I don't think it is cool, or even interesting. I find it intriguing though.
What are your controversial Star Trek opinions?
- Thread starter Amasov
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My TOS opinions:
Season 1: Strongest overall. Of course there are some clunkers, like Mudd's Women, The Alternative Factor, Operation: Annihilate!, etc. But overall it has the highest number of great episodes. It's also interesting to watch (particularly in production order) to see TOS as we came to understand it slowly unfold. Early Season 1 is sometimes unrecognizable - and not just because they hadn't figured out things yet like the Federation. it also changes structurally from week to week, with some episodes coming across as "The Adventures of Captain Kirk" while others came across as far more of an ensemble feel than the show later had, with Yeoman Rand still on the show, Uhura and Sulu getting more to do than they would later, and some recurring secondary folks like Riley. But by the end of the season it became the Kirk/Spock/McCoy show we came to expect.
Season 2: A few amazing episodes (Amok Time, The Doomsday Machine, Mirror Mirror, The Trouble With Tribbles, and A Piece of the Action). However, a lot more mediocrity than Season 1 - and less versatility as the show fell more into the "monster of the week" format. I feel like a lot of the thoughtful, high-concept elements of Season 1 - which sometimes came across as kind of the Twilight Zone with more "heart" - went away here for more straight-ahead action-adventure. Just didn't do it for me as well.
Season 3: I like Day of the Dove and All Our Yesterdays. There's a handful of other episodes (Spectre of the Gun, The Enterprise Incident, Is There No Truth in Beauty?, The Tholian Web, That Which Survives, and Whom Gods Destroy) that I think are...okay. The other 16 episodes are garbage.
Season 1: Strongest overall. Of course there are some clunkers, like Mudd's Women, The Alternative Factor, Operation: Annihilate!, etc. But overall it has the highest number of great episodes. It's also interesting to watch (particularly in production order) to see TOS as we came to understand it slowly unfold. Early Season 1 is sometimes unrecognizable - and not just because they hadn't figured out things yet like the Federation. it also changes structurally from week to week, with some episodes coming across as "The Adventures of Captain Kirk" while others came across as far more of an ensemble feel than the show later had, with Yeoman Rand still on the show, Uhura and Sulu getting more to do than they would later, and some recurring secondary folks like Riley. But by the end of the season it became the Kirk/Spock/McCoy show we came to expect.
Season 2: A few amazing episodes (Amok Time, The Doomsday Machine, Mirror Mirror, The Trouble With Tribbles, and A Piece of the Action). However, a lot more mediocrity than Season 1 - and less versatility as the show fell more into the "monster of the week" format. I feel like a lot of the thoughtful, high-concept elements of Season 1 - which sometimes came across as kind of the Twilight Zone with more "heart" - went away here for more straight-ahead action-adventure. Just didn't do it for me as well.
Season 3: I like Day of the Dove and All Our Yesterdays. There's a handful of other episodes (Spectre of the Gun, The Enterprise Incident, Is There No Truth in Beauty?, The Tholian Web, That Which Survives, and Whom Gods Destroy) that I think are...okay. The other 16 episodes are garbage.
There's some "so bad it's good" episodes in Season 3. I think Spock's Brain is actually enjoyable due to its campiness, and seeing the cast act like fools in Plato's Stepchildren has its moments. But more of the episodes are just plain boring.
I'll always defend "Requiem for Methuselah." In my opinion it's an objectively well-written and smart episode that explores concepts more than it does toss flashy moments or action at you.
The biggest issue with that episode is the time alloted for Kirk to fall so passionately in love with Rayna. A penciled edit from hours to weeks or months would have made the whole episode--especially the ending--far more solid. Aside from parallels to the Pygmalion and The Tempest, the episode shares a lot with Hornblower's deeping (and adulterous), enchanment with Marie. That exchange worked well because Hornblower was forced to be away from his ship and his wife for some considerable time.
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It is really on the bad list? One of the better Season 3 episodes. Good enough to be a Season 2 episode.
Some people do say it's boring or ignore it when they compile Best of Season 3 lists. It's not actively hated but it definitely doesn't get as much love as it deserves.
Controversial Opinion: Even though I'll call any Star Trek from 1966 to 2005 "Old Trek", somehow it still weirds me out whenever I see someone refer to anything other than TOS as "Classic Trek". My mind goes, "It's not classic! It's just old." It's the same as how I think there's a difference between a Classic Car and just an old car.
