STAR TREK - THE ORIGINAL SERIES SEASON TWO EPISODE GUIDE
1. Amok Time
September 15, 1967
"After a time, you may find that
having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not
logical, but it is often true."
- Mr. Spock
In the throes of his Pon Farr mating
period, Spock must return to Vulcan to meet his intended future wife,
betrothed from childhood.
Director: Joseph Pevney
Writer: Theodore Sturgeon
Guest starring: Mark Russell, Phil Adams,
Mauri Russell, Joseph Paz, Walker Edmiston, Frank da Vinci, Celia
Lovsky, Arlene Martel, Byron Morrow, Lawrence Montaigne, Paul Baxley,
David Perna, Charles Palmer, Gary Wright, Russ Peek
Season 2 introduced new opening credits.
DeForest Kelley's name was added to the "starring" cast and
the theme music was extended and had the female soprano voice Loulie
Jean Norman and percussion added to it.
The first appearance of the Vulcan phrases
"Peace and long life" and "Live long and prosper",
and of the Vulcan hand salute. Leonard Nimoy improvised this salute
based on a traditional Jewish religious hand gesture. This episode
also was the first time the term "Vulcans" was used to
describe the inhabitants of the planet Vulcan. In the previous
season, they were referred to as "Vulcanians". This was one
of Leonard Nimoy's favourite episodes.
Celia Lovsky (T'Pau) was unable to make
the Vulcan salute by herself. The filming crew taped her fingers
together in the appropriate groups, and placed her hand flat on the
armrest of her chair in the configuration. She then simply raised her
hand into view, already in the salute.
The second season rarely featured Lt. Sulu
(George Takei) and Ensign Chekov (Walter Koenig) in the same episode.
Koenig was, in fact, cast as Chekov to fill in for Sulu in the first
few episodes of the second season, while Takei was still involved in
the filming of The Green Berets (1968). The two characters usually
alternated between episodes. The episode "Amok Time" is one
of the few second-season examples of their appearances on-screen
together. This was the first time (in broadcast order) that Walter
Koenig appears as Ensign Pavel Chekov. If you go by production order,
his first appearance is Star Trek: Catspaw (1967).
"Amok Time" was the first aired
episode in Season 2, but according to DVD Commentary, was actually
filmed fifth. Star Trek: Catspaw (1967) was the first to be filmed
for the second season but would not air until over a month after
"Amok Time" as the seventh episode of the season.
The prequel series Star Trek: Enterprise
(2001) considered having its regular Vulcan character (played by
Jolene Blalock) be a younger version of T'Pau. Since that would have
required paying a fee to the estate of Theodore Sturgeon the author
of Amok Time, this plan was abandoned and the new character was
rechristened T'Pol. T'Pau did feature as a guest character in a few
episodes of Enterprise's fourth season.
T'Pau, first played by Celia Lovsky in the
episode Amok Time on Star Trek in 1967 (above left). Kara Zediker
protrays T'Pau on Star Trek Enterprise (above center) and finally
(above right) T'Pau (as a hologram) on Star Trek Voyager played by
Betty Matsushita.
Episode: Amok
Time
It's Kirk vs Spock in the fight to the
death Vulcan koon-ut-kal-if-fee ritual. During the fight, Spock
slashes Kirk with a Lirpa and ruins his shirt.
In the introduction, Spock requests a
leave of absence on Vulcan, with a loss of only 2.8 light-days. In
this context, he is using light-days as a measurement of time. It is,
however, a unit of distance.
After T'Pring chooses Kirk to be her
champion, Kirk and McCoy are speaking with T'Pau. If you look in the
background, you will see Leonard Nimoy standing against the wall with
his hands behind his back, apparently unaware that he is on camera.
Spock is supposed to be off in the corner, deep in the blood fever.
2.
Who Mourns for Adonais?
September 22, 1967
"Apollo's no god, but he could've
been taken for one, though, once.
Say, 5,000 years ago, a highly
sophisticated group of space travelers landed on Earth around the Mediterranean."
- Capatian James T. Kirk
The Enterprise is stopped dead in its
tracks by a powerful energy force that appears in the form of a human
hand. Soon a being claiming to be Apollo orders Kirk and several
others down to the planet below. Apollo claims to have visited Earth
5,000 years ago and Kirk theorizes that he may be telling the truth.
Apollo's demand for unquestioned servitude however doesn't give the
crew much choice and it becomes imperative that they locate and
destroy his power supply.
Director: Marc Daniels / Gilbert A. Ralston
Writer: Gene L. Coon / Gilbert A. Ralston
Guest starring: Leslie Parrish, Michael Forest
This is the very first episode of Star
Trek (1966) (in broadcast order) to feature all seven members of the
original cast - including Walter Koenig who was the last to join the
cast at the very beginning of Season 2.
It was Erich von Däniken who first
published theories concerning ancient aliens coming to earth and
being taken for gods due to their advanced technology being witnessed
by early humanity.
William Shatner was so concerned with the
height disparity that he disallowed any shots which would show him
and the much taller Michael Forest (Apollo) side-by-side in the same
frame. According to Forest, whenever Shatner would speak to him,
Forest would notice Shatner inadvertently standing on his tip toes.
Jon Voight was the first choice for role of Apollo.
When the Enterprise is being held in the
force field "hand", a bridge crewman reports pressure of
1000 gsc. If gsc is grams per square centimeter 1000 is Earth sea
level air pressure and not dangerous. Gene Roddenberry's hand is seen
stopping and holding the Enterprise. When the Enterprise fires on the
temple, the "hand" force field is gone. Spock said that
their emitted energy could only negate part of this field, not the
whole field. Furthermore, if they could completely negate this field,
then they could just beam the landing party up and leave at any time.
(The omission of a visible hand was corrected in the 2006 CGI remaster.)
Apollo and others constantly refer to the
Trojan War time period as "5000 years ago." Since the
Trojan War happened in the 13th century BCE, this would place Star
Trek's setting sometime in the 37th century CE. All other references
throughout the series indicate a date of no later than the 31st
century, before the writers settled on the 23rd.
Lt. Palamas says that in ancient
literature, Apollo was the son of the god Zeus and a
"mortal" named Leto. All known classical references state
that Leto was a Titaness, a member of the elder gods.
When Apollo is mentioning names, he
consistently uses Greek mythology. But then he says
"Hercules". Hercules was the Roman name. The proper Greek
would have been Heracles.
Episode: Who Mourns for Adonais?
Lot's of shirtless and semi-shirtless
action in this episode but NO shirtless Shatner.
3.
The Changeling
September 29, 1967
"We are Nomad. We are Nomad. We are
complete. We are instructed. Our purpose is clear. Sterilize
imperfections. Sterilize imperfections. Nomad! Sterilize! Sterilize!
Nomad! Sterilize!"
- Spock: [conducting a
mild meld with the Nomad probe]
The Enterprise encounters a powerful
energy force that has apparently killed all human life in a solar
system with over one billion inhabitants. They identify the culprit
as a small space probe that had its origins on Earth. Called Nomad,
it merged with another and, as a result, took on a new mission to
destroy all biological beings as being imperfect. It believes Captain
Kirk to be its creator and, as such, has spared the Enterprise and
its crew, at least temporarily.
Director: Marc Daniels
Writer: John Meredyth Lucas
Guest starring: Barbara Gates, Blaisdell
Makee, Marc Daniels, Vic Perrin, Arnold Lessing, Meade Martin
Although
never credited, this episode - which depicted an Earth-launched
space probe that acquires almost unimaginable powers in the course of
the search for its "Creator" - became the inspiration
behind Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979). (It also inspired The
Questor Tapes (1974), a rejected series pilot written by Gene
Roddenberry and Gene L. Coon which also featured a robot with a
damaged memory who searched for its creator.) For this reason, some
fans have appended to Star Trek: The Motion Picture the punning
subtitle "Where Nomad Has Gone Before." The episode also
bears a striking resemblance to The Outer Limits: The Probe (1965),
aired just two years earlier.
The biographical photo of scientist
Jackson Roykirk is of the director Marc Daniels wearing Scotty's
dress uniform.
Nichelle Nichols tells a story of getting
into a dispute with director Marc Daniels over the filming of this
episode. As it had already been established that Uhura's first
language was Swahili, Nichols believed that, after her mind was
erased, Uhura would revert to her first language. However, as Nichols
herself did not speak Swahili, Daniels wanted Uhura to just speak
English. Nichols refused to, telling Daniels, "Nichelle Nichols
doesn't speak Swahili, but Uhura does!" Gene Roddenberry was
eventually brought in to settle the dispute, and he sided with
Nichols. A linguist specializing in Swahili was then brought in to
write the few lines of Swahili that are spoken in the episode.
In this episode, Lt. Leslie appears at
navigation but he is wearing a gold tunic instead of his usual red uniform.
The story implied that Nomad was Earth's
first probe out of our solar system. In actual fact, Pioneer 10 was
the first craft to reach interstellar space.
A wire suspending the Nomad probe is
visible in numerous scenes (namely, at 23:30 when Nomad hovers over
to Spock's computer to read up on human anatomy, and at 28:20 in the
brig before Spock performs a mind-meld).
In the brig's top security cell where
Spock is going to mind-meld with Nomad, the shadow of a boom mic can
be seen on the wall, upper left corner of the screen, at the 28:20 mark.
Episode: "The Changeling"
Two Lieutenant Security Officers
- Vaporized by Nomad when trying to
prevent the probe from leaving confinement
Lieutenant Carlisle, Security Officer and another
Lieutenant (he didn't even have a name),
Security Officer
- Vaporized by Nomad when trying to
prevent the probe from taking a wrong turn
4.
Mirror, Mirror
October 6, 1967
"Captain's log, stardate unknown. We
are trapped in a savage parallel universe from which we must escape
within four hours, or I will face a death sentence at Mr. Spock's hands."
