Star Trek

[Trenchfriend]

One of the ridiculous mistakes in the Star Trek-movies:

ST: III

For Starfleet-officers, it's possible to kidnap a Starfleet-ship out of a space-station, including open the gate of the station (!) by remote-function of the ship-computer? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? Who would ever believe this crap?

 

[Zombie_61]

One of the ridiculous mistakes in the Star Trek-movies:

ST: III

For Starfleet-officers, it's possible to kidnap a Starfleet-ship out of a space-station, including open the gate of the station (!) by remote-function of the ship-computer? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? Who would ever believe this crap?

Yeah, that would be a bit like stealing a battleship or destroyer from a modern naval yard. But it's science fiction and our heroes have to succeed regardless of the odds against them, so... *shrug* For me that was the least of the problems with Star Trek III.

 

[Benzadmiral]

"The Cage," the original (1964) pilot for the series. We've all seen the parts of it that were cannibalized to make the show's only two-parter, "The Menagerie." But the original uncut pilot is rarely shown. I saw it during ST's 25th anniversary year, again last year, and then last night. There are some elements that were carried over to the Kirk-McCoy era, such as the relationship between Capt. Pike and the ship's doctor, played by John Hoyt. But the bridge crew in this one are more military; it's implied that they, including Pike, were engaged in ground fighting at their last planetfall. Some good bits of humor, too; I've told myself for years that Jeffrey Hunter's Pike is deadly serious all the time. But he does display a wry humor in the tag scene.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I enjoy that episode a lot -- and I would have enjoyed seeing more of that crew in action. You can see that a bit of the gung-ho attitude shown by Tyler, Pike's navigator, eventually filtered down into Chekov. It's also to a hoot to see "young Spock," not yet fully in control of his emotions. "The women!!!" I've always preferred the uniforms of that era, too, especially those worn by female crewmembers. Who can't get behind a military that goes around in comfortable pants and turtleneck sweaters?

The second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before," also has some nice elements in it. I would have liked to see more of the Kirk-Mitchell friendship, maybe in flashback scenes in later episodes, especially because Kirk never really comes to terms with the fact that his "best friend" is basically a self-absorbed ass even before the accident. And whenever I see that episode, I'm upset when Kelso gets killed -- he seems like he would have been a good man to have around in the series proper, and when he dies you get the sense that the show is playing for keeps.

 

[Fading Fast]

Watched "Assignment Earth" yesterday and enjoyed it more than I remember. Perhaps because I'm no longer annoyed that they used a valuable original Star Trek episode to be a long-play commercial for a pilot of a show that never even got picked up - sigh.

Now I appreciate the window into '68 (every time period / every generation probably thinks - as the '68 generation did as noted in this episode - that its challenges and risks are mankind's greatest ever - calmed me a bit about our challenges today), the time travel window into '60s style (Gary Seven in a pincord sport coat and knit tie was an old school Ivy look while his mock turtleneck and white cardigan was more '60s Mod - his wardrobe tried to stride the divide in style at the time) and what they were trying to do with the pilot.

It appears Gary Seven was some sort of time traveler with neat powers (he was immune to Spock's Vulcan Grip) and gadgets (his pen zaps, opens, closes things, etc.) and an, in general, kick-butt cool (more Rat Pack than Mod Squad). It would have been fun to see what they had planned for this as a series.

 

[Fading Fast]

"The Cage," the original (1964) pilot for the series. We've all seen the parts of it that were cannibalized to make the show's only two-parter, "The Menagerie." But the original uncut pilot is rarely shown. I saw it during ST's 25th anniversary year, again last year, and then last night. There are some elements that were carried over to the Kirk-McCoy era, such as the relationship between Capt. Pike and the ship's doctor, played by John Hoyt. But the bridge crew in this one are more military; it's implied that they, including Pike, were engaged in ground fighting at their last planetfall. Some good bits of humor, too; I've told myself for years that Jeffrey Hunter's Pike is deadly serious all the time. But he does display a wry humor in the tag scene.

I enjoy that episode a lot -- and I would have enjoyed seeing more of that crew in action. You can see that a bit of the gung-ho attitude shown by Tyler, Pike's navigator, eventually filtered down into Chekov. It's also to a hoot to see "young Spock," not yet fully in control of his emotions. "The women!!!" I've always preferred the uniforms of that era, too, especially those worn by female crewmembers. Who can't get behind a military that goes around in comfortable pants and turtleneck sweaters?

The second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before," also has some nice elements in it. I would have liked to see more of the Kirk-Mitchell friendship, maybe in flashback scenes in later episodes, especially because Kirk never really comes to terms with the fact that his "best friend" is basically a self-absorbed ass even before the accident. And whenever I see that episode, I'm upset when Kelso gets killed -- he seems like he would have been a good man to have around in the series proper, and when he dies you get the sense that the show is playing for keeps.

