#star trek: tas 50th anniversary

[kosmos2999]

Star Trek: The Animated Series 50th Anniversary Episode Review

Episode: The Time Trap

Season: 1

Episode: 12

Stardate: November 24, 1973

Original airdate: 5267.2 – 5267.6

Written by: Joyce Perry

Directed by: Hal Sutherland

Music by: Yvette Blais and Jeff Michaels

Executive producers: Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott

Studio: Filmation Associates

Network: NBC

Series created by: Gene Roddenberry

Cast:

Captain James T. Kirk (voice by William Shatner)

Mr. Spock (voice by Leonard Nimoy)

Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (voice by DeForest Kelly)

Lt. Uhura, Devna, Magen, Kali (voice by Nichelle Nichols)

Lt. Hikaru Sulu, Kuri, Klingon #1 (voice by George Takei)

Eng. Montgomery Scott, Kaz, Kor, Xerius, Gabler (voices by James Doohan)

Nurse Christine Chapel (voice by Majel Barrett)

Synopsis:

The crew of the USS Enterprise was assigned to survey a sector of the galaxy known as the Delta Triangle. More precisely, to research about the mysterious disappearance of a high number of starships on the region from ancient times.

Once there, the ship had a massive failiure of its sensors and to make the situtation worse, they were received by a squadron of three Klingon battlecruisers, Captain Kirk orders Lieutenant Sulu to fire phasers to the IKS Klothos. The shoots made point blank on the Klingonian vessel but it disappeared, not destroyed.

One commander of the remaining two Klingon ships blamed Kirk, but the captain decides to move forward to the same place the Klothos was at maximum warp speed. As closer it gets to the place, the ship's crew felt very dizzy by the effect of an ion storm. Suddenly, they were in a place the captain describes as “an interstellar Sargasso Sea” filled with a lot of centuries-old alien starships. One of them, the USS Bonaventure.

The Entrerprise had another encounter with the Klothos, but right at the moment both of the captains orders to attack their foes, they were suddenly transported to one of the ships. The one that gathers the Ruling Council of the area named Elysia. That council is composed of 123 races that learned to live peacefully over one thousand years. Every act of violence is punished severely. It is not a parallel universe, is a place with no stars nor planets, a place where time ceased to move, a pocket in the garment of time.

Captain Kirk and Captain Kor are facing charges of committing acts of violence and they are both facing a sentence of a hundred years of immobilization of their ships and crew. The council's leader, a Romulan named Xerius pardons both of the captains due to their ignorance of Elysia's law. They were turned back to their respective ships.

At the Ruling Council, an alien female with psionic powers named Magen perceived both of the crews from the Enterprise and the Klothos are planning to escape. Another of the Ruling Council members, an Orion slave girl named Devna was opposed to that idea because she deemed they will die and appealed to Xerius to stop them but the council's leader told her it does not infringe any of the Elysian's laws to try to escape from there.

At the Enterprise, Kirk tries to find the way to escape from there. He has to do something quickly before the disintegration of the dilithium crystals. The Klingons tried first, but they were unsuccessful. Spock devises a formula based on the failure of the Klingonian ship. He proposes Kirk a solution by linking both their ship and the one of their foes using both warp drives together as one.

During the gathering of both captains and first officers aboard the Klothos, Spock showed very friendly with the Klingons. It made Doctor McCoy very suspicious about the welfare of their first officer. He asks Kirk to talk with him about the subject and he agrees. Spock tells the captain that he felt the thoughts of the Klingonian officers and knows that although is not clear for him, they are planning something evil.

The Elysians celebrated a party for both Federation and Klingonian crews. After performing a dance, Devna told to the federation captain that she wanted to be on her home planet again but she thinks it is impossible to move out from this place and begs Kirk not to try. He told her that his home may not be perfect as Elysia, but it is his home no matter its imperfections. Also, during the feast, a Klingon officer started a fight with McCoy. Both ships' captains were on trial by the ruling council again as responsible for the conduct of their crews.

This time, Kirk begs pardon for Kor and his crew because they need them so much for their escape plan. Xerius understood Kirk's intentions and granted the way out of the punishment to the Klingons. During the trial, a female Klingonian officer named Kaz, put an explosive capsule in the warp drive control computer system of the Enterprise.

As the launch of both of the ships' begins, Magen perceived the sabotage to the federation's ship by their counterparts. And the council sends the message to Kirk. Spock throws out the capsule out of the ship before it explodes at warp 8. Both of the ships made their way out of Elysia. Kor takes all the credit for their success, but it is unimportant to Kirk.

Fascinating Facts:

This episode was written by actress and writer Joyce Perry. It was inspired by legend of the Bermuda Triangle. A region located between Bermuda, Florida and Puerto Rico. According to the myth, there was a lot of mysterious disappearance of ships and airplanes in that area. An urban legend very popular in the second half of the 20th century. It was the source of inspiration for many science fiction and fantasy works of that time.

Also, it is a mention of the Sargasso sea. A region in the north of the Atlantic Ocean that has an abundant brown seaweed called sargassum. It also bounded by four currents forming an ocean gyre.

This is the second time the Klingon character, Kor has appeared in a episode. The first time was in a season one episode, “Errand Of Mercy”. It was played by actor John Colicos. He was not available at the time this episode, the voice for Kor was played by James Doohan. Colicos returned to the Kor character years later for three episodes of Deep Space Nine.

This is the last time the Klingons made their appearance with smooth foreheads. Years later, their appearance changed for the 1979 film, Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

This is the episode were Nichelle Nichols played the most characters in a single episode. A total of four: Uhura, Devna, Magen and Kaz.

Most of the designs for the starships stuck in the area of Elysia were unapproved designs for the insectoid pod starship from the pilot episode, “To The Farthest Of The Stars”.

[chaotic-hypnotic-erotic]

Released for the 50th anniversary of Star Trek: The Animated Series. The grandaddy of both Lower Decks and Prodigy.

[stra-tek]

Star Trek is doing one of those things where it goes completely insane again. Old school TAS returns, in 5 short minisodes to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Animated Series.

[sunshine-captain]

We’re moved into our new house, and here is what I have so far of my nerd shelf (my family affectionately calls it, my aunt has one, too :D )

I’ve shown pictures of this very same bookshelf before, but it had actual books on it before. I bought a really big bookshelf (that is not yet assembled) for all my books (WHICH ARE ALL STILL IN TX?? I’M REALLY UPSET) so now I have room to put all my little...things (it sounds pretentious to say collectibles or merch tbh.)

It will be mostly Trek in the end, there’s a little bit of Pokemon (I’ve been a Pokemon fan far longer than I’ve been a Trek fan, don’t even ask) and a couple personal items/random things (Mulan, the A, and the turtle and hedgehog) but yeah. Also I can show off my Search For Spock VHS now, it’s in the corner on the second shelf behind all the RePlay figures. (also new are the metal jim in front of the best birthday card anyone ever got me EVER, and the teeny amok time jim and spock figures. jim comes complete with nipple window.

[kosmos2999]

Star Trek: The Animated Series 50th Anniversary Episode Review

Episode: The Ambergris Element

Season: 1

Episode: 13

Stardate: 5499.9 – 5506.2

Original airdate: December 1, 1973

Written by: Margaret Armen

Directed by: Hal Sutherland

Music by: Yvette Blais and Jeff Michaels

Executive producers: Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott

Studio: Filmation Associates

Network: NBC

Series created by: Gene Roddenberry

Cast:

Captain James T. Kirk (voice by William Shatner)

Mr. Spock (voice by Leonard Nimoy)

Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (voice by DeForest Kelly)

Lt. Uhura (voice by Nichelle Nichols)

Lt. Hikaru Sulu (voice by George Takei)

Eng. Montgomery Scott, Lt. Clayton, Cadmar, Cheeron, Domar (voices by James Doohan)

Nurse Christine Chapel, Rila, Aquan females #1 to 3 (voices by Majel Barrett)

Lemus, Aquan harvester (voices by Lou Scheimer)

Nephro, Aquan male, Aquan guard (voices unknown)

Synopsis:

Argo, an Earth-like planet in anicient times, had suffered a transformation on its surface submerging most of its dry land into the deepest of its seas. The crew of the USS Enterprise was assigned to investigate the phenomenal seismic activity in hope to save millions of lives on a Federation planet similar to Argo.

