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Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973-1975)
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 03, 2021 4:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

That's true, of course.

And yet the clueless network suits didn't realize that the loyal fans of these shows would drift away from them if the quality went down.

It's like selling a tasty beverage to the public and gaining a large customer base because the flavor is so good . . . and then changing the ingredients to reduce the costs, even though this caused the flavor to become less and less appealing! Shocked

If the executives at Coca Cola could sit down with the executives in Hollywood and tell them how freakin' stupid they're been for decades, it might have a profound effect on the entertainment industry.

Then again . . . maybe it wouldn't. Sad

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scotpens
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 03, 2021 7:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pow wrote:
"More Tribbles, More Troubles"

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

"Glommer" is a slang word for thief, from "glom" (derived from the Scottish "glaum"). I thought it sounded Yiddish.

Pow wrote:
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!

The reason for the tribbles all being the same color was that the producer was color-blind? That's frankly ridiculous. More likely it was simply a cost-cutting measure by Filmation Studios, to save time and labor in the ink and paint department.

As for the pink tunics -- in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country they had pink blood, so maybe pink is a rugged, masculine color to the Klingons!
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Pow
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 04, 2021 9:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A thought on "More Tribbles, More Troubles" regarding the Klingon star ship's new stasis weapon.

There is an exchange between Kirk & Spock about the weapon being impractical. They observe that while the weapon does render another star ship immobile, it significantly drains the Klingon ship that has used it so that its power systems are greatly reduced.

Therefore, the weapon is of little use under those circumstances.

Not at all. Simply pair up another Klingon star ship with the ship that has the stasis field weapon. Once the weapon is fired and shuts down an opposing vessel, simply have the second fully powered Klingon ship swoop in with all weapons systems on full.
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Pow
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 04, 2021 10:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"The Survivor" Trivia.

This is the only episode that mentions Dr. McCoy's daughter, Joanna. She was in the writer's guide for ST:TOS.

D.C. Fontana had Joanna in her script for "The Way to Eden" live action episode where she would have been one of the space hippies.

The character of Joanna was removed and replaced by the character of Checkov's former girlfriend.

Fontana was so displeased by this alteration to her script that she used the by-line Michael Richards instead.

In Alan Dean Foster's novelization of this episode, he has the story take place against the background of Christmas.

Struck me as funny that it was Kirk, and not McCoy, who figured out that the Vendorian had morphed into the shape of a table in Sickbay. Kirk noticed that there was an extra table in Sickbay and not McCoy who works there.

The episode has the Vendorian being able to change into a force field to protect the Enterprise.

Alan Dean Foster has the Vendorian change into a mechanical connection that reestablishes the functioning of the Enterprise's shield.

Makes more sense than the alien being able to convert itself to pure energy and exist in outer space.
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Pow
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 08, 2021 9:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

"The Infinite Vulcan" Factoids.

Walter Koenig said that his inspiration for this episode was from newspaper articles about cloning. He wanted to pen a story about a super race of beings that would create and maintain peace throughout the galaxy.

The concept of the Phylosian intelligent plant based life was from Gene Roddenberry who wanted to take advantage of doing an animated Star Trek show by creating things that would have been difficult or impossible on the live action series.

Walter did not care for the plant life idea at all.

He would write at least 10 drafts of his script because Gene would make suggestions or insist upon changes.
Walter said it was a very unpleasant experience for him and that it makes one doubt one's writing abilities.

He later discovered that Gene was always making writer's do numerous rewrites to their scripts and that he wasn't the only one Gene did this to.

Walter asked to audition for the voice role of Keniclius. He was allowed to do so but felt that it was only a token gesture and that he really was not going to be seriously considered.

Producers were pleased with Walter's episode and asked him to write a second one. Walter refused because he was still annoyed at not having been hired by the producers to reprise his Checkov character for the animated series.

And he was further irritated that he was never a contender for the Keniculius voice part.

The Phylosian alien plant beings went through numerous concept drawings. They are a very different looking creature from their early drawings.

Walter felt that the episode was OK.

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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 08, 2021 11:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

I wonder why Gene was so hard on writers. Confused

I know he had high standards, but insisting that the writers keep making changes and over again sounds counterproductive. He was damage his relation with the people who contributed good stories to the episode.

Did he ever seek a second opinion concerning the changes he insisted on? If Gene had faith in the author's ability and he liked the concept they were developing, it seems like he should have been willing to accept a draft the author felt good about after Gene made a few reasonable suggestions for changes.

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Pow
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 08, 2021 12:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

All good questions, Bruce.

I'm not sure why Roddenberry was so tough on writers.

My guess would be that Star Trek was his "baby", and like most creators of a television show, they felt that they understood their show better than anyone else. They were going to fiercely protect it come hell or high water from both real and imagined threats.

