Tag: Sci-Fi

“Star Trek”: Season 2, Episode 17 (“A Piece of the Action”)

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The Enterprise visits a planet that had previously been visited by the U.S.S. Horizon 100 years earlier, before the issuance of the Prime Directive. The Enterprise received an old radio-style message before that starship was lost, which reported an intelligent, developing alien species prone to imitation. The Horizon left behind a book about gangs of 1920s Chicago which became the Iotians’ bible. They are divided into a series of criminal gangs, two of which are headed by Bela Oxmyx (Anthony Caruso) and Jojo Kracko (Vic Tayback). After beaming down, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy find themselves in the middle of a turf battle. Both sides take turns holding our heroes hostage and demanding “heaters” (guns) from the Federation in order to take control of the planet. Kirk must do his best to fix the wrongs of the Horizon w/o interfering too much with the development of the planet’s evolution.

This ep has one of several “parallel Earth” plots in TOS, contrived in part to save money, by avoiding “alien” sets, costumes, and makeup. Kirk and Spock get to wear flashy pin-stripe suits, hats, carry machine guns, and speak in gangster accents. Even the women wear guns on their garters (which you probably wouldn’t see in reality)! It’s esp. funny to see Spock try to fit the situation. Kirk makes up the rules of the card game “fizz bin” as he goes along. Shatner ad libbed the rules, so his pauses to think and the other actors’ confusion are genuine. The scene when Kirk puts his feet up on Krako’s table and declares that now the Federation is “taking over the whole ball of wax” is reminiscent of a scene in the gangster film Little Caesar (1931).

After filming wrapped, the studio received a letter from Caruso. “Oxmyx” thanked the crew of the Enterprise for creating the “syndicate” and noting that things were proceeding nicely on Sigma Iotia II. As he goes on in the letter, it is now the 1950s and he is sporting a crew-cut. He also mentioned wanting to visit Las Vegas which “seems like my kind of town.” LOL- what a creative guy!

[1] If you’re a fan of “The Godfather” and “Goodfellas,” then you’ll love this amusing episode… which plays like an eerily prescient parody of the original “Godfather.”

[2] There are great scenes as Kirk, and even more ridiculously, Spock try to mimic the dialect and nomenclature of the time. There is the priceless scene the two attempting to drive. Kirk jerks along, not quite getting the hang of the clutch, and Spock tells him he is a great captain, but a horrible, dangerous driver.

[3] I couldn’t stop laughing every time poor Scotty tries to decipher the gangster speak, with Kirk having to go from the mob language to Federation speech across the communicator to help him out.

-Excerpts from IMDB reviews

“Star Trek”: Season 2, Episode 15 (“The Trouble With Tribbles”)

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Capt. Kirk: How close will we come to the nearest Klingon outpost if we continue on our present course?

Chekov: Ah, one parsec, sir. Close enough to smell them. [grins broadly]

Spock: That is illogical, Ensign. Odors cannot travel through the vacuum of space.

Chekov: I was making a little joke, sir.

Spock: Extremely little, Ensign.

The working title for this popular/comedic ep was “A Fuzzy Thing Happened to Me…” (LOL)! Having received a Priority One distress call from an outlying space station, the Enterprise arrives to find they’ve been summoned there by a self-important Federation commissioner, Nilz Baris (William Schallert), to protect a shipment of seeds (quadrotriticale) meant to sow wheat on Sherman’s planet. The planet is coveted by the Klingons, who are taking shore leave at the station. Koloth (William Campbell) cites authority to shore leave rights as authorized by the Organian Treaty; this occurred in Errand of Mercy when the Organians prevented a war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. The Treaty of Organia dictates interactions between the two sides to prevent another chance of war. The trouble arises w/ tribbles- small furry creatures that seem to multiply w/o end. However, their presence reveals both a problem w/ the wheat and a spy on the space station.

Spock: [while holding a tribble] Most curious creature, Captain. Its trilling seems to have a tranquilizing effect on the human nervous system.

