I remember being scared before I saw the Horta. It was a pretty creepy episode for awhile.Still one of my favorite episodes, giant lasagna monster or not.
And, for the record, the Horta was terrifying when I was a kid back in the sixties.
The Devil in the Dark
- Thread starter Wingsley
- Start date
I watched my first TOS episodes on channel 56 also. We lived in Rhode Island, so WLVI's (formerly WKBG) signal gave us a nice grainy picture, but oh what fun it was to watch them for the very first time, snowy picture or not. At some point in the early 70's, WJAR channel 10, our local NBC affiliate in Providence started airing TOS, a much cleaner signal for us since their transmitter was only a few miles away.
I can't remember what the first episode of Trek I ever watched. I was quite young back then. I never was afraid of the Horta. I was curious as to why it (of course we found out from Spock 'it' was a 'she') was killing the miners.Still one of my favorite episodes, giant lasagna monster or not.
And, for the record, the Horta was terrifying when I was a kid back in the sixties.
This is one of my fave eps. I liked when Spock wanted to capture the creature and Kirk said it was to be kill on sight. Then later when Kirk sees the Horta upclose and personal he is the one who wants to communicate with it and Spock wants Kirk to kill it (of course for Kirk to save his own life)
I loved how Spock said the Horta liked his ears (the whole scene at the end)
There's an opportunity here they've ignored so far -
In some future unnamed Trek series the bridge crew are cornered by an alien villain on some distant planet, only for the Captain to say:
"What you didn't count on was my Head Of Security, Lieutenant Horta!"
At which point the Horta bursts through a wall, smothering the baddies with his potent stone-dissolving acid.
"Get 'em, Lt. Horta! Huzzah! Starfleet got very lucky the day the Horta joined the Federation. Good work, Lt. Horta!"
Since Data explained to us com badges are in a case made of gold, Lt. Horta should be able to wear one without dissolving it. Think of some of the episodes where characters are trapped underground, like the Cloud Minders or Silicon Avatar. Lt. Horta would've come in handy.
In some future unnamed Trek series the bridge crew are cornered by an alien villain on some distant planet, only for the Captain to say:
"What you didn't count on was my Head Of Security, Lieutenant Horta!"
At which point the Horta bursts through a wall, smothering the baddies with his potent stone-dissolving acid.
"Get 'em, Lt. Horta! Huzzah! Starfleet got very lucky the day the Horta joined the Federation. Good work, Lt. Horta!"
Since Data explained to us com badges are in a case made of gold, Lt. Horta should be able to wear one without dissolving it. Think of some of the episodes where characters are trapped underground, like the Cloud Minders or Silicon Avatar. Lt. Horta would've come in handy.
If you're interested, there have been Horta officers and explorers in the books for years. I think Diane Duane did it first, back in the eighties, but I had a Horta assist in a hostage situation a couple books ago. And Tony Daniel recently wrote a another novel, Devil's Bargain, in which a team of Hortas are recruited for another Starfleet mission.
I would have loved to see that.
Yes.
Enterprise has a Horta officer in Spock's World.
I was going to say, I know I heard references to Horta crewmen before. I don't really care for the idea, but maybe that's my humanoid bias showing.
Do replicators reproduce the quantities of rock they need to consume?
Well considering they were supposed to be able to exist in an oxygen environment for only short periods, and would have limited capabilities aboard a starship, it doesn't make any real sense.
Agreed. The have to eat tons of rock a day, and their bodies secrete tremendously powerful acid. They don't have hands with opposable thumbs and they can't talk. They're like whales: big brains but no technology.
Thus Hortas are not a good fit for space travel even as passengers, to say nothing of crewmen, as far as I can see.
Greg Cox: "Horta officers and explorers in the books for years"
I did not know that, you learn something new every day. Kudos to Diane Duane and whoever else included our little rock-burrowing friends.
As far as them being unfit for a starship, I don't know. Like Redfern pointed out, they've already been retconned before (for their appearance.) I don't think it would be impossible to accommodate one on a starship, especially if it's requirements were tweaked a little. They seemed eager to fit the offspring into their mining operations, so working with humans was obviously not a problem on the planet.
For the record the one on TV reminded me of an old throw rug my Mother had (with someone crawling around under it.)
I did not know that, you learn something new every day. Kudos to Diane Duane and whoever else included our little rock-burrowing friends.
As far as them being unfit for a starship, I don't know. Like Redfern pointed out, they've already been retconned before (for their appearance.) I don't think it would be impossible to accommodate one on a starship, especially if it's requirements were tweaked a little. They seemed eager to fit the offspring into their mining operations, so working with humans was obviously not a problem on the planet.
For the record the one on TV reminded me of an old throw rug my Mother had (with someone crawling around under it.)
Just no.
How about a giant beef ravioli covered in meat sauce.
I used to eat those by the canful as kid.
Then as an adult I found out what they REALLY taste like in a proper Italian restaurant. YUMMY!
I used to eat those by the canful as kid.
Then as an adult I found out what they REALLY taste like in a proper Italian restaurant. YUMMY!
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