Well, They Tried But....

[erastus25]

Name the episode that in your opinion starts out Fast and Furious, but ends up Slow and Tedious.

"Miri" for me. The teaser is one of TOS's very best, and ends on the provocative question of exactly how a duplicate Earth could exist. You're really dying to find out how this could be possible. And then the episode itself takes a left turn into a story about the Grups and the Onlies, with no explanation ever offered for why this planet is an exact double for Sol 3.

When the answer turns out to be "'Just because, okay?", why even raise the question?

That's exactly why I dislike the 'parallel planet' episodes. They are just too ridiculous to explain.

You guys need to read more Hodgkins.

 

[Spock's Barber]

"Miri" for me. The teaser is one of TOS's very best, and ends on the provocative question of exactly how a duplicate Earth could exist. You're really dying to find out how this could be possible. And then the episode itself takes a left turn into a story about the Grups and the Onlies, with no explanation ever offered for why this planet is an exact double for Sol 3.

When the answer turns out to be "'Just because, okay?", why even raise the question?

That's exactly why I dislike the 'parallel planet' episodes. They are just too ridiculous to explain.

You guys need to read more Hodgkins.

Don't tell me that Homer Simpson has his own parallel planet?!?!?

 

[The Old Mixer]

Name the episode that in your opinion starts out Fast and Furious, but ends up Slow and Tedious.

"Miri" for me. The teaser is one of TOS's very best, and ends on the provocative question of exactly how a duplicate Earth could exist. You're really dying to find out how this could be possible. And then the episode itself takes a left turn into a story about the Grups and the Onlies, with no explanation ever offered for why this planet is an exact double for Sol 3.

When the answer turns out to be "'Just because, okay?", why even raise the question?

That is a very good example.

 

[drt]

Name the episode that in your opinion starts out Fast and Furious, but ends up Slow and Tedious.

"Miri" for me. The teaser is one of TOS's very best, and ends on the provocative question of exactly how a duplicate Earth could exist. You're really dying to find out how this could be possible. And then the episode itself takes a left turn into a story about the Grups and the Onlies, with no explanation ever offered for why this planet is an exact double for Sol 3.

When the answer turns out to be "'Just because, okay?", why even raise the question?

That is a very good example.

Yeah, seems like a cool idea for an episode is to explore why there would be an exact copy of Earth in deep space. The Grups/Onlies stuff could take place on a regular old random planet of the week.

 

[erastus25]

Has A Piece of the ACtion been mentioned yet? Seems the obvious one given that DS9 almost returned and Kirk made a joke about coming back in 100 years.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

That's exactly why I dislike the 'parallel planet' episodes. They are just too ridiculous to explain.

If ST fans can accept the Horta, Gorn, Tholians, and a host of other life forms, then planets falling under Hodgkin's law of Parallel Planetary Development should be sufficient to explain those worlds.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Parallel societal development is one thing. Identical geographic development begs for a bit more exploration.

They made a big deal about it in the teaser...it clearly wasn't supposed to be just another one of those ol' parallel planets...but then they went nowhere with it, virtually forgetting that angle entirely.

It was the teaser to a much more interesting episode than what followed.

 

[Spock's Barber]

That's exactly why I dislike the 'parallel planet' episodes. They are just too ridiculous to explain.

If ST fans can accept the Horta, Gorn, Tholians, and a host of other life forms, then planets falling under Hodgkin's law of Parallel Planetary Development should be sufficient to explain those worlds.

Well, I sure hope that his law doesn't mean that there is an alien planet that copied the Kardashians.

 

[Marsden]

They fought a war with the Federation in the 24th century.

 

[Spock's Barber]

They fought a war with the Federation in the 24th century.

Kim and Khloe?

 

[FormerLurker]

Parallel societal development is one thing. Identical geographic development begs for a bit more exploration.

They made a big deal about it in the teaser...it clearly wasn't supposed to be just another one of those ol' parallel planets...but then they went nowhere with it, virtually forgetting that angle entirely.

It was the teaser to a much more interesting episode than what followed.

