50th Anniversary TOS Episode Discussion Marathon

[Nate the Great]

December 8th, 1966, "The Conscience of the King"

The fiver (by Zeke)
Memory Alpha Page
Transcript

The episode:

* Kirk and Koridian/Kodos happen to pass within five light years of each other at the same time, close enough for Leighton to call Kirk over? It's a Small World After All!
* Even if Kirk waving off the other ship to get Koridian aboard was a little shady, I did always enjoy him surprising Spock for once. "I'm the captain," indeed.
* "The regulations are very clear about taking on passengers." For Picard's day, this would be ridiculous, but let's accept this statement for the moment about Kirk's day: No civilians on board unless they're essential for the current mission or you just saved them from an exploding starship or something. Even so, Kirk could've been honest and said that orders are sending the Enterprise in the opposite direction; let her make her case to preserve her dignity, then acquiesce.
* "If my memory needs refreshing, Mister Spock, I'll ask you for it. In the meantime, follow my orders." That seems rather harsh and an invitation for Spock and McCoy to discuss what's wrong. Kirk could've just as easily said "I have my reasons and will tell you later. Let the log show that I take full responsibility."
* Riley being moved around was always rather dubious to me. As events proved, Lenore could kill him wherever he was, provided he was alone. I must state confusion that any post, let alone Engineering, would ever be staffed by one guy fooling around listening to music and not really looking at the controls. It would've served the plot just as well to say that he was alone in the mess hall and Lenore took advantage of a momentary distraction to poison his drink.
* If one needs a reason why TOS did so well, look at Kirk's interaction with Spock and McCoy. Kirk admits that he may be making mistakes, admits that revenge may be controlling him. As SF Debris would say, the show is about characters just as much as action.

The fiver:

Martha: Poor Tom... but at least he's finally at peace. Though he'd be more at peace if someone avenged his death.
Leighton's Ghost: Revenge my foul and most unnatural murder! Mark me!
Kirk: I will, Tom! Nobody kills TJ Hooker's partner and gets away with it!
Leighton's Ghost: ...What?

I get the Hamlet reference, but the TJ Hooker thing came out of left field (even by fiver standards). And yes, I do understand the Shatner/Hooker thing, even though I've never watched that show.

Spock: He was head of the Tarsus colony, and when food ran out, he executed the 4000 colonists he considered of least value. He must have used an unusual metric, since one of the victims was one of Starfleet's leading ling--
McCoy: That's not canon and you know it! You can't condemn a man based on Okudagrams!

Of course I know what Okudagrams are, but I must admit this reference to something out of canon (one of the novels?) escapes me.

Riley: (over the comm) Bleah. Another rotten day in the life of Riley.

You were just waiting to spring that one on us, weren't you, Z? I get the reference to the radio show/TV show/movie, but to me the name refers to The Life of Reilly, a blog about the behind-the-scenes events during the Spider-Man Clone Saga. (Plug plug)

Karidian: Nooooooo! (dives in front of Kirk)
Lenore's Phaser: ZAP
Karidian: Symmetrism... forever... GAK!
Kirk: Oh, don't go all Reeves-Stevens on us.

I'm going to guess that this is a reference to Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, who are among the essential Trek fiction writers, but the application here confuses me.

Memory Alpha:

* The only appearance of the double red alert. That was always annoying to me; if I wanted to I could think of plenty of other cases during the franchise where such an alert would be warranted: The Borg attack on Wolf 359 being only one.
* So Starfleet doesn't exist yet, in this episode they are part of the "Star Service." That sounds more like a Captain Proton thing, but one wonders if the Star Service is part of UESPA (when will Nate drop the UESPA thing? Probably never, as such things should have been part of the series bible!)
* The last episode filmed with Grace Lee Whitney.
* Apparently this is the first episode with the computer voice? Can that be?
* I find it interesting that this episode was skipped in some areas for the early reruns because it had a lot of talking and very little scifi. I'll grant that an overabundance of Shakespeare isn't what a casual viewer is looking for when they tune into some scifi escapism, but shows like this do have value. Even if it doesn't fit the definition of a "bottle show", it probably did free up money for other episodes.

