Wolf in the Fold

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

It might have been better if instead of, "let's use rehab as an excuse for taking Scotty to hang out with alien women", it had been them attending another crew member's bachelor party. Scotty would still be the suspect, because he gets really drunk.

I wonder who that poor woman was who caused the accident which led to Scotty's injury.

 

[Phaser Two]

WIF is either my third or fourth-favorite episode overall. Its dialogue is **unbelievably** good, Doohan and Shatner are superb, and Redjac is legit scary. So I tend not to be very receptive to criticism of it, but the one point I'll concede is that the "accident caused Scotty to have resentment of women" needed a bit more development to make Kirk and McCoy think he could really be capable of murder. Perhaps they could have said that Scotty was recovering from a breakup with a crew member - they did like romances for him after all - and suffered insomnia or something, leading to an accident that he would not normally have committed, a head injury, and a tendency to blame his troubles on his ex-flame. That's not that different than where they went with it but it would give him a more believable "motive" for "murder."

I've also always wondered if Redjac somehow knew that Scotty was an apt victim for a frame job.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Why did Redjac switch from just killing anonymously to framing a person/using their body? Was it just the police's failure to pick up on the individuals it used/framed in the past? Or did it kills without using a body before?

Knowing that the civilization it now finds itself in (23rd century people, with high tech and science), it's more likely to be discovered in such a society that knows of and is open to explanations that aren't just "that guy did it", but "a non-corporeal alien took over his body and did it". Does it know that people might find the truth? Does it care?

 

[Phaser Two]

I don't think Redjac could kill without a host. It could clearly move around to some extent in its incorporeal form, but I think it needed a host (alive or dead) to murder people. I've also always wondered if it had ever tried "possessing" a computer system before; I think the dialogue when it takes over the Enterprise could support a viewpoint either way.

 

[UnknownSample]

I'll watch for the great dialogue Phaser 2. I have a feeling we are fortunate not to have heard more of the theory about Scotty's breakdown. I sense some sexist thing there waiting to pounce out at us... this is the ep where Spock announces as fact that women are (much?) more easily scared. I do wish we knew more about Scotty's incident, but there's only time for so much information, I suppose, and I feel lucky when the slightest psychological insight appears on TV, and this would have required a big dose of it.
----------------------------
I forget this episode except for the BIG moment, when the mousy bureaucrat reanimated off the floor, after we've considered him dead a couple minutes!

 

[Timo]

Seems to me the "Scotty resents women" bit is misunderstood. In the episode, it is only ever played for laughs in the teaser, being a joke shared by two men who can very directly observe Scotty in the process of not resenting women. And there isn't a point in the episode where either the heroes or the audience would be allowed to actually Suspect Scotty might be guilty - least of all because of this never-again-mentioned "resentment", or the equally unmentioned "incident" which for all we know never happened.

This as opposed to Scotty in fact being a likely perpetrator of at least two of the crimes, an implication the writers apparently did not want to make but one that certainly lingers as the end credits roll...

I've also always wondered if Redjac somehow knew that Scotty was an apt victim for a frame job.

Well, it would seem obvious. Scotty is a space alien, a transient who can and will disappear and leave suspicion and fear linger. Hengist, too, was a space alien and a potential vagrant.

Redjac has little use for dead bodies or for having people stop living. It only wants the moments of terror associated with the killing. Never getting caught is a good act there, maximizing the terror, but only if nobody can be certain the murderer has moved on. So Redjac also does well to framr Scotty in a haphazard way, probably with the knowledge that he will be bailed out by his friends no matter what before being verified as not guilty.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Marsden]

Why did Redjac switch from just killing anonymously to framing a person/using their body? Was it just the police's failure to pick up on the individuals it used/framed in the past? Or did it kills without using a body before?

Knowing that the civilization it now finds itself in (23rd century people, with high tech and science), it's more likely to be discovered in such a society that knows of and is open to explanations that aren't just "that guy did it", but "a non-corporeal alien took over his body and did it". Does it know that people might find the truth? Does it care?

I'll watch for the great dialogue Phaser 2. I have a feeling we are fortunate not to have heard more of the theory about Scotty's breakdown. I sense some sexist thing there waiting to pounce out at us... this is the ep where Spock announces as fact that women are (much?) more easily scared. I do wish we knew more about Scotty's incident, but there's only time for so much information, I suppose, and I feel lucky when the slightest psychological insight appears on TV, and this would have required a big dose of it.
----------------------------
I forget this episode except for the BIG moment, when the mousy bureaucrat reanimated off the floor, after we've considered him dead a couple minutes!

