I failed to mention one thing in last night’s Trek Review of “A Taste of Armageddon.” Kirk’s move to call for General Order 24 towards the end of the episode.
General Order 24: An order to destroy all life on an entire planet.
Now, was Kirk bluffing, was he making up regulations? Remember what he did in “The Corbomite Maneuver,” in his great bluff of Balok to not destroy the ship. I don’t think he was bluffing here. While Kirk doesn’t have to go through with it here, the notion of it does come up again in the Third Season episode “Whom Gods Destroy.” Captain Garth doesn’t go through with it then, either, but still… the notion of this order is frightening!
I don’t think Kirk ever wanted to go through with it, but given the situation of being held hostage by Anan Seven and the high council of Eminiar VII, he had no choice but to do his duty. If I were in the same scenario, I would probably be a bit hesitant to do it, but ultimately I would do it too.
Does that make me a bad person? Depends on your point of view, doesn’t it?
What do you think of when you think of war? The first thought that would probably come to everyone’s mind is devastation, chaos or innocent people who are caught in the middle of the conflict. Now imagine if that same scenario played out, but there was no actual bloodshed. Instead, the attacks are carried out by computers and the casualties are tallied up on a computer. The victims of the “attack” have to step into a disintegration chamber and die willingly. I’ve just described what is going on between the planets of Eminiar VII and Vendikar in the episode “A Taste of Armageddon.”
The subject of war is a very touchy subject, especially in 1967. The Vietnam war was in full swing. While this story wasn’t a direct result of that conflict, the end result of what took place on Eminiar VII certainly could be construed as a commentary about the war that was going on.
Think about this: any conflict is still a conflict, no matter if someone is actually shot or not. People still die, especially in a disintegration machine. That’s the point that Kirk hammers home, and it’s a very good one. War is hell in every sense of the word.
In the case of these two planets, they’ve been at war for hundreds of years. The conflict was handed down from generation to generation. But why? Why does an entire culture just blindly keep going on with the same thing that continues to cause death? That would be an interesting philosophical debate. I can only imagine that the terror of doing anything different is what kept the Eminians and their terrestrial neighbors on Vendikar locked into the conflict. Eventually, our heroes convince the two sides to negotiate and resolve their differences.
When I first saw this episode, that ending is the one I was hoping for. I have a good feeling that it was what everyone viewing the show for the first time would have hoped for as well.
Spock practicing his mindful skills
If there is one cool thing I always liked in this episode, it’s the scene where Spock uses his mind probing techniques to get one of the guards to open the door to the room in which they are being held.
All in all, a great episode all around with themes that are just as prevalent today as they were 50 years ago. Next week, an episode that was almost called “The Way of the Spores”!
This episode. This one right here. The definition of a true classic. I can say that up front with certainty because that’s what “Space Seed” is.
Khan Noonien Singh is the quintessential Star Trek villain. He’s formidable, he’s smart, he’s strong. It also helps that he’s been genetically engineered too. It’s a gripping tale that is quite frightening for someone watching in 1967 to think that the 1990’s might hold such catastrophic events as predicted by this episode here. Of course, in hindsight now, the 1990s was two decades ago, and there wasn’t a World War then, nor were there genetic supermen ruling the world. However, to put yourself in the context of when this first aired, it still is very frightening and very unsurprising all at the same time.
When you think about where humanity has been and where we are going, maybe the suggestion of the events in this episode isn’t too far off, just the timing is wrong. Look at what’s happening in the world now. Things are happening in many facets of life that we never would have considered before, yet they are happening around us. That’s what happened in the back story of “Space Seed.” It’s a cautionary tale for sure.
Ricardo Montalban just proves how much he’s an awesome actor. Whenever I see something he’s starred in, I am just drawn to him. His presence, his charisma, it’s so powerful. He was one of a kind.
Even though the big fight at the end of the episode, which is the second fight in as many episodes to take place in Engineering, is obviously handled by stunt doubles, it is still very tense and dramatic. You think I’m kidding? Look at these screenshots:
From “Court Martial”, Kirk is supposed to be on the right
From “Space Seed”, that is so not Kirk either!
Please, leave your disbelief properly suspended at the door!
Oh, and one more thing. This episode has always been significant on another level for me. Way back in 1992, this episode was one of the first VHS tapes I ever bought with my own money. I still have that VHS:
That sucker cost $14.95 at Wal-Mart in Big Stone Gap, VA. VHS was expensive, even then. Just look at the adjustment for inflation!
I only got 2 or 3 of those at that price, and not all at the same time. Imagine buying 80 of those to collect the whole series. Before tax, that is $1,196. I think anyone’s parents would laugh while saying no to that idea.
Next week, let’s voluntarily step into a disintegration chamber!
Oh me, oh my, where do I begin with this episode? As you can tell by the tone of that introductory statement, “Court Martial” has never been one of my favorite episodes. It’s not that the concept of the story was bad, but the execution was very, very lacking.