[Nate the Great]

December 15th, 1966, "Balance of Terror"

The fiver (by Zeke)
Memory Alpha Page
Transcript

The episode:

* I understand that exposition on the Earth/Romulan War had to be given, but did Spock really have to give a Powerpoint presentation to the entire crew? Couldn't a Captain's Log have covered the brunt of the exposition, followed by the senior staff discussion in the conference room?
* In this instance I can understand why an external character like Stiles was needed; having Sulu (for example) suddenly becoming suspicious of Spock would be really weird.
* How could the Enterprise have Romulan spies aboard? Sure, technically Klingon, Romulan, Orion, etc. spies could be on board at any time, but paranoia can be dangerous.
* Kirk should've kicked Stiles off the bridge and reprimanded him immediately upon the first word of suspicion toward Spock. It will take millennia if ever to eliminate generic cultural prejudice, but "Spock looks like the enemy" equals "Spock IS the enemy" goes beyond that into "ban this guy from starship duty forever" behavior.
* I'll save discussion of the name of Mark Lenard's character for later in this post, but I'll state in this section confusion that neither Romulan commander was named. Every speaking Klingon character, no matter how minor, was given a name. People who had a tenth of Mark's lines have names, and he doesn't? That's hooey.
* I wish the Romulan plasma weapon could've been seen more often. Surely the mechanism could've been built into the Klingon cruisers seen later under Romulan control, and the few new shots could've been reused endlessly.
* I hope Scotty was wrong in saying that the Romulans had no warp drive. Anyone who would say that had no concept of the vastness of space.
* Rand is on the bridge to record the crew's actions. Odd, since we already know a camera is on the bridge for communications purposes.
* I always loved McCoy's speech on the vastness of space and the importance of the individual. I'll have to find a clip of that for the YouTube section.
* I always thought the resolution of the Stiles/Spock conflict rather forced and arbitrary. Ugh.

The Fiver:

Spock: It's gone again. The Romulans must have found a way to render their ship transparent.
Kirk: Clearly.
Spock: (glare) Fortunately, our motion sensor is still picking up a faint blip, making the whole thing rather pointless. We should be able to pursue them.
Kirk: Perfect! Stiles, set a course that mimics their movements. We're just a blip to them too, so they should think we're just a harmless space bee playing follow the leader.
Spock: That logic is unsound, Captain. An invisible ship may still be able to see other ships, just as a man with his hands over his eyes is still visible.
Kirk: (gasp) You can see me when I do that?

Gasp!

Commander: There's room for two ships in here? This must be, like, the biggest comet ever.

Indeed.

Commander: Centurion!
Centurion: You are... a child... of Valen... GAK!
Commander: That was just confusing. And vengeance-inspiring! Strike them down! Kill them! All of them! No mercy!

I had to look this one up. Valen is a Bablyon 5 character. Um, yeah, I think my disregard for B5 is on record, so let's move on...

Spock: Unfortunately, we cannot fire phasers again until our first three shots leave the screen.

That sounds like a video game reference, but which one?

Stiles: Warp 14... Warp 15...
Spock: The enemy shot has reached Warp 40!
Kirk: That's just ridiculous. Ideas? Anyone? Uhura?
Uhura: We could separate the saucer at warp, then turn around and surrender.
Kirk: Ahh, so there is a reason I don't talk to you.

"Encounter at Farpoint" reference, that's unexpected.

Decius: The humans have gone mad! They're firing at random!
Commander: Hmmm... maybe we can trick them. Load up some debris and the centurion's body and fire them into space. And then clear out your desk, you're fired.
Decius: The commander has gone mad! He's firing at random!

Ugh, that punchline. My sides, how they ache...

Kirk: Rats! Well, I won't let myself be distracted again. Where's the enemy ship?
Spock: We've, um, lost the signal. Now I know you'll be mad, but LOOK OVER THERE!
Kirk: WHERE?

Should've gone the Princess Bride route and used "What in the world can that be!"

Commander: Well, that worked out nicely. Let's go home.
Decius: We're not going to finish them off? Lame.
Commander: Yes, I know they're crippled, but --
Decius: That was also lame.

There go my sides again...

Memory Alpha:

* I do like that the words Kirk used during the wedding were reused by Picard during the O'Brien wedding in "Data's Day."

Memory Beta:

* The Star Trek Trading Card Game gives the Romulan Commander the name "Keras", an anagram of Sarek. Most other sources, including the excellent Romulan comics by John Byrnne, leave him unnamed just like Number One.

YouTube clips:

* The climax, including the Romulan's final speech.
* McCoy's "don't destroy the one named Kirk" speech.