What's interesting to me is that the creature feeds on fear, somehow the feeling of fear in other species feeds it. (or it's just a huge prick and eats just like other creatures). UnknownSample is right that it's portrayed as women's fears feeding the creature, but, at least for the first half to two thirds or the episode, the most fear it seems to be generating is from Scotty. He is afraid. He keeps ending up with a dead woman and a knife in his hands, he can't remember, what if he did it? The man is in turmoil. I think that is why the creature uses a host to establish it's home base but uses a separate victim to commit the murders. The fear of the "murderer" not knowing if they did it must sustain it between big meals of primal fear as the murdered are killed. Also, then when the "murderer" is taken away or remove, it can chose another some where else with the same host body, kind of like a mobile home.

 

[Commishsleer]

I never bought that Scotty resented all women. He just wasn't that sort of guy.

I don't know how 'dating ' of one the women on Argellus would cure that either. If a man caused the accident how would they solve that problem?

 

[alchemist]

This is one of my all-time favorite episodes!

Why did Redjac switch from just killing anonymously to framing a person/using their body? Was it just the police's failure to pick up on the individuals it used/framed in the past? Or did it kills without using a body before?

I think Redjac was trying to prevent the truth of its existence from being revealed. This was suggested in this bit of dialogue that was cut from right after Kirk told Hengist to get on with the questioning (excerpt from the revised final draft dated June 21, 1967, and I added the bold for emphasis):

KIRK
(to Tark)
A father... maybe furious at his daughter for disobeying him... it's happened before...
(at Morla)
A future bridegroom... enraged at seeing his fiancee with other men... he admits it... that's motive right there! And Mr. Scott had none. Lieutenant Tracy was killed because she was on the verge of learning the truth!

Seems to me the "Scotty resents women" bit is misunderstood. In the episode, it is only ever played for laughs in the teaser, being a joke shared by two men who can very directly observe Scotty in the process of not resenting women.

Somewhat related to this, this section was cut from a scene that took place after Tracy beamed down:

SCOTT
A woman...

Jaris glances keenly at him.

JARIS
You don't... like women, Mr. Scott?

McCOY
(quickly)
It isn't that, Prefect. He recently was involved in an accident
caused by a woman. He suffered a severe concussion.

JARIS
Damage to his brain, Doctor?

McCOY
Some... but in my opinion, it couldn't be responsible for...

JARIS
I suggested nothing, Doctor.

McCOY
Oh. No. I guess you didn't.

 

[Phaser Two]

This is one of my all-time favorite episodes!



I think Redjac was trying to prevent the truth of its existence from being revealed. This was suggested in this bit of dialogue that was cut from right after Kirk told Hengist to get on with the questioning (excerpt from the revised final draft dated June 21, 1967, and I added the bold for emphasis):

KIRK
(to Tark)
A father... maybe furious at his daughter for disobeying him... it's happened before...
(at Morla)
A future bridegroom... enraged at seeing his fiancee with other men... he admits it... that's motive right there! And Mr. Scott had none. Lieutenant Tracy was killed because she was on the verge of learning the truth!



Somewhat related to this, this section was cut from a scene that took place after Tracy beamed down:

SCOTT
A woman...

Jaris glances keenly at him.

JARIS
You don't... like women, Mr. Scott?

McCOY
(quickly)
It isn't that, Prefect. He recently was involved in an accident
caused by a woman. He suffered a severe concussion.

JARIS
Damage to his brain, Doctor?

McCOY
Some... but in my opinion, it couldn't be responsible for...

JARIS
I suggested nothing, Doctor.

McCOY
Oh. No. I guess you didn't.

Awesome. Thank you for that! It is IMO an outstanding episode. I love it. I can't remember if I've seen that dialogue before, but I do remember (in the aired version) a quick panicked look from Scotty when Tracy beams down that always suggested to me that something had been cut.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

When I was putting together my TOS chronology years ago, the stardate of a scene in DC's Star Trek Annual #3 where Scotty discovered his old girlfriend Glynnis was married to his old rival fell right in between "Who Mourns For Adonais?" and "Wolf in the Fold." When I considered the events of all three stories happening in fairly short succession, it became obvious that Scotty was having a very bad year as far as women were concerned. So I look at the incident alluded to at the beginning of "Wolf" as perhaps being the straw that broke the camel's back.

