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Turnabout Intruder - episode #79
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Bogmeister
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 14, 2019 2:34 pm    Post subject: Turnabout Intruder - episode #79 Reply with quote

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______________ Star Trek - Exchanging Bodies


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This episode has its share of detractors, for reasons we'll get into, but what they seem to overlook are several scenes of nearly rapturous, quasi-Shakespearean melodrama implanted in a science fiction plot line, all tinged with the theme of madness.

Some of these scenes are unforgettable:

(1) Kirk physically attacking Janice Lester (now actually inhabited by Kirk's mind) as McCoy and Spock look on, shocked, fearing the worst.

(2) that tense, somber moment when Spock must decide whether to believe that Kirk is trapped in Lester's body.

(3) the entire hearing sequence, where Kirk (actually Janice Lester's mind) steadily implodes into rampaging hysteria.

(4) the scene in the hallway directly afterward, where Scott & McCoy plot their mutiny.

(5) Sulu & Chekov, nervously realizing how wrong things really are.

These are incredible to watch, whether for the 1st or the 10th time.

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But the episode's strengths go beyond just these riveting examples listed above. This isn't some half-baked attempt at role reversal. After Kirk's body is appropriated by Janice Lester (a psychotic ex-girlfriend), the subtleties kick in. Note how Shatner now says "Captain Kirk to Enterprise" instead of his usual shorthand "Kirk to Enterprise" when he/she uses his communicator, and how he/she jerks back slightly when a voice is heard out of the electronic ether.

It's these subtle changes in his behavior that prove to be Lester's undoing, not the later screaming fits, when Lester knows she is losing her bid to retain control of the ship indefinitely. When Lester, in Kirk's body, first walks onto the bridge and starts issuing orders, we learn that the job of a starship captain is made up of many little details, and any even minor deviation will start causing problems, as well as and raised eyebrows (by guess which Vulcan?).

It's all pretty well thought out.

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Note also how, in logical order, Kirk's senior officers go over to his side, despite surface appearances of the usual routine.

First Spock of course, followed by Scotty and McCoy, then Sulu and Chekov. Too bad Uhura is missing from this episode (off duty?).

In discussing Shatner's memorable interpretation of a female mind, we often forget actress Sandra Smith's performance as Kirk. The actress must have studied some of Shatner's past performances and it shows.

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Shatner, known for overacting in a few episodes — especially in the final season — gets to indulge himself here and it suits this particular episode very well. The viewer should remember that the female character, Lester, is an unbalanced woman, probably even deranged. She is not representative of the typical female of the 23rd century.

This episode is not telling us that females, as a rule, are not suited to command positions. It's politically correct to buy into that, but I believe it's simply telling us that Lester is unsuited for command. Very few people are suited for command, in reality.

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When Lester, in the beginning, makes her comment about how Starfleet doesn't allow female starship captains, it seems to me as more of an attack, by Gene Roddenberry, on the social mores of the sixties, a commentary on inequality (between males & females, in this case) of that decade. We really don't know what Starfleet's approach is here, even though Kirk seems to agree with Lester on this point — perhaps he was humoring her — again it's more of a message to policymakers of the sixties.

One could argue, tongue in cheek, that after this incident, Starfleet began an aggressive promotion program geared towards females, to avoid further such protests. We see the results on the TNG and Voyager shows.

But the next new Trek episode would be in animated form, in 1973. This was the final aired episode of TOS.

BoG's Score: 7.5 out of 10

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Extra Trek Trivia:

~ This episode was preempted when it was originally to be aired in late March, resulting in a delay of a couple of months before finally airing.

~ It was the final episode of TOS to air.

~ The inspiration for this episode was the 1931 novel by Thorne Smith, named "Turnabout" and the 1940 film of the same name, in which the minds of a married couple are switched.

~ Shatner was sick during this episode. He later wrote that it must have been the psychological impact of knowing that this was the end of the show.

~ Here's Shatner on the Mike Douglas Show in 1969, explaining his process as an actor in this episode.


__ William Shatner On The Mike Douglas Show PT 1


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__ William Shatner On The Mike Douglas Show PT 2


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BoG
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 14, 2019 3:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

I've always felt like this episode failed to convince us that Kirk and Janice Lester had switched bodies, simply because Shatner continued to use all his signature gestures and methods of delivering his dialog, while actress Sandra Smith made no effort at all to adopt Shartner's acting style.

It would have been quite possible for Shartner to avoid his usual way of portraying Kirk and look less like his normal self while he was supposed to be inhabited by the mind of the Janice Lester. Carefully avoiding his famous manner of speaking ("I AM . . . the captain . . . of this ship!") and therefore sounding less like Kirk would have been all it took.

However, I do realize that if Miss Smith had started imitating Shatner, it might have been unintentionally funny!

