There's just something about that set that really, really remains me of the set of IB. Plus, guys and a girl pretending to be Nazis to get at their leader, the emphasis on film...

Anyway, if you've got a fetish for bare-chested Shatner getting whipped in a dungeon by Nazis --NTTAWWT-- this is the episode for you. It seems to me that Patterns of Force was intended to be one of those serious-business social commentary Trek episodes much like A Private Little War. But then things went off the rails, and frankly, it's much better that way. This one feels a lot like a Mission Impossible episode, which is a fun change of pace for the series. We've got a classic jailbreak scene, lots of undercover bits, and McCoy impersonating a drunken Nazi colonel. What's not to love?

Misc:

Someone correct me here: in TOS they didn't have those replicator things that could create objects from scratch, right? So how on Earth did they manage to come up with a Nazi colonel uniform for McCoy within minutes? This bugged me the rest of the episode --there would have to be some enormous costume department on board the ship.

If you're a serious-business WWII buff, there are apparently lots of mismatched errors in some of the Nazi costumes.

Oh, he's not kidding. It didn't air in Germany until 2011!

By Any Other Name SEASON 2 EPISODE 22



Wiki Entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/By_Any_Other_Name

This episode is notable for 3 main things: I think it has the most beautiful woman in Star Trek, certainly in The Original Series, in the form of Barbara Bouchet. I'm a fan of hers, and she was a beautiful Monnypenny in the goofy 1967 Bond spoof 'Casino Royale'. Secondly. I do believe this is the first instance of the redshirt that dies being a woman. Yay for feminism! Thirdly, we get our first look at Scotty's quarters. He's got bagpipes and kilts on the wall (stereotyping lol), but also this rather cool picture/plaque thing I really like.

It contains many tropes from previous Star Treks: aliens taking human form and struggling with what becoming that form means ('Cats Paw', 'Return to Tomorrow'); an energy barrier at the edge of the galaxy ('Where No Man Has Gone Before'); aliens using tech to control the Enterprise crew ('The Squire of Gothos'); Kirk getting an alien lady hot for the purposes of getting out of a bad situation ('The Gamesters of Triskelion').

I like this one, it's a fun episode. We also get one of the aliens played by a guy who has been in another episode as a different character ('The Naked Time'). It starts grim and threatening, and then, wisely, turns more fun as the crew try and use human fallibilities and emotions to confuse and show the aliens (the Kelvin - a Lovecraftian race of monstrous size with a hundred tentacles, all capable of doing independent tasks) how they should be friendly rather than aggressive.

Means of confusion:
Kirk - seduction
Scotty - drinking an alien under the table
McCoy - giving an alien a shot a day that makes him super-irritable
Spock - winding up the alien commander about Kirk's relationship with Kelinda, so 'jealousy'.


As a sidenote, I used to own this one episode on super 8 in the 70s. It cost me £80 back in the late 70s, which was about 3 months part-time work for me, so I'd guess about $400-500 now as equivalent? So it's the episode I've seen the most times. I still like it a lot.

I'm calling very good on this one, but I plead an element of nostalgia-goggles.

Redshirt Count: 20

Classics -
Amok Time (S2E01)
The City on the Edge of Forever (S1E28)
The Naked Time (S1E04)
The Corbomite Maneuver (S1E10)
Balance of Terror (S1E14)
The Enemy Within (S1E05)
The Squire of Gothos (S1E17)
Devil in the Dark (S1E25)
Mirror Mirror (S2E04)
Arena (S1E18)
Miri (S1E08)
A Taste of Armageddon (S1E23)
Charlie X (S1E02)
Space Seed (S1E22)
Patterns of Force (S2E21)

Very Good
This Side of Paradise (S1E24)
A Piece of the Action (S2E17)
The Trouble with Tribbles (S2E15)
By Any Other Name (S2E22)
Return to Tomorrow (S2E20)
Wolf In The Fold (S2E14)

Decent
Return of the Archons (S1E21)
Mudd's Women (S1E06)
I Mudd (S2E08)
Journey to Babel (S2E10)
Operation Annihilate (S1E29)
The Menagerie (S1E11+12)
Shore Leave (S1E15)
Court Martial (S1E20)
The Conscience of the King (S1E13)
Where No Man Has Gone Before (S1E03)
The Man Trap (S1E01)
What Are Little Girls Made Of (S1E07)
Dagger of the Mind (S1E09)
Galileo Seven (S1E16)
The Changeling (S2E03)
Catspaw (S2E07)
Errand of Mercy (S1E26)
Tomorrow Is Yesterday (S1E19)
The Apple (S2E05)
The Doomsday Machine (S2E06)


Ho-Hum
The Gamesters of Triskelion (S2E16)
A Private Little War (S2E19)
Obsession (S2E13)
The Deadly Years (S2E12)
Who Mourns for Adonais? (S2E02)
The Immunity Syndrome (S2E18)
Friday's Child (S2E11)
Metamorphosis (S2E09)

Terrible -
The Alternative Factor (S1E27)

I just watched this one last week! Very unexpected and as you said it was weird to see them in nazi uniforms. Upsetting to watch Kirk get whipped. Overall it was entertaining. Enjoyed it.