Spock: [beginning to pet it gently] Fortunately, of course, I am… immune to it’s effect… [realizing what he is doing, he quickly puts the tribble down and excuses himself]

When McCoy figures out that the tribbles are in a perpetual state of being pregnant, this marks one of the very first instances on American TV of the use of that word. While McCoy is telling the good things about tribbles, Spock takes a jab at him by saying that one good thing about tribbles is that they don’t talk much. William Shatner recalled: “The trouble we had with Tribbles was [to] keep your straight face. It was just a lot of fun.” The scene in which Kirk is buried in an avalanche of tribbles took eight takes to get right. The tribbles were thrown into the hatch by the production crew, but were not sure when to stop b/c they were unable to see the scene. This is why additional tribbles keep falling on Kirk one by one. Shatner looks perplexed (almost breaking the fourth wall for a moment) in that scene.

[Kirk is testing the tribbles’ reaction on several people, starting with the Klingons. The tribbles squeal]

Capt. Kirk: …They don’t like Klingons. [He moves on]

Capt. Kirk: But they do like Vulcans. Well, Mr. Spock, I didn’t know you had it in you.

Spock: Obviously, tribbles are very perceptive creatures, Captain.

To create the one tribble moving on its own, the prop supervisor bought a battery powered toy dog and stripped it down to the mechanical works. Once recovered w/ fur incl. the toy legs, the prop moved on camera along the railing on the Enterprise bridge without wires or external assistance. The toy was so noisy all the dialogue in the scene had to be looped w/ ADR (re-recorded after shooting). The noises that the tribbles make were a combination of dove cooing, screeching owl cries, and air escaping from balloons. Tribbles have made appearances in different versions of Star Trek, incl. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Trials and Tribble-ations (1996).

[1] Sometimes an episode like this is needed to keep the fun flowing… refreshing change from the drama that is prevalent throughout the series. I also love the fighting between Kirk’s crew and the Klingons – that is a barrel of laughs. In fact, there is humor all though this episode – that is the appeal of it.

[2] Here, the mundane, the banal, is thrust upon him [Kirk]: instead of being allowed to explore the galaxy in the grandest tradition, he’s forced to guard a bunch of wheat.

It’s a farce, Trek style.

[3] Shatner wears a great air of weary disbelief about everything and he has plenty of great lines… …he shows a real comic touch here and I was rolling with laughter as he stands up to his chest in Tribbles being pelted from above by them while delivering his lines. Nimoy enjoys himself too with lots of “raised eyebrow” moments…

-Excerpts from IMDB reviews

“Star Trek”: Season 2, Episode 10 (“Journey to Babel”)

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The Enterprise is transporting several diplomatic delegations to a conference on Babel re: the future of the mineral-rich planet, Coridan. This ep introduces the Andorians and the Tellarites; later in the series, we learn that they are two of the four founding members of the United Federation of Planets. Among the passengers are Mr. Spock’s parents, the Vulcan ambassador, Sarek (Marc Lenard), and his human wife, Amanda (Jane Wyatt from Father Knows Best). There is obviously a chill between father and son. It turns out that Sarek is very ill w/ a heart condition; Dr. McCoy wonders if/how he can be saved. To add to the drama, there tension among the delegations; a spy is transmitting messages to a hostile ship which is following closely. When Capt. Kirk is wounded in an attack, Spock takes command just as his father needs a transfusion (that only he can provide)!

In the first ep ever to feature Spock’s parents (who are fan faves); Lenard received more fan mail than Nimoy for two weeks after this aired. We learn that Vulcans have a longer lifespan than humans. Being new to the show, Lenard and Wyatt asked Nimoy for advice on how the two of them could display their love in a subtle way. Nimoy suggested Sarek and Amanda touch and stroke each other’s hand by the index and middle finger. In S1 of TOS, Lenard (who was only 6 yrs older than Nimoy) played the unnamed Romulan commander in another terrific ep- Balance of Terror. Lenard had been a potential candidate for the recasting of Spock (when salary negotiations w/ Nimoy were going on at the end of S1).