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Back on Sub-Topic, Season 3 TOS episodes I really recommend:
"The Enterprise Incident"
"The Tholian Web"
"Day of the Dove"
"For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky"
"Requiem for Methuselah"
"The Cloud Minders" (I know this is probably a "controversial" choice)
"The Empath"
"All Our Yesterdays"
"Turnabout Intruder" (pretend Lester-Kirk is Donald Trump and you'll see it in a whole new light)
Episodes that aren't top-notch but I still like anyway:
"Spectre of the Gun"
"Wink of an Eye"
"That Which Survives"
"Whom Gods Destroy" is okay, but I just thought the name "Lord Garth" was cool, back when I was 16 and looking for an Internet Username. The actual episode itself, is just there. I do like the "Queen to Queen's level 3" code thing going on.
Parts of "Is There In Truth No Beauty?" are really acid-trippy. It's actually more of a hippie episode in those parts, in that sense, than "The Way to Eden".
"The Enterprise Incident"
"The Tholian Web"
"Day of the Dove"
"For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky"
"Requiem for Methuselah"
"The Cloud Minders" (I know this is probably a "controversial" choice)
"The Empath"
"All Our Yesterdays"
"Turnabout Intruder" (pretend Lester-Kirk is Donald Trump and you'll see it in a whole new light)
Episodes that aren't top-notch but I still like anyway:
"Spectre of the Gun"
"Wink of an Eye"
"That Which Survives"
"Whom Gods Destroy" is okay, but I just thought the name "Lord Garth" was cool, back when I was 16 and looking for an Internet Username. The actual episode itself, is just there. I do like the "Queen to Queen's level 3" code thing going on.
Parts of "Is There In Truth No Beauty?" are really acid-trippy. It's actually more of a hippie episode in those parts, in that sense, than "The Way to Eden".
Controversial Opinion on Turnabout Intruder: Lester may be the real sexist, here. Technically, Lester had a sex change procedure to become a man, then becomes a horrible man..."To get the power she craved, to attain a position she doesn't merit by temperament or training. And most of all, she wanted to murder James Kirk, a man who once loved her. But her intense hatred of her own womanhood made life with her impossible." Additionally, as a woman and in man-form, she treated Doctor Coleman like shit.
@gweeps Isn't there the whole thing about women being incapable of commanding a starship in Turnabout Intruder?
My Season 3 picks in no particular order:
Spectre of the Gun
Let That Be Your Last Battlefield
The Empath
For The World Is Hollow...
Requiem for Methuselah
All Our Yesterdays
Wink of an Eye
The Tholian Web
Day of the Dove
The Enterprise Incident
All stunning stuff. Spectre of the Gun is possibly my favourite of those. It's always the first that springs to mind when I think about Season 3.
I also quite like Spock's Brain, though I know it's crap.
My Season 3 picks in no particular order:
Spectre of the Gun
Let That Be Your Last Battlefield
The Empath
For The World Is Hollow...
Requiem for Methuselah
All Our Yesterdays
Wink of an Eye
The Tholian Web
Day of the Dove
The Enterprise Incident
All stunning stuff. Spectre of the Gun is possibly my favourite of those. It's always the first that springs to mind when I think about Season 3.
I also quite like Spock's Brain, though I know it's crap.
"The Empath" may be the most underrated episode of all of TOS. Minimalist set design to reflect budget restraints by late 1968 and a major character who speaks absolutely no dialogue for the entire episode. There's the bare bones of a narrative there but it works and Kathryn Hays, the creepy nature of the Vians and McCoy's near-fatal sacrifice for his friends help sell the whole thing.
Hays manages to make Gem feel alien even though she doesn't look very alien at all.
Hays manages to make Gem feel alien even though she doesn't look very alien at all.
V
Vale
Guest
I know. It's how I worded it. 
I stand by the gist of the post.
I stand by the gist of the post.
The dialogue's vague, but Lester's original dream was to roam the stars together with Kirk, which couldn't happen as his "world of starship captains doesn't admit women". There was nothing stopping Kirk and Lester roaming together on the same ship if Kirk's a captain and she's a lower rank, or vice versa, so it seems like the actual problem was that his world of starship captains doesn't allow him to have a partner.
Then again maybe they couldn't roam together because she was just really bitter about not being allowed to be a captain and was making his life miserable.
Which, by itself, is an extremely silly idea, imo.
Having dedicated Captain's Yacht that are unique shuttles that are built into a special cut-out at the bottom of the saucer is the height of luxury, excess, & waste.
Captains would do just fine to have a standard Shuttle with a custom interior furniture layout parked in the standard shuttle bay with a special parking spot just for the Captain.
That would be good enough. Having the Shuttle be a completely unique model is so wasteful of resources IMO.
Captains would do just fine to have a standard Shuttle with a custom interior furniture layout parked in the standard shuttle bay with a special parking spot just for the Captain.
That would be good enough. Having the Shuttle be a completely unique model is so wasteful of resources IMO.
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