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Old 01-31-2019, 07:18 PM
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January 31st, 1969, "The Lights of Zetar"


Fiver (by Kira)

Transcript
Memory Alpha


The Episode

Key points:
* I get that they used Mira Romaine as a human counterpart to the external threat, but they laid it on with a trowel way too much. Talk about a total failure of the Bechdel test. She only exists to be a love interest and a victim. It's not like they could've spared the time for a scene with Uhura or Chapel to discuss her fears or at least her feelings for Scotty!

* Reading the script there seemed to be too much padding regarding Memory Alpha and this storm. So much repetition, to a degree that you wonder if this is supposed to be some sort of compensation for a lack of special effects budget.

* Speaking of Memory Alpha, putting the only copy of so much information in one spot is just stupid. Furthermore, it's not necessary. You can create sufficient drama by saying that the network of subspace signals connecting the Memory sites is being severely disrupted by this thing, garbling data and introducing errors. The longer this goes on, the longer it'll take to set everything right afterwards. Then you can focus on the direct threat on Mira's life.



KIRK [OC]: When a man of Scotty's years falls in love, the loneliness of his life is suddenly revealed to him.


Scotty's years? He's 47 (time to plug that magical number again!). In the 23rd century this is hardly old. I suppose that they could be implying a midlife crisis kind of thing, but it was still the wrong way to phrase it.


CHEKOV: I didn't think Mister Scott would go for the brainy type.
SULU: I don't think he's even noticed she has a brain.



Is this good banter or just objectification? I'm not sure.


SPOCK: None, Captain. When the library complex was assembled, shielding was considered inappropriate to its totally academic purpose. Since the information on the Memory planet is available to everyone, special protection was deemed unnecessary.



Oh, hi Gene! There goes your naive optimism out of control again! Even if we're going to assume that the information here is still backed up at multiple other locations it would be a real hassle to gather it all together again. A simple deflector shield is not "special protection". What about solar flares, or a giant space ameba, or a doomsday machine, or the Crystalline Entity, or any of a number of other things that don't care one bit about the purpose of this installation?


KIRK: Mister Spock, how many people are on Memory Alpha?
SPOCK: It varies with the number of scholars, researchers, and scientists from the various Federation planets who are using the computer complex.



There's that Vulcan precision again, it sometimes gets annoying. Kirk wasn't looking for a hard number, this is what the word "approximately" was invented for!


The Fiver

Kirk: Well, let's have her beam down then. Kirk to... say, wait a minute. If you, me, Spock, and Scotty are down here, who's in charge?
Sulu: (over the comm) You called, Captain?
Kirk: Oh. Dear. God.



What's wrong with Sulu being in command? I'm not seeing a joke here. There could've been one more line from Sulu about how someone has locked up all his weapons, so don't worry.


Romaine: I had a vision of what happened to those people on the surface. What's happening to me?
Scotty: You see what the aliens see... it would seem your minds are "Attached" in some way. Someone or something has mentally "Attached" you to the aliens.
Romaine: Scotty, this isn't a TNG ripoff. In fact, it has nothing to do with that episode at all.
Scotty: Sorry. I have a grudge against the entire series.



This feels like it needed one more punchline. Geordi doesn't let engineers drink on the job, multiplying your work estimate by four is a court-martialable offense, etc. Besides, this isn't that much like "Attached", comparing it to "The Minds Eye" would've worked better.

Kirk: Oh. Well, open hailing frequencies, then. (ahem) "Greetings, little worms --"
Spock: Captain, that is not the standard Starfleet message.
Kirk: I know. I found it in the Memory Alpha database.


I don't recall the little worms line. Is this an Enterprise reference?


Kirk: I have a plan. Let's allow the aliens to take over Lieutenant Romaine.
Scotty: I object to this plan!
Kirk: We'll have to have a controlled environment. We can use that piece of antique technology we brought aboard last week.
Scotty: You don't mean....
Kirk: Yes -- the decon chamber.
Scotty: Objection withdrawn.



If I needed no other reason to hate Enterprise, the decon chamber would be enough. It's shameless fanservice and absolutely nothing else. Besides, it doesn't make sense; it's not like all alien microbes are going to be nice enough to stay on the skin to be killed.


Memory Alpha

* Shari Lewis and her husband wrote this one. She also wanted to play Mira, but it didn't work out. Someone cut and paste Shari and Lambchop as they were at the time into a photo from this episode.

* Final appearance of an Andorian and Tellarite in TOS.
* Only appearance of Kyle this season.
* One of the Strange New Worlds short stories says that she married Morgan Bateson. Weird, but image if Shari Lewis portrayed her!








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