[Nate the Great]

December 29th, 1966, "Shore Leave"

The fiver (by IJD GAF)
Memory Alpha page
Transcript

The episode:

* Does anyone else think that getting a massage on the bridge is a little inappropriate?
* Sulu is still in his botanist phase. I still wonder about that duty rotation program possibly seen with Chekov and Worf later.
* Spock's got a point about resting. He's probably like Worf in that he has his own calisthenics program for staying fit. Besides, he meditates for his mental health needs.
* Spock tricking Kirk was always good for a laugh. It does make me wonder, though. Kirk staying on the bridge during a crisis or when the Klingons might show up any minute is one thing; staying on the bridge when there's nothing to do but get wired up smacks of self-destructive behavior.
* Sulu shooting off a gun without telling anybody, that's just irresponsible. We never got the impression that this place can brainwash a person; it just reads surface thoughts. Sulu should know better.
* Does Finnegan seem like Starfleet officer material? I hope the real one was washed out of the service.

The fiver:

Captain's Log: We're in orbit around a perfect planet. Almost... TOO perfect.

IJD, could you explain this "almost too perfect" running gag for me?

McCoy: You know what else would be funny to be mauled by right now? A medieval knight.
Knight: Ni! Ni! Ni!
McCoy: GAK!
Kirk: Oh no, Bones! You're --
McCoy: I'm dead, Jim!
Kirk: Yeah, that.

I knew "Ni"'s were painful, but not lethal. It's too bad they couldn't have hid behind a nearby scrubbery.

YouTube clips:

* McCoy meets the White Rabbit and Alice. Alice's dress does a good job of getting close to the animated Disney version without being an outright copy.
* The Caretaker and Mr. Spock explain things.
* Spock tricks Kirk into going down.

[Flying Gremlin]

Originally Posted by Nate the Great

Spock: He was head of the Tarsus colony, and when food ran out, he executed the 4000 colonists he considered of least value. He must have used an unusual metric, since one of the victims was one of Starfleet's leading ling--
McCoy: That's not canon and you know it! You can't condemn a man based on Okudagrams!

Of course I know what Okudagrams are, but I must admit this reference to something out of canon (one of the novels?) escapes me.

Since Zeke (and myself) are fans of Enterprise and you're not, let me enlighten:

"In A Mirror, Darkly" featured a quick glimpse at the bio of both Jonathan Archer and Hoshi Sato in the Prime Universe, thanks to a dimensional and time displaced USS Defiant, being read by their mirror counterparts. When freeze-framed, you can read it to know that Hoshi died in the massacre, which inspired Mirror Hoshi to... you know what? I'm not spoiling the rest for you.

[Nate the Great]

Yeah, Enterprise and I didn't see eye-to-eye. No further comment in the name of civility.

[Nate the Great]

January 5th, 1967, "The Galileo Seven"

The Fiver (by IJD GAF)
Memory Alpha Page
Transcript

The episode:

* "Standing orders" to investigate quasars? Surely the "Murasaki effect" cited later could've been moved earlier and the line tweaked to say that when a quasar this unusual or potentially dangerous has standing orders for investigation. Ordinary quasars don't seem worthy of "standing orders' is all I'm saying.
* I don't like the use of a plague as a ticking clock. No disease affects or kills all victims on a reliable timetable. Go help the people and come back later! This quasar will wait!
* For the life of me I can't remember the last time there was a seven member away team on a shuttle. In the 24th century that would be a job for a runabout, but of course those don't exist yet. With a little plot tweaking surely one person (probably Yeoman Mears) could've been eliminated as unnecessary, but I guess "The Galileo Six" doesn't roll off the tongue quite as well.
* McCoy ribbing Spock now about the possibilities of command seems a little harsh. Even if it hasn't quite been established that he prefers scientific duties, it's still the first year of him being a first officer. Furthermore, you don't get to be first officer of the Enterprise without being ready to take command of the Enterprise. In any case, Bones, why don't you save the ribbing until the end of the episode when you're safe at home again, okay?
* Three people will have to be left behind, I'm skeptical but accept it for the moment. I'm dubious about the idea that this is a death sentence. They haven't encountered any hostile lifeforms yet and surely there are a few rations and a spare transmitter laying about to give to the people left behind for later rescue.
* Ugh, a funeral in the middle of a crisis situation. I get respecting your fallen comrade, but I refer you to my previous point. Come back later for his body and have a funeral THEN.
* I keep wanting to call these giants "Mugatos", but that's another episode.

The fiver:

Captain's Log: Plague, colony, medical supplies, yadda. Who cares? We've got QUASARS!

Why would Kirk care so much about this? In the episode it sounded like it was the standing orders that's keeping him here.

Ferris: With all due respect, I believe you simply like the word "quasar".
Kirk: What would give you a quazy notion like that?

Oh. I'm reminded of Hobbes saying "smock" a lot.

Ionization Effect of Murasaki 312: Yo.

Funny, but I can't help but think "T'sup" would've worked better. What can I say, I take my fiver slang seriously.

