Over the last week or so I engaged in an original tos marathon, catching as many eps a day as I can. It's been interesting.

I now clearly see the diffs between all 3 1701 miniatures, have been more aware of paint colors and set lights used and so forth.

For instance, the two lights above the Comm station are red, orange, blue or green depending on episode while the under-station lights are usually orange but sometimes blue; the OG 1701 has saucer running lights set at thirds around the lower half, front and two flanks rather than opp. sides as the prod. model had; I see the vague gridlines and colorations on the top saucer in some eps, which means they are there for all eps (where it is the same model), dilithium crystals ar stored in main engineering (Ent Incident) but in another place ala' the Lazarus ep; Leslie and DeSalle were in more eps than I thought (which makes me wonder why they created Chekov apart from the laugh factor) though I have not noted any repeat female crew; General Trelane (ret.) is a Q; Spock had more love interests than I thought, Scotty was hound dogging more than I thought, and so on.

While I'm not thru w/ the marathon yet (next week sometime), I wondered what others of you thought about some of the eps. and any little notes or oddities anyone else has noticed.

Everyone can name their top 3 or 5 faves, but what about the other end of the list?

Two that immediately strike me are Empath and Turnabout Intruder. While the Empath story was good, the sets were Lost in Space, season 3 level. All it needed were the Vayans to have some black bowlers on their heads and it would have been indistinguishable.

As for Turnabout, it wasn't as bad as I remembered, but oh boy, definitely bottom o' the list. Certainly not the best show for a last episode ever. Not that any of the actors did poorly, maybe it was just the story notion or the over the top shatner performance (which was good, but...)? Maybe it was the premise that starfleet doesn't discriminate against race, but does against sex -no female captains -very dated notion.

Next up is the Medusan ep with Muldar whom I have no regard for, so am not hopeful for that one.

Bad episodes of TOS? NEVER, I like them all, warts and all.

. . . I now clearly see the diffs between all 3 1701 miniatures, have been more aware of paint colors and set lights used and so forth.I assume you're referring to the modifications made to the single 11-foot model between the first and second pilots, and again when the series went into production. The smaller 3-foot model was seen briefly in a couple of shots in the opening and closing titles of "The Cage." And the third model -- there wasn't one.. . . (which makes me wonder why they created Chekov apart from the laugh factor) though I have not noted any repeat female crew; General Trelane (ret.) is a Q . . .Chekov was created because (a) with the popularity of The Monkees, the idea came up of having a young, brash, swinging British character to appeal to teen fans; and (b) it was felt there ought to be a Russian crewmember because, after all, the Russians scored a lot of historic firsts in space exploration. So the two character concepts were merged and the result was Ensign Chekov.

As for Trelane being one of the Q, was that mentioned in an episode of ST:TNG? Or is it "fanon"?While the Empath story was good, the sets were Lost in Space, season 3 level. All it needed were the Vayans to have some black bowlers on their heads and it would have been indistinguishable."The Empath" was intentionally shot with minimal sets on a darkened soundstage to create a stylized, theatrical look. They just might have pulled it off if the story hadn't been so weak. At least that episode had a haunting, melodic score by George Duning (who also did the music for "Metamorphosis" and "Is There in Truth No Beauty?").

My candidates for the five worst Trek TOS eps (Note: Order does not indicate any particular ranking of badness. All of them suck.):

"The Way to Eden"
"Let That Be Your Last Battlefield"
"Plato's Stepchildren"
"And the Children Shall Lead"

And the all-time stinkeroo of stinkeroos -- Let's hear it for "Spock's Brain"!

The only reason I'd consider an episode bad is if I were to watch the episode with someone not a seasoned Trek fan like myself. If the episode is "bad" then I'd feel embarrassed.

Someone came in and sat down while I was watching "Sarek". He was in one of his moods and said, "these walls are too bright!". I cringed, he looked at me and shook his head and left.

Personally, I've always had a certain fondness for "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" because of Frank Gorshin's out-doing William Shatner in the (hopefully soon to be lost) art of over-acting.
My all-time pick for rock bottom is "The Way To Eden", which I have steadfastly refused to watch again for the past 30+ years.
Hopefully, "we reach".

