“After a time, you may find that 'having' is not so pleasing a thing after all as 'wanting.' It is not logical, but it is often true.” My all time favorite Spock quote. Wisest words he ever spoke.
That's Vulcan for "You can have the b***h". You can tell that beneath that cold logical Vulcan exterior, Spock wants to ring her neck like he just (thinks) he did Kirk's. The next best thing he can do is express how his is so over her.
One of my favorite Spock / McCoy moments comes in this episode. Spock reveals he's allowed to bring his friends with him to the wedding ceremony; he invites Kirk, pauses, and then says he wants McCoy to be there, too. Instead of making a joke or embarrassing Spock, McCoy just grins and says "It would be an honor, Commander." It says so much about the relationship between these two that, when Spock is at his most vulnerable, McCoy allows him his dignity.
If "what if Spock has to return to his home planet to mate every seven years like a salmon and if he doesn't do it he dies" WASN'T Roddenberry's idea, I'll eat my hat.
And remember folks, without this episode we wouldn't have gotten an entire episode of voyager about Tom Paris having to construct some Vulcan Holo-porn for Tuvoc.
The shock ending is also great,Spock believing he has killed Kirk,then finding out he didn't.The smile on Spock's face was priceless and Dr McCoy reminding him of an emotional out burst is hilarious.
Nimoy pointed out that all of the other times Spock showed emotion, he was under some unusual influence that forced him into that mode. This was really the only time Spock unabashedly expressed a strong emotion where it was just simply Spock. Truly a wonderful episode. I still admire City on the Edge of Forever as my favorite, but this is also right up there.
Two things in this episode that I absolutely love: 1) McCoy in the turbolift saying "I would be honored, sir." 2) Spock's perfectly logical, Vuclan parting middle finger, something like "You may find that having is not as good as desiring." The dignified, Vulcan way to say, "Yeah, looks like you two derserve each other. Good luck with that, Stonn. (under breath, loud enough to be heard, "Dodged a bullet there . . . "
Regarding McCoy and Kirk in the turbolift, I wonder if Spock invited them both to the ceremony just so that he wouldn't have to answer a thousand questions if he went alone and then came back.
This episode sold Star Trek to me when I was a kid. The insanity of it! The friendships plus the faulty logical power plays, THE ENDING!!!! That smile, damn Spock. Just peak Star Trek right here. (not to mention it created the Premises which fueled star trek fandom, conventions, nd zines for over 50 years)
I remember being young and nerdy, probably in the late 1970s to early 1980s at the most, and during that time I saw a daytime talk show where William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy appeared together and talked about Star Trek. It was there that I first saw Nimoy explain the "Live Long and Prosper" hand sign coming from a Hebrew sabbat, and it was also there he was asked about Amok Time. He said, "That was the episode where Spock was in heat."
Thanks Steve for another enjoyable video. Amok Time right up there in my top 5. Among many highlights I always liked Spock’s response to T’Pau “live long and prosper” when he says “I will do neither. I have killed my Captain and my friend.”
I seem to recall a listing for this episode (possibly TV Guide... It was a long time ago...) that read "Mister Spock gets the mating urge, and attacks Captain Kirk". Technically accurate, but... :-)
Must've seen it as some point as a kid because that enormous maw of energy was burned into my brain long after the context of the episode was completely forgotten. Watching TOS all the way through a while back revealed it to be a bit sillier than I remembered but I was still excited to finally remember where I'd seen that thing before.
Great pitch for the best TOS, and you nearly convinced me. Corbomite Maneuver still caps it for me, the idea that if you don't keep your principles when it's hard, then you don't have any has been one of my lasting life lessons.
My personal favorite episode of TOS was always Doomsday Machine. I always enjoyed William Windom's performance as Matt Decker, particularly his initial interaction with Kirk. (Something else as a side tangent that I also enjoy is the fact that William Windom also voiced Uncle Chuck in the Sonic the Hedgehog Saturday morning cartoon (Sonic SatAM), which was a favorite of mine as a kid.)
Of course "JIM!" was a great moment but we all kind of knew it would happen but "I also request McCoy" was the real shocker because it was the first time Spock admitted that Bones was also one of his closest friends.
I saw this when it originally aired and that music still gets to me. The fight scene was epic and had me so tensed up, especially when Spock sliced open Kirk's tunic and cut his chest! Yes I loved the put down he gave T'Pring and Stonn. The ending where Kirk appeared to be dead and when I saw it originally I did think for a second he was dead but when he showed up behind Spock it was so fantastic! It was Star Trek perfection. I enjoyed your review 🖖Live Long and Prosper.
I know commenting on a year old video is basically like spitting into the wind, but im going to anyway. I think my favorite part is when, at the end, before returning to the ship, someone (I think it is T'Pau) wishes him to "Live Long and Prosper " and replies "I shall do neither. I have killed my Captain and my friend" That one sure isn't silly
See, I used to avoid this episode because I remember a very awkward trek session with my parents at 13 watching it for the first time. Only recently did I get over myself and rewatch it and I have come to the conclusion that it is probably in my top 3 episodes (probably alongside city at the edge of forever & journey to babel)
As a long time TOS fan, you are absolutely right on the money. Amok Time is truly one of, if not the best, Trek TOS episode. Even better than The Doomsday Machine, The Galileo Seven, Devil in the Dark, The Deadly Years, Wolf in the Fold, City on the Edge of Forever, The Enemy Within and more. Great job Steve!
Mirror, Mirror was always my favorite from TOS but Amok Time is definitely in my top 5. Such a fun episode that hasn’t been matched by any subsequent series.
This is one of my favorites. In it, there is a scene where Spock is supposed to be in Plak Tow, but Leonard is actually just leaning against a post not realizing he is on camera.
What I like about it now, with 45 years of hindsight is, the writers didn't take the easy trope shortcut of making the Vulcans like 'Space ' They made them weird and unique and yet somewhat consistent. It could have been much worse.
T'Pring might have practiced flawless logic, but she was pretty heartless. Spock's dying might have been acceptable, as part of their cultural traditions, but I wonder if she would have faced any kind of consequences for choosing a human as a champion, especially knowing he was almost certainly going to die. Especially a Starfleet captain.
I think this episode is a great example of why Star Trek is still a beloved show. The premise of the episode is nuts, but they play it completely straight, and the best part is, they make you believe every second of it.
I think it's my third favorite episode. Devil in the dark and trouble with tribbles come before that episode, but you just gotta love that smile in sickbay. One of my favorite things about Spock is that for all his logic, it often flies out the window when it comes to keeping Kirk safe, like jumping in front poisoness plant darts, or letting himself get hit over the head.
My favorite TOS episode is “Miri.” My dad had it on VHS and used to watch it with me every time I asked. When I became a parent, I understood how frustrating it could be to have a child ask to watch the same thing over and over again. It gave me an incredible appreciation for how much he loved both the show and me to happily put the same tape in over and over. My Dad is gone now, but I get a warm glow from watching any Trek knowing how much he would approve.
