Note: On the Facebook page, I mentioned a little while back that I had a folder full of drafts I never finished: More than 60 of 'em, in fact. I'm going through that folder now, deleting what's not worth it, posting what might entertain you. This gem dates back to August 2009; I'm skipping around some, chronologically. Also, I am certain I posted this already, and double-certain because there are comments on it already. How it ended up back in the Drafts folder is beyond me.
So I've been watching the first season of the original Star Trek. I'm about halfway through the fifth episode now.
I could do reams of observations like my last post, but today, I feel that I should save you some time, rather than waste it.
In case you were going to do the same thing, for the plot, rather than for the entertainment value of the props and costumes, here is the storyline of each of the first five episodes:
Some creature that is or appears to be human (usually appearing to be a member of the crew) has a dangerous combinations of superhuman powers and pathological personality. The crew of the Enterprise is confused for a while, and havoc is wreaked; in some cases, someone claims they've never seen anything like this before, despite having seen it in the two or three preceding episodes. A female crew member is generally threatened with sexual violence as evidence of the creature's power and evilness. She's not actually violated, due to her fingernails or a convenient intervention on the part of a passing male crew member or both. Then the Enterprise's crew figures the confusion out and fixes it. In the first few episodes, several people die in all the chaos. In the next few, everyone's OK in the end.
The end.
I know that some of my readers are much more devoted followers of Star Trek than I am. Heck, I didn't even know who Gary Mitchell was until last night. Did I get any of that wrong?
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
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5 comments:
Great series , you'll be a trekkie in no time !!
I'm trying to remember the first five episodes... and no, I'm not going to cheat and go look...
1) Where No Man Has Gone Before -- the second pilot -- Gary Mitchell and Sally Kellerman's character get godlike powers/go insane.
2) Can't remember...
3) The Corbimite Manuever -- don't remember much beyond Clint Howard's appearance as the creepy alien.
4) Can't remember (what hell is wrong with me?)
5) The Enemy Within -- first transporter accident episode, first "He's Dead, Jim," first evil Captain Kirk. Undoubtedly the finger nails to which you refer...
6) The Man Trap -- one with the "salt vampire" and curiously the one they broadcast first on tv as a "special preview."
I think the main thing to note is that the first several episodes are... less than memorable. But you're coming up on some better ones... The Naked Time, Balance of Terror, etc.
The whole idea of Yeoman Rand's character was ill-conceived... one of the interesting things you read about, if you read about the production of the show from the first pilot on, was that Roddenberry knew he'd have to fight the network on Spock (a devilish looking alien) and on Number One (Majel Barrett's original character -- a strong woman second-in-command of a starship, who the producer just happened to be sleeping with). The old "punchline" was that he chose to argue for Spock and marry Majel.
I dunno. I'm not saying you're wrong. Star Trek was a product of its time -- there is a TON of sexism (and a lot of it they probably didn't even see), but at the same time, it was progressive in its own way... (I mean, women scientists serving right alongside men... it was somewhat radical). Doesn't mean a lot of it isn't cringe worthy by today's standards. On the other hand, so is Mad Men...
I still don't know who Gary Mitchell is. I hope my geek license is not revoked...
Lisa- Nah, just suspended. http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Gary_Mitchell
We too have been watching Star Trek TOS, we are at the end of the 2nd season. My first thought was that they were obsessed with mind control for the first several episodes.
I also think someone needs to take a look at what movies the studio was making at the time cause the sets all look like they were used for westerns and gladiator movies first.
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