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The facts have become legend. Star Trek, the NBC series that premiered on September 8, 1966, has become a touchstone of international popular culture. It struggled through three seasons that included cancellation and last-minute revival, and turned its creator, Gene Roddenberry, into the progenitor of an intergalactic phenomenon. Eventually expanding to encompass five separate TV series, an ongoing slate of feature films, and a fan base larger than the population of many third-world countries, the Star Trek universe began not with a Big Bang but with a cautious experiment in network TV programming. Even before its premiere episode ("The Man Trap") was aired, Star Trek had struggled to attain warp-drive velocity, barely making it into the fall '66 NBC lineup.

The series' original pilot, "The Cage," featured Jeffrey Hunter as U.S.S. Enterprise captain Christopher Pike--a variation of the role that would eventually catapult William Shatner to TV stardom. Filmed in 1964, the pilot was rejected by NBC the following year, but the network made a rare decision to order a second pilot. "Where No Man Has Gone Before" was filmed in 1965, and only one character from the previous pilot remained--a pointy-eared alien named Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy), whom Roddenberry had retained despite network disapproval. The second pilot was accepted, and production on Star Trek began in earnest with the filming of its first regular episode, "The Corbomite Maneuver."

Never a ratings success despite a growing population of devoted fans, Star Trek was canceled after its second season, prompting a letter-writing campaign that resulted in the series' third-season renewal. It was a mixed blessing, since Roddenberry had departed as producer to protest the network's neglect, and Star Trek's third season contained most of the series' weakest episodes. And yet, the show continued to "to explore strange new worlds…to seek out new life and new civilizations…to boldly go where no man [a phrase later amended to "no one"] has gone before."

There were milestones along the way. The first interracial kiss on network primetime TV (between Shatner and series co-star Nichelle Nichols) furthered a richly positive and expansive view of a better, nobler future for humankind. The series offered a timelessly appealing balance of humor, imagination, and character depth. And at least one episode (Harlan Ellison's "The City on the Edge of Forever") ranks among the finest science fiction stories in any popular medium. Beloved by long-time fans in spite of its cheesy sets and costumes, and the now-dated trappings of late-1960s American culture, "classic Trek" has aged remarkably well, and its sense of adventure and idealism continues to live long and prosper. --Jeff Shannon

The three 2004 DVD sets collect all 79 episodes of the show, including "The Cage" in both a restored color version and the original, never-aired version that alternates between color and black and white. Each set is supplemented by over an hour of featurettes incorporating new and old interviews with Shatner, Nimoy, other cast members, and producers, and there's also some vintage footage of Gene Roddenberry. Accompanying the 20-minute seasonal recaps ("To Boldly Go...") are a number of interesting featurettes: "The Birth of a Timeless Legacy" examines the two pilot episodes and the development of the crew; "Sci-Fi Visionaries" discusses the series' great science fiction writers; Nimoy debunks various rumors in "Reflections of Spock"; "Kirk, Spock & Bones: The Great Trio" focuses on the interplay among Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley); and, in what is probably his last Star Trek appearance, James Doohan (Scotty), slowed by Alzheimer's but still with a twinkle in his eye, recalls his voiceover roles and his favorite episodes.As they've done for many of the feature-film special editions, Michael Okuda and Denise Okuda provide a pop-up text commentary on four of the episodes filled with history, trivia, and dry wit. It's the first commentary of any kind for a Star Trek TV show, but an audio commentary is still overdue. The technical specs are mostly the same as other Trek TV series--Dolby 5.1, English subtitles--but with the welcome addition of the episode trailers. The plastic cases are an attempt to replicate some of the fun packaging of the series' European DVD releases, but it's a bit clunky, and the paper sleeve around the disc case seems awkward and crude. Still, the sets are a vast improvement both in terms of shelf space and bonus features compared to the old two-episode discs, which were released before full-season boxed sets became the model for television DVDs. --David Horiuchi ... Read more

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Saved from the brink of cancellation by its loyal fanbase, Star Trek's third and final season rewarded them with a number of memorable episodes.Tight budgets and slipping creative control, however, made it the series' most uneven season, though it did have some of the coolest episode titles ("For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky," "Is There in Truth No Beauty," "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield").Some of the best moments involved a gunfight at the OK Corral ("Spectre of the Gun"), a knock-down drag-out sword battle with the Klingons aboard the Enterprise ("Day of the Dove"), the ship getting caught in an ever-tightening spacial net ("The Tholian Web"), TV's first interracial kiss ("Plato's Stepchildren," and it should be easy to guess who participated), Sulu taking command ("The Savage Curtain"), and Kirk's switching bodies with an ex-love interest ("Turnabout Intruder").

Also appearing in the set as a coda are two versions of the series pilot, "The Cage," a restored color version and the original, never-aired version that alternates between color and black and white.Starring Jeffery Hunter as Captain Pike, Leonard Nimoy as a relatively emotional Spock, and Majel Barrett (the future Nurse Chapel and Mrs. Gene Roddenberry) as a frosty Number One, this pilot was rejected, but a second was commissioned, "Where No Man Has Gone Before," now considered the "official" beginning of the series.But "The Cage" is very recognizably Star Trek with its far-out concepts (telepathic aliens collecting species samples), sexy humanoid women, character development, and of course cheesy costumes and special effects.Footage was later reused in the season 1 two-parter, "The Menagerie."

The best of the 63 minutes of bonus material focuses on three of the actors: Walter Koenig, George Takei, and James Doohan.Koenig discusses how he was cast and shows off his various collections, one consisting of Chekov figurines.Takei speaks movingly about the Japanese American internment and, in what is probably his last Star Trek appearance, Doohan, slowed by Alzheimer's but still with a twinkle in his eye, recalls his voiceover roles and his favorite episodes.The Easter eggs are amusingly called "Red Shirt Files" in tribute to those poor saps who everyone knew were only in the landing party so they could die.--David Horiuchi ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The Third Complete Season in an 8-DVD Set! Fantastic!
When Paramount Home Video first started to release the original series of "Star Trek" in 1999, I was aghast at the fact that only one DVD with two episodes per DVD were being released one DVD at a time at a very high cost. The cost to own all 40 volumes (DVD's) was staggering. Of course, this doesn't even address the amount of shelf space required for all 40 DVD's.

Now, with this repackaged version, all 24 episodes of the third season are being released together on 8 disks. It will probably also include both versions (color and black-and-white) of the unaired original pilot "The Cage". This is the packaged version of the original "Star Trek" that I fully intend to purchase because even at full list price, the cost of owning the third complete season is less than half the cost of owning its earlier cousins on an equivalent 13 DVD's. Also, the packaging itself has been designed similarly to the packaging used for other "Star Trek" series released in complete seasons, meaning that it will only require a small amount of shelf space. It is also possible that extra documentary and commentary material not released originally will be included in this complete third season box set.

The original series of "Star Trek", that ran for three complete seasons between 1966 and 1969, started a franchise that has included six television series and ten big screen motion pictures. The main original characters of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Lt. Commander/Commander Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Dr. Leonard H. 'Bones' McCoy (DeForest Kelley, 1920-1999), Lt. Cmdr. Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott (James Doohan), Lt. Hikaru Sulu (George Takei), Lt. Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Ensign Pavel Chekov (Walter Keonig from 1967-1969), Yeoman Janice Rand (Grace Lee Whitney from 1966-1967) and Nurse Christine Chapel (Majel Barrett) have become an inseparable part of Americana. Though series creator Gene Roddenberry (1921-1991) was not able to keep the original series alive for five seasons as originally envisioned (it was cancelled after its third season), he, along with the countless series fans, was able to resurrect it in the form of six motion pictures beginning in 1979 and the first series spin-off, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" in 1987, which ran for seven years and had spin-offs of its own. There was also a 22-episode animated version based upon the original series that ran from 1972 to 1974.