I've been a Star Trek fan since I had the dexterity to flip open a calculator to get beamed up, but I hadn't found your channel until recently. I'm going through your back catalog now and I'm glad you're around, Steve! Your takes on Star Trek offer me insight in a way I'd really never expend the energy to do myself and I also agree with you sociopolitically, from what I've seen so far. Keep up the good (both in quality and message) work. 😃
My favorite episode (TOS-R) is "The Doomsday Machine" which has everything I like, from the acting of William "Willie the Weeper" Windom as Decker to one of the coolest space battles of Season 2. Plus, the score in the episode highlighted the dramatic and action scenes and perfectly summed up the Constellation's mournful theme, the Enterprise's fanfare, and the dangerous notes of the Planet Killer. They really outdid themselves with this one. 🖖😎👍
This is not my favourite episode, but it does have one of my favourite Star Trek moments, and that's the joy Spock expresses at seeing Kirk alive. I love it because nobody probably wanted it to be profound, or important, or sad - it was just a gag to cap off an episode of heavy melodrama. Spock lets his mask slip off for a moment, and it's a good way to close off a story. But it has emotional implications based on what else we know about Spock throughout the franchise. It's a tell-tale sign of how regimented Spock's inner life is, and ultimately how repressed he is. We get the glimpse of what Spock may be on the inside (and by extension, of what Vulcan culture is, even if Spock's emotional moments may've originally been written to show his half-human nature). And this removal of a mask echoes in the franchise in how different Romulans are from Vulcans, in Data's quest for understanding human emotions, in Worf's uneasiness about his human upbringing. Nobody *wrote* Spock's exclamation of "Jim!" to be profound, but the franchise continuing to exist gave it layers and implications I love. In fact, if the scene had been *meant* to be forcibly deep, it would've failed. It was just trying to be itself, but can't help but have implications that go beyond the immediate context of the episode. It's a goofy moment, but a revealing one, and things it reveals are not ALL goofy. And I appreciate that a lot.
7:34 Not only do Spock and Kirk have to fight, Nimoy gets to beat the crap out of Shatner. Sort of. (Pardon me while I bite my tongue.) I've read some of Sturgeon's other work. This is just like him.
Thanks for making these reviews, Steve. With all the things going on in the present, it's been really wonderful to take a stroll through memories of these shows with you. _Star Trek_ can still give us hope for the future, but now it also reminds us of what sure seems like simpler times in the past. I can hardly wait for the next one!
I adore your reviews, analysis and enthusiasm for Trek! I was born in 1980 and i mostly started with TNG, never really seeing TOS. But man, when I watched them all not that long ago it's such a good show. Keep up the awesome work :)
The image you showed of Spock smiling at Kirk's "revival" may be my single favorite image from TOS, even if it is absolutely out of place with the rest of the TOS series! I liked your comment early on about the backstage crew not really knowing what they were doing during the early episodes. I find that the early novels from some of my favorite authors are the ones I like the most; their writing may not have achieved maturity, but their youthful enthusiasm shines through. And I had forgotten that Theodore Sturgeon wrote "Amok Time." He's my favorite SF authors from SF's golden age, topped only by more recent authors such as LeGuin and Wolfe. (And, yes, I'm old enough to consider the deceased LeGuin and Wolfe "recent authors." Sue me!)
Great episode. I’ve heard that the motivation for the episode was that the fans really loved Spock and wanted to see some details about him and Vulcan culture. One thing that always bugged me is, why weren’t his parents there?
Kirk basically swore himself to secrecy, and I don't think anyone notified the Vulcans until they were there, so their notice of the whole thing was basically "Hey, our Vulcan crewman suddenly got all hot and bothered and demanded we come here. Do you know whats up?" and all the Vulcan's in the comm room go silent, give each other a knowing glance, and someone goes off to tell T'Pring and T'Pau to stop what they're doing, grab the palanquin and Lirpa, and get to the sex gong because guess who just showed up with pon farr? I'm sure someone called up Sarek and Amanda and said "Hey, better get back to Vulcan for your son's wedding reception" followed by a "Nevermind."
Good stuff For whatever reason, "Plato's Stepchildren" might be my favorite TOS episode. An episode where everything is taken pretty seriously, and for me anyway, it somehow works. Grim, haunting, compelling, greater than the sum of its parts. The kiss! Spock's singing! I love Michael Dunn's performance as Alexander; his last remarks to the Platonians are really something.
I really like Amok Time for all the reasons you mentioned. Unfortunately, the last scene takes a bit of the shine off the rest of the episode. The writers decided they couldn’t pass up an opportunity for McCoy to get in a parting shot at Spock. Dr. McCoy: There's just one thing, Mr. Spock. You can't tell me that when you first saw Jim alive that you weren't on the verge of giving us an emotional scene that would have brought the house down. Spock: Merely my quite logical relief that Starfleet had not lost a highly proficient captain. Captain James T. Kirk: Yes, Mr. Spock, I understand. Spock: Thank you, Captain. Dr. McCoy: Of course, Mr. Spock. Your reaction was quite logical. Spock: Thank you, Doctor. [Kirk and Spock head for the exit] Dr. McCoy: In a pig's eye!
My favourite episode of OTS would have to be either Arena, with its "terrifying to a six year old" lizard monster, or Devil in the Dark which featured an equally terrifying "pizza monster", as my mother described it. Either way, watching old VHS copies of Star Trek at my grandparents house made me the person I am today.
The creators knew this one would be a special episode. So much so that the music cue at the end of the episode is a special cue only used for this episode! I love this one too.....My fav is The Doomsday Machine with its parallel editing structure that builds a mythic amount of suspense...
One of my favorite episodes since I’ve been a child. I have to say, Journey to Babel is actually slightly higher on my list… personal preference. Also, a lot of people make this mistake but the Vulcan salute created by Nimoy and DC was introduced in Babel not Amok. The other thing (since you asked lol) it’s uh-muck, not ahh-mock. Like “run amok” - you wouldn’t say “run ahh-mock”. Or maybe there is an alternate pronunciation I’m not aware of but ever since the episode “Spock Amok” came out it has really bothered me that people say it that way. Oh well, either way it is a fucking amazing example of campy sci-fi drama in the best way and if we can ever get energy like this again I will be so happy I might blow up. Thank you for the fish 🖖
"Mirror, Mirror" is easily my favorite episode of TOS. It captures the campy fun and the deeper themes of The Original Series in an absolutely scrumptious mixture of both. I often share clips of Kirk's parting speech to Mirror-Spock (which I think even rival's Kirk's "risk is our business" speech) to illustrate how ahead of it's time Trek could be. Subsequent Trek shows have revisited the Mirror Universe either trying to capture the deeper meaning of it (like DS9) or the "let's see how wild we can veer from the normal universe" angle we can (like ENT), none of them could even come close to capture the genius of this episode.
Conscience of the King will always be my favorite but this is a good'un. (Though I'm very happy that we're getting to see T'Pring as an actual person in Strange New Worlds these days.) Also, there's just something about T'Pau's "This is the Vulcan heart. This is the Vulcan soul" that just haunts me.
Devil In The Dark, encountering a completely new form of life that turns out to be sentient and intelligent and not going pitchfork on it's arse, but coming to a mutually beneficial coexistence.
sulu and checkov diaglogue about setting the course - love that part - of course spock was always my favorite so this episode totally rocks - love your reviews steve!
