I friggin' love the 60s Batman show, the greatest! Actual fights, no effects. No flying Batman, the guy is a human, not Superman. Every week a different supervillain, rather than every movie being Joker, Joker, Joker. Best Batmobile, best Batsuit. And it didn't take itself seriously, and it worked on two levels at once, a sort of magic trick.
in the 1970's, this episode made a huge impact on my young mind and was instrumental in guiding how I think about racism and bigotry today. So well spelled-out. I've always thought of it as the best of high-concept star trek, the kind of story that the show was built to tell.
Same here. I saw it on first airing when I was a little kid, and it set my opinion on racism: that it was _stupid._ Made no sense, accomplished nothing, ended up killing a planet. Yeah, no thanks. I'm forever grateful to Gene Coon for that.
Your reaction gave me a new appreciation for this episode. I’m 62 and have been watching TOS over and over my whole life, and this one to me was always just an ok episode. But now, listening to your analysis and appreciation shines a new light on it after all these years. We’ll done.
This is a strong episode. Pretty obvious what the storyline really was. Always remember when this was made and what we were doing in the real world. The heart of Star Trek is their way of getting the story told even at a time when you couldn't really talk about these things on network TV.
It resonates in more ways than that. The two are also caricatures of the liberal and conservative, and both are so authoritarian that they end up threatening the ship in the same way.
I'm glad that you guys liked this one so much. I saw this when it first aired and always thought it was one of Trek's most powerful episodes. This was a major statement on racism back then and still relevant today! I haven't seen it in awhile and I'd forgotten how well directed this one was. But I never forgot them running with the images of the burning buildings behind them. Trek at its most brilliant.
Kid rating =1 Adult =9..WOW! Thanks Guys!..see I hated this episode as a kid. I didnt get the concepts yet, couldnt appreciate a great DP and in my memory it was that silly running down the hall and the burning building over and over.. so its been 30 years since I have seen this episode. I really enjoyed it but mortified how nail on the head the writing was, how brave they even went to air this episode back then and, unfortunately how nothing changes. My utopia Star Trek planet is not happening in my lifetime, or my daughters or maybe grandkids at this point. Its going to take Aliens and butt probes to get the world to unite and fight em off.. Imagine that..a guy with a Star Trek ROOM and 45 years of collecting, conventions, seen EVERY ST episode of every series-yet-schooled by these guys who have never seen Trek. This is why you are here, plus the fun of watching you fall in love with the show. Keep it up!
This one has often been put down for being too “on the nose”, but I always considered it one of the iconic episodes. Thanks for pointing out the excellent blocking and camera work, something I hadn’t really noticed before. Now I’ll have to watch it again and pay more attention to that. 😊 PS: that destruct sequence is repeated verbatim in the 1984 film Star Trek III. A nice callback to the original series.
The complaint is that it is too "on the nose" has always seemed to me to be a blindness to the reality and absurdity of the racism that persists today.
Always liked this one. Frank Gorshin and Lou Antonio steam through their scenes and the regular cast step back a bit to let The Message of the episode push forward without it feeling thrusted at us.
Frank Gorshin, the one playing the Commissioner, was a comedian and impressionist. He appeared many times on the old Ed Sullivan show and had a long acting career.
@@ebashford5334 And a great Kirk Douglas (and Cagney) too. He did a great comedy routine of a showdown between Lancaster and Douglas . I wish I could find it.
As a child, after seeing him trade punches with Batman and Kirk, I was astonished to learn that Frank Gorshin was not an actual "official" movie star. His manic, enthusiastic performance as the Riddler is a personal favourite.
Hah, I remember the Riddler from the West (rip) Batman! I think I had remembered or found out that's who it was then forgot about it until you mentioned it. Was always more partial to Cesar Romero's Joker, but that might just be retro bias from how popular Joker has become over the years.
One of my favorite episodes. Roddenberry was great for creating or developing storylines that spoke to problems and issues that were current then or relative throughout the story of mankind.
Great reaction guys. Alex and Josh, this is a great episode in my opinion every time I see it I appreciate it all over again, and it's message is as powerful today as it was in the '60s. I'm 63 so I've seen this series a lot over the years and own it too, this still remains one of the best episodes ever.
It’s interesting,I’ve watched every episode multiple times, and as a kid I enjoyed the stories and the witty interaction of the main characters and the sci-fi elements, but it wasn’t until later in my life when I was mature enough that I begin to realize that I had been given lessons like this about various social topics along the way. This is one of the great episodes that continues to be relevant and will continue to be as long as we as a people keep focusing on our differences instead of learning to embrace our commonality.
I went to a Star Trek club Halloween costume party once in the 1970's, and decided that going as a member of the alien race in this episode would be cheap and easy. Well, it WAS relatively cheap. Getting that line down the middle of my face to be perfect was CRAZY hard!
My favorite part of the episode was always the decontamination sequence. The Enterprise orbits to beautiful music as the planet’s cleansed back to lush and green, with blue oceans. It functions as the perfect counterpoint to the A-story, showing us all what future man can achieve after getting its sh** together - which is about as “Star Trek” as it gets.
Whew! Glad you guys really liked the episode! Just awesome. Unfortunately, I was anticipating you two taking turns dumping on it. You both are young but very detail oriented. These older shows were made for a different audience and don't always translate to newer generations. So glad you appreciate the series. I sincerely hope you give Star Trek: The Animated series a chance starring the voices of the TOS cast. Thank you so much. 😊👍
I loved this episode too. The camerawork and editing were really great. The ship destruction countdown was so amazing...I think they took some inspiration from the final gunfight in "The Good The Bad and The Ugly" with those stylistic close ups on the faces.
Thank you for this reaction! When I was a kid and first saw this episode, and Bele says something like "can't you see the difference" I thought "what difference, you two guys are almost exactly the same!"
I need to rewatch this one... my last memory of it is that the camerawork was a bit pretentious and odd, but thanks to you guys I'm willing to take a look at it and re-evaluate. That's why I enjoy your reactions so much.
A lot of the shots like the close up of the eyes and the shot composition during the destruct sequence was supposedly inspired by Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns
This is one of my favorite original series episodes. I've always enjoyed the stark absurdity of the hatred between the two alien characters, and their cliche narrative grievances and attitudes they throw at each other. Beal describes himself as "black on the right side" in contrast to Loki being described as "white on the right side", rather than black on the left side. In their final confrontation on the bridge, Beal calls Loki "half white", and Loki responds by calling Beal "half black". What? They're both half black, half white. Loki's racial bigotry even extends to the Enterprise crew; that "monotones" can't possibly understand the suffering and discrimination his people have suffered.
