Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 18, Episodes 35 (Star Trek)
Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 18, Episodes 35 & 36: The Doomsday Machine/ Wolf in the Fold
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| B00004Y630 |
| Paramount Home Video |
| 24 October, 2000 |
| "The Doomsday Machine" |
Writer Norman Spinrad had in mind a futuristic Moby Dick when he conjured up this story, though things didn't quite work out that way. The original idea was that the Enterprise would encounter an obsessive, Ahab-like captain whose Starfleet crew had been destroyed by a planet-killing robot ship, and who sought revenge by taking command of James T. Kirk's vessel for a private hunt. Alas, the tough-as-nails actor Robert Ryan proved unavailable for the guest spot, and Trek producers cast the more visibly vulnerable William Windom instead, softening the script accordingly. "The Doomsday Machine," as a result, falls short of its potential. The story still concerns the destruction of life aboard the starship Constellation and Kirk's inability to beam back aboard his own ship. But while a major conflict between Windom's unsteady character, Commodore Matt Decker, and that of Spock (Leonard Nimoy) for control of the Enterprise is entertaining enough, one yearns to see a real showdown. (In karmic terms, that face-off took place later in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, between then-Admiral Kirk and Decker's son, Captain Will Decker, played by Stephen Collins.) Also a little dubious is the tubular robot ship, which is supposed to look both mechanical and organic, yet resembles moldy cannoli. --Tom Keogh
"Wolf in the Fold"
A randy Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley), and Scotty (James Doohan) take shore leave on planet Argelius II, a trip that becomes a nightmare when Scotty is suspected in a series of murders. From its opening scene featuring a seductive belly dancer to the ultimate revelation of the killer's identity, "Wolf in the Fold" has the aura of a psychological horror story. No wonder: the script is by Robert Bloch, author of the novel Psycho (basis for the Hitchcock film), who also came up with the idea of the Enterprise computers being overtaken by none other than Jack the Ripper. Actor John Fiedler, whose raspy, high-pitched voice is most familiar as the sound of Piglet in Walt Disney's Winnie the Pooh, is very good as the ultra-annoying Hengist, a skeptical prosecutor out for Scotty's head. One of the few Trek episodes to focus on Scotty, "Wolf" is downright exotic at times in its spooky tone and depiction of the sensual life on Argelius II. (Director Joseph Pevney even spent some of Paramount's money getting a startling overhead shot of a séance.) Here's a weird factoid: Harlan Ellison, author of Trek's great "City on the Edge of Forever" episode, also once wrote a futuristic Jack-is-back story called (ta-da!) "City on the Edge of Tomorrow." --Tom Keogh
The Doomsday Machine
Following a trail of debris and asteroids that are the planetary remains of Systems L370 through L374 the Starship Enterprise discovers the heavily damaged U.S.S. Constellation dead in space. Kirk, McCoy, Scotty and a damage control party beam over to the crippled starship to investigate the cause of its condition, they find the corridors littered with wreckage and debris as well as no one from the crew on board. The ship's phaser banks were completely exhausted and her warp drive was a hopeless pile of junk. Attempting to access the Constellation's computer logs in auxiliary control the landing party discovers the Constellation's commander, Commodore Matthew Decker. Decker relays a horrifying tale of a monstrous devil machine, which destroys planets by chopping them into rubble using a powerful anti-proton weapon.
Analysis of the Constellation's log tapes by Mr. Spock revealed that the Constellation had encountered an automated weapon of immense size and power slicing up the 4th Planet of System L374 and was using the debris for fuel. The U.S.S. Constellation had attempted to stop the marauding machine but was heavily damaged in the fight, with the ship dead in space and unable to support the crew Decker ordered that they beam down to the relative safety of the 3rd Planet in System L374. With the Commodore the last person on the Constellation the machine suddenly appeared and destroyed the 3rd Planet totally annihilating Decker's crew, the shock of watching his entire crew die while he was helpless to save them sent Decker over the edge. Kirk theorized that the "Doomsday Machine" as he called it was built primarily as a bluff and was never meant to be used but was used in a war uncounted centuries ago something like the 20th Century's H-Bomb.
