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

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I don't think that really hit it's stride until the 3rd season.

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Definitely true - the writing really settled down and got smart and solid - never, really the genius of TOS, but they took advantage of standing on tall shoulders. I think that was leveraged into DS9, as the writing there was pretty solid from the beginning - only really weak in spots. TNG had shaky writing to start, really solidified and only tailed off again at the end. Since DS9 also had Worf - and in a bigger role, too, the only thing that is really superior about TNG is Data. Not saying Sisko, Kira and Dax are "better" characters than say, Picard, Riker and Troi, but they're pretty comparable, as are the doctor's - and Quark is a way better bartender than Guinan.


Now - I said at the beginning we would take all week for The Menagerie/The Cage, if needed, but unless there is a little more discussion, we will kick off "Shore Leave" tonight.

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TNG had a few good episodes in the first 2 season, but a lot more meh those years. 3,4 and 5 are where that show took off.

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pretty much the truth. I had almost given up by season 3...then enter the borg.

Fun episode. Lots of funny little moments throughout.

I'm not sure what's funnier - Kirk's reaction at realizing Barrows was giving him the massage, or the idea that he thought SPOCK of all people was rubbing his back on the bridge.

Barrows in the torn tunic.

Shatner's not known for his subtlety in acting, but he does a good job conveying with his expression Kirk's shock and dismay when McCoy dies.

The poor girl from Balance of Terror seems to have moved on from her loss. At least I have always had the impression she and the Rodriguez were an item.

Of all the fist fights Kirk engages in, I root for him to beat up his opponent more in this episode than any other.

Bump for the Saturday Crew.

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The poor girl from Balance of Terror seems to have moved on from her loss

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The character was actully written as "Mary Teller" originally - a new character. Much like Riley coming back, they scrambled to change the script when they realized the actor had already played a named character in a past episode. Shatner didn't get the memo and refers to her as Teller at one point during the episode.

The character, by canon, "Angela Martine" appeared in 3 episodes (total) including Balance of Terror, Shore Leave, and Turnabout Intruder (although, again, Shatner refers to her as Lieutenant Lisa in TI). She would have been in Space Seed, but her scenes were cut.

Anyway, the actress, Barbara Baldavin is married to Joseph D'Agosta, the casting director for TOS - she became a regular on Medical Center in the 70s and ultimately became a casting director, herself, working on Dynasty and Trapper John, M.D., among other work.

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Bump for the Saturday Crew.

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When the WWII plane goes on the strafing run, it's clearly an F4u Gull wing Corsair. Yet when they switch to the closer up part of the attack it's a flat wing faux Zero.

The whole episode struck me as some sort of precursor to the Holideck in TNG.

*THE SQUIRE OF GOTHOS*



Can anything more be said about William Campbell's wonderful turn as General Trelane (retired) - the lonely Squire of Gothos?

Based loosely on Liberace, this character with many comedic qualities has a dark side. Also a prototype for TNG's Q (the more you watch TNG, the more you realize they had no original ideas - at all, until the Borg - and really, didn't stand on its own until they faced the Borg.)

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Also a prototype for TNG's Q (the more you watch TNG,

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I always suspected this except the squire was even more childlike. Of course the reason is shown at the end of the episode.

I suspect that the squire's powers could be overmatched by Q's powers.

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Oh, Mister Spock, you do have one saving grace after all. You're ill-mannered.

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One of my favorite lines in all of TOS.

But remember the follow-up -

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The Human half of you, no doubt?

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But there was another exchange they had on the bridge.

TRELANE: Don't fret, Captain. I'm only a bit upset with you, but this Mister Spock you mentioned, the one responsible for that unseemly, impudent act of taking you from me, which is he?

SPOCK: I am Spock.

TRELANE: Surely not an officer. He isn't quite human, is he?

SPOCK: My father is from the planet Vulcan.

TRELANE: And are its natives predatory?

SPOCK: Not generally. But there have been exceptions.

Spock played his badass card early - he was clearly annoyed by Trelane.

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I suspect that the squire's powers could be overmatched by Q's powers.

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In non-Canon material, Trelane is a young member of the continuum and Q is actually Trelane's mentor. So, it is apocryphal, but certainly could be. There were so many super-powerful races introduced in TOS - the closest to the Q would have been Trelane and his parents.