In spite of receiving five Emmy nominations during its life and several previously successful efforts (including letter-writing campaigns) that had saved the show from cancellation on more than one occasion, the combination of poor Nielsen ratings, a shrinking budget and too-often weak episode writing made the third season of "Star Trek" its last. The most memorable episodes of the third season include "Spock's Brain", "The Enterprise Incident" (using Klingon ships for Romulans), "The Paradise Syndrome", "Is There No Truth in Beauty" (with guest character Dr. Ann Mulhall as played by Diana Muldaur, who had previously guest acted in the second-season episode "Return to Tomorrow" and also played the unpopular character Dr. Katherine Pulaski in the second season of "Star Trek: The Next Generation"), "For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky", "The Tholian Web", "Plato's Stepchildren" (which had the first inter-racial kiss on televsion), "Wink of an Eye", "The Empath", "Elaan of Troyius", "Whom Gods Destroy", "The Mark of Gideon", "The Lights of Zetar", "Requiem for Methuselah", "The Cloud Minders", "The Savage Curtain" and "All Our Yesterdays". Arguably, the worst episode during the third season was "The Way to Eden", about a group of hippies searching for Eden (the probable inspiration for the worst-ever "Star Trek" film, "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" in 1989). Other particularly weak third-season episodes include "And the Children Shall Lead", "Spectre of the Gun" featuring a re-enactment of the old-West shoot-out at the O.K. Corral, "Day of the Dove", "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" about racism, "That Which Survives" and the final episode "Turnabout Intruder" that showcased some of Shatner's worst acting abilities.

Ironically, six weeks after "Turnabout Intruder" aired on 6/3/1969, Neil Armstrong and 'Buzz' Aldrin became the first human beings to land and walk upon an extraterrestrial body, Earth's moon, on 7/20/1969. Shortly thereafter, interest in "Star Trek" grew considerably. Paramount Pictures nearly resurrected the television show in 1977 (called "Star Trek: Phase II") after all but Leonard Nimoy had signed on, but the project was abandoned shortly after George Lucas' 1977 film "Star Wars" blew audiences away. Fans had to wait another two years when the disappointing film "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" was released. It is interesting to note that two of people (Jo and John Trimble) who started one of the successful letter-writing campaigns that had once saved "Star Trek" from cancellation in 1968, were the same people that started a letter-writing campaign to convince NASA to name the first space shuttle "Enterprise" in honor of "Star Trek".

Overall, I rate the 8-DVD set of "Star Trek: Original Series Season 3" with an anticipatory 4 out of 5 stars. Clearly, this is how Paramount should have released the original series to begin with. Though the third season suffered from more poor episodes than the previous two, I continue to thank Gene Roddenberry for taking all of us "where no man has gone before".

Only a small handful of good shows.
Thrid Season of Star Trek was it's last and it was marked by both a feud between Gene Roddenbery and a new producer over the show's budget. Somewhat more cheaper production values, decreaaed visual effects work, and poore writing. The few Exceptions were "The Enterprise Incident, The Tholian Web, Let That Be Your Last Battlefield, That Which Survies, The Lights of Zetar, and the Savage Curtain

ST's final frontier
Barely getting renewed for a third season,Star Trek had two disadvantages when it returned.First was executive producer Gene Coon's departure from the series, as well Gene Roddenberry's decreased involvement.The other was a new timeslot on Friday at 10:00 PM, a slot known to bury flagging shows by the networks.
Over the years, many blamed the new producer Fred Frieberg for the lacking quality of the show. Freiberg's only sin was coming aboard a sinking ship which was suffering budget cuts as well as weak stories and it's creator's lack of interest due to the networks total disregard of the show.
Even with the few brilliant episodes (Empath, Paradise Syndrome,Enterprise Incident, Tholian Web, Requium Of Methuselah,All Our Yesterdays), season three is notorious with two of the worst ever in the history of Trek (The Way To Eden, and Spock's Brain).
By the end of season three,ST was finally cancelled after 78 aired episodes in 1969.Even fans couldn't save it, as NBC buried the show.But thanks to syndication, ST became even more popular than when it originally aired and build upon a growing franchise (Conventions, Saturday Morning cartoons,toys, etc,).The ten years after the end of the series,Star Trek The Motion Picture premired.And that was just the beginning. ... Read more

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Originally called Sex Crimes, executive producer Dick Wolf wisely opted for something less lurid when the second in the inexhaustible Law & Order franchise hit the air in 1999. Still, as the opening voiceover makes clear, the "sexually based offenses" investigated by New York's Special Victims Unit can be "especially heinous." Wolf penned series premier "Payback," which sets the scene, but not the tone. It's a lively, if uneasy mix between horror (rape) and comedy (risqué banter). As the first season progressed, humor would be written out altogether (leaving Richard Belzer's Homicide-derived John Munch with increasingly less to do), and less emphasis would be placed on the home lives of this "elite squad of dedicated detectives." Mostly, "Payback" introduces us to the unit, centering around partners Olivia Benton (Mariska Hargitay) and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni). For two people with so little in common, they make a terrific team--arguably one of TV's best. Stabler is married with four children; Benton is single and her closest relationship is with her mother (Elizabeth Ashley). While Stabler can get a little rough with suspects, Benton tends to over-empathize with the victims. They report to the no-nonsense Captain Cragen (Law & Order vet Dann Florek). Like the parent program's Lenny Briscoe, he's a recovering alcoholic. Dean Winters and Michelle Hurd round out the rock-solid cast. --Kathleen C. Fennessy ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Not Worth Getting
Don't get me wrong. This episode was great but not worth getting all by itself. If you pay twice as much, you get 22 episodes instead of just the one. This episode is included in the set. I just wish there was an episode introducing all the characters to each other instead of introducing the audience to the characters all at once. I was disappointed that there wasn't a 2-hour beginning like most series. Oh well. Don't bother with this dvd. GET THE SET!!!!!!

A No-Brainer
Why am I even reviewing this? I suppose it's just to verify with you, reader, that you will now be clicking over to SVU's first season DVD release. 3 stars is generous, but I think justified. One must take into account the material AS WELL AS the packaging of the product (It's a 5-star program in a 1-star package).

Pro - strong enough concept to survive on its own away from the original Law and Order series (material).
Con - you would be officially declared an idiot to buy one episode for about a third of the price of the entire first season (of which there are approximately 20 X as many episodes).

Let's break that down for all ye non-rocket-scientists out there. It would take over 50 million bowls of your cereal...err...umm... I mean, buying only three independent episodes of SVU (which mercifully you can't, and the producers gave the consumers' brains atleast SOME credit) would have bought you the entire first season (now going for roughly $50), a net loss of, again, roughly 20 episodes (I've done some rounding for the non-rocket-scientists).

A quick justification for the 3 stars -

A) SVU, like the original Law And Order, has so much going on, you'll ALWAYS pick oodles up upon subsequent viewings (the rewind button can offer you everything that Munch was saying that you just sort of glossed over the first time).... thus, purchasing one episode won't REALLY give you just 45 minutes of something to watch.

B) This is especially true, as they've packed those infamous "DVD extras" in - the original "Everybody's favorite Bag Man" pilot, as well as some interesting interviews and extra footage (the squad room walk-through) keep "Payback" from feeling lonely.

Real fans should boycott these piecemeal relaease
Another bad DVD release. It looks like a crude attempt to extract as much revenue as possible from large base of loyal fans. Some reviewers who wax lyrical over the 'special' interview features and "insight into the show" in this single episode DVD either work for the publisher or miss the point that any of these items could have been included in a 'full season' release. This piecemeal approach is frustrating for real fans of the series who, to date, have seen only one complete season released. I for one will protest with my wallet. It stays shut until the complete seasons are released.

Why buy one episode?
Law and Order is on television most nights of the week. Why buy one episode on DVD. I did not buy this one, and would like to add to the previous comments stating a season box set release is necessary and in demand! Come on executives of Universal, we're waiting!

More, please!
I gave this DVD 3 stars because I have seen this episode - it is terrific. However, I will not be shelling out [money] for 1 episode... I'll be saving it to put it towards the purchase of the entire 1st season on DVD, when and if that is released! Gimme a break, Universal! ... Read more

Description

"Turnabout," Ep.79 - A female scientist, jealous of Kirk's career, uses an ancient alien device to trade places with him and take command of the U.S.S. Enterprise. The series' final episode! "The Cage," Ep.99 (B&W and color) - The two versions of Star Trek's rarely seen pilot star Jeffrey Hunter as captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise. On an earlier voyage of the starship U.S.S. Enterprise, Kirk's predecessor Captain Christopher Pike tries to rescue an Earth crew that disappeared eighteen years earlier. But it's a trap! Pike is imprisoned in a zoo-like cage and studied by a mysterious higher life-form. "The Cage" Ep.99 was reconstructed with black-and-white footage from Gene Roddenberry's work print and color footage from "The Menagerie" Ep.16. "The Cage" Ep.1 (Color) - This episode includes the long-lost color footage (believed to have been destroyed) from Gene Roddenberry's pilot episode. 185 minutes. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Bowing In/Bowing Out
In 1964 Gene Roddenberry pitched his Star Trek idea to NBC executives as "Wagon Train to the Stars." Expecting a western set in space, they gave Roddenberry the go-ahead and set him to work. When they viewed The Cage in early 1965, they must have been surprised. After complaining it was "too cerebral," the suits issued a litany of other complaints: the female second in command (Number One) was unacceptable, and there were too many females in general on the ship ("people will think there's a lot of fooling around going on up there"); the presence of minorities would offend NBC affiliates in the South, who would refuse to air the program; and "that guy with the ears" had to go. Roddenberry was willing to concede the female second in command, but thereafter he dug in his heels: minorities and aliens continue to be a presence in Star Trek to this day.

