Trekathlon TOS Season 1 Roundup

With Season 1 finished, it's time to reflect, in bullet form!

• It's weird watching Star Trek without it's later institutions and conventions established.
• Though I wish they kept some of the ones here for later iterations. I liked that each ship and base had their own insignia and different uniforms.
• I'm a sucker for mid-60's architecture and design.
• The Enterprise needs to put some locks on their doors, and Bones can't keep anyone in sickbay. 
• The show feels smaller then I remember it.  More claustrophobic, less scope.
• The core cast were all really good actors.  It's easy to forget that.
• The Horta is still awesome.
• Wrath of Khan is better then Space Seed.  I also don't think Space Seed is necessary to enjoy Khan.
• Though I like to think Wrath of Khan's plot grew from some fanboy being irritated the Enterprise never followed up on any of the cool things they encountered.
• I've gotten used to serialized dramas.  I didn't think I'd miss an overall plot or theme, but I did.
• The updated HD effects are poorly done.

With that out of the way, season 2 recaps commence next week!  Watch out for NOMAD!

Trekathalon TOS:1-29 Operation -- Annihilate!

He represents the Lollipop Guild.

An episode with an exclamation point in the title, so it must be good! Either that or Soundwave named it.  It's the attack of the Gallery of Regrettable Food!. Everything is solved by bright light that can apparently penetrates solid matter, but not cause blindness. Even Spock has no qualms about killing an entire species. I guess it's ok when they look like barf, and make you insane.

I love this episode, despite completely mis-remember it from my 'youff (I think I mashed it up with a Jetsons episode). I enjoyed the long walks through 60's architecture, which still looks futuristic today. Apparently it was filmed at UCLA, and the former TRW (Now Northrop Grumman) headquarters.

The HD version features gratuitous additions that look cruddy, and add little (the enterprise dropping off Satellites).  Way to go HD team!

Trekathalon TOS:1-28 City on the Edge of Forever

The Magic is in the Hole.

This episode is chock full of Joan Collins, a time Doughnut,* and something that made Harlan Ellison angry!  It also won a Hugo award.

Great acting, but unfortunately, the impact of the episode has been diminished, since time travel perils are now well-trodden ground for sci-fi geeks, bullets ahoy:

• 
  I feel sorry for the poor vaporized bum, guess he had no impact on history whatsoever?
• How does Spock's homebrew computer work?  How does it know the future?
• Did anyone ever check back on the Guardian of the Doughnut of Time?  Even if time travel itself was to dangerous, couldn't they record pictures, or have a nice conversation?

Hit up wikipedia for the behind-the-scenes kerfluffle over the script and Ellison.

*Opera's spell checker has no idea how to spell doughnut, I wonder what they're called in Norway?

Trekathalon TOS: 1-27 The Alternative Factor

Is it bigger on the inside?

The universe winks out of existence for a few seconds (didn't seem to have any adverse effects though?), and an alien named Lazarus and his Spaceman Spiff Saucer/TARDIS are responsible.  Or his alternate universe counterpart.  I think.  They both end up trapped in a dimensional corridor eternally fighting each other, or else the Universe will cease to exist.

Nerd time!  How come Kirk and alt-lazarus are able to exist in their respective anti-universes?  Shouldn't the matter-antimatter reaction have caused very big kabooms?  Oh well, it's not like physicists understand antimatter all that much.

I enjoyed the 'music of the spheres' eerie-background-noise in the alt-universe.

I also liked this episode better then all of Fringe.  Makes as much sense too.

Trekathalon TOS: 1-26 Errand of Mercy

They're upset I stole this image from Wikipedia

Wow, TOS Klingons seem so much more nuanced!  I really only remember them from The Trouble with Tribbles, so this was a bit of a revelation.  All the performances are solid, with John Colicos (Baltar!) standing out as the Klingon Commander.

The plot is another Godlike Alien deus ex machina (the Organians this time), with the real highlight being the interplay between Shatner and Colicos.  Organians were retconned into Enterprise (poorly), but otherwise they were only referenced in passing after this.

So by TNG, Klingons had gone shouty and brutish, while all the sneaky subtleties had gone to the Romulans and Ferengi?  Going to be interesting to compare.  For me anyway.

Trekathalon TOS: 1-25 The Devil in the Dark

Creeping Terror

I keep mentioning how I grew up afraid of everything. Well, the Horta was in my top 5 Things-to-Be-Terrified-Of (#1: Yip Yip Martians).  I knew that evil lump was not to be trusted, and would  burn it's way through my wall as soon as I wasn't looking...

Brrr.

What was I saying?  Oh!  Devil in the Dark.  Great episode.  I'm shocked how well it holds up, even knowing how everything turns out, there's still suspense and intrigue in spades.  Much credit has to go to Shatner and Nimoy especially.  Nimoy completely sells his mind-meld with the Horta.  That scene could have been so awful.

