49. Return to Tomorrow. TNG broke conventions so so rarely that it was a real treat when they did. Or, it was a disaster because they were so bad at it. TOS, on the other hand, is pretty much the opposite. They break conventions so often you objectively kinda wonder what the conventions are. Really it’s one of the strengths of the show that there are conventions when they break them so often. K watches an episode with me here and there and it seems like I have to tell her how the characters are “supposed” to be acting all the time, because she never seems to see it. How did they ever even get established then? Basically: incredibly strong, identifiable characters, flawlessly portrayed, and a ridiculously well-imagined universe. They strike a terrific balance throughout the series of establishing these strong characters, then immediately getting them into situations where that is challenged. You understand pretty fast what’s “supposed” to be happening, and since it isn’t, why it’s interesting. Anyway, Return to Tomorrow hits the nail on the head of broken conventions. Or wait, totally misses the nail, I guess. I should not have attempted this analogy. Point is, this is a great episode. The Enterprise encounters a race of near-super beings who need physical hosts to escape from their dead world. Of course, the beings turn out to be a bit untrustworthy. Or, as it turns out, maybe they don’t. Lots of interesting twists here. Maybe most unusual, the convention of the valiant humans controlling everything and winning is also pushed aside. Instead the crew is mostly subject to the whim and consequence of these beings. The story is played out above the influence of the crew, they just have to go along with it. Some fun extras: Nimoy getting to play essentially a totally different character; Chapel with a real sneaky “I secretly love Spock” moment; McCoy and Scotty getting to be at their best. Killer Spock line: “I do not know.” (Kirk gives him a surprised look.) “Not even a Vulcan can know the unknown, Captain.” Overall: one of the few that I thought about re-watching immediately to absorb the ending. Terrific. 5 out of 5.
Trek tropes (number of instances encountered in series so far in parentheses):
- Shatner showcase (3)
- Kirk hits if off with alien babe (uh, not really, actually, but I’m going to count this whenever Shatner kisses a guest star) (3)
50. Patterns of Force. Here’s another that can be boiled down to a simple description (like the recent “the one where they get old”, “the 1920s Chicago gangster episode”). “Patterns of Force” is “the Nazi episode.” So anyway, a premise: any story requires some buy-in from the audience. Sci-fi stories have the problem that they are asking the audience to believe something completely out of ordinary experience. Although, maybe you get some leeway there, because you can always make up new rules. Like, there can be drama because that’s not how they normally behave on this planet, even though it’s totally alien, right? Right. “Patterns of Force” struggles with buy-in, to me. The whole premise is a little wonky. The idea is that a Federation guy, John Gill, has come to this planet and managed to implement a Nazi system of government, but not the evil parts, just the really efficient good parts. Problem is that’s not really how it worked on Earth, of course. It was so efficient because Hitler convinced most of the population that there were racial scourges that needed to be wiped out, and their efficiency contributed to the overall good of the Fatherland. Sure, maybe German engineering was really fantastic in the 1930s, but if you also motivate people with threats of terror or death, they’re going to give that special extra effort. And that’s exactly what happens in this instance: a corrupt member exploits the system and turns it into a war effort against a neighboring planet. Gill is drugged and neutralized and made into nothing but a figurehead. But rest assured, Kirk and crew figure out what’s happening and take down the bad guy, to let the nice Nazis regain control. Mostly I think this episode is an exercise in letting the Enterprise get in a last solid kick on the Nazis. Take that, history! The episode borderlines on whimsical as Kirk and Spock spend their time trying to infiltrate Nazi headquarters. There are plenty of good gags to be had (Nazis=funny!) and Spock spends a lot of time with his shirt off. Killer Spock line: “Captain, I’m beginning to understand why you Earthmen enjoy gambling. No matter how carefully one computes the odds of success, there is still a certain exhilaration in the risk!” Overall: kind of a goofy one that is entertaining but there’s not much to take away. 3 out of 5.