I need to watch tos again now that I'm an adult, so this may change, but my favorite episode is "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield". I know the metaphor is ham-fisted, but that's why I liked it. When I was a kid, I really didn't understand the social metaphors and how they apply to real life, my life. This was the first time it clicked for me, that I could see the message they were getting across and I can recall it actually changing the way I thought. Maybe because it was around the time of some racial unrest in the nation, but whatever the case, there's no greater height that art can achieve in my mind than That you change someone for the better. It may not be my favorite episode in terms of entertainment, but for me, it was the absolute most important episode for me to have seen.
There may not be much social commentary, but "Amok Time" is astonishingly homoerotic for its era. On prime-time TV in 1967, Kirk and Spock fighting to the death was the closest they could come to having sex.
Theodore Sturgeon was the episode’s writer, and he was well known for putting in such text/subtext in his other works. Not only did he write a scene where Kirk thinks he’s getting a back rub from Spock, but years before Star Trek ever aired he also wrote a short story set in space where a male First Officer was in love with his male captain. He damn well knew what he was doing writing this script and inserted just enough plausible deniability in the fight scene to get it past the network censors.
And then there's the great K/S slash theory that beating up Kirk broke Spock's imprinting on T'Pring and caused him to imprint on Kirk instead, meaning Kirk and Spock pretty much have to have sex every seven years.
Yes, one of the best of the original series. Explores Spock's personal life, Vulcans and Vulcan rituals. Ranks highest among Vulcan themed episodes of the franchise, including the animated episode "Yesteryear" by D.C. Fontana and Voyager's "Blood Fever." Not to mention Star Trek III: The Search For Spock.
My favorite episodes: The Empath and May That Be Your Final Battleground. My therapist has helped me as a Highly Sensitive Person, and I have empathic traits. The actress who plays the empath has no written lines: her character's species did not evolve for speech. The emotional depth she shows, especially the injuries she experiences as she heals the injured crew, are spectacular. I will write another short missive on the last battleground episode, including a surprise reprising of the half faces, with a polar opposite effect, in a tile game. ~ Peter Ferber
That TOS fight music is truly excellent. The very first episode of TOS I ever watched from beginning to end as a kid was that Tranya Kid episode, had me hooked
I don't know that Amok Time is my favorite episode of TOS, but I can't think of one I enjoy more. It is the best introduction to Vulcan culture we get at that point, and is an enjoyable way to learn about it. I need to flip over to Paramount to watch this again.
Amok Time also gave us one of the best Simpsons episodes ever (remember? When it was really funny?) - Homer v Barney; dum-dum-DUMMM-DUMMM-DUMMM-DUMMM-dum-dum-dum-dum-dum....... timeless (not least because once that fight scene music gets into your brain, it ain't going away any time soon). GREAT!
It’s a bit hard to pick favorites, but mine is Balance of Terror. It’s a damn near perfect submarine movie in space, even if it borrows approximately 80% of the plot of the Robert Mitchum classic The Enemy Below. The other is Devil in the Dark, which is a technically *perfect* Star Trek episode. The plot is tense, the miners are sympathetic, and the monster isn’t really a monster but a misunderstood person trying to protect itself and its young. It’s my go-to episode to recommend for anyone new to the franchise.
Wonderful review, though for me The Doomsday Machine is my favourite TOS episode by a pretty wide margin. Everything from the basic premise of the ancient war machine going where no man has gone before to wipe it all out, to Decker's agonizing over the loss of his crew, to the wonderful music for the episode, it all just comes together perfectly for me.
Theodore Sturgeon was already a highly respected and groundbreaking science fiction writer by the time he took on Star Trek, but "Amok Time" may well be his all-time magnum opus. You speak of this as being wacky or goofy, and it does have that baroque space opera feel -- if you were to walk a little beyond the ceremonial arena, you just might wander off Vulcan and directly into Edgar Rice Burroughs's Barsoom -- but such descriptions make it sound random, desperate, off the wall, grabbing for the kitchen sink, only serendipitously lucky, and I don't buy that at all. I think Sturgeon knew EXACTLY what he was doing and how to get there. I think Sturgeon had a deep understanding and appreciation of the Big Three -- as Target Audience has come to know Kirk, Spock, and McCoy -- and concocted a perfect showcase for them. We get amazing new insight into Spock. Kirk was never more Kirk, more principled or dangerously self-confident, his whole ego riding on impressing the renowned matriarch T'Pau. (Absolutely nothing against Celia Lovsky, but in my mind, I always recast T'Pau as Greta Garbo.) And McCoy -- hell, he saved everyone, which of course is what you would expect him to try to do. Oh, and I find it just a little unfair to skip Spock's great line: "She is yours. You may find after a time that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical. But it is often true." Taken one way, that's Vulcan for "This ice-hearted beyotch is gonna screw you over too someday," but there is also great truth in Spock's advice, sometimes wanting beats having -- that's Casablanca, for crying out loud -- and it took Sturgeon to so well encapsulate something so poignant. The moral here is that a truly good writer is gold, you mess with them at your peril.
The absolute pinnacle of Trek to me is the Holy Trinity of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. I don't think any of the other series have managed to create such an amazingly perfect group of friends.
Looking forward to your review of, Chain of Command". Though I doubt that it will top your original coverage of the episode that was, "Why Captain Jellico is actually pretty awesome." I re-watch that video at least once a year as it is just that hilarious.
I LOVE these episodes: Balance of Terror, Journey to Babel, Arena, The Tholian Web, Ultimate Computer, Errand of Mercy ... all of these are contenders for best TOS episode, but, strangely enough, I think The Man Trap is actually my favorite. There's just something about the archaeological site on an alien world, the mystery of the Salt Vampire, and her being the last of her species that defines the very nature of Star Trek to me. That said, your comments about Amok Time are right on, Steve!
My favorite episode of TOS? Easy ... Let That Be Your Last Battlefield ... absolutly beating the audience over the head with blunt-force-allegory. I love it.
I have two favorite episodes, "Balance of Terror" (introduction to Romulans and Mark Leonard - who eventually played Sarek) and "The Doomsday Machine" (with William Windom as Commodore Matt Decker).
I also really love how Kirk gets out of trouble with Starfleet. "How about that T'Pau; they couldn't turn her down". I picture the Starfleet Command admirals being all angry at Kirk, wondering where he is, when a junior officer comes in and says "Sirs, it's the Vulcan Pope. She says the Enterprise is hanging out with her, and that all of you need to shut up about it".
And there are so many other great little details. The reveal that Spock hasn't been just oblivious to Chapel's feelings, and doesn't think less of her for them. How he summons enough control to kindly explain their futility and express regret for losing his temper, allowing them to move forward as friends and colleagues. The absence of Spock's family from the ceremony setting up the conflict and resolution between Spock and Sarek in "Journey to Babel." Spock complimenting T'Pring's logic while expressing his doubt that it will bring her and Stonn exactly what she'd hoped from it. Establishing the importance and influence of Spock's family, which will serve many a plot point for decades to come. McCoy, the wily trickster. Uh, yeah, I guess I kinda like this episode, too. (And Futurama's tribute episode. To this day, whenever my sister or I hear a cluelessly offensive political speech, one of us will say, "My fellow fish monsters, far be it for me to question your stupid civilization or its dumb customs..."
