KIRK AND SPOCK MEET LINCOLN AND SURAK

Episode Title:  The Savage Curtain

Air Date: 3/7/1969

Written by Arthur Heinemann and Dorothy C. Fontana 

Directed by Herschel Daugherty

Cast: William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk    Leonard Nimoy as Commander Spock             DeForest Kelley as Dr. Leonard H. McCoy AKA “Bones”              James Doohan  as Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott AKA “Scotty”        George Takei  as Lieutenant  Hikaru Sulu              Nichelle Nichols as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura          Bill Blackburn as Lieutenant Hadley        Roger Holloway as Lieutenant Lemli           Arell Blanton as Lieutenant Dickerson              Majel Barrett as Nurse Christine Chapel          Walter Koenig as Ensign Pavel Chekov      Lee Bergere as President Abraham Lincoln          Barry Atwater as Surak                        Phillip Pine as Colonel Green        Carol Daniels as Zora               Bob Herron as Kahless                 Nathan Jung  as Ghengis Khan   Bart La Rue as Yarnek (voice)      Janos Prohaska as Yarnek (body)

Ships: USS Enterprise NCC-1701

Planets: Excalbia

My Spoiler filled summary and review: The Enterprise is surveying what appears to be a rather boring planet.  Just as they were getting ready to leave their systems go haywire.  While trying to address this they receive a communication from Abraham Lincoln, the 16^th President of the United States who at this point had been dead for over 400 years.  Lincoln assures the crew he is who he appears to be.  A patch of the planet Excalbia, suddenly transforms into an Earth-like environment and Lincoln requests to be brought aboard.  A request that Kirk decides to grant.  

Lincoln on the Enterprise!

Kirk arranges Lincoln to be brought up with full presidential honors.  This means that all the senior officers will be in dress uniforms and they will have music playing when the President arrives. Scotty, who can’t get in touch with sheer absurdity of what is going on, notices the scanner doesn’t pick up a human at first then suddenly does.   Lincoln is now on board and he has a lot of questions about the 23^rd century from recorded music, to the transporter, to the Enterprise traveling the stars.  Kirk explains as best he can.  As he brings the President around there is a cringe scene with Uhura that I will go into later.  He also informs Spock that on the planet he will meet a great Vulcan. 

Later in the conference room the senior staff, despite being time travelers themselves, seem to think the idea of Lincoln being here in the 23^rd is just impossible.  Mr. Spock points out that Abraham Lincoln was Captain Kirk's personal hero.  They may be dealing with aliens who have the power to create illusions out of our own thoughts.  Now they have seen that before a fact that Kirk is well aware because of Spock.     

Meeting on Lincoln

Kirk decides that he and Spock will accompany Lincoln to the planet’s surface.  When they arrive the find themselves greeted by an ancient Vulcan named Surak. Surak was the founder of Vulcan civilization and philosophy.  To Spock this is his Abe Lincoln, George Washington, and Jesus all rolled into one.  Spock denies this can be Surak but the man plays his part well.  Then a rock comes to life and introduces himself as Yarnek.  Yarnek's people like to watch plays of alien philosophies.  They know of the human concept of good and evil and they would like to know which is stronger.  Kirk and Spock were given their two respective heroes for their team.  Yarnek brings in some villains: Colonel Green, a fascist from World War III; Kahless the Unforgettable, founder of the Klingon Empire; Zora of Tiburon, known for experiments on humanoids; and Genghis Khan, founder of the Mongol Empire in the 12^th century.  The two side are to fight so the Excalbians can see who is truly superior. 

Kirk and Spock refuse to cooperate at first but the Excalbians revel that they have the power to destroy the Enterprise and right now have disabled it.  If Kirk and Spock don’t win to will be curtains for the crew, who get to watch as the Captain has to fight for their fate again.  Colonel Green starts a conversation with Kirk reminding him that the Excalbians are the true enemies.  Kirk remembers that Green likes to attack during negotiations and this version it true to form.  The “good” force fights back and retreats to a more fortified position.  Lincoln and Kirk discuss strategy where Lincoln remarks that Kirk reminds him of General Grant. 

Surak isn’t not a warrior and would like to try to negotiate.  Kirk tries to tell him that such a gesture with the characters they are facing would be pointless.  Surak is a man of peace and must attempt it.  This works as well as one would expect it to and Surak is captured and tortured.  The remaining three form a rescue plan.   Kirk and Spock attack while Lincoln goes around to rescue Surak.  This was a good plan but unfortunately Surak isn’t just captured he is dead.  Kahless, it seems, can imitate voices. Lincoln is stabbed in the back with a spear but lives long enough to warn Kirk and Spock.  The two press their attack and kill Green and Kahless.  Khan and Zora retreat.  Yarnek returns disappointed that he didn’t learn anything.  Kirk and Spock couldn’t care less and are glad to leave.  In the end they reflect on the experience and how it was kind of cool to meet their heroes exactly as they were in their mind.  

