Hoard of Memories

The Enterprise is investigating something very peculiar this episode. There is mass insanity spreading from one planet to another, in a straight line.

They still have yeomen at this point; one goes along on the mission. (I'm just keeping track because I'm curious when they stop having them.) This one had a non-speaking role, which made her boring. I want Yeoman Janice Rand back. I didn't like the stupid one-sided romance with Kirk, and her hairstyle annoyed me, but she had a personality!

Anyway, in this episode we find out that Kirk has a brother. Sam Kirk with his wife Aurelan and son Peter live on the planet Deneva. We've never heard of them before. I wonder if we'll ever hear of them again. Spoiler: ( Read more... )

On Deneva, they beam down in the middle of a huge city, but everything is strangely quiet. Everyone seems to be indoors. Then four men appear and run towards them with clubs, shouting "Get away! We don't want to hurt you! Please! Go back!" The landing party is forced to stun them.

KirK: Did you hear what they said, Mr Spock?
Spock: Indeed. They seemed most concerned for our safety.
KirK: They tried to brain us with these clubs.
Spock: Their attitude was inconsisten with their actions.

The doctor's tricorder readings of the unconscious people also show unexpected results. Intriguing!

The story was interesting, and pretty good overall. There were some things that didn't make sense, though. One that particularly bugged me: ( Contains a spoiler. )

Spock: I am a Vulcan. Pain is a thing of the mind. The mind can be controlled.
KirK: You're only half Vulcan. What about the human half?
Spock: It is proving to be an inconvenience, but it is manageable.

I guess this is where they start using "Vulcan" instead of "Vulcanian". Personally I liked the old way better; it was clearer whether they were talking about a person or the planet. Oh, well.

They catch one of the alien creatures, which looks like a bumpy pancake that breathes and can fly. (Yeah, that's a bit silly, but I don't mind.) This is what they find out: ( Another spoiler, and a short rant. )

So, there were things that bugged me, but I still enjoyed it. And I liked the name Aurelan.

Some trivia:
The neural parasites were created by prop designer Wah Chang from bags of fake vomit.

( A deleted scene that would have made a difference. )

In this episode, the crew of the Enterprise experiences a strange phenomenon, which was felt throughout the galaxy. They eventually discover it is caused by a hole in the universe, where things can leak through from the matter-universe to the antimatter-universe, and vice versa.

This is the first mention of antimatter, and obviously they have not yet worked out how exactly that works (they think that a matter-antimatter explosion would destroy the entire universe), so it's rather rough around the edges, but nonetheless an interesting thought-experiment.

The rough-draft feeling was not limited to the idea of an antimatter universe. There were also several instances where the characters seemed to gain understanding out of nowhere, such as when they automatically jump to the conclusion that if their own universe is based on matter then another universe must be antimatter.

I also had a problem with the fact that, upon experiencing a strange phenomenon galaxy-wide, Starfleet jumps to the conclusion that it's a prelude to invasion. Invasion by whom? Invasion of what? There is nothing to indicate invasion.

I did like this exchange:
Kirk: Everything's all right, Mr Spock, for us.
Spock: There is, of course, no escape for them, sir.
Kirk: [with regret] There is, of course, no escape. [moment of silence] How would it be...trapped forever with a raging madman at your throat until time itself came to a stop? For eternity? How would it be?
Spock: Captain, the universe is safe.
Kirk: For you and me. But what of Lazarus? What of Lazarus?

That might be the greatest sacrifice imaginable.

Well, I was impressed with the noble sacrifice, but if you think about it, the sacrifice was unnecessary, and that makes it all the more tragic for me. Lazarus was a mortal. Kirk had hold of him. Instead of shoving him into the space between the two universes, he could have ordered any of his men who were standing nearby to stun him (stun both of them, if they can't get a clean shot). And then kill the bad Lazarus while he isn't endangering anyone else, thereby saving the universe AND the noble Lazarus of the other universe.

I know that as the main character, it's sort of Kirk's job to personally take out the bad guy, usually with his bare hands, but it really doesn't make sense to use this same trope every time. It certainly doesn't make ANY sense when there's at least half a dozen Starfleet officers standing around with phasers, not doing anything to help, when the fate of the universe is supposedly hanging in the balance. Either just shoot him, or give us a good reason why that wasn't an option.

*sigh* This is an episode I really want to like. It has some very interesting ideas, but unfortunately it also has a very half-done feeling, as if the writer threw together a brilliant concept at the last minute and didn't have time to clean it up.