I really like your what if videos on your channel because it gives new scenarios I didn't even think about. Then it got me wondering, What if the Enterprise D never got destroyed in Generations? Will it affect the storyline of the TNG movies? Will there be changes to the movies themselves? Then another idea came, what if Sela and/or Tomalak were the main villains of Nemesis? will that change the events of the movie as well?
This is a good episode, but since you asked...my favorite TOS ep has always been "Devil in the Dark". It was the first episode of Star Trek that I ever saw (in reruns back in the late 70s) and to this day I love the idea that there's this very alien monster that everyone needs to hunt down to protect these miners, but it turns out it's the miners who are the monsters and the monster (the Horta) is the victim because the humans have been (unknowingly) killing it's young. Then the ep ends with the miners, the Horta and its new clutch of babies cooperating together for the benefit of everyone. Great illustration of one of Star Trek's fundamental ideas, a nice little subverting of expectations and again....as in this episode...Nimoy is great. Leonard takes some material (the Horta mindmeld) that could come off as really goofy and silly but makes it poignant and heartfelt.
I scrolled way way way back in the comments and i cannot believe that neither you in the video or anyone in the comments did not try to label this episode "Operation Booty Call". That of course means that "The Trouble With Tribbles" was technically a "Foodie Call".🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Amok Time is my second favorite. My fav is a tie between Journey To Babel (the variety of races appealed to my nascent anthropologist self) and Balance of Terror.
Unfortunately, my favorite episode is Trouble with Tribbles. It was my first ever Star Trek exposure and it has such a special place in my heart. But, as a diehard supporter of the Premise, my second place is obviously Amok Time
Nurse Chappel has a rough time of it in trying to be supportive of Spock. She notes that he seems out of sorts & brings him the Vulcan equivalent of home-made chicken soup, and he throws it out and berates her. Since the Enterprise is equipped with food synthesizers, I’m going to guess that the soup is not in the ship’s memory banks & Christine had to do some fancy programming - the closest thing to “home cookin’” you can find on a starship. I’m happy that Spock mellows out later and humbly asks her to make it again. Both instances are out of character for Spock, normally, but he’s under a great deal of stress in this episode. Those interactions are nicely staged and performed. My wife & I have been rewatching TOS, and I mentioned to her that they were making it up as they went along. That’s how we got brilliant ideas like the transporter room & the Vulcan Nerve Pinch, but also got silly episodes where ideas were obviously ripped off from WW II submarine flicks. This episode is net positive of “making it up.”
The following is from an interview with the SFBC from Sturgeon’s daughter Noel Sturgeon from 2019 Evan Stein: How did your father get connected to Star Trek and wind up writing one of the stories that most defined the Vulcan race? Ted Sturgeon experienced writing blocks and severe depression several times in his life. One of those times was in the 1960s, following a flood of high quality writing from 1949 to 1964. With four children and a mortgage on our house in Woodstock, NY, Ted was desperate to make money. Harlan Ellison suggested that Ted come out to LA and join the writers working on the fledgling science fiction series, Star Trek. Harlan (who was a long-time fan of Ted’s work and had met him at a science fiction convention when Harlan was 14), offered him a place to stay at his house, introduced him to Gene Roddenberry, and gave him advice on writing TV screenplays (though Ted had written radio and teleplays previously). Thus, Ted was on the Star Trek set at the very beginning of the series, and got to know the cast well. One of the results of this was that the first red-shirt to die was named Sturgeon (apparently in homage). My siblings and I got a big kick out of the moment when a red-shirt runs to Captain Kirk shouting, “Sturgeon’s dead!” in the first episode. Ted brought one or two of us on set occasionally, and many of the cast visited my sister when she was in the hospital with an injury. They are (and were) lovely people. John Grayshaw: Was your father given parameters to follow about pon farr and Vulcans or was he able to write it how he wanted? As the answer to the question above would indicate, Ted was present for much of the early development of the world of Star Trek, and talked through his ideas for the script with the cast, director Joseph Pevney, and producer Gene Roddenberry, so I think it was somewhat collaborative, though the basic pon farr plot and emphasis on character development and sexuality are pure Sturgeon. Some of this collaboration is apparent in what Leonard Nimoy has said about the origination of the Vulcan greeting. When Nimoy talked with Ted about what such a greeting would be like, Nimoy suggested the split fingers gesture (which for him referenced Jewish religious practice), while Ted came up with “Live long and prosper.”
“After a time, you may find that 'having' is not so pleasing a thing after all as 'wanting.' It is not logical, but it is often true.” My all time favorite Spock quote. Wisest words he ever spoke.
See also Spock's remarks to Valeris about logic.
I've never picked up on this before. It'll get my brain churning and I'll be more useless at work than ever but there you go....
That's Vulcan for "You can have the b***h". You can tell that beneath that cold logical Vulcan exterior, Spock wants to ring her neck like he just (thinks) he did Kirk's. The next best thing he can do is express how his is so over her.
One of my favorite Spock / McCoy moments comes in this episode. Spock reveals he's allowed to bring his friends with him to the wedding ceremony; he invites Kirk, pauses, and then says he wants McCoy to be there, too.
Instead of making a joke or embarrassing Spock, McCoy just grins and says "It would be an honor, Commander."
It says so much about the relationship between these two that, when Spock is at his most vulnerable, McCoy allows him his dignity.
If "what if Spock has to return to his home planet to mate every seven years like a salmon and if he doesn't do it he dies" WASN'T Roddenberry's idea, I'll eat my hat.
"If I don't get laid, I'll go crazy and die!" was, from what I've read, a fundamental aspect of Gene Roddenberry's character.
based on Sturgeon's back catalog of past works im 100% certain it was him
@@calmao666This is Theodore Sturgeon we're talking about, so 90% instead?
And remember folks, without this episode we wouldn't have gotten an entire episode of voyager about Tom Paris having to construct some Vulcan Holo-porn for Tuvoc.
Now we know why Boimler wasn't looking forward to cleaning the holodeck.
6:50 Kirk "talks himself into participating in the episode's climax" Perfect phrasing there, Steve. Well done.
And ppl wonder why Kirk-Spock is one of the most popular ships in the entire canon...
We were shipping them back in the 70's. It's the original ship I think 😆
The shock ending is also great,Spock believing he has killed Kirk,then finding out he didn't.The smile on Spock's face was priceless and Dr McCoy reminding him of an emotional out burst is hilarious.
Literally one of my favorite moments in TOS!😁😍
The second he slipped, we all knew McCoy was never gonna let him forget it LOL
“C’mon Spock, let’s go mind the store” will always be (for me at least) the best line Bill Shatner ever delivered 😂
Nimoy pointed out that all of the other times Spock showed emotion, he was under some unusual influence that forced him into that mode. This was really the only time Spock unabashedly expressed a strong emotion where it was just simply Spock. Truly a wonderful episode. I still admire City on the Edge of Forever as my favorite, but this is also right up there.