The Horta has grown a subcult in trek fandom; Hortas have appeared as Federation crew members in several novels, and there's also the Trek Punk band: No Kill I 

While the Horta does look cheap, it could have been so. Much. Worse.

Classic TWOP recap is here.

Trekathalon TOS: 1-24 This Side of Paradise

Mr. And Mrs. Green Jeans.

I know this episode as a Mystery Science Theater punchline.  The Best Brain's used "I'm in love Jim!" as a riff, almost as much as "I am Kirok!" There was even a sketch.  But how does This Side of Paradise hold up as drama?  Not bad.  Everyone sells their role's, and the sound design is fantastic.  The sound of constant rushing wind makes Omicron Ceti VIII feel completely desolate and lonely.

One nagging flaw:  It seems like a plant that can cure all disease, and make a human resistant to radiation would be pretty useful.  Especially if the perfect health it grants sticks around after a spell of anger banishes the side effects.

Now that I think about it, was the happy-plant an analogy for marijuana?

Trekathalon TOS: 1-23 A Taste of Armaggedon

I accidentally a hat.

I've never seen this episode before, and it both bored me, and brought out my pedantic geek side.  HARD.  Did the  Eminiar or the Vendikar take into account the Enterprise defensive capabilities?  What happens when people don't show up for disentigration?  Who monitors compliance of the excecutions?  Is it a lottery, or is everyone on the planet tracked?  How can a civilization suvive the loss of 3 Million people at a time?  Much less a city?  Is there an arms race to develop better defenses or weapons?  Are they tested in some Consumer Reports test kitchen for lethality?

See, my incredulity at the particulars outweighed my interest in the heavy-handed "A war that is to clean  will go on forever" message.  But then the war wasn't clean 3 Million people just reported to disintegration.... GRAAAGRH!

See, pedantic and geeky.  I apologize.

Trekathalon TOS: 1-22 Space Seed

So pointy! I hope she doesn't run with those.

I can't watch this episode without the perspective of Wrath of Khan (AKA: Dirty Dancing for boys, see the third comment),  which I've seen dozens of times, while I've only seen Space Seed twice, maybe?  Wrath of Khan makes it look like Kirk never followed up on any of his missions:

Genocidal Superman and historical figure worthy of study?  Just put him in the corner somewhere.
Benevolent Godlike Aliens?  Junk drawer.
Plant that cures all disease?  Box in the garage.

Oh and there's no way that was 100% Montalbán chest in Wrath of Khan.

Alternate captions: "You'll shoot your eye out kid!" and "Front Torpedo bays loaded."
I'll be here all week, remember to tip your waitress.

Trekathalon TOS: 1-21 The Return of the Archons.

Landru inside  *Bomm ba da dun bumm*

An powerful force is making the inhabitants of the Bonanza backlot Beta III happy-zombies, but also insane with rage.  The Prime directive shows up, gets broken immediately, and paves the way for a bazillion plot devices to come.

Kirk saves the day talking a computer to death, and ability which most of my coworkers share, and that he will use several more times.  Despite it all, an enjoyable episode.

One thing that really confused me: I thought the Betans were human-descendants of the Archon crash survivors.  But then they started talking about thousands of years before the crash, and I realized the Betans were supposed to be aliens.  This made me appreciate TNG's habit of using cheap makeup (nose ridge, ear bumps, spots, etc) as shorthand for 'alien'.  I know it gets slagged, but a nose bump or two would have helped me keep things straight.

We never find out what happened to the Archon.

Trekathalon TOS: 1-20 Court Marshall

I would wear that, really.

Kirk gets accused of negligence, and faces off with a bugnuts-crazy crew member.  Everything is wrapped up in voice-overred clips, the episode must have been running long.

I want the suit that Kirk's lawyer (Elisha Cook) wears.  Actually the costuming is great overall in this episode, I like the early standard of different Starfleet Posts having different insignias.

Elisha Cook is very much a 'hey it's that guy' for anyone who watched to much TV during the last couple decades.  Wait, which decade is it?  Oh, ok, last couple decades before the turn of the millennium.

Trekathalon TOS: 1-19 Tomorrow is Yesterday

Corn Detasseling.

Time travel shenanigans on then present-day earth!  Not the strongest of the many, many, time-travel Trek episodes.  Seems someone got a note that said 'lighten things up,' from the network execs:  this episode goes from serious to goofy so many times I got whiplash.  Majel Barrett doing a silly/sultry computer voice was fine, but I was less enthused with the accidentally kidnapped guard (Hal Lynch) mugging for the camera.

However I did get a kick out of the F-104 stock footage.  Fortunately, there was no refueling.

Trekathalon TOS: 1-18 Arena

It's a trap!

Takes a little while for the 'Arena' part of this episode to get going, doesn't it?  I had completely forgotten the intrigue and action with the destroyed federation base, and the pursuit of the Gorn.  I really enjoyed that part, but then this episode's namesake kicks in, and it starts to drag.

