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Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973-1975)
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Maurice
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 21, 2020 3:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A few quick notes on some of the topics raised by the episodes.

Insignia. The original series didn't establish that each starship had a different insignia. In fact, according to a memo sent from Bob Justman to costume designer Bill Theiss during the filming of "The Omega Glory", Justman flat out says that ALL starship crews are to wear the arrowhead on their collective breasts, noting that this mistake doubtless occurred because the "merchant marine" guys in "Charlie X" had a different insignia (different shirts, too).

The next time we see the crew of another starship it's the Defiant in "The Tholian Web" and, sure enough, they're wearing the arrowheads.

There are also non-Enterprise crew wearing those arrowhead insignia at the starbase in "Court Martial". Most starbase personnel wear a flowerlike symbol. The one odd man out is Commodore Decker in "The Doomsday Machine", but since he's the only member of his ship's crew left alive I just dismiss that his insignia is a "flag officer" type insignia and leave it at that.

BEM. was originally pitched to be a 3rd season episode of the original series, and Gerrold delivered two really different story outlines, neither of which was pursued, and for good reason: there's just nothing to them (I've read them).

Those fan-made blueprints of the Huron only vaguely resembles the ship seen on the show, as is obvious by comparing the different images in Bud's post.

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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 21, 2020 10:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Maurice wrote:
Those fan made blueprints of the Huron only vaguely resembles the ship seen on the show, as is obvious by comparing the different images in Bud's post.

I can't find the image of the Huron you mentioned above. Where did I post the picture you referred to?
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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 21, 2020 10:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

They can be confusing...








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Pow
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 21, 2020 12:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"How Sharper Than A Serpent's Truth," Season #2,Episode #5.
October 05,1974.

Writers: Russell Bates (June 06,1941 ~ April 09,2018) and David Wise (February 01,1955~March 03, 2020).

Synopsis } A space probe of unknown origin scans the Earth system and then transmits a signal into outer space before self-destructing.

The Enterprise traces the wake of the probe's engine system to a mysterious & enormous star ship carrying the ancient Mayan god Kukulkan.

ST: TAS won its first Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's program for the 1974 ~ '75 season.

HSTAST was the episode submitted to the Emmy Committee.

Russell bates & David Wise would also win the 1975 Peabody Award for this episode.

David Wise was inspired by author Erich von Daniken's book "Chariots of the Gods" whose premise was that Earth's ancient legends were in fact based upon visiting aliens from other worlds.

D.C. Fontana wanted Russell Bates, a Kiowa Indian, to write something that was unique to his background as an American Indian.

Ensign Walking Bear was the first American Indian (Comanche) crew member of the Enterprise.

The episode title comes from King Lear: "How sharper than a serpent's tooth to have a thankless child."

Visually this episode is impressive and once again can achieve on screen what the original live action series was unable to do due to budget, time, visual FX capabilities at that time.

Kukulkan's star ship in reality and its projected image is fantastic to behold as is Kukulkan itself.

We also get to see an awesome looking ancient Mayan city as well as a zoological collection of alien animals.

The theme here is similar to ST: TOS episode "Who Mourns For Adonais?''

We have a highly advanced alien entity who comes to Earth who instructs primitive humankind and loves being worshiped by humans.

And now wishes to continue that relationship even though humans have evolved beyond such a dynamic.

This is another fun & entertaining, if not original, episode from the second season.
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Pow
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 14, 2020 1:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"The Counter-Clock Incident" October 12,1974.
Written by John Culver.

This is the final episode for the two season run for ST:TAS.

Plot Synopsis } The Enterprise is en route to the planet Babel with passenger Commodore Robert April and his wife Sarah. April was the very first captain of the Enterprise and Sarah was the Chief Medical Officer for the big E.

The Enterprise observes a star ship of unknown origin heading at incredible speed towards the Beta Niobe supernova.

Attempting to rescue the alien star ship Captain Kirk orders the Enterprise's tractor beams to fasten on to the other vessel. However, this only results in the alien ship dragging the Enterprise into the nova and ending up in a previously unknown region of space where time runs backwards.

I found the series finale episode to be a silly one. More fitting for the plot of Lost In Space than Star Trek.

The science here is non-existent. Head directly into a supernova and you not only do not burn up, you find yourself in tact in what is called the Positive Matter Universe?

