re: Star Trek: TOS Watchers - Season 1 Wrapup *Page 25*

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Mudd's Women definitely solidified ST's comedic facet, an important part of the show i think.

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That was another part of the genius of TOS - it was funny without hitting the audience over the head with it. All of the Big 3 + 1 (Shatner, Nimoy, Kelley and Doohan) had great comic timing and instincts, and the support cast (Nichols, Takei and Koenig) all contributed comic moments when they had an opportunity to shine - I often wonder what they could have done if the format was opened up a little more for them, or if the show had run a full 5 years.

A lot of talent concentrated in these few shows - really unheard of on a television show for that era, especially one as different as this one. Many shows had a great core cast of 3 or 4, but very few (Gilligan, maybe, but Gilligan, while great, was just 1 notch up from slapstick comedy) up to this time had 6 (and expanded to 7 later with Walter) cast members quite this good - let alone at the range of things they did - comedy, drama, suspense, etc.

Star Trek couldn't have done shows like Balance of Terror, City on the Edge of Forever very well, AND pulled off stuff like Mudd's Women, The Trouble with Tribbles and Shore Leave, without this level of talent.