ALL SCI-FI

[Bogmeister]

____________ The Corbomite Maneuver' Trailer


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THE CORBOMITE MANEUVER (1st season; episode #3)
Directed by Joseph Sargent / writer: Jerry Sohl / Air Date: 11/10/66



Technically, this is the first episode to be filmed after the 2nd pilot, Where No Man Has Gone Before, though it was not the first to be aired (that was The Man Trap). In many respects, this comes across as almost experimental, a dry run for the rest of the first season. You see rarely seen angles, such as from behind Kirk as he exits the turbolift onto the bridge. The relationship between Kirk & McCoy is first established here, similar to the one between Capt. Pike & Dr. Boyce in The Cage (the 1st pilot), but better acted and defined.




Though overall the episode comes across as not very eventful by the standards of most Trek episodes, its strengths are showcasing various crew members and their reactions to the presumed threat they face. In this very early going, certain ship's routines and protocols are observed, details which would not be stressed in future episodes (such as department heads reporting to the captain on the bridge). The intent was to depict a fully functional ship & crew, as realistic as may be possible on sixties TV.



Exploration is the key factor, as will be usual: the Enterprise is in an unknown sector of space, engaged in routine mapping duties and suddenly blocked by some revolving cube device. Forced to destroy this after it starts emitting radiation, Kirk now faces a choice or path - proceed further to face possible other dangers or turn around. We get a case study of how starship captains earn their pay - the buck seems to stop with him and his next decision could have long reaching ramifications. Also addressed within the possibilities of exploration, the theme here is the unknown: how do we, as a species, face it? Do we go on, advance, taking that risk, or do we stop and perhaps stagnate?





But despite grandiose ideas about mankind's future in exploring the galaxy, it boils down to the human equation of how men & women react and interact aboard such a ship. Guest star Anthony Call is excellent as the young navigator whom Kirk perhaps promoted too quickly. His nervous breakdown on the bridge is beautifully played. Then McCoy & Kirk get into it as the ship and crew have maybe three minutes of life to go, arguing over the distressed crewman. Even Spock seems uneasy as he fails to find an alternative for the now edgy Kirk, again a well-acted scene. It comes across as very true-to-life, a realistic study of people under tremendous pressure. The tension created here in the span of a few minutes is dramatic; much of this is played in real time - we, the viewer, are right there with the bridge crew as the 10-minute countdown to doom is played out. This is superbly directed (by Joseph Sargent).



Kirk's tactic of bluffing a far superior enemy shows, in the first of many such instances in the series, just how quickly and cannily Kirk thinks on his feet and why he is captain. No one aboard, including Spock (who prefers chess to poker) would have come up with such a play. It's remarkable, in a way, that this no-win scenario, in which a grim, almost despairing situation is turned around, is demonstrated in the very first episode; this pattern of thought for Kirk would continue to manifest itself all through the series and even in the films, especially strong in Star Trek II:The Wrath of Khan (82). BELOW: A Candid Shot of Balok, in all his glory.



Would this episode have rated higher with me if there had actually been such an insurmountable threat? Would I have liked this episode even more without the twist near the end, so that Kirk's unique tactic would have more meaning within the context of the story? Is the ending a bit too cute, undoing some of the drama? Perhaps. It's still a fine depiction of future exploration and the surprises in store for Kirk and crew. That all being said, this episode is probably best remembered for that long shot of the colossal ship Fesarius approaching the Enterprise. With some of the best dramatic Trek score blaring away at us, it still gives me goose bumps.

BoG's Score: 7.5 out of 10



Extra Trek Trivia: this was the first filmed episode for Dr. McCoy, Lt. Uhura and Yeoman Rand. Just before starting in his McCoy role, DeForest Kelley guest-starred on a 2-part episode of Bonanza "Ride the Wind" (aired in Jan.1966), in which he played a newspaperman; some scenes in that episode were filmed at Vasquez Rocks.

The last time that DeForest Kelley & Leonard Nimoy acted together in a TV episode was in Man of Violence, an episode of The Virginian which aired on X-Mas Day in 1963; Kelley played an army doctor in that one, though a drunken one, and Nimoy's character, ill and bedridden, died under his care. Balok the small was played by Clint Howard, brother to Ron Howard, but voiced by another actor.

Balok the ugly (or Balok's Mr. Hyde) was voiced by Ted Cassidy. Balok offers the drink tranya to the Enterprise officers; it looks like orange juice.




____________ The Corbomite Maneuver trailer #2


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Classic Trek Quotes:

Bailey: "I don't understand this. Spock's wasting time! Everybody else.. just sitting around...somebody's got to do something!"

McCoy: "easy, Bailey.."

Bailey: "What do they want from us?! Let's find out what they want us to do...!"

Kirk: "They want us to lose our heads!"

Bailey: "We've only got 8 minutes left...!"

Sulu: "7 minutes and 45 seconds.."

Bailey: "Ohh..! He's doing a countdown!"

McCoy: "It's practically the end of watch.."