- Captain James T. Kirk
Beamed up during an ion storm, which
causes a transporter malfunction, the landing party of Kirk, McCoy,
Scotty and Uhura find themselves in a mirror universe aboard a
parallel Enterprise run by ruthless barbarians. The ion storm also
caused their mirror universe counterparts to beam aboard their
Enterprise. Kirk and the others must find a way home before they are
discovered and exposed by their mirror universe crew members, who use
treachery, back-stabbing and seduction to get what they want.
Director: Marc Daniels
Writer: Jerome Bixby
Guest starring: Johnny Mandell, Nedra
Rosemond, Bobby Bass, Paul Prokop, Bobby Clark, Barbara Luna, Garth
Pillsbury, Pete Kellett, John Winston, Vic Perrin, Vince Deadrick,
David Perna
It
took about a month to complete this particular episode. After
filming had begun, BarBara Luna was diagnosed with strep throat.
Since the script called for Capt. Kirk to kiss her, they had to
postpone the kissing scene for three weeks until she was medically
cleared, since they couldn't risk William Shatner getting infected.
As mirror Sulu is the security chief as
well as the helmsman, George Takei (left) wears a red uniform in this
episode - since he normally wore gold, and had worn science blue as
an astrophysicist in Star Trek: Where No Man Has Gone Before (1966),
this makes Takei the first Trek actor to wear all three uniform colours.
In the wake of this episode, a group of
child fans started a neighborhood-wide letter campaign suggesting
that the concept of a "Captain's Woman" be carried over
into the series as a whole, and requesting that Stefanie Powers be
cast in that role. Eventually Gene Roddenberry's assistant had to
write to the group's two "ringleaders", telling them to ask
their parents exactly what a "Captain's Woman" was.
Star
Trek was usually not allowed to show women's navels, but Uhura's
navel is visible in the mirror universe (right). Reportedly, this was
accomplished by filming while a PA took the Standards representative
to lunch.
This is the only episode in which Scotty
addresses Kirk as "Jim". Scotty wouldn't call Captain Kirk
"Jim" again until Simon Pegg did it in "Star Trek Into
Darkness" (2013).
This proved to be one of the more popular
Star Trek segments in terms of follow ups. The Mirror Universe would
be depicted on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) and Star Trek:
Enterprise (2001), while several non canonical Star Trek novels and
comic book series featured sequel stories to the episode. The Star
Trek books 'Spectre', 'Dark Victory', and 'Preserver', all written by
William Shatner, are about the mirror universe. They take place in
the 24th Century at around the same time as the Next Generation
movies, and give a 100-year history of events in the mirror universe
starting after this episode. The Mirror Universe was also the subject
of a Star Trek graphic novel in 1991, written by Mike W. Barr, and
published by DC Comics.
Along with Star Trek: The Trouble with
Tribbles (1967), this episode provided footage for the Star Trek 30th
anniversary "mashup" tribute Star Trek: Deep Space Nine:
Trials and Tribble-ations (1996) - specifically the end where
"the new lieutenant" brings a report to Kirk, with Ben
Sisko (Avery Brooks) having been "forrestgumped" into
Marlena Moreau's place (below).
When the landing party is in the middle of
the cross-universe transfer, the USS/ISS Enterprise is seen in orbit
going in opposite directions (USS Enterprise going counterclockwise
[when viewed from above]; ISS Enterprise going clockwise). However,
through the rest of this episode, the ISS Enterprise is going counterclockwise.
The mirror universe has the Terran Empire,
not the United Federation of Planets. Yet about halfway through the
show, the mirror-universe characters begin to refer to Starfleet and
the Federation and don't mention the Empire again.
Episode: Mirror,
Mirror
No actual shirtless Shatner in this
episode but "evil" Kirk does wear a tank top uniform shown
off his ample nacelles, if you pardon the engineering parlance.
5.
The Apple
October 13, 1967
"Scotty... you're my chief engineer.
You know everything about that ship that there is to know. More than
the men who designed it. If you can't get those warp engines
working... you're fired."
- Captain James T. Kirk
Kirk and a landing party beam down to what
seems to be an ideal, Eden-like planet. They soon find however that
the planet is ruled by a powerful computer named Vaal that keeps its
local inhabitants - primitive and simple tribesmen - happy and
healthy. With the Enterprise locked in a tractor beam and slowly
being dragged into the planet's atmosphere, Kirk and Spock must find
a way to disable the computer. Realizing the threat to its existence,
the computer orders the tribesmen to kill the visitors.
Director: Joseph Pevney / Max Ehrlich
Writer: Gene L. Coon / Max Ehrlich
Guest starring: Vince Deadrick, Bobby
Clark, Ron Burke, Paul Baxley, Dick Dial, Shari Nims, David Soul,
Celeste Yarnell, Keith Andes, Mal Friedman, Jerry Daniels, Jay D.
Jones, Julie Johnson
This
episode contains confirmation of a much-speculated upon topic:
whether the Enterprise could separate the Engineering section and
warp nacelles from the primary vessel.
Mentioned in Kirk and Scotty's
conversation by communicator, half-way into the show, after Kirk
beams down to the planet with an away team, and Scotty takes a seat
in the captain's chair on the bridge. However, no starship was ever
shown doing this until Star Trek: The Next Generation: Encounter at
Farpoint (1987), and shown only a few times even after that.
The original script called for an
emergency saucer separation. However, due to budgeting, the effect
was only mentioned but not seen.
Walter Koenig seems to have discarded the
wig he used in his earlier episodes. Since his own hair was now long
enough, it was not necessary for him to wear it anymore. Also,
Chekov's first name, Pavel, is established in this episode, when his
love interest, Yeoman Landon, calls him "Pav".
A number of times Spock is shown using the
tricorder backwards with the screen facing away from him. This
reveals the screen to be blank with no information on it.
Episode: "The
Apple"
Crewman Hendorff, Security Officer
- Killed by thorns of a poisonous plant
Lieutenant Kaplan , Security Officer
- Struck by lightning
Lieutenant Mallory , Security Officer
- Killed by explosive rock
Lieutenant Marple , Security Officer
- Hit with a stick by Akuta
6.
The Doomsday Machine
October 20, 1967
"A cranky transporter's a mighty
finicky piece of machinery to be gambling your life on, sir."
- James Montgomery Scott (Scotty)
The U.S.S. Constellation and its crew were
destroyed by a giant robot ship which consumes planets for fuel,
leaving only a guilt-ridden Commodore Decker aboard the crippled
ship. Kirk beams over to begin repairs while Decker beams aboard the
Enterprise. After Kirk loses radio contact with the Enterprise, the
obsessed Commodore seizes command of the starship, determined to
destroy the planet-killer, even at the cost of Kirk's ship and the
entire crew.
Director: Marc Daniels
Writer: Norman Spinrad
Guest starring: William Windom, Jerry
Catron, Tim Burns, John Copage, Richard Compton, Elizabeth Rogers,
Vince Deadrick
This episode marks the first time Scotty
is heard cursing in Gaelic. He later utters the same expletive in
Star Trek: I, Mudd (1967) and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989).
One of James Doohan's favorite episodes for its highlighting of the
engineering aspects of the Star Trek (1966) world.
This episode marks the debut of the
re-designed engineering set. The dilithium crystal storage units now
occupy the center of the floor (complete with recycled Horta eggs), a
ladder and upper level have been added into what was just a high bank
of lighted panels in the first season. The set also is entered
through a short spur hallway now, rather than as a side door off a
main corridor. The console across from the forced-perspective end of
the set has been replaced by a doorway and moved to the main wall to
the left of the red grid. The huge structures among which Kirk's evil
self and Ben Finney once hid are not seen in detail again, but the
emergency manual monitor set was built on stilts on that spot, making
its debut in Star Trek: Mirror, Mirror (1967).
This
is the first appearance in the series of another vessel identical to
the Enterprise. The Constellation is a Constitution class vessel
which is virtually the same as the Enterprise. It Registry number is
NCC-1017 which implies that it was produced earlier than the
Enterprise. Kirk said in an earlier show that there were only 12
Constitution class ships in service.
According to William Windom, he did not
enjoy working on the show. He said that William Shatner and Leonard
Nimoy were not getting along at the time which made the set's
atmosphere tense. He also said that he felt that the episode was
silly so he purposely overacted. It was not until many years later
that he realized that his character was a reference to Captain Ahab
from Herman Melville's "Moby Dick". Windom also said he had
Decker compulsively twiddle with cassette cartridges in his hand as
an homage to Humphrey Bogart, who did the same thing with
ball-bearings as Captain Queeg in The Caine Mutiny (1954). Robert
Ryan had been offered the role of Commodore Decker but turned it down.
Director Marc Daniels finished this
episode in five days instead of the usual schedule of six. Daniels
made a bet with the producers that he could finish the episode in
five days. When he succeeded, he got a $500 bonus. The story was
taken from an unpublished novel by Norman Spinrad.
Norman Spinrad was disappointed with the
appearance of the planet killer. He envisioned the doomsday machine
with tentacles and lasers. But the actual Doomsday Machine model was
made by dipping a windsock in cement.
In the "Star Trek" novel
"Vendetta", author Peter David related that the
planet-killer was actually a prototype for a much larger version. The
weapon had been built by a race called The Preservers, who were
fighting (and losing) a war with the Borg.
As the Enterprise (under Decker's command)
is being drawn into the planet killer, the actors on the bridge can
be seen reacting to a "whining sound" that was specified in
the script, but ultimately not used.
Scotty looses his Scottish accent when he
delivers the line "Press this one... 30 seconds later,
poof!" His subsequent lines display the correct accent.
After the planet destroyer wipes out the
Enterprise's shields, Lieutenant Palmer gives Mister Spock a damage
report before the machine attacks again. Elizabeth Rogers, the
actress playing Palmer, anticipates the "attack"; she
begins to collapse toward her chair a split-second before the
Enterprise is "hit."
7.
Catspaw
October 27, 1967
"If we weren't missing two officers
and a third one dead, I'd say someone was playing an elaborate
trick-or-treat on us."
- Captain James T. Kirk
When Captain Kirk and his landing party
arrive on Pyrus VII, they are met by eerie mists, a dark castle,
wailing witches, zombies and a black cat. They soon learn that they
are under the influence of alien visitors to our galaxy attempt who
in an attempt to connect with human consciousness, miss, winding up
tapping into the regions of human nightmares instead.