Seriously???

People are born old but grow young in this Positive Matter Universe.
That's physically impossible and is fantasy and not science-fiction.
This worked fine for Benjamin Button but not Star Trek.

The Enterprise crew begins to grow younger and younger rapidly in this Positive Matter Universe resulting in April and Sarah taking over for the Enterprise crew since the Aprils' devolve back to their 30s.

Robert and Sarah manage to bring the Enterprise back to their proper universe.

During their time in the other dimension Robert and Sarah used the Transporter at a point when they had reverted back to their younger age. They now have the opportunity to utilize the Transporter's stored memory pattern of their molecular structures instead of growing old again to their normal age.

They are tempted but refuse to become young again because their lives were so rich and fulfilling the first time around they figure they cannot do any better.

Hmm, nice sentiment but how many folks if given the chance to be younger would truly say,nah, I'll take a pass?

Writer John Culver went back to re-watch the original pilot for Star Trek "The Cage" starring Jeffery Hunter as Captain Pike of the Enterprise.

Culver said that nowhere on the pilot is Pike established as the very first captain of the Enterprise.

So, he felt comfortable in having Robert April as being the very first Enterprise captain.

Culver confessed that he was right on the edge as to whether to have Robert & Sarah choose being young or remaining their true elderly ages.

He went with their remaining their older selves as in order to make the point that just because one is advanced in years doesn't mean they are ready for the scrapheap. With age come wisdom & experience and these are both precious commodities.

Great anti-ageism message but it was wrapped around convoluted science.

Karla Five's (the explorer from the Positive Matter Universe) has an impressive looking design for her star ship.

Overall this episode had intriguing concepts but the execution was just too absurd to believe in.
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Eadie
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 14, 2020 4:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ensign Walking Bear:



Kulkukan's Ship Hologram:



Kulkukan's Ship Actual:



How Sharper Tha A Serpent's Tooth Kulkukan's Ship by Euderion:



Interview with Russel Bates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCM9-mrMrZM

Extra info at http://www.startrekanimated.com/tas_ep_sharper.html

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Pow
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 15, 2020 12:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Terrific photos, thank you, Eadie.
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Pow
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 29, 2021 1:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The novel adaptations of ST:TAS episodes by Alan Dean Foster are excellent! Jim does a terrific job of fleshing out the half-hour episodes, as well as introducing rich plot and character development.
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Pow
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 29, 2021 6:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

More "Beyond the Farthest Star" Facts.

The episode title was inspired by a book of the same name by author Edgar Rice Burroughs.

The episode was penned by Samuel A. Peeples who had written the live action second pilot for ST:TOS "Where No Man Has Gone Before."

Peeples said that D.C. Fontana called him at Gene Roddenberry's request. Gene wanted to know if Samuel wanted to write the pilot for ST:TAS since he had done the same for ST:TOS.

D.C. Fontana listed this episode as one of her favorites from the animated show.

Peeples doesn't recall exactly what his inspiration was for the episode. Just that he wanted to create a living star ship.

Recording the dialogue brought the cast members from ST:TOS together. They were last together in January of 1969 for the final episode of the live action series.

The cutting instrument in this episode looks exactly like the hand-held spectrum analyzer that Mr. Spock uses in the live action episode of ST:TOS "The Naked Time."

One of the challenges of writing television science fiction is how astonishing new discoveries seemingly manage to disappear down the rabbit hole.

This entertaining episode of the animated series would be an example.

We see the Enterprise come across this astonishing living star ship. It is more advanced and sophisticated than the Enterprise. It is millions of years old, operating long before humankind ever entered into outer space.

The Enterprise crew is in wonderment over this living ship...and we never hear about it again.

True, the alien energy entity destroys the alien ship with the Enterprise's phasers. So it was not like the Enterprise had unlimited time to safely investigate the alien vessel.

And the alien ship was trapped by the negative mass star.

However, the Enterprise was running extensive scans with the Enterprise's sensors. Once on the alien spaceship, Mr. Spock ran readings via his tricorder. So between the Enterprise sensors & the tricorder readings there was some invaluable information regarding the alien ship.

Yet, whatever was gleaned from this alien ship never will be seen as benefiting any Federation star ships by having its amazing technology incorporated into Federation star ships.

At least during the run of the animated show.