An away team has been assembled. It is composed of Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy and Lieutenant Clayton. They await to be launched in a special shuttlecraft mounted on a catamaran, the aqua-shuttle. Engineer Scott is in the shuttlebay ready for the launch.

Upon their arrival, the team had an encounter with a sea monster. It is called a sur-snake, a creature not found on previous surveys. The beast hits once the shuttle and captain orders to his first officer to shoot to stun with the small ship's phasers. After knocking down the creature, Kirk orders Clayton to submerge the vessel to make research on the oceanic beast. McCoy found it has a dual respiratory system and Spock also found its skeleton structure it is very similar to the one of the Denbian whales.

Suddenly, the giant monster regained its consciousness. The captain orders to shoot the creature again but this time, the phasers do not respond. Kirk orders Scott to beam them up. The sur-snake took the aqua-shuttle with its jaw and threw the ship against a pile of rocks. Only McCoy and Clayton were beamed up to safe place. But Kirk and Spock remain on the planet. Their whereabouts it is unknown to the rest of the crew.

After five days of an intense search, the captain and his first officer have been found –along the wreckage of the aqua-shuttle-- at a rock mass above the sea level. They were still alive, but with their metabolisms changed. Making them uncapable of living in the air. Also they have no memory of whatever happened to them after the sur-snake incident.

On the starship, they were put in a water tank. After 48 hours of being rescued, Dr. McCoy have only found an unknown substance on their bloodstreams. Their internal structure had changed so much that even they have now second eyelids like those from fishes. Bones have found no information on the Federation computers about any kind of such procedure. All the efforts to change them to their normal structure were useless.

This made them to conjecture about intelligent lifeforms on the depths of the oceans of Argo. The only shuttlecraft available to reach such place was destroyed by the sea monster. Both Kirk and Spock realized it is useless to spend more time inside the aquarium and decided to went to the deepest of the seas by themselves.

The first encounter with the Aquans were made while some of them are gathering food. They were hostile to who they call air-breathers. They warn them to go away. They also tell them that the young ones were those who saved them and they do not leave, they will not save them again. After this, they left. Kirk and Spock will follow them.

After both of the Enterprise's officers went into an ocean rift and a tunnel, they have found a fantastic underwater city with a surprising architecture. Spock made a guess that the Aquans may found the ugly and grotesque as the reason for running away from them. Next, they were trapped into a fishnet.

Kirk and Spock are brought to a chamber were the Ruling Tribunal of the Aquans. Domar, the High Tribune accuses both officers of espionage. According to the anicient records, air-breathers never came in peace. A female Aquan, Rila intercede for both officers of the Enterprise along with her fellow young tribunes. They want the High Tribune to give the captain and his first officer the chance to revert the process.

At the planet's surface Scotty awaits for Kirk and Spock. He received a message from the main ship telling him a seaquake so strong to change the topography of Argo it is going to happen within four hours. The engineer have been hurry to find the captain and the first officer as soon as posible.

Just when Kirk and Spock came to an arragement with the High Tribune, all was turned down officers of the Enterprise coming down to the surface. Both officers are sentenced to death by suffocation.

Rila came to their help again by telling Officer Scott where Kirk and Spock are located. After they have been rescued, They want the female Aquan to help them to find the ancient medical records on how to revert the mutation process. At first, Rila was hesitant on helping them, but she finally decided to do so.

With the medical archives on hand, Doctor McCoy have found a substance similar to the ambergris element found in Earth's whales. Kirk and Spock are brought back to Argo to find that substance. They wanted the help of Rila and the young tribunes after resisting for a short time, they agreed on finding the sur-snake to extract the venom from its fangs.

Once they got the element from the giant sea monster, Bones is ready to process it to get the antitoxin to get both Kirk and Spock to their normal metabolisms again. The captain was the first to receive doses from antitoxin. After a couple of reactions from the shots, Kirk was turned back to his normal condition and then Spock.

Rila and Domar are beamed up to the starship to be witness of the procedure to save their civilization from the seaquake. The Enterprise shoot phasers to an abandoned place to change the seaquake's epicenter. As a result, the Aquans's city was saved and the underwater ruins are back to the open air land.

The Aquans are so grateful of the Federation efforts to save them. In exchange, they gave the Enterprise's officers all the ancient archives for their study. The young Aquans wants to live in open air, but the all ones do not. Kirk gives an advice to Domar: that the old ones no lose contact with the young ones. The High Tribune agrees to change the old codes to new ones that forbid the isolation from the old Aquans living underwater to the young Aquans living in the surface.

Fascinating facts:

This episode was written by Margaret Armen. Previously, Armen worked as writer for The Original Series season two episode, “The Gamesters of Triskelion”, season three episodes “The Paradise Syndrome” and “The Cloud Minders (script only). And for The Animated Series episode “The Lorelei Signal”.

James Doohan made six voices for this episode (Scott, Arex, Clayton, Cheeron, Domar), very close to his record of seven voices for the episode “Yesteryear”.

Producer Lou Scheimer also had done voice acting for this episode as both as Lemus and an Aquan harvester.

This episode introduced two vehicles to be used on water, the aqua-shuttle and the scouter-gig. The aqua-shuttle is the first armed shuttlecraft in Star Trek. Those two small vessels appeared for the first and last time.

The ambergris is a waxy substance that originates as a secretion in the intestines of the sperm whale, found floating in tropical seas and and used in perfume manufacture. It is illegal in some places.

[kosmos2999]

Star Trek: The Animted Series 50th Anniversary Episode Review

Episode: Once Upon A Planet

Season: 1

Episode: 9

Stardate: 2269

Original airdate: November 3, 1973

Written by: Chuck Menville and Len Janson

Directed by: Hal Sutherland

Music by: Yvette Blais and Jeff Michaels

Executive producers: Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott

Studio: Filmation Associates

Network: NBC

Series created by: Gene Roddenberry

Cast:

Captain James T. Kirk (voice by William Shatner)

Mr. Spock (voice by Leonard Nimoy)

Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (voice by DeForest Kelly)

Lt. Uhura, Alice (voices by Nichelle Nichols)

Lt. Hikaru Sulu (voice by George Takei)

Eng. Montgomery Scott, White Rabbit, Master Computer, Arex, Gabler (voices by James Doohan)

Nurse Christine Chapel, M'Ress, Queen of Hearts (voices by Majel Barrett)

Synopsis:

Loooking for a time of rest and recreation, the USS Enterprise is set in orbit on the amusement park planet they visited on the “Shore Leave” episode of The Original Series. A world with a technology that materializes the thoughts and desires of its visitors' minds.

Lieutenant Uhura, Doctor McCoy and Lieutenant Sulu are in the planet's surface enjoying on its landscape. Just when McCoy recalls his first visit, the White Rabbit and Alice from Alice In Wonderland make their appearence again. Then, the trio splits looking for their own enjoyment.

While the doctor is relaxing with the view of a mansion of a southern plantation --like the one of the classic movie, Gone With The Wind-- he was interrupted by The Queen of Hearts from Alice Trough A Looking Glass. She was ordering her guards to behead McCoy. He has to run while he communicates with the Enterprise. The captain declared an emergency and orders all the crew to be beamed back to the ship. McCoy and Sulu are beamed up, but Uhura is captured by a hovering drone.

Kirk tries to make contact with the planet's caretaker, but he got no response. Then, he decides to be beamed down with Spock, McCoy and Sulu. While they are beamed down in search for Uhura, she is imprisioned by the master computer in a cave compound. It assumes that the ship is her master. Any effort to find her with the ship's sensors is useless. It has the lieutenant captive to take control of the Enterprise and it threatens her crewmates with “turn them off”.

