#3: elaan of troyius

[spirk-trek]

LOVE :)

[lesbian-david-tennant]

Elaan's costumes in Star Trek, Elaan of Troyius (3x13)

[subterraneanna]

I've been scanning and restoring some pieces of original Star Trek: TOS film and wanted to share this before and after from a deleted scene in the episode "Elaan of Troyius":

At nearly 60 years old, the film is in bad shape, exhibiting substantial scratches and color shifting. The magenta/red tint is a good example of dye fading, a sign of deterioration likely due to the film stock it was shot on.

Prior to 1950, color motion picture film was shot in Technicolor, which required a large, cumbersome camera to simultaneously expose 3 separate strips of negative film that then underwent a proprietary dye imbibition process to create a full color image. Though visually stunning and remarkably color-stable, it was a complicated, expensive process reserved only for high budget productions. In 1950, Eastman Kodak introduced Eastmancolor, the first 35 mm “single-strip” color motion picture negative -- in short, a film that was easy to shoot and process, and compared to Technicolor, only used a 1/3 of the film stock. Suddenly color film was an affordable option for studios and its popularity took off. Eastmancolor was composed of a single strip of negative film surfaced with 3 layers of light-sensitive gelatin emulsion. During development, a chemical reaction produced magenta, yellow, and cyan dyes on their corresponding layers, which were superimposed to create a full color image. Unfortunately, these dyes were unstable, something that wasn't apparent until aging films began to lose their color in the following years.

The Star Trek image above is pink because its yellow and cyan dyes have faded away, leaving just the magenta layer. The information may be lost, but digital restoration can improve what's left. But because the yellow and cyan greatly contributed to the overall density of the image, basic color balancing still produces a lower contrast version compared to what the original must have looked like. The missing richness and depth seems most apparent in the skin tones, but hand painting some of the color can bring a little life back to it, as I've done here. It's a challenge because, as far as I can tell, the only remaining footage or still shots of this scene show some level of dye fading. Fortunately, now that the film is digitized, restoration can be an ongoing project. If you own any color motion picture film negatives or prints, the sooner you get them scanned the better. In the meantime, helpful storage information can be found here.

It's been a while since I've shot any film (film major), so it's nice to see it again, even if it's chopped up into single frames. I have a small collection of them so I'll post more restored images as they're completed. BTW @cheer-deforest-kelley has a great post on how this film went from the editing room floor to the hands of fans.

[electronickingdomfox]

USS Enterprise decks

Updated part 1 here

Updated part 2 here

This post got me thinking about the actual location inside the ship of several areas. Sure, there are many blueprints and reference books that have published complete and detailed layouts of the Enterprise. But ultimately, they're interpretations of different authors, filling in the blanks, and they often disagree with each other.

So this is a list of the bare minimum of facts. All the deck locations that can be gleaned from TOS episodes. Beyond that, it's up to anyone's imagination.

*Feel free to make additions or corrections to this post. This is only in reference to the original ship as seen in the series, not taking into account the refit ship from the movies, or alterations/retcons introduced in later series.

Saucer section (primary hull)

Most locations seen in the series belong to this section (as deduced from the curved corridors). The first version of the Writer's Guide tell us it has 20 decks. The later edition (season 2 onwards) reduced the decks to 11.

Deck 1

-Bridge: Obvious from a simple inspection of the ship's exterior. And also confirmed by the Writer's Guide to be in this deck.

Deck 2

-The Romulan Commander's "guest" quarters: Spock tells the turbolift to bring them to this deck, before leaving her in detention, in "The Enterprise Incident". I don't think we ever see other location said to be here (maybe she got the whole deck for herself; lucky!).

Deck 3

-Recreation room 6: Rand offers Charlie to come here, in "Charlie X".

-Recreation room 3: Spock says Bele is chasing Lokai in front of this place, in "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield".

-Crewmen's lounge: Same as above.

Deck 4

-Environmental control: Scotty says power's been shut down here, in "The Ultimate Computer".

-Living quarters: Kirk confirms this, in "The Ultimate Computer".

Deck 5

-Sickbay: Kirk brings Spock to this deck after ordering him to report to sickbay, in "Amok Time". He does the same with Elaan of Troyius. Strangely enough, most blueprints place sickbay in deck 7 instead.

-Kirk's quarters: Confirmed in "Journey to Babel", which also shows the cabin number (3F 121). The same number was first seen in "The Conscience of the King", but without specifying the deck.

-Recreation room 3: Spock says Bele is chasing Lokai in front of this place, in "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield". May be a script error, since a moment ago he had said this place was in deck 3.

-Transporter room: As Lokai seems to run directly here, we may assume it's also in deck 5 (though there are probably many more transporter rooms throughout the ship).

Deck 6

-Briefing room: Sargon calls McCoy from here, in "Return to Tomorrow". May be the same briefing room from other episodes.

-Guest rooms: Bele and Lokai are assigned quarters here, in "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield".

-Living quarters: Kirk confirms this, in "The Ultimate Computer".

Deck 8

-Auxiliary control: The android Norman hijacks the controls here, in "I, Mudd".

