Star Trek: The Original Series - DVD

TVdvds.FarmerMike.net

Page 2 of 8 - Go to page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 14, Episodes 27 & 28: Errand of Mercy/ The City on the Edge of Forever

Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 14, Episodes 27 & 28: Errand of Mercy/ The City on the Edge of Forever Amazon Price: $15.99
List Price: $19.99
Usually ships in 24 hours
By: CBS Paramount International Television
Amazon Marketplace: 46 new & used starting at $5.68

Buy at Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 32 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Of all the Star Trek original series DVDs, Volume 14 will surely remain one of the most popular, for it offers the first-ever appearance of Klingons (in "Errand of Mercy") and the episode many fans consider the finest of all "classic Trek" adventures.

In "Errand of Mercy," war between the Klingons and the Federation is imminent, and it's up to Captain Kirk (William Shatner) to persuade the peaceful, agrarian planet Organia to sign on with the good guys before the Klingons overwhelm the place. Organia is in a strategically valuable position for whichever warring side claims it first, but the Organians don't seem to care. Kirk and First Officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy) make an awfully good pitch for Federation protection, but Organian leaders reject the offer as a tacit invitation to violence, taking little heed of a Klingon invasion and earning the enmity of both Kirk and Klingon Commander Kor (John Colicos). Essentially a Cold War satire disguised as a Federation-Klingon showdown, "Errand of Mercy" is the brainchild of producer-writer Gene L. Coon, who makes a wonderfully convincing case for the absurdity of each side's claim to moral superiority. Highlights include the Butch-and-Sundance banter between Kirk and Spock as they form a two-man Resistance movement. The episode is directed by John Newland, best known as the host of the supernatural television series, One Step Beyond.

"The City on the Edge of Forever" begins with a medical accident that leaves Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) a paranoid madman. Leaping through a time portal to Earth's Great Depression of the 1930s, McCoy causes disastrous changes to history, forcing Kirk and Spock to follow him and undo whatever disruptive action he took centuries before. There, Kirk meets a kindly social worker, Edith Keeler (Joan Collins), with whom he falls in love before realizing her fate is the key to a restored future. A shattering drama, "City" brings out the best in the cast and production teams, looking like a feature film that found its way onto television. The background on this show is equally compelling and sometimes hysterically funny, beginning with a highly fanciful script by Harlan Ellison (including a scene with cast members riding a carousel that passes in and out the side of a mountain) that was either rewritten by series creator Gene Roddenberry or producer Gene L. Coon, depending on who's telling the story. Ironically, Ellison's original version won a Writer's Guild award while the revision captured a Hugo, but the real prize is the episode itself. --Tom Keogh

Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 40, Episodes 79, 99 & 1: Turnabout Intruder/ The Cage (B&W/Color Version) / The Cage (Full Color Version)

Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 40, Episodes 79, 99 & 1: Turnabout Intruder/ The Cage (B&W/Color Version) / The Cage (Full Color Version) Amazon Price:
List Price: $19.99
By: CBS Paramount International Television
Amazon Marketplace: 2 new & used starting at $32.95

Buy at Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

5 stars--even "Turnabout Intruder" cannot take the shine off of "The Cage"! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

"Turnabout Intruder" is not worth reviewing, except to see how inconsistently the attitudes toward women were handled--compare Lester to Number One and Yeoman Colt in the pilot.

*

"The Cage" is two things. First, it is not the Star Trek that could have been, but rather, it is the Star Trek that was to be. All of the key elements are in place: Dr. Boyce is the same archetype as Dr. McCoy, Ensign Jose Tyler is the eager young space cadet that would become Chekhov and every redshirt, Yeoman Colt is just a strawberry version of Yeoman Rand, and Spock is Spock. If you squint, you feel like you are watching any other episode of Trek:TOS or TAS.

Secondly, this is what "Star Trek: Enterprise" should have been. When I heard that Berman and Braga were doing a prequel series, I immediately picture this episode's yellow and blue turtlenecks, the Buck Rodgers lasers, and the retro-future trans-warp décor on the ship. Like most people, I was let down with the slick and professional sets and costuming of the actual series. No! No! No! Keep the continuity of the Great Bird of the Galaxy! We love the quirky sets, post-Mod swinger costumes, and the cheesy special effects. "But pardon, gentles all, the flat unraised spirits that hath dar'd on this unworthy scaffold to bring forth So great an object. . . . Piece out our imperfections with your thoughts." (Henry V)

*

"The Cage" is a reservoir--it both collects from the past, and dispenses for the future. In order to fully appreciate this series, you need to read Horatio Hornblower, Doc Smith's Lensman series, and the watch "Forbidden Planet." The last film was a key influence on the plot and setting. In both, we have a dying or dead alien race that was corrupted by its telepathic abilities and moved underground. Both have a saucer-shaped earth ship with hyper drive coming to the rescue, wit a beautiful woman (Altair /Vina) as a siren. Even the sets have similar pentagonal doors and arches. And don't get me started on the animation and special effects.