Watching The Cage from a 21st Century perspective, one wonders what the NBC suits were in a ringer about. The episode is not appreciably higher in concept than many original series episodes, and the whole affair has an appealing "New Frontier" Kennedy-esque flavor.

Somewhat like an Ed Wood movie, Turnabout Intruder is unintentionally humorous. The story idea is ludicrous, the dialogue cringeworthy, and the acting has to be seen to be believed. William Shatner's realization of Kirk's body under the control of Janice Lester (which includes filing his nails and walking with a mincing gait) is the single most over the top performance in all of Trek. He comes across as Joan Crawford on Psilocybin. How his intensely homoerotic moments with guest actor Harry Landers got past the network censors will forever remain a mystery. This story is the greatest camp masterpiece since Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?.

How does this DVD look? The full color version of The Cage is a true restoration, not merely a remastering. The print has been carefully cleaned and color corrected, and various sound elements (dialogue, music, and sound effects) have been remixed from the original sources. Generally it wears its age well, although portions of the dialogue sound fuzzy. The Black & White/Color amalgamation of The Cage is also included. This version has had no rework done, which makes the restoration of the all-color version all the more stunning. Gene Roddenberry's introduction from 1986 is also included, a nice touch.

Saving the first and last for last... um, yeah.
As a final treat for the Trekkies, we see Shatner display Kirk's feminine side in the series swan song, 'Turnabout Intruder', as an old flame takes revenge-- and control of the Enterprise-- by trading bodies with our esteemed starship skipper! Granted, it's sortuva psycho 'Fatal Attraction'-style feminine side, but at least he finally got a role with some real acting range... heh. Sadly, Uhura's absent from the final go-round, and Nurse Chapel has suddenly become a brunette (which I believe is Majel Barrett's natural hair color)! Fortunately, Spock is as logical as ever in this not-half-bad third season eppie. True, it still has a certain degree of hokiness & cheese that makes Star Trek's final year so memorable, but I think it holds up fairly well. It's definitely worth a watch!

Then there's most-anticipated eppie on this platter: the original pilot that didn't quite make the cut. 'The Cage' features a crew of completely-different folks, save for a certain pointy-eared individual. In this adventure, retro-Spock displays a small bit of emotion-he cracks a smile when he touches some vibrating plants, and shouts in surprise when the Talosians steal the women away from the stranded landing party. Nimoy's Boston accent also pokes through on occasion-- listen for his pronunciation of "can't" at the beginning right after the opening credits. This little linguistic characteristic would pop up from time to time in the first season, but eventually waned as the series went on.

Both the black-and-white and full-color versions of 'The Cage' are available here. Although the full-color show is the one I prefer to view, the B/W eppie includes an intro by Gene Roddenberry. I found his anecdotes regarding his early struggles with the networks regarding the pilot to be amusing and informative. His spoken memories kinda reminded me of grampa tellin' the young'uns stories of the good ol' days. It's also interesting to see what 'Star Trek' might have been like had NBC given the series a green light with the first pilot. Oh, the unrealized possibilities...

'Late

STAR TREK THE ORIGINAL SERIES ENDS WITH A WHIMPER!
The final DVD of The 40 volume Star Trek DVD series contians the series incredibly weak and uneven finale and special treat: the unaired original pilot that NBC rejected which is what really sells this one.

It's a real shame that the Star Trek series couldn't have ended a little better than TURNABOUT INTRUDER but sadly it's this awful episode that ends a TV series that still had a ton of promising aspects left in it. Looking back it's easy to say that Star Trek should never been cancelled so early. It's also easy to say that an episode this bad should have never ended the series. TURNABOUT INTRUDER does have to be one of the worst Star Trek episodes to go into production. The plot is simply goofy and weak. A deranged woman swapping her soul into Kirk's body in order for her to fufill her dreams on running a starship is a bad enough idea. However having William Shatner act like a lady trapped inside a man's body is just a sad joke. Shatner (who at the time was suffering from a severe fever during the filming of this episode) turns in perhaps his worst acting performance ever in the series. It's so bad that it's laughable but this episode is downright boring and I wouldn't doubt that poor William Shatner (who I feel is generally a decent actor) begged for another episode of Star Trek to end the series on a stronger note. Unfortunetly this never happend.

The real reason to buy this DVD is of course the unaired pilot THE CAGE. It's not really available anywhere else and has never been included in the TV reruns. It's interesting to watch and see Jeffrey Hunter as Cpt.Pike and a younger more emotional Spock. The episode is pretty good but is ment more for historical or cult purposes. Still it what saves this DVD from being awful.

In conclusion this DVD is still a must despite the awful sad finale. The pilot is essential for Trekkies and is a must see anyways for fans of the Original series like me. This is classic Trek despite the depressing ending of the series so it's recommended but mainly for the Pilot.

*I can't believe I reviewed all forty volumes!*

Worth the Price of Admission for Historical Value!
I'm just gonna go ahead & skip any kind of review of "Turnabout Intruder". More eloquent slams of this episode have been made by others, so there's no need to go into it again.

The primary reson to buy this DVD (whether you're a die-hard Trek geek or just a casual sci-fi fan) is to see the unaired, uncut 1964 pilot, "THE CAGE", and Roddenberry really had it on the money with this one.

Jeffrey Hunter's turn as Captain Christopher Pike exudes the stern, stoic demeanour that would become such a trademark of Jean-Luc Picard, yet he does manage to showcase a glimpse into his humanity, which he keeps hidden from most of the crew, as every good captain must. There are moments in this pilot that act as harbingers of things that audiences would take for granted some thirty years hence on other incarnations of TREK, but they'll more than likely fail to remember or appreciate that it ALL began here. Without this pilot, there would be no Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, or Archer.

The SPFX in this show, while cheesy by today's ILM-on-Steroids standards, were surprisingly good & still manage to impress, even today. This pilot, which was ultimately refused by NBC (Shatner's "WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE" was what finally sold the suits on the show), is TREK at its most distilled. There was really no guideline to go by, no Prime Directive, no purists' / revisionists' history, no continuity to adhere to, no writers' staff to make sure everything fit in the box -- just plain ol', good character-driven science fiction TV.

It's a shame that there wasn't an opportunity to see where Jeffrey Hunter & HIS Enterprise crew would have gone, but thank goodness he was there at all.

Not too bad
I only give this one four stars because the final episode--"Turnabout Intruder"--was pretty lame. Bad way to end the series. The inclusion of two versions of "The Cage" makes the DVD worthwhile, however, along with Gene Roddenberry's little featurette. One point of contention with Jared's review: "The Cage" has, in fact, aired during reruns. While I still have my "all-colour collector's edition" VHS copy, it was played at least once on the Sci-Fi Channel, back when Sci-Fi ran sort of a 23rd-century two-hour program block (Star Trek the first hour, and Babylon 5 the second, which is when I actually got into J. Michael Straczynski's television gem).