I'm 67, and when I watched this January 10, 1969 I didn't catch the left & right significance till the end reveal.That was a wonderful surprise back then which fondly has endeared this episode to me. I have had fun voyaging again along with you two so far.
I didn't expect this reaction. Interesting. Like a lot of commentators I've seen these episodes 100+ times. This one drags a lot on repeated viewings, and the camera work on the self-destruct sequence calls too much attention to itself. Glad you enjoyed it. As others have said, your reaction gives me a renewed appreciation for this episode.
Probably already mentioned, but a famous blooper shows Frank Gorshin on the transporter pad, having just beamed up, suddenly breaking into his Jimmy Cagney impression.
11:25 The reveal here is supposed to be a surprise twist. You caught on to it right away, but the viewers in 1969 were meant to be drawn in thinking they’re the same and then have an “Aha”moment showing how stupid racism is. Brilliant!
Seeing this on TV in the 60's when I was in High School made a powerful impression! It was talked about in our Classes the next day! Speaking of Impressions Frank Gorshin ( Beal ) was one of the best. His impressions were spot on. They must be on TH-cam somewhere.
Before watching your review, I thought this one wasn't very good. But you guys have given me a new appreciation of the ep and now I like it. You're right about the directing, acting, and pacing.
Quick FYI, the Auto Destruct of the ship is very real. It absolutely would have blown up. They don’t play around. The Auto Destruct is serious business. That said, I didn’t always love this episode. I think it’s just fine and I often skip it but I’m enjoying you guys point of view and reaction. Keep up the good work guys!
Was Star Trek the first science fiction show or movie to introduce the idea of having a Self Destruct protocol for a space ship? It's become almost a cliche now a days for every space ship to have this, and to come up in a plotline. It seems almost counter intuitive and even crazy. We're going to build this incredibly expensive and technologically advanced space ship, fill it with a crew, and then add on the means for it to be blown up, just in case? Except for maybe keeping a ship from being captured or taken over by an enemy, something only likely to happen in science fiction, why would we do this?
I’m not sure if it’s the first show to do this but I assume it is. But it is realistic in the sense of Star Fleet is the military in this sci-fi universe. In actual real life it is a common practice for the military to destroy their own ships/planes/tanks etc. so they won’t fall into enemy hands for intelligence purposes. And I do know Gene Roddenberry did serve in the military. But I do understand where you’re coming from.
@@toysruskiddd After I left my comment I started thinking about it, and what you say is very true. After the end of WW1 most of the German high seas fleet were deliberately sunk by their own crews rather than letting the ships be seized by the British.
Thanks guys! I'm glad you liked this one. The hate between two guys that are alike was a really good plot device. Its sad tho. In our world we often see so much hate between two groups. Even to the point of war. That they would exterminate the other side because of their differences. But when you are a third party looking on, both groups seem the same with only minor differences.
Wow! Really glad you liked it! I was worried you'd find it too campy. Thanks for giving me a new appreciation for this one. You always have insights that are great. See, Alex, you didn't jinx it!
This was actually the first episode of Star Trek I ever saw, WAAAY back in 1974, when I was six years old. I'd never heard of Star Trek before, and discovered this episode just flipping through channels. I didn't know what show it was, but I loved it instantly, and I've loved ST ever since.
When the episode originally aired it had a bigger impact than you realize. The previous year there were race riots, MLK and RFK assassinations, riots at the Democratic Convention in Chicago, the My Lai Massacre in Vietnam, just to name a few things that preceded it. At the time it was a lot like the evening news with a moral.
I've always referred to this episode as the "Black and White cookie people" episode. I've always enjoyed this episode. As a lifelong fan of Trek I have been enjoying watching you two see the series for the first time. I can't remember when I first saw these episodes since I was watching Trek since I was about 3 or 4 so it's interesting to me to see your perspectives on these episodes.
When you guys get up to the movies, make sure that you watch the Director's Edition of the first movie. They didn't really have time to properly edit the first film before it went into theatres and so Robert Wise went back and re-edited it. I say that because you seem to like seeing the original SFX versions of things, which is great, but in the case of The Motion Picture it is a much better viewing experience to see the Director's Edition.
In fact, the consensus of Star Trek fandom is that the most recent version of the TMP Director's Edition, released in 2022 (and available in 4K), is the one to watch. TMP is the only Star Trek movie available in more than two versions (Star Trek II and VI also have director's cuts), but, unlike the controversial changes to the original Star Wars trilogy, fans seem to agree that TMP has progressively improved through its revisions over the years due to the time crunch prior to its original release.
Agree with your comments - I remember how impactful this was when I first saw it aged 10 or 11. This is how you tell a great story with a powerful message that is not preachy or on the nose, allowing your audience to draw their own conclusions. This is why we love classic Trek. And that self-destruct multi-factor authentication will come up again.
There's a connection between this episode and one of the films. I don't want to say more in order not to spoil anything, but I think you guy's will appreciate it when you get around to watching the movies.
Of course you already have been told that Frank Gorshin played the Riddler on the Batman tv series, so I find it interesting you mentioned Two Face, Harvey Dent in the beginning 😆
THIS, is THEE episode i tell people watch to explain my love of star trek. This is a self-contained sermon, for then and for us forever. All they had left was their hate and it was that hate that completely destroyed them. As a 90s kid i had thought that our world had learned this lesson, but as an adult now i see its not true. Its especially discouraging and disheartening as a Black girl, to experience the same fears and frustrations as my grandparents and other ancestors, but the dream of star trek, old and especially NEW trek like discovery, does help me keep hope alive. I will always preach the the beauty of star trek is in the hope it gives to us in a broken world for a better tomorrow where we can travel the stars together and meet beautiful others unlike us in everyway - while an imperfect utopia, its proof Star Trek has ALWAYS been “woke” and the perfect example of if you can dream it, you can be it. I just hope I live long enough to be part of it 💕 LLAP y'all💕
@@sabalomglitz6478 I’m not sure what you’re implying, but please don’t use my comment as a way to support any “anti-woke” agenda. “Woke” does not equal hate, “woke” means AWARE; aware of the truth about the systems and society we are part. This world can be so much better when we are all awake and to me Star Trek in all it’s versions old and especially epitomizes a future where we have collectively awakened and taken action towards community care, planetary conservation, education and liberation. Fighting what many consider “woke” only prolongs our collective suffering and keeps the world of Star Trek a fantasy rather than a reality. I want to be part of that future, as I am sure you do as well. 🖖🏿 💕
Frank Gorshin makes a few trademark Riddler body moves, and his voice rises and falls just like the Riddler, in this episode. A well-done, memorable episode, shot on a shoe-string budget. Minor spoiler (Don't read if you haven't seen the ST movies): For fan service, they recreated the exact same Enterprise destruct sequence in the third Star Trek movie.
