Thought exercise: One TOS episode with an unlimited budget?

[ZapBrannigan]

Yes, which even (by reports) Roddenberry questioned, since initially Kirk and crew were to find the literal devil. Roddenberry had one draft for Phase 2/TMP that was called "The God Thing" which dealt with similar themes and wasn't really accepted by the studio.

I recall from somewhere, Majel commenting bitterly that Shatner used the very same idea, of finding "God" in space, that had been repeatedly rejected when proposed by Gene Roddenberry. And she felt that Gene should have gotten credit for it. Water under the bridge at this point.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

I also think 'The Cloud Minders' could be an option. It's an excellent episode with beautiful visuals (and some flaws), but the story has potential to be retold on a grander and more lavish scale, where we see more of the cloud city, flesh out the worldbuilding etc. The premise and episode feel very classic scifi and like it could hold up as a feature length epic.

Writer David Gerrold originally intended "The Cloud Minders" to be an homage to the classic silent film Metropolis, so that feeling was very intentional.

 

[M'Sharak]

Bones manifests an all-out Berkleyesque song and dance number.

Or have the Busby Berkeley number develop, using 25-30 copies of each girl in the colorful feathery costume, and only at the very end of the number reveal (from the center of the kaleidoscopic choreography, probably) that Bones Is Not Really Dead?

Also: Harryhausen's first name was Ray.

 

[tonk'peh]

Also: Harryhausen's first name was Ray.

How have I gone my whole life thinking his full name was Harry Hausen?

 

[Redfern]

How have I gone my whole life thinking his full name was Harry Hausen?

Interesting, I never perceived it like that, but seeing it spelled out, it's actually...reasonable! I mean, the famed figure animator is often simply identified as "Harryhausen", and if that is the way one usually hears the name, it's easy to to assume it might be a given name and a family name, or, hearing his full name, it might be a three word name, Raymond Harold Hausen, shortened for publicity purposes.

It's actually kinda' cool! Don't feel embarrassed.

 

[Elder Knight]

It's a Baseball planet.

I could imagine the sign: "No championship: 369 years and counting!"
The Cubs messed that up in 2016, however, after just 108 years.

 

[Ragitsu]

How many Ben Franklin clones would it take to save "Spock's Brain"?

 

[kkt]

I agree with the general consensus that most episodes are fine as they are- good writing trumps realistic effects etc.

that being said...



This is the only suggestion so far that I agree with. It's a fun silly episode that relies on spectacle more than plot- why not go all out with the spectacle (within the range of 1960s special effects). Have Kirk fight a Harry Hausen skeleton army. Bones manifests an all-out Berkleyesque song and dance number. Add in some weird alien monsters. The possibilities are endless.


I also think 'The Cloud Minders' could be an option. It's an excellent episode with beautiful visuals (and some flaws), but the story has potential to be retold on a grander and more lavish scale, where we see more of the cloud city, flesh out the worldbuilding etc. The premise and episode feel very classic scifi and like it could hold up as a feature length epic.

Wasn't there a draft script of Shore Leave in which Kirk fought the tiger? That could have been fun.

The Cloud Minders could certainly have benefitted from a better ending. Masks or no masks, the trogs staying down below mining their whole lives while the beautiful people look down on them from miles up is no way a Federation world should be run.

 

[Qonundrum]

"That Which Survives". It's a great story where it counts the most, but it is too simplistic with just Losira skulking around. With the dough, they could then add to the plotting as now the computer can generate more than one killer guardian simultaneously, with more than one actor, and get around split screen problems too. It'd be a better cake as a result. Even then, kudos for the production team raising the stage and rocking it - that was really cool and far better than everyone swinging in some choreographed direction. Ditto for Losira's teleportation effect, which scared the Charliedickins out of me at the time, and still holds up - all things considered. Now imagine four or more going after the crew, that'd really ratchet up the tension...

"The Doomsday Machine" is just too easy, though it's definitely a fun one to get that treatment thanks to what TOS-R showed.

"All Our Yesterdays" as well as they could explore time periods more and other than just rummaging through the wardrobe and backlot to find 16th century stuff. Again, great core idea and overall robust execution, but more could have been done and that'd be another neat 2-parter. Think VOY's "The Killing Game" where they finally did more than other than relying on the same-old (though they wallowed with WW2 and didn't they go back to that sweet sweet well o' Wolf-359 as well, for a bit?)

 

[Jedi Marso]

Journey to Babel.

You've got numerous different kinds of aliens, including their first appearances in Trek. (I think)- Andorians and Tellarites. You've got Orion Pirates. You've got Orion Pirates impersonating Andorians. You've got Spock's parents, an open-heart surgery (on a Vulcan!) in sickbay, and a space battle.

Throw the $$$ right here.