After the boring STNG, the un-Star Trek DS9, Voyager,Enterprise, some of the movies, and really the new movie, I now cherish TOS more...all of the episodes.

Herbert

and what's this with un-Star Trek???

I see nothing wrong with the premise of letting the adventure come to you.

One name makes me think UN, Rick Berman....yuck!

All episodes had there good and bad points.
The 1 episode from the first season that I din't realy like all that well was entitled The Alternative Factor, Kirk kept going between a matter and anti matter universe.

All episodes had there good and bad points.
The 1 episode from the first season that I din't realy like all that well was entitled The Alternative Factor, Kirk kept going between a matter and anti matter universe.Actually Kirk didn't enter the antimatter universe until the last quarter-hour. For the preceding 45 minutes, "good" Lazarus and "evil" Lazarus kept flashing in and out of existence, with the running time padded with footage of spinning starfields and two stuntmen fighting in a room filled with dry-ice fog."The Alternative Factor" was a poorly written episode, and may have been even more rushed in production than usual. But it's high art compared to "That Which Survives," "Elaan of Troyius," or "The Cloud Minders" (the last being almost as insufferably didactic as "Let That Be Your Last Battlefied").

Worst-

Spock's Brain
The Way to Eden
And the Children Shall Lead
The Doomsday Machine


HAH! Just kidding on the last one.:p

.Chekov was created because (a) with the popularity of The Monkees, the idea came up of having a young, brash, swinging British character to appeal to teen fans; and (b) it was felt there ought to be a Russian crewmember because, after all, the Russians scored a lot of historic firsts in space exploration. So the two character concepts were merged and the result was Ensign Chekov.


Remember that at the time, "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." was a phenomenal hit for NBC, and the breakout character was Russian, so that may have had a bit to do with it too.

David.

Remember that at the time, "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." was a phenomenal hit for NBC, and the breakout character was Russian, so that may have had a bit to do with it too.And David McCallum, who portrayed Illya Kuryakin, was hugely popular with teenage girls at the time.

What would the character have been like if they'd gone with the first idea and made him a cheeky, irreverent Beatle type?

"I wouldn't be caught dead in that uniform. It's dead grotty!"

Kinda thought this might provoke a good discussion. :wave:

Haven't gotten to these yet, but I think they may win hands down.
The Way to Eden
And the Children Shall Lead

I guess it was Pulaski that ruined Muldar for me as she is almost a hottie in this medusans ep. Not looking fwd to Eden or Children when they come up on the shuffle. I almost skipped Miri when that came up but was glad I sat thru it, though I still don't think much of that one. I guess it's the annoying brat aspect. Much like Wesley in TNG.

When I said three models for the ship, there were really two of course, however there are four variants total throwing the 3 footer in the mix. All four quite distinct from each other.

And w/ Chekov, I'd forgotten about the political reasons behind putting him on. I'm glad he's there, but think deSalle was the better character.

I suppose this marathon is preliminary research for the bridge model I have in waiting. I'm not doing this in order. It's been a couple decades since I genuinely watched the entire series, so it's a good time with an old friend (~35yrs), warts and all.

LL&P to all the Vulcan peeps.

I guess it was Pulaski that ruined Muldar for me as she is almost a hottie in this medusans ep.Sorry, but Diana Muldar just doesn't do anything for me, in either of her Trek roles ("Return to Tomorrow" and "Is There in Truth No Beauty?") or in any of her other TV work in the ’60s and ’70s. Very pretty woman, wooden actress.And w/ Chekov, I'd forgotten about the political reasons behind putting him on. I'm glad he's there, but think deSalle was the better character.It's too bad that Lt. Kevin Riley (Bruce Hyde) appeared in only two first-season episodes ("The Naked Time" and "The Conscience of the King"). He had a very likeable, distinctive personality and it would have been fun to see him in a regular or recurring role.
http://alumni.imsa.edu/~data/images/autographs/hyde.jpg

BTW, I have no idea who "Brian" is.

Bottom of the heap for me: And the Children Shall lead.

Diana Muldaur: definitely did things for me. :)

For me: Turnabout Intruder, Spock's Brain, The Way to Eden, And the Children Shall Lead, The Cloud Minders and That Which Survives. I can't watch those episodes, no matter how hard I try. Heck, I can't even get past the opening teaser.


