The New, Improved Alternative Factor

[Spock's Barber]

This episode always bothered me. I liked the basic premise of alternate/parallel universes, but the way it was filmed just didn’t seem to work out. I know the writer and director probably thought, “This is classic Trek!”

For one thing, sometimes I had difficulty telling which Lazarus was onscreen. Was it Lazarus A or Lazarus B? I know his beard changes from time to time, but that’s a Fred Phillips problem.

Plus, the way Lazarus wandered around the Enterprise unhindered was just hard to understand. There are other issues, but time is limited.

Anyway, how could the producer have improved this episode to at least make it more palatable and understandable?

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

What if it had been a mirror universe sequel - "evil" Lazarus was from the MU, and both Spocks, in the future of their universes, had trapped their respective Lazarii in the boxing ring because they were a threat to the galaxy - something they could both agree on.

According to Memory Alpha:

• The original script called for a romantic entanglement between Charlene Masters and Lazarus that was eventually cut due to Roddenberry considering it too similar to the romance between Khan and McGivers in "Space Seed". As stated by Roddenberry in a Season One memo: "In both 'Space Seed' and this story, we have a crew woman madly in love with a brawny guest star and flipping our whole gang into a real mess because she is in love… do they have to do [this] in two of our scripts?" [1]

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

Well, in light of the matter/antimatter thing, they needed to do some reworking on the threat. Matter/antimatter annihilation is, after all, kind of routine in ST. (Of course, even ST at its worst had a better handle on antimatter than the 1966 Batman movie did.)

According to everything I've heard and read about the episode, Robert Brown was a last-minute substitution for John Drew Barrymore, which was almost certainly the major reason for it being hard to tell one Lazarus from the other.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Or what if they made the Lazarus character a female instead? So rather than giving Charlene Masters a Khan-ish love interest, Kirk could fall in love with "Talitha"

(For those unfamiliar with the Bible, how Jesus addressed Jairus's daughter when he raised her from the dead: "And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise." (Mark 5:41 KJV)

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talitha_(given_name)

 

[Spock's Barber]

Now that sounds interesting. I wonder if Kirk would have been less prone to destroy the time machine if his love interest was involved.

That brings up another issue I have with this strange episode : we hear our boys talk about a parallel/alternate/matter-antimatter universe, but then Lazarus says he’s a time traveler. What’s that got to do with the two universes and the corridor between them?

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

but then Lazarus says he’s a time traveler.

He lied.

 

[Spock's Barber]

He lied.

Then it must have been Lazarus A. Or Lazarus B. Or Lazarus AB. Or Lazarus ABCDEF. Oh, the Hell with it. I give up.

 

[fireproof78]

That brings up another issue I have with this strange episode : we hear our boys talk about a parallel/alternate/matter-antimatter universe, but then Lazarus says he’s a time traveler. What’s that got to do with the two universes and the corridor between them?

I mean, it might be the simplest explanation he can think of in the moment. Or that he has moved through time as part of his efforts to find his duplicate.

 

[Spock's Barber]

I mean, it might be the simplest explanation he can think of in the moment. Or that he has moved through time as part of his efforts to find his duplicate.

This whole episode gives me a headache.
I’m guessing the 2 Lazarus are still fighting each other in the corridor as we speak.

 

[fireproof78]

This whole episode gives me a headache.
I’m guessing the 2 Lazarus are still fighting each other in the corridor as we speak.

Where do you think Constellations come from

 

[Spock's Barber]

Don’t say it Kirk! I forbid you to say it! No, no, no! Don’t even think of it…

Okay, you said it. Now move along to the next episode.

 

[fireproof78]

Don’t say it Kirk! I forbid you to say it! No, no, no! Don’t even think of it…

Okay, you said it. Now move along to the next episode.

I always liked this episode so I never got the problems with it

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Now that sounds interesting. I wonder if Kirk would have been less prone to destroy the time machine if his love interest was involved.

Shades of Edith Keeler, except he didn't have to push her into the car's path.

 

[fireproof78]

Shades of Edith Keeler, except he didn't have to push her into the car's path.

Actually, it could be quite interesting. She makes the choice to preserve two universes by the sacrifice, rather than an unfortunate pawn in the supposed fate of the universe.

 

[Warp Core Breach]

I don't really hate this episode as much as other people do, or other episodes which are worse. It's just all discordant and bizarre. I saw it the other night on H&I and forgot to count how many times that dude fell off the cliff.

 

[Spock's Barber]

I don't really hate this episode as much as other people do, or other episodes which are worse. It's just all discordant and bizarre. I saw it the other night on H&I and forgot to count how many times that dude fell off the cliff.

 

[Spock's Barber]

Lazarus? Lazarus?? Lazarus???

Stay on flat ground, away from the cliffs!!!

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

@Spock's Barber who would you have cast at the time to play a female Lazarus (both good and bad versions)?

 

[drt]

I always liked this episode so I never got the problems with it

Me, too, sure the science was wonky, but the ideas were interesting.

I also kind of like how it’s not always clear which Lazarus we’re dealing with, it adds to the weirdness. On that note, I’ve always wondered if while editing the episode, the editor made some choices/mistakes that added to the confusion (after all, similar happened in “The Enemy Within”, although that “mistake” was done on purpose to have a dramatic beat before a commercial).

I do like the idea of a female Lazarus, that would have been a cool twist.

 

[Spock's Barber]

@Spock's Barber who would you have cast at the time to play a female Lazarus (both good and bad versions)?

Tough question….I always thought Emmaline Henry was incisive as Dr. Bellows wife in ‘I Dream Of Jeannie’. I think she could have done a great job as both sides of a female Lazarus. Here she is with Kang…

Who would you choose???