If you didn't notice the actor who played Commissioner Beale was Frank Gorshin who played the Riddler on the 1966 "Batman" TV show. He always had those weird body movements. He died in 2005 at 72 years old, a bit on the young side to me, but I guess I am spoiled with so many people living into their late 80s and 90s today.😊
Man I’m so glad I watched this because I always remembered this as being so so but your fresh eyes and enthusiasm made me realize all that is great about it. I especially agree with the comments about how well directed this one is.
This was one of my favorite episodes and it is actually the first episode of Star Trek that I can ever remember seeing, it came on as a re run when I was about five and I was fascinated by it.
Nice seeing you guys so enthusiastic. If you appreciate the little technical details like the self-destruct I think you'll really appreciate the movies and TNG when you get to them. They were made by fans of the original series, and so there's a lot of love put into them and serious efforts to try to create both continuity and to really flesh out the universe, including all the little technical details. Not saying it's all 100% consistent, but you can tell they put in the effort. Looking forward to your continued journey. :)
I saw the episode in its first airing, as a child of about 10. I was a bit confused to see Frank Gorshin morph from The Joker on Batman - to Beale on Star Trek. Yet the story line didn't escape my young, tender eyes and thoughts. Powerful even now....
I'm so glad you liked this episode!!! It's not in my top 10 favorite episodes of TOS but it is definitely in my top 20 favorite! I love the story, I think it's perfect for the type of show Star Trek was at that time. I always recommend this episode for people wanting to get into the original Star Trek. Again, I'd say there are 20 episodes that give you everything (or at least 99%) you need to understand this era (The Golden Era) of Trek.
14:05 I just noticed that both actors orient their bodies so they are in profile during beam-down: a visual representation of the physical differences that led to their planet's destruction. Neat.
Wow I finally caught up to this series, and now I find you guys also happen to have just seen one of my favorite sci fi movies of all time Logan's Run!? Definitely part of the Target audience now, keep watching stuff and giving your honest reactions guys these are great. Ill keep watching all this juicy content.
They had just been fighting on the bridge, throwing vast amounts of energy at each other. They were physically exhausted from fighting and emotionally devastated from learning of their planet's fate. Slogging along like that was the best they could do.
Frank Gorshin as Bele, versus Bill Shatner's Kirk! One of my favorite moments in 60's television needed no special effects - just great actors drawing you into a story. The crew reaction to the self-destruct sequence reminded me that the Enterprise crew sign on for a limited tour of duty - everyone expects to return home, with no pieces missing!
Some folks complain that today’s Trek is too political and shoving equality down their throats. They completely miss that Star Trek has always been on the forefront of these ideas. Let That Be Your Last Battlefield couldn’t be more literally in your face about the ridiculousness of racism.
I think the difference is that modern shows insist on using modern groups and painting one side as entirely wrong whereas older ones show both sides equally. For instance here we got an alien race with white and black on opposite sides with humans watching them pursue the hatred that destroyed their race. A modern show would have a white person being racist to black people even when it makes no sense. Like the Doctor who episode where a white racist came back from the future to stop Rosa Parks riding the bus in the belief that would somehow stop the entire civil rights movement. Its not "You half black bastard." "Die you half white wretch!", instead its "Die you white wretch" only. Or the rings of power where they insert black elves and Dwarves even though the fantasy setting they're using didn't have black elves and dwarves but did have an entire culture of black humans to the south they could have explored if they wanted. Again forcing modern groups in a setting where it doesn't apply. When the show is done well and makes sense Owl House, Nimoa, House of the Dragon (I believe), Voyage of the Demeter. People have no problem with it because they are progressive rather than political. Shogun with the articles about "Where are the black people" in a show about a homogenous culture that also had no white Samurai or Chinese Samurai because the show is about Japan in a period when it had little contact with the outside world. This is what I think people mean about them being too political. Its not that older shows had no politics but that the lessons were done usually with subtlety or in a way that showed the issue without attacking a particular group.
Man this one with that face paint is burned into my memory from watching reruns as a kid. I didn't really understand what it was addressing back then. It's interesting to look at it now in light of the decade it was written in.
The 2nd alien is Frank Gorshin, he also played The Riddler on tv’s Batman. Theres a great show the 1967 Batman that used stars as villains. Berges Meredith as The Penguin, Cesar Romero as The Joker, Julie Newmar as Cat-woman etc. Comic book graphics as well. Loads of laughs 👍😂
For a guy known to many in broader culture as an over the top ham in the Adam West Batman, this episode is a good reminder that Frank Gorshin could genuinely underplay in his performances and nail a serious character when he had to.
I don’t know if anyone else mentioned this so far, but among the unique directorial choices in this episode was the decision to show the process of beaming from the POV of the transporter chamber looking back at the console. It’s a shot only used in this episode and provided an interesting change to the usual view. It gave the audience an idea of what it looked like from the perspective of someone standing in the chamber, waiting to beam down. A shame they didn’t ever use it again.
Someone I worked with did his college thesis on the use of primary colors in costumes on 1960s shows like Star Trek, Gilligan's Island and Batman, so it is fun seeing Batman actors on Trek. Color TV was a motivator to put the colorful costumes to good use.
Definitely one of the best. There is a Scotty centric episode coming as well The Cloud Minders, That Which Survives and an episode with a sentient lava planet.
I first watched all of the Star Trek original series episodes either first run (even though too young to really remember the first season) or on shortly-thereafter syndication so my memories were originally made from a child's perspective. It is both interesting and eye-opening to see adults watching Star Trek for the first time and seeing how our perspectives differ.
One of my favorite movies Lou antonio stared in was a movie titled soul survivor. About a B-25 ww2 bomber crashed in the desert during the war and finally discovered many years later. The crew appears to be alive but they are just ghosts. William Shatner is one of the 2 people investigating the crash. Richard basehart plays a general who was the navigator on the b25 bomber who bailed out without telling the crew and was the soul survivor. The crew who are now ghosts are shocked when they see he is still alive. Patrick Wayne ( John Wayne's son) played the pilot of the ill fated b25. Very good movie. Good one to react to.
I noticed a lot of the reactions to this episode are "as a kid versus as an adult" comments. Star Trek works on multiple levels which is why the best episodes stand the test of time. Thinking of Aesop's Fables.
