50th Anniversary TOS Episode Discussion Marathon

[NAHTMMM]

Oh, also, when Kirk, Chapel, and Brown are overlooking the precipice where one of the redshirts just fell, that upwards camera angle of Brown was very effective in making him look as off-kilter as he was acting. Something about his hand made it look disproportionate to the rest of his body.

[Nate the Great]

October 27th, 1966, "Miri"

The Fiver (by Kristina)
Memory Alpha Page
Transcript

The Episode:

* With all of these early warp colonies sending out SOS's, I'm wondering: Are SOS's still going to be a thing in the era of subspace? Wouldn't the Vulcans have an equivalent signal that would be more efficient? Is it possible to tap out dots and dashes in a subspace signal that would "hold itself together" further and through more interference because of it's simplicity?
* Ah yes, our first "it looks exactly like Earth to save money" planet. One of the Shatnerverse novels tells us that the Preservers made all of these copies. Yeah, still don't buy it. Even if the same proto-Pangea (insert Magrathea joke here) was set in motion on each planet, there are enough variables to scramble the final continental arrangement, weather system, evolved humanoid form, etc. Just wait until we have exact historical duplication, folks!
* I'm glad that for once we're not relying solely on the available tricorders. It's nice that they remembered that "we have an incurable disease" means "we can still beam stuff IN without contamination."
* Still doesn't mean that the ship couldn't beam new communicators in when the old ones were stolen.
* "Space Central"? Must be a branch of UESPA.

The fiver:

Kirk: Miri has the hots for me? Heavy.

Odd place for a Back to the Future joke, but okay.

Uhura: (over the comm) Data acknowledged. The answer is 42.
McCoy: Good. Now if we could only figure out the question... 47 minus 5?

Makes one wonder how long it would take Deep Thought to find the cure.

Redshirt: Is there something wrong with this episode? I have this gut feeling I shouldn't be alive.

A classic fiver gag.

Memory Alpha:

* They point out that the duplicate Earth thing is never resolved. Of course this is merely to save money on the special effects. I wonder why the remastered version didn't change the planet and cut these lines to avoid this problem. I sure would have.
* Apparently Rand only appeared in eight episodes, and this is the only one where she left the ship. It sure seems like she was in more than that, doesn't it?
* There's a Department of Temporal Investigations novel that says that this planet looks like Earth because it's the Earth of a parallel universe that was accidentally brought here by a subspace phenomenon. Yeah, um, I'd almost rather go with the Preserver idea.

[Nate the Great]

November 3rd, 1966, "Dagger of the Mind"

The Fiver (by Sa'ar Chasm)
Memory Alpha Page
Transcript

The episode:

* That whole "you can sneak onto a starship by being beamed inside a box" thing always annoyed me. The transporter sensors should've found him.
* I'm a little confused at the Kirk/Noel relationship. Regardless of who Kirk thought she was at the time, afterward she should've been reassigned. As has been noted in other episodes, a distracted Kirk is a less effective Kirk. And for a mission to an insane asylum, a distracted Kirk is a in-danger Kirk.
* No security guards for a mission to an insane asylum? No redshirts for the inmates to kill? Huh?
* Apparently I mingled this episode in my mind with "Whom Gods Destroy", I kept expecting Garth to show up.

The fiver:

McCoy: You keep your inmates in crates? What kind of sadistic beasts are you?
Tantalus Colony: It's merely an exercise in removing their socially unproductive habits and promoting a great social conformity.
Kirk: Are you trying to say that crated minds think alike?

That's a lot of psychobabble for a pun.

Van Gelder: No! Yes! Maybe!
McCoy: Indecisive, isn't he?
Van Gelder: Signs point to no! Ask again later! Results hazy at this time!

Ah, the Magic 8 Ball.

Kirk: Is this a dagger I see before me? Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hands?

I had to look this up. I knew it was Shakespeare but didn't know it was MacBeth.

Kirk: And now Birnam Wood comes toward Dunsinane!

Sadly I knew that this one was MacBeth because of the Reduced Shakespeare Company.

[Nate the Great]

20th Anniversary of "Trials and Tribble-ations."

Yikes, does that make me feel old.