I only watched the the B&W/Color version of "The Cage," once for the novelty of it. ... Read more

Description

"The Way to Eden," Ep. 75 - Kirk and crew must deal with the insane leader of a band of rebellious idealists who are searching for the fabled planet Eden. " Requiem for Methuselah," Ep. 76 - An outbreak of Rigellian fever aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise forces Kirk to find an antidote on Holberg 917-G, where he meets the mysterious genius Flint. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

The Enterprise encounters two wise men seeking paradise
Volume 38 in the Star Trek DVD series offers up a very uneven pair of episodes from the show's final season. "The Way to Eden" is probably the episode that most smacks of the Sixties in a blatant attempt to be groovy, hip, cool, whatever. The Enterprise intercepts a stolen spacecraft carrying Dr. Sevrin (think Timothy Leary) and his followers, all young futuristic hippie types. There are seeking the legendary planet Eden in an attempt to get away from it all and back to paradise. After Spock locates Eden on the ship's computer, Sevrin and his followers take over the Enterprise. However, when they arrive at Eden they find that the planet is as deadly as it is beautiful. The storyline in "The Way to Eden" is okay, it is the transplanted hippies following their guru that grates a bit. It was bad enough when Chekhov showed up with his Beatles/Monkees wig to cater to the younger generation. I do not see any reason to have these people be earnest seekers of a more pastoral lifestyle instead of anti-establishment types. At least they groove on Spock.

On the other hand, "Requiem for Methuselah" is one of my picks for Top 10 Star Trek episodes, although admittedly it might be my most idiosyncratic selection. Rigelian fever has broken out on the Enterprise and the crew discovers the necessary antidote, ryetalyn, on an uninhabited planet in the Omega system. However, the landing party discovers a man named Flint, his robot M4 and his ward, Rayna Kapec. Slowly but surely Kirk and Spock put together the pieces of the mystery--e.g., a "new" work written in the hand of Johannes Brahms--and Flint finally tells them his fantastic story. Born on earth in Mesopotamia in 3034 B.C., he was Akharin, a soldier who was pierced in the heart in battle but did not die because of instant tissue regeneration. Apparently immortal he has lived dozens of lifetimes as Brahms, da Vinci, Solomon, Alexander, Merlin and many others (he claims to have been both Methuselah and Lazarus, and let us just ponder the implications of the latter claim, which is probably the biggest gaff in Star Trek history). Having outlived countless female companions he has constructed a woman equal to himself: Rayna is an android. However, Kirk has fallen in love with this perfect woman and refuses to let Flint have her, with tragic results. The epilogue to this episode, in which Spock seeks to ease Kirk's pain, is one of the most touching of the original Star Trek. James Daly plays Flint and brings a nice sense of weariness to the role of a man almost 6,000 years old. I have always liked this episode and Flint is one of my favorite characters from the Star Trek universe. As much as I have ambivalent feelings towards "The Way to Eden," I hold "Requiem for Methuselah" in high enough regard to end up rounding this one up on my magic scale.

Third-season 'Trek: good for geekin' AND goofin'!
If ever there was a nice, creamy (yet sharp), salaciously-melting, pleasantly-pungent-aroma-producing (whoa- for some strange reason, I've got a sudden hankerin' for clabbered & processed dairy products!) chunk off the cheese ball that was the third season of Star Trek, 'The Way To Eden' is it! Along with 'Spock's Brain', this little misadventure proves that even at its worst, classic 'Trek is pretty freakin' entertaining! Even the squarest 'Herbert' will enjoy goofin' on this one! Space hippies takin' over the Enterprise, and a 'paradise' planet that's not as idyllic as it seems is what awaits you in this cornball 'Trek!

Then there's 'Requiem for Methuselah', featuring yet another version of the "would-be-romance-between Kirk-and-the-show's-babe-of-the-week-going-tragically-awry" plot element. Speaking of tragic Kirkian romances, I heard rumors about William Shatner insisting on doing take after take after take of the kissing scenes until he felt he'd gotten it just right! Who knew the man behind Jimmers was a perfectionist with a strict work ethic? I tell ya, if it were me, I'm not sure I would've been able to endure that much punishment! But Shatner managed to take it like a man, and his extra effort really paid off!

'Late

A Pale Flicker In A Dark Season
I'm not a big fan of Star Trek's 3rd season. Even when I saw the original broadcasts (I was barely a teenager) I sensed the degradation of the show. I was completely unaware of the 'back story' - the 'Save Trek' campaign. There were a rew exceptions.

The Way to Eden - One of the most 'dated' of episodes, it should have been down without the obvious bow to the 'sixties hippy movement'. Spock was definitely 'out of character'in this episode. Walter Koenig got a decent piece of on air time for Chekov, one of the few pluses in the episode.

Requiem for Methuselah - Another episode that had a lot of promise, the writers fell back on a 'mountain of cliche's' in this story. Extending the story by staging accident's while allowing Kirk to romance an android?

Side Note: The Star Trek Universe has a big flaw when it comes to androids. In ST:Next Generation they make it look like Data was the first sentient android? What? Come on fans, would could forget Rayna?

This only the 2nd time a Kirk romance had any substance. But Spock should have used his "Forget" mind meld with Kirk in "The Paradise Syndrome", Shatner's best performance of the series.

More camp, plus one thoughtful show
The Way to Eden-The notorious hippie episode is-like many Treks-best watched with tongue-in-cheek. Few episodes offer stronger proof of just how stodgy many of the older white men behind the scenes must have been. Plenty of episodes are sexist, but this one is decidedly anti-youth. On the other hand, if these youths are representative of the 23rd century, who could blame them? There is hardly a tint of idealism present, and they are lead by a madman (although I have no idea how Spock came to this-ultimately correct-conclusion so quickly.

This is one of the most embarrassing examples of just how easy it is for an outsider to take control of the Enterprise. Equally implausible are Chekov's lack of loyalty to his insignia (although Irina was attractive), and Spock's participation in the jam session. Skip Homeier, who we last saw in Patterns of Force, is no more believable here as an insane Dr. Severin. The ending on the planet 'Eden' is also extremely rushed (and why? so many earlier scenes were begging to be snipped), although honestly I was ready for the episode to end.

One a positive note, this episode is different and it is campy, and those are both things that many of us look for in Trek TOS. Kirk's perturbation at being labeled a Herbert, and Spock's subtle enjoyment of the Captain's insecurity, also make for a few (hard earned) laughs. (2.5 stars)

Requiem for Methuselah-This episode, which features the immortal Flint, is one of the stronger late shows. The premise is interesting, and Flint's performance is nuanced and convincing. Reena is also a sympathetic character, and her conflict in the romantic imbroglio is the most plausible. Granted, love can do strange things to people, but both the otherwise-refined Flint and the always-vulnerable Kirk really act like cavemen here. Ri-talin certainly seems to be the furthest thing from Kirk's mind for much of the episode. Reena ends up being the most tragic and sympathetic figure (ironically enough), but it is Kirk who ultimately receives the salve from Spock in one of Trek's oddest scenes.

Tidbits: By looking closely at Shatner (not his face) you can tell that he enjoys the Waltz with Reena. (3.5 stars)

"I'M TALKIN 'BOUT YOU!...I'M TALKIN' BOUT ME!..."
Volume 38 of The Star Trek DVD series contains one decent third season episode and one of the most infamous episodes in the entire Star Trek series.

THE WAY TO EDEN has to be one of the worst Star Trek episodes ever. By 1969 it was obvious that Star Trek's ratings had hit rock bottom. In order to appeal to the younger generation and the fast growing hippie culture. A bunch of very unhip network executives came up with the idea of bringing flower power to Star Trek. This was a blatant and weak attempt to try to make Star Trek hip. The results are completely laughable. This episode basically finds the Enterprise picking up a band of space hippies. Led by the mad Dr.Sevrin (played quite well by Skip Homeirer) these hippies basically run around the ship singing awful songs about the legendary planet they want to venture to called Eden. Eventually the hippies take control of the ship when their demands are not met but in the end Eden proves to be as deadly as it is beautiful. This episode is really bad. Chekov's relationship with his old flame is totally unconvincing and the acting is so bad it's laughable and the hippie songs will make you cringe. In fact this episode is so bad it's great. This may well be the (unintentionally) funniest Star Trek episode ever! Ungroovy people trying to make something groovy. This episode is a campy joke but that's what makes it a hilarious classic.

The other episode here, REQUIEM FOR METHUSELAH is actually better but it's overshadowed by the colourful campiness of THE WAY TO EDEN. This episode however has a plausible plot about control and the value of life in general. Good acting and nice plot twists and turns makes this episode a must. Somewhat of a tragic story brings out how serious this Trek outing actually is. This episode ends on a very low note, however it's incredibly effective showing us that (despite the production wos) the Star Trek series still had some life in it, even by 1969.