This is a story that COULD HAVE been boring. It could have been "in your face" and one-sided. Instead, like you noted, you have something that is competently acted, directed, and written. You have an episode about racist hate, but to the crew of the Enterprise who are not partakers in their hate, they see both sides as ultimately ignorant and self-destructive. And in the end, we see the result: it is self-destructive. We also see how both sides attempt to rope people into their hate... "You have to see these people as evil. You have to take my side!" And that's what happens in all these situations, be it race hatred or a nasty divorce.
This episode is a perfect example of why classic trek is miles ahead of the nu/CBS/Kurtzman trek. Lessons through smart metaphor rather than try to beat you over the head or force feed the viewer blatant woke stories/characters.
One of my favorite episodes. Us Gen Xers who grew up in the NYC Tri State area and watched ST on channel 11 saw edited versions of the episodes so there are scenes we didn't see for thr first time until it was shown on cable and in this episode it was the scene in the crewman's lounge where Loki is speaking to the crew. Always wondered if Kirk was bluffing about the 5-0 part. And, yes, to Mr. Gorshen (who was a comedian/impressionist by trade and was nominated for an Emmy for playing the Ridder on BATMAN), Mr. Antonio (who previously appeared in ARENA as the Cestus 3 survivor and later became a director), and to the director.
@@vincentsaia6545 Your own link disproves that. Yes, they do look somewhat alike. But they are not the same person. Look at the link that YOU posted and you will see that.
This episode is even better as a prophetic forewarning about the mortal dangers of ideological zealotry . Next on the same Kirk- time, same Kirk- channel : Kirkman battles Lee Merriweather !
"Our mission is to decontaminate it" could be as simple as nuking the entire planet. YIKES The Riddler!! Bele is played by Frank Gorshin. An advanced alien race studying us might be confused about why we group ourselves the way we do. The genetic difference is greater between people of different heights than between people of different "races." Limited budgets makes people get more creative. Just like some directors/writers need the MPAA limit of PG-13 otherwise they just go overboard. Having Scotty rather than Bones be the third makes sense. I don't know what rank Bones was in the episode but line officers are higher than medical officers at the same rank.
In an episode of the TV show "Third Rock From the Sun", humans are trying to explain the concept of racism to the lead alien, who is completely bewildered by the idea. He's unaware of the difference between the black secretary and a white professor, even when they point it out to him. Totally exasperated, he says he could understand judging or defining people based on intelligence, education, or income, "but skin pigmentation? Give me a break!"
I know this episode is pretty unsubtle (and I think is generally less enjoyable with repeat viewings), but my favourite part of this episode is how *bewildered* Kirk and crew are by the racial hatred. It paints the picture of a very, very optimistic future for humanity, which of course is a foundational concept of what Star Trek is all about.
This is one of my favorites of all 3 seasons. I try to watch this one when it is on TV. The message was delivered adroitly without being obvious. A great job by all actors and technical staff, particularly since they knew at this point that the series was cancelled. Lastly, I always liked Bele considering Kirk’s plea to stay, then giving into hate for Lokai. Glad you enjoyed the episode too.
I've really been enjoying watching you two see these for the first time. It's a bit weird for me thou, cause you are adults that have never seen Star Trek, and I'm 57 yrs old and can't remember ever seeing a Star Trek episode that I hadn't seen before. I literally cannot remember seeing an Original StarTrek episode for the first time. I hope you plan on doing the rest of them too. Dont forget the cartoons! Have fun.
Great reaction as ever, guys. Personally I think this one is nearly great. Obviously it's a brilliant allegorical concept - I just wish it could have been a bit more subtle! The camera work is a weird mix of very impressive and very crude :)
We just watched Logan’s Run (1976) for the first time! Go check it out --> th-cam.com/video/SrvEcnRWuP0/w-d-xo.html
In the last episode we had Yvonne Craig (Batgirl). In this episode we have Frank Gorshin (The Riddler).
And in a few weeks, we get Catwoman (Lee Meriwether)
There's a part of the Trek outtakes reel that shows him hamming it up as the Riddler on set because of the skin tight costume 😊
@@MsAlexisPiazza- And we already saw the first Catwoman, Julie Newmar, in the Season Two episode, "Friday's Child."
Two other Batman villains were also on Star Trek: Joan Collins (Siren) and Malachi Throne (Falseface).
I friggin' love the 60s Batman show, the greatest! Actual fights, no effects. No flying Batman, the guy is a human, not Superman. Every week a different supervillain, rather than every movie being Joker, Joker, Joker. Best Batmobile, best Batsuit. And it didn't take itself seriously, and it worked on two levels at once, a sort of magic trick.
in the 1970's, this episode made a huge impact on my young mind and was instrumental in guiding how I think about racism and bigotry today. So well spelled-out. I've always thought of it as the best of high-concept star trek, the kind of story that the show was built to tell.
Same here. I saw it on first airing when I was a little kid, and it set my opinion on racism: that it was _stupid._ Made no sense, accomplished nothing, ended up killing a planet. Yeah, no thanks. I'm forever grateful to Gene Coon for that.
Sad and tragic that this episode is still relevant today rather than anachronistic.
Sad and tragic how many warning parables are still relevant.
The worst part is that so many educated people will miss the message of the parable.
Your reaction gave me a new appreciation for this episode. I’m 62 and have been watching TOS over and over my whole life, and this one to me was always just an ok episode. But now, listening to your analysis and appreciation shines a new light on it after all these years. We’ll done.
The scene with Spock listening to Loki discuss persecution has subtext since Spock has experienced prejudice as a half-human, half-Vulcan.
And on a human level he relates because his family is Jewish and experienced the Holocaust.
Alex's glee at spotting the "Fakeov" at the helm early in the episode is so funny. 😄
One of my favorite episodes. It shows how stupid we are to allow arbitrary physical traits to cloud our judgement.
This is a strong episode. Pretty obvious what the storyline really was. Always remember when this was made and what we were doing in the real world.
The heart of Star Trek is their way of getting the story told even at a time when you couldn't really talk about these things on network TV.
A sci-fi show set in the future talking about racism is the perfect way to get an episode thru the censors of that time. Pretty slick.
It resonates in more ways than that. The two are also caricatures of the liberal and conservative, and both are so authoritarian that they end up threatening the ship in the same way.
Context-This aired less than 5 years after the CRA of 1964.
I'm glad that you guys liked this one so much. I saw this when it first aired and always thought it was one of Trek's most powerful episodes. This was a major statement on racism back then and still relevant today! I haven't seen it in awhile and I'd forgotten how well directed this one was. But I never forgot them running with the images of the burning buildings behind them. Trek at its most brilliant.