I absolutely love this episode - what a great window into seeing how a network developed a series (mistakes and all).

I'm with you Lizzie on the uniforms, young (and loud) Spock and the women. In particular, Majel Barrett is outstanding as Number One and it always hurts me to see her "downgraded" to nurse in the series itself. She somewhat echoes my grandmother's appearance (who was an insanely strong and independent woman for her or any time period) and I hate that she wasn't given the opportunity to develop that role.

Also, obvious and dated, but still neat "competition" between the two types of women they put in front of Pike.

And while I'm a Kirk fan - hairpiece, gut, stilted acting, silly kick fighting and all - he is the defining starship captain for me, I think Hunter would have done an outstanding job in the role.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I think we can see what Pike would have been when we look at Picard. No "Pike-Fu" fighting, but a lot of intellectual argumentation. And maybe instead of Earl Grey tea, lots of martini-sipping.

 

[LizzieMaine]

It appears Gary Seven was some sort of time traveler with neat powers (he was immune to Spock's Vulcan Grip) and gadgets (his pen zaps, opens, closes things, etc.) and an, in general, kick-butt cool (more Rat Pack than Mod Squad). It would have been fun to see what they had planned for this as a series.

There are Doctor Who fans who will argue convincingly that "Gary Seven" was in fact a Time Lord, if not a future incarnation of the Doctor himself. He travels in time, he works with companions, he has a box-like travel machine, and he carries what appears to be nothing more or less than a sonic screwdriver. A missed opportunity for a Trek/Who crossover.

 

[Fading Fast]

There are Doctor Who fans who will argue convincingly that "Gary Seven" was in fact a Time Lord, if not a future incarnation of the Doctor himself. He travels in time, he works with companions, he has a box-like travel machine, and he carries what appears to be nothing more or less than a sonic screwdriver. A missed opportunity for a Trek/Who crossover.

I have never seen a single "Doctor Who" episode and know (form all the enthusiasm you and others at FL have for it) it is a gaping hole in my TV viewing oeuvre.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Watched "Assignment Earth" yesterday and enjoyed it more than I remember. Perhaps because I'm no longer annoyed that they used a valuable original Star Trek episode to be a long-play commercial for a pilot of a show that never even got picked up - sigh.

Now I appreciate the window into '68 (every time period / every generation probably thinks - as the '68 generation did as noted in this episode - that its challenges and risks are mankind's greatest ever - calmed me a bit about our challenges today), the time travel window into '60s style (Gary Seven in a pincord sport coat and knit tie was an old school Ivy look while his mock turtleneck and white cardigan was more '60s Mod - his wardrobe tried to stride the divide in style at the time) and what they were trying to do with the pilot.

It appears Gary Seven was some sort of time traveler with neat powers (he was immune to Spock's Vulcan Grip) and gadgets (his pen zaps, opens, closes things, etc.) and an, in general, kick-butt cool (more Rat Pack than Mod Squad). It would have been fun to see what they had planned for this as a series.

Robert Lansing, who played Gary Seven, was that odd bird, a character actor who often did leads, at least on TV then. He was the first lead in Twelve O'Clock High, if you recall, and he had embodied Ed McBain's 87th Precinct lead cop Steve Carella a few years before that. I recall TV Guide commenting in one focus article about him, that he seemed to be the kind of actor who was best after ten o'clock, i.e., during the last hour of then-prime time. Maybe they meant he appealed more to grownups than to kids, or something like that. Still, he would have been fascinating to watch as Gary Seven.

 

[Fading Fast]

Robert Lansing, who played Gary Seven, was that odd bird, a character actor who often did leads, at least on TV then. He was the first lead in Twelve O'Clock High, if you recall, and he had embodied Ed McBain's 87th Precinct lead cop Steve Carella a few years before that. I recall TV Guide commenting in one focus article about him, that he seemed to be the kind of actor who was best after ten o'clock, i.e., during the last hour of then-prime time. Maybe they meant he appealed more to grownups than to kids, or something like that. Still, he would have been fascinating to watch as Gary Seven.

Just guessing, but like Jon Hamm, Lansing looks to me like he was never boyish looking / he probably always looked like a man's man (no James Dean or Montgomery Clift boyish pretty for him).

 

[Benzadmiral]

Just guessing, but like Jon Hamm, Lansing looks to me like he was never boyish looking / he probably always looked like a man's man (no James Dean or Montgomery Clift boyish pretty for him).

