"Way To Eden" always seems to get a bad rap

[ahkyahnan]

I remember reading that Walter Koenig felt this ep showed how the makers of the show didn't give a crap anymore, especially where the character of Chekov was involved. According to him, Chekov was supposed to be the "hip" younger character as compared to Kirk, Spock and the others, and here he is portrayed as an uptight establishment type, and Spock is the "hip" one. I guess he felt Chekov should have been connecting with the "hippies", not Spock.

I don't know for sure how intentional this was, but I think the characterization's of Chekov and Spock in "Eden" were right on. I always felt one goal of this episode was to explore and address the generational divides of the 60's. And the related themes of idealism vs. status-quo.

The thing is not all kids were hippies, and not all adults were square. Some kids were burning their draft cards and embracing the counter-culture, while others were volunteering for service in Viet Nam and functioning within the establishment. (And of course a lot more somewhere in between.) So to me the exchanges between Chekov and Irina make perfect sense. They have completely opposite viewpoints, but being the same age have much in common as well, and their attempts to reconcile these differing philosophies were probably meant to mirror debates that were going on in Universities and within the youth of the time. Making Chekov more 'hip' wouldn't have worked nearly as well in overall context...IMO...though Walter Koenig personally might've leaned more in that direction and felt a conflict of interest in portraying the 'establishment' role maybe, I'm not sure.

Adults the same way. Some couldn't understand or accept much at all of what they felt the younger generation represented, while others were sympathetic and supportive of their idealism but tempered somewhat by age and a sense of what was realistic. (And again everything in between.) So again the exchanges between Spock and Adam, as well as between himself and some of his fellow officers made sense, and were probably trying to illustrate the varying opinions among adults as well.

Come to think of it, it was interesting that almost everyone on both sides of the episode had at least somewhat of a different point of view. Some were hardliners, others simply sure of their beliefs, some still questioning, some in the middle and a couple of them "reached". Not too unrepresentative a micro-sample of society.

The other thing I like is that it was neither a hippie-bashing episode nor anti-establishment. Though I wish the ending had been a little less one-sided.

Not too bad an ep afterall maybe. Except for the music and clothes...those will always be a little difficult. Well, at least no one thought to paint flowers, paisley's or the word "Groovy" on the side of the Aurora's hull.

Mark

 

[Chrisisall]

The other thing I like is that it was neither a hippie-bashing episode nor anti-establishment.

I thought it tread the line quite thoughtfully.

 

[T'Bonz]

Mod Squad (though that was a fun show), Adam-12, a bunch of others. Compared to the music they made up for some of those shows, the stuff in Way To Eden is actually pretty good...at least they're real songs.

I was between 10 and 15 when Mod Squad aired and I thought it (and Room 222) were cool and awesome. Adam-12? They were more "grown-up" to me, although I liked the show.

I suspect watching any of them now would make me cringe like rewatching Laugh-in for the first time in years did. What was cool and awesome then seems so lame now.

Except for Star Trek!

 

[Sycho Nosk]

i liked this one... but thats kinda bias cuz i like them all ...lol

 

[Amaris]

Funny, Conservatives I know rate TOS as a Socialist utopiaian wet-dream; Liberals call it militaristic & Conservative.
As an Independent, I call it just cool SF.

Not realy. Most conservatives I've seen, even around here, call TNG a socialist wet-dream. I seldom see that applied to TOS at all.. though I do see a handful of complaints from liberals that TOS is too militaristic, but, again, even then it's a tiny minority of that side of the aisle.

Agreed. I'm a bit liberal and quite frankly I approve of many tactics Captain Kirk and Co. use, including the fact that at some point in a close combat fight with Kirk, he's going to throw his ass at you.

J.

 

[Basil]

Star Trek V always felt like another version of this episode, with some elements from ST-TMP thrown in.

 

[ahkyahnan]

I was between 10 and 15 when Mod Squad aired and I thought it (and Room 222) were cool and awesome.

I suspect watching any of them now would make me cringe like rewatching Laugh-in for the first time in years did.

I agree with you on both counts. Actually, both of those shows were pretty cool, just the music makes me cringe. But that's only because they didn't use songs by real artists that kids were actually listening to, but original inhouse recordings by a staff of televison musicians trying to sound like The Doors or something. Usually just instrumental stuff that sounded a little like jazzy beach music. Songwriting and performance royalty issues probably had a lot to do with it. I watched some old ep's of Mod Squad recently and most of it held up surprisingly well.