Bailey: "What're you, all out of your minds..? End of watch? It's the end of everything.. What are you, robots?!? Wound up toy soldiers?!? Don't you know when you're dying?!? Watch and regulations and orders... what do they mean..?!? "
Kirk: "Bailey, you're relieved!"

The Corbomite Maneuver Star Trek Sci-Fi Channel Special Edition Extras


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BoG
Galaxy Overlord Galactus

[johnnybear]

When you say Balok the ugly I'm confused? Clint howard's Balok was much more creepier to me as a kid than the white faced ghoul voiced by Ted Cassidy ever was!
JB

[Bud Brewster]

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I guess Bogmeister meant that the fake Balok was deliberately "ugly" to intimidate the aliens he communicated with.

Johnny, you might not be aware that Bogmeister pasted away in 2015, so we can't ask him if my guess is correct.

However, I'm transferring posts like the one above from the late Andrew Bogdan's "lost message board", The Galactic Base of Science Fiction, to All Sci-Fi, posting them in his name to give him the proper credit.

He added 3,265 posts to his board between 2010 and 2015 while he was also serving here as my co-site admin until the old version of ASF crashed and vanished in 2014, erasing the thousands of posts it had.

In five years, Andrew only managed to get 12 members for the board he created, of which only 5 made even one post.

With the exception of 74 posts that Andrew managed to transfer from the old ASF (2007 to 2014) to this current version before the crash, all of "Bogmeister's" recent posts on All Sci-Fi have been added by me, so that his fine reviews would not be lost forever and the hard work he put into his own unsuccessful board would not be wasted.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[johnnybear]

I'm sorry to hear that, Bud!
JB

[Pow]

Some Fun facts about "The Corbomite Maneuver."

Early title "Danger Zone."

Author of the episode, Jerry Sohl, said that the concept started with the thought of what would happen if you ran into a giant cube in outer space?

The original ending had the alien Balok unconscious after the Enterprise breaks free of Balok's smaller vessel. He is then transported aboard the Enterprise star ship and treated by Dr. McCoy in sickbay.

Director Joseph Sargent would go on to direct the 1967 pilot, "Beachhead," for the sci~fi TV series The Invaders.

He would also direct the sci~fi film classic "Colossus: The Forbin Project". I'm a fan of both the show and the movie.

Bruce Mars who played the colorful Finnegan on the "Shore Leave'' episode of Star Trek is seen here as a crewman in the background.

Ted Cassidy (Ruk in "What Are Little Girls made Of?" & the voice of the alien Gorn in "Arena.") would provide the voice for the ominous Balok puppet.

Interestingly, at this time in television only sitcoms would have table reads or rehearsals. Director Sargent insisted upon having a table read for TCM.

Sidebar: Hmm, I assume this has changed and now hour dramas also have table reads. Shocking they did not do so back then.

Gene Roddenberry asked DeForest Kelly to remove a ring he wore as Gene did not want anyone in his crew of the future to wear any kind of jewelry. Kelly refused and the ring stayed on for the rest of the series.

The ring had belonged to his deceased mother.

Leonard Nimoy admitted to director Sergent that he (Nimoy) was ready to quit the show. Nimoy was struggling to find how to portray the character of Mr. Spock, an alien who suppressed all emotion as his culture demanded.

For Nimoy it went against his years of training as an actor where one must create an emotional component for a character and then express it in dramatic ways.

Sargent told Nimoy to play it like a scientist who is objective and dedicated to reason. Like someone who, unlike the humans who are frightened of Balok, is instead, fascinated with the first contact encounter. This advice helped Nimoy immensely according to him.

The Enterprise briefing room was revamped to be Balok's chambers on his star ship. In my young naive days I was unaware that TV shows would redress existing sets to appear as a different sets entirely. I can see the cost effectiveness of this creative idea for series. And now I love to be able to look at a set from older TV shows and spot it as one that has been redressed. I assume this practice is till in vogue today. However, with the technical ability to now create VS (virtual sets) via computers & blue or green screens, perhaps redressed sets are not needed quite so much as once upon a time.

This was the first episode shot after the second pilot "Where No Man Has Gone Before" but the second one aired.

Notice how unusually high the black collars of the ship's uniforms are on the crew. Especially Mr. Spock.

I've always liked this episode and would rate it as one of the show's finest from season one.

[johnnybear]

It's pretty weird that Corbomite was the tenth episode of TOS to be screened rather than the first, second or third like it was really meant to be!
JB

[Krel]

Gene Roddenberry told a story about how at one point they sent him on vaction, because of the stress. When he boarded the airliner, they had arranged for the alien Balok figure to be in the adjoining seat. They'd never be able to do that in current times.

David.

[Pow]

From The Nitpickers Guide for Classic Trekkers.

After Balok produces a drink from his home world, Captain Kirk hesitates to partake. Obviously, Kirk wonders if the impish alien has drugged offered drink.

To assure him that he has not, Balok picks up the ladle in the punch bowel and pours himself a glass. Then he drinks it.

At this, Kirk and the rest imbibe as well.

Since Kirk is initially suspicious of Balok's motives, why would these actions allay his fears?