Kind of. From 1962, when he was 34: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Lansing_(actor)

 

[Fading Fast]

Kind of. From 1962, when he was 34: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Lansing_(actor)

Yup. My Dad was like that - you could see the man he would be in pictures of him at 8 and by his late teens he could have passed for ten years older and not because he looked old - he just looked like a man. Somehow that gene never made it to the the next generation as you can still see the boy in me at 53 - sigh.

 

[Zombie_61]

There are Doctor Who fans who will argue convincingly that "Gary Seven" was in fact a Time Lord, if not a future incarnation of the Doctor himself. He travels in time, he works with companions, he has a box-like travel machine, and he carries what appears to be nothing more or less than a sonic screwdriver. A missed opportunity for a Trek/Who crossover.

The timing of the introduction of Doctor Who's "Sonic Screwdriver" and Gary Seven's "Servo" is interesting as well:

Sonic Screwdriver - First seen in the Doctor Who episode "Fury From the Deep", broadcast March 16, 1968
Gary Seven Servo - Seen in the Star Trek episode "Assignment Earth", broadcast March 29, 2968

In terms of the viewing public's awareness of each device, The Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver predates Gary Seven's Servo by 13 days. It's possible that the good folks responsible for producing Star Trek were aware of the popularity of Doctor Who in the U.K. and decided to make an attempt at an American version of the show since there are subtle but obvious parallels between the two (though I have not seen any evidence whatsoever to support this). But to have two separate television productions (that, in this context, dealt with traveling through time and space) in two different countries on two separate continents, with no apparent connection between the two, conceive of, develop, and present such similar devices at essentially the same time?

 

[LizzieMaine]

It really is an odd coincidence, especially since it would be another five years or so before Who would be shown on any outlet in the US. It had been shown in Canada in 1965-66, though, and it's possible somebody connected to Trek had seen it there, or had seen it while traveling in the UK.

Of course, the "super spy" craze had been going on in both the US and the UK for several years by 1968 as well, and you could argue that both the Doctor's and Gary Seven's pocket-sized gadgetry stemmed from that source.

 

[Trenchfriend]

The hospital ward-scene with the emergency holo-doctor and the Borg in ST8 is still a high moment of cinema.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

Who would ever believe this crap?

The poor souls that take TV sci-fi/fantasy shows way too seriously.

 

[Seb Lucas]

The timing of the introduction of Doctor Who's "Sonic Screwdriver" and Gary Seven's "Servo" is interesting as well:

Sonic Screwdriver - First seen in the Doctor Who episode "Fury From the Deep", broadcast March 16, 1968
Gary Seven Servo - Seen in the Star Trek episode "Assignment Earth", broadcast March 29, 2968

In terms of the viewing public's awareness of each device, The Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver predates Gary Seven's Servo by 13 days. It's possible that the good folks responsible for producing Star Trek were aware of the popularity of Doctor Who in the U.K. and decided to make an attempt at an American version of the show since there are subtle but obvious parallels between the two (though I have not seen any evidence whatsoever to support this). But to have two separate television productions (that, in this context, dealt with traveling through time and space) in two different countries on two separate continents, with no apparent connection between the two, conceive of, develop, and present such similar devices at essentially the same time?

Wow - I'd forgotten all about this. I was never into Star Trek but I saw many of them at some point on TV over 30 years, as you do. I remember watching this in 1980 (or thereabouts) and seeing the Time Lord/Sonic parallels and wondering about it intensely for about a month. There was no internet to check this out. Thanks for reminding me and providing the overview. I was obsessed with that Servo for a long time.

 

[PeterGunnLives]

I love Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and I think it is unfairly maligned. The movie is big and epic, and the cerebral tone is more in line with "The Cage" than the rest of the series. It explores interesting science fiction ideas and themes rather than being another heros vs. villains space opera (lovable as that kind of thing is).

 

[Zombie_61]

I love Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and I think it is unfairly maligned. The movie is big and epic, and the cerebral tone is more in line with "The Cage" than the rest of the series. It explores interesting science fiction ideas and themes rather than being another heros vs. villains space opera (lovable as that kind of thing is).

I don't disagree, even though Star Trek: The Motion Picture isn't much more than an expanded version of the second season episode "The Changeling". That being said, my problem with The Motion Picture is that it seemed they believed they were in competition with Star Wars and focused more on the special effects and less on the writing, particularly when it came to the relationship between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. Now, it's understandable that Spock would behave differently than he had in the television series since he had nearly completed the kohlinahr ritual (a purging of all emotions) on Vulcan, but even Kirk and McCoy almost acted like strangers. Add to that the newly refit Enterprise, the new uniforms, and the introduction of Captain Decker and Lieutenant Ilia, and it was all too unfamiliar; too dissimilar to what we'd seen in the television series. After waiting nearly 10 years for more Star Trek, at that point fans wanted at least a little of "that old familiar feeling" and we didn't get it.