Director: Joseph Pevney
Writer: Robert Bloch
Guest starring: Gary Downey, Antoinette
Bower, Theodore Marcuse, Michael Barrier, Rhodie Cogan, Gail Bonney,
Mary Esther Denver, Jay D. Jones, Mike Howden, Frank da Vinci, Jim
Jones, Vic Toyota, Bobby Bass, Carl Saxe
First
appearance of Pavel Chekov, though not the first one broadcast, that
was episode was Amok Time (1967). At the time Walter Koenig was still
growing his hair out and therefore had to wear a rather unconvincing wig.
A detailed metal prop miniature of the
Enterprise was created for this episode, then laminated in lucite as
one of Korob's tricks. The miniature was donated to the Smithsonian
National Air and Space Museum by Gene Roddenberry.
The three witches seen towards the start
of the episode were intended to be shown as floating severed heads,
hence the reaction from the landing party at their appearance. The
characters (right) wore black turtlenecks against a black backdrop,
with light shining directly up into the face. Unfortunately, the
effect did not work and the turtlenecks worn by the actors can
clearly be seen. Even in the remastered version of the episode, this
oversight is still present.
The ornithoid lifeforms were marionettes
composed of blue fluff, pipe cleaners, crab pincers, and other
materials. The marionettes were operated with thick, black threads
that were clearly visible; most of this was corrected in the
remastered version of the episode. The voices of the little creatures
in the final scene are the sounds made by newly-hatched alligators
calling for their mother.
8.
I, Mudd
November 3, 1967
"Now listen, Spock, you may be a
wonderful science officer but,
believe me, you couldn't sell fake patents
to your mother!"
- Harcourt Fenton Mudd
"I fail to understand why I should
care to induce my mother
to purchase falsified patents."
- Mr. Spock
When an android takes control of the
Enterprise, Kirk and his crew spend four days traveling at warp speed
to an uncharted planet. When they beam down they find none other that
Harry Mudd, the apparent ruler of the planet made up entirely of
androids. It turns out there is one major problem with Harry's
idyllic existence: the androids who serve him hand and foot simply
won't allow him to leave.
Director: Marc Daniels
Writer: David Gerrold / Stephen Kandel
Guest starring: Roger C. Carmel, Ted
LaGarde, Bobby Bass, Maureen Thornton, Vince Deadrick, Starr Wilson,
Tamara Wilson, Colleen Thornton, Loren James, Tom LaGarde, Bob
Orrison, Richard Tatro, Alyce Andrece, Rhae Andrece, Kay Elliot
Producers had problems searching for
identical twins to play androids, casting director Joseph D'Agosta
found two young girls (apparently prostitutes) walking on Hollywood
Boulevard with their pet wild cat, Marlon. He brought the two girls
to meet producer Gene L. Coon and associate producer Robert H.
Justman. While they inspected the girls (who were ultimately deemed
unsuitable for the role), Coon had to hold Marlon, which consequently
scratched him with its claws and tore his entire shirt. Then one
night while driving home Gene Roddenberry saw Alyce Andrece and Rhae
Andrece walking down a street. Roddenberry literally pulled up beside
them, jumped out of his car and told them that they were going to be
on television!
A
third-season appearance of Harry Mudd was planned but axed due to
the producers' desire to move away from comedy episodes. However,
Roger C. Carmel would reprise the role of Mudd as a cartoon voice in
Star Trek: The Animated Series: Mudd's Passion (1973). Mudd was
considered for a return during the Star Trek movies in the 1980s, but
Carmel's failing health nixed that. After the success of the "I,
Mudd" episode NBC considered making a Harry Mudd spin-off
series. They assigned Gene Roddenberry to develop the idea, but being
busy with Star Trek and other projects, he didn't have time for it,
and the series was never conceived.
Simon Pegg (Scotty in the Star Trek
re-boot) has suggested his frequent co-star Nick Frost (Shaun of the
Dead (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), The World's End (2013) and Paul (2011))
as a possible new Harry Mudd. We like that idea!
This marks George Takei's last episode
filmed in the series until Star Trek: Return to Tomorrow (1968).
Takei was on the East Coast filming The Green Berets (1968) and would
be absence for nine episodes. Fans may not have noticed since
episodes broadcast were not necessarily in the order filmed.
Chekov says he's been in Leningrad. In
1914 the name of the city was changed from Saint Petersburg to
Petrograd, in 1924 to Leningrad, and in 1991, back to Saint
Petersburg. The show's writers did not anticipate that the Russian
city of St. Petersburg would drop the name Leningrad centuries before
Mr. Chekov was born.
9.
Metamorphosis
November 10, 1967
"Our species can only survive if we
have obstacles to overcome. You take away all obstacles. Without them
to strengthen us, we will weaken and die."
- Captain James T. Kirk
The Enterprise shuttlecraft, carrying
Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy and critically ill Federation Ambassador Nancy
Hedford, encounters a mysterious energy cloud which pulls them down
to planet Gamma Canaris N. There they meet a castaway, a young man
who purports to be Zefram Cochrane, one of the pioneers of space
flight and the inventor of the Warp Drive. Yet history says Cochrane
had lived to be 80 years of age before disappearing somewhere in space.
Director: Ralph Senensky
Writer: Gene L. Coon
Guest starring: Elizabeth Rogers, Glenn
Corbett, Elinor Donahue
Some shots of Elinor Donahue had to be
re-shot after filming had wrapped. The original film negatives were
damaged during processing. During the break, Ms. Donahue had gotten
pneumonia and lost ten pounds. To hide this, they put Hedford's scarf
around her neck and upper body. Her weight loss is still visible on
her face, although this does fit in with her illness in the story.
This is the first episode in which Captain
Kirk is not on the Enterprise at any time. and the first appearance
in the Star Trek franchise of Zefram Cochrane.
CHARACTER
BIOGRAPHY:
In the Star Trek universe, Dr. Zephram
Cochrane was born in 2032 and is the inventer of the warp drive.
During the 2060s, he lived in Bozeman, Montana in North America,
where he and his team of engineers began developing the warp drive
and finally built Earth's first warp ship, the Phoenix.
On April 4th 2063, he encountered the crew
of the Federation starship USS Enterprise-E who came from the future
to stop a Borg sphere from preventing first contact. Doctor Cochrane
was treated like an historical figure by the crew, as he was to them.
On April 5th, the next day, at 11:00 AM, the Phoenix was launched
with Commander William T. Riker and Lieutenant Commander Geordi La
Forge accompanying him. He broke the warp barrier just after 11:00
AM, enough to draw the attention of a Vulcan ship passing near Earth.
The Vulcan ship landed in Montana that evening, thereby making first
contact with humans, and opening a new era for the whole of mankind.
At the time of First Contact, Zefram Cochrane did not have a grand
vision of ushering in a new era for mankind or of endowing Earth with
the gift of warp technology. These qualities came to be commonly
ascribed to him by later generations, but, as with many of history's
icons, the man himself was more complex.
In fact, Cochrane had a cynical streak. He
had an alcohol abuse problem, and his primary motivation for
developing warp technology was financial gain in the devastated,
poverty-stricken America that existed in the wake of the Third World
War. When confronted with worshipful Enterprise crew members,
Cochrane claimed that he was interested in nothing more than a
simple, to make enough money to retire to a beach somewhere filled
with naked women. He actually had an intense dislike for air and
space travel and preferred taking trains.
In
2119, he officially opened the Warp Five Complex on Earth. During
this speech, Cochrane coined many phrases that would be used by
Starfleet for generations to come, including "where no man has
gone before." Later that year, he left his new home on Alpha
Centauri colony for an unknown destination, and was later presumed dead.
In 2267, Captain James T. Kirk, Commander
Spock, and Dr. Leonard McCoy of the USS Enterprise were ferrying the
terminally-ill Federation commissioner Nancy Hedford aboard the
shuttlecraft Galileo when they were mysteriously brought down on an
asteroid in the Gamma Canaris region. There, they discovered Cochrane
alive and living with a cloud-like entity called the Companion, which
had kept him young and alive over the past 150 years. The Companion
later entered the body of Hedford, and she and Cochrane began a new
life on the asteroid, now with a typical Human life span. Cochrane
had Kirk promise never to reveal the events surrounding their encounter
10.
Journey to Babel
November 17, 1967
"Logic! Logic! I'm sick to death of logic!
Do you want to know how I feel about your logic?"
- Amanda
"Emotional, isn't she?"
- Mr. Spock
"She has always been that way."
- Sarek
"Indeed. Why did you marry her?"
- Mr. Spock
"At the time it seemed the logical
thing to do."
- Sarek
The Enterprise is transporting several
diplomatic delegations to a conference on Babel regarding the future
of the mineral-rich planet Coridan. Among the passengers are Spock's
parents, Ambassador Sarek and Amanda. There is obviously a chill
between father and son owing to Spock's choice of pursuing a career
in Starfleet. Unknown to Spock or his mother is the fact that Sarek
is seriously ill. There is also much tension among the delegations
and a spy on board is transmitting coded messages to a ship that
attacks the Enterprise.
Director: Joseph Pevney
Writer: D.C. Fontana
Guest starring: Cindy Lou, Billy Curtis,
Jane Wyatt, William O'Connell, John Wheeler, James X. Mitchell,
Reggie Nalder, Jim Shepherd
In the first episode ever to feature
Spock's parents, actors Mark Lenard and Jane Wyatt asked Leonard
Nimoy for advice on how the two of them could display their affection
for one another in a subtle way since the Vulcans are without emotion
and since it was Nimoy who had created the Vulcan Neck Pinch and the
Vulcan Salute. Nimoy suggested that they touch and stroke each others
hands by the index and middle finger. Wyatt was not familiar with the
series and had assumed that it was a comedy after reading the script.
