What are the top worst TOS episodes for plausibility errors?

[Silvercrest]

Re: By Any Other Name

"The Gamesters of Triskelion"
All this power, and all they want to do is gamble with apparently worthless monetary units called "quatloo's". They're not like the Yarnek aliens who want to observe human behavior. They want to bet against each other over which being manages to kill another. Primitive, primitive...

Now, one might say the more sophisticated the brain, the more simple the play. But... we see no sign of what these creatures do when they're not gambling on thrall combat. Where's their creativity? How else do they employ their immense powers?

We don't really know what quatloos are. They could be inhabited star systems, which sounds about right for beings of their apparent power.

"By Any Other Name"

Lastly... the Enterprise food systems are not designed to go for many hundreds of years without replenishment. These starships need period maintenance, as we've seen in TOS, TNG, DS9, etc. Alone in the deep void between galaxies means no support system. No spare parts. It's hugely ridiculous.

I'm sure the Kelvans could use their super-advanced technology to conduct repairs, fabricate spare parts, etc. After all, that super-technology got their ship to this galaxy in one piece.

Oh, wait...

 

[Leathco]

Spocks Brain.

 

[Sky]

Anyway, I thought that the Enterprise was always the flagship from the beginning. It certainly was with the D model.

Nope, there are several similar Constitution-class starships during the TOS era.

 

[Gary7]

Spocks Brain.

That's a good one. Definitely plenty of "unlikely" scenarios going on in that one.

 

[Gary7]

Nope, there are several similar Constitution-class starships during the TOS era.

According to Wikipedia, "A flagship is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, a designation given on account of being either the largest, fastest, newest, most heavily armed or, for publicity purposes, the best known."

And I thought that the Enterprise had the distinction of being the best known, even though there were other Constitution class ships in the Federation. Was there ever an explicit reference to any ship being the "flagship" during TOS?

 

[blssdwlf]

Anyway, I thought that the Enterprise was always the flagship from the beginning. It certainly was with the D model.

Nope, there are several similar Constitution-class starships during the TOS era.

Exactly and to add, Kirk was only a Captain whereas Decker (of the Constellation) and Wesley (of the Lexington) were higher ranking Commodores which suggest that the Enterprise was just another ship in the fleet...

 

[blssdwlf]

Re: By Any Other Name

"By Any Other Name"

Lastly... the Enterprise food systems are not designed to go for many hundreds of years without replenishment. These starships need period maintenance, as we've seen in TOS, TNG, DS9, etc. Alone in the deep void between galaxies means no support system. No spare parts. It's hugely ridiculous.

Interestingly, the Enterprise food system would have had enough food to feed 9 of them for almost 239 years. Presumably, the "needed" Enterprise crew would have died after twenty or thirty years into it or "preserved" periodically and the food stores could be extended for the 300 year trip.

As to maintenance, it might be periodic and I'm sure they would have some spare parts for the food systems.

I'd be more concerned about the fuel supply zipping around at Warp 11 though. But then again, the Kelvans might have a solution to that or the mentioned power system that "regenerates" might be quite fuel efficient indeed.

 

[T'Bonz]

1. Gary7, it could have stretched out. The info dump, I mean. Post, let someone answer, then continue on with the next one. It wasn't necessary to do it all at once, was it, whether in one post or a bunch?

2. Nero's Shadow, Captain Robert April. Knock it off. NOW. I have a pretty bad headache which means the Romulan is grumpier than usual. Don't push it. If you don't like the thread, hop over it and go to another one. How hard is that? Nothing is wrong with the thread.

3. To ALL. DON'T post more than one post in a row. Do I have to start warning people for this?

Bonz, Grump

 

[number6]

Did anyone ever tell you how sexy you are when you're grumpy?

 

[plynch]

Frankly, I'm beginning to wonder about the point of this thread.

second that

But since I'm here -- and I love Star Trek -- the WHOLE thing is implausible from the get go. A space navy? Subspace? Focusing in on specifics is nitpicky, perhaps. But to each his/her own. Peace.

 

[T'Bonz]

Did anyone ever tell you how sexy you are when you're grumpy?

DIDN'T I TELL YOU THAT I HAVE A BAD HEADACHE!!!!

 

[number6]

Did anyone ever tell you how sexy you are when you're grumpy?

DIDN'T I TELL YOU THAT I HAVE A BAD HEADACHE!!!!

There is a pill you can take for that.

 

[Gary7]

Re: By Any Other Name

Interestingly, the Enterprise food system would have had enough food to feed 9 of them for almost 239 years. Presumably, the "needed" Enterprise crew would have died after twenty or thirty years into it or "preserved" periodically and the food stores could be extended for the 300 year trip.

As to maintenance, it might be periodic and I'm sure they would have some spare parts for the food systems.

