus getting romantically involved with Lt. Masters, and insane Lazarus abusing that relationship to get the dilithium. Would be nice if that footage really exists in the vault somewhere.
You should see it just to know the depths of how much an episode of TOS can suck.Good Will Riker said:
This episode receives such a bad rap by the fans that even to this day, I skip this episode whenever it is on, and I intentially avoid it because I don't want to waste too much of my valuable, precious time.
I still haven't seen it, and I don't intend to anytime in the foreseeable future.
I know it sucks, but you have to embrace the suckiness.
Much as the shadow is the product of the light, TAF serves to make good episodes brighter, and should be examined for what it is, not shunned for what it is not.
Besides, the idea of being locked in mortal combat for eternity with an insane and devious opponent rings true with many married men.
Much as the shadow is the product of the light, TAF serves to make good episodes brighter, and should be examined for what it is, not shunned for what it is not.
Besides, the idea of being locked in mortal combat for eternity with an insane and devious opponent rings true with many married men.
I actually think that all the episodes that use location shooting are boring, except the first half of "Arena", which of course isn't on location. Dunno why.
Even the "5-Minute Trek" version of this episode is annoying, though.
Even the "5-Minute Trek" version of this episode is annoying, though.
I gave it a two.
One point for the aft shot of the E and one point for the dilithium room. And credits for doing a location shot.
Overall, we wouldn't see ST episodes THIS chaotic, disjointed and poorly executed until the first couple seasons of DS9.
Thank God there was only ONE "Alternative Factor".......
I agree with others - enjoy this episode in pieces, only. Because the whole thing is just a mess.
- Kirk gets annoyed at McCoy due to the bandage he thought was missing, but later fully understands what happened. No apology?
- Lazarus falls off a cliff TWICE (and the same Lazarus, no less) and survives?
- Insane Lazarus saves Kirk. That never made dramatic sense to me.
- When I start getting confused as to which is which (even with the bandage), then that's bad. As others have stated, the actor should have made both men clearly different from each other, in some way.
The last ten minutes of the episode are actually very, very good. But it doesn't make up for the disjointed mess preceding it.
- Kirk gets annoyed at McCoy due to the bandage he thought was missing, but later fully understands what happened. No apology?
- Lazarus falls off a cliff TWICE (and the same Lazarus, no less) and survives?
- Insane Lazarus saves Kirk. That never made dramatic sense to me.
- When I start getting confused as to which is which (even with the bandage), then that's bad. As others have stated, the actor should have made both men clearly different from each other, in some way.
The last ten minutes of the episode are actually very, very good. But it doesn't make up for the disjointed mess preceding it.
Why type a lot when someone already did it for you. I too have never understood the hatred of this episode either - it ain't the best, but it's FAR from the worst, and has one of the more interesting premises.
AND if you're going to mark down an episode based on some cheesy SFX (even for it's day I'll agree); it's a wonder The Doomsday Machine gets high marks in these poll threads.
A 7.
I re-watched this episode today. I have always found it annoying. After seeing it again after 20 years, I have to admit that there are some great lines and an absolutely unique storyline. Still, it sucks. It's worth watching just to see Leslie in the command chair!
Scotty and Sulu are not to be seen in the episode. I wonder what Scotty did that week?
Scotty and Sulu are not to be seen in the episode. I wonder what Scotty did that week?
How come in "Mirror,Mirror" Kirk seems to have forgotten his encounter with the Lazarus Twins 
In "M,M",Kirk acts as though he'd never been to or seen an alternate universe,when he had done both over a year earlier when he met the exisence-threatening Lazaruses.
Given their prior "TAF" experience,one would think Kirk & crew wouldn't have been so shocked by what happened to them above Halka. Well,anyway,I for one have always liked & enjoyed "TAF".It was even my favorite episode at one point,roughly a score ago.
A perception,or misperception probably,that I had years ago was that I had always ( erroniously ) assumed that the Anti-Matter Universe & the Mirror Universe were the same parallel universe. I reasoned this based on antimatter being the MIRROR of matter in it's charge or polarity. I know better now.
Well,if no one else,I like almost all of ST's parallel universes.
In "M,M",Kirk acts as though he'd never been to or seen an alternate universe,when he had done both over a year earlier when he met the exisence-threatening Lazaruses.Given their prior "TAF" experience,one would think Kirk & crew wouldn't have been so shocked by what happened to them above Halka. Well,anyway,I for one have always liked & enjoyed "TAF".It was even my favorite episode at one point,roughly a score ago.
A perception,or misperception probably,that I had years ago was that I had always ( erroniously ) assumed that the Anti-Matter Universe & the Mirror Universe were the same parallel universe. I reasoned this based on antimatter being the MIRROR of matter in it's charge or polarity. I know better now.
Well,if no one else,I like almost all of ST's parallel universes.
You're weird. And that's OK. Without people like you we would all be agreeing with each other here. How boring would that be?
Anyway, there is no real answer to your question, except to say that the writer and producers of this episode would be overwhelmingly shocked if they knew that we would be discussing such details 39 years after production wrapped.
Gotta love it.
Anyway, there is no real answer to your question, except to say that the writer and producers of this episode would be overwhelmingly shocked if they knew that we would be discussing such details 39 years after production wrapped.
Gotta love it.