Kirk orders McCoy and Decker to beam back to the Enterprise while he, Scotty and the damage control party stay on board the Constellation to get her ready to be towed to a repair facility. Decker's "Planet Killer" arrives just as McCoy and Decker beam over to the Enterprise, the machine attacks knocking out the Enterprise's transporter and stranding Kirk and the landing party aboard the derelict Constellation. The Enterprise suffers minor damage in the attack while the machine resumes its deadly original course right into the heart of the galaxy - the Rigel Colonies. Decker assumes command of the Enterprise from Spock and despite some colorful protests from Dr. McCoy, he orders the Enterprise to pursue and attack the Planet Killer before it can destroy the Rigel Colonies. Kirk and the damage control party work feverishly to restore the Constellation's main systems and her viewing screen in auxiliary control, the main screen is repaired and activated just in time for Kirk to see his ship attacking the Doomsday Device - the Enterprise's powerful weapons didn't even scratch the seemingly impenetrable neutronium outer hull of the Planet Killer.
The Enterprise takes a beating at the hands of the Planet Killer's main weapon which knocked out the starship's shields and caused multiple hull breaches and casualties. Spock manages to convince Decker that his course of action is foolhardy, reluctant; Decker orders the battered starship to veer off just as the machine traps the Enterprise with an extremely powerful tractor beam. Scotty manages to repair the Constellation's impulse drive and recharge one of her phaser banks, maneuvering the crippled ship into phaser range the Constellation is able to distract the Planet Killer there by releasing its hold on the Enterprise. After some assistance from Decker on the Enterprise both vessels manage to escape destruction.
Kirk finally managing to regain contact with the Enterprise orders Spock to take command from the obsessed and unstable Commodore. Decker relinquishing the bridge is ordered to be escorted to sickbay for an examination escorted by an Enterprise security officer. On the way to sickbay Decker overpowers his security escort and takes off for the hanger deck, reaching the shuttle bay he steals a shuttlecraft and heads for the Planet Killer. Kirk and Spock both attempt to convince the guilt ridden Decker to return to the Enterprise, Decker's feeling of guilt and sadness at the loss of his crew are too strong and he pilots the shuttle into the maw of the Doomsday Machine.
The shuttlecraft's explosion which caused a minute drop in the machine's power emanations gives Kirk an idea, having Scotty rig the Constellation's impulse engines to explode the ship is turned into a giant H-Bomb. Kirk's plan was to pilot the Constellation into the maw of the Planet Killer and detonate the impulse drive from the inside hopefully stopping the mechanical monster for good. The window of 30 seconds that the engines will explode after activating the countdown is very slim considering the fact that the Enterprise's transporter is not at 100% and therefore unreliable. Kirk decides to proceed despite the odds that are stacked against him. Scotty and the damage control party beam back to the Enterprise leaving Kirk alone on the Constellation, allowing him to complete final preparations before putting his plan into action. Scotty is able to repair the Enterprise's transporter and Kirk is transported off the Constellation just as the 97.835 megaton explosion created by the overloading impulse drive deactivates the Planet Killer.
One of Treks best, no question.
The Doomsday Machine-I've always felt this good episode, in which a(nother) deranged captain pursues a Doomsday Machine (flying doobie?), was a bit overrated. The episode certainly has its share of action, and thought provoking themes. The latter include the dangers of 1) technology and 2) hubris and obsession in the wake of a loss. One problem is that William Windom is no Gregory Peck; his Ahab is over the top. The episode is also somewhat sterile, with too much of the Doomsday Machine and the music that follows it everywhere. Yet even this monotony somehow adds tension as the show builds to its climax. A good episode, but somehow not quite as dramatic and momentous as it aims to be. (3.5 stars)
Wolf In The Fold-The `Jack the Ripper' episode is another action episode from the second season. The conclusion to the teaser is quite chilling, although the episode never quite reaches that pitch thereafter. The exotic pleasure palace and seance keep things going for a while, but much of the show is ultimately taken up by the `baton-passing' of Rejack. Once we know the episode's fairly compelling hook, there isn't much novelty even in Rejack's penultimate resting place.