Running with the images stuck with me, always. Average Trek was great, Trek at its best was awesome.
Kid rating =1 Adult =9..WOW! Thanks Guys!..see I hated this episode as a kid. I didnt get the concepts yet, couldnt appreciate a great DP and in my memory it was that silly running down the hall and the burning building over and over.. so its been 30 years since I have seen this episode. I really enjoyed it but mortified how nail on the head the writing was, how brave they even went to air this episode back then and, unfortunately how nothing changes. My utopia Star Trek planet is not happening in my lifetime, or my daughters or maybe grandkids at this point. Its going to take Aliens and butt probes to get the world to unite and fight em off..
Imagine that..a guy with a Star Trek ROOM and 45 years of collecting, conventions, seen EVERY ST episode of every series-yet-schooled by these guys who have never seen Trek.
This is why you are here, plus the fun of watching you fall in love with the show. Keep it up!
This one has often been put down for being too “on the nose”, but I always considered it one of the iconic episodes. Thanks for pointing out the excellent blocking and camera work, something I hadn’t really noticed before. Now I’ll have to watch it again and pay more attention to that. 😊
PS: that destruct sequence is repeated verbatim in the 1984 film Star Trek III. A nice callback to the original series.
It's as absurd as actual racism, seems like some people just don't want to acknowledge it.
The complaint is that it is too "on the nose" has always seemed to me to be a blindness to the reality and absurdity of the racism that persists today.
Always liked this one. Frank Gorshin and Lou Antonio steam through their scenes and the regular cast step back a bit to let The Message of the episode push forward without it feeling thrusted at us.
Frank Gorshin, the one playing the Commissioner, was a comedian and impressionist. He appeared many times on the old Ed Sullivan show and had a long acting career.
He did a great Burt Lancaster.
And he was The Riddler on the Batman TV show; one of my favorite villains.
@@ebashford5334 And a great Kirk Douglas (and Cagney) too. He did a great comedy routine of a showdown between Lancaster and Douglas . I wish I could find it.
Such a great actor.
He did an astonishingly powerful turn in an episode of the acclaimed series The Defenders. "The Hundred Lives of Harry Simms"
As a child, after seeing him trade punches with Batman and Kirk, I was astonished to learn that Frank Gorshin was not an actual "official" movie star. His manic, enthusiastic performance as the Riddler is a personal favourite.
And well it should be.
And he looked so dapper in the green question mark suit too.
Frank Gorshen is a very good actor. He was also most well known for portraying the Riddler in the 1960's Batman tv show with Adam West.
Hah, I remember the Riddler from the West (rip) Batman! I think I had remembered or found out that's who it was then forgot about it until you mentioned it. Was always more partial to Cesar Romero's Joker, but that might just be retro bias from how popular Joker has become over the years.
One of my favorite episodes. Roddenberry was great for creating or developing storylines that spoke to problems and issues that were current then or relative throughout the story of mankind.
Great reaction guys.
Alex and Josh, this is a great episode in my opinion every time I see it I appreciate it all over again, and it's message is as powerful today as it was in the '60s. I'm 63 so I've seen this series a lot over the years and own it too, this still remains one of the best episodes ever.
It’s interesting,I’ve watched every episode multiple times, and as a kid I enjoyed the stories and the witty interaction of the main characters and the sci-fi elements, but it wasn’t until later in my life when I was mature enough that I begin to realize that I had been given lessons like this about various social topics along the way. This is one of the great episodes that continues to be relevant and will continue to be as long as we as a people keep focusing on our differences instead of learning to embrace our commonality.
I'm glad that TNG series also had these morality plays from time to time.
I went to a Star Trek club Halloween costume party once in the 1970's, and decided that going as a member of the alien race in this episode would be cheap and easy. Well, it WAS relatively cheap. Getting that line down the middle of my face to be perfect was CRAZY hard!
Can you imagine if someone else went as the opposite sides?
@@RLucas3000 That would have been a perfect couple's costume.
@@luminiferous1960 As long as you stayed at each others throats all evening...just to stay in character! 😊
@@mirozen_ Not a difficult requirement for some couples. 😉
@@luminiferous1960 Lol! 👍
My favorite part of the episode was always the decontamination sequence. The Enterprise orbits to beautiful music as the planet’s cleansed back to lush and green, with blue oceans. It functions as the perfect counterpoint to the A-story, showing us all what future man can achieve after getting its sh** together - which is about as “Star Trek” as it gets.
Whew! Glad you guys really liked the episode! Just awesome. Unfortunately, I was anticipating you two taking turns dumping on it. You both are young but very detail oriented. These older shows were made for a different audience and don't always translate to newer generations. So glad you appreciate the series. I sincerely hope you give Star Trek: The Animated series a chance starring the voices of the TOS cast. Thank you so much. 😊👍
It helps that this one's message is so very, and unfortunately, timeless.
I loved this episode too. The camerawork and editing were really great. The ship destruction countdown was so amazing...I think they took some inspiration from the final gunfight in "The Good The Bad and The Ugly" with those stylistic close ups on the faces.
Thank you for this reaction! When I was a kid and first saw this episode, and Bele says something like "can't you see the difference" I thought "what difference, you two guys are almost exactly the same!"
I need to rewatch this one... my last memory of it is that the camerawork was a bit pretentious and odd, but thanks to you guys I'm willing to take a look at it and re-evaluate. That's why I enjoy your reactions so much.
A lot of the shots like the close up of the eyes and the shot composition during the destruct sequence was supposedly inspired by Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns
Dave I agree the camera choice are odd
This is one of my favorite episodes as well gentlemen. Well done. I also liked your notice of the various production elements.
This is one of my favorite original series episodes. I've always enjoyed the stark absurdity of the hatred between the two alien characters, and their cliche narrative grievances and attitudes they throw at each other.
Beal describes himself as "black on the right side" in contrast to Loki being described as "white on the right side", rather than black on the left side. In their final confrontation on the bridge, Beal calls Loki "half white", and Loki responds by calling Beal "half black". What? They're both half black, half white. Loki's racial bigotry even extends to the Enterprise crew; that "monotones" can't possibly understand the suffering and discrimination his people have suffered.
I'm 67, and when I watched this January 10, 1969 I didn't catch the left & right significance till the end reveal.That was a wonderful surprise back then which fondly has endeared this episode to me. I have had fun voyaging again along with you two so far.
I didn't expect this reaction. Interesting. Like a lot of commentators I've seen these episodes 100+ times. This one drags a lot on repeated viewings, and the camera work on the self-destruct sequence calls too much attention to itself. Glad you enjoyed it. As others have said, your reaction gives me a renewed appreciation for this episode.
