Was just watching This Side of Paradise from my VHS tapes I recorded the SciFi Special Edition episodes on. I only have a few, but they're so much fun with this extra stuff and the interviews and commentary in the commercial breaks. Perfect way to watch it, along with the millions who were watching at the same time. Only wish we still had this kind of thing again. View on demand, DVDs, just aren't the same.
There was one thing that was never touched upon in this episode. It was the Gorn's "shoot first and ask questions later" approach to dealing with "invaders". Whether the Federation colony was trespassing on one of their worlds or not, the Enterprise was correct in pursuing them in retaliation for simply slaughtering everyone.
Jim Schuck True, but if the Metrons hadn't interfered either the Gorn ship or the Enterprise would have been destroyed. Either one could have lead to a war that could have killed millions. All because of a misunderstanding.
pacetti07 Though you could say a state of war already existed with the destruction of the colony. This episode and "Errand of Mercy" suggested the idea that if you were on the side of "good" you should "take one for the team" in these situations. It's not a policy I agree with. You can only turn the other cheek so many times.
You're making the classic mistake of judging an alien race by human standards and codes of conduct. Mercilessly slaughtering human scum for taking up residence without invitation or permission may be perfectly acceptable behavour in some parts of the galaxy.
You humans invade and occupy our planet and you accuse us Gorns of being terrorists?!? Here on the Gorn home world, and the rest of the galaxy, we call the invaders the terrorists. If you humans can't grasp this basic distinction, maybe you should confine yourselves to your own planet, where I'm sure you live out your lives in peace and harmony and free from terrorism.
Always wondered that too. A civilization capable on intersteller space flight but just goes straight to their gun without negotiating. Nimoy never addressed it from this angle. Discrepencies in script. Only the overall philosophy. They often didnt jive.
There are virtually no examples of animals that will yield an attack based on reasoning facts. That's the "compassion" Nimoy is talking about. It is the compassion of higher intelligence that many animals simply cannot express because it is not in their nature. Many animals care for their young, or the sick. The only animal I know of that can do the same for it's perceived enemy is the human being.
ARENA MY 2ND FAVORITE EPISODE WITH THE GORN AS MY FAVORITE ALIENS OF ALL TIME,MUCH MORE INTERESTING THAN KLINGONS OR ROMULANS,WITH SHARP LOOKING SCORPION DESTROYERS.THEY WERE REPTILIAN.THAT IS WHY THEY SHOT FIRST.EXTEMELY INTELLIGENT FOR REPTILES.LOVE THEIR LOGOS.
Solow is a bit off; Ellison, of course, wrote some classic Outer Limits episodes, and Theodore Sturgeon had written for TV ever since the live days of the early 50s, for shows such as Tales of Tomorrow. And Nimoy is right: Wah Chang was a genius.
Much better was the award winning short story by FREDRIC BROWN (Ahem, he never gets mentioned here!) which this was taken from. Be great if someone could make a film version (cgi or live) just like the short story showing one on one combat in a force field surrounded arena - man vs. alien in the form of a red ball that rolls about.
R. S. Thanks! I read that story before I saw this episode and recognized it right way. Interesting that in it the opponent was too alien to make peace with.
Yeah, I see a lot of Cows going to the moon, and dogs building houses, and the use of a higher form of communication like a complex language allowing the communication of even more complex ideas prominently in the animal kingdom.
The outcome of technology as "civilizationizing" to which tribute is usually paid. This is why Elison didnt like the central premise. He thought of Star Trek as Space cops, with The Federation of Planets as seizing tribute, despite "non-interference" directives.
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Was just watching This Side of Paradise from my VHS tapes I recorded the SciFi Special Edition episodes on. I only have a few, but they're so much fun with this extra stuff and the interviews and commentary in the commercial breaks. Perfect way to watch it, along with the millions who were watching at the same time. Only wish we still had this kind of thing again. View on demand, DVDs, just aren't the same.
I have a bunch of these on VHS.