Still, if she had been a more accomplished actress I think she could have laced her performance with a few carefully gauged Shartner-moves that would have made her role as "Kirk in a woman's body" more convincing.

Maybe she tried that a few times during filming, and the director (or Sharner) said, "Okay . . . ummm . . . that was interesting Miss Smith, but let's try that line again without any attempt to talk like Bill."

Ah well . . . I guess we'll never know. Sad

By the way, when I watched this episode while creating the duplicate of Bogmeister's review from his message board, the Galactic Base of Science Fiction, I was impressed by the final shot, a CGI scene of the Enterprise cruising majestically towards a gorgeous nebula. Cool

This is obviously the CGI enhancement teams fond salute to the series, giving the Enterprise a spectacular finale exit shot.



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johnnybear
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 15, 2019 9:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Evidently Sandra Smith didn't go on to win the Oscar or anything else as far as we know, but they should have tried that style out in the show I agree/. But maybe Shatner, Shartner or Sharner didn't realize that that's how he spoke on set? Laughing
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Pow
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 21, 2019 1:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fun Facts for "Turnabout Intruder." } Gene Roddenberry was inspired by Thorne Smith's novel "Turnabout."

Hal Roach, of Our Gang/The Little Rascals, directed a film version of the novel in 1940.

Barbara Baldavin was the communications officer on the final episode. She memorably portrayed Angela Martine in "The Balance of Terror," and again in "Shore Leave.''

Harry Landers who played Dr. Coleman accepted the job as a favor to Fred Freiberger and it was a very unhappy experience for Landers. He had recently had surgery that removed the upper right lung. He was still in pain and was not himself when he guest starred on TI.

Leonard Nimoy was not pleased with the final episode.

Fred Freiberger always was very grateful for William Shatner's friendship when Fred came on as season three producer.

Fred credited Bill with guiding him on the production of the series and said that he would have never made it without Shatner's help.

I always liked the design of the ancient stone tablets that engineered the transfer process between Kirk & Lester.
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johnnybear
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 22, 2019 7:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If viewed in Stardate order, All Our Yesterdays is the final episode of TOS!
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 22, 2019 9:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

That's a wonderful bit of Trek trivia, JB! Thanks. Very Happy

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PostPosted: Sat Jun 22, 2019 8:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

William Shatner was praised for his performance in this episode, which is a strange thing to remember from when I was nine years old.

David.
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 06, 2021 3:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

From the Nitpicker's Guide for Classic Trekkers.

How is Kirk/Lester supposed to open the safe in Kirk's quarters? There is no indication that the transference allowed Kirk/Lester to access any of the real Kirk's memories.

At one point, Mr. Spock claims that complete entity transfer has never been accomplished with complete success anywhere in the galaxy. Don't the transfers in "Return to Tomorrow" qualify?

~ My take on that is that Spock uses the phrase "complete success" regarding entity transfers.
When the incorporeal essences of Sargon, Thalassa, and Henoch take over the bodies, respectively, of Kirk, Dr. Ann Mulhall, and Spock on Return to Tomorrow, their bodies are at jeopardy physically and can only have these alien beings within their bodies for a certain period of time or they'll die.

That's not what I would define as a complete success.

Lester/Kirk misses the obvious method for proving who she is. She tries to prove she is Kirk by citing instances that are part of the public record. Spock correctly points out that anyone could know them.
Why doesn't Lester/Kirk mention Pon farr?

~ True. The real Kirk in Lester's body should have been able to come up with private conversations and minutia that Kirk would know about the crew but weren't subject to being part of any public record.

When Kirk/Lester orders the execution of his senior officers, Sulu objects, and Checkov says General Order 4 is the only Starfleet order that carries a death penalty. According to "The Menagerie, Part 1," General Order 7 is the only Starfleet order that carries a death penalty.

~ Well, we have to believe that change is a constant in the Star Trek Universe as it is in our 21st century here and now.
So since things do not remain permanent, there could be laws that are updated, rewritten, eliminated. Perhaps General Order 4 therefore is a brand new one or version?

Does Dr. McCoy really do anything with that little medical doodad he waves around?

When Bones beams down to Camus II, he opens his medical kit and extracts the little cylinder. He waves it over Lester but is unable to determine that there is nothing physically wrong with her. As soon as the rest of the landing party leaves Kirk behind, she pins him to the ancient wall and leaps out of bed, full of energy. She was faking her illness.
How come the skilled doctor's medical scanner did not reveal that she was fit as a fiddle?

This episode contains one of the best-known production problems---immortalized in the book Star Trek Lives by Jacqueline Lichtenberg, Sondra Marshak, and Joan Winston.

