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TOS episode #9 - Balance of Terror
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Mon May 13, 2019 6:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Based on all the stories I've heard about Harlan Ellison, I wouldn't want to be in the same room with such an arrogant, opinionated, intolerant, and immature person. Shocked

His violent and childish reactions to anything that disagrees with his inflexible views are ridiculous. An adult should be able to control his objections to events which offend his personal feelings. He should understand that other people have different views, and his own feelings might not be shared by people who deserve his respect — even when they don't agree with his views.

As for Harlan Ellison's writing . . . I've read a few things of his, and they weren't all that impressive. Movies and TV series based on his ideas sometimes turn out well, but they were adapted to the media by other writers who made them work.

Frankly I think Mr. Ellison has a grossly exaggerated opinion of himself. Rolling Eyes

That's apparently the only thing he and I have in common. Cool

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Pow
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 26, 2019 12:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"Balance Of Terror'' Trivia } The episode was written with a burial scene for the end.

Film Effects of Hollywood took over from The Howard Anderson Company as the primary supplier of photographic optical effects for ST:TOS with this episode.

Wah Chang designed and built the Romulan Bird-of-Pray star ship.

Some of the Romulans wear helmets as a cost saving measure to avoid the makeup that would have been required for giving them pointed ears.

The Romulans were intended to be the main foe for the Federation of Planets when they were first introduced in this episode.

However, the expense of creating the pointed ears that the Romulans needed was considered costly to do, especially if such prosthetics would be needed for a group of Romulans.

The Klingons were created instead to be the main nemesis for the Federation.

Interesting that on the original series the Romulans had a certain honor about them in spite of being a warrior race.
In contrast the Klingons were only presented as ruthless with little or no nobility at all.

Years later when Star Trek:The Next Generation came along we see a reversal of that profile.

Now it is the Klingons who are more honorable, and the Romulans who are nasty and lacking character.

BOT is a terrific episode with some fine guest stars. Mark Lenard as the Romulan Commander presents a war weary individual who doubts the Romulan dogma of being perpetually at war with other worlds.

All the guest stars make an impression that has you take notice of them.

Lenard was considered at one time for Leonard Nimoy's replacement when Nimoy was considering quitting the show.
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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 26, 2019 12:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My favorite Harlan Ellison story is one about when he was hired by Disney. On his first day he regailed his lunch partners with his impressions of Micky, Donald and Goofy doing a "porno" scene. He was sitting at a table next to a group of executives. When he returned to his office he found all his belongings in a carton on the desk. When he went out to his car he found that his name was already painted out on the parking space.

Couldn't happen to a "nicer" guy!

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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 26, 2019 12:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pow wrote:
Harlan Ellison was in a conversation with the scriptwriter for BOT. When the writer mentioned that he based his story upon the film "The Enemy Below'' Ellison was outraged.

He felt that ripping off another writer was despicable. He also thought that it showed a lack of imagination which is something science~fiction should never have.

Let's assume that Ellison had no knowledge of The Enemy Below, and all the similarities are coincidental — including the fact that a major scene in both stories included the two ships remaining silent for a long period to prevent being detected.

It was vibrations caused by sound in The Enemy Below, detected by the submarines sonar (and vice versa). In Balance of Terror they substituted "energy usage" for sound, but the idea that sensors would pick up active electronic equipment on either of the two starships provided the same dramatic situation.

Generally speaking, the similarities between the two stories are impossible to deny, so Harlan Ellison should either admit he was "inspired" by the movie . . . or just say, "I didn't realize they were similar."

But based on the "sonar scene" alone, I think the big blow-hard is busted on this one. Laughing

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Pow
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 26, 2019 4:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

True enough that "Balance of Terror''clearly borrows elements from the terrific film "The Enemy Below."

However, the reality of a WWII Navy vessel stalking a submarine and two star ships playing cat & mouse in outer space would share similarities as to how tactics could play out.

Different environments to be sure but the unfolding of how two humanoid spaceship crews would engage one another under hostile conditions remains the same as opposing sides from WWII.

You do have to account for scientific realities & differences of a battle on the ocean versus combat in space of course.

And the fact that Scotty clearly states that the Romulan star ship has simple impulse drive and not warp capability as the Enterprise does is an enormous flaw in the script.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 26, 2019 5:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pow wrote:
And the fact that Scotty clearly states that the Romulan star ship has simple impulse drive and not warp capability as the Enterprise does is an enormous flaw in the script.

That's always bothered me too. How do they expect to get home traveling at less than lightspeed?

I'm watching The Enemy Below right now (this discussion put me in the mood) and during the credits I noticed for the first time (after all these years) that it was produced AND directed by Dick Powell!

Powell was a delightful crooner and the star of numerous romantic comedies in the 1930s, but in the '40s he managed to land several serious roles and surprised audiences with his fine acting talent.