Surak in person

Additional thoughts: This is why classic Star Trek is my favorite version of the franchise.  You can’t beat the original.  Lincoln showing up who would have thought?  Apollo one season and Lincoln the next, this series is one that always keeps you on your toes.  We also got to meet the founder of all Vulcan civilization, Surak.  Seeing the one who Spock described as the “greatest of us all” and his reaction to it was a treat.

Yarnek

So, Kirk’s great hero is Lincoln.  I wonder where Lincoln ranks in comparison to Garth of Izar.  I am assuming Lincoln is ranked higher since he didn’t try to kill Kirk, and it was he who the Excalbians recreated. (Wouldn’t it have been funny if they brought Garth of Izar?  Imagine Kirk’s reaction to seeing him on the viewscreen.)  I think it is awesome that Kirk holds real-life Lincoln in such high regard it shows a number of different things.  It shows that Kirk is something of history buff and he has good taste.  I too am a fan of Mr. Lincoln and have read a number of books about him.  I read this one, this one, and this one here.  He is the only president who accomplished more that than what he set out to do[1] and did so much to change the nation for the better.  In way he re-founded it.

Bad guy team

Okay so let’s talk about Lincoln’s big faux pax in the episode.  That is went he goes to talk with Lt. Uhura and uses a very outdated term that I won’t repeat here.   The term was acceptable in Lincoln’s day but was falling far out of use by the time this episode was airing.  Fortunately for Lincoln, Lt. Uhura has grown up in a society where her blackness was never something that was used against her.  Old fashioned racism is to the Lieutenant as feudalism is to me as white person.  I understand it intellectually but I was never forced to experience it.  For if that word was said at any point in my lifetime our dear 16^th President would have been knocked on his butt.  What I find really interesting is that Lincoln didn’t need to be told he had made a mistake.  He all of a sudden knew as if the information had been directly transferred to his brain.  If I was Lincoln I would have been pissed, a warning before would have been nice.  Words change and over time words that may not have been offensive may suddenly become so.  So, imagine you travel 400 years into the future and you now have a superpower that causes any time you say a word that in the last few centuries had become a slur, your brain instantly knows you did really wrong.  As opposed to one that would just give you an updated lists of things you can and cannot say in polite society.

Lincoln is lucky the Lieutenant is such an understanding person

So, when they sent out the representatives for evil why Col. Green and not Adolf Hitler?  After all it wouldn’t be the first time Kirk and Spock had to face off against some Nazi.  I also didn’t understand why the likes of Kahless and Khan would have followed the orders of Green.  Wouldn’t one of them had been a better choice as leader?  After all they were actually successful in what they were trying to do historically. 

Good guy team

Personally, I could have done without the whole “good vs. evil” battle.  I think it would have been better for the four of them to work together to figure out why it was Lincoln and Surak had been displaced in time.  Ultimately have them triumph over the Excalbians and allow Lincoln and Surak to return to their own time.  I wish Kirk had pressed Lincoln more about what he remembered about himself.  Did he know of his own death or that his efforts to save the Union succeeded in the long term?  Having Lincoln and Surak be forced to make the choice to go back knowing what happens to them could have been very interesting indeed.  The mystery and the decision could have allowed the characters of Lincoln and Surak to shine more.  

Being sneaky 

Okay what has all this about “converting into minutes” about.  They have been using hours, minutes, and seconds for the entire series by this point.  Stupid writing error. I wonder if Scotty is just bad with history or another writing error when he fails to account that Lincoln was four not three centuries ago. 

FINAL GRADE 4 of 5

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[1] James K. Polk did exactly what he set out to do—the only other president besides Lincoln—but Lincoln achieved far more than his initial goals.

THE ENTERPRISE FINDS SOME SPACE HIPPIES!