After calling for a vote on Spock's court-martial proceedings, Kirk/Lester heads away from Spock toward a wall of the briefing room. He's supposed to be leaving the room.

The story goes that the director told William Shatner to walk that way and Shatner tried to explain there wasn't a door there but the director wouldn't listen.

~ I've read that when different directors come onto a show that sometimes the cast or crew will point out why a particular direction isn't practical due to some aspect of the series established premise. Sometimes the director listens, other times they don't.
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mach7
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 17, 2022 5:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I rewatched this episode again last week.

The impetus was a conversation I had with a friend.

Which was the worst TOS episode?

And The Children Shall Lead

Way to Eden

Or

The Turnabout Intruder

The Alternative Factor is up there also.

After watching TI I find it not bad at all. The writing is better than I remembered, as is the acting. Shatner does go over the top a few times, but he generally does a very good job, As does Sandra Smith.

For some reason I really notice the difference between Jerry Finnerman and Al Francis as Cinematographer . Perhaps, because this was the final episode he felt he did not have to copy Finnerman's style so much?

For the post DC Fontana era the character voices are mostly true. The episode held my interest throughout the 50+ minutes.

Uhura is missing but we get to see the lovely Barbara Baldavin as the communications officer.

Other than this being the final episode of TOS I really don't see a lot of negatives with it. While it's not up to City On The Edge Of Forever caliber, it's actually very watchable.

Every bit as good as Miri or A Piece Of The Action.


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Pow
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 17, 2022 7:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

These Are The Voyages: TOS, Season Three by Marc Cushman.

From NBC press release, issued February 26, 1969:

A scorned woman wreaks a strange vengeance on Captain Kirk (William Shatner) when she manages an exchange of bodies with him and takes command of the Enterprise, in "Turnabout Intruder" on NBC Television Network's Star Trek colorcast of Friday, March 28 [original scheduled air date].... Dr. Janice Lester (guest star Sandra Smith) easily convinces the crew and officers that Captain Kirk (in the guise of a woman) is insane. Dr. Lester resents the apparent dominant positions males occupy in the world of the future. As Captain Kirk, she attempts to murder the captain's life-entity she now controls.

This episode benefits from the bravura gender-switching performance from William Shatner, along with competent supporting performances, and decent production value. These attributes nearly disguise a concept which is, at its core and through its execution, rather inanae.

Leonard Nimoy said, "The writer was making a script in which his goal was to prove, quote, 'That women, although they claim equality, cannot really do things as well, under certain circumstances, as a man' -- like the command function, for example.

And it was a rather chauvinistic, clumsy handling of an interesting question. What he set out to prove was that this lady, given command of the ship, would blow it. I rebelled against the concept. I was uncomfortable doing the whole show because I didn't believe in the concept."

Dave Eversole, for the fan site Unseen Elements of Star Trek, felt that this could have been a great opportunity for Shatner to display his acting chops if only he had "tried to channel a distraught, driven, insane woman instead of playing her as a screaming, tantrum-throwing five-year-old."

Thoughts: I agree with Mach7, for the notoriously weak third season of Trek, this ain't a bad episode. It reveals to us that Starfleet isn't the paradise it has been presented to be. Women are still excluded from certain careers by men. The glass ceiling still exists in Starfleet. Perhaps The Federation of Planets, too?

Thoughts: I'm very surprised and disappointed reading Leonard Nimoy's quote that the writer was out to put women in their proper place. The script writer's on Trek have been, mostly, open-minded and progressive regarding females. Now we have Archie Bunker with a typewriter and an axe to grind for this episode.

Thoughts: Dave Eversole's pungent opinion seems to reflect how determined the writer for this episode was to present this woman, and women in general, in as bad a light as he could. I realize that Lester is the villainess of the piece. But why does she have to be written as a melodramatic banshee? How about as a coldly, calculating, highly intelligent individual instead? Someone who almost pulls her con game off? Nope. The writer makes her hysterical because that's what he thinks females are.

Thoughts: Who was the writer was that injected these anti-feminist ideals into the story? Arthur H. Singer wrote the teleplay (with Fred Freiberger, uncredited). The story was by Gene Roddenberry. Leonard Nimoy doesn't specify who the writer is that he's talking about.

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mach7
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 18, 2022 8:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The esteemed Mr. Nimoy's opinion is valid if you think Janice Lester is sane.

I don't.

A sane person would not be driven to commit the acts that she did.

She murdered all her colleagues
Forcibly swapped bodies with Kirk
Tried to steal the captaincy of the Enterprise
Tried to execute all the senior officers of said ship
All while showing an incredibly unbalanced personality.

Roddenberry put a women in a command position in The Cage, Number 1. She was next in line for command if anything happened to Pike.

There were numerous women on the crew, we saw women with field grade rank at Star Fleet during the run of the show. Though if memory serves they were mostly legal and medical.