Is it too advanced and sophisticated for the Federation to comprehend? Does it require months or years to study? Will incorporating the alien tech make the Enterprise (and other star ships) more powerful and therefore more difficult for the writers to conceive future scripts where the Enterprise is in danger?
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 30, 2021 9:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

I watched all the ST: TOS episodes a year or two ago on Netflix, but I don't remember this one, so I'm sure I'd enjoy watching it again.

Thanks. Very Happy

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Pow
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 31, 2021 3:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"Yesteryear" Fun Facts

D.C. Fontana was the story editor/associate producer for ST:TAS, but this would be the only episode that she would write.

D.C. said that this episode was a way to "touch-back" to ST:TOS. She focused on Mr. Spock because he was her favorite character.

She felt that fans of the ST:TOS episode "The City on the Edge of Forever" would not require lots of exposition on time travel for "Yesteryear," since the live action story by Harlan Ellison already addressed that issue.

The animated show allowed for the extensive depiction of the planet Vulcan which would have been cost prohibitive for the live action series to achieve.

This animated episode shows what appears to be a moon when Spock first arrives back on Vulcan via time travel through the Guardian of Forever.

On the ST:TOS episode "The Man Trap," Spock informs Uhura that Vulcan has no moon.

The inaccuracy regarding the moon bothered Fontana. So it was established that there was no moon on the animated episode either. What was shown off in the Vulcan sky was supposed to be a sister planet to Vulcan even though no dialogue in this episode states that fact.

The family pet, I~Chaya, was not part of the original pitch by Fontana for the animated episode.

When Fontana did write I~Chaya into her script she based it upon her cat Bobby McGee, named after the Janis Joplin song.

Fontana wanted to do an episode that addressed death. She felt that children are generally unaware of death in their everyday lives. So when a family pet does die, it devastates an unprepared child.

Fontana wanted to touch upon the subject and deal with it with dignity.

Fontana felt that her own experiences of losing a pet gave her insight for this story.

NBC wanted the ending changed to a more upbeat one regarding I~Chaya. Fontana refused to alter her story and Gene Roddenberry supported her.

Since the Filmation Company had complete creative control for ST:TAS, there was nothing NBC could do to force a different conclusion to this episode.

None of the supporting characters seen on this episode, other than Thelin, Sarek, and Amanda are given any names. The names for them were: Grey, Erickson, Bates, Stark, Sofek, Sepek, and Aleek~Om.


Aleek is the birdlike alien seen at the Guardian of Forever with the other scientists. He is an Aurelian from the planet Aurelia.

The "Jihad" animated episode would feature a birdlike alien in it that looked very similar to Aleek~Om.
However, that characters name was Tchar and his species were called the Skorr.

James Doohan was slated to do the voice of Sarek, but Mark Lenard who played Spock's father in ST: TOS episode "Journey to Babel" was able to provide Sarek's voice after all.

D.C. felt that having Mark reprise his role added a gravitas to the episode.

The fearsome desert creature on Vulcan was a le-matya. Its roars were lifted from Godzilla.

When Spock comes to his family home back in the past, he pretends to be cousin Selek. He tells Sarek & Amanda that he's on a journey to the family shrine. That would be the same ceremonial grounds seen in the ST: TOS episode "Amok Time."

No bridge scene on board the Enterprise is seen on this episode.

The episode won the Filmcon Award for D.C. Fontana.

Sci~fi author David Gerrold ("The Trouble with Tribbles," and "More Tribbles, More Troubles") said that this was his favorite episode from the ST: TAS. "Brilliant storytelling and great background on Spock."
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scotpens
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 31, 2021 4:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pow wrote:

On the ST:TOS episode "The Man Trap," Spock informs Uhura that Vulcan has no moon.

The inaccuracy regarding the moon bothered Fontana. So it was established that there was no moon on the animated episode either. What was shown off in the Vulcan sky was supposed to be a sister planet to Vulcan even though no dialogue in this episode states that fact.

And yet Spock instructs the Guardian to transport him to Vulcan "thirty years past, the month of Tasmeen." Why would the Vulcan calendar have months if the planet has no moon?

Pow wrote:
When Fontana did write I~Chaya into her script she based it upon her cat Bobby McGee, named after the Janis Joplin song.

Written by Kris Kristofferson and first recorded by Roger Miller, to give credit where credit is due.