Probably already mentioned, but a famous blooper shows Frank Gorshin on the transporter pad, having just beamed up, suddenly breaking into his Jimmy Cagney impression.
11:25 The reveal here is supposed to be a surprise twist. You caught on to it right away, but the viewers in 1969 were meant to be drawn in thinking they’re the same and then have an “Aha”moment showing how stupid racism is. Brilliant!
Last five seconds... That's like the last 30(?) seconds on the Nostromo in Alien. No Abort. But on Galaxy Quest... "It always stops at 1 on the show."
Seeing this on TV in the 60's when I was in High School made a powerful impression! It was talked about in our Classes the next day! Speaking of Impressions Frank Gorshin ( Beal ) was one of the best. His impressions were spot on. They must be on TH-cam somewhere.
Before watching your review, I thought this one wasn't very good. But you guys have given me a new appreciation of the ep and now I like it. You're right about the directing, acting, and pacing.
The Star Trek novel “No Time Like the Past” did a bit of a follow up to this episode that made this ep feel more tragic
Quick FYI, the Auto Destruct of the ship is very real. It absolutely would have blown up. They don’t play around. The Auto Destruct is serious business. That said, I didn’t always love this episode. I think it’s just fine and I often skip it but I’m enjoying you guys point of view and reaction. Keep up the good work guys!
Was Star Trek the first science fiction show or movie to introduce the idea of having a Self Destruct protocol for a space ship? It's become almost a cliche now a days for every space ship to have this, and to come up in a plotline. It seems almost counter intuitive and even crazy. We're going to build this incredibly expensive and technologically advanced space ship, fill it with a crew, and then add on the means for it to be blown up, just in case? Except for maybe keeping a ship from being captured or taken over by an enemy, something only likely to happen in science fiction, why would we do this?
I’m not sure if it’s the first show to do this but I assume it is. But it is realistic in the sense of Star Fleet is the military in this sci-fi universe. In actual real life it is a common practice for the military to destroy their own ships/planes/tanks etc. so they won’t fall into enemy hands for intelligence purposes. And I do know Gene Roddenberry did serve in the military. But I do understand where you’re coming from.
@@toysruskiddd After I left my comment I started thinking about it, and what you say is very true. After the end of WW1 most of the German high seas fleet were deliberately sunk by their own crews rather than letting the ships be seized by the British.
I didn’t know that but I’m not surprised.
Military ships have scuttling valves or charges for self-destruction, and rockets have them too in case their guidance malfunctions.
Also, your reaction to this episode helps others to see how good it actually is, I think.
Thanks guys! I'm glad you liked this one. The hate between two guys that are alike was a really good plot device.
Its sad tho. In our world we often see so much hate between two groups. Even to the point of war. That they would exterminate the other side because of their differences. But when you are a third party looking on, both groups seem the same with only minor differences.
This has always been one of my favorites as well. Season 3 added so much to the Trek Universe and ensured its longevity...
Wow! Really glad you liked it! I was worried you'd find it too campy.
Thanks for giving me a new appreciation for this one. You always have insights that are great.
See, Alex, you didn't jinx it!
This was actually the first episode of Star Trek I ever saw, WAAAY back in 1974, when I was six years old. I'd never heard of Star Trek before, and discovered this episode just flipping through channels. I didn't know what show it was, but I loved it instantly, and I've loved ST ever since.
When the episode originally aired it had a bigger impact than you realize.
The previous year there were race riots, MLK and RFK assassinations, riots at the Democratic Convention in Chicago, the My Lai Massacre in Vietnam, just to name a few things that preceded it.
At the time it was a lot like the evening news with a moral.
I've always referred to this episode as the "Black and White cookie people" episode. I've always enjoyed this episode. As a lifelong fan of Trek I have been enjoying watching you two see the series for the first time. I can't remember when I first saw these episodes since I was watching Trek since I was about 3 or 4 so it's interesting to me to see your perspectives on these episodes.
"Look to the cookie."
When you guys get up to the movies, make sure that you watch the Director's Edition of the first movie. They didn't really have time to properly edit the first film before it went into theatres and so Robert Wise went back and re-edited it. I say that because you seem to like seeing the original SFX versions of things, which is great, but in the case of The Motion Picture it is a much better viewing experience to see the Director's Edition.
In fact, the consensus of Star Trek fandom is that the most recent version of the TMP Director's Edition, released in 2022 (and available in 4K), is the one to watch. TMP is the only Star Trek movie available in more than two versions (Star Trek II and VI also have director's cuts), but, unlike the controversial changes to the original Star Wars trilogy, fans seem to agree that TMP has progressively improved through its revisions over the years due to the time crunch prior to its original release.
Agree with your comments - I remember how impactful this was when I first saw it aged 10 or 11. This is how you tell a great story with a powerful message that is not preachy or on the nose, allowing your audience to draw their own conclusions. This is why we love classic Trek.
And that self-destruct multi-factor authentication will come up again.
There's a connection between this episode and one of the films. I don't want to say more in order not to spoil anything, but I think you guy's will appreciate it when you get around to watching the movies.
This was one of my favorite episodes as a kid. It is great seeing how well it holds up!
Of course you already have been told that Frank Gorshin played the Riddler on the Batman tv series, so I find it interesting you mentioned Two Face, Harvey Dent in the beginning 😆
THIS, is THEE episode i tell people watch to explain my love of star trek. This is a self-contained sermon, for then and for us forever. All they had left was their hate and it was that hate that completely destroyed them. As a 90s kid i had thought that our world had learned this lesson, but as an adult now i see its not true. Its especially discouraging and disheartening as a Black girl, to experience the same fears and frustrations as my grandparents and other ancestors, but the dream of star trek, old and especially NEW trek like discovery, does help me keep hope alive. I will always preach the the beauty of star trek is in the hope it gives to us in a broken world for a better tomorrow where we can travel the stars together and meet beautiful others unlike us in everyway - while an imperfect utopia, its proof Star Trek has ALWAYS been “woke” and the perfect example of if you can dream it, you can be it. I just hope I live long enough to be part of it 💕 LLAP y'all💕
Too bad The Woke are The Commisioner and missed the point entirely. So sad....