Scotty: Damnit. We just crash landed our new set; the studio's gonna kill us.

Funny, but it doesn't work. Either it's a set or a spaceship; you can't mix and match within the same sentence.

McCoy: Are you seriously considering leaving three behind? Would it be okay if I called them the "Galileo Galileo Galileo Figaro" instead of the Galileo three-left-behind? Why is your hand on my shoul-- (THUMP)

So this is a reference to "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. I've heard the song, but that's a darned obscure reference, IJD GAF.

Memory Alpha:

* Apparently the concept of a "United Federation of Planets" didn't exist yet. Shouldn't this mean that we're still using UESPA?

[Nate the Great]

January 12th, 1967, "The Squire of Gothos"

Memory Alpha
Transcript

Prologue: Since according to canon Q and Trelane have nothing to do with each other (although I do recommend the book "Q-Squared" if you haven't read it), I will attempt to limit my judgements of Trelane's power to the episode itself. Too bad, because strictly using the episode results in a much lower power level for Trelane than a Q.

The episode:

* Last time I mention Q, honest. But I have to say that Q always seemed both to be in control and actually having fun messing around with the crew. But I suppose Trelane is a child and can't be expected to have the same maturity. But I have to say, that makes him more terrifying. When Trelane is in charge, he's friendly. Anything goes wrong, anything at all, and he flips his lid and becomes even more unpredictable than Q.
* So did Trelane's observations include sound or not? If it did, he should know that food has taste. If it doesn't, did he read all of those documents to know people's names, the vocabulary, etc. Isn't it a shame when a nit can't be resolved without either raising further questions or making an episode's premise untenable?
* A "star desert". Technically possible, but I always wince at that line, it's so silly.
* I hope the planet moving around is merely Trelane fooling the sensors. Even if you were to somehow put a forcefield around a planet to hold it together, the sheer amount of power required to shove it around like a billiard ball would put Trelane in the same league as the Iconians, and that I can't buy.
* Food without flavor. Makes me wonder what that stuff is really made from.
* Bit of an anticlimax, isn't it? I hate the episodes where the resolution could technically happen at any time but a sufficient amount of film has to be spent on messing around before it can come.

Memory Alpha:

* Once again the question of how far in the future we are has come to rear its ugly head. I've said it before and I'll say it again, this stuff should've been in the series bible by the time of the second pilot, if not the first.
* The first appearance of DeSalle, who held three different postings on board in various episodes: navigator, biologist, and engineer. Once again it could support the idea of junior officers being in some sort of duty rotation. Sulu, Chekov, Wesley, even Hogan on Voyager could support this.

[Nate the Great]

January 19th, 1967, "Arena"

The Fiver (by Kristina)
Memory Alpha
Transcript

The episode:

* "Tactical people" and "tactical aides." Hmm. In the movies this would mean Chekov and his staff, but I wonder who's in charge of that stuff at this point.
* MCCOY: I, for one, could use a good non-reconstituted meal.
SPOCK: Doctor, you are a sensualist.
MCCOY: You bet your pointed ears I am.
Always loved this exchange.
* I must say I don't like this business of Kirk coordinating a space battle from a planet's surface. When someone "has the conn", doesn't that mean that s/he's in command even during battle? It's situations like this that lead to the conclusion that the captain shouldn't be part of landing parties except in unusual situations.
* Some of the more hardcore Trekkies (as well as Phil Farrand in the Nitpicker's Guide) would note that the ability to replicate precious gems at will was discovered sometime between this episode and "Catspaw." In this episode diamonds are valuable, in that one they aren't.
* Mythbusters aside, I doubt that Kirk could create viable gunpowder under these conditions. At least the Mythbusters had a clean tabletop to work with and immediate access to the necessary ratios.

The fiver:

McCoy: Note to self -- stock up on nappies.
Kirk: Bones?
McCoy: With the number of Ensigns that "diaper" episode, I thought they might come in handy.

Nice pun, but I wonder how many people know that "nappies" is the British term for "diapers."

Sulu: You know, we don't even know what to call the shields yet.
Uhura: What does it matter?
Sulu: I just don't think this series is big on the consistency issue.
Uhura: I'm happy, as long as I get to wear my red dress.

I'll just be in the corner being smug. *smirk and wink*

Kirk: Yikes, it's Godzilla.
Gorn: Actually, the name is Yenrab.

Yet another character only named in the Customizable Card Game (the Mark Lenard Romulan Commander is Keras, etc.). His name is S'salk. I don't know how to feel about a Barney joke.

