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TOS episode #38 - The Apple
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Bogmeister
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 08, 2019 1:24 pm    Post subject: TOS episode #38 - The Apple Reply with quote

____________
_______________ TOS 2x05 'The Apple' Trailer


__________


Qualty wise, the 2nd season contained more entertaining episodes than even the first, and it also had more of those with awkward weaknesses which leaned towards silliness, whether due to the writing, directing and/or acting.

Shatner began to seriously overact around this time in a few of the episodes — he wasn't hamming it up in the first season. So, while we felt for him every time a crewmember was killed in 1st season episodes, here there's a tendency to encourage viewers to chuckle (the first doomed red-shirt gets it via a plant. Kirk/Shatner: "What'd somebody say? . . . That . . . Paradise! . . . must've looked like this?!" — oh, that angst).



The other weakness here is a rather truncated feel to the writing — many questions remain unanswered by the end. Why would there be land mines as rocks, for example, scattered around an otherwise idyllic world? So, the god-machine might have placed them there against . . . what? Visitors from space (in this case, red-shirts from space)?

And exactly who or what is this Vaal? How did it come to rule over these villagers? What do they feed it? It looked to me like they were carrying typical food down into the bowels of wherever Vaal resides. How would a machine gain sustenance from such food?

It just seems that much of the plot points are arbitrary, like the threats which are presented merely as a means to kill off red-shirts in various manners. Chekov, for example, couldn't care less about the dangers or his fallen comrades, as you can see above.



And yet, even with all these flaws there is still that loopy entertainment factor in place, enough to make this cheerful viewing on a Saturday morning, for instance. The scenery here, the recreation of some lush, exotic jungle, reminds me of some of the typical low budget sci-fi from the Golden Age of Sci-Fi Cinema in the fifties; or the better sci-fi kids shows in the seventies, like (Land of the Lost — remember that one?).

This episode also contains one of my favorite melodramatic proclamations from Scotty: rather than just telling Kirk that he can't beam the party back up, he stresses that not even a fly could be beamed up! That surely gets the point across!



Extra Trek Trivia: That is David Soul as one of the strange, eternally young natives of this planet; he went on to fame as one of the cops on the Starsky & Hutch TV series in the seventies; he was Hutch.

~ Saucer separation is mentioned in this episode; we would finally see a visual of this in the 1st episode of TNG.

~ This is also the episode in which Kirk actually fires Scotty. He rehired him at the end of the episode and Scotty made sure he had more creative solutions for Kirk in later episodes.

__

BoG's Score: 6 out of 10



BoG
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Pow
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 08, 2019 2:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gonna have to respectfully disagree with you on "The Apple'' Bogmeister. It's a turkey from start to finish.

First off, we have a master computer dominating a docile race of beings.

Same exact plot as "Return of the Archons"which did this kind of story much better than TA.

The jungle planet set looked totally artificial. We were on a studio sound stage and it looked like it every second. The Vaal face rock carving almost made the jungle set look decent.

And we never even get the payoff of seeing this incredible computer that runs a planet and causes a lot of grief for the Enterprise.

At least in ROTA we got to see the Landru computer.
Not that the prop used as Landru was any great shakes.
I always thought it was one of the poorest set pieces ever created for this fine series.

Can't say I find that season #2 had more entertaining episodes than season #1.

Yes, some of ST:TOS best episodes were in their '67~'68 outing such as Amok Time, Journey to Babel, The Doomsday Machine, and The Ultimate Computer.

However, their second season also delivered such bombs as Catspaw, Friday's Child, By Any Other Name, and, my apologies, The Apple. All episodes that I would never willingly sit through again.

I do agree that ole' Bill Shatner could really chew the scenery up and that could be a distraction from the scripts.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 08, 2019 3:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Pow, I agree with you totally about this episode. It's impossible to take seriously, and it doesn't justify the silliness with good humor like some of the more lighthearted episodes did.

Just for record, sir, I should perhaps remind you that our late friend Bogmeister (Andrew Bogdan) passed away in 2015, and I'm posting copies of his reviews from the message board he ran from 2010 to 2015 without ever telling anybody on All Sci-Fi that even existed! Shocked

And during that five year period, Andrew was my co-site administer here, diligently maintaining All Sci-Fi and inventing great new features for the board, like the first of our Alphabetical Indexes!

He added 3,265 threads to his Galactic Base of Science Fiction during it's five years of activity, but he only he acquired 11 members, and they made a total of 7 posts!

Today no one can even join Andrew's "Lost Board", because a new member's registration must be activated by the site administrator, and he's no longer with us. Sad

So, your very courteous opening sentence which informed Bogmeister that you respectfully disagreed with him would certainly be appreciated . . . if he hadn't passed on.