I’m sure you know the story, Kirk’s old friend dies under his watch… the computer has been altered to make the evidence damning against him, etc. Herein lies a problem: how that evidence was damning. Observe this screenshot from the playback of the visual log:
As suggested in the story, Captain Kirk pressed the jettison button himself. Why in all creation would he have that button conveniently on his panel? And for that matter, the Yellow Alert and Red Alert? And just how can a visual log be that detailed anyway? A lot of plot contrivance in my opinion.
Also, at the end of the episode, they use a “white sound device” to try and isolate Finney’s heartbeat and establish that he isn’t actually dead. Dr. McCoy has to go through the process of eliminating everyone else’s heartbeats. It has been established in previous episodes that the Enterprise can scan and find people on planets, but why in the world can’t they scan their own ship and find a nefarious crewman that has gone rogue? Very confusing.
There is a good story in there, but I don’t think it was presented to its fullest potential. Not one of the better episodes of the first season. I can see why the powers that be wanted to hold it back for telecast at the end of the season.
If you will recall, at the end of “The Naked Time,” the Enterprise traveled back in time 71 hours escaping the situation that they were in. That was not the original way that episode was supposed to end, however. As has been documented in countless books and documentaries, the original ending was for our heroes to end up in 1969 instead. Well, that part two didn’t happen there, but the idea of it didn’t go away. It was made later in the season and became Star Trek’s first foray into the past, which is almost the present, in the all-time classic “Tomorrow is Yesterday.”
Roger Perry plays Captain Christopher, an Air Force pilot who ends up on the Enterprise, which has been placed in 1969 by way of an accident after trying to escape the pull of a black hole.
All of the drama and a little hilarity that ensues is top notch Trek. I always loved the scenes on Earth in the Air Force base. Especially, the “What was that?”, “What was what?” (which was coyly brought up again in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home during a similar situation.)
One minor thing however, is during all of the attempt at the end of the episode to get back to their present time is that if you’re not paying attention, you probably will get lost. There are a lot of moving parts and pieces to what’s going on, what with having to go back in time, then forward in time involving the magnetic pull of the sun. It’s actually interesting to me, and I wonder if the theory would actually be true, or is it truly science fiction? I probably won’t be alive if we ever achieve any level of star flight to be able to test that theory, but still, I wonder…
This episode has always been one of my top 10 favorites. That will never change.
If only it was that Part Two… if only….
Next week, Kirk is in trouble, and there is a few plot holes here and there to boot…
This is undoubtedly one of the most well known episodes of not just Star Trek, but of any TV show. Everyone out there at one time or another has seen the Gorn, even if they don’t know a Gorn by name. Just mention that creepy lizard-like alien, and they’ll remember this episode.
This episode has always held a special place in my heart. I just love its scope and its depth. Most of all, I love the planet location, Vasquez Rocks.
I love this location so much, that me and Greg went there back in March 2008 on our second trip out to Los Angeles.
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When we were there that day, there were lots of high wind warnings around. The sand was being blown all over the park, which made it impossible to really see anything. If it wasn’t so windy, I would have climbed up to the top of the famous rock face and pretended I was Kirk rolling down that giant foam boulder. 😛
I am sure that everyone watching this episode back in 1967 were pleasantly thrilled for the entire hour. I find it interesting that Kirk is taking such a stance of “the aliens must be destroyed” and Spock trying to change his mind. It makes me wonder why McCoy wasn’t there to try to interject his opinions more. That will always remain a mystery as to why Gene Coon didn’t write it that way. It doesn’t make the episode any less enjoyable for me anyway.
Next week, we go back in time… to not quite the present:
Greeting and felicitations! With those words, Trek fans were introduced to one of the most interesting, dynamic characters of the Original Series.
Trelane, the lonely Squire of Gothos, who in reality is a very superior being. Except for one thing, he’s a very young child, or at least what we would consider a child.
When I first saw this episode, I honestly did not have any idea until the reveal at the end of the episode that Trelane was, in fact, a child. I thought he was just what was he was being presented to be up to that point, a very omnipotent being with no regard for what he was doing. That’s exactly what they wanted us to think! I have to give a clever tip of the cap to the production team, they had me fooled.
William Campbell’s portrayal of Trelane is very exquisite. I still chuckle every time when, in the “hunt” with Kirk, he exclaims to him “YOU BROKE MY SWORD!”
What would the audience of 1967 have thought? Probably the same as I did, that they would have been left guessing for the whole hour just who this Trelane fellow really was, and then the realization at the end hits, “Aha!”
Something of note that has always interested me about the character of Trelane: there was a novel written by Peter David called “Q Squared” in which he suggests that Trelane is a member of the Q Continuum. I could buy that, even though the novels are considered non-canonical. It still is an interesting theory.
Next week, one of the most remembered alien encounters that is often quoted in pop culture…
Welcome to 1967! As Trek begins the new year, it tells a tale of test and survival on a mysterious planetoid. It’s the episode that introduces the shuttlecraft to Trek lore, “The Galileo Seven.”