But on her first day of work, she saw that the cast and crew took the
show very seriously. Wyatt would only play Spock's mother one more
time, in the film Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986). On Star Trek:
The Animated Series (1973), to save costs, Majel Barrett voiced the
role. Mark Lenard, however, reprised his role of Sarek in the
animated series and again in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
(1984), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered
Country (1991), Star Trek: The Next Generation: Sarek (1990), and
Star Trek: The Next Generation: Unification I (1991).
Though they play father and son, Mark
Lenard was 42 years old at the time and Leonard Nimoy was 36. For two
weeks after the airing of this episode, Mark Lenard received more fan
mail than Leonard Nimoy.
Thelev is the first male Orion seen in
Star Trek. However, since he was disguised as an Andorian for his
entire screen time, we don't see what he "really" looks like.
Kirk is attacked and clearly stabbed in
the lower back. McCoy later reports that the knife narrowly missed
Kirk's heart and Kirk is bandaged across the upper chest, nowhere
near where the knife wound occurred. During the fight, the knife gets
knocked out of Thelev's hand and it falls on the ground to his left.
There is a quick change in camera angle and Thelev is now holding the
knife in his right hand. Also, just before Kirk knocks Thelev to the
floor, the back of his vest has been flipped up. In the next shot, it
is flat on his back. Also, there is no blood on Thelev's knife after
he has wounded Kirk.
Episode: Journey to Babel
Kirk's gets to take his shirt off twice in
this episode. The first time we see Kirk in his quarters changing
from his dress unform into his regular green Captain's shirt. The
second time is in sick bay after a knife attack, with a bandage
around his chest.
11.
Friday's Child
December 1, 1967
"Oochy-woochy kootchie-koo, Captain?"
- Mr. Spock
Kirk, Spock, and McCoy land on a primitive
planet to negotiate a mining treaty, but soon find themselves
involved with intrigue and must flee with a pregnant woman into the
surrounding mountains.
Director: Joseph Pevney
Writer: D.C. Fontana
Guest starring: Dick Dial, Julie Newmar,
Tige Andrews, Michael Dante, Cal Bolder, Ben Gage, Kirk Raymone, Bob
Bralver, Jim Jones, Chuck Clow
This is the only episode in which Uhura
and Sulu call Scotty by his nickname. Otherwise, they call him
"Mr. Scott". When Scotty is in command of the ship, they
receiving a distress call from a Federation freighter, the S.S.
Deirdre. Deirdre is the name of James Doohan's second daughter.
This
episode marks the debut of Sulu's personal scanner at his helm
position. In its first appearance, the device dramatically unfolds
and emerges from inside the helm console.
For his first four appearances in the
series, including this episode, Walter Koenig (right) wore a The
Monkees (1966) style wig, which he absolutely detested. This is also
the first episode which Chekov makes the dubious claim of something
being invented in Russia. In this case he claims that the old Earth
saying: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on
me," was invented in Russia.
In D.C. Fontana's original script, Eleen
sacrificed her child for her own life. But Gene Roddenberry objected
to this and changed the ending. Eleen was originally written to be as
a stronger character who rebels against the male-dominated Capellan
society but this was also changed. Eleen's baby, Leonard James Akaar,
would make numerous appearances decades later as a high-ranking
Starfleet officer in many Star Trek (1966) novels from the Original
Series, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) relaunch novels, and the
Star Trek Titan series, where in the latter he holds the rank of Admiral.
When Mr. Scott calls for battle stations
as the Enterprise approaches the Klingon ship, Mr. Sulu's personal
scanner dramatically emerges out of his helm console. Yet in the very
next scene, the scanner is gone, and there seems to be no space from
which it could emerge again (Sulu's entire console is covered by
controls, which it wasn't before).
A rarely-used shot of the Enterprise from
its right-front side. If you look closely, you can see the ship's
registry is backwards, which would indicate a flipped shot.
Episode: "Friday's
Child"
Lieutenant Grant, Security Officer
- Killed by Capellans on Capella IV with a
kligat after reaching for his phaser at the sight of a Klingon.
12.
The Deadly Years
December 8, 1967
"Based on what Dr. McCoy gave me, I
estimate that physically we each have less than a week to live. Also,
since our mental faculties are aging faster than our bodies, we'll be
little better than mental vegetables in a considerably lesser time."
- Mr. Spock
A landing party, including the command
staff, are infected with a disease that causes rapid aging and senility.
Director: Joseph Pevney
Writer: David P. Harmon
Guest starring: Charles Drake, Sarah
Marshall, Felix Locher, Carolyn Nelson, Laura Wood, Beverly Washburn
William Shatner resisted looking too old
as Captain Kirk aged. This is why at first the aging Kirk's hairline
is receding but later his hair is fuller. The cast wore oversized
versions of their costumes as their characters aged in order to give
the impression that they were shrinking.
No special effects shots were filmed for
this episode. The entire Romulan attack is created by using stock
footage from Star Trek: Balance of Terror (1966) and Star Trek:
Errand of Mercy (1967). In addition, no actual Romulans appeared in
this episode. They would not be seen again until Star Trek: The
Enterprise Incident (1968).
Episode: The
Deadly Years
A shirtless Shatner shows
Kirk's youth and vitality before the rapid aging process strikes him down.
After Johnson dies Dr. McCoy says,
"Last one, Robert Johnson. Cause of death: old age."
Medically speaking, old age is not considered an underlying cause of
death; it's not even considered a disease. The morbid condition that
resulted in or caused death is this case would most likely be
cardiovascular disease.
In the final shot, Chekov is suddenly
wearing a wig instead of his natural hair. (The shot was obviously
borrowed from an earlier episode.)
13.
Obsession
December 15, 1967
"Gentlemen, may I suggest we no
longer belabor the question of whether or not we should have gone
after the creature. The matter has been rendered academic. The
creature is now after us."
- Mr. Spock
Captain Kirk is haunted by a creature from
his past he first encountered as a lieutenant aboard the U.S.S.
Farragut and blames himself for freezing in a moment of crisis,
causing the death of many crewmen. The creature is a cloud-like,
gaseous being that lives on the red blood cells found in humans. When
the Enterprise encounters the creature Kirk is obsessed by his desire
for revenge and to erase the memory of 11 years ago, he pursues the
entity relentlessly, putting in jeopardy an assignment to collect
essential medical supplies.
Director: Ralph Senensky
Writer: Art Wallace
Guest starring: Stephen Brooks, Jerry
Ayres, William Blackburn
Filming took place during the Jewish
holiday of Yom Kippur. Director Ralph Senensky was an observant Jew
and left the set at sundown. Producer John Meredyth Lucas took his
place. Lucas went on to officially direct three episodes of this series.
Although Lt. Leslie is killed by cloud
creature, he is seen later in the episode walking in the background.
According to Eddie Paskey, a scene was written in which Leslie and
the others killed by creature are revived by Dr. McCoy but it was not filmed.
The Cloud Creature is depicted entering
the Enterprise through a jammed impulse engine vent, opened to the
vacuum of space. As it is also depicted as unable to get through
solid material, the only way it could have reached the interior would
have been to open the duct or manifold corresponding to the jammed
impulse engine vent to the ship's interior. This act would have
depressurized the Enterprise, killing all aboard.
Ensign Garrovick states that less than one
ounce of antimatter is more powerful than 10,000 cobalt bombs but the
actual energy yield is only about 1.2 megatons TNT. The implication
that a cobalt bomb releases more energy than a "regular"
nuclear weapon is incorrect; a cobalt bomb is just an ordinary
thermonuclear weapon "salted" with cobalt to produce
long-lived Co-60 in its fallout.
Episode: "Obsession"
Crewman Unknown, Security Officer
Lieutenant Leslie , Security Officer
Ensign Rizzo, Security Officer
Crewman (he didn't even have a name),
Security Officer
- Killed by dikironium cloud through
extraction of erythrocytes. Some of the actors playing security
officers returned from the dead. Casting figured the audience would
never remember what actor played who. No one foresaw DVD's and
repeated episode viewing. Leslie was a popular Enterprise crewmember
and occupies many different positions such as navigator, science
officer, medical officer and, security officer. After his death in
"Obsession" he can be seen prominently and frequently, and
his name is called out a number of times.
14.
Wolf in The Fold
December 22, 1967
"Captain, you mean my neck is gonna
have to depend on some spooky mumbo-jumbo?"
- Montgomery
"Scotty" Scott
While on shore leave on the planet
Argelius II with Dr. McCoy and Captain Kirk, Chief Engineer Scott
finds himself accused of murdering an exotic dancer he met in a
nightclub. He has no recollection of the incident but is found
standing over the girl with a bloody knife in his hand.
Director: Joseph Pevney
Writer: Robert Bloch
Guest starring: John Fiedler, Charles
Macauley, Pilar Seurat, Charles Dierkop, Joseph Bernard, Tania
Lemani, Virginia Aldridge, Judith McConnell, Judi Sherven, Suzanne
Lodge, Marlys Burdette, John Winston, Paul Baxley
A
large number of costumes are reused from previous episodes in the
Argelius bar scene. Some of the extras in the bar are wearing
turtleneck uniforms from Star Trek: The Cage (1986) and Star Trek:
Where No Man Has Gone Before (1966). Two extras in the bar (one of
them is later seen on the foggy street), are wearing the silver cadet
uniforms made for the Finnegan character from Star Trek: Shore Leave
(1966). Also, one bar patron (played by regular background performer
Joe Paz) is wearing Commissioner Ferris' costume from Star Trek: The
Galileo Seven (1967), and another is wearing a colonist jumpsuit
recycled from Star Trek: The Devil in the Dark (1967).
Tanya Lemani (right) did her own belly
dance choreography for the scene, but due to censorship concerns, had
to cover her navel with a jewelled flower.
For most of Star Trek, James Doohan
("Scotty") hides his right hand, which was missing the
middle finger due to a WWII D-Day injury. While being questioned with
his hand resting on some sort of lie detector scanner, his fingers
are hidden by being curled around the edge of the plate. During a close-up
shot of the machine reacting to an intentional lie being told, a
complete five-fingered hand spread across the plate is seen - the
hand is an obvious stunt double.
This is one of the very few episodes of
the second season to feature music composed by Alexander Courage
(mainly because of the feud between Courage and Gene Roddenberry, and
his resulting withdrawal from the series).
