The Star Trek Thread

[B-Man]

Guest reviewer: B-Man

 

  This week's review will be of the episode Return To Tomorrow .  It is the twentieth episode of Star Trek's second season and basically it is another "aliens take control of crew bodies" for their own reasons. In this case  in order to construct android hosts for their bodiless entities. Not surprisingly, they pick the two top stars Captain Kirk, First Officer Spock and Dr. Ann Mulhall this weeks guest star.  Naturally, after thousands of years without a physical body, one of them decides to try and stay in the "loaned" body and (of course) all heck breaks loose.

 

  Guest Stars : This episode was the first appearance of Diana Muldaur in the franchise. She appeared again as Dr. Miranda Jones in the 3rd season episode, "In Truth there is Beauty" and as Dr. Katherine Pulaski in the 2nd season of STTNG.

She was always a solid actress appearing in many TV and movies throughout the 60's and 70's, finally receiving two Emmy nominations for her work in LA Law. She retired in her 50's but is still with us today (84 years old)

There was also another appearance by Eddie Paskey (William Shatner's stand-in for the show) as Lt. Leslie.  

* Also "guest starring as the voice of Sargon, the leader of the three pure energy beings was James Doohan, Mr. Scott himself.

 

 Plot : The enterprise receives a distress call from a lifeless planet. Upon arrival, a telepathic being named Sargon  addresses Kirk and Spock as his "children". Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy, and Lt. Cmdr. Ann Mulhall beam to a subterranean vault where the voice of Sargon greets them from a luminous sphere on a pedestal.  Sargon explains that he and two others are the last survivors of their race; their minds, stored in these spheres, have existed here since their planet was devastated by war. Sargon then transfers his mind into Kirk's body and Kirk's mind into the sphere. Sargon explains that he and his companions will need human bodies temporarily, in order to construct anderoid hosts for themselves, and then returns to his orb. Kirk, returned to his own body, declares his confidence in Sargon.

McCoy supervises as Sargon takes Kirk's body again, and Thalassa and Henoch take Mulhall's and Spock's bodies, respectively. However the human bodies need a metabolic reduction injection; the alien in Spock's body uses Vulcan mind control to make nurse Christine Chapel give Kirk, Sargon's host, an injection that would kill Sargon.

Henoch, who has taken control of the bridge and is terrorizing the crew, reads McCoy's mind and prevents the injection. He then commands Chapel to use the lethal compound on McCoy. She moves as if to comply, but then injects Henoch instead. Henoch boasts that he can transfer to another body, but finds he cannot due to interference from Sargon. Henoch pleads for mercy, but Spock's body collapses, seemingly in death.

Sargon tells Kirk that he could not allow this. Spock's and Chapel's bodies glow, and Spock revives. Sargon reveals that the injection was not lethal; it was important for McCoy and Chapel to believe it was lethal so that Henoch would believe it also. Spock's mind had been temporarily placed in Chapel's body.

Sargon and Thalassa announce that they will not attempt to build host bodies, but will "depart into oblivion" instead. They make a final request: to be allowed to use Kirk and Mulhall's bodies one last time to share a kiss.

 

 Enterprise Crew : Great chance for Shatner and Nimoy to expand their usual Kirk/Spock characters.  Nimoy in particular seems to spend the whole episode with a half smirk on his face, while Shatner portrays Sargon in an amplified booming benevolent voice that makes a nifty contrast to his  normal cadence. 

 

  Writing : Very well written and tense script. This episode and its writer, John T. Dugan earned a Writers Guild of America Award nomination in the category of Best Written Dramatic episode in 1968.

Faced with a dilemma to decide if Kirk, Spock and astrobiologist Ann Mulhall should lend their bodies to a superadvanced alien race, a remarkable roundtable discussion takes place. Dr McCoy's objections are warranted and well expressed, but a final centerpiece speech by Kirk explains the risks and rewards of flight, space flight, sciences and alien encounter. He states "Risk is our business" in a well written and delivered plea. One of the best staff briefing scene in all of Star Trek, I would even say.

 

  Music : Music credited to Alexander Courage and is very good. Most of this score, notably the love themes, would never be re-used in another episode. This sets it apart from other scores.

 

  Special Effects Spotlight : Special Enhanced version Digitally Remastered with new exterior shots and remade opening theme song

 

  Summary :  A very good episode all around, I would give it a B+

[RochesterRob]

  Thank you, B-Man.  Good attention to detail such as with writing and music.  Something I want to do but time often gets in the way.  That and some days I am not the most inspired person going.  