This episode shows that the concept of Star Trek was already firm in Roddenberry's mind. In addition to the above mentioned similarities, you have the quote-unquote progressive crew. The transporter assistant is Asian, foreshadowing Admiral Sulu. The navigator is Jose Tyler, blond, but with Hispanic ancestry. And of course, there is Number One, a female XO that paved the way for Robotech's Lisa Hayes. Nowadays some people criticize Roddenberry for not being politically correct enough, but considering the times, this is quite daring.

Additionally there is the personality of Pike. What we saw in "The Menagerie" was edited; we saw an introspective captain, with his doubts and fears. But when these snippets are put in context, we see that Pike was a tough tinhorn on par with Kirk--just replay the last line Pike speaks in the episode. Furthermore, since Pike is both velvet and steel, he is a better rounded person that Kirk ever was. I think it was this balanced quality that allowed Hunter to play Christ so well in "King of Kings."

*

There is one odd aspect to the episode, and that is the sexual subtext: the Talosians want Pike to breed with Vina. Nowadays we would just send the Greys to the local sperm bank for some free samples, or have Riker do a strafing run. But Pike does not do this--he has a sense of the sacredness of marriage, that a heterogamous couple is essential for both the man, woman, and the child. As the children of broken homes can attest, we seem to have advanced beyond Pike in this matter.

Editorial Review:

"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.

Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 17, Episodes 33 & 34: Who Mourns For Adonais/Amok Time

Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 17, Episodes 33 & 34: Who Mourns For Adonais/Amok Time Amazon Price:
List Price: $19.99
By: Paramount
Amazon Marketplace: 6 new & used starting at $15.07

Buy at Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Gods and Vulcans 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 5 people found this review helpful.

"Who Mourns For Adonais?" Kirk meets Apollo in a violent confrontation that almost costs Scotty's life. Look at the wardrobe given to Carolyn Palamas! WHOA!

"Amok Time" Spock MUST visit Vulcan and marry a woman or die.

One strong show, and one true classic 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Who Mourns for Adonais? This is a strong show about the Greek god Apollo. When Trek was at its best, it generally combined thought-provoking and socially relevant questions with tight, internally consistent, and action-packed stories. Who Mourns for Adonais is one such episode. In addition to the interesting idea that the Gods may have been real, we have the very real themes of 1) the pros and cons of hero worship/letting others make decisions for you, 2) the quest for power, and 3) the pros and cons of a simple, care-free life. The guest acting is pretty good here, too, and there aren't too many holes in the plot.

Overall, a strong episode, although I for one at times tire of the more 'literal' episodes, enjoying instead the dreamy, surreal, and menacing ones. I see no reason why we should expect to encounter a moral code (or any system for that matter) similar to our own in outer space. Also there are quite frankly limits to just how good a `literal' take can consistently be, especially after 35 years and given the time and budget constraints of an episode. That is why I am drawn to the more off-beat shows.

Having digressed, I must return to the fact that this is one of the better of the `literal' shows. (4 stars)

Amok Time-This episode, in which Spock must return to his home planet, is deservedly a classic. Amok Time typifies the vitality and fast-pacing of the second season shows. There is real mystery as we try to comprehend just what is wrong with Spock. Certainly it is no coincidence that the thoughtful and critical Nimoy's strongest performance came in the show that gave him both a range of emotions AND a plausible reason for stepping out of character. Nowhere is Spock's shame about his (and all of our) dualistic natures more palpable than here.

This episode is helped also by the musical score and minimalist sets on Vulcan, as well as solid acting by the other Vulcans. If one is willing to look beyond minor script problems such as the humans' utter ignorance of Vulcan biology and the details of how Spock ends up fighting Kirk, there really isn't much to gripe about. Funny too how success breeds success; there is a warmth and chemistry between the big three here that just couldn't be reconjured in episodes that didn't earn the actors' trust. (4.5 stars)

Editorial Review:

"Who Mourns for Adonis," Ep. 33 - The U.S.S. Enterprise crew encounter a giant hand in space and come under the domination of an alien who claims to be the Greek god Apollo. "Amok Time," Ep. 34 - Spock becomes irrational when he is possessed by an overwhelming mating urge, and Kirk must fight him to the death on the planet Vulcan.

Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 6, Episodes 12 & 13: Miri/ The Conscience of the King

Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 6, Episodes 12 & 13: Miri/ The Conscience of the King Amazon Price: $15.99
List Price: $19.99
Usually ships in 24 hours
By: CBS Paramount International Television
Amazon Marketplace: 23 new & used starting at $3.74

Buy at Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The continuing adventures of the starship Enterprise, as recorded for posterity on DVD, move into their sixth volume with a very interesting pair of shows from the original series. "Miri," one of the most popular episodes, featured a couple of soon-to-be-semi-icons from two very different kinds of films from the late 1960s: Michael J. Pollard (who would appear in Bonnie and Clyde) and Kim Darby (John Wayne's costar in True Grit). The intriguing story concerns a race of children on an Earth-like planet who are in fact 300 years old, kept pristine in the summer of their lives by a disease that also causes madness and death with the onset of adulthood. The Enterprise's landing party, including Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley), are instantly contaminated and forced to remain on the planet until McCoy can find an antidote. In the meantime, Darby's character, Miri, falls for Kirk and becomes jealous of his attentions toward anyone else. Easily one of Star Trek's strongest shows, "Miri" is a must-see for Trekkers and Trekkies.

Also on this disk is "The Conscience of the King," a memorable drama about a traveling Shakespearean troupe led by one Anton Karidian (Arnold Moss), who may or may not be the same man as Kodos the Executioner, former governor of a Federation planet who oversaw the mass murder of thousands of people rather than watch them starve to death during a food shortage. (Shortly after the deaths, Federation supply ships arrived and Kodos disappeared, right around the time that Karidian arrived as a classical actor touring the planets.) A nice twist: among victims of Kodos's wrongheaded mercy killings were relatives of Captain Kirk (William Shatner), adding a personal note to the mystery of Karidian/Kodos. Well-written (by Barry Trivers) and sensitively directed by a not-well-known but very interesting Hollywood filmmaker, Gerd Oswald.--Tom Keogh

Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 15, Episodes 29 & 30: Operation-Annihilate!/ Catspaw

Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 15, Episodes 29 & 30: Operation-Annihilate!/ Catspaw Amazon Price: $15.99
List Price: $19.99
Usually ships in 24 hours
By: Paramount
Amazon Marketplace: 40 new & used starting at $2.65

Buy at Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Slightly below average shows bridge seasons 1 and 2 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Operation: Annihilate-The string of winning episodes finally came to an end in the final show of season one, which concerned pancake-like creatures that attack Spock's central nervous system. This was by no means trek at it's worst incidentally; just a step down from the prior six shows produced. The episode feels more like a second season episode in that it lacks the complex themes of its precursors; still it manages to work in a loss for Kirk and the effects that physical pain can have on the way we present ourselves. (As an aside, one thing that does connect this episode with season one is the slow pace at which the story develops.) This is one of those shows though that despite a disturbing premise doesn't have a lot to say in the end, and relies on a gimmick for the ultimate resolution of the conflict. Also dulling are the absence of significant guest performances and the un-engaging sets; both may well have been due to both empty coffers and fatigue at this point. Virtually everyone involved had certainly laid it out there in season one, both in terms of effort and sincere emotional investment; it wouldn't always be that way. (2.5 stars)

Tidbit: Both of the dead Kirks would appear in other episodes: the elder 79 times as Captain Kirk, and the younger once as Tommy Starnes in And the Children Shall Lead.

Catspaw, an episode which employs Halloween frights (witches, black cats, etc.), was the first episode produced in the second season. There is a light, jaunty quality to both the music and the performances not seen during season 1. It's almost as if everyone gave a collective sigh when the show was finally renewed, and thought they wouldn't be as heavily scrutinized the next year. Whether or not this was a good thing is certainly open to debate, but there is no denying that the second season shows feel more relaxed and lighter than the first.