Two things in this episode that I absolutely love: 1) McCoy in the turbolift saying "I would be honored, sir." 2) Spock's perfectly logical, Vuclan parting middle finger, something like "You may find that having is not as good as desiring." The dignified, Vulcan way to say, "Yeah, looks like you two derserve each other. Good luck with that, Stonn. (under breath, loud enough to be heard, "Dodged a bullet there . . . "
Regarding McCoy and Kirk in the turbolift, I wonder if Spock invited them both to the ceremony just so that he wouldn't have to answer a thousand questions if he went alone and then came back.
This episode sold Star Trek to me when I was a kid. The insanity of it! The friendships plus the faulty logical power plays, THE ENDING!!!! That smile, damn Spock. Just peak Star Trek right here. (not to mention it created the Premises which fueled star trek fandom, conventions, nd zines for over 50 years)
I remember being young and nerdy, probably in the late 1970s to early 1980s at the most, and during that time I saw a daytime talk show where William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy appeared together and talked about Star Trek. It was there that I first saw Nimoy explain the "Live Long and Prosper" hand sign coming from a Hebrew sabbat, and it was also there he was asked about Amok Time. He said, "That was the episode where Spock was in heat."
Thanks Steve for another enjoyable video. Amok Time right up there in my top 5. Among many highlights I always liked Spock’s response to T’Pau “live long and prosper” when he says “I will do neither. I have killed my Captain and my friend.”
I seem to recall a listing for this episode (possibly TV Guide... It was a long time ago...) that read "Mister Spock gets the mating urge, and attacks Captain Kirk". Technically accurate, but... :-)
The Doomsday Machine has always been my favorite TOS episode. Has a lot of great moments and great music.
Every Kirk v Computer episode in 7 seconds (or less)...
Kirk: "Commm-puter",
Computer: "Working",
Kirk: "You're............sh*t",
Computer: "Concur",
Kirk: "So f**k off then",
Computer: "BLIP".
Cue credits & theme.......
Must've seen it as some point as a kid because that enormous maw of energy was burned into my brain long after the context of the episode was completely forgotten. Watching TOS all the way through a while back revealed it to be a bit sillier than I remembered but I was still excited to finally remember where I'd seen that thing before.
Yer got my vote.
Great pitch for the best TOS, and you nearly convinced me. Corbomite Maneuver still caps it for me, the idea that if you don't keep your principles when it's hard, then you don't have any has been one of my lasting life lessons.
Amok Time is definitely in my top 5...maybe top 3 of TOS episodes. My favorite has always been City on the Edge of Forever.
My personal favorite episode of TOS was always Doomsday Machine. I always enjoyed William Windom's performance as Matt Decker, particularly his initial interaction with Kirk.
(Something else as a side tangent that I also enjoy is the fact that William Windom also voiced Uncle Chuck in the Sonic the Hedgehog Saturday morning cartoon (Sonic SatAM), which was a favorite of mine as a kid.)
Of course "JIM!" was a great moment but we all kind of knew it would happen but "I also request McCoy" was the real shocker because it was the first time Spock admitted that Bones was also one of his closest friends.
I saw this when it originally aired and that music still gets to me. The fight scene was epic and had me so tensed up, especially when Spock sliced open Kirk's tunic and cut his chest! Yes I loved the put down he gave T'Pring and Stonn.
The ending where Kirk appeared to be dead and when I saw it originally I did think for a second he was dead but when he showed up behind Spock it was so fantastic! It was Star Trek perfection. I enjoyed your review 🖖Live Long and Prosper.
I know commenting on a year old video is basically like spitting into the wind, but im going to anyway. I think my favorite part is when, at the end, before returning to the ship, someone (I think it is T'Pau) wishes him to "Live Long and Prosper " and replies "I shall do neither. I have killed my Captain and my friend"
That one sure isn't silly
Snu-snu or Death sounds like a very Roddenberry idea.
See, I used to avoid this episode because I remember a very awkward trek session with my parents at 13 watching it for the first time. Only recently did I get over myself and rewatch it and I have come to the conclusion that it is probably in my top 3 episodes (probably alongside city at the edge of forever & journey to babel)
Oh, yeah, some things we watch with our parents at a certain age can be pretty uncomfortable.
"...in a pig's eye." That last line...
As a long time TOS fan, you are absolutely right on the money. Amok Time is truly one of, if not the best, Trek TOS episode. Even better than The Doomsday Machine, The Galileo Seven, Devil in the Dark, The Deadly Years, Wolf in the Fold, City on the Edge of Forever, The Enemy Within and more. Great job Steve!
This and "The City on the Edge of Forever" are my favorite TOS episodes.
Mirror, Mirror was always my favorite from TOS but Amok Time is definitely in my top 5. Such a fun episode that hasn’t been matched by any subsequent series.
This is one of my favorites. In it, there is a scene where Spock is supposed to be in Plak Tow, but Leonard is actually just leaning against a post not realizing he is on camera.
What I like about it now, with 45 years of hindsight is, the writers didn't take the easy trope shortcut of making the Vulcans like 'Space ' They made them weird and unique and yet somewhat consistent. It could have been much worse.
T'Pring might have practiced flawless logic, but she was pretty heartless. Spock's dying might have been acceptable, as part of their cultural traditions, but I wonder if she would have faced any kind of consequences for choosing a human as a champion, especially knowing he was almost certainly going to die. Especially a Starfleet captain.
I think this episode is a great example of why Star Trek is still a beloved show. The premise of the episode is nuts, but they play it completely straight, and the best part is, they make you believe every second of it.
I think it's my third favorite episode. Devil in the dark and trouble with tribbles come before that episode, but you just gotta love that smile in sickbay. One of my favorite things about Spock is that for all his logic, it often flies out the window when it comes to keeping Kirk safe, like jumping in front poisoness plant darts, or letting himself get hit over the head.
My favorite TOS episode is “Miri.” My dad had it on VHS and used to watch it with me every time I asked. When I became a parent, I understood how frustrating it could be to have a child ask to watch the same thing over and over again. It gave me an incredible appreciation for how much he loved both the show and me to happily put the same tape in over and over. My Dad is gone now, but I get a warm glow from watching any Trek knowing how much he would approve.
Amok Time is my 2nd favorite episode. Tribbles holds my heart as the absolute fav.
I've been a Star Trek fan since I had the dexterity to flip open a calculator to get beamed up, but I hadn't found your channel until recently. I'm going through your back catalog now and I'm glad you're around, Steve! Your takes on Star Trek offer me insight in a way I'd really never expend the energy to do myself and I also agree with you sociopolitically, from what I've seen so far. Keep up the good (both in quality and message) work. 😃
My favorite episode (TOS-R) is "The Doomsday Machine" which has everything I like, from the acting of William "Willie the Weeper" Windom as Decker to one of the coolest space battles of Season 2. Plus, the score in the episode highlighted the dramatic and action scenes and perfectly summed up the Constellation's mournful theme, the Enterprise's fanfare, and the dangerous notes of the Planet Killer. They really outdid themselves with this one. 🖖😎👍
A great episode.
It gave me nightmares as a child.
TOS-R is a mixed bag, but the CBS digital artists really needed to knock it out of the park with this one, and they mostly did.