Overall a good pair of episodes definetly worth getting. WAY TO EDEN is so laughable it has to seen no matter what and if it disappoints you then REQUIEM FOR METHUSELAH can always compensate for it. Highly recommended! ... Read more

Description

Episode 57 - Elaan of Troyius - Kirk and the U.S.S. Enterprise are assigned to deliver Elaan, the beautiful Dohlman of Elas, to her rival planet Troyius. But her unruly behavior threatens to cost Kirk his ship.
Episode 58 - The Paradise Syndrome - The Enterprise's mission: to deflect an asteroid from colliding with a planet. But shortly after Kirk, Spock and McCoy beam down to survey the planet, Kirk vanishes. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

One standard action episode, one off-beat love story
Elaan of Troyius, which loosely follows the plot of Taming of the Shrew, is boosted by a strong acting performance from Frances Nguyen. She also brings out the best in Shatner; their scenes together, which run the gamut of emotions, are fairly convincing. The episode also features more action than average, including a dramatic ending, and there are no huge holes in the storyline (although at times it's tough to know exactly what Elaan's motivations are.) The episode is also boosted by a strong score and good costumes for the Dohlman (if not her guards!) One negative aspect is the implicit sexism behind 'the taming'. Overall, a slightly above average episode (3.5 stars.)

Tidbits: This episode, the second of the season to be produced, was the 13th to be aired. This ties Bread and Circuses for the longest lag of the entire series, and is probably mostly due to the 'high tech' scenes involving the 'Klingon' ship making rapid passes while firing on the Enterprise.

The Paradise Syndrome-While I agree that several 3rd season shows revisited plots from prior seasons, it's also true that the final season produced some unique offerings stylistically and substantially. The Paradise Syndrome, in which Kirk lives with an indigenous tribe, is one example. Two aspects in particular make this episode unusual. First, I can't think of an episode which spans a longer period of time (months). Second we have extensive cultural immersion, involving just one crew member who can't even remember he belongs on a starship. Other peculiar aspects are the funky score and some disturbing scenes such as the final violence which ultimately excuses Kirk's to return to his ship.

While the tragedy here is not as effectively conveyed as in say, The City on the Edge of Forever, the final, extreme events are emotionally involving. This is one of Shatner's richer performances, even as he ultimately remains wed to his ship. A less sappy romance, without the hackneyed 'spurned rival' subplot, and better acting from the beautiful Miramanee could have made this a truly exceptional episode. Also annoying are the gratuitous 'meanwhile, aboard the Enterprise' scenes so common in the 3rd season, where we usually see feckless and out-of-character bickering about zero-hours and the like. Still, a slighly above average episode, for its novelty primarily (3.5 stars).

Tidbits: This is the episode which should have closed with Spock
saying'forget.' Several aspects of the asteroid subplot, including
plot constraints that it introduces, fail to meet even the low
plausibility standards of Star Trek.

Proper etiquette and false godhood
REVIEWED ITEM: Star Trek® Original Series DVD Volume 29: Elaan of Troyius © / The Paradise Syndrome ©

ELAAN OF TROYIUS © PRELIMINARY BRIEFS:

Moral, Ethical, and/or Philosophical Subject(s) Driven Into The Ground: The advantages of proper etiquette; love versus duty

Expendable Enterprise Crewmember ('Red Shirt') Confirmed Casualty List: one dead

REVIEW/COMMENTARY:
Well, it ain't like you've seen this particular plot on the show before: Kirk falls for the babe-of-the-week, in this instance Elaan, an arrogant and ill-mannered alien princess who is betrothed to the ruler of a world that her people are at war with. Kirk falls for the babe, with the help of Elaan's pheromone-laden tears that the good captain wipes away. The babe attempts to take advantage of the situation by attempting to use Kirk to destroy her foes. Kirk becomes torn between his new romantic interest-who wasn't supposed to be his in the first place-- and his duty to his ship and crew. As expected, his devotion to his command wins out, though not without a little agonizing over what he'd given up. Spock and McCoy have a brief exchange of words over the proceedings right before the closing credits roll. Fade to black-or rather, black with white spots. Yep, just another day at the classic 'Trek script recyclery-whoops, I mean Gene Roddenberry's office at Paramount studios...
---
THE PARADISE SYNDROME © PRELIMINARY BRIEFS:

Moral, Ethical, and/or Philosophical Subject(s) Driven Into The Ground: friendship versus duty; a complex man's desire to live a more simple life

Notable Gaffe/Special Defect: After uttering "I am Kirok!", Kirk pounds on the stone obelisk, causing one of the raised-relief hieroglyphics on the monument to fall off.

Expendable Enterprise Crewmember ('Red Shirt') Confirmed Casualty List: None

REVIEW/COMMENTARY: Keeping with this particular volume's theme, Jimmers once again falls for the hottie-of-the-week, a woman from a tribe of primitive American Indians apparently placed on some far-off globe by an advanced alien race. Throw in a bit of amnesia on the part of Kirk (with the help of a strange monument-like device), and a jealous medicine chief who is forced to give up the hand of the lovely lady to Kirk, and you have a somewhat different twist on the hackneyed 'James-Kirk's-Ill-Fated-Romance' formula. Not particularly original, to be sure, but at least you get to see a few memorable moments of sniping between Spock and McCoy as the former assumes command following Kirk's mysterious disappearance, and attempts to deflect an asteroid that is hurtling inexorably towards the planet. Will the Enterprise save the day again? Will 'Kirok' become Kirk once again? Well, apparently the answers are 'yes' and 'yes'-- if I recall correctly, this intrepid trio did do a couple eppies and half a dozen theatrical flicks after this adventure. Sorry if I ruined it for ya there. But hey, I gotta give it to ya straight up, ya know?

'Late

ONE GREAT LOVE STORY WITH ONE TERRIBLE!!!
Volume 29 of The Star Trek DVD Series features two of the show's early episodes from it's haphazard third and final season.

Although it is not necessarily a terrible episode of Star Trek, to be honest I have never been to fond of ELAAN OF TROYIUS. The story is rather weak as is the totally unconvincing love story between Kirk and Elaan The Dohlman Of Elaas. The story basically has Kirk and the crew trying to get the two planets (who have been at war for many years) Troyius and Elaas to be at peace with one another by wedding the royal members. However of course the ship turns into a battelfield between Elaan and Petri the Troyan negotiator. Elaan and her guards act completely barbaric and Krik tries to teach her some disipline. Of course Kirk falls in love with Elaan after he touches her tears and they make him her love slave. It's pretty far fetched if you ask me and thats why this episode suffers. The love story is simply not realistic and in the end Kirk acts if he lost true love to the Troyan leader. Uhh? he was seduced and became a tool! There was no love! I'm sorry but I just think this episode was just downright lame besides Elaan isn't that attractive in my opinion. Still this episode is worth one view, you never know you may like it?
There is a good scene with The Klingon battle cruiser but other then that this episode is a dud to me.

On the otherhand THE PARADISE SYNDROME is one of the third seasons finest episodes. Kirk and the crew beam down to a planet that is being threatened by a collision by an asteroid. They find Natives American inhabitants as well as a strange Alien Obelisk. Kirk accidently gets trapped inside the Obelisk and triggers a device that gives him amnesia. Found by the natives Kirk states he is Kurok (from his damaged memory) and the natives believe he is a god from the Obelisk. He seems to settle in fine with the natives as he becomes the new tribe medicine chief and marries the priestess Miramanee. Meanwhile on the Enterprise Spock and the crew attempt to figure out how to stop the asteroid from colliding with the planet. This episode was extremely well written and the casting was superb. Some nice acting scenes between McCoy and Spock, and Kirk and Miramanee make THE PARADISE SYNDROME one of the best episodes from Star Trek's final season. The ending has a nice tragic effect to it as well. Superb!

Overall Volume 29 has some good and some bad in my opinion but it's all classic Trek so it is worth getting regardless. Besides PARADISE SYNDROME is a lcassic Star Trek episode that is well made especiallt for the third seasons stabdards. Recommended.

Two of my favorite episodes
My only problem is that with today's technology, noone from Paramount is going to go back to all of the previous Klingon episodes and digitally insert the Klingon Battle cruiser (like in Errand of Mercy, Friday's Child, A Private Little War, etc.). They've re-done all the Star Wars movies, why? Because the way they look now is what they originally wanted to do, but didn't have the technology back in the 70's.
Paramount has already altered the sound effects on the Star Trek DVD's (I have them all), I don't think re-releasing all the Klingon episodes before Elaan of Troyius with digital footage of the Klingon Battle Cruiser would be a big deal...