But back to Catspaw. This episode and the 3rd season opener (Spectre of the Gun) were the only episodes written with a specific airdate in mind. This was meant to be first and foremost a Halloween episode, and it does a decent job of providing some frights. (Spectre of the Gun aired within a day or two of the anniversary of the gunfight at the OK Corral.) But Catspaw is ultimately too reliant on a parade of gimmicks (that don't even frighten the landing party) to be engaging. Uninspired performances by Antoinette Bower and Theo Marcuse don't help any either. Other than the gimmicks, there just isn't much here; on the other hand, the gimmicks keep the show moving. (2.5 stars)

Editorial Review:

"Operation-Annihilate!" Ep. 29 - Kirk finds his brother Sam dead, and the people of the planet Devena are victims of an epidemic of mass insanity. "Catspaw," Ep. 30 - On Pyrus VII, Sulu and Scotty are rendered zombies by the evil magic of Korob and Sylvia, who then turn their trickery on the U.S.S. Enterprise.

Star Trek: The Original Series - Season 1 on HD-DVD (digitally remastered)

Star Trek: The Original Series - Season 1 on HD-DVD (digitally remastered) Amazon Price:
List Price:
Amazon Marketplace: 1 new & used starting at $60.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Editorial Review:

* 10 discs (1405 minute total run time)
* Plays in any HD DVD player
* Also plays on region 2 players in PAL format
* Disc content cards written in German for added effect

Bonus HD DVD features:
* Starfleet Access on-screen graphical interface allows viewers to access 'Picture in Picture' video commentaries, comparisons of remastered vs. original effects, encyclopedic information (science, life forms, technology), episode trivia and more on the following episodes: - Where No Man Has Gone Before - The Menagerie, Part 1 - The Menagerie, Part 2 - Balance of Terror - The Galileo Seven - Space Seed - Errand of Mercy
* Spacelift: Transporting Trek into the 21st Century - from the new visual effects to the sound, this documentary provides an in-depth exploration of the remastering of classic Star Trek episodes
* Billy Blackburn's Treasure Chest: Rare Home Movies and Special Memories - join crew member and "extra-extraordinaire" Billy Blackburn as he shares his own behind-the-scenes home movie footage of life on the set of Star Trek
* Interactive Enterprise Tour - explore the Enterprise interior and exterior in detail

Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 19, Episodes 37 & 38: The Changeling/ The Apple

Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 19, Episodes 37 & 38: The Changeling/ The Apple Amazon Price: $17.99
List Price: $19.99
By: CBS Paramount International Television
Amazon Marketplace: 22 new & used starting at $2.75

Buy at Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Before V'Ger, there was... NOMAD! 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 5 people found this review helpful.

REVIEWED ITEM: Star Trek® Original Series DVD Volume 19: The Changeling © / The Apple ©

THE CHANGELING © PRELIMINARY BRIEFS:

Moral, Ethical, and/or Philosophical Subject(s) Driven Into The Ground: Man vs. Machine / Inperfection

Historical Milestone: The first temporary death of a core character (Scotty™); Spock™'s first mind-meld with a machine life-form

Notable Gaffe/Special Defect: In a few of the long shots of Nomad™, you can just make out the line that keeps him `suspended' in mid-air.

Expendable Enterprise™ Crewmember (`Red Shirt') Confirmed Casualty List: Four dead

REVIEW/COMMENTARY: Out of all the Kirk™-outwitting-the-computer-by-talking-it-to-death episodes, this one is likely the most notable. It also was something of an inspiration to Star Trek: The Motion Picture (and you thought ST:TMP was uninspired!) with the whole The-Enterprise™-crew-must-stop-a-senitent-machine-trying-to-return-to-the-planet-of-its-creators-AKA-Earth-and-eliminate-all-imperfect-lifeforms scenario. Fortunately, unlike its big-screen clone, The Changeling™ isn't chock-full of overlong special effects sequences, nor does it lack primary colors. Bottom line: if you're thinkin' of taking a look at ST:TMP, just watch this eppie instead. You'll thank me for it some day...

Aside from this show's parallels to the Trek crew's first big-screen adventure, The Changeling™ features one of my all-time fave Trek moments: Nomad erases the mind of Uhura after taking a listen to her infernal caterwauling some tin-eared folks would call `singing'. Now if that ain't a blessing in disguise, I don't know what is! Oh yes, don't forget to check out Uhura's re-education sessions with Nurse Chapel; you'll see what likely inspired the creators of Hooked on Phonics™!