There's Ted Cassidy again as the Gorn commander.  Remeber how I thought he looked cool and menacing in What Little Girls are Made Of? He's the opposite here, stomping around awkwardly like Frankenstein's monster.  The Gorn suit must have been hell.

The scene where Kirk pushes a conveniently placed rock onto the Gorn (pictured), had me in stitches.  It's a "meep meep" away from a Wile E. Coyote bit.  Shatner is also turning into his parody here.  The much lampooned delivery really starting to come out in his soliloquies as he wanders the desert.  Bonus: Godlike alien Deus ex machina.

Oh and is that Bronson Canyon?

Trekathalon TOS: 1-17 The Squire of Gothos

"Would you like to buy a leather mug?"

The enterprise trips over another godlike alien.  This time it's Trelane (Name a 70's TV drama, William Campbell was a guest star), and he likes Renaissance Festivals.
Yup, another plot that pales in comparison to later reinventions, done better.  Notably,  John de Lancie's Q, in The Next Generation, (similar to William Campbell, name a show, de Lancie's probably guest-starred).

Trelane and his family were retconned into Q's at some point, everyone is Q!

And since we're talking about Next Generation, seems like TOS' female guest stars were all bombshells (this week it's Venita Wolf), while TNG's all sort of looked like Moms.  Changing social mores? Casting?  Brutal ugliness of TNG's costuming?  Discuss.

Also, it's parentheses day (apparently)!

Trekathalon TOS: 1-16 The Galileo Seven

The motor!  We've thrown a rod!

Is the episode title a riff on the Mercury Seven astronauts, or The Magnificent Seven, or Seven Samurai, or Seven Up?

I'll stop that now...

Spock crashes a shuttle, the stranded crew get testy and insubordinate (again!), then they wait for enough guest stars to get killed by giants so the rest can take off and be rescued.

The goofy monsters are effective as omnous sounds, oversized weapons, and quick glimpses, but in full view, less so.  The B plot with the snotty bureaucrat drags this one down in my book.

Trekathalon TOS: 1-15 Shore Leave

The trouble with tribbles?

There sure are plenty of naive super-advanced humanoids in the galaxy!  This episode's species is eager to manufacturer your idle thoughts into physical objects, which have a tendency to kill.  But it's ok, it's a temporary sort of death.

Impaled Mcoy, and the plastic knight in armor really disturbed my younger self.  Have I mentioned I was scared of everything as a kid?  Because I was scared of everything.

I wonder if the federation quarantined this planet too?  It makes Rhysa seem like a dentist's waiting room.

Trekathalon TOS: 1-14 The Balance of Terror

Hail Ming!

Despite the IMDB screen-grab, I watched this one on DVD.  Was I disappointed with the updated effects?  Of course.  What's the point of doing an updated Romulan Warbird if you're still going to repeat the footage three or four times?!  Plus I didn't see a good view of the bird of prey livery on the bottom of the ship.  Either I wasn't paying attention (probable), or that was a major oversight.  At least for a spaceship nerd like me.

As episodes go, this is another one that's gotten creaky in comparison to later, better, takes on the destroyer vs. submarine-style starship duel.  I did get a chuckle out of the 'silent running' on both ships, complete with whispers.

Mark Lenard (Sarek!) does an excellent job as the Romulan Commander, and Lawrence Montaigne is this weeks insubordinate officer.  Those guys were a dime a dozen back then!  Also, widows.

Trekathalon TOS: 1-13 The Conscience of the King

23rd Century Denny's.

Old hammy actor Karidian (Arnold Moss), feels threatened by younger hammy actor Kirk, menwhile
Karidian's ca-razy daughter (Barbara Anderson) uses exploding phasers and Windex to silences people who don't enjoy their Shakespear troupe.

Karidian is also Kodos (where's Kang?), a mass-murderer.  All the guest stars end up dead, just like Hamlet!


Can you tell I was bored with this episode?

Trekathalon TOS: 1-12 The Menagerie Part II

"I spilled my oatmeaaaaaal!"

Not much to say on this one, the Enterprise crew finishes watching the old pilot episode's footage, and dumps Pike on Talos.

I'm pretty sure the Talosians just let Pike imagine he walked inside, and he's still sitting out in the cold.  Poor guy.

Trekathalon TOS: 1-11 The Menagerie Part 1

Meet George Jetson!

Watched this one on IMDB, so no mewling over updated effects!  Instead I will lavish praise on the old ones.  See that landscape?  That is beautiful.  The matte painter did an excellent job.  It's that kind of thing that fires a kid's imagination.

The episode?  Not bad for a bookended-clip-show.  All this time, I thought Kirk was being court-marshaled for causing Pike to be horribly burned.  None of that is accurate.

Oddly enough, I think I've seen The Cage more then either of the episodes that proceeded it.