-Evaluation laboratory: Seen on a plaque, in "And the Children Shall Lead". Kirk and Spock arrived on this deck in search for Auxiliary control, so it should be in deck 8 as well.

Deck 12

-Janice Rand's quarters: In "The Enemy Within", after seeing Rand attacked by evil Kirk, a crewman reports they're in deck 12. The number of her cabin is also visible (3C 46).

-Kirk's quarters: In very early episodes ("Mudd's Women" and "The Enemy Within"), Kirk's quarters were here, instead of in deck 5. Since the number of saucer decks was reduced to 11 in season 2, the change makes sense.

Deck 14

-Transporter room: In "Dagger of the Mind", Dr. Van Gelder is locked in this deck, after arriving inside a cargo box.

-Personnel Director office: Seen on a plaque during Van Gelder's escape.

-Science Library: Same as above.

Unknown deck

These are some locations, likely from the saucer section, but with unspecified deck. There are plenty of such examples, so this isn't an exhaustive list.

-Impulse engines: The Writer's Guide confirms that the impulse engines are in the primary hull, in case of saucer separation. I think the impulse engines are only seen in "The Doomsday Machine", when Scotty is working aboard the identical Constellation. Though they look just as a reused set from Engineering.

-Spock's quarters: The cabin number is seen in "Amok Time" (3F 125). Possibly, it's in deck 5 near Kirk's quarters, considering the similar numbering.

-McCoy's quarters: Only seen in "The Man Trap" (I think), which also shows the number (3F 127). Again, it's probably near Kirk and Spock's cabins.

-Mudd's quarters: The number is barely legible, but looks like 3F 125, in "Mudd's Women". This happens to be the same as Spock's cabin. The likely explanation is that they didn't have a design for Spock's quarters so early in the series. The fun explanation is that they evicted Spock just to make room for Mudd.

-Uhura's quarters: Seen in "The Tholian Web", and adapted for Elaan in "Elaan of Troyius".

-Scotty's quarters: Seen in "By Any Other Name".

-Life Science Section - Botany Department: Seen in "The Man Trap".

-Gymnasium: Seen in "Charlie X".

-Officer's mess: Seen in "Space Seed".

-Botanical garden: Seen in "Is There in Truth No Beauty?".

-Briefing room: Different from the usual briefing room, it's seen in "Space Seed" when they decide Khan's fate.

-Biochemistry lab: Seen in "The Deadly Years".

Since I've reached the picture limit, the continuation with the Engineering hull sets will be in another post, here.

[quasi-normalcy]

Star Trek episode titles referencing specific characters or species:

So I've been through the list of every Star Trek episode ever, looking for titles that specifically reference characters or species. I'm talking specific references here, i.e., name drops, rather than just allusions. So, for example, I didn't count "The Squire of Gothos", but I would have counted it if the episode had been called "Trelane"; I counted "I, Borg", but not any of the episodes called things meant to evoke the Borg (e.g., "Collective", "Assimilation", "Drone", etc.).

Anyways, my results are as follows:

Characters:

Of the ST episodes named after specific characters, a plurality (17 out of 56) were named after what I am calling "minor" characters, which I am here defining as those who appear in only 1 episode. These included: "Charlie X," "Miri," and "Elaan of Troyius" (from TOS); "Bem" (from TAS); "11001001" (which is technically the names of the 4 Bynars) and “Aquiel” (from TNG); “Melora” (from DS9); “The Caretaker,” “Jetrel,” “Tuvix,” and “Alice” (from VOY); “Rajiin” (from ENT); “Jinaal” (from DIS); “I, Excretus” and "In the Cradle of Vexilon” (from LWD); and “The Trouble with Edward” and "Ephraim and Dot” (from Short Treks).

Q, of course, led the "major" characters, with 8: "Hide and Q," "Q Who,” “Deja Q,” “Qpid,” and “True Q” (from TNG); “Q-Less” (from DS9); and “The Q and the Grey” and “Q2” (from VOY)

Next was Data, with 4 episodes to his name (“Datalore” "Elementary, Dear Data” “Data’s Day,” and "A Fistful of Datas," all from TNG)

There was a 2-way tie for fourth place between Harry Mudd ("Mudd's Women" and "I, Mudd" from TOS; "Mudd's Passion" from TAS) and Spock ("Spock's Brain" from TOS, the movie Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, and "Spock Amok" from SNW), each having 3 episodes to their name.

Bashir was the only other character to have multiple episodes to his name ("Our Man Bashir" and "Doctor Bashir, I Presume?", both from DS9

An additional 20 regular or recurring characters had one episode named after them. These include: Lore ("Datalore"), Sarek ("Sarek"), Troi ("Menage a Troi"), Ro ("Ensign Ro"), Okona ("The Outrageous Okona), Dax ("Dax"), Quark ("The House of Quark"), Shakaar ("Shakaar"), Khan (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan), Kahless ("The Sword of Kahless"), Morn ("Who Morns for Morn?"), Dr. Chaotica ("Bride of Chaotica!"), The Doctor ("Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy"), Su'kal ("Su'Kal"), Vox ("Vox"), Boimler ("Much Ado About Boimler"), Kayshon ("Kayshon, His Eyes Open"), Paris ("We'll Always Have Tom Paris"), Badgey ("A Few Badgeys More") and Ascensia ("Ascension" (not quite, but I'm counting it)).

