What Changes Would You Have For "The Return of the Archons"?

[Noname Given]

Re: What Changes Would You Have For "The Return of the Archo

I'm actually a bit miffed that they didn't show anything relating to the 'heat beams' keeping the 1701 from leaving orbit. I understand the SFX team wanting to 'honor' the original - but hey, they did add an interesting zoom in to the city as seen from orbit; and while I do understand that they might not want to show 'beams' tracking from the surface; they could hav done something to show the 1701 deflector shield was in operation or something that shows the 1701's orbit decaying.

Dropped the ball here (imo).

 

[cooleddie74]

Re: What Changes Would You Have For "The Return of the Archo

Didn't get to see this new one over the weekend thanks to spastic, shitty and unannounced schedule changes on my local FOX channel. Crap.

 

[Plum]

Re: What Changes Would You Have For "The Return of the Archo

Noname Given said:
I'm actually a bit miffed that they didn't show anything relating to the 'heat beams' keeping the 1701 from leaving orbit. I understand the SFX team wanting to 'honor' the original - but hey, they did add an interesting zoom in to the city as seen from orbit; and while I do understand that they might not want to show 'beams' tracking from the surface; they could have done something to show the 1701 deflector shield was in operation or something that shows the 1701's orbit decaying.

Dropped the ball here (imo).

Yea, I was surprised they didn't have a geosynchronous orbit shot with, perhaps, ghostly red beams reflecting off the old connie. Instead we got the standard orbiting shot.

Some visual to sell the dialog (Kirk stating the Enterprise was under attack) was needed here.

Yea, bit of a dropped ball on the CBS-CGI team here. Oh well, the close-up flyby of Enterprise was lovely.

 

[cooleddie74]

Re: What Changes Would You Have For "The Return of the Archo

Guess I didn't miss much, then. Not many changes, and underwhelming to boot.

 

[Ronald Held]

Re: What Changes Would You Have For "The Return of the Archo

That did not occur to me previously, but is highly disquieting.

 

[cooleddie74]

Re: What Changes Would You Have For "The Return of the Archo

Finally saw this one last night at about 3 in the morning. My local FOX channel moved it to last night to make up for programming those moronic infomercials over the weekend.


Not too impressed. Nice space shots, but that's about all.

 

[Maurice]

Re: What Changes Would You Have For "The Return of the Archo

I don;t know if I'd have animated heat beams on the Enterprise, but they could have hit her port side with a reddish light to indicate the effect of said beams.

 

[Kryton]

Re: What Changes Would You Have For "The Return of the Archo

I will re-iterate my complaint about the Landru computer (which was re-used more than once...wasn't it at least partly in Gary Seven's apartment?). Since no cast member directly interacts with it, it should have been a relatively simply upgrade (it was only seen through a phaser hole burnt through the wall).

I think it also ran "For the World is Hollow...." as the Oracle, didn't it? Why not use the opportunity to make these cheesy Univac/Enniac-inspired boxey devices something visually interesting and at least SOMEWHAT convincing by today's standards? Or at least try and give them a sense of uniqueness if possible?

 

[cooleddie74]

Re: What Changes Would You Have For "The Return of the Archo

I'd have superimposed a CGI readout screen with modern-looking scrolling data on it...something. There was certainly enough room on the Landru computer prop for Okuda to put some sort of newfangled screen or readout.

 

[cbspock]

Re: What Changes Would You Have For "The Return of the Archo

DS9Sega said:
I don;t know if I'd have animated heat beams on the Enterprise, but they could have hit her port side with a reddish light to indicate the effect of said beams.

Or show the shields flaring on the port side.

 

[Brian]

1. Make the lawgiver sticks consistent. They emit nothing but sound in the teaser, but later a shower of sparks flies out when they're used.

2. Erase that zit on Shatner's neck when he's looking out the window of the rooming house.

3. Some better indication that the Enterprise is under attack. I'm not really for shield flares, that's not consistent with TOS. But a surface-to-ship beam of some sort would have been a welcome addition.

4. When that chick has been stunned in the alley and someone almost steps on her, make her foot remain stationary and not reveal that she's really just an actress laying on the ground, unwilling to endure some trampled toes for Star Trek.

