What are your controversial Star Trek opinions?
- Thread starter Amasov
- Start date
Not based on several TOS episodes. 
One of my thoughts to explain why the apparent regression of the status of human women in the early Star Trek is a natural disaster or unnatural disaster (Romulans or Klingons).
But the disaster requirement, unfortunately requires a very massive mass death event...more than 60% of all women - in other words a total nightmare. Post atomic horror????? Is another possibility.
As to the Romulans, they are stated to be entirely ruthless, so this would follow.
The Klingons on the other hand, want someone to remember what had been done...
In both cases of alien intervention a near genocide of the human race would be required.
But the disaster requirement, unfortunately requires a very massive mass death event...more than 60% of all women - in other words a total nightmare. Post atomic horror????? Is another possibility.
As to the Romulans, they are stated to be entirely ruthless, so this would follow.
The Klingons on the other hand, want someone to remember what had been done...
In both cases of alien intervention a near genocide of the human race would be required.
And not if you fly the ship in the Z-axis. The galaxy's much thinner than it is wide.Not based on several TOS episodes.
So much two-dimensional thinking.
Kirk was being body-manipulated by Gary Mitchell, marched forward, forced to pray.....it's beginning to look a lot like Platonius. When I hear PLATO'S STEPCHILDREN being downgraded, I try by best to suppress Spockian-like anger. Besides, Uhura got to beam down in that episode, even if forcibly. I can't recall any other third season episode in which that occurred.
Again, I ask how that's going too far? Kirk observes that Gary is letting absolute power corrupt him absolutely, and it's how the episode shows it. How else should the episode demonstrate it?
As if the telekinetic strangulation and murder of Lee Kelso wasn't enough of a demonstration.
There is no other way. And there was no other way for PLATO. But PLATO is maligned while WNMHGB is not because Mitchell's cruelty isn't as prolonged as Parmen's. Parmen prolonged it to get McCoy to stay. It almost worked. PLATO went far, far enough, yes....but not ''too far'' in the negative sense. Either way, it was dramatically purposed. Also, Parmen in the end never killed his opponents.
i recall one novel suggested it was because of colonization
Yup.
Also the cruelty in Plato is far more CASUAL than in WNMHGB. It's just ickier.
Instead of merely being witness to the effects or their aftermath, Kirk is experiencing being under Mitchell's control firsthand. Thoughts may run through his mind..."Is this how the others felt? What is he going to do to me? How do I withstand his power?" What was secondhand and horrifying to witness is far worse to experience.
Although I believe Goldsmith is one of the top two or three composers in film history (alternating with Herrmann and Waxman), I never believed his TMP score ever captured the essence and soul of Star Trek, unlike Horner's scores which--like the films he composed for--understood what the natural continuation of TOS should be, which made a perfect marriage of character, story and music.
How dare you!
WNMHGB is not maligned because its a brilliant episode dealing with one of the key questions about what it means to be human and the poison of man electing himself God, among other powerful human identity elements, executed by the stellar paring of Shatner's Kirk against Lockwood's Mitchell, with Kirk (and the humanity he represents) on the descending side of the "scale", while Mitchell is the ascending side, yet his side only meant egomaniacal chaos for all reality, not Glory and a wise soul. Yet after his fall, one can sympathize with Mitchell for the reason Kirk states in the final act.
None of that build-up, character depth and tragedy were to be found in Parmen, who was merely a prissy overlord from start to finish, and while some characters--like some real people--have no redeeming qualities (nor should anyone naturally expect that--in any sweeping manner--in all people), Parmen lacked the character to even be an interesting villain.
Above all else, its no wonder WNMHGB is one of the ST franchise's finest and frankly, it sold ST--gave it life, which was certainly not going to happen with "The Cage".
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