Then again, maybe they have wi-fi in the afterlife! Very Happy

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Pow
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 09, 2019 1:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oh geez, Bud, I do apologize for not realizing that Bogmeister had passed away. I believe that was prior to my joining up here.

Sounds like you were less than enthralled with this episode too.

The beautiful actress Cleste Yarnall who portrayed Yeoman Martha Landon on this episode sadly passed away not long ago.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 09, 2019 3:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

You've nothing to apologize for, Pow. Very Happy

You just missed a message in Contact All Sci-Fi back on March 23rd —

The Return of Bogmeister!

— when I announced that Eadie had discovered the amazing fact that the late Andrew Bogdan (Bogmeister) maintained a message board similar to All Sci-Fi for five years . . . at the same time he was the co-site admin here!

Ironically he DID list All Sci-Fi in his section that included links to other sites! Here's how he describes us.

The Science Fiction wellspring from which sprang . . . a Base?

Sadly his board was never even modestly active, in spite of Andrew's tireless efforts. He created 3,265 posts, although many of them were just short "thread-starters" to encourage replies. But I guess I'll never understand why he didn't actively promote the Galactic Base of Science Fiction right here.

I would have encouraged all our members to join!

Andrew's enthusiastic blurb about us includes this.

Founded: 2007 membership: 161 and counting overlord: Bud Brewster

When we had to start over again and recreate All Sci-Fi in March of 2014, Andrew diligently transferred 74 of his posts from the old board to the current one in the first week . . . but then he mysteriously vanished and was never heard from again!

We didn't know it at the time, but Andrew past away in the summer of 2015. I did a bit of research a year or so ago and discovered Andrew's obituary from 2015, which said he passed away from "an unexpected illness". He was only 54 years old. Sad

After Eadie discovered Andrew's "Lost Message Board", I found a way to log on here under his name and so I could reproduce the great reviews from his board on All Sci-Fi, thereby ensuring they wouldn't "languish in obscurity" (as they say).

Unfortunately I've almost run out of threads to rescue, because after transferring most of the movie threads and all of the ones from Star Trek TOS season 1, I found out that Andrew wrote very few reviews for the season 2 episodes.

I haven't checked season 3 yet, but if it turns out to be as vacant of Andrew's reviews as season 2, that will mean I'm close to exhausting that treasure trove of fine work by one the more prolific and dedicated members this board has ever had, along with an exceptional co-site administrator who served in that capacity for six of the seven years the "old board" was in existence, from 2007 to 2014.

Andrew's post count is now up to 322 thanks to my efforts to preserve his work and continue his legacy here on All Sci-Fi.

It gives me a good feeling to know that members who have contributed so much to this message board before their untimely demise — like Bulldogtrekker (Tim Edwards), Randy (Randy Everett), and Bogmeiser (Andrew Bogdan) — are being honored by everyone who reads their contributions and provides interesting replies . . . just like you did, Pow! Cool

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


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Tue Aug 25, 2020 1:23 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Pow
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 21, 2019 1:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

According to DeForest Kelley, the scene where Mr. Spock tosses away one of the explosive rocks that litter the planet Gamma Trianguli VI, caused him lifelong tinnitus.

The TNT charge resulted in a huge explosion and none of the actors were given anything, such as cotton or earplugs, to put in their ears.

William Shatner & Leonard Nimoy already had ringing in the ears due to the explosions set off in the first year episode "Arena."

The second season of ST: TOS is a curious mix of good and bad episodes. I find the majority of first season episodes enjoyable. Not perfect but certainly entertaining.

Second season is a real hit or miss situation for me.

Hits } Metamorphosis, Who Mourns for Adonais? Amok Time,The Doomsday Machine, Wolf in the Fold, The Changeling, Mirror, Mirror, The Deadly Years, I, Mudd, The Trouble with Tribbles, Journey to Babel, Obsession, The Immunity Syndrome, The Ultimate Computer, Assignment: Earth.

The rest of the episodes are mediocre or just plain poor. Some have intriguing concepts but are badly executed.

The caveat here is that the budget was slashed for the second season and it would be slashed further for the third.

Unfortunately it showed. More and more reuse of stock footage, fewer new models, reduced location shooting were all part of the weaknesses the series would suffer.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 21, 2019 2:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

A great post, Pow, loaded with interesting info1

Are you using several Star Trek reference books or just searching the internet? I suspect your doing both, and we appreciate it. Cool

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
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Pow
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 22, 2019 12:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I utilize books written about the production of various sci~fi TV shows, Bud.

I don't use the IMDB Did You Know section since anyone online can consult it, so why rehash it?

Some of the facts in my companion books to the TV shows at times are the same items on IMDB, so there can indeed be duplications of trivia from my books.