 

[WalkinMan]

Re: What Changes Would You Have For "The Return of the Archo

I was quite miffed by my local station's showing of "The Return of the Archons" because the biggest change I noticed was the incessant commercial banners that occupied the lower 1/4 of the screen after each commercial break, and the station logo which this time for some reason would fade in and out instead of just being there. Also it seemed like parts of the episode had been trimmed down. Grrr. It was most annoying to have basketball promos bouncing up and down the screen etc. Now I will surely NOT watch what they promoted!!! There was no reason to record this ep as the station's meddling ruined it.

 

[Kryton]

Re: What Changes Would You Have For "The Return of the Archo

Actually the sparks and smoke only came out when they KILLED that Reja guy (or however it's spelled). The other times they used the sticks for submission there was no practical effect.

Not an inconsistency in the least.

 

[Maurice]

Re: What Changes Would You Have For "The Return of the Archo

Kryton Kryngle said:
Actually the sparks and smoke only came out when they KILLED that Reja guy (or however it's spelled). The other times they used the sticks for submission there was no practical effect.

Not an inconsistency in the least.

It's inconsistent with what Spock identifies as merely a hollow tube with no mechanism.

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

Re: What Changes Would You Have For "The Return of the Archo

DS9Sega said:

Kryton Kryngle said:
Actually the sparks and smoke only came out when they KILLED that Reja guy (or however it's spelled). The other times they used the sticks for submission there was no practical effect.

Not an inconsistency in the least.

It's inconsistent with what Spock identifies as merely a hollow tube with no mechanism.

The lawgiver staff is not something that you just dump something in. It's not a big mechanism. It's a series of tubes. And if you don't understand, those tubes can be filled and if they are filled, when you put your sparks in, it gets in line and it's going to be delayed by anyone that puts into that lawgiver enormous amounts of resistant responses...

 

[Nebusj]

Re: What Changes Would You Have For "The Return of the Archo

DS9Sega said:
It's inconsistent with what Spock identifies as merely a hollow tube with no mechanism.

So you don't mind that a hollow tube with no obvious mechanism is able to somehow kill a person, but you object to it having sparks when it does so.

I mean, the point is there's technology here that is obviously out of place for the apparent society and that Kirk and Spock do not understand. It is amazing that something which hasn't got the ability to make sparks or kill a person has nevertheless made sparks and killed a person. That's why Spock remarks on it.

 

[cooleddie74]

Re: What Changes Would You Have For "The Return of the Archo

I'd have some sort of distorted beam or wave come out of the Lawgiver rods when they zap and absorb someone. A ray or beam that hits their faces or chests and temporarily envelops them in a wavy haze that rapidly disappears.

 

[Plum]

Re: What Changes Would You Have For "The Return of the Archo

DS9Sega said:

Kryton Kryngle said:
Actually the sparks and smoke only came out when they KILLED that Reja guy (or however it's spelled). The other times they used the sticks for submission there was no practical effect.

Not an inconsistency in the least.

It's inconsistent with what Spock identifies as merely a hollow tube with no mechanism.

As I see it - Landru did all this, the lawgivers don't have any power at all. They as just as robotic as the rest of the population.

Just as Landru can project himself, or his power, even into orbit he also may 'punish' the people he has "absorbed". The Lawgivers only function, as I see it, is to find the target among the population. However, Landru does have the ability to scan. He indeed found the landing party even though they were hiding in a basement. Even immobilized them!

 

[Maurice]

Re: What Changes Would You Have For "The Return of the Archo

Perhaps some of you missed the point in the episode that the process of being asborbed is what allows Landru to force obedience. As Spock says, "Everything we've seen here so far seems to indicate some sort of compulsive, involuntary stimulus to action." And, yep, initially, the Lawgivers have no power over the Enterprise crew, and Landru must use hypersonics to render them unconscious. I agree with Plum that the Lawgivers are used to zero in on targets for Landru. The absorbed (the majority that cannot resist/are immune) all become Landru's eyes.

This doesn't necessarily answer how the lawgivers are able to kill one of the triad of the immune without a mechanism. Perhaps a highly directed Hypersonic blast?

Adding effects to the tubes would contradict the story, and the effect that IS there is in direct contradiction as well.

 

[cooleddie74]

Re: What Changes Would You Have For "The Return of the Archo

Am I the only person who's puzzled that the absorption process is kind of inconsistent? Most of those absorbed in the episode are simply zapped by the Lawgivers' rods. But Kirk, Spock and McCoy are taken down to the big lab run by ?Marplon and strapped to a wall to have a big machine do it to them. What gives? If it were dirt-simple to just have the Lawgivers aim their zappers and do it, why the need for a big room full of equipment? Odd.