This is not my favourite episode, but it does have one of my favourite Star Trek moments, and that's the joy Spock expresses at seeing Kirk alive. I love it because nobody probably wanted it to be profound, or important, or sad - it was just a gag to cap off an episode of heavy melodrama. Spock lets his mask slip off for a moment, and it's a good way to close off a story.
But it has emotional implications based on what else we know about Spock throughout the franchise. It's a tell-tale sign of how regimented Spock's inner life is, and ultimately how repressed he is. We get the glimpse of what Spock may be on the inside (and by extension, of what Vulcan culture is, even if Spock's emotional moments may've originally been written to show his half-human nature).
And this removal of a mask echoes in the franchise in how different Romulans are from Vulcans, in Data's quest for understanding human emotions, in Worf's uneasiness about his human upbringing.
Nobody *wrote* Spock's exclamation of "Jim!" to be profound, but the franchise continuing to exist gave it layers and implications I love. In fact, if the scene had been *meant* to be forcibly deep, it would've failed. It was just trying to be itself, but can't help but have implications that go beyond the immediate context of the episode.
It's a goofy moment, but a revealing one, and things it reveals are not ALL goofy. And I appreciate that a lot.
My favorite is Devil in the Dark, but this one also tells a great story about Vulcan psychology
7:34 Not only do Spock and Kirk have to fight, Nimoy gets to beat the crap out of Shatner. Sort of. (Pardon me while I bite my tongue.)
I've read some of Sturgeon's other work. This is just like him.
I miss Sturgeon. One of the best SF writers nobody's heard of.
@@jayfredrickson8632
Still remembered (by some) for Sturgeon's Law.
@@alanpennie8013 For those who don't remember:
Sturgeon's Law: Ninety percent of everything is crap.
Thanks for making these reviews, Steve. With all the things going on in the present, it's been really wonderful to take a stroll through memories of these shows with you. _Star Trek_ can still give us hope for the future, but now it also reminds us of what sure seems like simpler times in the past. I can hardly wait for the next one!
I adore your reviews, analysis and enthusiasm for Trek! I was born in 1980 and i mostly started with TNG, never really seeing TOS. But man, when I watched them all not that long ago it's such a good show. Keep up the awesome work :)
This episode and “City on the Edge of Forever” are my two favorites. Thank you, Steve for reviewing these episodes so well. 🖖
The image you showed of Spock smiling at Kirk's "revival" may be my single favorite image from TOS, even if it is absolutely out of place with the rest of the TOS series! I liked your comment early on about the backstage crew not really knowing what they were doing during the early episodes. I find that the early novels from some of my favorite authors are the ones I like the most; their writing may not have achieved maturity, but their youthful enthusiasm shines through. And I had forgotten that Theodore Sturgeon wrote "Amok Time." He's my favorite SF authors from SF's golden age, topped only by more recent authors such as LeGuin and Wolfe. (And, yes, I'm old enough to consider the deceased LeGuin and Wolfe "recent authors." Sue me!)
I got to meet Le Guin at the L.A. Public Library some years ago. What an honor that was.
Join the club. Some times, I find current science fiction to be disappointing.
Great episode. I’ve heard that the motivation for the episode was that the fans really loved Spock and wanted to see some details about him and Vulcan culture. One thing that always bugged me is, why weren’t his parents there?
Kirk basically swore himself to secrecy, and I don't think anyone notified the Vulcans until they were there, so their notice of the whole thing was basically "Hey, our Vulcan crewman suddenly got all hot and bothered and demanded we come here. Do you know whats up?" and all the Vulcan's in the comm room go silent, give each other a knowing glance, and someone goes off to tell T'Pring and T'Pau to stop what they're doing, grab the palanquin and Lirpa, and get to the sex gong because guess who just showed up with pon farr?
I'm sure someone called up Sarek and Amanda and said "Hey, better get back to Vulcan for your son's wedding reception" followed by a "Nevermind."
Good stuff
For whatever reason, "Plato's Stepchildren" might be my favorite TOS episode. An episode where everything is taken pretty seriously, and for me anyway, it somehow works. Grim, haunting, compelling, greater than the sum of its parts. The kiss! Spock's singing! I love Michael Dunn's performance as Alexander; his last remarks to the Platonians are really something.
Anything with Michael Dunn is going to be good just because he's in it. One of my favorite character actors of the Sixties. And what a voice.
I really like Amok Time for all the reasons you mentioned. Unfortunately, the last scene takes a bit of the shine off the rest of the episode. The writers decided they couldn’t pass up an opportunity for McCoy to get in a parting shot at Spock.
Dr. McCoy: There's just one thing, Mr. Spock. You can't tell me that when you first saw Jim alive that you weren't on the verge of giving us an emotional scene that would have brought the house down.
Spock: Merely my quite logical relief that Starfleet had not lost a highly proficient captain.
Captain James T. Kirk: Yes, Mr. Spock, I understand.
Spock: Thank you, Captain.
Dr. McCoy: Of course, Mr. Spock. Your reaction was quite logical.
Spock: Thank you, Doctor.
[Kirk and Spock head for the exit]
Dr. McCoy: In a pig's eye!
My favourite episode of OTS would have to be either Arena, with its "terrifying to a six year old" lizard monster, or Devil in the Dark which featured an equally terrifying "pizza monster", as my mother described it. Either way, watching old VHS copies of Star Trek at my grandparents house made me the person I am today.
The creators knew this one would be a special episode. So much so that the music cue at the end of the episode is a special cue only used for this episode! I love this one too.....My fav is The Doomsday Machine with its parallel editing structure that builds a mythic amount of suspense...
One of my favorite episodes since I’ve been a child. I have to say, Journey to Babel is actually slightly higher on my list… personal preference. Also, a lot of people make this mistake but the Vulcan salute created by Nimoy and DC was introduced in Babel not Amok. The other thing (since you asked lol) it’s uh-muck, not ahh-mock. Like “run amok” - you wouldn’t say “run ahh-mock”. Or maybe there is an alternate pronunciation I’m not aware of but ever since the episode “Spock Amok” came out it has really bothered me that people say it that way. Oh well, either way it is a fucking amazing example of campy sci-fi drama in the best way and if we can ever get energy like this again I will be so happy I might blow up. Thank you for the fish 🖖
Journey to Babel (original air date 17 Nov 1967) came after Amok Time (aired 15 Sept 1967).
Journey to Babel is excellent. I just love Amanda in everything
Actually he says Sir.
"Mirror, Mirror" is easily my favorite episode of TOS. It captures the campy fun and the deeper themes of The Original Series in an absolutely scrumptious mixture of both. I often share clips of Kirk's parting speech to Mirror-Spock (which I think even rival's Kirk's "risk is our business" speech) to illustrate how ahead of it's time Trek could be. Subsequent Trek shows have revisited the Mirror Universe either trying to capture the deeper meaning of it (like DS9) or the "let's see how wild we can veer from the normal universe" angle we can (like ENT), none of them could even come close to capture the genius of this episode.
Conscience of the King will always be my favorite but this is a good'un. (Though I'm very happy that we're getting to see T'Pring as an actual person in Strange New Worlds these days.)
Also, there's just something about T'Pau's "This is the Vulcan heart. This is the Vulcan soul" that just haunts me.