I liked the one we saw last night even better. Episode #25, Bread and Circuses. Have you reviewed it yet?

I think it's great that Netflix has so much trek material available, I also embarked on the rewatching of just about all of that a while back. I really liked the interview with Nichols about the fan that convinced her to stay on the show. To me TOS was entertainment, social commentary, and a place to let my childish idealism flourish. Growing up with one tv in the house (a sony tv encased in a wood frame) this is the only show I remember jockeying for with my family when it was on.

TNG > TOS > Voyager > Enterprise (and refuse to finish DS9, I just don't like it)

Also someone posted an image of a warp bubble or wave that a ship could potentially ride on but even if we could get that going I thought the problem was getting off it. Iirc no ones figured a way to stop.

With the whipping - strong stuff! I liked the touch of Spock's welts came up green.

Will get to Bread and Circuses in a few weeks, but that's a good one too iirr.

The Omega Glory SEASON 2 EPISODE 23


Wiki Entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Omega_Glory

Well this started off all serious and tense, and seemed to be setting up to be a whodunit/detective piece, then completely changed tack and became about another battle, another planet. Fair enough, it seemed to be going nicely, but then suddenly we found outselves in whacky territory where this planet had somehow had social evolution that almost exactly matched earth (if you followed some commentators' predictions for the future, in the 1960s). Right down to one side being Yankees (and white) and the other communists (being Chinese in appearance). Including holy words in the form of a garbled Pledge of Allegiance.

It was totally bananas. Someone was on some particularly powerful mind-bending drugs that week.

I enjoyed it well enough though.

Redshirt Count: 20

Classics -
Amok Time (S2E01)
The City on the Edge of Forever (S1E28)
The Naked Time (S1E04)
The Corbomite Maneuver (S1E10)
Balance of Terror (S1E14)
The Enemy Within (S1E05)
The Squire of Gothos (S1E17)
Devil in the Dark (S1E25)
Mirror Mirror (S2E04)
Arena (S1E18)
Miri (S1E08)
A Taste of Armageddon (S1E23)
Charlie X (S1E02)
Space Seed (S1E22)
Patterns of Force (S2E21)

Very Good
This Side of Paradise (S1E24)
A Piece of the Action (S2E17)
The Trouble with Tribbles (S2E15)
By Any Other Name (S2E22)
Return to Tomorrow (S2E20)
Wolf In The Fold (S2E14)

Decent
Shore Leave (S1E15)
Return of the Archons (S1E21)
Mudd's Women (S1E06)
I Mudd (S2E08)
The Omega Glory (S2E23)
Journey to Babel (S2E10)
Operation Annihilate (S1E29)
The Menagerie (S1E11+12)
Court Martial (S1E20)
The Conscience of the King (S1E13)
Where No Man Has Gone Before (S1E03)
The Man Trap (S1E01)
What Are Little Girls Made Of (S1E07)
Dagger of the Mind (S1E09)
Galileo Seven (S1E16)
The Changeling (S2E03)
Catspaw (S2E07)
Errand of Mercy (S1E26)
Tomorrow Is Yesterday (S1E19)
The Apple (S2E05)
The Doomsday Machine (S2E06)


Ho-Hum
The Gamesters of Triskelion (S2E16)
A Private Little War (S2E19)
Obsession (S2E13)
The Deadly Years (S2E12)
Who Mourns for Adonais? (S2E02)
The Immunity Syndrome (S2E18)
Friday's Child (S2E11)
Metamorphosis (S2E09)

Terrible -
The Alternative Factor (S1E27)

Ya, I normally love the Cold War social commentary episodes, but this one was just ham-handedly bad. The society that somehow evolves along *exactly* the lines as Earth is absurdly implausible, even by Trek standards. Kirk saving the day by reciting the pledge of allegiance feels like the kind of cheap nationalism Star Trek normally tries to rise above.

Terrible episode, especially in comparison with the more nuanced A Private Little War, although I did like I did like Morgan Woodward as Capt. Tracy.

Misc:

This episode was written before the series began, and was considered for use as the pilot. That may explain the awkward, half-baked feel of it. At one point, Kirk says "A star captain's most solemn oath is that he will give his life, even his entire crew, rather than violate the Prime Directive." Which is absurd, since Kirk manages to violate the Prime Directive in like every other episode.