As the landing party gets deeper into the forest, they found the tombstone of the caretaker. His death explains the misconduct of the robot machines. The master computer guides Kirk and the rest of the landing team to an area by fooling them making believe there was the master system.

In that area, they face an attack by pterodactyl. They all ran to a nearby cave. Inside the cave, they face a giant cat from the outside that tries to attack them with one of his paws. Once there, McCoy remembers he was mortally wounded on his last visit by a black knight and the machines took him to the main compound to be healed.

Kirk devise a plan to get them to the main compound. He asks the doctor for help to fake a wound on him. McCoy uses a substance called melenex that makes a person lose his consciousness and also causes skin decoloration. It is only temporal and look worse than it is. Kirk offers himself first but Spock interrupted him because he is the most appropiate for the mission for his knowledge on computers.

Meanwhile, the master computer is building a computer inside the Enterprise.

Once Spock is taken by hovercraft, Kirk, McCoy and Sulu ran on the hovercraft's way while they are attacked by a double headed dragon.

As Spock is ready to be “repaired” at the main compound, the captain enters the cave to stop the master computer. He and the captive lieutenant try to reasoning with the main system. It told them the caretaker died of old age and it develop self awareness and wants to go away from the planet. Its main plan is to take the Enterprise to go to the farthest regions of the galaxy to gather with its fellow computers.

Kirk and Uhura convinced the master computer that computers are made by humans to serve them and they work in harmony. That it is not a shame to serve if it is freely and in a volunteer fashion. That it would bring the whole galaxy there by showing the planet's wonderfulness. Then, the master computer change its way.

Fascinating Facts:

This is a sequel to the first season of The Original Series' episode, “Shore Leave” written by Theodore Sturgeon. There were plans for a sequel episode for TOS, but it was undeveloped.

In the TOS episode, Alice was played by actress Marcia Brown. In this episode the voice of Alice was performed by Nichelle Nichols.

Actor William “Billy” Blackburn was the White Rabbit in the TOS episode. James Doohan was the voice of that character in this episode.

[kosmos2999]

Star Trek: The Animted Series 50th Anniversary Episode Review

Episode: The Infinite Vulcan

Season: 1

Episode: 7

Stardate:

Original airdate: October 20, 1973

Written by: Walter Koenig

Directed by: Hal Sutherland

Music by: Yvette Blais and Jeff Michaels

Executive producers: Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott

Studio: Filmation Associates

Network: NBC

Series created by: Gene Roddenberry

Cast:

Captain James T. Kirk (voice by William Shatner)

Mr. Spock, Spock 2 (voice by Leonard Nimoy)

Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (voice by DeForest Kelly)

Lt. Uhura, Computer Voice (voice by Nichelle Nichols)

Lt. Hikaru Sulu (voice by George Takei)

Eng. Montgomery Scott, Agmar, Dr. Stavos Keniclus 5 (voices by James Doohan)

Nurse Christine Chapel (voice by Majel Barrett)

Synopsis:

The Enterprise is engaged in an exploring mission. A newly discovered planet on the pheripheral portion of the galaxy. An away team composed of Captain Kirk, Doctor McCoy, Mister Spock and Lieutenant Sulu is assembled to being beamed down to this world full of natural beauty but full of mystery.

At the arrival, they have found a city apparently abandoned by its inhabitants. They get confusing signals on their scanners and the readings of a power source on a building in front of them. While his teammates explore the inside of the building, Sulu finds a mobile plant and gets hurt mortally by one of its thorns. Kirk, McCoy and Spock came to his rescue once they listen to his scream for help.

The doctor applies one of his antidotes, but it is useless aganist the plant's poison. Then, a group of plant-like beings suddenly appeared. Their leader, Agmar offers a cure for Sulu but McCoy refusses the help. Kirk accepts the help from the natives and just when they apply their antidote, Sulu recovers very fast.

Agmar, the Phylosian told to the crew that they had an earlier contact with humans. One that brought the an infectious bactery that killed a generation of their own, but he also helped them to survive. As they are entering thru a cave, a flock of dragon-like flying plant-lifeforms attack the Enterprise's crew and kidnap Spock.

The Phylosians got a system that makes phasers not working, then a giant human appeared and the natives made a bow to him. He identifies as Doctor Stavos Keniclus 5, the man who saved the natives from extintion. He told the team that he needs Spock for his plans and also told them to leave the planet.

Kirk orders to beam up the rest of the crew.

On the bridge, Kirk orders Lt. Uhura to investigate any data about Keniclus 5. Meanwhile, the doctor tries to find a way to defend themselves against the plant-lifeforms by using a recepie for a pesticide from his gran-grandfather's farm.

Uhura found a record of a scientist Keniciclus who left the Earth after loosing the Eugenic Wars. Kirk is surprised and trying to guess how he survived after more than 200 years.

Kirk, McCoy and Sulu return to the planet's surface but much prepeared to rescue Spock. The natives brought them to a underground compound where Spock is located.

Inside the cave compound, they encounter again with Keniciclus 5. He reveals himself as the fifth generation clone of the original Dr. Keniciclus. His plan is to imposing peace by strenght to the galaxy by invading every single planet they could. For that reason, he produced a Mr. Spock's clone, Spock 2.

As soon as they learned Keniciclus 5's plans for galactic conquest, a new wave of the dragon-like flying plant-lifeforms made an attack. This time, the team is ready to counter using McCoy's pesticide formula as a weapon.

After a successfully defeat of the flying creatures, Kirk triex to reason with Keniciclus 5 that he is unaware of the present time. That there is no need to continue wars from the past because the Federation had brought peace thru the galaxy. Then Kirk had a conversation with Spock 2 about the illogical action of imposing peace thru strenght. Some that goes against the Vulcan philosophy of infinite diversity in infinite combinations. Something that simbolize the elements of truth and beauty.

Spock 2 asserts Kirk's words and changes his mind. Meanwhile, the original Spock is dying in a chamber because of a memory drain performed by the mad scientist, Keniciclus 5. Spock 2 performs a Vulcan mind meld to help his original self to recover.

At the end, Keniciclus 5 was feeling useless after his plans failed miserably, Kirk and the original Spock convince him to use all of his knowledge and strength to help on the restoring of the Phylosian civilization with the help of Spock 2. All of them agree on that.

Fascinating Facts:

This episode was written by Walter Koenig. Due to budget restrictions, Koenig was not cast for playing the role of Lieutenant Chekov in The Animated series, but he made his collaboration by writing this episode.

The Koenig's main source for inspiration for writing the story was the fact that cloning was a very discussed subject in that time.

The mobile plant-lifeform who attackes Sulu has the name of Retlaw. It is Walter spelled backwards. The idea came from a story of a comic book series where the aliens spoke bakwards.

The first reference to the Vulcan philosophy of Infinite Diversity In Infinite Combinations (or IDIC) was made in the third season episode of The Original Series titled “Is There In Truth No Beauty?” At first, Leonard Nimoy refused the idea for a symbol because he thought Gene Roddenberry's idea for merchandising its pin.

[kosmos2999]

Star Trek: The Animted Series 50th Anniversary Episode Review

Episode: The Survivor

Season: 1 Episode: 6 Stardate: 5143.3 Original airdate: October 13, 1973 Written by: James Schermer Directed by: Hal Sutherland Music by: Yvette Blais and Jeff Michaels Executive producers: Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott Studio: Filmation Associates Network: NBC Series created by: Gene Roddenberry

Cast: Captain James T. Kirk (voice by William Shatner) Mr. Spock (voice by Leonard Nimoy) Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (voice by DeForest Kelly) Lt. Uhura, Lt. Anne Nored (voices by Nichelle Nichols) Lt. Hikaru Sulu (voice by George Takei) Eng. Montgomery Scott, Gabler, Romulan Commander (voices by James Doohan) Nurse Christine Chapel, Enterprise Computer, M'Ress (voices by Majel Barrett)

Guest star: Ted Knight as Carter Winston/Vendorian

Synopsis:

During a patrol across the Romulan Neutral Zone, Captain Kirk gives orders to set a course to the encounter a small private ship to the rescue of its passenger. The ship is registed under Carter Winston, a social prominent figure who uses his fortune to help others. Winston has been lost for five years.