Captain's log, stardate 3196.1 - A distress call from the pergium production station on Janus 6 has brought the Enterprise to that long-established colony.

I don't know what pergium is, but apparently it's something that every technologically advanced planet needs. Odd that I've never heard of it from any of the other ST series, then. In this case it's not a big deal, but they could have kept better track of the terms they used.

Anyhow, the mine is in trouble. There is a creature that has been killing miners. Then, it gets into the reactor room and steals the main circulating pump of the reactor. As chief engineer Vanderberg explains, without the pump mechanism, the reactor will go supercritical and could poison half the planet. But they can't shut it down - it provides heat and air and life support for the whole colony.

Spock says, "The missing pump was not taken by accident. It was the one piece of equipment absolutely essential for the operation of the reactor." I have a problem with that. No matter how intelligent this creature is, it has no way of knowing which piece of equipment is vital to the colony's existence. But other than that one illogical bit, I liked this episode very much.

Some highlights:
Kirk: Mr Spock, you are second in command. This will be a dangerous hunt. Either one of us by himself is expendable. Both of us are not.
Spock: Captain, The odds against you and I both being killed are 2228.7 to 1.
Kirk: 2228.7 to 1? ... Well, I hate to use the word, but logically, with those kind of odds, you might as well stay. But please stay out of trouble Mr Spock.
Spock: That is always my intention, Captain.

Ah, Spock, don't ever change. *g*

Then there's the part where Kirk sends Doctor McCoy to heal the creature.
McCoy: You can't be serious. That thing is virtually made out of stone!
Kirk: Help it. Treat it.
McCoy: I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer.
Kirk: You're a healer. There's a patient.
McCoy comes through, and I liked the moment when he changes his thinking, stops seeing the Horta as a rock, a lifeless object, and starts seeing it as a living thing.

Kirk: [to the miners] You've complained that this planet is a mineralogical treasure house if you had the equipment to get at it. Gentlemen, the Horta moves through rock the way we move through air, and it leaves tunnels. It seems to me we could make an agreement, reach a modus vivendi. They tunnel, you collect and process. [To Spock] Tell her our proposition. Think she'll go for it?
Spock: It seems logical, Captain. The Horta has a very logical mind. And after close association with humans, I find that curiously refreshing.

The Horta is a very interesting creature. A highly intelligent and extremely sophisticated animal, and a logical thinker, too! Now, my question is, where do we draw the line between an intelligent creature and a person? I have no objection with the Horta being designated an animal, I just think it's an interesting question to ponder.

The Enterprise goes to Eminiar VII in star cluster NGC321, to establish diplomatic relations. They send a message. The reply is code 710, "under no circumstances are we to approach that planet." Ambassador Fox, of course, orders the captain to disregard this.

Anan 7, leader of the council, informs Captain Kirk that the establishment of diplomatic relations is impossible, since they are still at war (and have been for 500 years) with Vendikar, another planet in the same system, "originally settled by our people, and now a ruthless enemy." The Enterprise has scanned the planet, and found no evidence of war. Yet Anan claims that their casualties total from 1 to 3 million dead each year. A ship in orbit is also in danger, that's why they told the Enterprise to stay away.

Turns out, they fight their war with computers, totally.
Kirk: Computers don't kill half a million people.
Anan: Deaths have been registered. Of course, they have 24 hours to report.
Kirk: To report?
Anan: To our disintegration machines. ...I lost my wife in the last attack. Our civilization lives. The people die, but our culture goes on. ... Once your ship was in orbit about our planet, it became a legitimate target. It has been classified destroyed by a tricobalt satellite explosion. All persons aboard your ship have 24 hours to report to our disintegration machines.

Mea 3, who greeted them, has also been declared a casualty.
Kirk: Is that all it means to you? To report and die?
Mea: My life is as dear to me as yours is to you, Captain. Don't you see? If I refuse to report, and others refuse, then Vandikar would have no choice but to launch real weapons. We would have to do the same to defend ourselves. More than people would die then. A whole civilization would be destroyed.

Kirk ignores her protests. At this point I can't help thinking, okay, I see why Kirk and his people are against this practice, but if the people of Eminiar are saying "we like our culture the way it is, it works for us, leave it alone, we don't want to be 'saved'" etc... Do Kirk and his people have any right to interfere?