[Nate the Great]

November 10th, 1966, "The Corbomite Maneuver"

The Fiver (by IJD GAF)
Memory Alpha Page
Transcript

The episode:

* Ugh, photographs.
* I consider it a lost opportunity that they had to create Bailey for this. If they'd held off until the end of the season they could've shipped off one of the side characters like DeSalle, Farrell, Kyle, M'Benga, Riley, or even Janice Rand. It certainly would've made for a more emotional connection.
* McCoy's line about "If I jumped every time a light came on around here, I'd end up talking to myself." is funny. He did end up like that!
* Going through the script I feel that Bailey was given way too many lines for a one-off. Even Stiles in "Balance of Terror" wasn't given that many lines. With the screentime Bailey got you could be forgiven for thinking that he'd become a recurring character like those I listed above.
* That being said, I do like that there's a bit more of the bridge crew coordinating with other parts of the ship. It makes you feel that there really are all of these other people below the bridge running the ship.
* "United Earth ship Enterprise"? I wonder if this was one of those times that UESPA is managing the mission instead of Starfleet.
* Does anyone else think that Kirk is the only captain who would have the audacity for such a lie as the corbomite maneuver?
* Does anyone else wonder what tranya tastes like?

The fiver:

Spock: STAND BY TO PHOTOGRAPH!
Uhura: We have to photograph the stars to chart them? That's lame.

Yes, Nyota, it is.

Spock: (over the comm) What's more important? An unstopable alien cube, or the support of female viewers?
Kirk: Ah, a question the creators of Voyager never quite answered.

Typo aside, that's clever.

Balok: Yep. It gets lonely here, so I devised a plan to capture myself a friend. Which one of you will it be?
Kirk: I know the perfect man for the job. Kirk to Enterprise; beam myself and Doctor McCoy up.
Bailey: Wha...? Don't I even get a say?
Kirk: Nope, and that's an order, redshirt. Energize.

Redshirts never get a say, I thought that was in the contract.

Memory Alpha:

* The moon shuttle conductor article at Memory Alpha is laughably short. The moon shuttle article is little better. I assume that this is just a shuttle between Earth and Luna, probably a very boring job. The transporter range value of 40,000 kilometers is pretty well established, and the moon is about ten times that distance from Earth, so a moon shuttle would have to be a thing. Unless you would prefer the idea of transporter relay satellites akin to the Intergalactic Gate Bridge.
* First Federation? Wouldn't that confuse the casual viewer?
* Apparently the moon shuttle conductor line in this episode is the first use of McCoy's recurring joke.
* Uhura wears a gold uniform for this episode. The simplest explanation I can think of is that UESPA is in command of this mission, and they put Communications in the Command sector instead of Operations like Starfleet does.

Youtube clips:

* Kirk and McCoy clips. Interesting how McCoy notices the red alert light flashing but doesn't tell Kirk. Also, I always thought those blocks in the wall that you have to push in and out were silly. Also includes the "moon shuttle conductor" line and "talking to myself" from McCoy.
* Someone dubstepped the tranya scene. I shouldn't have to be the only one to see it.
* Someone turned the episode into a sitcom by converting clips to sepia-tone and adding goofy sound effects.

[Flying Gremlin]

I go away for a bit and then activity happens. What a coincidence.

Good thread.

[Nate the Great]

I've been pondering how to deal with "The Menagerie." We only have one fiver, but two episodes theoretically mean two weeks of coverage. However, since next week is Thanksgiving and I want the day off, plus there was no episode on December 1st, here's what I've decided: I'm going to cover the fiver and the framing device now. The original plot from "The Cage" I'm going to cover on the 1st.

Incidentally, please comment! These things do take time, ya know, and I'd like some validation if you don't mind!

November 17th and 24th, 1966, "The Menagerie"

The fiver (by Zeke)
Memory Alpha Page: Part One and Part Two
Transcript: Part One and Part Two

Thoughts (framing device only):

* Excellent budget-saving device.
* Kirk brings up an excellent point. Spock didn't have to lie just to come here. At this point there are no crimes for Spock to keep Kirk away from.
* This "only yes or no" thing always bugged me. Really?
* Mendez asks them to check the impossible as well. I seem to recall Picard asking something similar of Data in one episode, besides the immortal exchange: "He's asking for the impossible!" "That's the short definition of 'captain'."
* I like that Bones is loyal to Spock. He may rib our pointy-eared friend, but they are friends.
* I always hated, HATED, that visits to Talos IV are "the only death penalty left on the books." Particularly since all information regarding the planet seems to be classified. Why not tell everyone, even the Klingons, outright, "The people on this planet can manipulate your senses. If you go there you may be enslaved for the rest of your life."
* McCoy being uneasy about the protocols for arresting Spock is heartwarming. Bet ya he wasn't expecting this when he woke up today.
* Having Pike still unretired is nice, makes me wonder what sort of job he could do in his condition.
* When did Spock talk with the Keeper and coordinate this time-killing tactic? If the quarantine of Talos IV indicated that the Talosian's range was limited to that system, what does it mean when their range is actually several dozen light-years? Will entire sectors have to be quarantined?