At the transporter room, Kirk, Dr. McCoy and Spock received Winston. McCoy gives thanks to him because he helped McCoy's daughter as one of many who survived of a famine due a crop faliure on Cerberus.Spock tells Winston that his fiancée, Security Officer, Lieutenant Anne Nored after verifying his identity tapes and a physical exam.

McCoy protest Spock's treatment to Winston but Kirk approves it telling it is a required procedure.

As Bones perform the medical examination, he notes his instruments are gaving strange readings. Like if Carter Winston is not human at all. McCoy resolves that it has to be an instruments' malfunction.

Lt. Nored makes her appearence at the medical room and had a conversation with Winston. He confesses to his former lover that he had an accidental crash on planet Vendor and he had suffered many surgeries, that he experienced many changes, so they would not going to marry her.

Then, Winston moves to Kirk's office and while the captain is busy trying to find the reports on the small starship, the Vendorian deguised as Carter Winston reveals his true self. The Vendorians are are a shape-shifter's race whose presence is forbidden in the Federation's territories.

He puts Kirk unconsious and assumes the captain's persona. Then he moves to the bridge and orders Sulu to set a course to Rator III no matter the helmsman's advice about crossing the Romulan Neutral Zone.

As he leaves the bridge, he moves to the doctor's office and does the same the he had done with Kirk. He assumes the identity of McCoy after putting the real one to sleep.

The real Captain Kirk wakes up and moves to the bridge realizing a time has passed since he get unconsious. He asks why they are crossing the Neutral Zone of the Romulans.

Spock presents the video recording of his orders and realizes this is all a trap from the Romulans. Then Kirk orders a turn away from the Netral Zone.

Kirk and Spock moves faster to the medical office guessing that the Vendorian is right there. As soon as the captain notice the presence of the spy, he ran away fast. He was intercepted by the Lt. Nored and he assumes the Carter Winston persona again and explain Anne whatever really happened to Winston and how the Vendorians absorb the memory and feelings of the subjects they stole their identity. Nored felt uncapable of firing to him with the phaser.

The Romulans make their appearence to rightfully claim the ownership of the Enterprise. Captain Kirk refuses to give the starship because he knows the presence of the Vendoiran spy is part of the Romulan's ploy to capture the his starship.

Meanwhile, the spy assumes the identity of one of the engineering perssonel and makes damage to the starship's shields. Scotty reports that the damage could take two hours to be repaired.

The Romulan Commander orders an attack to the Enterprise, but in a miraculous way, the shields are activated and stand the Romulans' attack. Spock asserts the spy has turned into the shield itself. Then the Vendoiran appears on his form to explain why he has done this mission. Kirk told him he is going to be judged by the Federation, but he is going to speak on his behalf.

Then, the captain put Anne Nored in charge of the Vendoiran spy.

Fascinating Facts:

The characterization of the Vendoiran spy who passed as Carter Winston was performed by actor Ted Knight. He was better known for his roles on TV shows like Ted Baxter in the Mary Tyler Moore Show and Henry Rush in Too Close for Comfort. Knight also was a regular voice actor for many other animated shows from Filmation Associates.

This is the first time Dr. McCoy's daughter is mentioned. Her name is Joanna and it was planned to introduce the character in The Original Series' episode “The Way to Eden”, but it was discarded.

The character of Uhura appeared briefly on this episode but without any dialogue. Nichelle Nichols made the voice characterization of Carter Winston's fiancée, Security Officer, Lieutenant Anne Nored.

The first time of the appearence of the Catian race character Lt. M'Ress voiced by Majel Barrett.

The voice of the Romulan Commander was performed by James Doohan.

[kosmos2999]

Star Trek: The Animated Series 50th Anniversary Episode Review

Episode: The Slaver Weapon

Season: 1

Episode: 14

Stardate: 4187.3

Original airdate: December 15, 1973

Written by: Larry Niven

Directed by: Hal Sutherland

Music by: Yvette Blais and Jeff Michaels

Executive producers: Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott

Studio: Filmation Associates

Network: NBC

Series created by: Gene Roddenberry

Cast:

Captain James T. Kirk (voice by William Shatner) (credit only)

Mr. Spock (voice by Leonard Nimoy)

Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (voice by DeForest Kelly) (credit only)

Lt. Uhura (voice by Nichelle Nichols)

Lt. Hikaru Sulu (voice by George Takei)

Chuft Captain, Kzinti Telepath, Kzinti Flyer (voices by James Doohan)

Slaver Weapon Computer (voice by Majel Barrett)

Synopsis:

First Officer, Mr. Spock –accompained by Lieutenants Uhura and Sulu-- are aboard the Enterprise shuttle Copernicus in a mission to deliver a stasis box to Starbase 25. It was discovered by archeologists on the planet Kzin.

These boxes have something in particular, time stands still inside them. Everithing was put on the boxes is preserved as the first moment no matter how much time it spends there. Like a time capsule.

They were created by the Slavers. A race which mastered most of the intelligent life-forms of the galaxy a billion years ago until one race revolted. The Slavers and their subjects were exterminated in a war that followed. The stasis boxes are the only remnant of the Slavers.

Their effect on science has been incalculable. The content of one of them was a flying belt which was the key to the artifitial gravity field used by starships. They are rare and also dangerous. For that reason, the Starfleet is in charge of the stasis boxes.

To find a stasis box, you need another one. The first was discovered by accident. As the Copernicus approaches to the Beta Lyrae System, the box began to glow. It indicates there is another of the boxes in the vicinity.

As the shuttle lands in an ice-bound world and the trio of officers are in the surface wearing life-support belts, the were ambushed by a gang of an alien race, the Kzinti. They stole their stasis box and were put as prisoners at their ship, the Traitor's Claw. Right now, the officer's trio is trapped in a police web.

The Kzintis are a race of cat-like aliens. They are armed. It is forbbiden by the Treaty of Sirius. Spock notices one of them --the lean, be-draggles one-- is a telepath. As Uhura notices on this telepath, Kzinti telepaths have a reputation of being unhappy neurotics. Spock knows the Kzintis do not want to deal with him or Uhura because they think both of them are inferior beings. Spock is a Vulcan who only eat roots and leaves and Uhura is a female. They are an alien race of meat-eaters, so they only wants to deal with Sulu.

Spock warns Sulu if he notice the telepath is reading his mind, he has to think about eating a raw vegetable. And also instructs Uhura to not tell anything in the presence of their captors because the women of their race are dumb animals and they can forget it. The lieutenant fell offended by Spock's words but she later understood his intention.

The Chuft Captain starts his interrogation to Lieutenant Sulu. He tells the officers that the ship they are caught in, the privateer Traitor's Claw was a stolen ship. An usual habit of the Kzintis. Sulu reminds the captain that the Kzintis had fought four wars with mankind and lost all of them. The last of them was two hundred years ago, and it seems they have not learned a thing since then. The angry captain threats Sulu if he continue talking that way, he and his crew will be eating him.

They want that stasis box because there were two of those boxes discovered by the Kzinti archeologists and the one that they managed to keep was empty. Next, the commander of the stolen police vessel tells the Enterprise officers that they do not work for their government and if they were captured, the Highest of Kzin will repudiate them. A blatant lie.

The Kzinti opens the stasis box using a ray. Inside the box, there is a picture of an one-eyed alien creature. Probably, it is one of the Slavers. If so, a very important historic discovery. Also, they find a piece of fresh meat. It still fresh no matter how much years had been passed. And, at last, the band of Kzintis found some kind of green object with a handle. It could be a tool, or worse, a gun. The Chuf Captain expresses his desires to kill all mankind if he could.