Captain's Log: I'm just babbling on, and that lizard is listening. There are diamonds here, though there are no women around, and several other minerals, including sulfur and potassium nitrate. How I would know is beyond my comprehension.

It's beyond mine as well. Maybe Spock would know, but Kirk? Maybe as an antique firearm aficionado he'd know the ingredient list, but not the appearance or ratios.

Metron: We'll be in touch when we're ready.
Kirk: Soon?
Metron: If a thousand years is soon to you, then yes.

Obligatory jab at Zeke's upload schedule, nothing to see here, move along...

[Nate the Great]

January 26th, 1967, "Tomorrow is Yesterday"

The Fiver (by IJD GAF)
Memory Alpha
Transcript

The episode:

* Ah, the "black star." I haven't seen the remastered version, but I suppose it was too much to ask for the studio to redub this into "black hole."
* They were going in the general direction of Earth and managed to be dropped into Earth's orbit when the warp engines cut out at just the right time to achieve the upper atmosphere. Yikes, is that a pile of contrivance. As Batman would say after crashing into a pile of foam rubber, "I'd say the odds against it would make even the most reckless gambler cringe!"
* I wonder if Christopher's plane could've handled a lower tractor beam setting without breaking up.
* Confirmed: Federation Standard is just English. So why not call it English elsewhere?
* Here we are: twelve Constitution-class ships in the fleet. More on this later.
* UESPA alert!
* I question the idea that Christopher wouldn't fit in the 23rd century when I could mention Gillian Taylor seemed to handle it okay. Okay, he couldn't join Starfleet, but there must be a colony or two that could use the services of a military specialist.
* So they go on a mission to delete the records of the "UFO sighting", then proceed to go back in time to restore Christoper, making the "UFO sighting" just a momentary contact with no need to delete the records. Talk about contrivance.
* Two hundred years would be just about right. Insert typical Nate rant about how the series bible should've had a timeline of major events by now. Just to name one example, it's been 150 years since Cochrane disappeared. An old man Cochrane decades after the discovery of warp drive. In other words, just going by this episode and "Metamorphosis" would lead a viewer to conclude that Cochrane has already been born and warp drive is imminent. What editorial incompetence.
* I never did understand these food cards, or the food slots in general. It's a rant by itself, which I shall mercifully skip.

The fiver:

Spock: You do realize we can't let him go back.
Kirk: And why not? We could even set him up with some good stocks, and help him out a little. We could set him for life! Maybe even give him a third-world nation to rule....
Spock: I suppose invoking the halibut of thwacking would be too cruel....

I'm going to assume that the "halibut of thwacking" is somehow related to the "hammer of smiting", but is that also supposed to be a "Fish Schlapping Dance" reference?

Guard: Name?
Kirk: My name?
Guard: No, my name!
Kirk: I do not know your name!
Guard: ...I only hope you're smart enough not to run off and fall 20 feet to the pavement below.

Ah, The Voyage Home.

Kirk: Aren't you a little short for a Starfleet officer?
Christopher: Huh? Oh, the uniform. I'm John Christopher, I'm here to rescue you.

Interesting place for a Star Wars joke.

Memory Alpha:

* "Black hole" was coined later in 1967. Ships passing in the dark and all that...
* "The Making of Star Trek" apparently lists 14 Constitution-class ships.
* I will now list the Constitution-class ships mentioned at Memory Alpha, along with notes (I'm excluding the ones seen in the movie era):
** In prelude, I wish that all of the ships of a given class started with the same two-number prefix code (in this case, 17) to signify said class. Except for number-suffixed legacy ships, of course.
** 1700, no name=undergoing repair at Starbase 11. Only on a chart, could've possibly been refit and renumbered. I always thought that 1700 was the Constitution, the first of the class built.
** 1017, Constellation
** 1764, Defiant=Put me down as saying that the DS9 ship should've been 1764-A (realistically a higher letter), I don't like the idea that only the Enterprise is worthy of keeping the old registry with added letters and other legacy names need new numbers.
** 1664, Excalibur=see previous comments, I wonder if Peter David even knew about this ship when writing New Frontier.
** 1672, Exeter
** 1703, Hood
** 1631, Intrepid=this name seems odd for an all-Vulcan crew. I wonder why we didn't see a Vulcan name for this one (the USS Surak?)
** 1709, Lexington
** 1657, Potemkin
** In addendum, the '70s fandom (later semi-canon) article "The Case for Jonathan Doe Starship" lists the 12 as Yorktown, Potemkin, Lexington, Intrepid, Hood, Exeter, Excalibur, Essex, Enterprise, Endeavor, Eagle, and Constitution