@@sabalomglitz6478 I’m not sure what you’re implying, but please don’t use my comment as a way to support any “anti-woke” agenda. “Woke” does not equal hate, “woke” means AWARE; aware of the truth about the systems and society we are part. This world can be so much better when we are all awake and to me Star Trek in all it’s versions old and especially epitomizes a future where we have collectively awakened and taken action towards community care, planetary conservation, education and liberation. Fighting what many consider “woke” only prolongs our collective suffering and keeps the world of Star Trek a fantasy rather than a reality. I want to be part of that future, as I am sure you do as well. 🖖🏿 💕
Frank Gorshin makes a few trademark Riddler body moves, and his voice rises and falls just like the Riddler, in this episode. A well-done, memorable episode, shot on a shoe-string budget. Minor spoiler (Don't read if you haven't seen the ST movies): For fan service, they recreated the exact same Enterprise destruct sequence in the third Star Trek movie.
Yes with the same destruct codes!
Don't ruin it for them! 🤐
If you didn't notice the actor who played Commissioner Beale was Frank Gorshin who played the Riddler on the 1966 "Batman" TV show. He always had those weird body movements. He died in 2005 at 72 years old, a bit on the young side to me, but I guess I am spoiled with so many people living into their late 80s and 90s today.😊
Man I’m so glad I watched this because I always remembered this as being so so but your fresh eyes and enthusiasm made me realize all that is great about it. I especially agree with the comments about how well directed this one is.
Definitely one of the best! Thanks for making me realize how unique the direction was. I never thought about that before.
This was one of my favorite episodes and it is actually the first episode of Star Trek that I can ever remember seeing, it came on as a re run when I was about five and I was fascinated by it.
One of the few I love from this season! Glad you guys liked it too!
Nice seeing you guys so enthusiastic. If you appreciate the little technical details like the self-destruct I think you'll really appreciate the movies and TNG when you get to them. They were made by fans of the original series, and so there's a lot of love put into them and serious efforts to try to create both continuity and to really flesh out the universe, including all the little technical details. Not saying it's all 100% consistent, but you can tell they put in the effort. Looking forward to your continued journey. :)
Yeah until JJ and Kurtzman eras, Trek was pretty highly consistent canon-wise for a 50 year old franchise. It’s kind of unbelievable.
Remember that Mr Scott is third in command of the Enterprise even though his primary Duties are chief engineer
"It always stops at 1 on the show!" 😅
Star Trek TOS was going on while MLK alive and fighting for equal rights. This episode might reflect some of what was going on at that time.
I saw the episode in its first airing, as a child of about 10. I was a bit confused to see Frank Gorshin morph from The Joker on Batman - to Beale on Star Trek. Yet the story line didn't escape my young, tender eyes and thoughts. Powerful even now....
This episode was a work of genius. Why didn't Frank Gorshin win an Emmy? Star Trek was a drama with a sci-fi background.
One of the first episodes I ever saw and it has stayed with me all this time. SAD testament to the state of affairs today.
After seeing this reaction, I probably have to rewatch this episode.
I'm so glad you liked this episode!!!
It's not in my top 10 favorite episodes of TOS but it is definitely in my top 20 favorite!
I love the story, I think it's perfect for the type of show Star Trek was at that time.
I always recommend this episode for people wanting to get into the original Star Trek. Again, I'd say there are 20 episodes that give you everything (or at least 99%) you need to understand this era (The Golden Era) of Trek.
3:10 "I was at a football game." lol ... Good episode and great reaction, guys, as usual.
14:05 I just noticed that both actors orient their bodies so they are in profile during beam-down: a visual representation of the physical differences that led to their planet's destruction. Neat.
The Actor who played commissioner Bele is actor Frank Gorshin who played the Riddler on the 60's Batman TV Show
Wow I finally caught up to this series, and now I find you guys also happen to have just seen one of my favorite sci fi movies of all time Logan's Run!? Definitely part of the Target audience now, keep watching stuff and giving your honest reactions guys these are great. Ill keep watching all this juicy content.
I think Gorshin's odd running style at the end was meant to express his mental/emotional state (completely eroded), but it does look weird.
They had just been fighting on the bridge, throwing vast amounts of energy at each other. They were physically exhausted from fighting and emotionally devastated from learning of their planet's fate. Slogging along like that was the best they could do.
It’s a disturbing episode for sure the parallels to our history on our world it’s a eye opening journey, a real lesson to learn from
Frank Gorshin as Bele, versus Bill Shatner's Kirk! One of my favorite moments in 60's television needed no special effects - just great actors drawing you into a story. The crew reaction to the self-destruct sequence reminded me that the Enterprise crew sign on for a limited tour of duty - everyone expects to return home, with no pieces missing!
Thanks to this episode we have a couple relatively easy but recognizable cosplay options for trek conventions
One of my favorites. Excited that you guys loved it too!
Some folks complain that today’s Trek is too political and shoving equality down their throats. They completely miss that Star Trek has always been on the forefront of these ideas. Let That Be Your Last Battlefield couldn’t be more literally in your face about the ridiculousness of racism.
And "A Private Little War" includes the phrase "the 20th-century brush wars on the Asian continent."
I think the difference is that modern shows insist on using modern groups and painting one side as entirely wrong whereas older ones show both sides equally. For instance here we got an alien race with white and black on opposite sides with humans watching them pursue the hatred that destroyed their race. A modern show would have a white person being racist to black people even when it makes no sense. Like the Doctor who episode where a white racist came back from the future to stop Rosa Parks riding the bus in the belief that would somehow stop the entire civil rights movement. Its not "You half black bastard." "Die you half white wretch!", instead its "Die you white wretch" only.
Or the rings of power where they insert black elves and Dwarves even though the fantasy setting they're using didn't have black elves and dwarves but did have an entire culture of black humans to the south they could have explored if they wanted. Again forcing modern groups in a setting where it doesn't apply. When the show is done well and makes sense Owl House, Nimoa, House of the Dragon (I believe), Voyage of the Demeter. People have no problem with it because they are progressive rather than political. Shogun with the articles about "Where are the black people" in a show about a homogenous culture that also had no white Samurai or Chinese Samurai because the show is about Japan in a period when it had little contact with the outside world.
This is what I think people mean about them being too political. Its not that older shows had no politics but that the lessons were done usually with subtlety or in a way that showed the issue without attacking a particular group.
Another Batman actor, Frank Gorshin was the Riddler.
The ship does have an auto-destruct function...but no corbomite device.
Man this one with that face paint is burned into my memory from watching reruns as a kid. I didn't really understand what it was addressing back then. It's interesting to look at it now in light of the decade it was written in.
Did you like how they threw in commentary about the Cold War at the end? The Cuban Missile Crisis happened just a handful of years before.