Morgan Woodard also played the crazed Dr. Van Gelder in Dagger of the Mind.

Roddenberry submitted the teleplay of this episode for consideration for an Emmy. I'm guessing he was just trolling them.

The Ultimate Computer SEASON 2 EPISODE 24


Wiki Entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ultimate_Computer

I really enjoyed this one, as I think William Marshall (who played Dr Daystrum) is a really good actor, and has great presence. (I really like him in two of my favourite Blaxploitation movies, Blacula and Scream Blacula Scream, where he is just terrific). It was also great to see a black man in such a prominent, central role, and as a man of genius - this sort of thing is when Roddenberry's influence is most positive. The whole story feels like it was ripped off by the HAL section of 2001.

The updated special effects were also rather excellent, especially when a set of starships are lining up against the Enterprise.

A rather fine episode, let down a little by too much dialogue about machines replacing men, and not enough Spock being more central.

Redshirt Count: 21

Classics -
Amok Time (S2E01)
The City on the Edge of Forever (S1E28)
The Naked Time (S1E04)
The Corbomite Maneuver (S1E10)
Balance of Terror (S1E14)
The Enemy Within (S1E05)
The Squire of Gothos (S1E17)
Devil in the Dark (S1E25)
Mirror Mirror (S2E04)
Arena (S1E18)
Miri (S1E08)
A Taste of Armageddon (S1E23)
Charlie X (S1E02)
Space Seed (S1E22)
Patterns of Force (S2E21)

Very Good
The Ultimate Computer (S2E24)
This Side of Paradise (S1E24)
A Piece of the Action (S2E17)
The Trouble with Tribbles (S2E15)
By Any Other Name (S2E22)
Return to Tomorrow (S2E20)
Wolf In The Fold (S2E14)

Decent
Shore Leave (S1E15)
Return of the Archons (S1E21)
Mudd's Women (S1E06)
I Mudd (S2E08)
The Omega Glory (S2E23)
Journey to Babel (S2E10)
Operation Annihilate (S1E29)
The Menagerie (S1E11+12)
Court Martial (S1E20)
The Conscience of the King (S1E13)
Where No Man Has Gone Before (S1E03)
The Man Trap (S1E01)
What Are Little Girls Made Of (S1E07)
Dagger of the Mind (S1E09)
Galileo Seven (S1E16)
The Changeling (S2E03)
Catspaw (S2E07)
Errand of Mercy (S1E26)
Tomorrow Is Yesterday (S1E19)
The Apple (S2E05)
The Doomsday Machine (S2E06)


Ho-Hum
The Gamesters of Triskelion (S2E16)
A Private Little War (S2E19)
Obsession (S2E13)
The Deadly Years (S2E12)
Who Mourns for Adonais? (S2E02)
The Immunity Syndrome (S2E18)
Friday's Child (S2E11)
Metamorphosis (S2E09)

Terrible -
The Alternative Factor (S1E27)

Agree that it's very, very cool to see a black man in a strong leading role as a brilliant computer scientist. Easy to take for granted in 2014, but back in 1968, only a few years after legalized discrimination was ended, it was a subtle but wonderfully subversive message on the part of Roddenberry.

Intelligent machines replacing humans is a constant staple of sci-fi --I think there's a movie on this theme coming out this summer. It works especially well with the Enterprise. We also get Kirk reciting that classic line: "...and all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by...", which is a great Trek moment. I think this line will be repeated elsewhere in the franchise. It's also a fun twist to see Spock ultimately side with humans over machines.

Great D. C. Fontana episode that's just a wee bit short of a classic. Actually, I wouldn't complain if this was classified as a classic.

Misc:

Despite striking similarities, afaict this episode came out just before Arthur C Clarke's 2001 was published, so ST couldn't have been copying off of it. What a great year for sci-fi!

I always felt that the 2001 computer was more allegorical (and a tad humorous) than threatening. A more comparable movie in my view is Colossus: The Forbin Project.

For me this episode belongs solidly in the classic category. I've been doing my own TOS re-watch and this is one of the few where I could recall the entire plot once I started watching, even not having seen it for probably decades. And I was still on the edge of my seat.

Bread and Circuses SEASON 2 EPISODE 25


Wiki Entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread_a...iginal_Series)

Whilst suffering the same fundamental ridiculous premise as The Omega Glory, that another planet would evolve exactly the same as earth, but branch off at some point in shared history, this is way more fun, covering the contention that ancient Rome didn't fall, and continued to the 20th Century (and also, they spoke English). Gladiator fights on TV etc.

I liked it despite this idiocy, and the story cracked along at a fair pace and eventually, nothing really was resolved apart from Kirk, Spock and McCoy escaping. There was 1 odd scene where McCoy lays into Spock about having no feelings, but it was a really, really generic scene, and could have gone into almost any episode, and didn't really make sense here.