While I want to like this episode 100%, I have always had this nagging feeling that there was something amiss in this storyline. Time and time again I have tried to realize what that thought was. Every time I watch it, I’m just so pulled in by the story that I don’t stop to analyze that nagging feeling I keep having.
I guess the problem I have is that Spock has this crew with him and most of them have to constantly question his methods and his lack of emotion. Shouldn’t they already know that about Spock? Any intelligent being should know and respect the differences in one another. I realize of course that it has to be this way in order for the plot to work. That’s why it doesn’t detract too much for me to not be able to enjoy the episode.
I like the conflict between Kirk and High Commissioner Ferris a lot, it adds an interesting dynamic to the desperate search that is ongoing to find the missing shuttle crew.
All around, another great story and a great episode to open 1967 for Trek.
Next week, we meet one of the most interesting foes in all of Trek lore, with comparisons to some later omnipotent beings:
Have you ever wanted a vacation somewhere but never got to do what you truly wanted to do? While all of my vacations over the years have certainly been satisfying, I can truly understand how some people could possibly have wanted more out of their leisure moments.
Imagine a planet where what you thought becomes reality. That is the planet at the core of the episode “Shore Leave.” This is one of the most uniquely crafted stores in the first season of Star Trek. I love it for its off-beat humor that isn’t absurd whatsoever, but is true and believable. The situations that our favorite characters encounter on this planet are wide and varied. Such things as the giant white rabbit, a Samurai warrior, a tiger, and Finnegan, Kirk’s nemesis from his academy days. I mean, what would you expect from a guy like this:
As Kirk puts hit, “He’s the kind of guy that would put a bowl of cold soup in your bed… or a bucket of water propped on a half-open door. You never knew where he’d strike next.” He sounds like the kind of guy that would get on my nerves, that’s for sure.
But what this episode is in the serious Sci-Fi aspect is an examination of just how complex a planet can be, yet be simple all at the same time. As is said towards the end, “The more complex the mind, the greater the need for the simplicity of play.” I really can’t state it any other way than that.
The one minor complaint with this episode that I have is the all-of-a-sudden love and romance that briefly buds between Yeoman Barrows (played by Emily Banks) and Dr. McCoy. You’re not expecting it, and then, all of a sudden, it’s there. Yes, it is necessary to the plot to set up McCoy’s “death” at the end of Act Two, but still, I think McCoy could have been protecting her without necessarily being in love with her.
I think the 1966 TV viewers would have been very pleased with this episode. Airing during the middle of kids’ holiday break from school could afford the whole family the opportunity to watch it together. There is lots of mystery, intrigue and a little comedy to delight all eyes. This is all around a solid, great episode.
I should note that it’s a miracle it turned out as well as it did, given the hell they went through while filming on location to even have a script to shoot. That fact is well documented in many books.
Next week, a crew of seven goes missing, and Kirk has to find them against incredible odds…
Before I begin my thoughts, watch this trailer for the 1957 20th Century-Fox film, “The Enemy Below”…
Now, imagine some of that out in deep space. That in a nutshell is the episode “Balance of Terror.”
This show introduces one of the hallmark alien races of the Trek universe… the Romulans.
You have to imagine what it was like for 1966 viewers to see that this new war like race looked the same as Spock. I surely would have thought about all of the plot possibilities that the writers could go with in future episodes with this new race being unveiled.
This story itself is very enthralling. However, one or two minor things that I love to nitpick about. This is assuming, of course, that you have already seen the episode (which I assume in all of these posts as a standard, by the way.)
First of all is the Stiles character itself. I find it hard to believe exclusively that anyone in a bright future that this 23rd Century entails could hold any kind of bigotry towards someone like Spock. Anyone on the Enterprise should full well know that if it’s First Officer is anything but loyal, he wouldn’t be in that position. I have to take exception with that characterization. It’s OK to certainly have some misgivings, but I think they went a little heavy-handed with it. If they had toned it back a bit, I wouldn’t have such a problem with it. Then again, there is no motivation left for having that in the story if you dial it back. So, I guess it has to stay, right? (I realize that I’ve just talked myself into a corner.)
The other thing is the safety of working in the phaser room. If you know the phasers are damaged, shouldn’t you be taking proper precautions. Check this out…
I mean, shouldn’t Tomlinson and Stiles have known that could possibly happen? Of course, they didn’t. But still, why is something like that so exposed to anyone working in that room? It probably would have worked better had the room exploded. (OK, now I’m overthinking it a bit.)
Don’t get me wrong, this little nit-picky behavior on my part doesn’t take away from my enjoyment of this episode. Paul Schneider wrote a great script, and it was masterfully directed by Vincent McEveety. This one is still highly recommended.
Next week, Star Trek took a week off and showed a repeat of “What Are Little Girls Made Of?” (which aired back on October 20th.) Here is the trailer that presumably aired during that repeat telecast, for “Shore Leave”.