The fiver:

Incidentally, Zeke, was the misspelling of Vina as Vena a joke or reference to something?

Mendez: Pike had a little accident. He was climbing El Capitan and some jerk startled him.
Spock: It was supposed to be a harmless practical joke! I'm sure I'll get it right next time....

Curse you, Z, for reminding me of Star Trek V!

Spock: Spock to Enterprise. Please execute the bogus orders I'm sending.
Hanson: (over the comm) I'll need confirmation from the captain.
Spock: Kirk... here. Please execute... the... ordersimmediately... crewman.
Hanson: Aye, sir.

I wonder if the real Spock would ever use a word like "bogus."

Spock: Just following Jim's orders. He told me himself: "Go... to... TalosFourNOW, Mr... Spock."
McCoy: Well, it sounds authentic, but still....

Twice, Z? The Kirk impression joke is really easy to overdo, ya know. You have to be careful about stuff like this.

Spock: ENTERING ORBIT OF TALOS IV!
Number One: Thank you, Mr. Spock, but it is unnecessary to shout.
Pike: Oh, give the man a break, Number One. He doesn't have to be bland and unemotional all the time just because you are.

Nice reference to the eventually merging of Number One traits into Spock. If I wanted to acknowledge Enterprise here I'd probably make a Trellium D joke, but of course I'm going to do no such thing...

Talosian: Behold: now you're on Rigel.
Pike: Not Rygel XVI, I hope.
Talosian: Rigel with an I. You know, green dancers, possibly-holographic butterflies....
Pike: I think you're Reeding too much into the butterflies.

Apparently Rygel XVI is a character from Farscape. I barely watched that show, although my mom liked it. It's amazing how many actors from that show moved over to Stargate SG-1. With that "Reeding" reference I was expecting to be a reference to Enterprise, which still doesn't exist.

Violent Alien: GRAAAAAAAAARGHHR!
Pike: How did the Canadian do on this part?
Talosian: Pretty decent, actually. But he had a hockey stick.
Pike: What do I get?
Talosian: A herring.
Pike: What? How is that Ame--
Talosian: NI! NI! NI NI NI!
Pike: Aaaaa! Stop, I beg you!

Did Shatner ever play hockey? The transition to Monty Python seems a little abrupt. Perhaps a scene break?

Vena: Sorry, Chris. You see, the Talosians are concealing the fact that I'm really ugly as a result of the crash I --
Pike: You were in a crash?
Vena: Yeah, the fiver kind of glossed over all that. Anyway, I'm staying here.

Ah, yes, the necessary omission of plot details for the sake of a five-minute read. I know it well.

Kirk: I've always wanted to see Talos VII: That's The Roman Numeral For Seven.
Spock: The even-numbered movies are considered to be of superior quality, sir.

Come to think of it, with the exception of the first reboot (remember that Galaxy Quest gag?) the odd-even rule hasn't been brought up lately. If anything the reverse seems to be true in the reboot series. Still haven't seen them, etc. etc.

Memory Alpha:

* The only other "fleet captain" seen in the franchise is Garth of Izar. I wonder why they didn't just use "commodore" for these two.
* Spock served with Pike for 11 years, 4 months, 5 days. Many have taken this to mean that Pike commanded the Enterprise for 2 five-year missions, with a year in between for refit. Given what the Enterprise does and the speed at which technology seems to advance, I wouldn't doubt it. Can you imagine the amount of data accumulated at Memory Alpha during a five-year mission that would be needed to update the computer? Probably a complete warp coil replacement, too.
* Roddenberry wanted to turn the footage from "The Cage" into a movie, but without reshooting any of the stuff with the old actors? How would that work?
* I had forgotten that a shuttlecraft named in honor of Pike was seen in the TNG episode "The Most Toys." Okay, fine, I had never noticed in the first place...
* I'm still curious on why Solok in "Take Me Out To The Holosuite" was worthy of the Christopher Pike Medal of Valor.

Memory Beta:

* A TOS comic book features a return to Talos IV and an appearance by Pike and Vina's son Phillip Pike. Uh, yeah. Both of them are mangled remnants of what they were. The Talosians are probably projecting healthy, young versions of both of them to each other to interact. They don't have the capacity to have real intimacy. Unless you're going to claim that Phillip Pike himself is merely an illusion projected by the Talosians and shaped by the thoughts of Chris and Vina.

Nitpicker's Guide:

* Phil brings up a good point. Pike has an artificial heart now, and the Talosians only gave him the appearance of health, not actual rejuvenation. What happens when Pike needs a battery changed?