TOS 3rd Season:Who's To Blame???

[AtoZ]

Plynch and Captain Tracy, like you both I happen to be watching and enjoying S3 more now than ever before, having started watching Trek back around 1970. I believe that there was marked brilliance at certain points where the writing and a few of the stories are concerned. There were a few excellent science fiction stories, some very good or at least entertaining acting and they explored some interesting concepts, albeit in often what seemed to be watered down fashion.

I think its sexy today to harp about a weak season three while demonizing FF, and in a very colorful way what we saw in that little change reflects so often today the effect of corporate take-over on something that is proven and that works, and the negative effect it has for the sake of maximizing or saving bucks.

Whatever.

S3 is still head and shoulders better than the tripe mostly served up anywhere today....or over the last forty years.

 

[Christopher]

I think its sexy today to harp about a weak season three while demonizing FF...

"Today?" It's been that way for over four decades. If anything, the present-day trend is for many fans to be more forgiving of season 3 and Freiberger than fandom has tended to be in the past.

 

[Ssosmcin]

I don’t mind if people have issues with Freiberger's management and episodes. What I hate are the wholesale efforts to slice him out of Trek history by name. None of the TOS video special features name him. Nobody interviewed refers to him as anything other than "the new producer" and so on. The book "Star Trek 365" also omits his name. I mean, come on, the guy wasn't Voldemort. He was in charge over some excellent episodes, some of my favorites. A lot of Trek lore that fans really glommed onto came from the 3rd season: IDIC, Surak, Kahless… And I remember fans going apeshit over Gem from The Empath.

He deserves credit as well. The big, always mentioned "interracial kiss" happened on Freiberger's watch - not Roddenberry's, no matter what Nichelle Nichols says.

 

[Christopher]

^Well, IDIC was definitely Roddenberry's idea; he stuck the IDIC medallion in an episode as a product placement for the medallions he wanted to sell through Lincoln Enterprises.

As for the rest, it's a valid point -- although the thing to keep in mind about both Roddenberry's and Freiberger's contributions is that shows at the time weren't quite as showrunner-driven as they are today, despite what I said earlier. As with showrunners today, the executive producer would've been responsible for the final drafts and the final approval on everything, but whereas today the lion's share of the ideas and plot points originate in the writers' room, on TOS they tended to come from the freelancers. For instance, the Romulans weren't created in-house, they were something Paul Schneider concocted on his own. Of the examples you give, "The Empath" and "Plato's Stepchildren" were written by freelancers -- and Surak and Kahless come from "The Savage Curtain," the only third-season episode that Roddenberry has a script credit on (along with freelancer Arthur Heinemann).

 

[JoeD80]

you mentioned that John Meredyth Lucas wasn't asked back. Anyone ever hear why?

In Solow & Justman's book they say Roddenberry made the decision to not hire Lucas for season 3 but never told them the reason why.

 

[Ssosmcin]

^Well, IDIC was definitely Roddenberry's idea; he stuck the IDIC medallion in an episode as a product placement for the medallions he wanted to sell through Lincoln Enterprises.

Yup, true.

As for the rest, it's a valid point -- although the thing to keep in mind about both Roddenberry's and Freiberger's contributions is that shows at the time weren't quite as showrunner-driven as they are today, despite what I said earlier. ... Of the examples you give, "The Empath" and "Plato's Stepchildren" were written by freelancers -- and Surak and Kahless come from "The Savage Curtain," the only third-season episode that Roddenberry has a script credit on (along with freelancer Arthur Heinemann).

Also true, but all of this stuff did fall under the dreaded "Turd season" as some people called it. A lot of good came out of that year and, no matter who brought in in the ideas, Freiberger was the guy in charge. Just like Roddenberry didn't create Pon Far, Edith Keeler, Sarek and Amanda or Klingons, but Trek was his baby at the time, so it was under his watch. Freiberger, under his watch, greenlit the good as well as the bad. I guess I'm just saying he doesn't deserve to be steamrollered and paved over. For the most part, the buck stopped with him (except when Roddenberry felt strongly about something like IDIC or whatever) and I feel he did the best he could with the material and money on hand.

 

[AtoZ]

I think its sexy today to harp about a weak season three while demonizing FF...

"Today?" It's been that way for over four decades. If anything, the present-day trend is for many fans to be more forgiving of season 3 and Freiberger than fandom has tended to be in the past.

Yes, today.

If anything, fans parrot the whole S3 is garbage, etc.

Having watched Trek for years, I find people voice it MUCH more now - today - than ever before. But hey, that's MY experience, but thank you for your input.

 

[Captain Tracy]

,...There were a few excellent science fiction stories...

,...S3 is still head and shoulders better than the tripe mostly served up anywhere today....or over the last forty years.

AtoZ - That's absolutely how I feel too,.. I like to say this about S3: "There is some VERY good Sci-Fi hidden under some awkward TREK".

And, right you are about the condition of TV today,... what an erosion,... Seriously, SNOOKE instead of SPOCK?

BEAM ME UP,... PLEASE!!!!!!!