That's one BIG pussycat!


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Pow
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 01, 2021 3:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"One of Our Planets is Missing" Trivia.

James Doohan voices Mantilles governor Bob Wesley

Governor Wesley (former commodore of the star ship Lexington in ST:TOS episode "The Ultimate Computer") is incorrectly shown in this episode as wearing a blue Star Fleet uniform. He was retired from SF and now the civilian administrator of the planet Mantilles. So he would now be wearing civilian clothing.

Also, he would never be wearing a blue SF tunic anyway since that color code denotes the sciences & medical departments of SF. Gold represented command and that is what the division Wesley was in when he was in SF.

The images that the space cloud watches of Earth on the Enterprise viewscreen were not created for this episode.

Those scenes were from another Filmation TV show, "Lassie's Rescue Rangers."

The cloud spatial phenomenon measured 800,000 km wide.

The Mantilles planet was the most remote inhabited Federation world and had a population of 82 million people.

Pallas 14 is the planetary system that is home to Mantilles.

First time we see the inside of the Enterprise's engine nacelles.

Marc Daniels first script for this episode came in at an hour in length.
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Pow
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 03, 2021 1:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"More Tribbles, More Troubles" Trivia.

The story was submitted as a episode for the third season of ST:TOS. It was passed over by producer Fred Freiberger because he hated "The Trouble With Tribbles" second season episode and its comedic tone.

Writer/producer Gene Coon enjoyed introducing humor to ST:TOS episodes. Gene Roddenberry & Fred Freiberger did not care for comedy episodes at all.

Writer David Gerrold's original concept for this sequel episode was to introduce an extremely vicious tribble predator that bred quickly. In time, there would be missing crew and not just tribbles on board the Enterprise.

The producers of ST:TAS realized that such a nasty creature should not be on a Saturday morning TV show that would have children as its audience.

David Gerrold wanted to make a point of a safe tribble becoming fat and problematic. Gerrold felt that there should be an acknowledgement regarding science's quick fix-it solution. He is a strong believer in the law of unintended consequences. "Every fix creates its own set of problems.

Gerrold felt that once he brought Cyrano Jones into the story it got to be fun.

Klingon Captain Koloth's battle cruiser star ship is named the Devisor in the script even though it isn't called by name on the episode.

David Gerrold believed that his script would have been more or less doable as a live action episode. He did think that doing the glommer would have been tricky though.

I don't believe that the production for ST:TOS really could have pulled off a truly successful glommer creature back in the 60s.

Sure, now either CGI or the marvelous puppet work such as seen on the awesome "Farscape" TV show could being the glommer to life beautifully these days.

Also, each season saw the budget for ST:TOS seriously slashed. By their third season they running on less and less to produce the series.

David Gerrold introducing the glommer, cargo ship, and stasis field effect would have overwhelmed the budget fast.

Gerrold never cared for the glommer name for his creature. Felt it was funny sounding.

His favorite scene on his episode was when the glommer sees the huge tribble and runs away from it. Reminded him of the wonderful Warner Brothers cartoons with Bugs Bunny and others.

Gerrold also penned the episode "BEM" for the animated series of Star Trek. He preferred it over his Tribbles episode.

Not me. I enjoyed this episode much more than "BEM." In fact, I find "BEM" one of the weaker ST:TAS episodes.

ST:TAS producer Hal Sutherland was color blind. This led to color problems on the show. One being that all the tribbles are colored pink on the animated episode. On the live-action series they came in a variety of colors.

The Klingons pink tunic on this episode was another example. Man, if any alien race should NOT have their uniforms pink it's the Klingons!

As of 2007 in an interview, David Gerrold has said he has come to appreciate his tribble animated episode more than he did when it first aired. He felt it has aged pretty well.

Hal Sutherland and D.C. Fontana list this episode as one of their very favorites.

Me too.
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Krel
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 03, 2021 2:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pow wrote:
Also, each season saw the budget for ST: TOS seriously slashed. By their third season they were running on less and less to produce the series.

Unfortunately that was standard operating procedure for the networks back in the 60s, and maybe the 70s too. I don't know if that is still SOP.

Part of the network's thinking is that you have all those props, costumes and set pieces from the previous season(s), so you can make do with less.

SF&F shows are more expensive to begin with, so they feel the pinch more, and it affects them more.

David.
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