Star Trek had a female Romulan commander in season 3.

My view is Janice Lester could not be an effective starship captain because she did not have the experience of coming up through the ranks and she was bat-bleep crazy, not because she was female.

Being in command is so much more than just knowledge of the ship, It's all the little things that are learned coming up through the ranks.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 18, 2022 10:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

__________________________________________________

Wonderful comments, gentlemen! Very Happy

For the record, my favorite starship commander is actually Captain Kathrine Janeway!

But Kirk is magnificent as well, and comparing Kirk and Janeway is kind of "apples-and-oranges", because being a guy myself makes me admire Kirk's macho portrayal of a handsome and heroic leader.

However, the reason I put Janeway at the top of my list is because she had to be both a captain and a sort of "mother figure" to an entire ship's crew for seven long years, with no help from Starfleet at all!

So, I admire Kirk because I want be him when I grow up some day. Laughing

But I admire Janeway because I'd want her to be in the captain's chair if I was a crewmen aboard Voyager, desperately wanting to get back home. Confused

As for Star Trek: Voyager's record on the subject of gender equality, they really did a fine job in that area.

For example, Roxann Dawson played B'Elanna Torres, a half Klingon chief engineer who was passionate about her work, in the true Scotty tradition. And Ms Dawson has directed an impressive number of productions.

Jeri Ryan played Seven of Nine, a demanding role which required her to convince us that she was a former Borg who now struggled to reclaim her humanity.

Jennifer Lien as Kes was an appealing character, but I think the writers under-used Ms Lien's talent. She stunned me in the episode where she was inhabited by a ruthless warlord. Her performance was totally convincing.

We should consider her work in that episode in comparison to Turnabout Intruder. Ms Lien portrays a character who, against her will, is "possessed" by a strong-willed man, and he is determined to cheat death. But the mind of Kes is fighting back against the presences of the strong-willed warlord — and the duality of the character is masterfully created in Jennifer Lien performance.

This episode proved that, as an actor, Ms Lien was capable of much more than we ever saw in her portrayal of the gentle and soft-spoken Kes.

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PostPosted: Thu Aug 18, 2022 1:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

These Are The Voyages: TOS, Season Three:

Production began on December 31, 1968.

Day 4, the first of two on the Bridge. Roddenberry visited the set, bringing O. J. Simpson as a guest. He also brought bad news. NBC had decided this would be the last episode of the season. Everyone had been hoping there were still two more to come.

Thoughts: Not me, and I say this as a huge fan of Trek. Roddenberry had distanced himself from the series by its third season. Gene Coon, as vital to the show as Roddenberry, had left in the second season. NBC slashed the budget for the series with each succeeding season. That's just far too many hits to sustain the quality of the show anymore. The third season proved that by how many unremarkable episodes it produced. I'd prefer to see a TV show I am a fan of go out at the top of their game, not as it circles the drain.

TATV: TOS Gregg Peters, the [associate producer] received the phone call that Star Trek was officially cancelled by NBC. He waited until the end of the day to make the announcement to the cast and crew.

George Takei happened to be near the soundstage telephone when Peters had taken the call. He told George right then and there before the end of the day announcement.

TATV: TOS William Shatner had contracted the Asian flu during filming and, at one point, he even collapsed.

TV GUIDE Close Up: William Shatner's talents are showcased as he acts out the personalities of a male and female: Captain Kirk and Dr. Janet Lester, a paranoiac scientist who has transferred her mind into Kirk's body---and his mind into hers.

Only subtle changes (certain mannerisms, a marked emotionalism) indicate that the Captain's body is possessed by Dr. Lester. Driven by an ambition to command, she seeks also to satisfy her personal hatred for Kirk, who once spurned her.
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 18, 2022 2:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pow wrote:
I'd prefer to see a TV show I am a fan of go out at the top of their game, not as it circles the drain.

You are undeniably correct, Mike. Tuning in week after week and being disappointed is much worse than being deprived of a show you've come to love.

It erodes the high opinion of the series you formed during its glory days — thus killing even your fond memories of the good episodes!
Sad
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mach7
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 18, 2022 2:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Season 3 did have many stinkers.

And the children shall lead
Way to eaden
Spocks brain
The lights of Zatar
Mark of Gideon

But there were high points also

The Enterprise Incident
Requiem fo Methuselah
All Our Yesterdays
The Empath
For The World is Hollow...
Plato's Stepchildren

Then a few above average, but not truly great.

The Tholian Web
Whom Gods Destroy
Wink of an Eye
That Which Survives
The Savage Curtain
Elaan of Troyius
The Turnabout Intruder
The Cloudminders, though maybe Droxine Clouds my mind.

The rest, while not bad, are mediocre.

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