Sorry, but Diana Muldar just doesn't do anything for me, in either of her Trek roles ("Return to Tomorrow" and "Is There in Truth No Beauty?") or in any of her other TV work in the ’60s and ’70s. Very pretty woman, wooden actress.It's too bad that Lt. Kevin Riley (Bruce Hyde) appeared in only two first-season episodes ("The Naked Time" and "The Conscience of the King"). He had a very likeable, distinctive personality and it would have been fun to see him in a regular or recurring role.
http://alumni.imsa.edu/~data/images/autographs/hyde.jpg

BTW, I have no idea who "Brian" is.
I'll take you home again Kathleeeeeen!

I agree about the Kevin Riley character. He actually had some presence, IMNSHO, compared to some others. Some of the Trek novels have Kevin Riley in them, as well as one or two of the comics, tho I've not read any in quite some time. I liked him better than DeSalle, who really didn't have much of a personality, most times.

.

The Empath torques me off every time I see it.

Being Southern myself, I thought that McCoy named her, "Jim" after his best buddy. Our dialect (one of the oldest dialects--as well as being the largest single dialect--of English in the U.S.) makes no distinction between those two vowel sounds that are similar enough to be confusing even in other American dialects. It was a lose-lose situation that distracted even more from a very distraction-worthy episode.

The Empath torques me off every time I see it.

Being Southern myself, I thought that McCoy named her, "Jim" after his best buddy.That confused me, too. At first, I thought McCoy said he was going to call the girl "Jim," until I saw in the closing credits that her name was actually "Gem"!

YouTube has a clip of the scene where sweaty, bare-chested Kirk is strung up and tortured by the Vians. The funny thing is Gem's reactions. She seems fascinated by what's happening to Kirk. Maybe she's really enjoying the show!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m69K_9sG47U

Let that be your last battlefield, worst episode ever.

Let that be your last battlefield, worst episode ever.Agreed. If I want to be preached to, I'll go to church.

I'm thinking The Apple gets credit for:

Most red shirts killed in a single ep: 4

Most times Spock got zapped or nearly so: 4, (casual toss of exploding rock, spores, lightening bolt and a forcefield toss for 10pts.)

Most butt-kicking yeoman: 1

and of course credit for the Most Coolest dinosaur-looking computer.

I've got another 30 eps to go and everybody's top 3 worst are still ahead of me! gulp!

They're all good!
Aren't they?

Well, I can't stand the thought of watching those
chanting children in "And the Children Shall Lead".

What was it...?

"Hail! Hail!
Colon blow!
Call the Plumber, we must go!
To the toilet, to take a dump.
The porcelain throne welcomes me!"


I don't like listening to the singing in "The Way To Eden", either.
I skip it, and watch the story.


When I was in High school, I taped "Let That Be Your Last
Battlefield" and edited all the lines Frank Gorshin's "Bele" threw at
"Lokai" together onto audio tape. Just his lines. Nothing in-between.
It turned out to be a pretty good tirade. Almost funny.

"Bele" had the best insult, too: "You evil mound of filth!!"

The Empath is one of the episodes I like the least. It's what I consider a "chick flick" type of episode. It does have classic Shat---it's one redeeming feature! I'd forgotten how funny the Shat was in that one.....including how he forgets to keep his arms spread wide throughout his hanging ordeal.

Turnabout Intruder has a womanly Shat.....what a classic final episode!

What about Spock's Brain? I kept waiting for Spock to say, "These occurences are illogical."

Do you know what? Choosing an episode as the worst is akin to choosing one's least favorite child. The moment you think, "Ah, it's got to be this one!" is when you realize even that one had its highly entertaining moments!

^^:roll:
MM, Capt, & Phrank--great observations!!!

Well, I can't stand the thought of watching those
chanting children in "And the Children Shall Lead".What's really a hoot is that fist-pumping gesture the children make when they use their psionic powers. It looks like . . . well, you know what it looks like. Do you think those kids were trying to tell us something?I don't like listening to the singing in "The Way To Eden", either. I skip it, and watch the story.You mean there was one?