The 2nd alien is Frank Gorshin, he also played The Riddler on tv’s Batman. Theres a great show the 1967 Batman that used stars as villains. Berges Meredith as The Penguin, Cesar Romero as The Joker, Julie Newmar as Cat-woman etc. Comic book graphics as well. Loads of laughs 👍😂
For a guy known to many in broader culture as an over the top ham in the Adam West Batman, this episode is a good reminder that Frank Gorshin could genuinely underplay in his performances and nail a serious character when he had to.
I don’t know if anyone else mentioned this so far, but among the unique directorial choices in this episode was the decision to show the process of beaming from the POV of the transporter chamber looking back at the console. It’s a shot only used in this episode and provided an interesting change to the usual view. It gave the audience an idea of what it looked like from the perspective of someone standing in the chamber, waiting to beam down. A shame they didn’t ever use it again.
Good point. I did not realize this was a one time shot. It’s another example of the Director being creative.
Someone I worked with did his college thesis on the use of primary colors in costumes on 1960s shows like Star Trek, Gilligan's Island and Batman, so it is fun seeing Batman actors on Trek. Color TV was a motivator to put the colorful costumes to good use.
Definitely one of the best. There is a Scotty centric episode coming as well The Cloud Minders, That Which Survives and an episode with a sentient lava planet.
Wow. This episode is making me think about current events now, just like it did when I first saw it as a teenager.
I first watched all of the Star Trek original series episodes either first run (even though too young to really remember the first season) or on shortly-thereafter syndication so my memories were originally made from a child's perspective. It is both interesting and eye-opening to see adults watching Star Trek for the first time and seeing how our perspectives differ.
One of my favorite movies Lou antonio stared in was a movie titled soul survivor. About a B-25 ww2 bomber crashed in the desert during the war and finally discovered many years later. The crew appears to be alive but they are just ghosts. William Shatner is one of the 2 people investigating the crash. Richard basehart plays a general who was the navigator on the b25 bomber who bailed out without telling the crew and was the soul survivor. The crew who are now ghosts are shocked when they see he is still alive. Patrick Wayne ( John Wayne's son) played the pilot of the ill fated b25. Very good movie. Good one to react to.
I noticed a lot of the reactions to this episode are "as a kid versus as an adult" comments. Star Trek works on multiple levels which is why the best episodes stand the test of time. Thinking of Aesop's Fables.
This is a story that COULD HAVE been boring. It could have been "in your face" and one-sided. Instead, like you noted, you have something that is competently acted, directed, and written. You have an episode about racist hate, but to the crew of the Enterprise who are not partakers in their hate, they see both sides as ultimately ignorant and self-destructive. And in the end, we see the result: it is self-destructive. We also see how both sides attempt to rope people into their hate... "You have to see these people as evil. You have to take my side!" And that's what happens in all these situations, be it race hatred or a nasty divorce.
Now you have tell not show in 2023
This episode is a perfect example of why classic trek is miles ahead of the nu/CBS/Kurtzman trek. Lessons through smart metaphor rather than try to beat you over the head or force feed the viewer blatant woke stories/characters.
No spoilers but there is very nice call back to this episode in the movies
One of my favorite episodes. Us Gen Xers who grew up in the NYC Tri State area and watched ST on channel 11 saw edited versions of the episodes so there are scenes we didn't see for thr first time until it was shown on cable and in this episode it was the scene in the crewman's lounge where Loki is speaking to the crew. Always wondered if Kirk was bluffing about the 5-0 part. And, yes, to Mr. Gorshen (who was a comedian/impressionist by trade and was nominated for an Emmy for playing the Ridder on BATMAN), Mr. Antonio (who previously appeared in ARENA as the Cestus 3 survivor and later became a director), and to the director.
That wasn't Lou Antonio in "Arena." It was Tom Troupe.
@@davide123 No, it was Lou Antonio. trekipedia.com/file/File:harold-tos19.jpg
@@vincentsaia6545 if you look at the bottom of that page that you linked to, it says, "Tom Troupe."
@@davide123 Watch the episode. It is definitely Lou Antonio. He has a big dramatic scene in sick bay.
@@vincentsaia6545 Your own link disproves that. Yes, they do look somewhat alike. But they are not the same person. Look at the link that YOU posted and you will see that.
This episode still resonates with me.
Good call on this app from a person that has watched TOS for almost 50 years.
The famous "destruct sequence"! You'll be seeing it again.
This episode is even better
as a prophetic forewarning
about the mortal dangers of
ideological zealotry .
Next on the same Kirk- time, same Kirk- channel : Kirkman battles Lee Merriweather !
"Our mission is to decontaminate it" could be as simple as nuking the entire planet. YIKES
The Riddler!! Bele is played by Frank Gorshin.
An advanced alien race studying us might be confused about why we group ourselves the way we do. The genetic difference is greater between people of different heights than between people of different "races."
Limited budgets makes people get more creative. Just like some directors/writers need the MPAA limit of PG-13 otherwise they just go overboard.
Having Scotty rather than Bones be the third makes sense. I don't know what rank Bones was in the episode but line officers are higher than medical officers at the same rank.
In an episode of the TV show "Third Rock From the Sun", humans are trying to explain the concept of racism to the lead alien, who is completely bewildered by the idea. He's unaware of the difference between the black secretary and a white professor, even when they point it out to him. Totally exasperated, he says he could understand judging or defining people based on intelligence, education, or income, "but skin pigmentation? Give me a break!"
frank gorshin was a genius impressionist 😊
The Harvy Dent comment cracked me up.
I know this episode is pretty unsubtle (and I think is generally less enjoyable with repeat viewings), but my favourite part of this episode is how *bewildered* Kirk and crew are by the racial hatred. It paints the picture of a very, very optimistic future for humanity, which of course is a foundational concept of what Star Trek is all about.
This is one of my favorites of all 3 seasons. I try to watch this one when it is on TV. The message was delivered adroitly without being obvious. A great job by all actors and technical staff, particularly since they knew at this point that the series was cancelled. Lastly, I always liked Bele considering Kirk’s plea to stay, then giving into hate for Lokai. Glad you enjoyed the episode too.
I've really been enjoying watching you two see these for the first time. It's a bit weird for me thou, cause you are adults that have never seen Star Trek, and I'm 57 yrs old and can't remember ever seeing a Star Trek episode that I hadn't seen before. I literally cannot remember seeing an Original StarTrek episode for the first time. I hope you plan on doing the rest of them too. Dont forget the cartoons! Have fun.
Great reaction as ever, guys. Personally I think this one is nearly great. Obviously it's a brilliant allegorical concept - I just wish it could have been a bit more subtle! The camera work is a weird mix of very impressive and very crude :)