Species

Here, I counted not just the proper names of alien species, but the proper names of their homeworlds/dimensions as well. And here, again, "minor" species who appear in only one episode dominated the category, with 11 out of 44 episode titles: "The Gamesters of Triskelion," "Elaan of Troyius," "The Mark of Gideon," and "The Lights of Zetar" (from TOS); "The Magicks of Megas-tu" and "The Slaver Weapon" (from TAS); “Angel One” and “Galaxy’s Child” (from TNG); “Meridian” (from DS9); “The Swarm” (from VOY); and "An Embarrassment of Dooplers" (from LWD)

Q, which is, after all, the name of a species as well as a character, again leads the "major" entries, with 8 episodes: "Hide and Q," "Q Who,” “Deja Q,” “Qpid,” and “True Q” (from TNG); “Q-Less” (from DS9); and “The Q and the Grey” and “Q2” (from VOY)

Tribbles came next with four episodes to their name: "The Trouble with Tribbles" (TOS), "More Tribbles, More Troubles" (TAS), "Trials and Tribble-ations" (DS9), and “A Tribble Called Quest” (PRO)

The Ferengi (“Ferengi Love Songs” and “The Magnificent Ferengi” from DS9; “Parth Ferengi’s Heart Place” from LWD) and the Prophets ("In the Hands of the Prophets", "Prophet Motive", and "Tears of the Prophets", all from DS9) tie for fourth, with three episode apiece

There's a three-way tie for fifth place between the Vulcans ("The Infinite Vulcan" from TAS and "The Vulcan Hello" from DIS), the Borg ("I, Borg" from TNG and "Let Sleeping Borg Lie" from PRO), and the Andorians/Aenar, whom I am treating as one species ("The Andorian Incident" and "The Aenar", both from ENT), each with two apiece.

The Tholians ("The Tholian Web"), Orions ("The Pirates of Orion"), Cardassians ("Cardassians"), Jem'Hadar ("The Jem'Hadar"), Caretakers ("Caretaker"), Xindi ("The Xindi"), Species 10-C ("Species 10-C"), Mugatos ("Mugato Gumato") and Illyrians ("Ghosts of Illyria") get one episode each, mostly just boring noun titles

A few interesting things are of note here. First of all, outside of the one-off appearances and simple one- or two-word noun titles, the episodes of Star Trek that are named after specific characters or species are overwhelmingly done for comedic purposes (which probably explains why Q, Mudd, the Tribbles, and the Ferengi all tend to put in relatively strong showings). When things are serious, Star Trek across all series overwhelmingly tends to prefer more oblique or poetic titles. Notably, even the more "serious" episodes with Q ("Q Who" being the major exception) tend to forego the standard punny names.

Secondly, with the exceptions of Data and Spock (and to a lesser extent Bashir, Dax, Quark, the Doctor, and Boimler), Star Trek really doesn't like to name episodes after its opening credits regulars. None of the captains, for example, appear on this list: apparently you can name a series after Picard, but if you want to do an episode about him going on vacation, you call it "Captain's Holiday" rather than "Picard's Holiday."

Finally, it's remarkable what species aren't name-dropped in titles. The Vulcans, the Borg, the Ferengi, the Q, and the Cardassians (namesake of only one rather unimaginatively named episode) are all certainly among the major parts of the setting, but the Federation's oldest enemies--the Romulans and the Klingons--are nowhere to be seen; nor are the Changelings, the Bajorans, the Trill, the Betazoids, or any of however many other species to be featured prominently on their respective series. Star Trek typically seems to favour more oblique or thematic references when it comes to its antagonists (the aforementioned "Drone," "Collective" or "Assimilation" for the Borg; titles like "Heart of Glory," "A Matter of Honour," or "The Way of the Warrior" for the Klingons; titles like "The Neutral Zone," "The Enemy," and various allusions to political tension or spycraft for the Romulans; two separate episodes referencing the colour green for the Orions, and so on); titles that tell you what you can expect from these guys, rather than that they themselves are in it.

[startrektospolls]

Please reblog so others can participate

Find a link to the other polls here

[incrediblyfastfilms]

25. The Immunity Syndrome

24. Elaan of Troyius

23. Bread and Circuses

22. A Taste of Armageddon

21. Obsession

20. A Private Little War

19. The Ultimate Computer

18. The Naked Time

17. The Menagerie (Parts I & II)

16. Errand of Mercy

15. The Corbomite Maneuver

14. The Changeling

13. This Side of Paradise

12. Devil in the Dark

11. Mirror, Mirror

10. Requiem for Methusalah

9. Space Seed

8. Arena

7. The Trouble with Tribbles

6. Friday's Child

5. Where No Man Has Gone Before

4. The Doomsday Machine

3. Journey to Babel

2. Balance of Terror

The City on the Edge of Forever (tie)

Amok Time (tie)

S T A R T R E K the original series (1966 - 1969) -- ranking the episodes from Worst to Best

E p i s o d e s 2 5 - - 1

[jonfucius]

Great Star Trek Rewatch - The Original Series S3

Originally posted on Twitter 2 December 2020 - 8 January 2021

Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3 is up next in my Great Star Trek Rewatch. As with ENT, DSC, STX, and TOS Seasons 1-2, mini-reviews will document my progress.

