TheGodBen Revisits Star Trek

[scotpens]

Having said all that, this episode ["The Empath"] is not one of my favourites. The minimal cast, the minimal sets, the static nature of the plot, the extended periods of Shatner overacting - come off like a fanfic stage play!
After a fairly intriguing first act, this episode devolves into being rather plodding: McCoy explains Gem’s powers twice and many of the scenes feel drawn out. The use of slow-mo on Kirk doesn’t help either and the “Gem theme music” really gets repetitive after a while. And that final scene when she heals McCoy seem to go on forever!
Even the “comedy” tag at the end seems drawn out, as if the actors are speaking slower than usual...

A lot of the third-season episodes have that drawn-out feeling, as if a half-hour script was padded out to a full hour.

 

[johnnybear]

The Empath was of course another of the banned episodes by the BBC! This was because of the torture scenes and they felt it was not proper to screen this one at their early evening slot! It finally made it to the Beeb in 1994!
JB

 

[Maurice]

In my recent rewatch of It Takes a Thief I discovered that Robert Wagner gave Denise Nicholas an affectionate smooch at the end of their adventure - and episode that aired just one month after Plato's Stepchildren. So since Kirk & Uhura were forced, and the actors faked it away from camera anyway, I'd be happy to declare the other one the first official interracial kiss on prime time TV. Or not. YMMV.

Yeah, @Harvey spotted that one a while ago.

 

[Harvey]

Among others...

 

[Commishsleer]

In my recent rewatch of It Takes a Thief I discovered that Robert Wagner gave Denise Nicholas an affectionate smooch at the end of their adventure - and episode that aired just one month after Plato's Stepchildren. So since Kirk & Uhura were forced, and the actors faked it away from camera anyway, I'd be happy to declare the other one the first official interracial kiss on prime time TV. Or not. YMMV.

To me it doesn't really matter. I know we Star Trek people myself included love the minutae, the little details, the mistakes, the discrepancies because that's who we are.
However the kiss, whether it was technically a kiss (what), whether it was the first is sort of irrelevant.
It was always billed as the first interracial kiss and was a big bold move for a drama at the time.
Everyone thinks it was and while not true its one of the first and no-one else it trying to take credit. for it.
I suppose no we should look back in shame (in restrospect) that we even noticed it.