 

[Phaser Two]

When I was putting together my TOS chronology years ago, the stardate of a scene in DC's Star Trek Annual #3 where Scotty discovered his old girlfriend Glynnis was married to his old rival fell right in between "Who Mourns For Adonais?" and "Wolf in the Fold." When I considered the events of all three stories happening in fairly short succession, it became obvious that Scotty was having a very bad year as far as women were concerned. So I look at the incident alluded to at the beginning of "Wolf" as perhaps being the straw that broke the camel's back.

Nice. That's perfect and better than what they went with.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Nice. That's perfect and better than what they went with.

Thanks very much!

 

[Phaser Two]

Thanks very much!

YW! I think you discovered something very cool. So all they had to do was say that he had a head injury and that it somehow caused Scotty's recent string of bad luck in the romance department to put him into a deep funk, and taking him down to Argelius was part of the idea for therapy.

This reminds me that the dialogue in WIF, which is among the best in all of TOS for my two cents, really starts crackling once they get past the introduction of that plot point (after the teaser) and Hengist and Jaris show up. By the briefing room scene, the teleplay is fantastic.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

There's a cute bit in that Star Trek Annual story, BTW. Scotty gets into a TOS style knock down, drag out fight with his ex-friend Angus, who's married Scotty's childhood sweetheart. An embarrassed Captain Kirk explained to the head of the colony, "You'll have to excuse Mr. Scott. He hasn't been right for a few weeks, ever since he was struck by lightning from a Greek god." There's a silent panel as the colony head processes this, and he then replies, "...You've been in space for how long?"

Peter David, of course.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Suggesting Scotty isn't the only one with problems.

I wonder how the psychotricorder's "twenty four hour regressive memory check" works.

Was Tracy going to hypnotize him so he could relive what he did? Do a lie detector test to monitor his autonomic responses while questioning him on his last 24 hours? Given his concussion, wouldn't that cause aberrations in his scans?

Wouldn't he be better off back on the Enterprise, restrained by straps on a biobed while he goes through this? (Though they initially won't let him bring Scotty back to the ship, they eventually do) We're dealing with someone who has the potential for violence, after all.

Why was privacy needed for the test? (aside from a plot device to get her alone with Scotty) Again, with a violent patient, McCoy and security officers should be able to observe somehow- put a camera in the room they test him in, so they can observe remotely and intervene if needed, but don't tell Scotty if privacy is a factor.

 

[Timo]

I don't think the psychotricorder scan would have any lie-detecting abilities - it is not credited with such, or handled in a way consistent with taking a testimony and scrutinizing it.

Rather, the device probably does what it was credited with - it tells whether Scotty really has amnesia or other such "psychological trauma". If he does not, them he's already caught in his first lie, no truth serum or polygraph required. But our heroes apparently hope the device will show damage and help make Scotty less responsible for the crimes, regardless of whether he committed them or not. Losing this opportunity is no big deal, not when Scotty gets tangled up in yet another murder, so there is no real point in sending down a second specialist to run the device.

Finding out whether Scotty is insane is likely to warrant privacy. Depending heavily on the result, a revelation can then be made, or not. Any guilt-supporting result would and should be withheld from Hengist, unless the local law works differently and self-incrimination is mandatory. Hengist can't really complain. But he would if the heroes tried to move Scotty to the ship, on apparent escape attempt!

Timo Saloniemi

 

[JonnyQuest037]

"Hengist" is such a great character name. It sounds close enough to "heinous" that it immediately gives you a squirrely feeling.

 

[MAGolding]

I don't think the psychotricorder scan would have any lie-detecting abilities - it is not credited with such, or handled in a way consistent with taking a testimony and scrutinizing it.

Rather, the device probably does what it was credited with - it tells whether Scotty really has amnesia or other such "psychological trauma". If he does not, them he's already caught in his first lie, no truth serum or polygraph required. But our heroes apparently hope the device will show damage and help make Scotty less responsible for the crimes, regardless of whether he committed them or not. Losing this opportunity is no big deal, not when Scotty gets tangled up in yet another murder, so there is no real point in sending down a second specialist to run the device.

Finding out whether Scotty is insane is likely to warrant privacy. Depending heavily on the result, a revelation can then be made, or not. Any guilt-supporting result would and should be withheld from Hengist, unless the local law works differently and self-incrimination is mandatory. Hengist can't really complain. But he would if the heroes tried to move Scotty to the ship, on apparent escape attempt!

Timo Saloniemi

I always thought that the pscho tricorder would read Scotty's memories and be able to play them back for others to experience.

 

[Terok Nor]

Redjac and Pennywise the Dancing Clown are basically the same entity. Stephen King is a Trekkie?