Writer D.C. Fontana chose the name “Amanda” for Spock’s mother b/c it means “worthy of love” in Latin- how cool! She had become curious about past references to Spock’s background and fully fleshed them out here. Fontana also thought this would be an interesting way to reflect issues of the Generation Gap. Roddenberry wanted Kirk to be more involved with the story, so he wrote the scene where Amanda explains to Kirk about the rift between her son and husband. However, Fontana felt that it would be inappropriate for Amanda to discuss this w/ someone she had just met.

[1] …though there are some humorous moments, it’s mostly an episode driven by intrigue, suspense and interesting drama on the Vulcan side, where even more backstory is revealed on Spock…

Nimoy gives another subtly excellent performance; his demeanor is slightly different when speaking with his mother about the situation between himself and his father. Despite the Vulcan reserve, you sense his discomfort and sadness.

[2] The presence of Spock’s parents allows writers D.C. Fontana and Gene Roddenberry to further their character development of Spock as a man half-Vulcan and half-human. There are a number of wryly humorous moments between Spock and his father, who we learn not only have the normal Vulcan unemotional relationship, but who have some bad feelings towards each other. Maybe because they’re feelings, they don’t talk about it, and just ignore the situation as best as they can. Amanda… proves to be a surprising fulcrum balancing the two.

-Excerpts from IMDB reviews

“Star Trek”: Season 2, Episode 6 (“The Doomsday Machine”)

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This ep was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation at the 1968 World Science Fiction Convention. Norman Spinrad recycled a short story of his called “The Planet Eater” which was heavily influenced by Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. He convinced Gene Roddenberry that the material would be suitable for his TV show. The U.S.S. Constellation and its crew were destroyed by a “miles long” robot which consumes planets for fuel, leaving only a guilt-ridden/nearly hysterical Commodore Matt Decker (William Windom) aboard the “wasted hulk.” Capt. Kirk, Scotty, and a few crewmen beam over to begin repairs while Decker beams aboard the Enterprise. Kirk loses radio contact w/ his ship. The Planet Killer suddenly attacks the Enterprise, so ship is thrown off-course from the Constellation‘s position. Next, Decker seizes command from Spock- the story takes off! Decker recklessly takes the Enterprise into battle against the seemingly indestructible weapon. Kirk attempts to get the Constellation moving again to come to the aid of the Enterprise.

All our main heroes get something to do here! We see the new Engineering set created for Scotty; he gets a prominent role. Kirk works to repair the other ship, even getting his elbows dirty. McCoy (concerned/frustrated) tries to stop Spock from handing control over to Decker. Spock explains that Starfleet regulations allow it, but notice his side-eye and micro-expressions. Also, McCoy didn’t give Decker a medical exam yet (so can’t qualify him as “unfit for duty”). Sulu is sweating up a storm while trying to figure out whose orders to follow.

According to Windom, he had Decker compulsively twiddle w/ data tapes in his hand as an homage to Humphrey Bogart, who did the same thing w/ ball-bearings as Captain Queeg in The Caine Mutiny (1954). Those data tapes are gold and green, reminiscent of the colors of his and Kirk’s uniforms and hint at the tension between the two starship captains. Windom did not enjoy working on the ep; Shatner and Nimoy weren’t getting along at the time (giving the set a tense atmosphere). He purposely overacted; many years later, Windom realized that his character was a reference to Capt. Ahab from Moby Dick.

This is the most effects-heavy episode of S2; if you’re watching on Netflix (like me), you’re seeing the remastered version. When the series was digitally remastered (for 2007 DVD release), the upgrade required nearly 200 new effects shots. This was one of very few episodes to have its own score composed specifically for it; Sol Kaplan’s music was later used in The Immunity Syndrome, Obsession, and The Ultimate Computer. Many fans have noted similarities between the “planet killer” theme and the “shark” theme in John Williams’ score for Jaws (1975).

[1] The Doomsday Machine is a war story at many levels. It is the story of war spun out of control exemplified by a self-sustaining ancient device which seeks, destroys and digests whole solar systems. It is a story about military conduct aboard Federation ships. And it is, of course, a parable connected to the development and proliferation of nuclear arms.