Then he switched to direction and was equally impressive! Very Happy

But it wasn't until today that I took notice of his name in the credits realized that this movie was yet another feather in Mr. Powell's cap. Cool

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Krel
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 26, 2019 8:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

In the original series, impulse drive was an FTL drive, just not nearly as fast as warp drive. In a couple of episodes, including the second pilot, they went searching for early starships which had impulse drive. Rocket propulsion was one of the things he didn't want in the show, as he considered them to be too Space Opera.

Dick Powell basically quit acting (except for his TV show) after he lost the Captain Queeg role in "The Cain Mutiny".

David.
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johnnybear
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 27, 2019 7:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wasn't it confirmed at this time that the Romulans lacked warp speed and they had simple impulse engines despite their breakthrough in cloaking technology?
JB
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trekriffic
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 03, 2019 1:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Scotty actually did not say the Romulans lacked warp drive, he merely stated that “their power is simple impulse”, which could have meant that they used fusion reactors to power their warp drive rather then the more advanced matter-antimatter drive of the Enterprise.

Kirk observes this means they can outrun the Romulans, possibly not because they were that much faster but because the Romulans would run out of fuel before the Enterprise would. Possible confirmation of this occurs near the end of the episode when the Federation ship appears to be disabled and the Romulan commander worries they might not have enough fuel to make it back to Romulan space if they turn back to finish off the Enterprise.

Had the Romulans not had warp drive they would have been no match for the Enterprise and the episode would have ended a lot sooner than it did. Even with their cloak (which was an immense power drain on the ship) and their mighty plasma weapon, the Enterpise’s speed and maneuverability would have given Kirk a decisive advantage over a much slower foe. It would have been a huge mismatch.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 03, 2019 10:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

I completely agree, Steve. Your assessment if right on target.

A race can't even leave their star system in anything other than a generational ship if they don't have warp drive. So I think we need to just assume the Romulans did have warp drive, regardless of anything in the episode that seems to suggest otherwise, because of all the reasons you described so well.

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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johnnybear
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 8:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well whether they did or not they got warp technology eventually from the Klingons by the time of The Enterprise Incident where they were now using Klingon designed vessels!
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 22, 2020 4:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

The inspiration for this episode was the 20th Century Fox movie, The Enemy Below

Steve, you may be right, but in the briefing room scene at the 22:00 mark, Scotty answers Kirk's question about whether of not the Enterprise could beat them in a battle.

"No question," said Scotty. "Their power is simple impulse."

"Meaning we could outrun them?" said Kirk.

Crewman Stiles (the guy who keeps urging Kirk to attack), says, "To be used in chasing them . . . or retreating."

These statements, plus the fact that the Romulan ship never used warp speed during the long chase, seems to indicate that the screenwriter meant the Romulan ship did NOT have wrap drive.

The link below is an HD version of the 1957 movie which inspired Balance of Terror. The second link is an interesting fan-made documentary about the Star Trek episode.


_________________ The Enemy Below 1957


_________



__________ Battle Analysis!! Balance of Terror


_________

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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trekriffic
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 22, 2020 11:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There is another theory concerning the Bird of Prey’s warp capability or lack of it. The ship Itself did not have warp drive but it may have travelled to a point near the neutral zone aboard a carrier. The carrier, being larger, was warp capable. The BOP would return to the mothership after completing its mission; the carrier might even have been waiting within the neutral zone once our outposts were destroyed, especially if it knew the BOP was low on fuel.
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Pow
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 10:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nitpicker's Guide Nits

Since the Milky Way Galaxy is constantly moving; just how do these Federation of Planets outposts located inside asteroids that comprise the line for the Neutral Zone work?

Why wouldn't these asteroids also drift?

Are they orbiting a star? Do these FOP asteroids possess some form of propulsion mechanism that is constantly adjusting their position relative to the NZ?

I don't recall but did these asteroids even have any weapons capability at all? If not, why not? They're in a potentially dangerous region.

I always assumed that these asteroids did indeed have an engine system that could correct any deviations from their strategically required location.
A line of dialogue could have explained that for the audience.

I also thought that it would have been much more practical for the FOP to pepper the zone border with drones.

Why have crews inside these asteroids when unmanned probes could do the job?

I mean what exactly did these highly trained Starfleet graduates do on an asteroid day-in-and-day-out? Look at their screens? Seems like an extremely boring duty and a misuse of valuable staff.

I realize that it was critical to have the Neutral Zone under observation at all times given that the Romulans were an aggressive & hostile civilization.

Surely by the 23rd century drones would have been highly sophisticated enough to conduct reconn & patrols along the NZ.
We have pretty impressive drones right now in the 21st century.

Obviously by having a manned asteroid get attacked and destroyed by the Romulan vessel you'd lose the human tragedy for this episode.