This episode also was not the highpoint of gender sensitivity. `The Boys' are pretty glib in their loose talk at the beginning of the episode, and the violence towards women isn't treated as anything more than a plot device to get Scotty into trouble. On the other hand, the same could be said of most Star Trek violence towards MEN. There's no denying though that death was treated more lightly after the first season. Some second season episodes (Patterns of Force was the worst offender) stepped way over the line; the producers seemed to feel that as long as they didn't side with the bad guys (and they didn't) any subject could be treated, and in some cases treated lightly.) (3.5 stars)
Star Trek The Next Generation - The Complete Seasons 1-7
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| B00062RCBW |
| Paramount Home Video |
| 26 October, 2004 |
| After Star Wars and the successful big-screen Star Trek adventures, it's perhaps not so surprising that Gene Roddenberry managed to convince purse string-wielding studio heads in the 1980s that a Next Generation would be both possible and profitable. But the political climate had changed considerably since the 1960s, the Cold War had wound down, and we were now living in the Age of Greed. To be successful a second time, Star Trek had to change too. A writer's guide was composed with which to sell and define where the Trek universe was in the 24th Century. The United Federation of Planets was a more appealing ideology to an America keen to see where the Reagan/Gorbachev faceoff was taking them. Starfleet's meritocratic philosophy had always embraced all races and species. Now Earth's utopian history, featuring the abolishment of poverty, was brandished prominently and proudly. The new Enterprise, NCC 1701-D, was no longer a ship of war but an exploration vessel carrying families. The ethical and ethnical flagship also carried a former enemy (the Klingon Worf, played by Michael Dorn), and its Chief Engineer (Geordi LaForge) was blind and black. From every politically correct viewpoint, Paramount executives thought the future looked just swell! Roddenberry's feminism now contrasted a pilot episode featuring ship's Counsellor Troi (Marina Sirtis) in a mini-skirt with her ongoing inner strengths and also those of Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) and the short-lived Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby). The arrival of Whoopi Goldberg in season 2 as mystic barkeep Guinan is a great example of the good the original Trek did for racial groups--Goldberg has stated that she was inspired to become an actress in large part through seeing Nichelle Nichols' Uhura. Her credibility as an actress helped enormously alongside the strong central performances of Patrick Stewart (Captain Picard), Jonathan Frakes (First Officer Will Riker), and Brent Spiner (Data) in defining another wholly believable environment once again populated with well-defined characters. Star Trek, it turned out, did not depend for its success on any single group of actors. Like its predecessor in the 1960s, TNG pioneered visual effects on TV, making it an increasingly jaw-dropping show to look at. And thanks also to the enduring success of the original show, phasers, tricorders, communicators and even phase inverters were already familiar to most viewers. But while technology was a useful tool in most crises, it now frequently seemed to be the cause of them too, as the show's writers continually warned about the dangers of over-reliance on technology (the Borg were the ultimate expression of this maxim). The word "technobabble" came to describe a weakness in many TNG scripts, which sacrificed the social and political allegories of the original and relied instead upon invented technological faults and their equally fictitious resolutions to provide drama within the Enterprise's self-contained society. (The holodeck's safety protocol override seemed to be next to the light switch given the number of times crew members were trapped within.) This emphasis on scientific jargon appealed strongly to an audience who were growing up for the first time in the late 1980s with the home computer--and gave rise to the clichéd image of the nerdy Trek fan. Like in the original Trek, it was in the stories themselves that much of the show's success is to be found. That pesky Prime Directive kept moral dilemmas afloat ("Justice"/"Who Watches the Watchers?"/"First Contact"). More "what if" scenarios came out of time-travel episodes ("Cause and Effect"/"Time's Arrow"/"Yesterday's Enterprise"). And there were some episodes that touched on the political world, such as "The Arsenal of Freedom" questioning the supply of arms, "Chain of Command" decrying the torture of political prisoners and "The Defector", which was called "The Cuban Missile Crisis of The Neutral Zone" by its writer. The show ran for more than twice as many episodes as its progenitor and therefore had more time to explore wider ranging issues. But the choice of issues illustrates the change in the social climate that had occurred with the passing of a couple of decades. "Angel One" covered sexism; "The Outcast" was about homosexuality; "Symbiosis"--drug addiction; "The High Ground"--terrorism; "Ethics"--euthanasia; "Darmok"--language barriers; and "Journey's End"--displacement of Indians from their homeland. It would have been unthinkable for the original series to have tackled most of these.