The best line though was the Captain saying some crook must only be a lowly henchman, and not the boss. And Pete says "a henchman, driving a $5,000 car!! I don't think so!" That cracked me up.

Mark

 

[ToddPence]

No, actually "The Way to Eden" gets bad folk rock, not bad rap.

(And, yes, I do realize that the latter is a tautology).

 

[I am not Spock]

Watched Way to Eden remastered the other night. I actually found it quite entertaining. It gives Chekov something to do for once, and the songs are amusing and catchy, dammit! If The Simpsons, Xena, and Buffy get a musical ep, why not Trek? It's a harmless fun ep, and far from the worst of Trek. All those Herberts who don't reach it, go eat a poison fruit!

 

[Chrisisall]

All those Herberts who don't reach it, go eat a poison fruit!

 

[Amaris]

I was between 10 and 15 when Mod Squad aired and I thought it (and Room 222) were cool and awesome.

I suspect watching any of them now would make me cringe like rewatching Laugh-in for the first time in years did.

I agree with you on both counts. Actually, both of those shows were pretty cool, just the music makes me cringe. But that's only because they didn't use songs by real artists that kids were actually listening to, but original inhouse recordings by a staff of televison musicians trying to sound like The Doors or something. Usually just instrumental stuff that sounded a little like jazzy beach music. Songwriting and performance royalty issues probably had a lot to do with it. I watched some old ep's of Mod Squad recently and most of it held up surprisingly well.

The best line though was the Captain saying some crook must only be a lowly henchman, and not the boss. And Pete says "a henchman, driving a $5,000 car!! I don't think so!" That cracked me up.

Mark

Andy Griffith used to do that a lot. Any time they would try to portray rock and roll, they'd use the same basic guitar riff regardless of what the actor was playing (more than once I heard a clean electric guitar sound coming from an acoustic!).

J.

 

[Joel_Kirk]

A note about that jam session:

There is a brunette in a red uniform [one of the ENT crew listening in on Spock and the blond 'space hippy'] that I think looks lovely...

As for the songs: I think 'Adam' sang pretty well....

 

[Grant]

I've always thought it was a good episode that could have been great.
Basically you have a 'cult leader' taking idealistic young people and using them for his insane ends. It happens all the time in our world and it's very suitable for TOS.

Had the episode simply been about a straightforward cult situation and disposing of the silly costumes and 'jam session'----it could have been a highlight of season 3.

You throw in the facts that Kirk is forced to use 'kid gloves' on them because their parents are influential and you even have a better reason than usual for Kirk letting them roam the ship and interact with the crew. (Why the f*ck was lazarus roaming the ship for an entire episode?)

Toss the music parts and throw in actual Romulans meanacing the Enterprise as they rescue the survivors and I think it would be very impressive indeed.

if you simply fixate on the 'hippie' aspect and don't give the actual story any thought you are doing it (& yourself) a dis-service.

 

[Chrisisall]

if you simply fixate on the 'hippie' aspect and don't give the actual story any thought you are doing it (& yourself) a dis-service.

I could not possibly have said that better, Grant.

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

Probably the only thing that really bothered me about the episode is Spock's rather cavalier assessment of Dr. Sevrin as insane from that conversation they had. Sevrin did not come across as insane at all and in fact he brought up ideas that would always be echoed on Star Trek that by embracing technology so much man has lost touch with important aspects of himself.

 

[Chrisisall]

Probably the only thing that really bothered me about the episode is Spock's rather cavalier assessment of Dr. Sevrin as insane from that conversation they had.

You must not be taking into account Spock's telepathic abilities. Which later proved correct, BTW.

 

[I am not Spock]

My only disappointment in the episode really, is that I kept expecting the Romulans to eventually show up and politely ask Kirk why he and his crew were taking a scenic tour through the Neutral Zone. Apart from no Rommies, I enjoyed the ep for what it was, quite a bit.

 

[ToddPence]

These hippies really had a bad acid trip at the end of this episode . . .

 

[Chrisisall]

These hippies really had a bad acid trip at the end of this episode . . .

I had not thought of that b4....

LDS

 

[Grant]

Wait, you didn't get the sense that Severin was insane after his nutty speech to Spock about how 'they' were out to destroy them and infect him and how he wanted to go to a primitive planet where the people have no innoculations and live among them while he was a carrier??