We know he's innocent but come on! Scotty
is the only suspect in the murder of Kara the belly dancer but is
allowed to wander off to a secluded chamber supervised only by an
unprotected female.
15.
The Trouble With Tribbles
December 29, 1967
"Aye, sir. Before they went into
warp, I transported the whole kit 'n' caboodle into their engine
room, where they'll be no tribble at all."
- Montgomery
"Scotty" Scott
To protect a space station with a vital
grain shipment, Kirk must deal with Federation bureaucrats, a Klingon
battle cruiser and a peddler who sells furry, purring, hungry little
creatures as pets.
Director: Joseph Pevney
Writer: David Gerrold
Guest starring: Bob Orrison, Jerry
Summers, Dick Crockett, Richard Antoni, Phil Adams, Bob Myles,
William Schallert, William Campbell, Stanley Adams, Whit Bissell,
Michael Pataki, Edwin Reimers, Charlie Brill, Paul Baxley, David L. Ross
Tribbles
have made subsequent appearances in numerous different versions of
Star Trek, including important plot focuses in Star Trek: The
Animated Series: More Tribbles, More Troubles (1973 - and was
originally pitched by writer David Gerrold as a third season episode.
Producer Fred Freiberger rejected it because he did not like the
comedic tone) and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Trials and
Tribble-ations (1996). Tribbles also made cameo appearances in Star
Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
and even Star Trek: Enterprise.
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 members of the production crew. The
crew members were not sure when to stop because they were unable to
see the scene. This is why additional tribbles keep falling on Kirk
one by one. William Shatner can be seen looking perplexed as to why
more tribbles keep falling on him. Shatner recalled the great
enjoyment all the cast had filming this episode. He noted, "The
trouble we had with 'Tribbles' was [to] keep your straight face. It
was just a lot of fun." The episode was nominated for a Hugo
Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.
According to David Gerrold's The World of
Star Trek, Tribbles would be around the set for some time afterward,
allowing for occurrences such as what was mentioned earlier or
popping up in various other places as well for some months after the
production of the episode.
The line in which Spock says that Kirk
heard what Baris said, but could not believe his ears, was lifted
directly from a Mad Magazine spoof of Star Trek (titled Star Blecch)
that had just been published.
The noises that the tribbles make were a
combination of dove coos, screech owl cries and air escaping from balloons.
During the famous "bar fight",
careful observers will note that while tables are broken, all the
chairs remain intact. The tables were studio property: the chairs
were rented, and if damaged would have to be paid for. James Doohan
insisted on doing his own stunts during the scene.
George Takei does not appear in this
episode. For much of the second season, he was filming The Green
Berets (1968). Many scenes written for Sulu were switched over to Chekov.
This episode is based upon the short
story, "Pigs Is Pigs" by Ellis Parker Butler and greatly
resembles one subplot in The Rolling Stones, a 1952 novel by Robert
A. Heinlein. Gene Roddenberry and Heinlein made an undisclosed
copyright agreement before The Trouble With Tribbles aired. Heinlein
conceded to writer David Gerrold that both he and Gerrold possibly
"owed something to Ellis Parker Butler".
Untitled
16.
The Gamesters of Triskelion
January 5, 1968
"Captain's log, supplemental.
Stardate, unknown. Our strange captivity continues. This planet is
called Triskelion. We do not know its location. We do not know who
controls it. Its dangers are abundantly clear."
- Captain James T. Kirk
Kirk, Uhura and Chekov are trapped on a
planet where abducted aliens are enslaved and trained to perform as
gladiators for the amusement of bored, faceless aliens.
Director: Gene Nelson
Writer: Margaret Armen
Guest starring: Bart La Rue, Walker
Edmiston, Joseph Ruskin, Angelique Pettyjohn, Steve Sandor, Jane
Ross, Victoria George, Dick Crockett, Mickey Morton, Robert Johnson
The look of the character Galt was modeled
after Ming the Merciless, the archenemy from the Flash Gordon comic strip.
The backdrop for the Gamesters'
underground lair is a reused matte painting previously appearing in
Star Trek: The Devil in the Dark (1967). The knives are reused from
Star Trek: Mirror, Mirror (1967).
At one point, Spock and McCoy briefly
discuss how long one could possibly survive trapped in a transporter
beam. The Star Trek The Next Generation episode Relics would reveal
how Scotty survived for approximately 75 years after being held in a
transporter beam.
The voice of the third Provider is of Bob
Johnson who also provided the voice on those mission tapes from
Mission: Impossible (1966).
Episode: The Gamesters
of Triskelion
Kirk, Uhura and Chekov are
kidnapped by three alien brains, who let slaves fight against each
other for their amusement and Shatner's shirt doesn't survive the battle.
17.
A Piece of the Action
January 12, 1968
"Logic and practical information do
not seem to apply here."
- Mr. Spock
The Enterprise investigates a planet
visited 100 years ago by the U.S.S. Horizon. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy
beam down and discover that the planet is suffering from cultural
contamination from the earlier expedition and all the inhabitants
mimic the culture of 1930's gangland Chicago.
Director: James Komack / David P. Harmon
Writer: Gene L. Coon / David P. Harmon
Guest starring: William Blackburn, Jay D.
Jones, Marlys Burdette, Anthony Caruso, Vic Tayback, Lee Delano, John
Harmon, Sheldon Collins, Dyanne Thorne, Sharyn Hillyer, Buddy Garion,
Steve Marlo
Kirk makes up the rules of the card game
"fizz bin" as he goes along. William Shatner ad libbed the
rules, so his pauses to think and the other actors' confusion are all
genuine. In Diane Duane's novel "The Empty Chair", McCoy
invents a new version, Tournament Fizzbin, with the help of Kirk,
Sulu, Scotty, and a great deal of Romulan ale.
This is the only time in the original
series in which the Enterprise ship phasers are used to stun, and not
to kill or destroy or damage. It is also the only time the Enterprise
ship phasers are used for a wide proximity shot, such as in this case
when they are set to blanket a one city block area around a central
point in order to stun a dispersed group of people.
When Kirk and Spock "borrow" an
old-fashioned Earth-style car, 1931 Cadillac V-12 Model 370-A
Roadster, it is one of a few times in the oroginal series that any
character is depicted using ground transportation. Another was when
"Assignment: Earth" Robert Lansing as "Gary Seven"
hitched a ride in the trunk of a 1966 Dodge Coronet.
Marvel Comics published a sequel story to
this episode as part of their Star Trek: Unlimited series. The story,
"A Piece of the Reaction" featured the crew of the U.S.S.
Enterprise-E (from Star Trek: First Contact (1996)) returning to the
planet to discover that its society had in fact gone on to model
itself after 23rd Century Starfleet, thanks to the communicator McCoy
left behind. The planet is now led by the tough kid Kirk and Spock
met in the street, who wishes to hijack the Enterprise-E and finally
gain command of a starship, just like his idol, James T. Kirk.
The balls on the billiard table change
frequently, between shots, and also remain exactly the same when the
camera is looking at Kirk, despite Oxmyx having made several shots.
When they arrive on the planet, Kirk,
Spock, and Bones notice a woman walk by wearing a gray miniskirt.
Later, when they are confronted by Oxmyx's men, the same woman is
seen walking behind them. In the very next shot, she is seen walking
across the street.
18.
The Immunity Syndrome
January 19, 1968
"Captain's personal log - stardate
4309.2. We have established that the thing which destroyed the U.S.S.
Intrepid and the Gamma 7A system is an incredibly huge but simple
cellular being whose energies are totally destructive to all known
life. Both Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy have volunteered to go in a
specially equipped shuttlecraft to penetrate the cell, find a way to
destroy it and free the ship. Dr. McCoy has the medical and
biological knowledge. Mr. Spock is better suited physically and
emotionally to stand the stress. Both are right, both are capable...
and which of my friends do I condemn to death?"
- Captain James T. Kirk
The Enterprise is sent to investigate the
disruption of the Gamma VII-A solar system and the destruction of the
U.S.S. Intrepid, staffed solely by Vulcans. When they arrive they
find a large dark mass floating in space that is draining energy from
everything around it, including the Enterprise. They must destroy the
enormous space amoeba before it reproduces and threatens known space.
Director: Joseph Pevney
Writer: Robert Sabaroff
Guest starring: Robert Johnson, Jay D.
Jones, Dick Dial
When McCoy and Spock leave the bridge
after Spock's near-collapse in the opening scene, Kyle, at the helm,
is wearing a red shirt. McCoy gives Spock an examination, but does
not confine him to Sickbay, so we can surmise that Spock is only off
the bridge for a couple of hours at the most. When he returns, Kyle
is wearing a gold shirt.
The shuttle used is the Galileo. The
Galileo was destroyed at the end of, "The Galileo Seven",
from season one.
In the epilogue, McCoy chastises Spock for
"botching the acetylcholine test" during his shuttle pod
trip through the organism. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter, so it
isn't something one would expect to find inside single-celled organisms.
19.
A Private Little War
February 2, 1968
"Then we arm our side with exactly
that much more. A balance of power - the trickiest, most difficult,
dirtiest game of them all, but the only one that preserves both sides!"
- Captain James T. Kirk
Kirk returns to the planet where he spent
time 13 years before. A friend from his previous visit is now leader
of his people. While trying to uphold the Federation's prime
directive, Kirk becomes involved in an arms race when the Klingons
start equipping a rival native group with superior weaponry.
Director: Marc Daniels / Don Ingalls
Writer: Gene Roddenberry / Gene L. Coon
Guest starring: Roy Sickner, Bob Lyon, Bob
Orrison, Gary Carpenter, Paul Baxley, Janos Prohaska, Arthur Bernard,
Booker Bradshaw, Ned Romero, Michael Witney, Nancy Kovack, Regina
Parton, David Perna
The Star Trek Universe has been known to
tackle societal, political, environmental, and other types of issues
throughout the history of the franchise. This one tackled the Vietnam
War head-on, not only specifically pointing out the "20th-Century
brush wars on the Asian continent", but also as portraying the
Federation and the Klingon Empire as superpowers using an otherwise
peaceful world as pawns in their struggle for power (a direct
allegory of the Cold War at that time, between NATO and the Red Bloc).