Spock’s Brain: Where is brain?! Definitely not in this episode. The camp factor is off the scales, but in terms of actual quality as a Trek episode, it’s pretty bad. McCoy’s struggle to rejoin Spock’s brain is tense, but this is a portent of Season 3’s overall quality. 1/10

The Enterprise Incident: A thrilling spy adventure, with my second-favorite Romulan commander, this is probably Season 3’s best episode. Nimoy’s performance makes you think Spock has actually turned. 9/10

The Paradise Syndrome: The Preservers are a great concept, but hoo boy is the rest of the episode problematic (to say the least). Miramanee’s death is saddening. 3/10

And the Children Shall Lead: Somehow worse than “Spock’s Brain,” this episode is painful to watch. 0/10

Is There in Truth No Beauty?: The Medusans are another great TOS creation, and the Miranda Jones twist is fantastic. Aside from Nimoy's performance as Kollos, this is another mundane entry. 7/10

Spectre of the Gun: Matt Jeffries’ greatest “guest” set design, the surreal Tombstone is an iconic setting for a great sci-fi twist on a legendary Wild West event. A little reminiscent of “Arena” or “The Corbomite Maneuver,” with now-obvious influences on TNG’s “The Royale.” 8/10

Day of the Dove: TOS gives us a third iconic Klingon in the form of the late Michael Ansara’s Kang, and the only TOS female Klingon. I feel like the writer was maybe trying to comment on US-USSR relations, but couldn’t quite make it work, but it’s still a decent S3 entry. 7/10

For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky: Kelley has rarely been better, and the malevolent AI is really just an overbearing guardian. The denouement is deus ex machina, but it’s still a decent plot. 6/10

The Tholian Web: Who knew a TOS S3 episode was going to have such lasting repercussions decades after airing? “The Tholian Web” is as consequential to later shows as “Mirror, Mirror,” even crossing with the latter thanks to ENT and DSC. 9/10

Plato’s Stepchildren: Kirk telling Alexander that size, shape, or color has no bearing on a person’s worth is astoundingly progressive for the 1960s. Sadly, the rest of the episode is a waste. 3/10

Wink of an Eye: The Scalosians’ affliction is compelling, but there’s not enough plot here to justify the runtime. The concept of an accelerated lifetime is done better decades later on VOY’s superb “Blink of an Eye.” 4/10

The Empath: About as close to a 60s-70s psychological horror story as TOS ever got, this is a solid episode that wouldn’t be out of place in one of the later series. 7/10

Elaan of Troyius: combining Helen of Troy with Pygmalion probably sounded good on paper, but it unfortunately amplifies the inherent weaknesses and sexism of both stories. Two points for France Nuyen’s performance. 2/10

Whom Gods Destroy: Mental illness is tricky to depict and this episode fails spectacularly. Marta’s death scene is incredibly cruel. I’ll give credit, however, to the late Steve Ihnat. He deftly portrayed two different mental states with subtle changes not often seen in TOS. 3/10

Let That Be Your Battlefield: Everyone praises this episode for its blunt examination of racism, especially for a 1968/9 production. But it’s a little dated in terms of storytelling craft. The chase scene goes on a little long, but using footage from WWII is a deft touch. 7/10

The Mark of Gideon: Yeah, the plot hole of an overpopulated society building a 1:1 replica of a 288m starship is silly. And the overpopulation/Typhoid Mary story line is somewhat problematic. But the initial mystery is intriguing. 4/10

That Which Survives: Losira may be for y’all, but this episode ain’t exactly for me. I’ll give the series partial credit for introducing an Indian character (yet played by a white woman). Losira’s story is another classic example of the Trek trope of subverting the villain. 5/10

The Lights of Zetar: Season 3 has a ton of body possession stories, and hardly any of them are worth a damn. This does give us the inspiration for the essential Memory Alpha wiki, but it’s otherwise another forgettable S3 entry. 5/10

Requiem for Methuselah: This story is done far more eloquently (and poignantly) with Lal and Data in TNG. The concept of Flint is fascinating, but it’s otherwise dull. 4/10

The Way to Eden: I’d rather be a Herbert than watch this one again. The anti-counterculture criticism comes across as parody, rather than insightful commentary. We don’t reach. 1/10

The Cloud Minders: Worker’s rights and the class struggle are the main thrust of this episode. Droxine’s costume is iconic, and I appreciate giving Spock another shot at romance. But it’s just another “meh” entry. 6/10

The Savage Curtain: There’s a lot of banal discussion and halfhearted stunts before we get to the thesis: evil runs when good people go to war. Hmm, sounds like something out of another sci-fi franchise 🤔. 3/10