[B-Man]

[RochesterRob]

  This week's review will be of the episode Assignment : Earth airing Tuesday October 18 on WHEC 10.5 Rochester Heroes & Icons.  In short the Enterprise while having traveled back to Earth circa 1968 intercepts a transporter beam complete with human traveler that apparently has no fit in that place or time.  The human soon eludes Enterprise security but Kirk feels compelled to capture and detain him given the unusual circumstances.  In the end it is proven that human's involvement in Earth's history is justified and even the Enterprise has a place in stabilizing the future of the Earth.

 

 

  Guest Stars : Robert Lansing as Gary Seven.  Lansing during the early 1960's often played gunfighters or soldiers on television such as the war series Combat.  He is very convincing as an agent from a power whose motives are suspect early on.  Calm and smooth in the portrayal of Seven.  Also, does well expressing exasperation such as his initial encounter with Roberta Lincoln when asking her about what had been transpiring at the office.  Lansing would go on to play similar characters in the future including a recurring role on the 1980's series The Equalizer (good version).  Terri Garr as Roberta Lincoln a human who is thrust into the middle of a high stakes encounter between Seven and Kirk.  I wish I had seen more of Garr's work to know how much of her ditzy portrayal of Lincoln was her or just acting.   Anyways, I enjoyed Garr's work in sifting through the experience of going to just a random secretary to vital assistant.  Had Assignment Earth gotten the green light for a regular series I think we would have gotten to see more dimensions to Lincoln and therefore Garr.  Don't blink or you will miss Bruce Mars as a NYC cop who walks in on the doings at Seven's office.  Viewers of Star Trek will remember Mars as the mischievous Finnegan from Season 1's Shore Leave.  The only thing missing was him sad sacking himself back to the 12th Precinct to recount the incident to a constipated Detective Fish.  

 

 

  Plot : I liked this episode because Kirk was not allowed to figure it all out from information and in the end had to make a judgement call as to allowing Seven access to his instruments.  Pretty straight forward story that Seven has to get to his office and therefore his mission from the start.  Kirk is caught in his unawares.  Kind of like how a lot of people have to get through a day professionally or personally.  Sometimes you have to trust people when experience tells you sometimes that fails as an approach.  I don't have a problem with Seven travelling through time and distance.  What seems impossible at the time often becomes reality with the passage of time and advancement of science.  

 

 

  Enterprise Crew : Good Kirk episode for the reasons cited above.  Kirk has to think on his feet and has to take a chance in terms of making a decision.  Spock calm and cool which makes a good counterweight to when KIrk is exasperated as to how things are going.  Scotty does well as he gets to act as a competent commander while Kirk is away and puts his technical abilities to work looking for Seven at the McKinley facilities.  Uhura and Sulu similar observations in allowing professionalism to shine through.

 

 

  Writing : Seven and Lincoln are serviced well in terms of dialogue.  Straight forward dialogue for the regular characters without the doublespeak that would plague the series by the third season.  Pacing was fairly good as I was surprised I was not annoyed by the pursuit of Seven lasting through most of the episode.  Roddenberry had a hand in this and would have minimal involvement going into the third season.  

 

 

  Music : Though re-employed I liked the tense scores which signal Seven's initial beam in and his first beam out.  Greatly adds to the dramatic effect.

 

 

  Special Effects Spotlight : The Enterprise and the Earth get makeovers in the remaster.  The views of Earth are awe inspiring but I was getting somewhat annoyed with the repeat views of Southeast Asia (yeah, we know there was a hated war going on there).

 

 

  Assignment Earth as a series : As said above this episode was intended as a pilot for a new series to run starting in the fall of 1968.  I wonder how it would have played out?  It has said that there would have been recurring aliens as a nemesis to Seven and his mission.  Also, an obligatory Cold War angle complete with Russian generated problems.  As said above I would have liked to seen Garr in the setting of an ongoing series.  No doubt the first season would have had Lincoln going from naive to somewhat hardened.  Defenseless to somebody skilled in the art of self defense.

 

 

  Summary : Good guest stars.  Good Story.  Kirk kept on his toes.  I give it an A -.

[B-Man]

LOL. 
 