The band of thugs move their ship to the surface. The captain orders the telepath to read the mind of Officer Sulu, but he has too much difficulty in doing such task.

Of the all contents on the stasis box, the piece of meat was the first to be tested. They have found that it was protoplasmic and poisonous. The telepath told the captain that Sulu thinks the one who appears in the picture is a Slaver.

In the first try on the gun-like device, nothing happened. The Chuft Captain asks the mind reader because he wants to know if Officer Sulu had a reaction. He feels no ill effects. The telepath had a bad taste experience this time. The leader of the band thinks it may be a commnications device or a sonic stunner designed to affect members of a race dead now.

In the next setting, the artifact turned into a small telescope. In another turn of the object, it become a laser. Not so effective as the ones available on present time. One more switching and the device turned into what it seems to be portable rocket that blasts away the Chuft Captain. He made an impact on Uhura and freed her from the web. But she was stunned by the band of thugs' phasers.

The captain also hits the thelepath, making damage to his spacesuit. The next setting seems to do nothing, but the ball with two loops at its sides deactivates all the energy consuming devices on its surroundings. The trio officers feel free from the police web and escaped. Spock jumps to and kicked the Chuft Captain taking the Slavers' device with him. They stunned and captured Uhura again. The captain was bruised and asks for help to get back into his ship.

When Sulu gathered with Spock, he tells he is afraid the Kzintis will ask for help to their people. Spock tells him that they maybe will not do. For their race, to be hit by a race of pacifist vegetarians –like the Vulcans-- is the ultimate offense. He must be seek personal revenge before calling for help.

All it is happening according to Spock's plan. The band of thugs will do nothing to Uhura as Spock is free. Sulu gets to the conclusion that the object is probably made for missions of espionage. He thinks so because it has too many settings a soldier can use and the laser is the only effective as a weapon.

Spock theorizes if it is true, there is a self-destructing setting. He toggles a null setting and the device turned into a globe with a handle. Sulu thinks is is a key to another setting.

The Traitor's Claw takes off again to search both Sulu and Spock. The ship's captain makes a bargain to them: the life of Lieutenant Uhura in exchange for the weapon. He also wants a fight with the Vulcan officer. They refused to both.

Sulu turns the globe and it changes into something like a gun with a sight. He points and shoots at the horizon and there was a huge explosion. Like a nuclear bomb one. A total conversion of matter to energy at distant. Something very dangerous to fall on the hands of the Kzintis.

Both Federation officers were knocked as they fell to the foor and were captured again by the alien thugs. Inside the ship, the Chuft Captain plays with the device and it turns into an oval shape with a few buttons and a small light that turns on and off while the device beeps. He was frightened because the Kzintis had legends of weapons haunted by their owners.

The actual setting is a reasoning computer. The Chuft Captain tried to know how much time it was turned off, but the computer told him that it does not have sense of the passing time. Then he asks the machine about the last thing it remembers. The device told him that it was on a mission, but it is not going to tell him about without certain code words. He received the same answer when he wanted to know the position of the stars in the sector it used to be.

Finally, the captain asked it to tell him about how to put the total conversion setting again and it gives him some instructions. Spock was aware that the computer tells them it because it was programmed to self-destruct if it falls in hands of the enemies. The Kzintis went to the outside to test the weapon, but all of them were killed by the explotion of the device.

The Federation officers are now free to get back to the Copernicus. Sulu tells Spock that he was sorry that weapon was lost. That it could be fine in a museum. Spock tells him that if that weapon was not taken by the Kzintis, it could be the Klingons or another species. It would never reach the museum.

Fascinating Facts:

This episode is written by Larry Niven. It is an adaptation of one of his short stories, “The Soft Weapon”. The story has any relation to Star Trek. It is part of Niven's Known Space universe. It was notably republished in 1968 as part of an anthology titled “Neutron Star”.

Only five voice actors (Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, James Doohan and Majel Barrett) appeared in this episode. James Doohan did not participated as Scotty by he had done the voices of all the Kzinti.

This is the first time the USS Enterprise did not appear as a part of a story nor in the Animated Series nor The Original Series. It only appear in the credit scenes.

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Star Trek: The Animted Series 50th Anniversary Episode Review

Episode: The Terratin Incident

Season: 1

Episode: 11

Stardate: 5577.3 – 5577.7

Original airdate: November 17, 1973

Written by: Paul Schneider

Directed by: Hal Sutherland

Music by: Yvette Blais and Jeff Michaels

Executive producers: Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott

Studio: Filmation Associates

Network: NBC

Series created by: Gene Roddenberry

Cast:

Captain James T. Kirk (voice by William Shatner)

Mr. Spock (voice by Leonard Nimoy)

Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (voice by DeForest Kelly)

Lt. Uhura, Breil (voice by Nichelle Nichols)

Lt. Hikaru Sulu (voice by George Takei)

Eng. Montgomery Scott, Arex, Gabler, Mendant of the Terratin (voices by James Doohan)

Nurse Christine Chapel (voice by Majel Barrett)

Synopsis:

The USS Enterprise is investigating the remains of Arachna, a burned out supernova.to take measures of its radiation and volume expansion. While Arachna reached its peak of radiation emissions, Uhura has detected a radio signal from the Cepheus star, a garbled message of an ancient code not used in two centuries. Spock deciphers the word “terratin” from the code.

Captain Kirk decides to interrupt the research mission on Arachna to to the planet located in Cepheus where it is the source of the signal. Dr. McCoy thinks it is a meaningless signal, but Kirk keeps on in sake of finding intelligent life that needs their help.

While they approached that planet, Spock finds a reading of an energy not perceptible to the rest of the crew. Spock warns the captain of that, but kirk orders to set the vessel in that planet's orbit. It is composed of a crystalline structure and a huge volcanic activity. As the Enterprise was set in orbit, a strange beam attacks the ship. It paralyzes all the crew and the instruments for a brief moment.

Once recovered from the effects of the ray, Engineer Scott reports that all the dilithium crystals are destroyed like peels of oranges and also the its connections. At first, they were noticed that the ship and its instruments are growing in size. But after a moment Spock asserts they were the ones who are shrinking.

All the organic life and materials in the Enterprise are reducing their size by a factor of 0.3. The space between molecules are getting closer but they do not lose their weight. After an analysis, they have half an hour before they can not be capable of using the ship instruments.

Sulu tries to shoot a phaser to the source of the shrinking rays, but he falls from the console breaking one of his legs. Doctor McCoy tried to repair the damage to Sulu's bones but his instrumen failed. Nurse Chapel suggest to use the ear's bones repair instrument. When she gets the tool, falls into a fishbowl. The captain rescue her.

Kirk is beamed down to the planet at his orders trying to find the responsibles of the damege to the crew and his natural size due the restoration effect of the transporter. The transporter is set to beam him back up to the ship in ten minutes.

Back in the Enterprise, Kirk tries to find the personnel from the bridge but they were tranported to the planet by the aliens. He sends a message to the inhabitants of the planet to get back the crew members or he would destroy their city.

The aliens send a message back to the captain. They are a civilization composed of the predecessors of an expeditionary mission who were lost there due to the shrinkage effect of that planet's radiation. Originally called Terra Ten. In their case their normal size cannot be restored.

They are in great danger of dying due to the great volcanic activity in their surroundings. although they are a proud race who never begs for help, this time, their leader, the Mendant begs Kirk to save all the inhabitants he could. He also offer all the dilithium crystals to restore the energy of the Enterprise.

The captain first intitiates a process to restore all the ship's crew members and get all the crystals needed. As he finish, then he sends a transporter ray to beam up the lilliputian city to the ship. The city's ruler was so grateful that he named all the Enterprise's crew as Honorable Terratins forever.