So I'd have scripted BOT to have had a small star ship based at some space station be in charge of maintenance, repairs, and upgrades to the line of drones protecting the border.

It would be investigating the fact that several drones have mysteriously gone offline. It would then be surprised by the uncloaking of the Romulan War Bird and destroyed.
But not before the Federation ship communicated with the Enterprise that they were under attack.

While giving his report on the Romulans, Mr. Spock calls their home worlds "Romulas" and "Remus."

Aside from the fact that these terms come from Earth mythology, why does the main viewer map of the Romulan planets have "Romulas" and Romii?"

In Stephen E. Whitfield's The Making of Star Trek book he has a quote from the writer's guide for the show.

This section is an excerpt of a test for any writer regarding the show and science fiction.

The test makes it very clear that the captain of a star ship would never hug a female yeoman during a crisis-specifically, a crisis that could result in the imminent destruction of the Enterprise. If such a scenario would not occur on a present day US Navy vessel then it would be equally unrealistic for a futuristic star ship.

Just before the Romulan plasma weapon strikes the Enterprise we see Kirk hug yeoman Rand!!!

When the Enterprise and the Romulan vessel are playing dead in space, the crews whisper.

Sound doesn't travel in the vacuum of outer space.

Did the Enterprise really chase the Romulans around for three weeks?

The dialogue at the start of this episode says that it would take three weeks in order for the Enterprise to receive word from Starfleet command.

In the finale of this episode, Rand informs Kirk that Starfleet command has responded to Kirk's report of the situation.

After the complete destruction of Outpost 4, the Enterprise still manages to receive a video transmission from it for several seconds.

Upon learning that the Romulan vessel is heading for a comet, in the Briefing Room Kirk hands Spock a book in order for the Science Officer to explain the composition of the comet.

A book? What happened to the library computer banks available on the Briefing Room table computer?
And also, would the brilliant Vulcan even need to look up information on a comet in the first place? He'd know that information by memory.

After the first engagement with he Romulan star ship-an engagement in which the Enterprise suffered no hits-the phaser transfer coil suddenly burns out.

Are the weapons systems on the Enterprise really this fragile and poor?

The Romulan ship has only impulse power.

The Enterprise should have easily caught up with them at anytime.

How did the Romulan plasma weapon overtake the Enterprise when the E was traveling at emergency warp speed in reverse, much faster than the speed of light?

How could Romulan science comprehend enough about subspace to construct a weapon that is capable of warp speed and yet their vessels still only have impulse power?

When the Enterprise is frantically retreating from the Romulan plasma weapon in reverse, how come Kirk doesn't order Sulu to veer off sideways?
The Enterprise can travel in any direction away from the weapon.

Is this plasma weapon some kind of 'smart weapon?'
If so, how?
The plasma cloud appears transparent with no visible circuitry.

The Romulans are infamous for operating as a 'Wolf Pack' with at least three star ships working in concert with one another. Wonder why they did not do this for BOT?

Guess they were merely testing the FOP's defense systems along the NZ. Three Romulan star ships engaged in this covert activity could have triggered an all-out war between them and the FOP. Perhaps they were wise enough to realize that they would not be up for a battle with the many worlds that made up the FOP?

The Romulan Bridge certainly appears smaller & less sophisticated than the Enterprise Bridge.

I'm assuming that when the FOP contacted the Romulan Hegemony about tragic incident that the Romulans blamed it on the captain involved as going rogue and not being under their direct orders. Yeah, right.

Guest star Mark Lenard does a terrific job as the Romulan commander here. You have sympathy as you see that his character has grown disgusted with the ongoing wars by his people. Friends are killed, resources squandered; there has to be a better way, a more humane way of existing.

He no longer sees any glory in warfare; only sorrow and waste.
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scotpens
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 26, 2021 1:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pow wrote:
The Romulan star ship design was never one I cared for on ST:TOS.

I always liked Wah Chang's Romulan Bird-of-Prey design. The horseshoe-shaped craft had an Art Deco, Flash Gordon-ish esthetic that seemed somehow appropriate for Romulans.


Pow wrote:
When the Enterprise and the Romulan vessel are playing dead in space, the crews whisper.

Sound doesn't travel in the vacuum of outer space.

That reminds me of an old joke.

"How far are we from the enemy lines?"
"Two miles."
"Then why are we whispering?"
"I don't know about you, but I've got laryngitis!"


Pow wrote:
Nitpicker's Guide Nits

. . . The Romulans are infamous for operating as a 'Wolf Pack' with at least three star ships working in concert with one another. Wonder why they did not do this for BOT?

The first time we saw three Romulan ships operating in concert was in the third-season episode "The Enterprise Incident." If that's considered standard Romulan procedure, it's a retcon based on later Trek shows. (But then, I suppose retconning is the highest form of nitpicking.)
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