What Changes Would You Have For "That Which Survives"?

[AC84]

Although I like the scenes on the Enterprise with Spock in command, and I absolutely love the ending, this episode still has season three written all over it and isn't really all that great. It might be considered spooky late at night when watched by a 5 year old.

Aside from the standard space shots (which probably shouldn't even be mention anymore unless for certain episode), I'd like to see, and I know they won't do this, CBS Digital fix how Losira disappears. I'd like them to fix it to something less corny like a smooth dissolve, maybe with a different sound effect too that doesn't sound like it came from Plan 9 From Outer Space. That's pretty much all I want done here. Beautiful wideshots of alien planet landscapes should be reversed for slightly better episodes, although if they fixed Losira's special effect....

 

[Michael]

^ FWIW, I kind of liked this effect. At least it was something different.

 

[M'Sharak]

^ Yeah, back when it originally aired, that effect was kind of startling, and I guess it's never quite lost that for me, even though it's pretty primitive by today's FX standards.

 

[Shatmandu]

This is the only time I've ever seen Lee Meriwether look unattractive.

Fix it, CBS.

Joe, purrrrrrfect

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

-Survivor Style opening credits with Jeff Probst hosting.

-Gloria Gaynor's classic hit "I Will Survive" as opening credits song

-Show some rotten corpses dressed in tattered ENTERPRISE-era uniforms on the planet's surface.

-Change any scenes where Sulu is confronted by Losira by replacing Lee Meriwether with Fabio.

 

[Hambone]

Aside from the standard space shots (which probably shouldn't even be mention anymore unless for certain episode), I'd like to see, and I know they won't do this, CBS Digital fix how Losira disappears. I'd like them to fix it to something less corny like a smooth dissolve, maybe with a different sound effect too that doesn't sound like it came from Plan 9 From Outer Space.

I like the sound effect and the suitably creepy music when Losira disappears. The visuals could use a little tweaking, if that's even possible. Also, the "energy flow" when Scotty's in the uber-Jeffries tube could use help. They used tree branches for the lightning effect, you know.

 

[Mutara Nebula 1967]

I don't know what changes I would make but this is one of the best 3rd season episodes and my favorite scene is the never before seen woman officer on the bridge with the itchy trigger finger to eject Mr. Scott in the pod rather than get killed in the explosion. Love how she has to be cautioned by Spock only on his order to eject the pod. Nice to see some of the redshirts had a little self preservation instilled into them.

 

[M'Sharak]

I just realized that this is a chance to make Scotty's right middle finger canon.

http://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=92&page=13

 

[cooleddie74]

Leave the Losira projection/hologram "line" effect alone. It was cutting-edge and fascinating almost 40 years ago and still works today. In fact, this episode isn't that terribly exciting or memorable ASIDE from the eerie Lee Merriwether effects. Let it stay as-is.

 

[Bak_and_Blue]

oops repeat post.

 

[Bak_and_Blue]

Leave the Losira projection/hologram "line" effect alone. It was cutting-edge and fascinating almost 40 years ago and still works today. In fact, this episode isn't that terribly exciting or memorable ASIDE from the eerie Lee Merriwether effects. Let it stay as-is.

I agree, it was quite creepy way back whenever I first saw it.

How many times do they have to say 'it was like a door opening..... and then closing" though?

 

[cooleddie74]

I'm sure syndication editing will remove one or two of those. You know how these babies get trimmed for a 2008 commercial audience.

 

[twstrekfan]

From what I had read of an early draft for "That Which Survives," Lee Meriwether's Losira character was suppose to appear in the transporter room as a large dot that extends vertically into a line first and then stretch out sideways to reveal the beautiful but murderous Kalandan hologram.

This sounds like the exact reverse of how Losira blips out of a scene by collapsing into a 2-D line before shrinking down into a dot &, Gone.

Since the Enterprise sets a speed record in this episode when it reaches Warp 14.1 during this episode, I'm hoping for a different look with the ship blazing away at this velocity.:thumbsup:

Here's an interesting rumor about "that Which Survives" that I had heard at a convention during the 1980s...

Nancy Kovack, who played Nona, the scheming & seductive wife of Tyree in the 2nd season episode, "A Private Little War" would have been offered the role of Losira had she not accepted playing the part of Nona. I know from meeting Lee Meriwether at a convention that she had auditioned for roles on Star Trek TOS because her 2 young daughters were fans of Star Trek & they did not consider their mother to be a true actress unless she had starred in both Star Trek & Batman. Considering that Lee had a commitment to another TV show already, namely "The Time Tunnel," during the 2nd season of TOS, it would lend some credibility to this rumor that Lee Meriwether was offered to play the role of Nona in "A Private Little War." Nancy Kovack would then have been offered the part of Losira in "That Which Survives" since she would have lost out for the role of Nona.

All this because of "Time Tunnel"

Then again, if the Powers That Be over at ABC had not gone back on their initial commitment for a 2nd Season of "Time Tunnel," someone other that Lee Meriwether would have played Losira since Lee would not have been available to play the sad-faced siren with the death touch.

 

[TIN_MAN]

I would like to see, and I know they won't do this, give Scotty a TAS life support belt with forcefield and all. it always bugged me that he went into the M/AM integrater with no protective clothing after just telling spock the crawlway was not meant to be entered with the warp drive active!

 

[Wingsley]

I agree with AC84's sentiments, although the "season three" stigma is almost entirely forgiven because of the fun factor.

I would like to see a better special effect than the too-M5-like ceiling mounted Kalaandan computer brain at the end of the ep. It would be so easy for CBS to replace that effect. I would also like to see some TNG-like effects to show the Enterprise barreling through space at extreme velocities. Standard FX won't cut it.

The FX when the Enterprise is displaced 990.7 light-years should be most elaborate as well. I'd like to see some fireworks there.

One thing I don't like about TOS-R (what little I've been able to see of it) is their treatment of the stars in deep space. Astronauts during the Apollo missions reported back to Earth about how the stars they saw were brighter and clearer than the clearest nights here on Earth. The viewscreen shots when Lt. Rhada points out the displacement to Spock should be of very high quality. Sadly, CBS probably won't bother.