Episode: A
Private Little War
Kirk and McCoy go native
when they visit Tyree's planet wearing loose fitting anumal skins.
Later, Kirk's chest is fully exposed after Nona nurses him back to
health after being attacked by a Mugato.
The Mugato was called The Gumato in the
original script. But DeForest Kelley kept mispronouncing it so it was
changed. The closing credits still name the creature as The Gumato.
Scotty says that a flintlock would be the
first firearm a society would develop. Actually, the matchlock and
firefock predate the flintlock.
20.
Return to Tomorrow
February 9, 1968
"Medical log, Stardate 4770.3. Do I
list one death or two? When Kirk's body died, Sargon was too far
distant from his receptacle to transfer back. Sargon is dead. But is
Captain Kirk dead? His body is, but his consciousness is still in the
receptacle into which it was transferred earlier."
- Dr. Leonard
"Bones" McCoy
The Enterprise discovers three
discorporeal intelligences who seek their help in gaining physical
bodies... but one of them has plans of his own.
Director: Ralph Senensky / John T. Dugan
Writer: Gene Roddenberry
Guest starring: Diana Muldaur, Cindy Lou,
James Doohan, Roger Holloway
First Star Trek appearance of Diana
Muldaur (below). She would also appear as Miranda Jones in the
episode Star Trek: Is There in Truth No Beauty? (1968), and as Dr.
Kathryn Pulaski in 20 episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987).
In Kirk's speech on risk, he states
"Do you wish that the first Apollo mission hadn't reached the
moon?" At the time of the original airing, only one year after
the launch pad fire that killed the Apollo 1 crew, reaching the moon
was far from certain and the risks were enormous.
The voice of Sargon was played by James
Doohan. Sargon of Akkad was a Mesopotamian king, who by most
accounts, began ruling around 2269 B.C. In the show the year is
around 2268 A.D.
Dr. Ann Mulhall wears a red tunic, but she
is described as a astrobiologist, which should put her in the
Sciences division and have her wearing a blue tunic.
Kirk and his crew disbelieve that fully
functioning android bodies can exist, apparently forgetting their
encounters with such beings in Star Trek: What Are Little Girls Made
Of? and Star Trek: I, Mudd.
21.
Patterns of Force
February 16, 1968
"Even historians... fail to learn
from history. They repeat the same mistakes."
- Professor John Gill
The Enterprise searches the reportedly
primitive and warlike planet Ekos for the missing Federation cultural
observer Professor John Gill. When Kirk and Spock beam down, they
discover Professor Gil has contaminated the culture, rendering it
into a near-duplicate of Nazi Germany, with himself as their Fuhrer.
Director: Vincent McEveety
Writer: John Meredyth Lucas
Guest starring: Ralph Maurer, Gilbert
Green, Chuck Courtney, William Blackburn, William Wintersole, Patrick
Horgan, David Brian, Skip Homeier, Valora Noland, Richard Evans, Ed
McCready, Bart La Rue, Paul Baxley, Peter Canon
Due to the post-war German ban on
Nazi-related imagery and paraphernalia, this was the only Star Trek
episode that was not shown on German TV until mid-1990's, when these
restrictions were gradually relaxed to allow for artistic expression.
This episode was filmed on the 25th
anniversary of the Holocaust. William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, both
being of Jewish backgrounds, felt compelled that Kirk (disguised as
an S.S. Obersturmführer) and Spock (disguised as a member of the
Gestapo) should defeat the Nazi Reich on planets Ekos and Zeon.
The
"leader principle" Kirk mentions at the end of the episode
was a foundation of the leadership in Nazi Germany. Known in German
as "Führerprinzip", it essentially can be described as
a state of law in which there are no laws above those of the
Führer, and that the government must obey and enforce such laws.
So it's kind of like, "If the President does it, it's not a crime?"
Skip Homeier, who plays Melakon, would
later play the insane hippie leader Dr. Sevrin (right) in the third
season episode Star Trek: The Way to Eden (1969).
Another of several "parallel
Earth" plots in the series, contrived to save money by avoiding
the necessity for "alien" sets, costumes and makeup.
Episode: Patterns
of Force
After an attempt to pass as
space Nazis, Kirk and Spock are captured and apparently tortured. This
is the only time on Star Trek that Leonard Nimoy is seen without a shirt.
Spock refers to Nazi Germany as a
"tiny country" which rose to dominate Europe. In fact,
Germany was already the largest country in Western Europe in 1933
when the Nazis took over.
Kirk and Spock's tools, including the
Universal Translators, are confiscated upon their capture, yet they
continue to talk with Ekosians and Zeons with no trouble.
While in the jail cell and attempting to
remove the transponders from their arms with bed spring, the
handcuffs that Kirk is wearing are clearly unlocked and open.
It is never explained why John Gill had to
introduce actual Nazi symbols (the swastika, specific uniforms, the
word Fuehrer) in order to have the society emulate certain Nazi
principles. Also, although it makes sense that someone like Gill
could introduce certain technological advances that would take root
and blossom very quickly, it makes no sense that the planet looks
exactly like 1930s or 1940s Germany. Why would Gill waste his time
introducing old specs for things such as Tommy guns and automobiles?
22.
By Any Other Name
February 23, 1968
"Well, sorry, this galaxy is already occupied."
- Captain James T. Kirk
The Enterprise's command crew must thwart
an invasion by aliens from another galaxy who plan to conquer this one.
Guest starring: Warren Stevens, Barbara
Bouchet, Stewart Moss, Robert Fortier, Lezlie Dalton, Carl Byrd,
Julie Cobb
Second appearance of the Galactic Barrier
at the edge of the galaxy. The first was Star Trek: Where No Man Has
Gone Before (1966).
A three-dimensional chess set is often
seen in the series, but a three-dimensional checkers set can be seen
in the rec room in this episode. It is later destroyed in a fight (below).
While drinking with Tomar, Scotty finds a
bottle of unidentifiable alcohol, and when Tomar asks, "what is
it?" Scotty hesitates for a moment and finally says "it's
green." In the ST:TNG episode "Relics," where James
Doohan reprises his role as Scotty, Data finds a bottle of
unidentifiable alcohol in Guinan's bar; when Scotty asks "what
is it?" Data sniffs the bottle, hesitates, and finally says,
"it is green."
Yeoman Leslie Thompson has the dubious
distinction of being the only female "redshirt" to die in
Star Trek: The Original Series.
Guest star Barbara Bouchet (born Barbara
Gutscher, August 15th 1943) was born in Reichenberg, Protectorate of
Bohemia and Moravia, a part of Czechoslovakia that was ceded to Nazi
Germany and is today part of the Czech Republic. After World War II,
her family was placed in a resettlement camp in the American
occupation zone in Germany. They were granted permission to emigrate
to the United States under the humanitarian provisions of the
Displaced Persons Act of 1948.
After arriving in the United States, the
family lived in Five Points, California on the west side of the
Central Valley and eventually settled in San Francisco, where
Gutscher was raised. During the early 1960s San Francisco Bay Area
television station KPIX-TV ran a show named The KPIX Dance Party and
offered Gutscher the opportunity to become a member of the show's
dance group. These were teenage dancers who danced live to the hit
songs of the day and became locally known in their own right by being
on television six days per week. She was on the show from 1959 until
1962, then moved to Hollywood to get into the film industry, changing
her Germanic sounding surname to the French sounding Barbara Bouchet.
Bouchet
began her career modelling for magazine covers and appearing in
television commercials, before eventually becoming an actress. Her
first acting role was a minor part in What a Way to Go! (1964), which
led to a series of other roles in the 1960s. She appeared in the
films John Goldfarb, Please Come Home (1964), In Harm's Way (1964),
and Agent for H.A.R.M. (1966).
She has acted in more than 80 films and
television episodes including Star Trek (1968), The Man from
U.N.C.L.E. (1966 above left), Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1965
above right), Sweet Charity (1969) and Casino Royale (1967 above
center) where she played the role of Miss Moneypenny.
Bouchet appeared, semi-nude, in two
editions of Playboy magazine: May 1965 (stills from In Harm's Way)
and February 1967 ("The Girls of Casino Royale"). Tired of
being typecast and unable to get starring roles in Hollywood, Bouchet
moved to Italy in 1970 and began acting in Italian films. In 1983 she
starred with Gregory Peck in TV movie The Scarlet and The Black and
in 1985, she established her own production company and started to
produce a successful series of fitness books and videos. Bouchet
speaks English, German and Italian with equal fluency and continues
to act in both films and TV shows mostly in Europe and appeared as
Mrs. Schermerhorn in Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York (2002).
Once the Kelvans have accepted their human
forms, Kirk welcomes them all as new citizens of the Federation and
urges them to start an official colony on the planet where they had
crashed. No mention is made of holding Rojan responsible for the
murder of Yeoman Leslie Thompson.
Episode: "By
Any Other Name"
Crewman Leslie Thompson, Yeoman
- Turned into a mineral cube by Rojan and
crushed. She is the only female redshirt to be killed.
23.
The Omega Glory
March 1, 1968
"I don't think we've a right or the
wisdom to interfere, however a planet is evolving."
- Captain James T. Kirk
Responding to a distress signal, Kirk
finds Captain Tracey of the U.S.S. Exeter violating the prime
directive and interfering with a war between the Yangs and the Kohms
to find the secret of their longevity.
Director: Vincent McEveety
Writer: Gene Roddenberry
Guest starring: Morgan Woodward, Roy
Jenson, Irene Kelly, Morgan Farley, Lloyd Kino, Ed McCready, Frank Atienza
This
was one of three scripts submitted to NBC (along with Star Trek:
Where No Man Has Gone Before (1966) and Star Trek: Mudd's Women
(1966)) when they were seeking to do a second pilot for the series.
They ultimately chose to kickstart the series with "Where No Man
Has Gone Before".
Scenes from The Omega Glory were featured
in a set of View Master (3-D) slides. For some reason in the View
Master adaptation the Yangs were renamed the Meraks.