All Our Yesterdays: If only TOS had ended on this one. Spock must confront his emotions, and has a romance, while Kirk has to solve the problem; a nice inversion of the usual TOS structure. Pour one out for Zarabeth, dead 5000 years before we meet her. 8/10

Turnabout Intruder: Shatner and Sandra Smith do excellent work playing each other’s characters. That being said: if I can’t say anything else nice, I won’t say anything at all, other than what a shame it is TOS had to end on this one. 2/10

And with that, Season 3 of TOS, and the series itself, comes to an end in my Great Star Trek Rewatch. Final score: 4.75/10. Highest score(s): “The Enterprise Incident,” “The Tholian Web.” Lowest score(s): “And the Children Shall Lead.”

TOS overall score across 3 seasons and 80 episodes: 6.32/10

[dirbanu]

Rewatched TOS and ranked the episodes :D

(❤️= s1, 💙= s2, 💛= s3)

1. Amok Time 💙

2. The city on the edge of forever ❤️

3. The naked time❤️

4. Mirror mirror 💙

5. The Devil in the dark❤️

The Tholian Web 💛

Journey to babel 💙

The Doomsday Machine 💙

The corbomite maneuver ❤️

Where no man has gone before❤️

A piece of the action💙

Menagerie 1&2❤️

The immunity syndrome 💙

Space seed ❤️

Arena ❤️

Assignment: Earth 💙

Let that be your last battlefield 💛

Turnabout intruder 💛

The ultimate computer 💙

The trouble with the tribbles 💙

Charlie X❤️

The Enterprise Incident 💛

Spectre of the Gun 💛

Shore leave❤️

The Empath 💛

Balance of terror ❤️

Operation annihilate! ❤️

Return to tomorrow 💙

The enemy within❤️

The squire of gothos❤️

The Galileo 7❤️

All our yesterdays 💛

Platos stepchildren 💛

I, mudd 💙

Catspaw 💙

Who mourns for adonias 💙

Dagger of the mind ❤️

The man trap 💙

Metamorphosis 💙

Obsession💙

The mark of gideon 💛

Patterns of force 💙

The deadly years💙

The way to Eden 💛

Wink of an eye 💛

Day of the dove 💛

The gamesters of triskelion💙

Errand of mercy ❤️

Tomorrow is yesterday ❤️

The changeling 💙

Is there no truth in beauty💛

Bread and circuses 💙

A taste of armageddon ❤️

This side of paradise ❤️

Court martial ❤️

Spock’s brain 💛

Whom gods destroy 💛

The cloud minders 💛

What are little girls made of ❤️

That which survives 💛

The Lights of Zetar 💛

And the children shall lead 💛

By Any other Name 💙

The return of the archons ❤️

For the world is hollow 💛

Wolf in the fold 💙

The Savage Curtain 💛

Requiem for methuselah 💛

The conscience of the king❤️

The alternative factor ❤️

Mudds women❤️

Fridays child 💙

Elaan of Troyius ����

The Apple 💙

The omega Glory 💙

A Private little war 💙

Miri ❤️

The Paradise Syndrome 💛

[swimmingwolf59]

Last year I started rewatching tos in production order, and after watching ~2 episodes a week I finally finished!! For some ungodly reason I also decided to try and rank all tos episodes based on my personal enjoyment (and not whether or not I think it’s an objectively good episode), and though I changed this list around about a hundred times, I think I’m more or less happy with it now....

So if anyone is at all interested in that, well, here you go LOL

1. Journey to Babel

2. The Immunity Syndrome

3. Mirror, Mirror

4. The Deadly Years

5. The Ultimate Computer

6. Obsession

7. The Man Trap

8. Operation - Annihilate!

9. Friday's Child

10. The Trouble with Tribbles

11. For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky

12. The Tholian Web

13. A Piece of the Action

14. Tomorrow is Yesterday

15. The Galileo Seven

16. Amok Time

17. The Devil in the Dark

18. The Corbomite Maneuver

19. The Naked Time

20. The Way to Eden

21. Is There in Truth No Beauty?

22. The Cloud Minders

23. Turnabout Intruder

24. The Enterprise Incident

25. Wolf in the Fold

26. The City on the Edge of Forever

27. Arena

28. The Conscience of the King

29. Balance of Terror

30. The Doomsday Machine

31. That Which Survives

32. A Taste of Armageddon

33. The Enemy Within

34. By Any Other Name

35. Bread and Circuses

36. Spock's Brain

37. Dagger of the Mind

38. I, Mudd

39. The Lights of Zetar

40. Miri

41. Space Seed

42. The Empath

43. Spectre of the Gun

44. The Mark of Gideon

45. Errand of Mercy

46. Court Martial

47. The Changeling

48. The Menagerie Part I

49. The Apple

50. All Our Yesterdays

51. The Savage Curtain

52. Requiem for Methuselah

53. Shore Leave

54. What Are Little Girls Made Of?

55. A Private Little War

56. Return to Tomorrow

57. The Squire of Gothos

58. Catspaw

59. Charlie X

60. The Alternative Factor

61. Wink of an Eye

62. The Return of the Archons

63. And the Children Shall Lead

64. Where No Man Has Gone Before

65. Assignment: Earth

66. Metamorphosis

67. Who Mourns for Adonais?

68. Plato's Stepchildren

69. This Side of Paradise

70. The Menagerie Part II

71. Elaan of Troyius

72. The Gamesters of Triskelion

73. The Paradise Syndrome

74. Mudd's Women

75. Whom Gods Destroy

76. Day of the Dove

77. Patterns of Force

78. Let That Be Your Last Battlefield

79. The Omega Glory

[lenievi]

speaking of Elaan of Troyius, in production order that’s the second episode of season 3 followed by The Paradise Syndrome. 