( Cut for length. Boy, this one got long! )

"Freedom is never a gift. It has to be earned." - Kirk

This scene is one of my favorites in the entire original series:

Landru disarms Kirk and Spock, so they have to beat him with their brains instead of brawn.
Landru: The good of the body is the prime directive.
Spock: The good of the body, Captain. That's the key.
Kirk: Yes. (To Landru) What is the good?
Landru: The good is the harmonious continuation of the body. The good is peace, tranquility. The good of the body is the directive.
Kirk: Then I put it to you that you have disobeyed the prime directive. You are harmful to the body.
Landru: The body is. It exists. It is healthy.
Kirk: The body is dying. You are destroying it.
Landru: Do you ask a question?
Kirk: What have you done to do justice to the full potential of every individual of the body?
Landru: Insufficient data.
Kirk: Without freedom of choice, there is no creativity. Without creativity, there is no life. The body dies. The fault is yours.
Spock: Are you aiding the body, or are you destroying it?
Landru: Peace, order, and tranquility are maintained. The body lives, but I reserve creativity to me.
Spock: Then the body dies. Creativity is necessary for the health of the body.
Landru: This...is...impossible!
Kirk: You must create the good. That is the will of Landru, nothing else.
Landru: But there is evil.
Kirk: Then the evil must be destroyed. That is the prime directive, and you are the evil.
Landru: I think! I live!
Kirk: You are the evil. The evil must be destroyed. Fulfill the prime directive!
And so he does.

Later...
Spock: How often mankind has wished for a world as peaceful and secure as the one Landru provided.
Kirk: Yes. And we never got it. Just lucky, I guess!

The Enterprise encounters an ion storm which causes considerable damage to the ship, and costs the life of one crew member. He was in some kind of observation pod - I am not clear on the size and design of this pod, or where it was in relation to the ship - surely they could make observations from the ship itself, using the ship's sensors? Clearly, this whole business with the pod was cooked up just to make this episode possible, and I hate it when they do things like that.

So, Finney was in this pod, and the storm was getting worse. They went to yellow alert, then red alert. Captain Kirk gave him all the time possible to return to the ship, but ultimately was forced to jettison the pod. He says they were at red alert at the time, but the computer record says they were only at yellow alert. Hm...an intriguing mystery!

Kirk: I'm telling you, I was there on the bridge. I know what happened! I know what I did!
Stone: It's in the transcript, and computer transcripts don't lie! Now, I'm telling you, Captain, either you accept a permanent ground assignment or the whole disciplinary weight of Starfleet Command is going to alight right on your neck.
Kirk: So that's the way we do it now - sweep it under the rug, and me along with it? Not on your life. I intend to fight.
Stone: Then you draw a general court.
Kirk: Draw it? I demand it! And right now, Commodore Stone. Right now!
[dramatic music]

Wow! That was a tense scene! They don't make them like that any more... Using dialog instead of explosions? What an astonishing concept! And I do believe this form of tension is more effective from a story-telling perspective (having a much greater impact), as well as being healthier (since they are using it intelligently, at the right place and time, instead of maintaining an adrenaline rush from start to finish through over-stimulation, as modern TV too often does. The use of brute force only shows a lack of skill, boys and girls.)

Well, on to the plot! At first I was mystified how the computer record could be wrong if the computer was not malfunctioning. It was when Kirk is called to the stand that it hit me: the man who died was *the records officer*. Might it not be possible that, seeing that he's at the top of the duty roster and knowing that the ship is heading towards an ion storm, he might have seen this as an opportunity to get back at Kirk, whom he resented? And if so, did he really die, or was it all an elaborate ruse? Let's resume playback and find out...

Yep, I was right. With the court's permission, Kirk finds Finney. They come to blows, and of course Kirk's uniform gets ripped, as usual. *rolls eyes*

I am dissatisfied with how Spock solved the mystery, though. I could certainly see Finney altering records, but it makes no sense that this would have any effect on the computer's chess algorithm, or on anything else unrelated to the records. So we started with a lazy shortcut in the form of the pod, and now we end with another lazy shortcut. That's not great writing, but I was too busy enjoying the episode to notice at the time, so I guess I can't say it was terrible, either. :)

I guess you can get away with a couple small faults as long as your dialogue is super solid, and this writer does have an exceptionally strong grasp of dialogue. According to wikipedia, the credit goes to Don M. Mankiewicz. This was the only episode he wrote for Star Trek, but he did also write a book...which is out of print. Oh, well.

Favorite parts:
1. The dramatic bit between Kirk and Stone, which I included above,
2. Samuel T. Cogley's passionate speech about human rights during the hearing,
3. and this:
McCoy: Mr Spock, you're the most cold-blooded man I've ever known.
Spock, surprised by the compliment: Why, thank you, Doctor.