Roy Jenson plays Cloud William, the chief
of the tribe of "Yangs" (Yanks) on a parallel planet who
have survived, evolved and waged a guerrilla war against the invading
"Kohms" (Communists) by taking to the mountains and plains
and adapting to the tribal lifestyle of the American Indian. In Red
Dawn (1984), Jenson plays the father of Robert Morris, one of the
main characters, a band of American teenagers who escape to the
mountains during a Communist invasion of the United States and
survive to wage a guerrilla war largely by adapting to the tribal
lifestyle of the American Indian.
When
Dr. McCoy analyzes the crystals on the U.S.S. Exeter, he identifies
them as the crew members bodies after water is removed. He says the
human body is 96% water and does a tricorder analysis of the
remaining 4% and reports it as 35% potassium and 18% carbon. His
percentages are either wrong mathematically or physiologically. The
96% figure refers not exclusively to water but organic elements,
which includes body fat and sugars in addition to water. While carbon
does account for 18% of the total body mass, after removing water the
percentage should have been 74%. The content of the minerals is also
incorrect. Calcium accounts for 38% and potassium accounts for 10%,
not the stated 35%.
Tracey asks "How long would a man
live if all disease were erased?" The problem is the immune
system would breakdown without something to fight, just as muscles
atrophy due to lack of use.
Early on, when Kirk is calling from the
Exeter's engineering section to the rest of the ship, we see various
shots of different parts of the ship. One of those shots is of an
empty engineering deck, which makes no sense - that is where he is
calling from.
Episode: "The
Omega Glory"
Lieutenant Galloway, Security Officer
- Vaporized with a phaser by Captain
Ronald Tracey
24.
The Ultimate Computer
March 8, 1968
"Please, Spock, do me a favor, and
don't say it's fascinating."
- Doctor Leonard
"Bones" McCoy
Kirk and a skeleton crew are ordered to
test out an advanced artificially intelligent control system - the
M-5 Multitronic system, which could potentially render them all
redundant. Star fleet is very optimistic, but, Kirk fears - even in a
testing situation - removing humans from the equation is a very
dangerous position to be left in. A position of life or death.
Director: John Meredyth Lucas / Laurence
N. Wolfe
Writer: D.C. Fontana
Guest starring: William Marshall, Sean
Morgan, Barry Russo, James Doohan
The Daystrom Institute, mentioned
prominently in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), Star Trek: Deep
Space Nine (1993), and Star Trek: Voyager (1995), is named for Dr.
Richard Daystrom, the guest character in this episode.
In addition to playing his regular role of
Chief Engineer "Scotty" Scott, in this episode James Doohan
also provides the voice of the computer M-5, as well as that of the
briefly heard and unnamed starbase officer who gives Commodore Wesley
and the other starship commanders permission to destroy the Enterprise.
In his 1999 essay "Welcome Aboard the
Enterprise," science fiction author Robert J. Sawyer writes,
"...the ship's computers, as seen in "The Ultimate
Computer," were designed by a Nobel-prize-winning black
cyberneticist, played with equal dignity by William Marshall (above
left). During the era of Martin Luther King and the Watts Riots, it
was a powerful, important statement to have the white captain of the
Enterprise deferring to black people; as Marshall observed thirty
years later, the single most significant thing about his
guest-starring role was that he, an African-American, was referred to
as "Sir" throughout the episode."
Robert Wesley was named for a pseudonym
that Gene Roddenberry had used early in his career, and in fact,
"Wesley" is Roddenberry's given middle name. The name shows
up again of course as Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: The Next generation.
Spock observes to Dr. McCoy that it is
unfortunate no computer can replace a starship surgeon. Of course a
computer does in Star Trek Voyager with the introduction of the
holographic Doctor.
Kirk gets the M-5 to commit suicide by
asking what is the penalty for murder, to which it replies
"Death." However, in Star Trek: The Menagerie: Part I, it's
established that the death penalty has been abolished for all crimes
with the exception of visiting Talos IV.
Episode: "The
Ultimate Computer"
Crewman Harper, Engineer
- Vaporized by plasma flow activated by
computer M-5 to restore its power supply
25.
Bread and Circuses
March 15, 1968
"Captain? Both amplitude and
frequency modulation being used.
I think I can pick up something visual -
some news broadcast using a system I... think they once called video."
- Uhura
The S.S. Beagle, missing for six years, is
found as debris near Planet IV of System 982. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy
beam down to the planet to investigate and find a ragged group of
fugitive slaves trying to stay hidden from the police. These "sun
worshippers" distrust the landing party but soon discover that
they are not a threat. Kirk informs them that he is looking for
another group of strangers led by a man named Merik. Merikus is the
First Citizen of the Empire, but Kirk is not sure if it is the same
man. Pursuaded to help them find Merik and his crew, the leader of
the fugitives sends Flavius, an ex-gladiator, to be their guide. The
landing party, however, is soon captured and led into the city where
they discover a civilization much like 20th century Earth, but
culturally similar to ancient Rome. The landing party find Merik, now
First Citizen Merikus, who six years ago abandoned his ship and
beamed his crew down to the planet.
Director: Ralph Senensky / John Kneubuhl
Writer: Gene Roddenberry / Gene L. Coon
Guest starring: Tom Steele, Gil Perkins,
Paul Stader, Bob Orrison, William Smithers, Logan Ramsey, Ian Wolfe,
William Bramley, Rhodes Reason, Bart La Rue, Jack Perkins, Max
Kleven, Lois Jewell, Paul Baxley, Allen Pinson
The
coat of arms on the clothes of the Proconsul Claudius Marcus is the
coat of arms of William Shakespeare.
Gene Roddenberry and Gene L. Coon wrote
this episode's teleplay from a story by playwright and television
writer John Kneubuhl. However, Roddenberry and Coon received sole
writing credit for the episode.
This episode marks the final appearance of
Kirk's second season green wrap around tunic. Beginning in Star Trek:
Assignment: Earth (1968), which followed, and when the series
returned for its third and final season Kirk goes back to wearing his
standard gold and black v-neck tunic full time.
The name of Merrick's merchant vessel, the
S.S. Beagle, is a reference to the vessel famous for carrying Charles
Darwin on the mission to chart South America, the H.M.S. Beagle,
which would, coincidentally, turn into a five year mission, and the
early basis for Darwin's "On the Origin of Species."
The final twist involves the similarity
between the words son and sun in the neo-Roman culture. Ironically,
this pun only works in Germanic languages such as English. It could
never work in Latin (the real Roman Empire's primary language) nor
its Romantic derivatives such as Italian, where the words for son
(filius/figlio) and sun (sol/sole) do not sound the slightest bit alike.
During Kirk's log entry about being in a
modern-day Rome, we are taken on a "tour" of the city's
landmarks, including the main library at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology (plainly readable on the facade) and the California
Palace of the Legion of Honor, in San Francisco (as evidenced by the
French - not Latin - inscription "Honneur et Patrie" on the building).
Whenever a machine gun is being fired, it
is being held by the magazine. This would lead to the breach jamming.
During the jail scene with Spock and McCoy
together in the cell, the joint on Spock's prosthetic pointed left
ear can clearly be seen peeling.
26.
Assignment: Earth
March 29, 1968
"Captain's log. Using the light speed
breakaway factor, the Enterprise has moved back through time to the
20th century. We are now in extended orbit around Earth, using our
ship's deflector shields to remain unobserved. Our mission -
historical research. We are monitoring Earth communications to find
out how our planet survived desperate problems in the year... 1968."
- Captain James T. Kirk
The Enterprise is sent on a mission back
to Earth in the year 1968 to discover details about how the planet
survived the arms race. While in orbit, the ship intercepts a
transporter beam from an unknown part of the galaxy and beams the
space traveler aboard. Surprised by what has taken place, the man
identifies himself as Gary Seven and claims to be a 20th Century
Earthman raised on an unknown world and trained to prevent Earth from
destroying itself. Kirk decides to verify Seven's story before
releasing him, but Seven escapes and beams down to the planet below.
Kirk and Spock follow him to New York City, and Seven meanwhile
discovers that two of his fellow agents have been killed in a auto
accident. Seven is forced to complete their mission himself which is
to sabotage an orbital nuclear platform, just low enough in the
atmosphere to scare Earth leaders into prohibiting additional nuclear
space weapons.
Director: Gene Roddenberry / Marc Daniels
Writer: Art Wallace
Guest starring: Barbara Babcock, Majel
Barrett, Robert Lansing, Teri Garr, Don Keefer, Lincoln Demyan,
Morgan Jones, Bruce Mars, Ted Gehring, Paul Baxley, James Doohan
Spock mentions all the events which are to
occur on that date the Entrerpise crossed the time line into the 20th
century and met up with Gary Seven. Amongst the events mentioned,
were an important political assassination. As it turned out, there
were ultimately two important political assassinations in 1968;. Just
six days after this episode aired on March 29th, 1968, Reverend
Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed in Memphis, Tennessee on
April 4th, 1968, and two months later, on June, 6th 1968, Senator
Robert F. Kennedy was killed in Los Angeles, California on the night
he won the California Democratic Presidential Primary.
The original draft script was not a Star
Trek project. Gary Seven was an Earthman from the future who had been
sent back in time to combat the Omegans, an evil alien people who'd
mastered time travel. When ASSIGNMENT EARTH didn't sell as a separate
television series, the concept was rewritten into the STAR TREK format.
Gary Seven's computer display is the same
one used as Dr. Daystrom's M-5 computer in Star Trek: The Ultimate
Computer (1968), as well as being used by Mr. Atoz, the librarian, in
All Our Yesterdays.
Only episode of the original series where
a guest star is listed in the opening sequence rather than in the end
credits: "Starring Robert Lansing as Gary Seven" is
displayed when Gary Seven is first shown in the transporter.