[B-Man]

 

 

Star Trek fun fact: Filming for “City On The Edge Of Forever” was done in the Desilu Culver City back lot. Many other shows were filmed there, including Hogan’s Heroes, Batman, Superman and Gomer Pyle. Also, The Andy Griffith Show and in this shot on the right, you can see James T with Edith Keeler walking right past Floyd’s Barber Shop.

 

In all the years I’ve watched the show, I never even noticed.

 

 

[Crap Throwing Clavin]

7 hours ago, B-Man said:

 

 

Star Trek fun fact: Filming for “City On The Edge Of Forever” was done in the Desilu Culver City back lot. Many other shows were filmed there, including Hogan’s Heroes, Batman, Superman and Gomer Pyle. Also, The Andy Griffith Show and in this shot on the right, you can see James T with Edith Keeler walking right past Floyd’s Barber Shop.

 

In all the years I’ve watched the show, I never even noticed.

 

 

 

As a side note, people nowadays don't realize how huge Desilu was in TV production in the '60s...and it all stems from the deal Desi Arnez and Lucille Ball struck for I Love Lucy, and the innovations they made for that production.  Their influence was mammoth - they basically invented modern TV production.

[Wacka]

On 10/19/2022 at 10:51 AM, B-Man said:

 

 

Star Trek fun fact: Filming for “City On The Edge Of Forever” was done in the Desilu Culver City back lot. Many other shows were filmed there, including Hogan’s Heroes, Batman, Superman and Gomer Pyle. Also, The Andy Griffith Show and in this shot on the right, you can see James T with Edith Keeler walking right past Floyd’s Barber Shop.

 

In all the years I’ve watched the show, I never even noticed.

 

 

In "The Paradise Syndrome ", the obelisk  that's is really a deflector beam was built the same spot whee Opie throws the rock in the lake at the beginning of t"The Andy Griffith Show".

[B-Man]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nouseforaname]

[B-Man]

 

 

 

[B-Man]

[Deranged Rhino]

[Ann]

'They are full of envy and hate': William Shatner, 91, hits out at former Star Trek co-stars and says they only criticise him for 'publicity'

 

William Shatner has hit out at his former Star Trek co-stars after years of them criticising his behaviour on the 1960s sci-fi set.

 

The actor, 91, who famously played Captain James T Kirk in the hit series as well as in seven films, says he now realises they 'do it for publicity'. 

 

Speaking to The Times he said: 'Sixty years after some incident they are still on that track. Don't you think that's a little weird? It's like a sickness'.

 

Adding: 'I began to understand that they were doing it for publicity.'

 

Even when the actor recently went into space thanks to billionaire Jeff Bezos, George Takei, who played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the fictional starship USS Enterprise in the series, said he was a being sent as a  'guinea pig' to assess the impact of space on an 'unfit' specimen.

 

</snip>

[Crap Throwing Clavin]

33 minutes ago, Deranged Rhino said:

 

Idiot.  That's a Romulan Bird-of-Prey.

[Crap Throwing Clavin]

26 minutes ago, Ann said:

'They are full of envy and hate': William Shatner, 91, hits out at former Star Trek co-stars and says they only criticise him for 'publicity'

 

William Shatner has hit out at his former Star Trek co-stars after years of them criticising his behaviour on the 1960s sci-fi set.

 

The actor, 91, who famously played Captain James T Kirk in the hit series as well as in seven films, says he now realises they 'do it for publicity'. 

 

Speaking to The Times he said: 'Sixty years after some incident they are still on that track. Don't you think that's a little weird? It's like a sickness'.

 

Adding: 'I began to understand that they were doing it for publicity.'

 

Even when the actor recently went into space thanks to billionaire Jeff Bezos, George Takei, who played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the fictional starship USS Enterprise in the series, said he was a being sent as a  'guinea pig' to assess the impact of space on an 'unfit' specimen.

 

</snip>

 

Bill is pretty full of himself...but Takei's inability to just let it go after 60 years doesn't speak well of him, either.  

[B-Man]

 

 

                      

 

 

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[devnull]

On 11/15/2022 at 3:09 PM, Deranged Rhino said:

 

I would show you my USS Pegasus tattoo, but it encountered a gaseous anomaly and got stuck in a crevice.

[B-Man]

[Fansince88]

On 11/18/2022 at 11:00 PM, B-Man said:

 

 

                      

 

 

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As God is my witness I thought turkeys could fly