One thing that stuck out to me was the fascistic Roman state had guards with white helmets. I've noticed this cultural dress-code in 70s/80s sci-fi where some near-future America, in a dictatorial/fascist regime, having guards with white helmets. For example, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, or Dead Zone.

I always thought it was resonating with the white-helmeted cops in the Kent State shootings in 1970, but interestingly this was 2 years before that. Were white-helmeted cops seen as an oppressive force by the young in the late 60s? Where they 'the man'?

Redshirt Count: 21

Classics -
Amok Time (S2E01)
The City on the Edge of Forever (S1E28)
The Naked Time (S1E04)
The Corbomite Maneuver (S1E10)
Balance of Terror (S1E14)
The Enemy Within (S1E05)
The Squire of Gothos (S1E17)
Devil in the Dark (S1E25)
Mirror Mirror (S2E04)
Arena (S1E18)
Miri (S1E08)
A Taste of Armageddon (S1E23)
Charlie X (S1E02)
Space Seed (S1E22)
Patterns of Force (S2E21)

Very Good
The Ultimate Computer (S2E24)
This Side of Paradise (S1E24)
A Piece of the Action (S2E17)
The Trouble with Tribbles (S2E15)
By Any Other Name (S2E22)
Return to Tomorrow (S2E20)
Wolf In The Fold (S2E14)

Decent
Shore Leave (S1E15)
Bread and Circuses (S2E25)
Return of the Archons (S1E21)
Mudd's Women (S1E06)
I Mudd (S2E08)
The Omega Glory (S2E23)
Journey to Babel (S2E10)
Operation Annihilate (S1E29)
The Menagerie (S1E11+12)
Court Martial (S1E20)
The Conscience of the King (S1E13)
Where No Man Has Gone Before (S1E03)
The Man Trap (S1E01)
What Are Little Girls Made Of (S1E07)
Dagger of the Mind (S1E09)
Galileo Seven (S1E16)
The Changeling (S2E03)
Catspaw (S2E07)
Errand of Mercy (S1E26)
Tomorrow Is Yesterday (S1E19)
The Apple (S2E05)
The Doomsday Machine (S2E06)


Ho-Hum
The Gamesters of Triskelion (S2E16)
A Private Little War (S2E19)
Obsession (S2E13)
The Deadly Years (S2E12)
Who Mourns for Adonais? (S2E02)
The Immunity Syndrome (S2E18)
Friday's Child (S2E11)
Metamorphosis (S2E09)

Terrible -
The Alternative Factor (S1E27)

Having recently watched the Rifftrax version of the Hunger Games, I can report that the guards there also had white helmets.

Cool, you got to it! I like the title of the episode a lot. The gladiator scenes were hilarious and the fact that the people are watching them on tv is funny too. Heh I guess you are correct, nothing really was resolved was it!

I don't know why I love these episodes that revisit a specific time in our history but I do.

and Kirk is corny as ever, "Caesar and Christ...They had them both too, but the faith is spreading only now."


I'm impressed that you know what color the helmets were in the Kent State shootings. who remembers this kind of stuff? What color helmet does 'the man' wear over there?

I just googled the Kent State Shootings, and all the state authority troops/police/whatever don't seem to be wearing white helmets. I must be thinking of something else in the late 60s.

And

White heleted riot police in the sixties urban riots maybe?

haha does it instill fear in you? because all it does is makes me think of a Monty Python sketch!
we don't see that type of helmet here.

Yes, that's it! Was this before 1968? In which case, Roddenberry + team are definitely deliberately tapping into that for this episode.

What I like about this one is the interaction between Spock and McCoy, some of the best you'll find anywhere in the series imo. Trademarks of a Roddenberry-written episode.

Also, I liked the humor involved with the two of them concerned that Kirk is being tortured or something when he's actually spending the night with the girl.

"What did they do to you, Jim?"

"They threw me... a few curves"

But, it suffers from the syndrome of making the situation look dire for the better part of the episode and then resolving it all so quickly and easily that it's a bit of a letdown.

LOL no. Our coppers are friendly.

Summer of '67

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Hot_Summer_of_1967

Even before that, you had the Watts riots in 1965.

As far as Vietnam War protests, db, you might have been thinking of the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago, where the police wore light-colored riot helmets also.

Kent State was May 1970

I'm pretty sure a white helmet was standard for police riot gear in the US before the rise of SWAT teams in the '70s and today's militarized forces.

But the Kent State shooters weren't police. They were military (National Guard)

I'm pretty sure they went with white helmets because someone in the costume department found some white motorcycle helmets lying around. idk if they were making any kind of a cultural reference.