The captain will help the Terratins to move to the Earth-like planet, Verdains on a fertile and well watered plain in just ten days.

Fascinating Facts:

The writer of this episode, Paul Schneider, previously wrote two episodes for season one of The Original Series, “Balance Of Terror” and “The Squire Of Gothos.

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Star Trek: The Animted Series 50th Anniversary Episode Review

Episode: Mudd's Passion

Season: 1

Episode: 10

Stardate: 4978.5

Original airdate: November 10, 1973

Written by: Stephen Kandel

Directed by: Hal Sutherland

Music by: Yvette Blais and Jeff Michaels

Executive producers: Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott

Studio: Filmation Associates

Network: NBC

Series created by: Gene Roddenberry

Cast:

Captain James T. Kirk (voice by William Shatner)

Mr. Spock (voice by Leonard Nimoy)

Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (voice by DeForest Kelly)

Ursunoid Female Miner (voice by Nichelle Nichols)

Lt. Hikaru Sulu (voice by George Takei)

Eng. Montgomery Scott, Arex, Human Miner, Ursunoid Male Miner (voices by James Doohan)

Nurse Christine Chapel, Lora, M'Ress (voice by Majel Barrett)

Guest star:

Roger C. Carmel as Harry Mudd

Synopsis:

The USS Enterprise enters the Arcadia Star System in a mission to seek for the interstellar con artist, Harcourt Fenton Mudd. As the ship approaches the planet Motherlode, Mr. Spock reports to the Captain Kirk that the probabilty of finding “an old friend”, Harry Mudd there is very high.

As Kirk and Spock are beamed down to the planet's surface, they found Mudd selling crystals he claim that work as a liquid love potion to a group of heavy metal miners. Kirk tells Mudd that he is under arrest for fraud, illegal drug manufacture and swindling. Mudd refuses to give up because Motherlode doesn't recognize Federation law.

To deceive the miners into buying the “love crystals” from him, Mudd gets the help of a lizard-lake alien. A Rigelian Hypnoid, who has a hypnotic ability to make believe that she is a woman in love with Harry Mudd. Spock uses his phaser to reveal the true nature of the creature. To escape the angry mob of the planet's miners, Mudd gives up to Kirk and Spock uses his phaser again to dig a trench as a barrier while they were beamed up to the ship again.

Once Harry Mudd is beamed up to the Enterprise and while he is receiving medical treatment from Nurse Christine Chapel, he told Kirk how he escaped from the android planet they met the last time (happened in The Original Series episode, “I, Mudd).

After Mudd watched the interaction between Spock and the nurse, he decided to take advantage of Chapel's feelings as part of his escape plan. Mudd claims to Chapel that the liquid from the crystals brings strong friendship between two members of the same sex and romantic love between two members of opposite sexes. He offered Christine some of his “love potion crystals” for her to test on herself rather than a laboratory.

As the nurse opened the brig to receive the crystals and almost fall fainted by the reaction of the “love potion”, Harry got the chance to steal Chapel's ID card and the device to open himself the brig. Then Christine went to Mr. Spock's office to give the medical report on Harry Mudd. She tried to approach Spock in a lovely fashion, but he doesn't respond to her kindness the way she wanted.

While on the bridge, the captain gives orders to set course to a desert planet on a exploratory mission.

Mudd takes the escape route from the brig to a computer center where he made changes to Chapel's ID card. And when he was ready to went to the shuttlebay, the nurse intercepts him, to complain about the crystals of love. On the melee, Mudd take Chapel captive and both took a shuttle to the desert planet and some of those crystals fell thru the air conduct system.

On the bridge, everybody is amazed at Spock's reacton to the kidnap of the nurse Chapel. It seems that the “love potion” works. Kirk and Spock went to the transporter room to rescue Christine on the planet. As soon as the vaporized liquid of the potion runs thru the conducts, everyone of the ship's crew began to feel its effects. Even Kirk take a breath of that vapor.

In the planet's surface, Mudd and Chapel had a surprise encounter with a rock monster. Kirk and Spock intercepted Mudd and together tried to fight the monster but their best efforts with their phasers are made in vain. And then, another rock monster appeared.

Kirk had an idea, to give the potion crystals to one of the monsters. After a moment of hesitation, Mudd gave the crystals to the captain and he throws them to one of the rock monsters to be swallowed by. It seems it works, one of the monsters is fighting with the other, in that moment, the group takes the chance to escape from the planet by beamed up to the Enterprise.

Back into the ship and under the influence of the potion, Mudd confesses most of his recent felonies. Spock offers his help to the nurse but she refuses. It seems to be that a side effect of the potion is a moment of hate after a moment of love. Harry Mudd has to be sent to a rehabilitation center.

Fascinating Facts:

This is the third story of Harry Mudd in the Star Trek universe. The other two were in The Original Series episodes, “Mudd's Women” and “I, Mudd”. From the first and second season respectively. All those Mudd's stories are written Stephen Kandel.

This is the third time a relationship between Spock and Chapel is established. The first time, it was in the first season episode, “The Naked Time” and the second time in the third season episode “Plato's Stepchildren”.

Along with Mark Lenard as Sarek and Stanley Adams as Cyrano Jones, Roger C. Carmel were the only three guest star roles who both performed their characters in both the original and the animated series.

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Star Trek: The Animted Series 50th Anniversary Episode Review

Episode: More Tribbles, More Troubles

Season: 1

Episode: 5

Stardate: 5392.4

Original airdate: October 6, 1976

Written by: David Gerrold

Directed by: Hal Sutherland

Music by: Yvette Blais and Jeff Michaels

Executive producers: Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott

Studio: Filmation Associates

Network: NBC

Series created by: Gene Roddenberry

Cast:

Captain James T. Kirk (voice by William Shatner)

Mr. Spock (voice by Leonard Nimoy)

Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (voice by DeForest Kelly)

Lt. Uhura (voice by Nichelle Nichols)

Lt. Hikaru Sulu (voice by George Takei)

Eng. Montgomery Scott, Koloth, Korax (voices by James Doohan)

Gest stars:

Cyrano Jones (voice by Stanley Adams)

Transporter Ensign (David Gerrold)

Synopsis:

The Enterprise is in an escort mission. A planet named Sherman is passing thru a famine and need the help of the Federation. There are two robot cargo ships carrying the quintotriticale, a special grain seed on the way to help the people of Sherman.

On the way to the planet, the Enterprise intercepts a Klingon battle cruiser attacking a single-passenger Federation scout ship. Kirk orders to advance the ship on warp 6 and Scott the rescue of the scout ship's pilot using the transporter.

Koloth, the Klingon cruise commander acuses the pilot of ecological sabotage and makes use of a new energy weapon to paralyze the Enterprise. To counter the Klingon's enrgy field, Kirk orders to bring the robot ships from different angles, so Klingon cruise ship's energy will be depleted and has to run away.

There is no other than Cyrano Jones and his infamous tribbles. This time, Jones claim that tribbles don't reproduce, they got fat. At first, Jones refuses to tell Kirk the reasons on why the Klingons are prosecuting him but later he confesses he sold tribbles to the Klingons. And he also stole a tribble predator called a gloomer.

As one of the robot ship was severely damaged, its cargo was transported to the interior of the Enterprise. Due to lack of cargo space, the grain was store between the halls of the ship. Scott advices Kirk about having both grains and tribbles aboard.

Once the Klingon cruiser refills its energy, it goes back to attack the Enterprise. Kirk send the second robot ship as a evasive manuver and it goes hit. During the battle, the containers of the quintotriticale and the tribbles ate much of it. Making them to grow fatter so very fast.

Spock devise a strategy to send the most of the fluffy critters to the enemy's battlecruiser. After a period of hesitation, Jones accept to deliver the gloomer back to the Klingons. Inside the Klingon cruiser, Koloth orders Korax to shoot the fattest tribbles, but it makes the situation worse for them. Even the gloomer runs away from the giant critters.