I have read also that Gene liked to take 100% credit for all things Star Trek, even though many other talented folks contributed to the evolution of the original live action series.

Gene Coon, D.C. Fontana, producers Robert Justman & Herb Solow all made significant contributions to the show. Gene rarely gave them such credit.

It was reported that in interviews and at conventions that when reporters or fans would point out some aspect or episode of ST that they loved and credit Gene for it, he would simply smile and say thanks — even though someone else deserved the credit.

Gene hired David Gerrold to write the Writer's Guide for Star Trek:The Next Generation TV series. Then, according to David, Gene screwed him over and didn't give David credit for any of it.

So yeah, Gene was a creative force that came up with cool stuff. But he was a very flawed individual who was at times not admirable.

I'm not picking on just Gene. I'm sure we could read similar things about other writers, directors, producers, and actors.

The problem I have with it, aside from the deceitful dimension to it all, is when they & others whitewash their profile and attempt to come off as saints.

Watching last night's Ken Burns new documentary on Ernest Hemingway, they had an interview with the late Senator John McCain. He said something that struck me about Hemingway, but which could apply to so many of the individuals we look up to in this life.

"We give them all their virtues and none of their vices."

The public loves their heroes and won't tolerate any criticism of their heroes. Their heroes are perfect in every way.

We know that isn't how human beings really are, ourselves included. But in our quest to find someone better than the average person — better than ourselves — we place our heroes on impossible pedestals that no one can really stand upon with any truth or honesty.

And when these heroes fall from grace, we can be enraged and disillusioned — even when some of these heroes might have pointed out all along that they were only human beings like the rest of us, warts and all, and not ever gods
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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 08, 2021 2:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"We give them all their virtues and none of their vices."

Seems to be a contradiction to Shakespeare's

"The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones;".

But then, Anthony's funeral speech to Caesar was meant to be sarcastic.

Roddenbery was far from an angel as a man, but he was far from a creative genius as well. He WAS wise enough to surround himself with creative people.

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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 08, 2021 4:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bud Brewster wrote:
I wonder why Gene was so hard on writers. Confused

Gentlemen, you've answered my question perfectly. Thanks! Very Happy
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 09, 2021 1:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"The Magicks of Megas-Tu" Tidbits.

Writer of this episode Larry Brody pitched three story ideas to Gene Roddenberry. This one was the favorite of his ideas.
Really? I'd like to know what the other plots were because this episode of ST:TAS stinks.

Gene loved the idea. He loved the idea of the Enterprise meets God and had wanted to do just such an episode on ST:TOS. However, NBC would not allow it at the time.

The NBC execs for the daytime programming would also nix the idea too.

Story editor D.C. Fontana told Brody that they could not do an episode where the Enterprise meets God, so how about the Devil instead?

Brody was required to do numerous rewrites to his script. In the end, he said that the episode that aired had changed every description & line of dialogue he wrote.

The rewrites were courtesy of Gene. Fontana told Larry that Gene did that on all scripts submitted by writers.

Ed Bishop who had played Commander Ed Straker on the Garry & Sylvia Anderson sci-fi TV show "UFO," was delighted to do the voice of Asmodeus on this episode.
Bishop had been a big fan of ST:TOS.

I find it intriguing that since Roddenberry defined himself as an atheist that he was always drawn to the plot concept of the Enterprise encountering God.

That idea resurfaced in the William Shatner directed film "Star Trek: The Final Frontier." In the film a malevolent alien super being posed as God.

I wonder if that was Gene's intent all along given his religious views? No such thing as God, just ultra-powerful aliens posing as Gods.

In the novelizations of ST:TAS episodes by the fine writer Allan Dean Foster, he makes the case that all of the supernatural shenanigans and existence in this bizarre universe is all somehow science based and not really magic.

None of that can still save this silly episode.

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PostPosted: Wed Apr 21, 2021 7:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A little "Once Upon a Planet" trivia.

ST:TOS was planning a sequel to "Shore Leave" with the working title Shore Leave II but it went undeveloped.

This episode gives us our first view of the interior of the Enterprise's Hanger Deck. In it we see the "heavy shuttle" from the episode "Mudd's Passion," as well as the "long range shuttle" from "The Slaver Weapon."

Interesting that in TAS we see shuttles of various designs all stored inside the Hanger Deck.

ON ST:TOS whenever there were scenes involving the shuttle craft exiting or entering the Hanger Deck we never saw any other shuttle crafts stored there. The Hanger Deck was always empty.

So where were the other shuttles located on TOS?

I had always envisioned that more shuttle crafts were able to be stored directly underneath the Hanger Deck. When needed they could be brought up on the circular rotating platform that was on the Hanger Deck.
This way, the Hanger Deck could be able to store other items required for a mission or an emergency.

