Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine FL Watches Star Trek: The Original Series

Better late than never, right?

Having been born just late enough for the Star Trek: TOS reruns to be overshadowed by the movies and comic books and spin-offs had left me in the strange position of knowing Star Trek without REALLY knowing Star Trek. So I'm finally taking the plunge. And on the 49th Anniversary of the first Star Trek airdate -- September 8, 1966.

(And as for the later live-action Trek incarnations, I thought the middle years of Star Trek: The Next Generation were pretty good, but I found the later seasons of TNG and the subsequent movies to be unbearable. I wasn't impressed with the first JJ Abrams Star Trek movie, and didn't see the second one.)

I will be reviewing the episodes in original airdate order, starting with...

THE MAN TRAP

Written by George Clayton Johnson

Directed by Marc Daniels

This episode starts out slow and talky, but gradually builds to an exciting climax as an omnisexual shape-shifting alien who survives by absorbing salt from the bodies of living humans -- with fatal consequences -- sneaks on board the Enterprise, seduces male and female crew members alike, sedates Dr. McCoy, takes his place, tries to kill Spock (who, being only half-human, the alien finds distasteful), and almost succeeds at killing Captain Kirk by manipulating a revived McCoy through taking the shape of an old flame of McCoy's.

It's obvious that at least one of the people who made the 80s version of "The Thing" must have loved this episode. The script tries to make the alien sympathetic by drawing parallels with extinct Earth animals like the buffalo, but I'm not sure that it succeeds; on the other hand, I prefer when entertainment raises interesting and troubling questions without trying to provide easy answers. On that level, I pronounce "The Man Trap" a resounding success, and look forward to subsequent episodes.

I had to check. First to go wasn't even wearing a red shirt but he did give McCoy opportunity to utter for the first time, "Dead, Jim."

I look forward to reading your review, Fanfie! I can tell this is going to be a fun thread.

In regards to "The Man Trap", I find your comparison to the Carpenter remake of "The Thing" to be very apt. Both that movie and this episode succeed in building atmospheric tension through suspense and character interaction rather than cheap scares. Where this episode unfortunately is unable to succeed is in the special effects department, which is an understatement when discussing TOS special effects and set pieces. However, it's still written fairly well and I enjoy it.

Awesome! I can break TOS eps down simply.. eps I LOVE, Eps I like, so-so, and eps that aren't favorites.

I tend to favor episodes with a horror element and strong female presence.

THE MAN TRAP is definitely a good episode!

Welcome aboard, guys.

Stalgie, I find the primitiveness of the effects and sets not only tolerable but almost endearing. They were making the best of the resources available to them at the time.

Lash, if you particularly like the episodes with horror elements, I can definitely see why you like "The Man Trap". Even today, the shape-shifter's true form is shiver-worthy, as are the splotches left on the faces of its victims.

I also forgot to mention last night that "The Man Trap" has a great moment for Yeoman Rand (Grace Lee Whitney, who sadly left the show early due to her drinking problem). When the shapeshifter is stalking her in the guise of a crew member, she sasses, "Why don't you go chase an asteroid?"

Totally agree 're: the charming/endearing effects/sets!

I love when the ship gets blasted occasionally and everyone has to run left or right. :-)

LOL Yeah, it's almost like they're dancing.

"Come on, everybody, do the phaser blast!"

CHARLIE X

Written by Dorothy C. Fontana, from a story by Gene Roddenberry

Directed by Lawrence Dobkin

Every TV show with a substantial number of episodes has its share of duds, and in my opinion, this definitely qualifies as one.

There's nothing wrong with the premise -- hey, I can even see a debt here to Postboot Element Lad's fate in "Legion Lost", one of my favorite Legion stories -- but I find this episode's teenager with near-godlike powers to be really annoying and creepy and not the least bit sympathetic. Maybe if the actor playing him wasn't so unappealing...who knows? Also, the plot requires Kirk to be painfully slow on the uptake. And the deus ex machina ending, with the cosmic gods who created this monster from human clay now reclaiming him, just made me roll my eyes.

WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE

Written by Samuel A. Peeples

Directed by James Goldstone

Interestingly, the idea of this story is not all that different from the previous episode. Which proves that it's all in the execution. The characters played by Sally Kellerman and Gary Lockwood are fully-rounded and retain a measure of sympathy even as they lose touch with their humanity. I think it's cool that Kellerman's character is the one who manages not to go completely around the bend. The cosmic storm that the Enterprise flies through, and which activates Kellerman and Lockwood's latent powers, is actually really awesome-looking, even by modern effects standards. And Kirk's crisis of having to kill Lockwood's character, who used to be one of his closest friends, is very compelling.

CHARLIE X: Yeah, I pretty much agree about the unappealing unsympathetic kid. But I tend to be fonder of the episode for some reason.

WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE, obviously filmed very early on, and I can see it being a reason NBC suits were swayed to greenlight STAR TREK. EXCELLENT episode, a top-level favorite. Gary and Sally played their parts immaculately. And yes, the whole I MUST KILL MY BFF" thing really guts the viewer, despite Lockwood's character having gone, well, batshit murderous crazy. And agreed re: liking how Sally kept it together. If Gary hadn't been there, I could see Kellerman's character having become a force for-- I dunno, peace? Utopia?

That's some not-bad creepy-eyes for the time, too!!

The new power-couple remind me somewhat of Shooter's KORVAC SAGA to an extent, also. Don't think he wasn't partially influenced by this episode, I'd bet he was.