 

Episode Title:  The Way to Eden

Air Date: 2/21/1969

Written by Arthur Heinemann and Dorothy C. Fontana 

Directed by David Alexander

Cast: William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk    Leonard Nimoy as Commander Spock             DeForest Kelley as Dr. Leonard H. McCoy AKA “Bones”              James Doohan  as Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott AKA “Scotty”        George Takei  as Lieutenant  Hikaru Sulu              Nichelle Nichols as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura          Elizabeth Rogers as Lieutenant Palmer          Bill Blackburn as Lieutenant Hadley        Frank Da Vinci as Lieutenant Brent         Roger Holloway as Lieutenant Lemli           Jeannie Malone as unnamed lieutenant              Majel Barrett as Nurse Christine Chapel          Walter Koenig as Ensign Pavel Chekov      James Drake as unnamed Nurse      Skip Homeier as Dr. Ton Sevrin                Charles Napier as Adam                 Mary Linda Rapelye as Irina       Victor Brandt as  Tongo Rad           Deborah Downey as unnamed Hippie Woman#1                 Phyllis Douglas as unnamed Hippie Woman #2 

Ships: USS Enterprise NCC-1701, Gallio II NCC-1701’7, Aurora NC-17740

Planets: “Eden”

My Spoiler filled summary and review: The episode begins with the Enterprise chasing down a stolen starship.  It is not the first time we have seen them do this for they had to do the same task in “Mudd’s Women.”  Like with Mudd’s ship the stolen vessel was still destroyed, but the adventure was still a step up.  The Enterprise crew were able to perform better this time as they saved the people on the stolen ship without incurring any damage to their own vessel.  Instead of finding a space pimp and his ladies, they find a group of space hippies.  Kirk’s log entry lets us know that one of these space hippies is Tongo Rad, the son a prominent Catullan diplomat, whose people are involved in a delicate negotiation with the Federation.  Therefore, Kirk must proceed more gently than he would otherwise like.

The space hippies are led by a Tiburonian, named Dr. Sevrin, who teaches a philosophy that rejects the artificial world of technology and seeks a return to the primitive and natural that he calls “the One.”  Sevrin believes there is a world called Eden that is untouched by the modern and his followers can live life in a natural paradise.   They don’t like Kirk who they call a “Herbert” for insisting that he is going to return them to the authorities.  They do take to Spock who is sympathetic to their plight and even offers to help find a potential “Eden” planet for them to live on once things are settled with Federation authorities. 

Sevrin and Adam

Ensign Chekov is both surprised and horrified to discover that his ex-girlfriend, who he dated while they were both at Starfleet Academy, is part of their group.  Kirk can’t believe that any space hippie was once an Academy cadet.  This leads Spock to point out that most of the space hippies are remarkably intelligent with their leader, Dr. Sevrin, being a top scientist in his field.  Kirk allows Chekov to go check on his old flame and they do a little bit of bonding as her people are being medically checked in sick bay. 

Trouble starts when McCoy discovers that Sevrin suffers fromsynthococcus novae.  This condition is generated by the technology in modern Federation society.  It’s treatable and most Starfleet personnel are vaccinated against it.  However, as a carrier Sevrin cannot leave artificial environment society in exchange for the natural as his condition would spread untreated and begin to kill people.  Sevrin strongly rejects this and Kirk orders him confined to the brig.  This leads his followers to try to recruit Enterprise crewmembers to revolt.  Spock tries to reason with Sevrin only to come away convinced that Sevrin is insane. 

Having a "jam"

The space hippies mingle with the Enterprise crew, learn things about the ship, and sing songs. At one point the one named Adam invites Spock to participate in a jam session.  All of this is a ruse however to get knowledge of the Enterprise and control of the ship.  They re-route everything to the emergency control room and take the ship to the area of space they think Eden is.  It just so happens to be in Romulan space so they could be in a lot of trouble as they fly past the Neutral Zone.  When they arrive at the planet, they make the ship produce a sonic noise that knocks out the crew.

With the crew unconscious the space hippies take a shuttle to the surface.  However, the planet turns out to be toxic to humanoid life.  Adam had died because he ate a piece of fruit.  Sevrin not willing to accept defeat does the same.  The crew of the Enterprise brings the hippies back.  Spock tells Chekov’s ex that they should not give up their search for Eden.

Chekov and his lost girlfriend

Additional thoughts: Given the popularity and growing power of the counter-culture that existed in the 1960s it was probably inevitable that Star Trek would do an episode to comment on it.  I think this probably would have been a better episode to do time travel trip to 20^th century Earth (maybe to stop some rogue time traveler hiding out) and encounter some real hippies instead of inventing their own.  The real hippies protested and fought against unjust war, racial segregation, institutional sexism, greedy unrestrained capitalism, the environment, and rigorous patriarchal standards on family structure.  What do the space hippies fight against in the ideal future?  The answer: the Federation is just too awesome.  We have technology that can do almost anything! Rebel! 