THE APPLE © PRELIMINARY BRIEFS:

Moral, Ethical, and/or Philosophical Subject(s) Driven Into The Ground: Cultural Stagnation / Self-Reliance

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

REVIEW/COMMENTARY: Continuing this volume's Man-vs-Machine theme, once again Kirk™ & Co.
Take a few liberties with the Prime Directive to put a stagnant society of innocent beings back on track towards `normal' development by destroying a machine that controls them, much like what was done in Return of the Archons™. Throw in a few deadly dart-shooting flowers, land-mine rocks and vaporizing lightning bolts, and you've got a few great ways to off a few red-shirts! And for a twist, let's add Spock surviving a dart-flower attack as a way of showing off the toughness of his amazing half-Vulcan biology! You gotta do that at least twice a season, y'know...

My fave moment in this eppie is at the end, where Kirk alludes to Spock's appearance looking similar to that of Satan. This moment was Roddenberry & Company's little poke at some of NBC's execs statements that Spock looked a bit too satanic for network TV after viewing the series' first pilot. Fortunately, Roddenberry fought to keep the character in the show, and the rest as they say is history...

`Late

Editorial Review:

"The Changeling," Ep. 37 - Nomad, a deadly robotic space probe, is on target for Earth. Can Captain Kirk outsmart the killer computer? "The Apple," Ep. 38 - Vaal, protector of Gamma Trianguli VI, tries everything is its power to destroy Kirk and the U.S.S. Enterprise during an ill-fated visit to the strange planet.

Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 25, Episodes 49 & 50; A Piece of the Action/ By Any Other Name

Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 25, Episodes 49 & 50; A Piece of the Action/ By Any Other Name Amazon Price: $15.99
List Price: $19.99
Usually ships in 24 hours
By: CBS Paramount International Television
Amazon Marketplace: 40 new & used starting at $5.02

Buy at Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Flivvers, Fizzbin, and a centuries-long trip to Andromeda 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

REVIEWED ITEM: Star Trek Original Series DVD Volume 25: A Piece of the Action / By Any Other Name

A PIECE OF THE ACTION PRELIMINARY BRIEFS:

Moral, Ethical, and/or Philosophical Subject(s) Driven Into The Ground: The consequences of cultural contamination

Historical Milestone: Kirk `introduces' a few skells to the fictional card game `Fizzbin'

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

REVIEW/COMMENTARY:
This is one of the series' most cheesy and fun-filled hours. It's rather apparent that Shatner had the time of his life playing the part of a stereotypical 20s/30s movie mobster. The combination of his legendary acting and the colorful mobster lingo make for some of the most amusing bits of Star Trek hamminess out there! Not to be outdone, Nimoy does an admirable job of playing the straight man to Jimmers' mafioso shenanigans! Makes ya wanna get on the blower and tell alla' yer trekkie buds all about it! Or maybe drive on over to their house in your flivver, and let `em in on the deal personally! That sound jake to ya, kid?

Notable guest star: the late Vic Tayback, best known on the sit-com `Alice' as the crusty diner owner/cook Mel, keeps the fun flowin' as Jojo Krako, the chief rival of main heavy Bela Oxmyx. I could almost see one of his molls turning to him and uttering, "kiss mah grits"!

BY ANY OTHER NAME PRELIMINARY BRIEFS:

Moral, Ethical, and/or Philosophical Subject(s) Driven Into The Ground: The advantages and pitfalls of being human; human frailties and learning to control and deal with them

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

REVIEW/COMMENTARY:
Ah, the ol' shrink-the-crew-down-into-weird-geometric-blocks episode... pure old-school Trek silliness! Throw in Mr. Scott gettin' hooched-up with one of the Enterprise crew's captors, and Jimmers seducing the alien babe-of-the-week (SURPRISE!) in order to regain control of his vessel from his captors, and you've got... well, nothin' you haven't seen before in previous old-school Trek eppies, really. Still, I find it entertaining in its own funny way, and by golly that's all that matters!

'Late

Editorial Review:

"A Piece of the Action," Ep. 49 - Kirk and the U.S.S. Enterprise crew visit a planet that has developed a civilization based on a book a previous Starfleet crew left: Chicago Mobs of the Twenties. "By Any Other Name," Ep. 50 - The U.S.S. Enterprise is commandeered by the Kelvans, a group of aliens from the Andromeda galaxy who have assumed human form and plan to take over the Milky Way galaxy.

Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 1, Episodes 2 & 3: Where No Man Has Gone Before/ The Corbomite Maneuver

Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 1, Episodes 2 & 3: Where No Man Has Gone Before/ The Corbomite Maneuver Amazon Price:
List Price: $19.99
By: CBS Paramount International Television
Amazon Marketplace: 31 new & used starting at $2.97

Buy at Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 77 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Strong episodes 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

"Where No Man Has Gone Before" was actually the second pilot episode and the first featuring Captain Kirk (William Shatner). In it, a mysterious energy barrier at the edge of the galaxy transforms two crewmembers (Gary Lockwood and Sally Kellerman) into dangerous beings with god-like powers. Here we see series creator Gene Roddenberry's fascination (obsession?) with omnipotent beings that caused Harlan Ellison to lament that Roddenberry had only one idea-that God is mad.