Devil In The Dark, encountering a completely new form of life that turns out to be sentient and intelligent and not going pitchfork on it's arse, but coming to a mutually beneficial coexistence.
sulu and checkov diaglogue about setting the course - love that part - of course spock was always my favorite so this episode totally rocks - love your reviews steve!
I need to watch tos again now that I'm an adult, so this may change, but my favorite episode is "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield". I know the metaphor is ham-fisted, but that's why I liked it. When I was a kid, I really didn't understand the social metaphors and how they apply to real life, my life. This was the first time it clicked for me, that I could see the message they were getting across and I can recall it actually changing the way I thought. Maybe because it was around the time of some racial unrest in the nation, but whatever the case, there's no greater height that art can achieve in my mind than That you change someone for the better. It may not be my favorite episode in terms of entertainment, but for me, it was the absolute most important episode for me to have seen.
There may not be much social commentary, but "Amok Time" is astonishingly homoerotic for its era. On prime-time TV in 1967, Kirk and Spock fighting to the death was the closest they could come to having sex.
Theodore Sturgeon was the episode’s writer, and he was well known for putting in such text/subtext in his other works. Not only did he write a scene where Kirk thinks he’s getting a back rub from Spock, but years before Star Trek ever aired he also wrote a short story set in space where a male First Officer was in love with his male captain. He damn well knew what he was doing writing this script and inserted just enough plausible deniability in the fight scene to get it past the network censors.
And then there's the great K/S slash theory that beating up Kirk broke Spock's imprinting on T'Pring and caused him to imprint on Kirk instead, meaning Kirk and Spock pretty much have to have sex every seven years.
@@arwenspicer you know what, we never did get an explanation to how Spock survived his OTHER pon farrs...
Great episode, Is There In Truth No Beauty? is my fav.
Yes, one of the best of the original series. Explores Spock's personal life, Vulcans and Vulcan rituals. Ranks highest among Vulcan themed episodes of the franchise, including the animated episode "Yesteryear" by D.C. Fontana and Voyager's "Blood Fever." Not to mention Star Trek III: The Search For Spock.
My favorite episodes: The Empath and May That Be Your Final Battleground. My therapist has helped me as a Highly Sensitive Person, and I have empathic traits. The actress who plays the empath has no written lines: her character's species did not evolve for speech. The emotional depth she shows, especially the injuries she experiences as she heals the injured crew, are spectacular.
I will write another short missive on the last battleground episode, including a surprise reprising of the half faces, with a polar opposite effect, in a tile game.
~ Peter Ferber
That TOS fight music is truly excellent. The very first episode of TOS I ever watched from beginning to end as a kid was that Tranya Kid episode, had me hooked
I imagine Gene Roddenberry sitting in the TOS offices saying,"Canon? We don't need no stinkin' Canon!" What a great time to be alive. 🖖
I don't know that Amok Time is my favorite episode of TOS, but I can't think of one I enjoy more. It is the best introduction to Vulcan culture we get at that point, and is an enjoyable way to learn about it. I need to flip over to Paramount to watch this again.
Amok Time also gave us one of the best Simpsons episodes ever (remember? When it was really funny?) - Homer v Barney; dum-dum-DUMMM-DUMMM-DUMMM-DUMMM-dum-dum-dum-dum-dum....... timeless (not least because once that fight scene music gets into your brain, it ain't going away any time soon). GREAT!
Plus they recreated the fight in "Cable Guy", with Jim Carrey and Matthew Brodewick, at Medieval Times.
It’s a bit hard to pick favorites, but mine is Balance of Terror. It’s a damn near perfect submarine movie in space, even if it borrows approximately 80% of the plot of the Robert Mitchum classic The Enemy Below.
The other is Devil in the Dark, which is a technically *perfect* Star Trek episode. The plot is tense, the miners are sympathetic, and the monster isn’t really a monster but a misunderstood person trying to protect itself and its young. It’s my go-to episode to recommend for anyone new to the franchise.
Wonderful review, though for me The Doomsday Machine is my favourite TOS episode by a pretty wide margin. Everything from the basic premise of the ancient war machine going where no man has gone before to wipe it all out, to Decker's agonizing over the loss of his crew, to the wonderful music for the episode, it all just comes together perfectly for me.
Definitely my favorite episode. Great recap.
Theodore Sturgeon was already a highly respected and groundbreaking science fiction writer by the time he took on Star Trek, but "Amok Time" may well be his all-time magnum opus. You speak of this as being wacky or goofy, and it does have that baroque space opera feel -- if you were to walk a little beyond the ceremonial arena, you just might wander off Vulcan and directly into Edgar Rice Burroughs's Barsoom -- but such descriptions make it sound random, desperate, off the wall, grabbing for the kitchen sink, only serendipitously lucky, and I don't buy that at all. I think Sturgeon knew EXACTLY what he was doing and how to get there. I think Sturgeon had a deep understanding and appreciation of the Big Three -- as Target Audience has come to know Kirk, Spock, and McCoy -- and concocted a perfect showcase for them. We get amazing new insight into Spock. Kirk was never more Kirk, more principled or dangerously self-confident, his whole ego riding on impressing the renowned matriarch T'Pau. (Absolutely nothing against Celia Lovsky, but in my mind, I always recast T'Pau as Greta Garbo.) And McCoy -- hell, he saved everyone, which of course is what you would expect him to try to do. Oh, and I find it just a little unfair to skip Spock's great line: "She is yours. You may find after a time that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical. But it is often true." Taken one way, that's Vulcan for "This ice-hearted beyotch is gonna screw you over too someday," but there is also great truth in Spock's advice, sometimes wanting beats having -- that's Casablanca, for crying out loud -- and it took Sturgeon to so well encapsulate something so poignant. The moral here is that a truly good writer is gold, you mess with them at your peril.
The absolute pinnacle of Trek to me is the Holy Trinity of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. I don't think any of the other series have managed to create such an amazingly perfect group of friends.
OMG, now you have me imagining a parallel universe where Garbo came out of retirement to play T'Pau and it is living rent-free in my head.
I agree this episode is one of the best of TOS, It was on my recent list of "Best TOS has to offer."
Looking forward to your review of, Chain of Command". Though I doubt that it will top your original coverage of the episode that was, "Why Captain Jellico is actually pretty awesome." I re-watch that video at least once a year as it is just that hilarious.
Definitely in my top 5 favorites of TOS
Loved the episode but I’ve always understood it to be pronounced “amuck” not “a mock”.
An excellent episode, always in my top 10. Yet, my favorite will always be "City on the Edge of Forever". Such a compelling episode.
"What's not to love here", I mean, the misogyny with Chapel wasn't optimal, but apart from that, I agree, easily the best episode.
Great job! I think the social commentary was on betrothing and arranged marriages are not too good! LOL
Amok Time finishes a close second to Devil in the Dark….because Horta.
Channeling your inner Jim Carrey in "The Cable Guy". Bravo!
I LOVE these episodes: Balance of Terror, Journey to Babel, Arena, The Tholian Web, Ultimate Computer, Errand of Mercy ... all of these are contenders for best TOS episode, but, strangely enough, I think The Man Trap is actually my favorite. There's just something about the archaeological site on an alien world, the mystery of the Salt Vampire, and her being the last of her species that defines the very nature of Star Trek to me. That said, your comments about Amok Time are right on, Steve!
