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scotpens Space Sector Commander

Joined: 19 Sep 2014 Posts: 919 Location: The Left Coast
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Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2021 4:48 pm Post subject: |
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Bogmeister wrote: | . . . One man describes it as "big and shaggy," but that's not really accurate. It actually turns out to resemble a big, lumpy pepperoni pizza, skittering along the ground like a silicon centipede — a limitation of the show's budget, unfortunately. |
The Horta reminded me of a tomato meatloaf. Other fans have said it looked like lasagna. At least we can all agree that it looked like food.
Bogmeister wrote: | This was a rare view of capitalism in TOS, where usually it was portrayed as a technocratic/near-socialist utopia, with not much need for profit. Perhaps, outlying colonies still relied on basic capitalist principles. |
The "technocratic/near-socialist utopia" didn't come about until Star Trek: The Next Generation. The original series had plenty of instances of people buying and selling stuff for profit. In "Requiem for Methuselah," Flint bought an entire planet! |
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Bud Brewster Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)

Joined: 14 Dec 2013 Posts: 17637 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2021 6:11 pm Post subject: |
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I see your point, David.
In TOS, Gene had a very idealistic vision for the future and it's social structure which was extremely optimistic. But in many ways it was so unrealistic that it didn't actually inspire mankind's vision of the future — it just illustrated how far we were from reaching his goals!
But in TNG we saw a utopian society that was not only unattainable, it didn't even tempt us to want to live in it! It was obviously so rigid that it denied the freedom of the human spirit.
Religion was considered illogical, and radical self expression was discouraged.
Frankly I think religion IS illogical, and radical self expression can certainly be self destructive . . . but if mankind is ever denied the ability to chose behaviors which includes things like these, he will loose the ability to learn from his worst mistakes and find the wisdom to rise to his own highest level of achievement.
Mark Twain said it best.
"Good judgment comes from experience — and a lot of that comes from bad judgment." _________________ ____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958) |
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Pow Galactic Ambassador

Joined: 27 Sep 2014 Posts: 3737 Location: New York
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Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2022 7:32 am Post subject: |
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NBC's press release, February 14, 1967:
A distress call from a mining planet on an ore rich planet leads the Enterprise crew to an encounter with a space creature who has been thwarting delivery of critically-needed metals, in "The Devil in the Dark" on the NBC Television network colorcast of Star Trek....Captain kirk (William Shatner) and Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) join Chief Engineer Vandenburg [sic] (Ken Lynch) of the planet outpost Janus VI in a desperate attempt to stem the harassment of their important mining operation by Horta, a strange and apparently indestructible life-form.
While tracking Horta through a maze of subterranean shafts, the men are isolated during a cave-in and Kirk finds himself face-to-face with the creature.
Thoughts: The line "space creature" in this press release makes me think that this unknown species lives in outer space. Like the gigantic ameba in the second season episode "The Immunity Syndrome." It's a misnomer since we discover on the episode that the Horta race exist underground and not in space. |
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mach7 Quantum Engineer
Joined: 23 Apr 2015 Posts: 382
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Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2025 8:38 pm Post subject: |
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One of the reasons for this episodes popularity, I feel,
Is that it is the 1st time in modern science fiction where we
see the evolution from a monster that MUST be killed to
understanding the motives and having empathy for a
different life form.
Basically this is the same story as "The Man Trap" but due
to Gene Coon's well crafted story it has a very different feel and outcome. It kind of defines the Star Trek morality.
And here is my tribute to this episode:
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