We get a sense of all kinds of maintenance necessary to keep systems going throughout the series, even more so in the ones that follow. That's part of why there's such a large crew. The Kelvans worked out the means to simplify operation requiring fewer crew, but that's just from an operational perspective.

What I would have liked to have seen is Rojan mentioning that they've got supply probes scattered along the pathway of their trip to help ensure they don't run out of anything. It would be ambiguous enough to cover most everything (food supplies, spare parts, raw materials, etc).

I'd be more concerned about the fuel supply zipping around at Warp 11 though. But then again, the Kelvans might have a solution to that or the mentioned power system that "regenerates" might be quite fuel efficient indeed.

The Kelvans increased the warp capability, but the core design remains the same. Also, the structural design of the ship wasn't meant for that speed... The Kelvans may have increased the power of the structural integrity field, but this doesn't take into consideration the duration of stress exposure. But, there's enough ambiguity about the Kelvan technology to not make it so much of a deal.

Whatever they did... I'm sure they DIDN'T reverse it afterwards. So here's the Enterprise with souped up engines and structural integrity. Major technological progress for the Federation. Hmmmm... nothing mentioned about it? Kind of similar to the gaping hole about the fountain of youth spores in "This Side of Paradise", which don't get any recognition for their incredible restorative/curative properties.

 

[blssdwlf]

Re: By Any Other Name

Whatever they did... I'm sure they DIDN'T reverse it afterwards. So here's the Enterprise with souped up engines and structural integrity. Major technological progress for the Federation. Hmmmm... nothing mentioned about it?

I agree about the "fountain of youth spores" (and don't forget instant telekinetic powers from "Plato's Stepchildren", etc). But, as to the souped up engines, "By Any Other Name" takes place more or less between "Obsession" and "That Which Survives" and the Enterprise is at least twice as fast after "BAON" - able to cross 1000ly in half a day versus 1000+ ly in less than two days. Although personally I think the Kelvans really just improved the Enterprise's intergalactic speed instead of it's intragalactic cruising abilities or it's intrasolar cruising abilities.

 

[Gary7]

Could very well be the case. We do get a small smattering of references on the Enterprise's distance coverage and top warp speed across the series. I seriously doubt it is deliberate information that is consistent, as there were plenty of things inconsistent in Star Trek.

One thing we do have to remember is the pace of production. These guys were working 12-14 hour days and under a lot of pressure. So much went well that it's easy to demand more perfection from the show. Despite the fact that there's always room for improvement, there are some things that deliver a lot more bang for the buck than others. A writer being conscious of precedents and plausibility can sidestep potential glaring flaws just by crafting dialog or scenes a little differently. But the TOS staff didn't have a "canon monitor"... even in TNG where they had someone to keep track of all the "jargon" conjured up and how it should be used consistently, they missed plenty. The thing is, by the time TNG came around, they already knew they had a serious fanbase with lots of expectations. The TOS staff had no idea of what was to come. When the series was canceled, everybody figured that was it--game over, for good. Given all that TOS went through, what they achieved is remarkable (the folks doing the production for the "New Voyages"/"Phase II" certainly have that appreciation, first hand). I'll bet anything that fans of the Star Trek franchise that don't like TOS probably don't give it any latitude for what it accomplished under the circumstances. Some people even go so bold as to question whether TOS is part of Star Trek canon!

 

[blssdwlf]

I couldn't agree more and even though some of the technical consistency could be coincidental - it amazingly is coherent enough due to the (deliberate) lack of specifics which something that I think really rears its ugly head in later productions. The folks who worked on TOS did an amazing job

 

[Captrek]

Re: Operation -- Annihilate!

"Operation -- Annihilate!"
The basic concept is interesting, but horribly executed and one of the worst IMHO.

It’s a great concept. The idea of a parasite taking control of the host had been done before and has been done since (e.g., Invasion of the Body Snatchers and TNG:Conspiracy).

Stargate SG-1 had a nasty version of the concept in which the victim remains conscious, but completely unable to control the body. Adding to the nastiness is that it could persist for thousands of years, as the Goa’uld were extremely long-lived and kept the host from aging or dying.

In Operation Annihilate, the host remains conscious and nominally in control of the body, but compelled by pain to obey the will of the parasite. I don’t think I’ve seen that version of the concept in anything before or since. Anybody?

As Gary 7 says, interesting concept and horrible execution. Spock’s blindness may be the dumbest subplot in all of Trek.

 

[Mytran]

Not so much a subplot, more a tacked-on end-of-Act cliffhanger!

 

[Shatnertage]

When I saw "Operation: Annihilate" as a kid, I thought they were being attacked by cheese omelets.

I still do.

It actually makes it better. For me, at least.

 

[Silvercrest]

Some people even go so bold as to question whether TOS is part of Star Trek canon!

I question whether that thread should be considered part of this forum. I don't count it as part of my personal forum canon.