Adam and Tongo Rad

It is not to say the hippies cannot be criticized they certainly can be.  Amongst hippie culture there was a rapid spread of drug use and STDS.  There is also some bone head political decisions such as publicly endorsing Chairman Mao and Ho Chi Minh.  However, the episode doesn’t really work with legitimate criticisms.  The focus seems to be why are young people so crazy sometimes? Even the space hippies’ worldview of the return to the primitive never sees legitimate critique either.  As much as they may hate artificial environment it is better for us than pure nature.  If you don’t believe me, take a look at what bananas are really supposed to look like.  Not only that but corn, apples, and anything else. There is a reason why hunter/gather had to remain small it is not the best way to feed yourself.  That is why we developed agriculture; it is far more secure. For some reason no one, even Spock, mentions this. 

A human-made banana vs. nature made.  Have fun in Eden!

This happens to be one of the few Star Trek stories that Kirk has a really passive part.  The Captain is just along for the ride in this one where the focus of the story is on Spock and Chekov.  Considering we know how hard Chekov can fall for a girl he is the most logical choice to be made to suffer over his ex’s defection.  Chekov, with his Monkey’s haircut, can also represent the non-hippie youth, who continues to believe in the values of the prior generation and who is repulsed by the hippies.

Spock jamming with a hippie girl

The False promise of Eden leads to death.

The crew of the Enterprise should be glad the Romulans decided to take today off.   The last time two times they went into the Neutral Zone the Romulans were on top of them in a moments notice.  The Romulans in “The Deadly Years” showed no interest in listening to the stupid Commodore in command.  Considering what happened in “The Enterprise Incident” there is no way the Romulans would believe the Enterprise entered into their space because they were overwhelmed with space hippies.  In fact, being that it is the Enterprise the Romulans wouldn’t believe anything they had to say with good reason.  
 

 FINAL GRADE 3 of 5

AS FAST AS THE FLASH!

Episode Title:  Wink of an Eye

Air Date: 11/29/1968

Written by Arthur Heinemann and Gene L. Coon

Directed by Jud Taylor

Cast: William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk    Leonard Nimoy as Commander Spock             DeForest Kelley as Dr. Leonard H. McCoy AKA “Bones”              James Doohan  as Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott AKA “Scotty”        George Takei  as Lieutenant  Hikaru Sulu              Nichelle Nichols as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura          Bill Blackburn as Lieutenant Hadley     Roger Holloway as Lieutenant Lemli   David L. Ross as Lieutenant Johnson         Walter Koenig as Ensign Pavel Chekov                 Majel Barrett as Nurse Christine Chapel      Geoffrey Binney as     Crewman Compton              Jeannie Malone as unnamed Yeoman          Dick Geary as unnamed Security Guard         Eddie Hice as unnamed Security Guard        Dick Geary as unnamed Security Guard/ Scalosian          Jay D. Jones as unnamed Engineer            Kathie Browne as Deela      Jason Evers as Rael          Erik Holland as Ekor          

Ships: USS Enterprise NCC-1701

Planets:  Scalos

My Spoiler filled summary and review: The episode begins with Scotty, not Kirk, making the opening entry into the ship’s log.  We are told that the Enterprise received a distress call from the planet Scalos.  The ship has arrived and a landing party is sent down but there doesn’t seem to be anybody on the entire planet.  In fact, the tricorders and ship’s sensors seem to indicate that there are no life signs on the planet at all.  However, Kirk notices annoying buzzing noise that insects typically make.  Some of the structures seem recently occupied while others haven’t been in centuries.  As they are getting ready to go Crewman Compton disappears in front of McCoy’s eyes.

Well that is the fastest red-shirt to get lost on a landing party!

The remaining landing party returns to the Enterprise and that is when a number of malfunctions on the ship seem to crop up all at once.  The ship’s medical supplies have been tampered with, and a strange device was found connected to the Enterprise’s environmental controls.  The device is protected by a force field that selectively allowed Kirk and Spock to view the device but no one else.  Kirk keeps hearing that strange insect sound.

Only Kirk and Spock are allowed to pass!

Spock feeds the information to the ship’s computer and it comes the conclusion that the ship has been invaded, there is nothing they can to stop this adversary, and they need to negotiate a surrender. Kirk isn’t willing to do that instead he just thinks they should wait for their opponents to make the next move and hope they make a mistake that the crew can take advantage of.