Plot hole: The USS Enterprise arrives at the Cestus III Outpost by invitation of its commanding officer, but the message turns out to have been faked. Okay, who faked the message, and why? I don't think the Gorn are capable of it, and even if they were, I see no reason for them to want a confrontation with the Enterprise.

Another thing that annoyed me: When Captain Kirk disappeared off the bridge, Uhura screamed. Okay, a sudden disappearance is startling, and worrying, but I think it's out of character for her to scream like that. An exclamation of "Captain!" or "He's gone!" would have been much better.

As far as the plot; overcoming our savagery is a worthy aspiration, and I like the hopeful message that humanity is heading in that direction. However, as long as there are those who seek to harm us, I think it's important to retain the ability to fight - for self-defense, and to protect those who aren't able to protect themselves.

It made sense for Kirk to spare the Gorn captain after they had talked, but it also made sense for him to pursue the Gorn ship with the intent of destroying it, when it looked like the attack on the outpost must be the precursor to an invasion. Kirk's reasoning was logical, based on the available evidence; I don't think he was in the wrong for trying to prevent an invasion, even if it ultimately turned out to be a misunderstanding. Naturally, it would have been better to talk to the Gorn and sort it out, but they DID try, and so did the outpost, and the Gorn refused to communicate. So I place the blame for the misunderstanding squarely on the Gorn. I can understand why the Metron were annoyed at both species for fighting on their front lawn, as it were, but I really don't think it's fair to blame the humans for responding in the only reasonable way the Gorn had left open to them.

Side note: McCoy was really unreasonable towards Spock in this episode. I know they often play off each other with the emotion versus logic routine, but in other episodes they both present sensible, though differing, opinions. In this episode, McCoy expected Spock to produce a solution where none was possible, seemingly mistaking logic for magic. Honestly, he should know that logic can't do the impossible, and he has no call to berate Spock for not being able to perform miracles. (Besides, that's Scotty's department.)

I didn't know I had this many complaints when I started writing my review. I thought it would only be the first two points, and somehow I ended up with a whole post. Still, it's good to be back after the holiday hiatus.

I believe this is the first episode where we see a shuttle! Apparently the Enterprise has two: the Galileo, and the Columbus. Memory Alpha: After this episode was filmed, no new shots of the shuttlecraft miniature were taken. All shuttlecraft model shots used in the series were stock footage from this episode, sometimes matted into different backgrounds. Also: The episode marks the first appearance in Star Trek of the rank of "ensign", as Ensign O'Neill is mentioned in this episode.

This was very much a Spock episode.

After they have crashed on a planet,
McCoy says to Spock: Well, I can't say much for the circumstances, but at least it's your big chance.
Spock: My big chance? For what, Doctor?
McCoy: Command. Oh, I know you, Mr Spock. You've never voiced it, but you've always thought that logic was the best basis on which to build command. Am I right?
Spock: I am a logical man, Doctor.
McCoy: It'll take more than logic to get us out of this.
Spock: Perhaps, Doctor, but I know of no better way to begin. I realize that command does have its fascinations, even under circumstances such as these, but I neither enjoy the idea of command, nor am I frightened of it. It simply exists. And I will do whatever logically needs to be done.

At this point, I was internally applauding Spock, but unfortunately, he ends up making a mess of it. He is logical to the point of being illogical, and as a result, two people die. (Both yellow shirts, by the way.) But I can't believe that Spock would make such an illogical blunder: Although Vulcans base their choices on logic, they know very well that other species are often emotional and illogical. So, when interacting with other species, it would be logical (and necessary) to take this tendency into consideration, and plan accordingly. Spock not only knows this, he also has extensive first-hand experience interacting with humans and other species, so there is no way he would be stupid enough to overlook that. That's bad writing, in my opinion.

However, I enjoyed exchange:
Kirk to Spock: There's something I don't understand about all this, and maybe you can explain it to me. Logically, of course. When you jettisoned the fuel and ignited it, you knew that there was virtually no chance of it being seen, and yet you did it anyhow. Now that would seem to me to be an act of desperation.
Spock: Quite correct, Captain.
Kirk: Now, we all know, and I'm sure the Doctor would agree with me, that desperation is a highly emotional state of mind. How does your well-known logic explain that?
Spock: Quite simply, Captain. I examined the problem from all angles, and it was plainly hopeless. Logic informed me that, under the circumstances, the only possible action would have to be one of desperation. Logical decision, logically arrived at.
Kirk: Aha. I see. You mean you reasoned that it was time for an emotional outburst.
Spock: Well, I... wouldn't put it in exactly those term, Captain, but... those are essentially the facts.
Kirk: You're not going to admit, that for the first time in your life, you committed a purely human, emotional act?
Spock: No, sir.
(They all have a chuckle. Except Spock, of course.)