McCoy founds a way to get the tribbles back to their normal size. They hope the Klingons find the same manner to control them. Scott realizes if they have to got tribbles, it is the best they are small.

Fascinating Facts:

This is a sequel for an episode also written by Gerrold for The Original Series, “The Trouble With The Tribbles. This sequel was originally devised for the third season of TOS, but it was turned down by that season's producer, Fred Freiberger.

David Gerrold made an animated cameo appearence on this episode as an ensign at the transporter room. With any single line.

Cyrano Jones was voiced by the same actor who originally performed the character in the TOS episode, Stanley Adams.

The Klingon commander, Koloth was performed by William Campbell in the TOS episode but in this episode was vocally performed by James Doohan.

In the TOS episode, most of the tribbles were brown and some white, but in this episode were pink. The reason: the series director, Hal Sutherland was color blind.

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Star Trek: The Animted Series 50th Anniversary Episode Review

Episode: Yesteryear

Season: 1

Episode: 2

Stardate: 5373.4

Original airdate: September 15, 1973

Written by: D.C. Fontana

Directed by: Hal Sutherland

Music by: Yvette Blais and Jeff Michaels

Executive producers: Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott

Studio: Filmation Associates

Network: NBC

Series created by: Gene Roddenberry

Cast:

Captain James T. Kirk (voice by William Shatner)

Mr. Spock (voice by Leonard Nimoy)

Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (voice by DeForest Kelly)

Lt. Uhura (voice by Nichelle Nichols)

Lt. Hikaru Sulu (voice by George Takei)

Eng. Montgomery Scott, Guardian Voice, Thelin, Erickson, Bates, Aleek-Om, Vulcan healer (voices by James Doohan)

Amanda Grayson, Grey (voices by Majel Barrett)

Guest stars:

Sarek (voice by Mark Lenard)

Young Spock (voice by Billy Simpson)

Sepek (voice by Keith Sutherland)

Synopsis:

The Enterprise is in orbit around the planet of the time vortex, where the Guardian of Forever is located. They are in a mission of assisting a group of historians in the investigation of Federation history. Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and historian Erickson and return from a time travel to observe the dawn of the Orion civilization while Doctor McCoy alogside historians Grey and Aleek-Om and they notice something strange. It seems that they does not know who Spock is.

Aboard the Enterprise, thet are received by Engineer Scott and he also does not recognize who Spock is. The First Officer's position is occupied by an Andorian named Thelin instead of Spock. After consulting the memory banks from the Enterprise's library computer, they learn that Mr. Spock was killed at the age of seven and his mother died in a shuttle accident.

Kirk and Spock are beamed down again to the planet. They asked Grey and Aleek-Om if they used the Guardian while Spock was in Orion's past. They have found that both historians were 30 years in the past of planet Vulcan where Spock died on his maturity test.

He remembers that a mysterious cousin named Selek saved him from death at that age. Spock assumes the role of that cousin and travels to his native planet Vulcan back in time using the Guardian of Forever.

Spock arrives to his hometown, the city of ShiKar, close to the twentieth day of the month of Tasmeen, shortly before his younger self was ready to enter the Kahs-Wan maturity test. As Selek, adult Spock met his father, Sarek, his mother, Amanda and his pet shelat, I-Chaya.

Young Spock enters the maturity test followed by I-Chaya and secretly followed by adult Spock. In the journey thru the desert, the young Spock face the attack of a ferocious creature, le-matya. During the ordeal, adult Spock saves the life of his younger self by applying the nerve pinch to the creature. During the battle, I-Chaya was hurt by the poison of the le-matya. Young Spock has to run across the desert to find a healer to cure I-Chaya. He has to choose between to give his pet a longer but painful life, or release him from his suffering. With the advice from his adult self, young Spock choose to put to sleep I-Chaya. Then, the young Spock decides to follow the Vulcan ways of his father, Sarek.

As the life his his younger self and his mother were saved, the timeline was restored and Spock returns to the present thru the Guardian of Forever.

Fascinating Facts:

This is the only story written by D.C. Fontana for The Animated series. Fontana's main duties on this series were Story Editor and Associate Producer. At The Original Series, Dorothy Fontana served as Writer and Story Consultant. She wrote four stories, co-wrote three stories and scripted four stories.

D. C. Fontana wrote this story to look back her experience on The Original Series. Spock was her favorite main character and she made her focus on two stories he wrote on him, “Journey to Babel” and “This Side of Paradise”. She wanted to explore on Spock's formative years, specially on his early relationship with his family.

The shelat pet, I-Chaya was mentioned first in the TOS episode “Journey to Babel” as “a fat teddy bear” with six-inch fangs.

In addition to the mention of Spock's pet in “Journey to Babel”, another source of inspiration Fontana used for I-Chaya, was her cat named Bobby McGee. His name is inspred by a song from Janis Joplin.

The Guardian of Forever appeared for the first time in the first season episode of TOS, “City on the Edge of Forever. In TOS, it was voiced by Bartell La Rue but in this episode was voiced by James Doohan.

Jane Wyatt was not available at the time for recording for the character of Amanda Grayson. Mark Lenard was one of three guest stars to voice their characters on both TOS and TAS. The other two were Roger C. Carmel as Harry Mudd and Stanley Adams as Cyrano Jones.

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In honor of the anniversary of “Star Trek: The Animated Series” this year, CBS Studios is creating five all-new animated short films — among other things — in the style of the “deeply weird,” but landmark series.

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Star Trek: The Animated Series 50th Anniversary Episode Review

Episode: Albatross

Season: 2

Episode: 20 (4 of season 2)

Stardate: 5275.6 – 5276.8

Original airdate: September 28, 1974

Written by: Dario Finelli

Directed by: Bill Reed

Music by: Yvette Blais and Jeff Michaels

Executive producers: Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott

Studio: Filmation Associates

Network: NBC

Series created by: Gene Roddenberry

Cast:

Captain James T. Kirk (voice by William Shatner)

Mr. Spock (voice by Leonard Nimoy)

Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (voice by DeForest Kelly)

Lt. Uhura (voice by Nichelle Nichols)

Lt. Hikaru Sulu (voice by George Takei)

Eng. Montgomery Scott, Dramen Supreme Prefect, Kol-Tai (voices by James Doohan)

Nurse Christine Chapel (voice by Majel Barrett)

Guest star:

Dramen Guard, Demos (voices by Lou Scheimer)

Plot summary:

The USS Enterprise is located in the planet Dramia in the remote Dramen star system. As the crew finished their mission of delivery of medical supplies. Captain Kirk, First Officer Spock an Doctor Leonard McCoy are in the surface waiting to be beamed up by Engineer Montgomery Scott.

While Federation officers are receiving an expression of gratitude from the people of Dramia thru their Supreme Prefect, the head of the Dramian security, Commander Demos interrupts to deliver of a warrant to the Captain of the Enterprise to proceed to arrest its Chief Medical Officer, McCoy.

The purpose of the order is imprison Bones to face a trial under an allegation of a commiting a mass murder nineteen years earlier. Then, McCoy headed a mass inoculation program for a Saurian virus on Dramia II. The Dramians blame the Doctor for a plague that wiped out of the entire population of the planet.

Kirk refuses to let McCoy to be judged by the Dramian justice system calling it “a kangaroo court”. Spock advices the Captain to be aware of his emotions. Jim insist in the innocence of Bones. Back at the starship, the First Officer initiates an investigation on the plague of Dramia II. It states that the plague has an unknown origin and is characterized by the change of skin's color, weakening and eventually, the death. Vulcans and some other species developed a natural immunity.

Being to far to communicate with the Starfleet, Captain Kirk took a decision on his own authority: to move to Dramia II to investigate. While they are making a travel with an estimate of four hours, Lieutenant Sulu detects a one-man shuttlecraft approaching them. Kirk assumes it is the ship from the Dramian Commander who try to stop them from seeking the truth. The Captain devised a strategy to stop Demos. He orders Sulu to make the hangar doors open like they left them carelessly open. So, the Commander can sneak aboard the Enterprise like a stowaway. A reason to keep him detained and his ship confiscated.