Always greatly enjoyed the companion books to television shows & learning all about the behind-the-scenes info on the making of a show. I've amassed quite a few of these types of books covering different genre TV series.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 22, 2019 2:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Oh, good! I was leaning towards the notion that you had a library of reference books, just because I like the mental image of you in surrounds like this!



Note the fireplace and the reading lamp next to that marvelous recliner! And I love the spiral staircase, just like the C-57-D had (according to Hume's script). Very Happy

Please don't spoil my illusions by telling me your library is smaller. I'd feel disappointed.

Then again, please don't tell me it's bigger! I'd be jealous! Shocked

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~ The Space Children (1958)
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Pow
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 21, 2019 12:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oh my gosh, Bud! How did you get these pictures of my library?
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Pow
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 24, 2020 4:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This episode really established the "red shirt curse" for ST:TOS. Four red-shirted crew members perish from Vaal's attacks.

Stunt performer Jay Jones was seriously injured during the exploding rock scene.

Celeste Yarnell (Yeoman Martha Landon) wore the uniform that Grace Lee Whitney wore.
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scotpens
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 24, 2020 8:44 pm    Post subject: Re: The Apple - episode #38 Reply with quote

Bogmeister wrote:
. . . This is also the episode in which Kirk actually fires Scotty. He rehired him at the end of the episode and Scotty made sure he had more creative solutions for Kirk in later episodes.

I always thought that was silly. Kirk can't "fire" Scotty; Mr. Scott is Kirk's subordinate in a military chain of command, not a civilian employee. Even as a joke, it's dumb.
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 08, 2021 8:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"The Apple" was the episode where the red shirt phenomenon comes to fore.

Every red shirted male in this landing party dies a horrible death.
Hendorff: poison plant darts.

Kaplan: Bolt of lightning.

Mallory: exploding rock.

Marple: Blow to the head.

Established in this episode is that the warp nacelles can be discarded from the Enterprise and that it is a dangerous procedure.

The script called for the Enterprise to employ the emergency saucer separation from the Enterprise but it was deemed too costly to do so.

~ So, was the Enterprise model for the 1966 TV show designed to allow the saucer section to be able to separate from rest of the model, and they simply could not shoot it due to budget limitations?

~ I always wondered if the FX legend Derek Meddings would have been able to pull off this stunt within the budget?
For Thunderbirds he designed Thunderbird 2 with an equipment pod that could disengage from the main body of the ship.

Story editor D.C. Fontana wrote a memo in response to the script for this episode: "We have in this piece the exact, but totally unexciting duplicate, of The Return of the Archons . . . Nowhere in this piece is there an indication of how Vaal was built, how he took over the minds of these people, etc.
At least in Archons, a creation and purpose was given to the computer."

Head story editor Gene Coon liked leaving these questions unanswered.

The name for the planet was originally Delta Milo Six.

De Forest Research wrote "There is no constellation Milo. For actual constellation and planet, suggest: Gamma Trianguli Six."

Writer David Gerrold visited the set during the shooting of this episode.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 09, 2021 1:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Let's Create a Sequel!
________________________________

~ A Question for the Members: Should a team of Federation scientist go to Gamma Trianguli V and study the amazing and mysterious subterranean mechanism that maintained the planet and cared for the native aliens?

~ Here's what I came up with.: The Federation would be extremely interested in this planet in view of the fact that the alien machine was able to control the weather, protect the planet (and itself) with separate force fields, defend itself by threatening starships in orbit, and grant the inhabitants eternal youth! Very Happy

And since Kirk took away the alien inhabitants' caretaker — along with the immortality it provided — the Federation would have a responsibility to them.

A wealth of knowledge could be gained from the study of Vaal; who built it, what happened to the advanced civilization, how it controlled the weather and created the force fields, etc.

Obviously the most compelling reason for studying Vaal would be to learn how it bestowed perpetual youth on the indigenous aliens! Shocked

If we assume that Vaal wasn't too badly damaged by what the Enterprise did, and the machine could be reactivated, the Federation investigators would have to find a way to get Vaal under their control.

If they were successful, the planet could become a unique colony world — one with perfect climate control and one hell of a good "health plan" for it's inhabitants!

Add to this the fact that if the Federation did NOT establish a base on the planet, the Klingons and/or the Rolumans would occupy it and study the technology for their own purposes.

This is not a well-respected episode in some ways, but the story has great potential for a sequel.

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~ The Space Children (1958)
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 27, 2021 10:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pow wrote:
This episode really established the "red shirt curse" for ST:TOS. Four red-shirted crew members perish from Vaal's attacks.

I guess the red shirts were sort of like Gene Roddenberry's version of an "employee pink slip". An actor gets a note pinned to the outfit when he picks it up from the costume department.

"Here's your costume for the episode being filmed today — after which, your services will no longer be required."

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~ The Space Children (1958)
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