Also, at the beginning of this exchange, Uhura smirks like she knows what's coming - I think she knows both Kirk and Spock all too well - and I took a screencap, because I love that smirk.

The bad: There were things in this episode that did not make sense. After the destruction of Outpost 4, the Enterprise tracks and follows the Romulan ship. They've been following for a while when Scotty comes on to say "We now have aboard debris from Outpost 4, Captain." And when did they collect that??? We never saw the Enterprise stop to collect debris, and there was no indication that they even passed near the debris field in their pursuit of the Romulan ship.

Then, when the Enterprise was running from the energy weapon, why didn't they simply dodge to the side (or up or down), out of its path? If they had made some indication that it was a guided missile, I could have accepted that, but since they hadn't, I assumed it was traveling a straight path. Wikipedia calls this weapon a plasma torpedo, but that is never mentioned in the episode. All we got in the episode was "Lab theorizes an enveloping energy plasma." and no mention of any delivery system. They honestly made it sound like an energy beam, not a missile. Why couldn't they just drop the word "torpedo" or "missile" in there, to make it clear? Am I the only one who thought it was an energy beam?

The good: This was our first meeting with Romulans! I am more familiar with them as seen on TNG, and had forgotten how different they were in TOS. I knew that "Romulus and Remus" were the mythical founders of Rome, but I was surprised how heavily TOS Romulan culture borrows from that of Ancient Rome. Their dress, their manner, their ranks of Praetor and Centurion, and even their sentence structure. (My familiarity with Latin grammar unexpectedly came in handy!)

( A bit of trivia (also a latin word, amusingly enough) )

Also in this episode: Sulu makes another one of his rare appearances! I am still wondering when he'll become a regular member of the bridge crew.

And at one point, Kirk has Uhura take over navigation. Uhura has always seemed super-capable to me, so I am not surprised that she also knows her way around navigation controls (and can still handle communications at the same time). I think her regular job is important, too. I don't agree with people who reduce communications to "the space phone" - so much depends on communications being handled correctly. That said, I really enjoyed seeing Uhura get to sit up front and get in on the action during the final battle.

I was shocked that Spock could mutiny. Shocked!

As everyone probably already knows, this two-part episode was spliced together from the original unaired pilot. However, since Netflix had the original pilot as the first episode, I've already seen it and will just link to my earlier entry on that. (In brief: I loved the plot and the well-developed characters. This recap doesn't do them justice.)

The new content made a good framing story, and I was impressed with how well they wove the two together, so that it all made sense as a whole. For instance, when Spock submits video evidence, we start off with a shot of the Enterprise traveling through space. I was going to complain that any video recording equipment on the Enterprise would not be able to get a shot of the ship from outside at such a distance, but the characters beat me to it: Commodore Mendez asked Spock where he got this film, because the ship's recording equipment could never record video in such detail. Captain Pike confirms that the video IS a true record, but not from any of their data archives, and when Spock reveals the source of the video record, it makes sense. So that was all handled very well.

The only thing I find hard to believe, is that the Talosians could produce an illusion of the commodore all the way on Starbase 11. I don't know how far that is from their planet, but they would need either a ship (for proximity), which we know they don't have, or a VERY long reach with their mental powers, which seems implausible to me.

I think the original pilot was stronger as a stand-alone; as a recap, it felt rushed (I remember how well-developed the characters were in the original pilot, whereas here we didn't have a chance to get to know them, and for me that felt like something vital was missing). But it was still pretty good. And I liked Spock's story; his unexpected behavior and mystery kept it interesting right up to the end.

Speaking of Spock's part in this episode, when he was arrested for mutiny, no one on the bridge was more shocked and dismayed than Uhura. I was thrilled by the Spock/Uhura chemistry in 1-1 and 1-2, but we haven't seen any of that since then, so I was happy to get another glimpse of it here. <3

I also thought that Miss Piper was cute. (She was Mendez's assistant, who only appeared briefly.) I liked her warm personality, and she had pretty hair. *shrugs and smiles* I like what I like.