As they get closed to the second Dramian planet, the starship has to cross an aurora with intense but non-lethal radiation level. Kirk, Spock and Demos are beamed down to the planet's surface. It is desolated, ravaged with most of its buildings destroyed. Demos advice this is a hostile place for outsiders including himself. The only difference there is between the living and the walking dead.

They had an encounter with a Dramian who was not there when the plague stroke the planet. He seems to be mentally affected. The Commander told the Captain and his First Officer that he advice him not to return to the planet. As Demos declares that there is no survivors from the plague, a figure emerges from the shadows. A Dramian whose name is Kol-Tai. He told to the trio that he had the disease and survived. He also told about the color of skin changes and affirmed he was saved by Doctor McCoy and he could not be an assassin.

Kirk, Spock, Demos and Kol-Tai are beamed up to the Enterprise and orders to move fast, at warp six to Dramia before McCoy's trial began. Spock makes sure that the witness is clean, fed, in good health and resting. Suddenly Kol-Tai's skin color change to blue, Kirk orders a quarantine.

The Captain is interested in saving the humble alien's life but the Commander thinks Kirk's interest is in saving his friend's life. Jim rebukes him telling all life is important for the members of the Federation. Demos was surprised, but not for Kirk's words. It is because the Captain's skin is turning blue too. Jim gave the command of the starship to Spock, ordered a general quarantine and to activate the General Order 6. To self-destruct the Enterprise in case everybody aboard dies.

In orbit of planet Dramia, Spock tries to persuade the Supreme Prefect of the importance to release McCoy from jail to help both the ship's crew and the Commander Demos. But his efforts were fruitless. Spock decided to do a jailbreak. He transports to the Doctor's cell and convinces him of the need to be in the Enterprise.

Right at the Sickbay, McCoy realize the cause of the Saurian virus is the aurora. He decided to take a sample from Kol-Tai's blood to isolate and use its antibodies to cure everybody at the Enterprise.

After everyone was healed from the infection, Doctor Leonard McCoy received a honoring ceremony for his significant achievements in the field of interstellar medicine from the Dramians at the planet's surface. The Supreme Prefect and the other Dramian authorities decided to forget about McCoy's prison break and Captain Kirk to forget about Commander Demos' stowaway.

Back at the Transporter Room, Spock arguments about the putting of too much vitamins on the food by the Doctor's orders. McCoy tells Kirk if he gets caught in prison again, never let a Vulcan to release him. Jim has a big laugh.

Fascinating Facts:

Dario Finelli wrote this episode for The Animated Series. Only two writing works are known from Finelli, this and the 1970 film, Scorpio '70.

The story in this episode contradicts the Writers/Directors Guide for The Original Series. In the episode, Doctor Leonard McCoy worked at young age at Dramia II. The Guide clearly describes McCoy began his service when he was 45 years old. See page 12 of the guide:

One of Filmation's top executives lend his voice for the characters of the Dramen Guard and Demos.

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Star Trek: The Animated Series 50th Anniversary Episode Review

Episode: The Practical Joker

Season: 2

Episode: 19 (3 of season 2)

Stardate: 3183.3

Original airdate: September 21, 1974

Written by: Chuck Menville

Directed by: Bill Reed

Music by: Yvette Blais and Jeff Michaels

Executive producers: Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott

Studio: Filmation Associates

Network: NBC

Series created by: Gene Roddenberry

Cast:

Captain James T. Kirk (voice by William Shatner)

Mr. Spock (voice by Leonard Nimoy)

Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (voice by DeForest Kelly)

Lt. Uhura (voice by Nichelle Nichols)

Lt. Hikaru Sulu (voice by George Takei)

Eng. Montgomery Scott, Arex, Enterprise Engineer (voices by James Doohan)

Nurse Christine Chapel, M'Ress, Computer Voice (voices by Majel Barrett)

Guest stars:

Romulan Commander (voice by Norm Prescott)

Romulan Crewman (voice by Lou Scheimer)

Plot summary:

The USS Enterprise is in a routine geological survey of type 4 asteroids. As they are getting closer to the final asteroid, there are not incidents to report. It is about to be completed 72 hours ahead of the schedule.

But everything changes as three Romulan D-7 class battlecruisers waiting on the far side of the asteroid. Realizing the ship's deflectors can not withstand the firepower of the three enemy vessels together, Captain Kirk made contact with the Romulan Commander. The hostile alien leader accuses the Federation Officer of trespassing Romulan space.

The Captain denied the charge, but the Romulan insist and declared a death sentence to the crew of the Enterprise. As Lieutenant Sulu identifies a cloud-like energy field ahead, Kirk orders to run away from the Romulan fleet setting the course into the cloud. He done it thinking the enemy squad will not enter the gaseous mass. The maneuver was successful, but at the expense of some damage to the starship's computers and other equipment.

At the Officer's mess, the top officers are celebrating their escape from the alien enemies with a feast. The Engineer Scott promise to make the repairs within 24 hours. As they took their glasses to make a toast, their content just leaked all over them. Spock asserts the probability of this happening are astronomical. Bones remembers when there were stunts like this with trick glasses in medical school. He also thinks there is a joker among them. Kirk advices McCoy no to jump to conclusions because all of the were victims. Scotty will check for any trouble with the food synthetizer after lunch. As Jim took his fork to eat his food, the fork bends down and the food slips off. He begins to wonder why all those things happened.

In the bridge, a microscope suddenly appears in Spock's science station. As he approach to use it, a couple of black marks were painted around the First Officer's eyes. At the Mess Hall, Scotty is about to order a cheese sandwich to go while Arex and M'Ress are eating there. The Engineer received an attack from the food machine. The Captain received a tunic from the cleaning machine with the message “Kirk is a jerk” on its back. Suddenly, there is fog covering the deck where the Bridge is located. The floor become very slippery, covered with ice. Spock has heard the intercom laughing and knew it is the voice of the computer. He realized the prankster is the Enterprise itself.

Without knowing the real nature of the problems aboard the ship, the Lieutenant Uhura, Doctor McCoy and Lieutenant Sulu are entering the Recreation Room. There, the officer's trio expected a very pleasant moment by relaxing in a forest but the computer is doing the room in a chamber of torture. The Captain tried very hard to release the three crew members but the the computer is reluctant to do so. The Engineer is unable to shut down the computer's circuits.

The system changes the flow of air for laughing gas. Something that affects very heavily to Vulcans, but the First Officer Spock made all the best efforts to turn back the flow of emergency air. But it will only six hours to be exhausted. Scotty – alongside other two officers -- finally sets free Uhura, McCoy and Sulu from their imprisonment.

The computer sets itself a course to get back to the Neutral Zone. This time to play a joke to the Romulans. It made an inflatable model of the Enterprise. A giant one, 20 times the size of the original ship. Once the hostile aliens attack the giant model, they realize it was only a booby trap, it makes them more furious and proceed to attack the original ship but they handled to escape.

As a way to deceive the computer, Kirk made it to assume he is in great fear of passing again thru the energy field. All the effects to the system are reversed as the starship passed by the cloud. The Romulans, who passed this time thru the field, began to to having the same problems as the Enterprise did. Bones advice Kirk to inform the hostile aliens about the way to solve the problem, but the Captain will do it later. Just to have some laughs at their expense.

Fascinating Facts:

This episode was written by Chuck Menville. An American television writer who also co-wrote first season episode Once Upon a Planet with Len Janson.

Janson also worked on this episode's script but is uncredited.

This is the first appearance of a holodeck in the Star Trek universe.

Norm Prescott and Lou Scheimer, the two top executives from Filmation also lend their voices for the Romulan Commander and the Crewman respectively.

This episode was directed by Bill Reed, although in the final credits appears the name of Hal Sutherland.