My favorite episode of TOS? Easy ... Let That Be Your Last Battlefield ... absolutly beating the audience over the head with blunt-force-allegory. I love it.
I have two favorite episodes, "Balance of Terror" (introduction to Romulans and Mark Leonard - who eventually played Sarek) and "The Doomsday Machine" (with William Windom as Commodore Matt Decker).
I also really love how Kirk gets out of trouble with Starfleet. "How about that T'Pau; they couldn't turn her down". I picture the Starfleet Command admirals being all angry at Kirk, wondering where he is, when a junior officer comes in and says "Sirs, it's the Vulcan Pope. She says the Enterprise is hanging out with her, and that all of you need to shut up about it".
Really enjoying these retro reviews.
Just a really great episode of TOS. And yours.
And there are so many other great little details. The reveal that Spock hasn't been just oblivious to Chapel's feelings, and doesn't think less of her for them. How he summons enough control to kindly explain their futility and express regret for losing his temper, allowing them to move forward as friends and colleagues. The absence of Spock's family from the ceremony setting up the conflict and resolution between Spock and Sarek in "Journey to Babel." Spock complimenting T'Pring's logic while expressing his doubt that it will bring her and Stonn exactly what she'd hoped from it. Establishing the importance and influence of Spock's family, which will serve many a plot point for decades to come. McCoy, the wily trickster. Uh, yeah, I guess I kinda like this episode, too.
(And Futurama's tribute episode. To this day, whenever my sister or I hear a cluelessly offensive political speech, one of us will say, "My fellow fish monsters, far be it for me to question your stupid civilization or its dumb customs..."
And it gave birth to a beautiful baby named slash fiction
My favorite is Balance of Terror, but this one ranks in my top 5. Maybe even top 3.
T'Pring's choice of Kirk has so many layers after Strange New Worlds
I really like your what if videos on your channel because it gives new scenarios I didn't even think about.
Then it got me wondering,
What if the Enterprise D never got destroyed in Generations? Will it affect the storyline of the TNG movies? Will there be changes to the movies themselves? Then another idea came, what if Sela and/or Tomalak were the main villains of Nemesis? will that change the events of the movie as well?
This is a good episode, but since you asked...my favorite TOS ep has always been "Devil in the Dark". It was the first episode of Star Trek that I ever saw (in reruns back in the late 70s) and to this day I love the idea that there's this very alien monster that everyone needs to hunt down to protect these miners, but it turns out it's the miners who are the monsters and the monster (the Horta) is the victim because the humans have been (unknowingly) killing it's young. Then the ep ends with the miners, the Horta and its new clutch of babies cooperating together for the benefit of everyone. Great illustration of one of Star Trek's fundamental ideas, a nice little subverting of expectations and again....as in this episode...Nimoy is great. Leonard takes some material (the Horta mindmeld) that could come off as really goofy and silly but makes it poignant and heartfelt.
I never noticed Bones’ skull display before. Neat!
I scrolled way way way back in the comments and i cannot believe that neither you in the video or anyone in the comments did not try to label this episode "Operation Booty Call". That of course means that "The Trouble With Tribbles" was technically a "Foodie Call".🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Amok Time is my second favorite. My fav is a tie between Journey To Babel (the variety of races appealed to my nascent anthropologist self) and Balance of Terror.
Unfortunately, my favorite episode is Trouble with Tribbles. It was my first ever Star Trek exposure and it has such a special place in my heart. But, as a diehard supporter of the Premise, my second place is obviously Amok Time
While I will always drop everything and watch Amok Time, Space Seed is my favorite episode.
Nurse Chappel has a rough time of it in trying to be supportive of Spock. She notes that he seems out of sorts & brings him the Vulcan equivalent of home-made chicken soup, and he throws it out and berates her. Since the Enterprise is equipped with food synthesizers, I’m going to guess that the soup is not in the ship’s memory banks & Christine had to do some fancy programming - the closest thing to “home cookin’” you can find on a starship. I’m happy that Spock mellows out later and humbly asks her to make it again. Both instances are out of character for Spock, normally, but he’s under a great deal of stress in this episode. Those interactions are nicely staged and performed. My wife & I have been rewatching TOS, and I mentioned to her that they were making it up as they went along. That’s how we got brilliant ideas like the transporter room & the Vulcan Nerve Pinch, but also got silly episodes where ideas were obviously ripped off from WW II submarine flicks. This episode is net positive of “making it up.”
The following is from an interview with the SFBC from Sturgeon’s daughter Noel Sturgeon from 2019
Evan Stein: How did your father get connected to Star Trek and wind up writing one of the stories that
most defined the Vulcan race?
Ted Sturgeon experienced writing blocks and severe depression several times in his life. One of those
times was in the 1960s, following a flood of high quality writing from 1949 to 1964. With four children
and a mortgage on our house in Woodstock, NY, Ted was desperate to make money. Harlan Ellison
suggested that Ted come out to LA and join the writers working on the fledgling science fiction series,
Star Trek. Harlan (who was a long-time fan of Ted’s work and had met him at a science fiction
convention when Harlan was 14), offered him a place to stay at his house, introduced him to Gene
Roddenberry, and gave him advice on writing TV screenplays (though Ted had written radio and
teleplays previously). Thus, Ted was on the Star Trek set at the very beginning of the series, and got to
know the cast well. One of the results of this was that the first red-shirt to die was named Sturgeon
(apparently in homage). My siblings and I got a big kick out of the moment when a red-shirt runs to
Captain Kirk shouting, “Sturgeon’s dead!” in the first episode. Ted brought one or two of us on set
occasionally, and many of the cast visited my sister when she was in the hospital with an injury. They are
(and were) lovely people.
John Grayshaw: Was your father given parameters to follow about pon farr and Vulcans or was he
able to write it how he wanted?
As the answer to the question above would indicate, Ted was present for much of the early
development of the world of Star Trek, and talked through his ideas for the script with the cast, director
Joseph Pevney, and producer Gene Roddenberry, so I think it was somewhat collaborative, though the
basic pon farr plot and emphasis on character development and sexuality are pure Sturgeon. Some of
this collaboration is apparent in what Leonard Nimoy has said about the origination of the Vulcan
greeting. When Nimoy talked with Ted about what such a greeting would be like, Nimoy suggested the
split fingers gesture (which for him referenced Jewish religious practice), while Ted came up with “Live
long and prosper.”
the whole interview can be read here: middletownpubliclib.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Discussion-about-Theodore-Sturgeon.pdf
The fuck or die episode! I hear this episode was a godsend for all of the spirk shippers at the time and in the modern day!
I think it did have social commentary but it was subtle like the best episodes: don't impose your way of thinking, your morals and norms on others.
Favorite for 50+ years, "The Doomsday Machine."
THAT fight music :)
Second favourite TOS episode and I have the fight music as my ring tone.🤣🖖
City on the Edge of Forever. Favorite but this is second.
What will the Vulcans in the Kelvin time line do for pon far if their home planet no longer exists?