TNG could so easily have been a failure, but it wasn't. It survived a writer's strike in its second year, the tragic death of Roddenberry just after Trek's 25th anniversary in 1991, and plenty of competition from would-be rival franchises. Yes, its maintenance of an optimistic future was appealing, but the strong stories and readily identifiable characters ensured the viewers' continuing loyalty. --Paul Tonks |
| I purchased the whole 7 seasons and so far I love it however there is a problem with one of the DVD's. On the 4th season, the 1st DVD, the episode of "The Family", the program continually freezes through out the whole episode. There is no one to contact to find out if this happened on all the DVDs that were made. The set was brand new and still sealed so it had to have left the factory that way. In the future someone needs to have a contact address or number for situations like this so any problems can be resolved. What is there to say. If you are a treki then its a guarenteed enjoy. everything is nicely packed in season by season boxes. Really liked the tracking system while it was being shipped too. This will be not so much of a review of this specific DVD set as a general review of the actual TV series "Star Trek: The Next Generation" itself. Keep that in mind as you read further. I say that because for potential buyers, DVD extras might influence one to spend the rather hefty bucks being asked to own the whole show, even though a lot of episodes in the final years are really not that good, in my view. The first 3 years of this 7 year long series are undoubtedly the best in my opinion, though there still WERE a few great episodes scattered among the final four years. All things considered, this was undoubtedly one of the best sci-fi shows ever, period, but in general, the longer it ran, the worse it got. This decades in coming spinoff to the original Kirk-Spock version truly holds its own, and in many ways, exceeds the late 60's series, if only in that in a seven year run, there were simply more GOOD episodes than were seen in its genesis. Still, there are many, many BAD ST:TNG episodes, or poor/below average, and it all came down to the writing. The technical attributes (special effects/sets/production values) and achievements of the show were far beyond the original Star Trek series however, and remained consistently excellent throughout its entire run. A minor carp in this was the seeming "video to film" nature of the SFX, but still, most of it was done excellently. Still, one has to wonder if the original Star Trek series had 7 years, instead of 3, whether the original would've been better than ST:TNG. And there were the first four excellent feature films based upon the original, which might even things out in general when comparing the two versions overall. ST:TNG, as was the original series, was best when it stuck to the opening credits, "...To seek out new life and new civilizations, and to boldy go where nobody has gone before..." In other words, episodes dealing with the "unknown" out there deep in space, were always high points for this series. Sadly, great and original and mind-blowing sci-fi ideas were confined to only a small portion of the ST: TNG series as a whole, especially in the last four years. As with the awful (imho) followup series "Deep Space Nine" and "Enterprise," too often, Star Trek: The Next Generation sunk into meaningless, boring, and trivial stories about Troi's mother or Worf's son. Such became merely sci-fi soap opera and did NOT live up to the potential of this series shown during the early years. There were also completely silly and boring, waste of time episodes involving android Mr. Data (ironically, the most interesting and compelling character on the show) playing Sherlock Holmes or other members of the cast in similar "Holodeck" created, mundane and indulgent, unimaginative "period" stories, most of which were dull and uninspiring. Again, the best moments of this particular series dealt with the WRITING and with IDEAS. Some were quite mindblowing and deserving of much thinking and afterthought, like "Tin Man," and "Remember Me." Others, which again dealt with long, silly episodes involving Troi's mother or Worf's son, or many of the Klingon dominated shows full of ridiculous and long-winded Klingon traditions and "culture," were and still are, rather lame. Overall, I would break this series down as follows: 10 percent Excellent shows 20 percent Very good shows 40 percent Acceptable shows 20 percent Poor shows 10 percent Very poor shows When the writing was true to Gene Roddenberry's original vision, and when he was still alive and basically in control of the show, ST:TNG was the golden age of anything and everything STAR TREK. Though spinoffs "Deep Space" and "Enterprise" were and always will remain comparatively bad to me, "Star Trek: Voyager" for awhile was pretty good and the reason again was because it stuck to the theme of "strange new worlds" and "exploration" of the unknown. This has always been true of any good sci-fi, and when this show stuck to that idea, it was great. When it sunk into sci-fi soap opera instead however, it was pretty much a waste of time. Unfortunately, in the last few years, this was the case more often than not. All in all, because in general, MOST supposed "sci-fi" TV series efforts have been pretty awful, with some noted exceptions like "Twilight Zone" and "Outer Limits," while I'd like to give this ENTIRE series overall a 3 rating, I'll be generous here and give it a 4. This is simply because the truly great, original and thought-provoking episodes of ST:TNG more than make up for the too numerous Troi's mother/Worf's son type episodes, the ones in other words, where the writers and producers were obviously just "phoning it in." |
posted by scifinutter
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