Romance is Dead.
The lower budget and often rushed through production deadlines plauged Star Trek in it's Thrid season as seen in these two episodes, Elaan of Troyuis was a mess of a show with a boring love story and predictable outcome while The Paradise Syndrome was Star Trek's nod to the Monolith in 2001; A Space Odyssey, which was relased the year this episode was made. It was poorly written and directed, like almost all the shows of the thrid season were. ... Read more

Amazon.com

"I, Mudd"
Lovable scoundrel Harry Mudd (Roger C. Carmel) returns following his debutappearance in the first-season episode "Mudd's Women," this time as the leaderof a race of helpful (and leggy) androids. Mudd tries to take control of theEnterprise, but soon finds that the androids have plans of their own. This isone of Trek's few purely comic episodes, and it hits a nice level ofwhimsy as Kirk and the crew fight android efficiency with good old humanillogic. "I, Mudd" also sets a benchmark achievement for the Star Trek designcrew: It called not just for beautiful women in revealing costumes, but forbeautiful twins in revealing costumes. Truly a tough one to top, cheesilyforeshadowing the "Fembots" of Austin Powers infamy. --Ali Davis

"The Trouble with Tribbles"
It's time to face one of the great questions of the television age: Is "TheTrouble with Tribbles" really as good as everyone thinks it is? You bet. Whilethe story might be a little slower than many of us remember, the episode isdeservedly beloved for writer David Gerrold's witty, mildly acerbic script, andthe way the cast took to heightened comic possibilities against networkresistance. (Heavens! Comedy on a science fiction show?) Stanley Adams isdelightful as the huckster Cyrano Jones, who gives a trilling furball called atribble to Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), who brings it aboard the Enterpriseand watches it reproduce... and reproduce... and reproduce. Soon, hundreds oftribbles are in every part of the ship, making Captain Kirk (William Shatner),already grouchy about guarding a mere grain shipment from Klingons, evengrouchier. There's no question that Gerrold made a major contribution toTrek culture with this show, setting a tone that Star Trek hasvisited again and again, including the feature film Star Trek IV: The VoyageHome and sundry episodes of The Next Generation, Deep SpaceNine, and Voyager. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (12)

They'll Be No More 'Tribble' At All! - Scotty
What can be said about these epsiodes that already hasn't been said before. The energy and comedy of the original cast and the comic timing of Shatner, Nimoy and Kelly are incredible.

I MUDD: This is a great showcase for the late Roger C Carmel. He was wonderful in playing the character Harcord "Harry" Fenton Mudd, that this was the one episode they wrote for him after his other stellar performance in MUDD WOMEN. Funny and excellent example of how Star Trek can take a serious subject and make it entertaining and funny.

THE TROUBLE WITH TRIBBLES: Simply - David Gerold at his very best. Filled with Tribbles, Klingons and attitude this romp to save "Wheat" is histerical. William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy shine in this one too!. William Campbell comes back (He was Trelane in THE SQUIRE OF GOTHOS in an earlier epsiode) but this time as the Klingon Captain to yet again be at odds with Captain Kirk.

All the supporting cast get their shinging moments in each film. Espeically, Chekova nd Uhura. (Koenig and Nichols)

This is a must DVD to have for evry original Star Trek fan! Write me, tell me what you think.

These are the 2 funniest Star Trek episodes
These two episodes are probably the funniest and most light-hearted of the original Star Trek show. The Harry Mudd episode really gets wild when Kirk and his crew act totally crazy to befuddle the androids holding them hostage. Scotty's "death" scene is also hilarious. Trouble with Tribbles is even funnier. One scene has a drunken klingon insulting the Enterprise space ship, much to Scott's fury. This klingon also refers to Capt. Kirk as a "tin plated, overbearing dictator with delusions of godhood" and "a Denebian Slime Devil." All this leads to a wild bar fight.

Comedic space high-jinks, with mixed success
I, Mudd-This episode, which features Harry Mudd and a group of androids, must be one of the toughest to review if only because it is such a bizarre episode. This is one of the few episodes that undeniably means to be campy. None of the actors play this one seriously, and that's for the best given the material. Unfortunately, most of the humor falls completely flat. Nevertheless, I respect the episode for trying something different.

This show certainly helped set the carefree tone that would extend FAR more successfully into the next episode. (2 stars)

The Trouble With Tribbles-The episode with those furry little creatures was the apex of humor on Star Trek. By this point in the show's run, characters were well enough developed for the actors and brain trust to feel comfortable stepping out a bit. And they certainly step out in this one. Thanks to writer Gerrold, the episode actually has a fairly solid dramatic foundation that includes Klingon intrigue, and threats to both the food supply and the Enterprise itself. One could be forgiven for not realizing this though, since the tribbles
completely steal the show. Actually the enterprise crew (and Adams as Cerano)for the most part prove quite adept in the comedic roles, and the officious Schallert is a perfect straight man under the circumstances. A Starfleet official is even correct in his desire to reign in Kirk, for once!

Tidbits: The fight scene was supposedly pinched en masse from a prior film. Recognize the Klingon? He was Trelane from The Squire of Gothos, played by William Campbell. (5 stars)

The Ultimate in Star Trek Silliness
REVIEWED ITEM: Star Trek® Original Series DVD Volume 21: I, Mudd © / The Trouble With Tribbles ©

I, MUDD © PRELIMINARY BRIEFS:

Moral, Ethical, and/or Philosophical Subject(s) Driven Into The Ground: The Human Need for Challenge

Historical Milestone: Harry Mudd as the only recurring guest character in the original Star Trek series

Expendable Enterprise Crewmember ('Red Shirt') Confirmed Casualty List: Several incapacitated

REVIEW/COMMENTARY: What this episode lacks in drama-- or melodrama to be more accurate-- it more than makes up for in downright silliness, with what is quite possibly the goofiest 'jailbreak' ever seen on TV as the crew uses the wildly illogical 'performance art' to confuse their android captors. Even the titular guest star Harry Mudd gets into the act, even though he's responsible for getting our Enterprise™ stalwarts in this predicament in the first place! Top it off with Kirk giving one of his heavy-handed spiels about how humans must be presented with challenges to keep them from atrophying physically and spiritually, and you've got a big ol' slab o' ham to go with all that cheese!

THE TROUBLE WITH TRIBBLES © PRELIMINARY BRIEFS:

Historical Milestone: Considered by many to be the original series' best episode

Expendable Enterprise Crewmember ('Red Shirt') Confirmed Casualty List: None

REVIEW/COMMENTARY: Continuing this volume's theme of Star Trek's most whimsical episodes, we now arrive at what most consider the most whimsical of them all! Although I do like this particular show, unlike most of the Trekkie nation I don't think it comes even close to being one of Star Trek's best efforts. Sure, there's quite a bit of good-natured fun and a nice dose of levity, but dramatically it doesn't hold a candle to City on the Edge of Forever © or Journey to Babel ©. But at least we get to see William Campbell again, this time 'round as the Klingon antagonist that Kirk must try to outwit. And you gotta admit the tribbles had more realistic hair than Shatner ever did...

If you're a big fan of The Trouble With Troubles ©, you may also wanna check out the animated series follow-up eppie More Tribbles, More Troubles ©, and the DS9 'wraparound' show Trials and Tribble-ations ©.

'Late

TWO TREK COMEDY CLASSICS!
Volume 21 contains two classics from the original series that showcase the lighter side of the Star Trek universe. Both however are excellent classics.

I, MUDD features the return of space rougue Harry Mudd to the Trek universe. Kirk meets up with his old nemesis on an unknown planet when taken their by androids. On the planet thousands of androids do Mudd's every bidding however they won't allow him to leave! So Mudd lured the crew to the planet by placing an android on the Enterprise however the androids refuse to let Mudd leave even after the crew is trapped. Therefore it's up to the crew to team up with Mudd and blow the androids minds with illogical behaviour. This episode is definetly one of Star Trek's funnier moments. The whole acting illogical bit has to been seen to be believed especailly Spock's bit. Roger C Carmel does a great job as Mudd. I love the bit with his wife Stella it's hilarious. I, MUDD is a quirky yet comical outing for the crew of the Enterprise and it's one of season two's most beloved episodes.