And one of the themes of Elaan of Troyius is one’s duty and having to sacrifice oneself to perform that duty, be it Kirk and his duty to Starfleet and the Enterprise, or Elaan and her duty to her people 

and while Kirk’s romantic feelings towards Elaan were forced on him via love drugs, his strong feelings towards performing his duty and the reminder of his loneliness, and how hard it is to choose duty over himself every single time, weren’t. Those feelings were real, as were imho feelings of sympathy and understanding towards Elaan at the very end.

We’re left open ended on whether McCoy gives him the antidote or not, but it ultimately doesn’t really matter because even if the romantic feelings disappeared, the rest would stay the same, he’d still feel the burden of duty and command (which was what allowed him to refuse Elaan and her ‘love potion’)

The point? The next episode. Kirk’s tired, worn down, and it’s easy to see how it could be an effect from what went on with Elaan and the reminder of how his duty chains him down, how the Enterprise chains him down (“This vessel, I give, she takes. She won't permit me my life. I've got to live hers.”) - and while he ultimately wouldn’t change his life for something else, there are moments where he is ready to quit and run and hide. There are moments when it’s just too much, and he feels that way in The Paradise Syndrome:

“It's just so peaceful, uncomplicated. No problems, no command decisions. Just living.”

and he gets his chance. He loses his memory and gets two months of a simple life.

“All I can tell you is that I'm happy and peaceful here. I'm not sure, but I think I've never felt that way before.”

being stripped of his memories and experiences, being stripped of his burdens, forgetting the draining experience with Elaan, forgetting Elaan herself, he experiences happiness and peace, something that lbr he didn’t experience for a very long time

(at the end of the episode, he’s left even worse off than at the beginning but let’s not think about that...)

[star-trek-pop-quiz]

Star Trek POP-QUIZ #44

( 19 / 08 / 2024 )

Question 1. Which of these is not a featured Star Trek game? a. Struggle for the Throne b. Enhanced Premier c. Empire at War d. The Triangle Campaign

Bonus Question: Where is this from?

Question 2. TRUE OR FALSE Chekov is accidentally called Chanko instead of Chekov by Doctor Mccoy in Star Trek (2009).

Question 3. There is a deleted scene in "Star Trek: Nemesis" where Data and Captain Picard toast. What do they toast to? a. New Worlds b. Old Friends c. The New Enterprise d. Retirement

Question 4. Which species' tears had an aphrodisiac effect on men? a. Elasian b. Risian c. Acamarian d. Ledosian

Bonus Question: Which series is this introduced?

Question 5. Fill-in Question! How many kinds of Xindi were there?

Bonus Question: State 2 of them.

Score: __/ 5 + 3 bonus ( Answers under cut )

Question 1. c. Empire at War

+ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_Empire_at_War

Question 2. FALSE. He is accidentally called Chanko and Cherpov by Captain Pike.

Question 3. a. New Worlds

Question 4. a. Elasian

+ TOS ( "Elaan of Troyius" )

Question 5. 6.

+ Primate, Arboreal, Reptilian, Insectoid, Aquatic and Avian ( Extinct ).

[electronickingdomfox]

TOS season 3: subtext becomes text (part 2)

Continuation from this other post: https://www.tumblr.com/electronickingdomfox/705554052352770048/tos-season-3-subtext-becomes-text-part-1

Plato’s Stepchildren

This episode is kinky, in general, though I don’t think there’s much K/S in it. It contains, however, the first appearance of Shakepeare’s homoerotic sonnets in relation to Kirk. He’s forced to recite Sonnet LVII while crawling on the floor towards the Platonian lord: Parmen.

The sonnet in question deals with the poet’s “slavery” under the love demands of a younger man. This is the full text (Kirk only recites up to fourth line, before being interrupted by McCoy):

Being your slave, what should I do but tend Upon the hours and times of your desire? I have no precious time at all to spend, Nor services to do, till you require. Nor dare I chide the world-without-end hour Whilst I, my sovereign, watch the clock for you. Nor think the bitterness of absence sour When you have bid your servant once adieu; Nor dare I question with my jealous thought Where you may be, or your affairs suppose, But like a sad slave, stay and think of nought, Save, where you are how happy you make those. So true a fool is love that in your will Though you do anything, he thinks no ill.

The sonnet was probably chosen because of its relation to slavery. But it’s an interesting choice nonetheless...