Their next move comes sooner than expected.  At that moment a yeoman was handing out coffee to the bridge crew something happens to Kirk’s cup.  As he drinks, he begins to notice that everyone is slowing down around him to the point everyone seems frozen.  Kirk then comes face to face with Deela, the Queen of the Scalosians.  She informs him that he has been pulled into flash time (Okay, she doesn’t use that word.  She uses the word “accelerated.” However, we all know what is going on and Kirk is clearly in Flash time.)  Kirk tries to stun her with a phaser to which she just steps out of the way. 

Like the very first Star Trek adventure Deela explains that her motive is reproductive.  Scalosians are dying out due to industrial damage to their planet.  The men all became sterile so now they have to reproduce with any passing aliens.  So how aliens match with Scalosian women better than their own men is never really explained but okay.  Deela wants Kirk to be her baby daddy.  They have been doing this for generations to the point they can even predict what will happen to the men who they turn.  First, they resist, then they accept, then they mate, and then they die because someone scratches them. 

Kirk not happy to have been changed.

Kirk learns about this die-by-scratching when he runs into Crewman Compton whose earlier disappearance was also caused by acceleration to flash time.  Compton is now all about helping the Scalosians.  However, when Kirk is confronted by the one who is a total jerk, a man named Rael, and is attacked, Compton comes to his defense.  Compton is scratched in the fight.  He quickly ages and dies. Kirk is then warned that unless he wants to be prematurely age again and be killed, he better toe the line as they ask him to.

Scalosians happy to be invincible 

Kirk however continues to try to contact his crew.  The Scalosians don’t even try to stop him.  Deela finds his attempts amusing particularly when he tries to record himself for his crew.  It appears as if Kirk has lost and he gives in to Deela, to the continued annoyance of Rael.  However, Deela underestimates our Mr. Spock.  In trying to determine the origin of the buzzing insect like sound, he discovers that it is sound sped up.  Then when McCoy finds a tape in the computer that wasn’t supposed to be there full of buzzing, he sends to Spock.  Spock is able to come up with a way to slow it down so they get Kirk’s entire message. 

Now that they know what they are looking for McCoy can isolate the compound in Kirk’s left-over cold coffee and both duplicate and come up with an antidote.  Spock takes the compound in order to join Kirk in flash time. 

He places a lot of trust in Dr. McCoy

Except for a moment when Rael nearly destroys Kirk, Kirk seems to be doing good with the Scalosians.  He even goes to bed with Deela.  Unfortunately for Deela, Kirk who was only sleeping with her to get her weapon finds Spock and together they destroy the machine. 

Deela is disappointed but understands.  Kirk explains that the Federation is willing to help if they would let them.  Despite the fact that Dr. McCoy was able to come up with a human antidote in the span of minutes, still doesn’t seem to fill her with any hope.  The Scalosians accept their fate and head back to their planet.  Kirk takes McCoy’s cure but Spock holds off so he can fix the starship in record time.  When complete he returns to his normal speed  They leave as Kirk looks at the image of Deela and her people one last time.

Additional thoughts: Okay I think anyone who watches the Flash can really enjoy this episode, as Kirk spends most of it in flash time.  I wish they had only used the speed to more practical affects, such as vibrating or creating a speed vortex.  The one thing I wondered through the episode is how they move from deck to deck.  Whenever we see them, the doors are always open.  However, since this is not always the case are they just plot lucky?  If the transporter was a slow process imagine a turbolift ride.  Speaking of the transporters, how did they work on them anyway, shouldn’t they have detected extra patterns in the buffer?

                How come no one noticed a phaser blast randomly going off on the bridge right after Kirk disappeared.  Wouldn’t even the stun setting have damaged the wall?  That seems to be a pretty big plot hole.  Maybe the Scalosians cleaned up the damage before anyone noticed anything.

So here the door is open for Scotty!

Of course, the real interesting revel in this episode is they allow drinks on the bridge.  Not just the Captain, but anyone.  Coffees for everyone.  You would think considering how often the ship shakes the seems to be a heck of a risk.  What if it spills on something? Since the ship has never heard of surge protectors having coffee flying around really can’t be that good.  So why does Captain Kirk allow it?

Not the case here!

I would have hated to be in Kirk’s position.  To have to go all that time and make sure you are never even scratched.  I would find that impossible as I am too much of a klutz.  Deela did say they don’t live very long.  Although I am still at loss to explain why alien would somehow be able to reproduce with the Scalosians better with their own.  Over time would they even be the Scalosians anymore?  Also, could it be possible that Deela may have been pregnant and not have told Kirk? Kirk may have a speedster son or daughter.

Oh and happy Star Trek Day! 55 years!

FINAL GRADE 4 of 5