THE TROUBLE WITH TRIBBLES needs no introduction. It is an undisputed classic and by far the funniest Star Trek episode around. When the crew arrives at Space Station K7 to find out that Kirk's job is to watch over "wheat", things begin to get hairy especially when Cyrano Jones shows up with a handful of fluff balls known as tribbles that reproduce like mad and eat everything. And when you add Klingons to the mess you have Cpt. Kirk having a tough day. This episode is quite entertaining and really lives up to it's reputation as being a classic. The cast was really good in this especially Kirk, Scotty, Chekov, and Uhura. The supporting cast was great too. I always liked William Campbell's (the Squire of Gothos) klingon Cpt. Koloth. I thought he did a good job. Some scenes here are great especially the bar room fight between the crew men and the klingons. THE TROUBLE WITH TRIBBLES is one of my favourite Star Trek episodes ever and it is a true classic.

Overall I highly recommend this DVD maybe even more so than the others. It contains to classics from the second season. I,MUDD is great but THE TROUBLE WITH TRIBBLES sells this baby! Highly recommeded! ... Read more

Description

That Which Survives, Ep. 69 - Kirk and company are stranded on a hostile planet where they are greeted by Losira, a beautiful woman whose touch means instant death. Meanwhile, a power surge has hurtled the U.S.S. Enterprise 1,000 light-years from the planet.
Let That Be Your Last Battlefield, Ep. 70 - Kirk beams aboard two warring half-black, half-white beings, named Lokai and Bele. When Kirk tries to intervene, Bele gains control of the U.S.S. Enterprise and threatens to destroy it. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

My Collection of The original Series
"That Which Survives" is the reason I am adding Vol.35 to my collection. There are a lot of episodes I could not stand and will not purchase. I will purchase one or two more as they become available. Video quality of these episodes is incredible. They must have produced the original series in 35mm film.

HOLY GUEST STARS!
Volume 35 of the Star Trek DVD series features two good episodes from the third season with guest appearances from stars of the recently cancelled Batman TV series.

Lee Meriwether plays Losira in THAT WHICH SURVIVES, the last of a long extinct alien race on a deserted planet. When the Enterprise arrives at the planet, crew men are being fatally assaulted by Losira, who keeps appearing and disappearing from the Enterprise to the planet's surface. To make matters worse The Enterprise runs into technical problems leaving Scotty to try and sort them out. In the end it turns out that Losira is nothing more than the planet's defence system which is still runnning long after she and her entire race died out. This ending is somewhat strange and leaves the viewer scratching their head. None the less THAT WHICH SURVIVES is still a good episode. The story is pretty good despite the confusing ending and ee Meriwether has always been top notch eye candy. Strangely Mr.Spock is rude to almost everyone in this episode which makes the viewer wonder......

Frank Gorshin plays Bele in LET THAT BE YOUR LAST BATTLEFIELD a Charonian Police Officer tracking down an outlaw named Lokei (played by Lou Antonio). His search brings him to The Enterprise. Bele insists that Lokei has committed some terrible crimes nad must pay the price. However Lokei pleads that his kind on Charon are treated like this by authority regardless of what they have done. Essentially this episode tackles the racism issue head on. Bele and Lokei are both Charonians but Bele has black skin on the right side and white on the left while Lokei is the reverse. The entire conflict seems to be a big joke but thats what the producers wanted to get across. That racism was ridiculous and pointless. The problem with this episode is it is way too preachy. The story is basically Bele and Lokei screaming at eachother about morals throughout. Thus the message is crammed down viewers throats. Still this is a great Star Trek episode despite the lack o developed plot. Good casting and a stragnely effective episode that deals with this issue that plagued the 60's.

Overall this is one of the better third season DVD's. There are flaws but it's not terrible. These are two goods episodes with great guest stars. Highly recommended!

Trekking with Catwoman and the Riddler
Actors from the then recently cancelled Batman TV series turn up in Volume 35 of Paramount's complete reissue of Classic Trek.

Lee Meriwether (one of three actresses to portray Catwoman) appears, and disappears, in a severely underwritten guest role in That Which Survives. Poor pacing, weak dialogue, and out of character behavior by the crew all but ruin an interesting premise. Spock, in particular, acts rather snippishly throughout the episode, being downright rude to Scott, McCoy, and Chekov. Leonard Nimoy was so distressed by some of his dialogue he sent third season producer Fred Frieberger a lengthy memo in protest. It was of no use, as Frieberger had little grasp of what made the first two seasons' best stories so noteworthy.

Let that Be Your Last Battlefield is a very obvious allegory on America's black/white conflict. Too obvious, really. As with Patterns of Force, the parallels are so upfront that the story loses its effectiveness. Star Trek's social conscience worked best when The Message was integrated into an entertaining story (as in The Undiscovered Country) rather than being shoved down the viewers' throats. The ridiculous overacting by guest stars Lou Antonio and Frank (The Riddler) Gorshin makes William Shatner's performances look like paragons of subtlety.

As with most of the rest of this series, picture and sound are fine.

Holy Pork Fat, Batman!
These two episodes are so bad that fans are looking for something to say and find the "Batman" connection with the guest stars (Meriwether & Groshin). Yechh!!! Holy Pork Fat, Batman!

But on a postive note, "That Which Survives" could have been so much more if they only bothered to do a few more rewrites. The stark cheap sets on that episode didn't even stick out! Well, maybe when Kirk told Spock to fire at the 'computer' and the unnamed Lt. fired at the 'cube' hanging from the ceiling, which made no sense at all! And that's with the full-length original episode. It looks like they edited something important out of the story, or more probably just ran out of time.

On a negative note, Let That Be Your Last Battlefield was a poor excuse of a 'moral story' about prejudice. The plot had some stupid points (left side, right side skin color) while it clobbered you over the head with the lesson, the home planet destroyed itself! Long gone are the 'morals' being nested in a good story.

p.s. Will Amazon ever allow us to give out a zero rating?

One true lemon, one thought-provoking show
That Which Survives-Only the Sulu fan club (he features prominently here) could disagree that the best thing about this episode is Lee Merriweather-and she plays an automaton! A lot of the old tricks are here, like Kirk outsmarting a computer (come to think of it, even the computer console looks familiar!).
Basically, this should have been a half-hour show (actually it shouldn't even have been a show). Senseless dialogue is contrived, both on the planet and on the Enterprise, just to pass the time until the next commercial. Hard to find a worse episode, in my opinion.
Tidbit: For the remainder of the show, the final credits would
feature the 2nd season theme music. While this is a very minor detail in itself, it seems symbolic of other changes. The episodes become more formulaic as the parties concerned begin to see the writing on the wall for the show. The absence of new music, as budgets draw tight, also contributes an increasingly stale and defeatist feel to the late episodes. (1 star)

Let that be your Last Battlefield-This episode, employing actors done up in half-black, half-white face makeup, is a none-too subtle statement about race relations. While Star Trek is to be commended for not ignoring controversial issues, the show's forays could be grossly oversimplistic; this episode is a case in point. Most viewers will have gleaned the difference between Lokai and Bele long before the crew becomes aware. This is also another talky episode, and while the actors do a good job expressing their choler through some truly acrimonious exchanges, the viewer gets the idea pretty fast.
The second half of the episode is not without its plusses though. The auto-destruct sequence was a nice touch, as were the montages of burning cities (which must have struck a cord in early 1969, as today). The conclusion leaves the viewer with much to ponder, both specifically about Bele and Lokai's fate, and more generally about hatred's powerful momentum. One other welcome aspect was the fact that the Enterprise and her crew were basically powerless here. This thankfully (in my opinion) spares us the need for a pat conclusion to such a complex problem. On the other hand, it is interesting to ask whether a first season episode would have been so pessimistic. The answer is almost certainly no. But a lot had changed in two years, and not just in the Star Trek universe. (3 stars) ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Star Trek on its last legs
The Savage Curtain-Another real tanker, this one is a sort of celebrity death match in which Lincoln and the good guys throw down with Genghis and the bad company. Everything about this episode feels dark and pessimistic, including the lighting. Even
the scenes with Lincoln are oddly cold and foreboding. Once on the planet, things become even more frightful. The rock aliens are some of the creepier and crueler of Star Trek creatures, particularly given their specious reasons for wanting to watch a battle between good and evil. The episode's dream-like feel makes the threats seem real, even though the plot is laughably simple. The episode is classic 3rd season in never even attempting to reach a firm conclusion about the philosophical question it poses as well.

