In Anticipation of Star Trek...

[TheLastMohican]

...I'm planning to watch the entire original series (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.) by May 8th.

Anyone else?

[Rudy]

No, can't say I am planning that. I may re-watch some of the original movies, though.

[TheLastMohican]

No, can't say I am planning that. I may re-watch some of the original movies, though.
I've seen all six of the original movies (nothing of TNG), and frankly I don't care to see the first one ever again. But I might refresh my memory of the others. The one thing I simply could not neglect, however, was the fact that until tonight I had never seen an episode of the original series. Imagine my delight at finding that CBS has uploaded the remastered series to YouTube.
I'll post some occasional updates in this thread about my progress, including reviews.

[Rudy]

I'll post some occasional updates in this thread about my progress, including reviews.

Then I will happily abuse your reviews to watch the best of the Original Series. :cheesy:

[TheLastMohican]

Though I have nothing to compare it to, I would guess that this is a good episode. There are no styrofoam rocks, no cheesy fistfights, and no monsters. Instead we have the crew getting stuck with an adolescent passenger who possesses powers far beyond his maturity level. Naturally that poses a threat to everyone involved. (Hey, this reminds me of some real-life situations.) Maybe I am too inexperienced with one-hour television plot structures, but for awhile I was genuinely confused about how Kirk could possibly solve this problem. Now just add in some 3-D chess with Spock, and I'm hooked.





TheLastMohican added to this post, 756 minutes and 55 seconds later...

Episode 2: "Where No Man Has Gone Before"

This has a very similar premise to the previous episode, but is significantly better. (Consider my expectations raised.) One of Kirk's older friends (having served with him for 15 years) gains exponentially increasing powers after a shock from a force field, and soon threatens the Enterprise and rest of the universe with his god-like abilities and human-like temperament. The climax involves a cheesy fistfight among styrofoam rocks, but it's not bad for 60's television.

[Gazelle]

You might be interested in my friend's blog (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.). He's watching and reviewing every single series (even the cartoon!) and film ...

[TheLastMohican]

You might be interested in my friend's blog (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.). He's watching and reviewing every single series (even the cartoon!) and film ...
Thanks for the link! It will be interesting to compare my thoughts on each episode with his. (I am surprised that he thought "Charlie X" was better than "Where No Man Has Gone Before," but it seems to have a lot to do with the differences in the sets, costumes and makeup. I was a bit bothered by Spock's eyebrows in that one.)

[Sliderule]

I had never seen an episode of the original series.

Shame on you!

I am glad though, that you are now taking steps to fix this problem.

[TheLastMohican]

Shame on you!

I am glad though, that you are now taking steps to fix this problem.
Yes, the most important step was realizing that there was a problem.





TheLastMohican added to this post, 174 minutes and 16 seconds later...

Episode 3: "The Naked Time"

Ah, now I think this episode has to be a classic. It establishes a number of famous Star Trek trends: It includes Kirk's first utterance of the immortal order, "Set phasers on stun," the first reference to warp speed, and the first clear mention of Spock's half-human heritage. These enduring trademarks are mixed in with refreshingly strange occurrences: Spock cries, Sulu chases crew members with a fencing foil, and a crew member attempts suicide with a butter knife. To top it all off, the episode concludes with the discovery of the secret to time travel.
The basic premise is that an intoxicating substance that spreads through sweat (after causing its victims to sweat profusely) is accidentally brought aboard The Enterprise from an icy planet nearing its destruction. It wreaks havoc, of course. Hilarity ensues, but it smoothly transitions to peril and suspense (okay, we do know that Kirk won't die) as the ship is overtaken by the drunken crew.

[Rudy]

It seems that the other reviewer agrees: To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

[TheLastMohican]

It seems that the other reviewer agrees: To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
I'm glad you reminded me; I forgot to mention the Vulcan Neck Pinch! I was pretty excited to see that too.





TheLastMohican added to this post, 73 minutes and 15 seconds later...

Episode 4: "The Enemy Within"

Jekyll and Hyde, Star Trek style. A transporter malfunction splits Kirk into his "good" side, which is generally rational and polite, but lacking functional decisiveness, and his "bad side," which is all emotion and vigor. His good side quickly establishes himself as the "real Kirk," but soon discovers that he can't effectively command the ship without his bad side gone. Meanwhile, the bad side runs amok, scaring the crew with his outrageous behavior. This gives Shatner a golden opportunity to show off his very worst acting skills, but the mascara-wearing Hyde adds to the episode's campy charm, so I guess you could say that it's so bad, it's good. The second half drags a bit, but the first half, during which Kirk's bad side is loose in the ship, is gold.
Other notes: Bones first uses the oft-repeated line "He's dead, Jim." He and Spock also establish in this episode that they tend to disagree with each other, though not much of that is actually evident except for the contrived dialogue referencing it.