Trek tropes (number of instances encountered in series so far in parentheses):
- Recent Earth history will always be relevant (4)
- Violation of Prime Directive (mostly by others, but Kirk figures he better just do what he has to) (4)
- Lighthearted banter to close episode (4)
- Spock’s suspicious Vulcan nature can be disguised with a good hat (2)
51. By Any Other Name. TOS loves to make the point that humans are just a pretty damn great race. The combination of intelligence, compassion, emotion, and passion is unmatched by any other species. It also loves to teach us lessons about moderation and controlling all those human things. Here we get it all. The Enterprise encounters a few Kelvans, aliens from the Andromeda galaxy, looking to conquer new territory in our galaxy. They have a technology that paralyzes humans so they can effectively control them, so Kirk and company are powerless to stop them from taking over the ship and returning to Andromeda to report back home. They can also neutralize humans altogether by converting them into little matter cubes (that they can crush to fully kill, or restore back to life; kind of like a human save point), so they do this with the entire crew other than Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Scotty. The four take it upon themselves to trick the Kelvans into stopping what they are doing so they can be welcomed into the Federation as friends instead of enemies. So we get four different tracks of plot as each tries to use his talent against the Kelvans. It’s a lot of fun: Kirk smooches the alien babe to make their commander jealous, Spock wipes the floor with said commander at Trek Chess, McCoy drugs up another guy, and Scotty tries to drink his guy under the table. If you just go along with everything, it’s entertaining and funny and a swell episode. If you look at it too close, it all falls apart. Truth is, it’s full of little plot holes and meandering divergences. Like: we’re all friends in the end, even though in the beginning you turned one of our landing party into a cube and crushed her with your bare hands just to prove a point. Luckily it’s not the point. This is a simple trope-heavy episode of entertainment: fightin’, drinkin’, alien babes, and humans winning. Killer Spock line: didn’t note one. Not a heavy Spock episode. Sorry, Spock. Scotty gets the glory here as he burns his entire substantial liquor stash trying to out-drunk one of the Kelvans. Overall: you want to be entertained, right? Well, here it is. If you want a good sci-fi story, take it up with Geordi. 4 out of 5.
Trek tropes (number of instances encountered in series so far in parentheses):
- Spock displays Vulcan superpower never really seen again (3)
- Anonymous redshirt killed (well, she has a name, but it’s not that important) (3)
- Even in interstellar space, the best way to resolve problems is with your fists (2)
- Kirk hits it off with alien babe (4)
- The indomitable human spirit conquers all (2)
52. The Omega Glory. So where “By Any Other Name” succeeds at TOS just being TOS, “The Omega Glory” fails. It’s certainly a classic example of TOS’ swashbuckling action-oriented nature, but in the end it’s not nearly as much fun, and the plot goes completely haywire. Part of the problem is that it tries to make a serious point about the unassailable righteousness of the Prime Directive, when like 1 out of every 4 other episodes goes right ahead and ignores it. Another part of the problem is that if you want to just pad out your episode with fistfights, you may as well just be watching The A-Team. Anyway the whole premise is insane, and takes a truly bizarre turn at the end. The Enterprise visits Omega IV, looking for the crew of the Exeter and its Captain, Ron Tracey. The Exeter turns out to be deserted, with only remnants of the crew’s bodies left behind. Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and an anonymous redshirt (uh-oh) beam down to the planet after uncovering a warning message about the disease that wiped out the crew, where they find Captain Tracey. He’s gone loony, though, and has not only messed up the entire power dynamic of the planet, but is convinced Omega IV is some sort of fountain of youth. Then there’s some fightin’ as Kirk picks this occasion to decide you should never ever violate the Prime Directive. Eventually he takes down Tracey, and they further realize that the disease and fountain of youth thing weren’t actually anything important (oh well! sorry about all that suspense earlier). So with the native situation stabilized, it’s time to head home. Only then things go off the deep end. It turns out the natives evolved pretty much exactly as humans did, right down to the struggle between Americans (“Yangs” or “Yanks” in local terms) and Communism (the “Khoms”). They even HAVE THE SAME FLAG AND AN EXACT COPY OF THE CONSTITUTION for some reason. Only they are too primitive to read or understand it, but Kirk educates them. In the end, Kirk smirks proudly at the American flag, his work here is complete. Wait, what? Seriously, what happened here? There’s no explanation for anything. Apparently the idea is that America is so great that alien cultures would definitely come up with the exact same idea independently, and Kirk says, “Heck yeah, why not? America’s number one!!!” Killer Spock line: “I’m making a suggestion.” Overall: I don’t think “disaster” is too strong a word. Although: kudos to Capt. Tracey for a truly whacked-out creepy performance. 1 out of 5.
Trek tropes (number of instances encountered in series so far in parentheses):
- Recent Earth history will always be relevant (5)
- Anonymous redshirt killed (4)
- Even in interstellar space, the best way to resolve problems is with your fists (3)
- Violation of Prime Directive (5)
- Spock displays Vulcan superpower never really seen again (4)