Wink of an Eye

Yet another episode in which Kirk is forced into a relationship with a woman, or isn’t really able to consent. I read somewhere that Fred Freiberger, producer of season 3 in place of Roddenberry, wanted more romance in the series. Though I can’t locate the exact source, so take it with a grain of salt. But anyway, there’s indeed quite a lot of love stories here, for several characters: Chekov (Spectre of the Gun), McCoy ( For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky), Scotty (The Lights of Zetar) and even a brief scene for Spock in The Cloud Minders (I’m not counting episodes in which Spock was just acting, or not being truly himself). For some of these characters, it’d be the first time they have a genuine romance in the series.

Did this mean more female love interests for Kirk as well? You know, since he’s supposed to be “space Casanova” according to some fans? Well, not really. There’s Rayna, of course. But season 1 alone had both Ruth and Edith. What happened instead was a dramatic increase of episodes in which Kirk is forced, or otherwise manipulated, into a relationship with a woman. So far, we’ve seen a marriage while under amnesia in The Paradise Syndrome, a forced kiss in Plato’s Stepchildren, and now a kidnapping in this episode. And we’re not even done yet: there’s still the love potion of Elaan of Troyius, Marta’s assault in Whom Gods Destroy, and a semi-forced situation in The Mark of Gideon.  To compare, there were only two episodes in the previous seasons, all together, in which I’d classify the “romance” as forced: Dagger of the Mind and A Private Little War.

What it’s interesting in this episode, in terms of Kirk/Spock, is the following scene:

Queen Deela links Kirk’s interest in Spock with “affection”. Affection, of course, can be just friendly affection... But this is not what she’s thinking about. For starters, she wants a demonstration of such affection, and it’s not friendship what she’s looking for. Deela’s interest in Kirk is explicitly sexual in nature (she needs him to beget children). And then there’s, of course, her lover Rael’s jealous reaction.

Moreover, this isn’t the last time a telepathic being reads into Kirk or Spock’s minds, and finds love in there. Because after this episode comes...

The Empath

A really lovely, heartwarming scene, in an otherwise dark episode filled with torture. Spock is looking at Kirk, while he rests after being tormented by their alien captors.

This attracts immediately the attention of Gem, the empathic woman who can sense other people’s feelings, and she turns towards Spock. 

Finding himself under surveillance, Spock quickly averts his eyes, but Gem approaches him and touches his shoulder, to better feel his emotions. And whatever she feels, it must be something really beautiful, since she makes this expression (coupled with sweet music in the background):

Gem can’t talk, but her face says it all. There’s also no dialogue in this scene, and yet it’s everything in the script. Could be friendship or loyalty what she’s sensing there? Could be... But Gem has been around Kirk, Spock and McCoy for a while at this point. Those kind of feelings shouldn’t surprise her anymore. Moreover, McCoy is right there, and he’s about to sacrifice himself for his friends. Yet she doesn’t turn towards McCoy. She must have sensed something new in Spock, a feeling she probably didn’t know till now. And I think it’s love.

Whom Gods Destroy

The second appearance of Shakepeare’s homoerotic sonnets, though this time, its relation with Kirk is weaker.

It’s actually Marta who starts reciting sonnet XVIII, till the fourth line. This is the full text:

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date; Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd; But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st: So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

She’s interrupted, but then turns to Kirk and asks him how he liked it:

Yeah, she knows you’re into this stuff, Kirk. Deela knew, Gem knew, and now Marta knows too. These guys are so obvious... They’re not fooling the ladies.

Requiem for Methuselah

And speaking of obvious, this episode is as subtle as a brick through a window (“como un elefante en una cacharrería”, as I’d say in my own language).

First there’s Kirk falling in love at first sight with an android woman, who talks about sciency stuff just like Spock, and also has problems dealing with her emotions (for another example of parallels between Spock and an android struggling with emotions, see Star Trek: The Motion Picture).

And of course, there’s the final scene:

MCCOY: Well, I guess that's all. I can tell Jim later or you can. Considering his opponent's longevity, truly an eternal triangle. You wouldn't understand that, would you, Spock? You see, I feel sorrier for you than I do for him because you'll never know the things that love can drive a man to. The ecstasies, the miseries, the broken rules, the desperate chances, the glorious failures, the glorious victories. All of these things you'll never know simply because the word love isn't written into your book. Goodnight, Spock. SPOCK: Goodnight, Doctor. MCCOY: I do wish he could forget her.

McCoy accuses Spock of being unable to feel love (specifically romantic love, since that’s what Kirk felt for Rayna). What does Spock do once McCoy leaves? 

Exactly. He mind-melds with a sleeping Kirk and makes him forget Rayna (coupled with romantic music in the background). Now, if it wasn’t for McCoy’s speech, we could assume that Spock was just trying to help his Captain, even if using some unorthodox methods. But McCoy’s speech changes everything. He just told the viewer that Spock is unable to feel something like romantic love. Those were harsh words. And now Spock proves to the viewer that McCoy is wrong, that he can, indeed, feel love.