Seeing Arena first run as a kid I thought the Gorn were incredibly cool.
Gene Coon was a genius!!!
There was one thing that was never touched upon in this episode. It was the Gorn's "shoot first and ask questions later" approach to dealing with "invaders". Whether the Federation colony was trespassing on one of their worlds or not, the Enterprise was correct in pursuing them in retaliation for simply slaughtering everyone.
Jim Schuck True, but if the Metrons hadn't interfered either the Gorn ship or the Enterprise would have been destroyed.
Either one could have lead to a war that could have killed millions.
All because of a misunderstanding.
pacetti07 Though you could say a state of war already existed with the destruction of the colony. This episode and "Errand of Mercy" suggested the idea that if you were on the side of "good" you should "take one for the team" in these situations. It's not a policy I agree with. You can only turn the other cheek so many times.
You're making the classic mistake of judging an alien race by human standards and codes of conduct. Mercilessly slaughtering human scum for taking up residence without invitation or permission may be perfectly acceptable behavour in some parts of the galaxy.
You humans invade and occupy our planet and you accuse us Gorns of being terrorists?!? Here on the Gorn home world, and the rest of the galaxy, we call the invaders the terrorists. If you humans can't grasp this basic distinction, maybe you should confine yourselves to your own planet, where I'm sure you live out your lives in peace and harmony and free from terrorism.
Always wondered that too. A civilization capable on intersteller space flight but just goes straight to their gun without negotiating. Nimoy never addressed it from this angle. Discrepencies in script. Only the overall philosophy. They often didnt jive.
I hesitate to argue with Mr Nimoy but I feel the Gorn was an excellent character and costume (especially if you didn't have to wear it)
There are virtually no examples of animals that will yield an attack based on reasoning facts. That's the "compassion" Nimoy is talking about. It is the compassion of higher intelligence that many animals simply cannot express because it is not in their nature. Many animals care for their young, or the sick. The only animal I know of that can do the same for it's perceived enemy is the human being.
Ted Cassidy brought the Gorn to life, if not for him, the Gorn would have just been a guy in a rubber suit.
ATTN:
all fans of
STAR TREK
please write
H&I
Demand
STAR TREK
The original series
be put back on at
8:00PM
on
H&I
.(thank Y'all )
ARENA MY 2ND FAVORITE EPISODE WITH THE GORN AS MY FAVORITE ALIENS OF ALL TIME,MUCH MORE INTERESTING THAN KLINGONS OR ROMULANS,WITH SHARP LOOKING SCORPION DESTROYERS.THEY WERE REPTILIAN.THAT IS WHY THEY SHOT FIRST.EXTEMELY INTELLIGENT FOR REPTILES.LOVE THEIR LOGOS.
Solow is a bit off; Ellison, of course, wrote some classic Outer Limits episodes, and Theodore Sturgeon had written for TV ever since the live days of the early 50s, for shows such as Tales of Tomorrow. And Nimoy is right: Wah Chang was a genius.
Much better was the award winning short story by FREDRIC BROWN (Ahem, he never gets mentioned here!) which this was taken from. Be great if someone could make a film version (cgi or live) just like the short story showing one on one combat in a force field surrounded arena - man vs. alien in the form of a red ball that rolls about.
R. S. Thanks! I read that story before I saw this episode and recognized it right way. Interesting that in it the opponent was too alien to make peace with.
Yeah, I see a lot of Cows going to the moon, and dogs building houses, and the use of a higher form of communication like a complex language allowing the communication of even more complex ideas prominently in the animal kingdom.
Roddenberry was in it for more than just “a buck.”
Solow was just being a Herbert.
Compasión the universal languange!!!
Are The Metrons responsible for making sweat stains disappear?
5:40
6:35
The fruits of colonialism?
The outcome of technology as "civilizationizing" to which tribute is usually paid. This is why Elison didnt like the central premise. He thought of Star Trek as Space cops, with The Federation of Planets as seizing tribute, despite "non-interference" directives.