[2] We’re back to some overwhelmingly grim tidings with this episode, a jarring reminder that there are some very dangerous threats out there in space. In a way, this can be looked upon as a precursor to the entire Borg threat introduced on the TNG series; on that show, something like the Borg was needed to shake the Enterprise and the Federation out of their complacency – or, shake them to the core, as is done to Commodore Decker here.

[3] The cosmic threat of this huge alien weapon, while exciting in itself, takes on a much more darker tone thanks to the presence of Decker on the bridge of the Enterprise. The whole plot seems to take a back seat, for awhile at least, to the strange, awful relationship between our psycho-damaged commodore and this unfeeling machine. Everyone else becomes an incidental side player to the conflict between these two, but, of course, it’s Decker, in his insanity, who creates a relationship; he no longer sees it as just a machine, a programmed robot, but as his personal devil.

-Excerpts from IMDB reviews

“Star Trek”: Season 2, Episode 4 (“Mirror, Mirror”)

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During an ion storm over an alien planet, there is transporter malfunction on the Enterprise. The landing party of Kirk, McCoy, Scotty, and Uhura find themselves in a mirror (parallel) universe aboard a ship run by a ruthless crew. Their evil counterparts take their places on the real ship. Our heroes must find a way back before they’re discovered by a crew (where using treachery, violence, and seduction are common)! Kirk also must avoid destroying the peace-loving Halkans, who refuse to deal w/ the Empire (b/c of the power for destruction that their dilithium crystals would give them).

The Mirror Universe salute may remind modern viewers of the Nazis; however, it comes from Ancient Rome. One the first things you’ll notice is the clothing, accessories, and hair (esp. the mustache and goatee on Spock). TOS was usually not allowed to show women’s navels, but Uhura’s toned abs are visible. They filmed while a PA took the Standards representative to lunch- LOL! Sulu wears a red shirt as he has a different role in Security; he has a long scar on one cheek. Phasers are worn upside-down on the left hip; I only noticed this on my third viewing.

Kirk (to fit in w/ his environment) warns the Halkan commissioner: “We will level your planet and take what we want- that is destruction: you will die as a race.” Kirk is faced w/ more complication when he discovers a gorgeous woman waiting in his quarters- Lt. Marlena Moreau (Barbara Luna- an actress w/ Latina and Filipina heritage). She is clever, opportunistic and feisty; she desires to be “the woman of a Caesar” (another call-back to Ancient Rome). Marlena gets suspicious b/c this Kirk is a lot less brutal and insensitive. After filming had begun, Luna was diagnosed w/ strep throat. Since the script called for Capt. Kirk to kiss her, they had to postpone that scene for three weeks until she was well.

This is one the most popular TOS eps; also, The Mirror Universe was later depicted on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Enterprise. Ronald D. Moore (a writer/producer on later Trek series) cited this episode as one of his favorites; he is also the creator of the rebooted Battlestar Gallactica. The writers examine the negative side of the main characters, which is fun and unexpected. While Spock remains mostly true to the Spock we know/love, Sulu is a cunning schemer and young Chekov turns out to be a risk-taker. I also discovered that there is a second Vulcan serving on the ship (as Mirror Spock’s security guard).

[1] Instead of the usual prime directive and the overriding desire to do good, this anti-Enterprise world is just plain awful and a great counter-point to the sometimes saccharine-like world of Star Trek where everyone gets along a bit too often!

[2] …there’s something about tapping into the dark side of all our beloved characters here which makes this an irresistible mix of tension and adventure – an ultimate Trek, if you will.

[4] The acting takes it over the top. William Shatner’s Kirk displays the quick wits and cleverness that make the character so interesting. And notice how our good guy Kirk is not entirely uncomfortable in his new, dangerous environment. Leonard Nimoy’s evil version of Spock is genuinely menacing in a cool, calculating way. Nichelle Nichols’ Uhura shows us a cunning, wily side… But the acting prize goes to George Takei. …his evil Sulu is slimy, sleazy, scary, and wonderfully despicable.

-Excerpts from IMDB reviews