Again, it’s all in the script. It’s so obvious, that even people you wouldn’t usually link with K/S shipping seem to have got it. For example, this is what Marcy Lafferty (married to Shatner from 1973 to 1996) said about it in an interview (Shatner: where no man..., 1979) :

Turnabout Intruder

The final episode of TOS, and written by Roddenberry himself. Since it was the final episode (and probably everyone knew it at the time), it should have some grand plot, right? Something really glorious, and heroic, and epic. Maybe the Enterprise finally defeats the Klingons and Romulans, and achieves inter-planetary peace or something. Actually, the production team called this episode......... Captain Kirk: Space Queen.

Fuck yeah. Of course, the plot revolves around Kirk switching bodies with a crazed ex-girlfriend, who then proceeds to take hold of the Enterprise. But I wonder if, at some level, it was really about Shatner playing a woman inside a man’s body, or instead, playing a flamboyantly gay Kirk right under our noses. Specially since, while filming this episode, he changed a line out of nowhere to say “Spock, it’s always been you. Please say you love me too”. Was this finale a way for Roddenberry to give the middle-finger to the network that killed his show? Hard to know, and pure speculation on my part. But fun speculation nonetheless.

At the story level, there’s the scene where Kirk, inside Janice’s body, says that Spock is closer to the Captain than ANYBODY ELSE IN THE ENTIRE FREAKING UNIVERSE. And then Spock mind-melds with him. He didn’t make any mind-link with Kirk in previous seasons, but this is the fourth episode in which he melds with him in season 3. He got kind of an addiction to it. There’s also the moment where Spock leads Kirk, taking him by the wrist.

The effect of all this is kind of mitigated by the fact that Kirk occupies a female body at the moment. So even if, for story purposes, is a rather gay scene, the 60′s viewer is still seeing an actor having a tender moment with an actress (which would be nothing new).

But there’s the other side, as well:

Yeah, it’s actually Janice but, from the audience point of view, what we’re seeing here is the Captain Kirk that we got used to for 79 episodes. Getting all lovey-dovey with a man (unfortunately not Spock), and seducing him to kill for his sake. Also, the guy doesn’t seem to mind much that Janice has turned into this hunk of a man. He’s only concerned because of the murderous plan. Now think, was it really necessary to make Janice’s accomplice her lover as well? She already had a love interest in Kirk, and in the episode’s beginning, she was complaining about how lonely she felt.

Well, that’s all I have to say about this subject for TOS season 3 (which was a lot). If you’ve made it through all this text, thank you very much. And I’d be glad to hear your opinions.

[themushroomblues]

STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES Season 3, Episode 13: Elaan of Troyius

[startrektospolls]

Please reblog so others can participate

Find a link to the other polls here

[noitsbecky127]

rebecca watches tos: whom gods destroy

I’ve read that Elaan of Troyius is sexist so I’m skipping it

why does the federation do literally anything on a poisonous planet

one medicine will eliminate all of mental illness? permanently? I don’t think that’s how it works

jim I don’t think this guy is the way he was when you read about him

ooh green lady

she COULD just be insane but lbr here there’s more to it than that

yep there was more to it

garth and his gang of aliens are in charge now

LORD garth???

I’m guessing getting out of this will somehow involve kirk seducing the green lady

oh he wants the fucking enterprise

and he’s gonna shapeshift his way into it

is queen to queen’s level 3 some kind of code

william shatner is really hamming it up here lmao

ah yep it was a code

making a code was a smart move, given how often people impersonate kirk

you are definitely lacking in hospitality

this entertainment sucks

everyone here is so ridiculous

ma’am you didn’t write that poem

her dancing reminds me of twi’leks in star wars, guess they fill the same role of “sexy alien lady”

she isn’t even trying to seduce spock, guess she can tell it’s a lost cause

so garth tried to do a genocide for no clear reason

sir you are not master of the universe, you’re a terrible person with delusions of godhood

kirk just brotherzoned spock

even garth can see it

he’s still awful though

oh shit torture time

ohhh torturing cory for it

that’s admittedly a brilliant idea, kirk will be more responsive to that than to his own suffering

nope nvm they’re putting kirk in now

what’s marta planning for him

oh she’s going for it

nvm she just wants to kill him

deus ex spockina

spock surely you know the countersign

wait shit

GARTH YOU FUCKHEAD

garth is seriously doing a “rip to them but i’m different” here

what kind of coronation has a human sacrifice anyway

kirk is still trying to talk his way out of this

nope just trying to disable the forcefield

you should probably not vaporize the planet garth

can I get an F for marta

meanwhile on the enterprise they’re still trying to get through the forcefield

oh yeah where IS the real spock anyway

here he is!

he is coming! with a phaser!

ah the classic “which one is real and which is the shapeshifter” dilemma

spock is straight up just gonna wait them out

battle of the kirks!

ah yes, the real kirk would never pass up an opportunity to be self-sacrificing

but if knocking him out makes him revert why not just start with stunning them both?

ok good the medicine has been reacquired, for the improbable elimination of mental illness

yeah don’t have much to say about this ep, but it was alright