Tidbit: Another gaffe occurs here. Not only is the negative reversed in one shot of Kirk and Spock during the fight sequence, but there seems to be an unintentional speed change of some sort. Very bizarre. (2 stars)

All Our Yesterdays-This Salem witch trial/ ice age time travel episode fares pretty well in comparison with its neighbors (although not its projenitor, City on the Edge of Forever). Which is to say, there is some drama and some semblance of a plot. In that inimitable 3rd season way, even the first minute of the teaser is somehow menacing. We sense that something is a little off, and that the Triumvirate is in for trouble, even before we meet the extra librarians. Part of it is the dramatic music played at the very start of all these late 3rd season shows. Part of it is that they were relying almost exclusively on early introduction of the "Kirk/ Enterprise in danger" crutch at this point in the show's run. In any event, Kirk, like a curious and courageous dog, bolts off into the great unknown, triggering a cascade of misfortune. By this point in the show, the stars were often no wiser than the guest characters; why did they ignore Mr. Atoz in the first place? As the Triumverate grows colder, less idealistic, dumber, and less faithful to their characters, we care less about their fates (see That Which Survives, Whom Gods Destroy, The Way to Eden, and Requiem for Methuselah for nearby examples).

But back to the episode. While the library idea is interesting, much more could have been done with it. Both time travels end up being pretty banal. And the rationale for Spock's personality change is weak at best. On the other hand, its an interesting change from his normal behavior. The conclusion of this episode, with the enterprise outpacing the fireball, has the now characteristic rushed feel, as though the bags were packed for the next flight even before the director said, 'that's a wrap'. Gone are the short little wrap-ups on the bridge; oh well, they were often hokey anyway.

Tid bit: The librarian's name is Mr. Atoz (A to Z) (3 stars)

STAR TREK THE ORIGINAL SERIES' LAST GASPING BREATH!
We must be reaching the end, because Volume 39 of The Star Trek DVD series contians two of the last great episodes producedin the series three season run.

At first look THE SAVAGE CURTAIN may be considered a ridiculously silly episode. This is the infamous episode where 'Abraham Lincoln' makes an appearance. True that this episodes plot is way too far out to ever actually occur but still you have to give the writers credit for their creativity even if this is too cheesy. Basically the story goes that the Enterprise crew are abducted by a friendly alien entity who takes the form of Lincoln. Lincoln insists he is who he actually is and requests that Kirk and Spock accompany him to the molten planet where (unbeknowst to our heroes) the rock like aliens, the Excalbians have organized a battle between good and evil. Pitting (good) Kirk, Spock, Lincoln and the greatest Vulcan philosopher Surak against (evil) Genghis Khan, Kahless the Unforgettable (founder of the Klingon Empire), Col.Green (someone who supposedly is a Tyrant in our future) and Zora (some fairly forgettable experimental witch tyrant here). The story has essentially an anti-war message. Some people consider this to be one of the worst episodes. I actually greatly disagee with that thought on this show. Of course it's nowhere near the best but it's effective and creative, especially considering that (by this time) the Star Trek series was on life support. Not the best but good for third season standards. Hey, at least they didn't credit Abraham Lincoln played by himself!

ALL OF OUR YESTERDAYS was the last great Star Trek episode to ever make it into production. Being only an episode away from the end of the series' three year run, in retrospect they should have ended with this one. The story essentially deals with time travel. The Enterprise journeys to Sarpeidon and Kirk, Spock and McCoy meet a peculiar old librarian (played by Ian Wolfe). It's a really effective time travle episode since this story has three settings: Present day Sarpeidon, Kirk in Sarpeidon's Victorian age, Spock and McCoy in Sarpeidon's ice age. The last setting really steals this episode. Partly because we see Spock's barbaric nature take him over. There is no doubt why Nimoy is on the front of the DVD case. He even gets an effective love interest in this story (played by Mariette Hartley). An interesting plot, great acting and a somewhat tragic ending make tihs episode one of the more memrable episodes from the tail end of the Star Trek series.

Overall this is another must. One of the better pair of episodes from the end Star Trek's wildly uneven third season. Highly recommended.

Ying And Yang
The Savage Curtain is one of the strangest and most absurd episodes of the 3rd seaon. While providing some more background on Vulcan it parades through a lengthy battle scene that is sure to put the most dovish people to sleep. I'm not advocating violence for violence sake but it wouldn't have hurt here.

All Our Yesterdays has its share of stupidity as well. Kirk and Spock haven't learned anything from all their previous voyages by they way they act in this story. 'Leap before you Look' is the theme here. Maybe Spock's behavior is poorly explained but this story led to one of my favorite Trek novels Yesterday's Son and its follow up Time For Yesterday. 4 stars on that alone.

Good N' Plenty
"Savage Curtain" An alien decides to test Kirk & Spock on their concepts of "good" & "evil" by creating duplicates of Abraham Lincoln & Surak.

"All Our Yesterdays" Kirk, Spock & McCoy are lost somewhere in the past. How will they get back? NOTE: Shatner, Nimoy, & De Kelley are the only 3 people from the original cast to be in this story! There are no shots of the inside of the Enterprise whatsoever!

Weak Classic trek
These DVD's normally pair episodes with some deep shared meaning - in this one, the idea is that peoples of past eras are largely ignorant and prone to find superstitious answers to solve life's msyteries (In "Trek" lore, the inhabitants of the future are the technologically and ethically advanced descendants of savage and greedy fools - us).

In "All Our Yesterdays", the Enterprise comes across the planet Sarpeidon - home to an advanced civilization that appears to have disappeared. Their planet about to be destroyed by a supernova, the Sarpeidons left no hint of their escape. Instead, Kirk, McCoy and Spock find a huge library cataloguing thousands of generations of the planet's existence (the best of times, the worst of times). Perusing, though not entirely understanding the significance of the library and its strange librarian, Mr. Atoz, all three learn too late that the library is actually the navigation center of a huge time machine through which the Sarpeidons have escaped to the past. Unwittingly leaping into one such portal, Kirk finds himself trapped in a pre-industrial era in which he is branded a witch by typically ignorant natives of the time. Spock and McCoy have it worse - vanishing into the planet's ice age (an era kept on catalog for prisoners) where they meet the lovely Zarabeth (Mariette Hartley - later to return as a sexy Terranian in Roddenberry's short-lived "Earth2" series, and also immortalized in a generation of Polaroid commercials). In Spock's case, the metaphor for time travel is reversed - Zarabeth is a caring and loving person, but Spock's journey to a time before his ancestors cast out their emotions and their meat-eating diet has caused him to become a passionate savage. (McCoy, however, does not revert to the primitive state of pre-20th century country doctors). Falling in love with Zarabeth - also a future Sarpeidon sent to the past as a prisoner - he is willing to do anything to remain in the past with her (a special safeguard ensures her death should she try to return to the present). The episode was later sequelized in the novel "Yesterday's Son" in which Spock returns to Sarpeidon for the son born of his union with Zarabeth, and confronts another sign of his wild days - Sub Commander Tal from "The Enterprise Incident".

"The Savage Curtain" was a more overt jab at those foolish primitives of our past - pitting the crew not only against simulacra of the evil past (barbarian warlord Genghis Khan, the warmongering Kahless who set the Klingon race into their bellicose ways, and Colonel Green, guilty of more recent crimes against humanity) but also against the naivete of our more noble ancestors - Abe Lincoln and the vulcan Surak. Trapped on the world of Excalbia, the crew are subjects for that world's inhabitants to test the strength of good over evil. Unsurprisingly, Lincoln and Surak aren't big on fighting at all, and are good's biggest liabilities. The message of this episode is vague - is goodness stronger than evil because it does not measure itself according to strength? Or perhaps the moral is that the lines between good and evil aren't so clear -but that was handled better in the episode "Errand of Mercy" in which both Humans and Klingons are kept from warring against each other by godlike Organians who play no favorites. (Unsurprisingly, the Organians and Excalbians would meet years later in DC Comics's "Star Trek" monthly, in an issue titled "Errand of War".) Either way, these episodes are Classic Trek at its weakest. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A viewer from NJ
The movie is about three girls who were seperated when they were little when there parents were killed. The lover of the mother had tried to keep them together but was unable to . The 2 youngest girls were adopted andraised with loving families while the oldest was abused and did not get aslucky. Some thirty years later the lover of the mother hired a P.I. to findthe girls and reunite them. He does manage to do this and just in timebecause the baby girl was his daughter and he did not know. He was able toget to know her just in time because he was ill and did pass away. ... Read more