I agree that "Where No Man Has Gone Before" must have influenced the Korvac Saga, but I like the Star Trek version better. IMO, Sally Kellerman's character was stronger than Carina, and Gary Lockwood's character was a lot less reprehensible than Korvac.

And, yes, those special contact lenses they wore looked extremely cool.

It's been years since I've seen any of these episodes, so my comments are filtered through hazy memory and the legendary status taken on by the original series--particularly the first season.

THE MAN TRAP is one of my favorite episodes because the salt vampire is truly scary yet sympathetic. It was the last of its race and was doing that it needed to in order to survive. Yet it was clearly a predator, luring others into vulnerable situations and then killing them.

When I first saw this episode, and for many viewings after, I was too young to appreciate the romantic dilemma of Dr. McCoy and the fact that he had to kill the image of his lost love. I understand it better now, and I feel for his courage (not unlike Kirk's courage in "Where No Man").

Another aspect I appreciated in this episode and many during the first season was the sheer number of crew members who appear as regulars, guest stars, and extras. The Enterprise felt like a real ship with a large crew. It wasa very inviting place that I wanted to be a part of. We also got to see scenes of the crewmember's lives, such as Uhura singing and Sulu indulging in botany as a hobby. These aspects, alas, were downplayed or absent as the series progressed.

Trivia note: The first crewman killed by the M-113 creature was played by Michael Zaslow, who went on to star in several soap operas. He played the villainous Roger Thorpe on The Guiding Light during the time frame that I was initially watching ST reruns.

CHARLIE X is not one of my favorite episodes, but I remember several scenes fondly. Charlie, like the M-113 creature, did what he needed to do to survive--or thought he did. His problem was that he was too immature to appreciate the consequences of the enormous power he wielded.

(Sidenote: A Twilight Zone episode starring Billy Mumy sprung from the same premise, though Mumy's character was a six-year-old with godlike powers who unwittingly terrorized the town in which he lived.)

I felt sorry for Charlie when the Thasians took him away at the end. I also felt sorry for Tina Lawton, the young yeoman in whom Rand tried to get Charlie interested. Not only did she have to endure being snubbed by him but she was turned into a lizard for her trouble.

The shot of the woman without a face--one of Charlie's victims--was also extremely scary.

WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE is probably my single most favorite episode of the entire series. This is a look at the show while it was still in its formative stages--the old costumes from the unaired first pilot ("The Cage"), the early equipment, the cast having not been finalized yet (no McCoy or Uhura). The book Star Trek Chronology by Michael and Denise Okuda places this episode early in Kirk's five-year mission, about a year before the rest of the first season, which accounts for the numerous changes and upgrades.

Because it represents an "early" adventure, "Where No Man" also affords us a glimpse into the relationships of Kirk, Spock, and Gary Mitchell. Though it's not stated in the episode, some fans theorize that Mitchell was Kirk's original first officer, which makes sense as he would pick someone he knew with whom he was comfortable. Mitchell's death paved the way for Spock to move up into that position and for his own friendship with Kirk to develop. Had Gary lived, perhaps neither would have taken place.

Gary Lockwood was indeed perfect in the role of Mitchell--charismatic and sympathetic, even when he's killing or trying to kill his shipmates. I didn't care for Sally Kellerman's Dr. Dehner at first--her severely plastered hairstyle made her look cold and unfeeling (which, I later realized, was intentional, as that was how others perceived her). But she rises to the occasion at the end.

The climax is a slam-bang action fest, and one of the best the series ever delivered.

TRIVIA #1: Lockwood had such trouble seeing through those glowing contact lenses that he held his head back (as shown in the still) so he could peer through their tiny holes. Ironically, this worked in his character's favor as it gave Mitchell a haughty appearance. Kellerman, however, had no trouble seeing through her contacts.

TRIVIA #2: Model-turned-actress Andrea Dromm, who is seen on the Bridge as Yeoman Smith, was supposed to be the regular yeoman on the series. However, she turned the role down to appear in a film (The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming), thus paving the way for Grace Lee Whitney.

Loving the trivia, Hww!

Well I'll be dickens if I'm not watching WNMHGB as I type!

Interesting! My mom got me hooked on CBS soaps as a kid, and I watched them pretty regularly until my kids came along. Michael Zaslow as Roger Thorpe was, imo, one of the most compelling characters and extraordinary performance to ever appear on television, let alone soaps. Such a fine actor and a presence terribly missed after his untimely death.

Welcome aboard, He Who.

Like Lash, I'm really enjoying the trivia you're providing. It makes perfect sense that Lockwood's character would have been Kirk's original first officer.

After rewatching WNMHGB, I wish Mitchell and Dehner had survived to go on more voyages. (sigh) The Kirk/Spock friendship was already brewing (they are playing space-chess in the opening scene), so I'd guess a McCoyless trinity of Kirk-Mitchell-Spock would have happened.

Back to CHARLIE X, I think my fondness for it can be traced to the horror elements that were mentioned by others.

I think they survived to become Mordru and Glorith. What about poor Kelso!

Lee Kelso was obviously a favorite oh Kirk's. Poor guy.

Should be noted that WNMHGB features the Kirk's ripped shirt continuing element. :-)

Bah!!!! I can't wait. I'm watching THE NAKED TIME!!

Sulu is totes macking on a guy, and Joey, you're cute but I can't be your boyfriend if you keep putting your hands on junk all willynilly

Gah! So many posts. With The Thing references I wanted to check out the episode titled "Man Trap" from my ST owning pal. But that's the weekend, and I'm so far behind!

Yes, that second go at typing it turned out much better than "But I haven't got a chance to borrow my pal's man trap yet!"