TAS came up with a great idea of establishing that the shuttle crafts could have different configurations as needed for different purposes on a mission.
In "The Ambergris Element" episode we see an "aqua-shuttle" for instance.

I'm wondering if in some future Star Trek project instead of shuttles that are all different designs they could follow along the lines of "Space: 1999" and their Eagles?

The Eagles all had the same cockpit & engine system. But the center section of the Eagles was modular and different modules were able to do different functions.

Could the shuttle crafts follow suit? They could have a regular cockpit and engine nacelles but be fitted with specialized modules with different functions depending upon the mission?
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 21, 2021 7:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"Mudd's Passion" Trivia.

ST:TOS had planned a third Harry Mudd episode titled "Deep Mudd."

At 21:45 on this episode we see an error where Kirk wearing a red tunic.

I need to correct myself going back to my original review of this episode. I wondered how come Mudd needed the alien creature that could hypnotize individuals into seeing it as a beautiful woman in order for Mudd to fool the people into purchasing his crystals? If he knew the crystals truly worked, why did he need the alien?

Going over the Alan Dean Foster novel adaptation of this episode it simply turns out that Mudd did not know the crystals really worked.

Mudd had gotten them from someone who told Mudd that the crystals were the real deal. But Harry being a lifelong conniver & con man thought the person selling him the crystals was just a con artist like Harry. Consequently, Mudd never thought the crystals could really do what the seller claimed.
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 21, 2021 9:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"The Terratin Incident" tidbits.

The idea for this episode came from a one-paragraph story by Gene Roddenberry.

Writer Paul Schneider (Balance of Terror, The Squire of Gothos) loved the concept of doing something related to Gulliver's Travels.

As noted before, ST:TAS was able to achieve visuals as an animated show that ST: TOS never could have due to budget constraints or the visual effects technology not being sophisticated enough at that time.

The ST: DSN episode "One Little Ship" did have the visual effects tools by then to do an episode about miniaturization.

The episode saw Jadzia Dax, Dr. Julian Bashir, and Miles O'Brien reduced in size along with the Runabout ship the Rubicon they were piloting. They end up coming on board the Federation star ship Defiant in their reduced state and helping to rescue their fellow crew members.
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 22, 2021 2:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"The Time Trap" Trivia.

Writer Joyce Perry had the idea for this episode when she thought of having the Enterprise & a Klingon Battle Cruiser trapped in the Sargasso Sea of outer space and both ships were forced to cooperate in order to escape.

More on Perry's script idea later.

Perry said that the notion of the two star ships combining their respective ships' engine systems in order to escape was a bizarre concept. When she pitched the idea to Gene Roddenberry she expected he would laugh her right out of his office.

Instead, he thought about it for a minute and felt it was an intriguing plot device and to go ahead with it.

A year before this episode there was a Gold Key Comic Book issue # 15 based upon ST:TOS written by Len Wein titled "Museum at the End of Time" published August of 1972.

That story found the Enterprise and a Klingon Battle Cruiser traversing a cosmic storm that catapults both star ships into a nether space called Limbo.

There they discover dozens of spaceships hailing from various alien civilizations that had been reported as missing for over a century. Once there, both star ships are informed by the inhabitants that they will never be able to return home.

The Federation and Klingon ships work together in order to escape.

So Joyce Perry really plagiarized Len Wein's story.

I wonder if Len was upset about this at all? Was there some kind of arrangement between Len, Gold Key Comics, and Gene Roddenberry & Filmation Productions which allowed for this situation legally?

I've never read the comic book, so perhaps Perry improved upon the concept with her animated episode.

I always thought that it would have been interesting to see a follow up to this animated adventure.

What if the Federation of Planets was able to devise a way of helping the trapped star ships return home after learning from the Enterprise's experience.

What would it be like for these aliens to come back to their worlds after centuries? How has their civilizations changed for better or for worse? What if their planet was caught up in some kind of catastrophe and no longer existed?

Could these races be able to successfully reenter the society of their respective planets?

Could the FOP make use of the ancient crew and star ships from the pocket universe and assign them brand new missions?

Would some of these aliens decide that they could not adjust back into their home world's societies anymore? Would they be able to reunite with different races that they were once trapped with in the pocket universe and create a brand new civilization?

P.S. I prefer Len's title over the episode for TAS.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2021 1:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

I couldn't find images of the Gold Key comic, but I did find a YouTube video that shows each page for ten seconds and then moves to the next page.

The cover is cool, butthe the phasers seem to be set on "4th of July" mood.


__________


You can pause on the pages and read them before hitting play again and moving on.

Unfortunately the last page seems to flash on screen for just a moment as the video ends. Sad


Star Trek Gold Key #15 Museum at the End of Time


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