They didn't quite go nowhere with it. Granted, it was just a big Maguffin, but it was used to explain why they didn't have to translate any of the documents they found to figure out how to save themselves.

 

[LadyT'Anna]

Agreed re: "And the Children Shall Lead" and "The Omega Glory." I would have to add "Spectre of the Gun" to the list.

 

[Spock's Barber]

Agreed re: "And the Children Shall Lead" and "The Omega Glory." I would have to add "Spectre of the Gun" to the list.

Yes. I agree with those three episodes. I would also like to include "The Savage Curtain" in this thread discussion. I liked its message of good versus evil, but as soon as I saw Abraham Lincoln appear on the Enterprise viewscreen I had to chuckle. Like Scotty said, "President Lincoln indeed! No doubt to be followed by Louis of France and Robert the Bruce."

 

[JonnyQuest037]

"Miri" for me. The teaser is one of TOS's very best, and ends on the provocative question of exactly how a duplicate Earth could exist. You're really dying to find out how this could be possible. And then the episode itself takes a left turn into a story about the Grups and the Onlies, with no explanation ever offered for why this planet is an exact double for Sol 3.

When the answer turns out to be "'Just because, okay?", why even raise the question?

That's exactly why I dislike the 'parallel planet' episodes. They are just too ridiculous to explain.

Yeah. I can suspend my disbelief just enough to buy there being a Nazi Planet, or a Roman Empire Planet, or a Gangster Planet, but not an Exact Duplicate of Earth That's Not A Parallel Universe Planet.

The duplicate Constitution in "The Omega Glory" is a similar stretch.

Yeah, seems like a cool idea for an episode is to explore why there would be an exact copy of Earth in deep space. The Grups/Onlies stuff could take place on a regular old random planet of the week.

Exactly. I wish they wrote & shot a new intro for "Miri" and then made a new episode to fit the duplicate teaser.

Parallel societal development is one thing. Identical geographic development begs for a bit more exploration.

They made a big deal about it in the teaser...it clearly wasn't supposed to be just another one of those ol' parallel planets...but then they went nowhere with it, virtually forgetting that angle entirely.

It was the teaser to a much more interesting episode than what followed.

Yes, that's exactly how I feel about it. On the rare times I rewatch it, I can't help thinking, "What about it being an exact duplicate of Earth, you guys?!?"

 

[Marsden]

I think Spock's Brain, the episode not the actual brain, would be one.

I think the idea that a civilization is run by a partially organic computer with a brain as it's central processor is a good one.

Then everything else happened.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

I think Spock's Brain, the episode not the actual brain, would be one.

I think the idea that a civilization is run by a partially organic computer with a brain as it's central processor is a good one.

Then everything else happened.

I really like the scenes in "Spock's Brain" where the crew is trying to deduce which planet Spock was taken to. Those wouldn't be out of place in a more suspenseful episode.

 

[Marsden]

That was good. It really gave some of the others something useful to say. And truthfully, I still enjoy the episode, it's just not one of the better ones.

 

[JTShanks]

For me, it would have to be the famous Enterprise Incident, I love the episode; do not get me wrong, but the tone and pace of the episode stumbles and falls onto the ground flat on it's face almost instantly the moment they get the intro out of the way.

I personally think that was the major problem that TOS had, it's pre-intro segments were often times far more exciting than the actual episode, although I cannot say that it ruins the show because I feel that it is enough to get one interested in watching the show whole.

 

[Grant]

Children, I, Mudd, Trouble are good votes.
I'll suggest Wolf---which is good until they go back to Ent and also Catspaw which I love until it turns out they "accidentally" tapped into somebody's subconscious?

 

[WarpFactorZ]

Agreed re: "And the Children Shall Lead" and "The Omega Glory." I would have to add "Spectre of the Gun" to the list.

"Spectre" is not the same, though, because it's a fantasy created from Kirk's mind (not a real parallel world). And I really like that episode -- especially its use of incomplete sets. It emphasizes the dream-like nature of the environment. I never found it to drag. It ends quite cleverly.