In "The Corbomite Maneuver," the Enterprise resorts to a bluff in order to escape destruction by a more powerful alien craft. More TOS regulars, such as McCoy (DeForest Kelly), Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), and Sulu (George Takei), make their first appearances. There is some good interaction between the crewmembers regarding the enormous pressures that accompany space exploration.

A couple of good, solid Trek episodes.

Editorial Review:

"Where No Man Has Gone Before" (Ep.2): An energy barrier heightens the psionic abilities of two crew members. "The Corbomite Maneuver" (Ep.3): Krik bluffs an alien ship to prevent the Enterprise from being destroyed.

Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 20, Episodes 39 & 40: Mirror Mirror/ The Deadly Years

Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 20, Episodes 39 & 40: Mirror Mirror/ The Deadly Years Amazon Price:
List Price: $19.99
By: CBS Paramount International Television
Amazon Marketplace: 10 new & used starting at $8.20

Buy at Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Excellent Moral Drama 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Spock is the constant in both universes: warlike tensions and forces surpressed by principles of logic and wisdom, an intellectual powerhouse in both universes. Spock offers wisdom. Most advanced and civilized societies have histories of brutality, conquest, and imperilism. Spock rational viewpoints seem neural in Universe that has migrated towards imperilism, militarism, and universal dominance.

This episode introduces the first rip in the space-time continum and poses the possibility of infinite alternate realities coexisting simulateously. On the time side, future episodes will explore more fully this rip in time, as Picard moves through time and problem solving with Data at different points in time. However, in Mirror/Mirror a moral diploma not physics theory is unreveling.

The Enterprise encounters an ion storm and while beam down to the Hulkins, they switch places with identities of an alternative Universe. The Alternate Universe is imperilistic, antagonistic, and forceful. In the Alternate Universe power, glory, and strength are worship and command structure advanced is through assassination by lower ranking officers. Captain Kirk has managed to maintain supreme power by a weapon of emmense power given too him by an alien race and with this video interface weapon, he has been able to locate his enemies and vaporize them. No opponent dare oppose Captain Kirk because that would mean annihilation. The Hulkins are a peaceful people driven by a deep morality code too preserve the peace. The Hulkins tell Captain Kirk, they can not give the Federation Dialithium mining rights because the Federation would use the power generated by the crystals for war and destruction. This information did not set well with the Alterate Federation council and a decision was made too destroy the Hulkins and take the crystals by Force.

Jim orders in the alternate universe instruct him to destroy the Hulkins. Spock is order to kill Kirk, if he fail in destorying the Hulkins and Sulu order to kill Spock should Spock fail in his assignment. Spock eventual deduces that the original landing party has been acting strange and engages in hand to hand combat, in which, he is fatally wounded; McCoy is allowed to remain for five minutes to save Spocks life; Spock revives and mind melds, gaining an exact understanding of the other Universe. Jim soldifies the moral debate with Spock before switch back too his universe. Kirk asks Spock how many years until the Hulkin Revolt. Spock tells Kirk, "five year". "What is the outcome?", "The rebellion will be crushed", "In every generation there must be one who is the voice of revolution" "A man must have the power" "In my quarters is a machine of emmense power", "Indeed", "Consider the useless of waste". The moral illogic of imperilism is that control comes at a high cost in human lives. War is wasteful, war only serves self interest, this is wasteful. Consider the possibility that there exists an infinite resource of energy, energy that does not come at the cost of human lives. Vulcan the God of fire and warfare yielding too the promise of infinite energy and infinite human diversity with a morality too use this energy peacefully producing long term responsibility and abundant utility from human prosperity.

Editorial Review:

"Mirror, Mirror," Ep. 39 - Beamed up during an ion storm, Kirk and the landing party find themselves in a mirror universe aboard a U.S.S. Enterprise run by ruthless barbarians. "The Deadly Years," Ep. 40 - A landing party from the U.S.S. Enterprise becomes ill with a fatal aging disease and Chekov is the only one unaffected. Spock and McCoy search for a remedy using him as a guinea pig.

Page 2 of 8 - Go to page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7


This page was created in 2.4049 seconds.