Captain Kirk's closing comment - "I'm
sure they'll have many interesting adventures together" hoped to
set up a spin-off series which never materialised. The series would
have featured Robert Lansing as Gary Seven, Barbara Babcock as Isis,
and Teri Garr as Roberta Lincoln. In the new series, the intrepid
three would have worked to make sure humanity achieved the destiny
glimpsed via the Star Trek (1966) characters and Seven's mysterious
extraterrestrial information.
The script called for Isis, when in cat
form, to make various cat sounds on cue (meows, purrs, growls, etc.)
Since finding appropriate real cat sounds for the soundtrack proved
problematic, the director discovered that Barbara Babcock, who was
hired to do the voice of the Beta 5 computer, could vocalise
convincing cat sounds, Barbara was called upon to vocalise Isis' cat
sounds as well. Victoria Vetri, Playboy Playmate of 1968, portrayed
Isis in human form and three black cats were used in the production.
Angela Dorian (above, AKA Victoria Vetri)
had a brief cameo as Isis the Woman in this episode. Dorian appeared
in many small roles in movies and on television in the 60s and 70s,
including: Rosemary’s Baby, The Invasion of the Bee Girls,
Hogan’s Heroes, Perry Mason, Bonanza, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
and The Courtship of Eddie’s Father. She was also Playboy
Playmate of the Year 1968. In 2010, she was charged with the
attempted murder of her husband. In 2011 she pleaded no contest to
attempted voluntary manslaughter and got nine years in prison.
Teri
Garr had such an unpleasant time filming this episode, that she
refused to ever talk about Star Trek. Too bad, it's one of our
favorite Trek episodes largely because of Teri Garr. In a 1991
Starlog Magazine interview she states, "I have nothing to say
about it. I did that years ago and I mostly denied I ever did it."
When asked about director Marc Daniels she
said, "He’s dead. I liked Gene Roddenberry, but I don’t
remember those people. I really don’t want to talk about Star Trek."
Roberta Lincoln’s distinctive dress
was a sore spot for actress. The dress’ hemline started out
being more modest, but the powers-that-be kept that hem rising until
it was almost a micro skirt instead of a mini.
In Garr's autobiography, her opjections to
the show seem to soften.
And then I got my first big break as an
actress. A friend in my acting class told me that they were casting a
guest role on Star Trek.&ldots; This role was supposed to spin off
into its own series – Assignment: Earth. It was going to be
tough to get an audition – all the big agents were clamouring to
get their clients seen, and my agent wasn’t in that league.&ldots;
Luckily my friend from acting class had an
in and helped me get through the door. I never thought I would get
the part because I was still really just a dancer.&ldots; I had no
real credibility as an actress.&ldots; Then I read the script and saw
that in the first scene my character was flustered because she was
late. I thought: Well, I’m always late. I can do late. After I
did the reading they asked me to come in for a screen test. I’d
never had a screen test before! They cut my hair short and put me in
front of a camera. They had me turn in a circle very slowly. Then
they asked me easy questions.&ldots; I was overjoyed to be having a
screen test. I didn’t dare hope I’d get any further, but
the next thing I knew, they were calling me to appear on set. I was
dizzy with joy – and that dizziness helped me get into character.
&ldots;Had the spin-off succeeded, I would
have continued on as an earthling agent, working to preserve
humanity.&ldots; But it was not to be.
- Speedbumps: Flooring
It Through Hollywood
by Teri Garr
In
2002, Garr publicly confirmed that she had been diagnosed with
multiple sclerosis. After years of uncertainty and secrecy
surrounding her diagnosis, Garr explained her reasons for deciding to
go public: "I'm telling my story for the first time so I can
help people. I can help people know they aren't alone and tell them
there are reasons to be optimistic because, today, treatment options
are available."
In interviews, she has commented that she
first started noticing symptoms while in New York filming Tootsie.
After disclosing her condition, she became a National Ambassador for
the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and National Chair for the
Society's Women Against MS program (WAMS). In 2005, Garr was honored
as the society's Ambassador of the Year. This honor had been given
only four times since the society was founded.
The same extras in the background can be
seen passing - respectively - Kirk and Spock, and Roberta on her way
into work, on four separate occasions (once in the same but split
scene), going back and forth. The part of the walkway, however, is
roughly the same on all occasions.
When launch control announces that the
rocket has reached 1,000 feet, it is shown already deviating from the
vertical on a downrange trajectory. This does not happen until the
rocket is much higher than that. Since the Saturn V is 365 feet tall,
at an altitude of 1,000 feet, it is less than three times its height
above the ground, and does not appear to be at a great height in
relative terms. Furthermore, if the rocket had deviated that far from
the vertical at only 1,000 feet, it probably would have crashed.
Once Spock and Kirk arrive on the Earth's
surface they ask Scotty to triangulate their location. You can only
triangulate with 3 positions, the USS Enterprise is only one.
It
took about a month to complete this particular episode. After
filming had begun, BarBara Luna was diagnosed with strep throat.
Since the script called for Capt. Kirk to kiss her, they had to
postpone the kissing scene for three weeks until she was medically
cleared, since they couldn't risk William Shatner getting infected.
Star
Trek was usually not allowed to show women's navels, but Uhura's
navel is visible in the mirror universe (right). Reportedly, this was
accomplished by filming while a PA took the Standards representative
to lunch.
This
episode contains confirmation of a much-speculated upon topic:
whether the Enterprise could separate the Engineering section and
warp nacelles from the primary vessel.
This
is the first appearance in the series of another vessel identical to
the Enterprise. The Constellation is a Constitution class vessel
which is virtually the same as the Enterprise. It Registry number is
NCC-1017 which implies that it was produced earlier than the
Enterprise. Kirk said in an earlier show that there were only 12
Constitution class ships in service.
First
appearance of Pavel Chekov, though not the first one broadcast, that
was episode was Amok Time (1967). At the time Walter Koenig was still
growing his hair out and therefore had to wear a rather unconvincing wig.
A
third-season appearance of Harry Mudd was planned but axed due to
the producers' desire to move away from comedy episodes. However,
Roger C. Carmel would reprise the role of Mudd as a cartoon voice in
Star Trek: The Animated Series: Mudd's Passion (1973). Mudd was
considered for a return during the Star Trek movies in the 1980s, but
Carmel's failing health nixed that. After the success of the "I,
Mudd" episode NBC considered making a Harry Mudd spin-off
series. They assigned Gene Roddenberry to develop the idea, but being
busy with Star Trek and other projects, he didn't have time for it,
and the series was never conceived.
CHARACTER
BIOGRAPHY:
In
2119, he officially opened the Warp Five Complex on Earth. During
this speech, Cochrane coined many phrases that would be used by
Starfleet for generations to come, including "where no man has
gone before." Later that year, he left his new home on Alpha
Centauri colony for an unknown destination, and was later presumed dead.
This
episode marks the debut of Sulu's personal scanner at his helm
position. In its first appearance, the device dramatically unfolds
and emerges from inside the helm console.
A
large number of costumes are reused from previous episodes in the
Argelius bar scene. Some of the extras in the bar are wearing
turtleneck uniforms from Star Trek: The Cage (1986) and Star Trek:
Where No Man Has Gone Before (1966). Two extras in the bar (one of
them is later seen on the foggy street), are wearing the silver cadet
uniforms made for the Finnegan character from Star Trek: Shore Leave
(1966). Also, one bar patron (played by regular background performer
Joe Paz) is wearing Commissioner Ferris' costume from Star Trek: The
Galileo Seven (1967), and another is wearing a colonist jumpsuit
recycled from Star Trek: The Devil in the Dark (1967).
Tribbles
have made subsequent appearances in numerous different versions of
Star Trek, including important plot focuses in Star Trek: The
Animated Series: More Tribbles, More Troubles (1973 - and was
originally pitched by writer David Gerrold as a third season episode.
Producer Fred Freiberger rejected it because he did not like the
comedic tone) and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Trials and
Tribble-ations (1996). Tribbles also made cameo appearances in Star
Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
and even Star Trek: Enterprise.
The
"leader principle" Kirk mentions at the end of the episode
was a foundation of the leadership in Nazi Germany. Known in German
as "Führerprinzip", it essentially can be described as
a state of law in which there are no laws above those of the
Führer, and that the government must obey and enforce such laws.
So it's kind of like, "If the President does it, it's not a crime?"
Bouchet
began her career modelling for magazine covers and appearing in
television commercials, before eventually becoming an actress. Her
first acting role was a minor part in What a Way to Go! (1964), which
led to a series of other roles in the 1960s. She appeared in the
films John Goldfarb, Please Come Home (1964), In Harm's Way (1964),
and Agent for H.A.R.M. (1966).
This
was one of three scripts submitted to NBC (along with Star Trek:
Where No Man Has Gone Before (1966) and Star Trek: Mudd's Women
(1966)) when they were seeking to do a second pilot for the series.
They ultimately chose to kickstart the series with "Where No Man
Has Gone Before".
When
Dr. McCoy analyzes the crystals on the U.S.S. Exeter, he identifies
them as the crew members bodies after water is removed. He says the
human body is 96% water and does a tricorder analysis of the
remaining 4% and reports it as 35% potassium and 18% carbon. His
percentages are either wrong mathematically or physiologically. The
96% figure refers not exclusively to water but organic elements,
which includes body fat and sugars in addition to water. While carbon
does account for 18% of the total body mass, after removing water the
percentage should have been 74%. The content of the minerals is also
incorrect. Calcium accounts for 38% and potassium accounts for 10%,
not the stated 35%.
The
coat of arms on the clothes of the Proconsul Claudius Marcus is the
coat of arms of William Shakespeare.
Teri
Garr had such an unpleasant time filming this episode, that she
refused to ever talk about Star Trek. Too bad, it's one of our
favorite Trek episodes largely because of Teri Garr. In a 1991
Starlog Magazine interview she states, "I have nothing to say
about it. I did that years ago and I mostly denied I ever did it."
In
2002, Garr publicly confirmed that she had been diagnosed with
multiple sclerosis. After years of uncertainty and secrecy
surrounding her diagnosis, Garr explained her reasons for deciding to
go public: "I'm telling my story for the first time so I can
help people. I can help people know they aren't alone and tell them
there are reasons to be optimistic because, today, treatment options
are available."