The drinks that Balok handed to the crew didn't come from the punch bowel. They arrived already prepared on a tray. Balok easily could have doctored them and still enjoyed the untouched liquid in the bowl.

In addition, Dr. McCoy doesn't even take a reading on the liquid with his medical tricorder. How do they know for certain that the alien substance isn't poisonous to humans?

During the final minutes of Balok's countdown, Mr. Spock reminisces about his father and mother. Interestingly enough, he continually refers to them in the past tense. "Journey to Babel" shows they are both alive and well.

Note from me: Balok is from another alien civilization we will never hear about for the rest of the run of the original series. I'm not sure any of the spin-off Star Trek TV shows ever do so either.

I also wondered about Balok's race. His star ship is ginormous but Balok is the only crew on board. Can one individual truly run and operate that gigantic vessel all by himself? He can repair any & all systems alone? What if he becomes ill?

Exactly why does his race produce such enormous star ships? What is their purpose other than being intimidating to other races and testing them. Does it have other functions?

Balok says that he gets lonely, so why wouldn't his planet take that into consideration and stop sending out these star ships with only one being aboard? Seems cruel.

Also, when Kirk & company beam over to Balok's ship, they have to bend over slightly due to it being somewhat cramped.
Why?

I get that Balok is small in stature compared to humans, but his ship is astoundingly large. Why design the rooms on board so small when they have so much ship to work with?

[scotpens]

[Bud Brewster]

[Pow]

NBC press release, issued October 18, 1966:

Accused of trespassing in a foreign galaxy, the USS Enterprise engages in an eerie mid-ship confrontation with the flagship vessel of an alien civilization, in "The Corbomite Maneuver" on the NBC Television Network colorcast of Star Trek Thursday Nov. 10.... When it becomes obvious that the enemy vessel is vastly superior in size and weaponry, Captain James Kirk (William Shatner) vainly resorts to evasive tactics, only to have his craft rendered powerless by his adversary, Captain Balok (Clint Howard). A battle of wits ensues between the two spacecraft commanders when Kirk angerly defies a surrender ultimatum in a desperate ruse to gain time.

Thoughts: NBC has the science incorrect in their press release. The Enterprise is not in some "foreign galaxy" from its own. Gene Roddenberry established that the adventures of the good ship Enterprise were all within our own Milky Way Galaxy. Journeying to entirely different galaxies was beyond the Enterprise's capabilities, and would have taken centuries to achieve even with warp drive.

There was a mediocre third season episode titled "By Any Other Name" from February 23, 1968 that proved an exception to Gene's galaxy hopping edict.

On that particular episode we have aliens from another galaxy take over the Enterprise. They then modify it so that it can travel faster and structurally be strong enough in order to return to their home galaxy. Even so, it will take 'em centuries to pull it off if they were to succeed.

[Pow]

The two little people delegates seen in JTB have copper colored skin. I suppose they could still be from Balok's civilization, they just happen to have a different pigment.

[scotpens]

[scotpens]

[Pow]

Leonard Nimoy recounts how this episode was an epiphany for him finally getting a handle on his Mr. Spock character.

While there were clues within the script about Spock's character, Nimoy was still having a very difficult time figuring out exactly how to play the Vulcan. He had been trained as an actor to use intense emotions, gestures, color in speech, tonality in his performances. He enjoyed playing passionate characters. So this Spock role was very difficult for him to relate to and play.

During a critical and tense scene on the bridge with the Enterprise's alien encounter, there is action and emotional energy amongst the crew. Nimoy became caught up in it. His one line is "Fascinating," which he hollars out.

He tells of receiving a note from the director Joe Sargent after the scene. It told Nimoy (as Spock) to be different; be a scientist; be detached. See this alien ship encounter as a curiosity rather than a threat. Nimoy thought the note was brilliant. For him, a big chunk of the character was born that day.

Nimoy later found similarities between Michael Rennie's Klaatu from The Day the Earth Stood Still, and Mr. Spock

Both were alien outsiders who observed and commented on human beings and their attitudes and actions. Both detached from the human experience, and both were highly intelligent. Klaatu & Spock were cool, rational, peaceful but also very powerful.

Singer, actor, advocate Harry Bellafonte was also an inspiration for Spock. Nimoy was a big fan of the singer and went to see him in concert. Bellafonte dressed in black with a single spotlight on him sang quietly. He made little movement as he sang. However, when he did lift his arm during one song it was a powerful moment because that one gesture became a big deal. Nimoy felt that such a minimalist approach would also work for Spock. Spock need not be colorful, loud, over-the-top in order to convey his power.

Nimoy said that it was a habit of his to raise his eyebrows. He was not aware that he had even done it during a scene for this episode. In the next episode's script he noted that they specifically had Mr. Spock do that eyebrow thing again. So now, it became a Spock trait.

Nimoy did laugh when the writer's in every script now had Spock raising his one eyebrow in each episode. He told them that this eyebrow thing works, but let's not kill it by using it continuously. It'll diminish such a gesture.