Tag Archive for Scotty

Episode 22: A Taste of Armageddon

A Taste of Armageddon

Wars being fought by computer really sounded like a great idea until this episode came along and ruined it. Instead of being shot or gassed or nuked, just walk into a spinning closet and you’re painlessly disintegrated! Such a civilized concept could have lasted forever if Kirk hadn’t shown up and started blasting everything is sight.

This episode is actually a pretty smart sci-fi concept, exploring the idea of warfare and its related deaths becoming so technical they become a mundane part of everyday life, neither feared nor avoided. The show also has one of the coolest classic Trek sets, with a computerized scanning station complete with spinning radar viewer. Not too shabby considering the less-than-stellar budgets of the ’60s.

Are you a casualty statistic? Are diplomats completely useless? Have you heard Spock tell Uhura to sit on a scantily-clad alien? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or send us an email at StarTrekQuest@gmail.com.

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A Taste of Armageddon Review

Episode 20: Tomorrow is Yesterday

Tomorrow is Yesterday

A Viet Nam era jet is scrambled over U.S. airspace to check out a time-travelling UFO, leading to the TrekQuesters’ highest rated episode to date.

Combining one of the best Kirk fights ever with a big dose of geeky Trek humor, Tomorrow is Yesterday is a great example of the things we love most about ST:TOS (with the notable exception of attractive female yeomen and/or aliens).

With this first plot focused on time travel, Star Trek makes a big leap into one of science fiction’s great “final frontiers.” Is time travel actually possible? We’ll leave that to future physicists to figure out. But is a time-travelling Kirk neck-flipping a 1960s security guard hilarious? Yes, yes it is.

Will you be part of the first Saturn mission? Is Spock capable of making a mistake? Do you believe in little green men? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or send us an email at StarTrekQuest@gmail.com.

Listen to this episode now:

 

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Tomorrow is Yesterday Review

Episode 13: The Galileo Seven

Star Trek Galileo Seven

Captain Kirk orders most of his senior staff to fly a tiny shuttle straight into the heart of a quasar-like green cloud. What could possibly go wrong?

Scoring on the far low end of the TrekQuesters’ logic score, this episode nevertheless offers one of the original series most (unintentionally) hilarious moments: a giant spear cracking through a styrofoam space rock and glancing off the head of “dead” crewman. Why is a giant spear being chucked at a dead crewman? Because the giant fur-wearing humanoids who live on the planet make giant folsom-pointed spears. And when giant humanoids with giant spears live on planets in the middle of quasar-like clouds, they tend to be grumpy. And these particular humanoids are probably even grumpier than would be normally expected, seeing that their planet is seemingly otherwise devoid of life — which would tend to make the giant humanoids pretty hungry. Did I mention this show isn’t very logical?

It’s actually kinda funny that the episode that’s most focused on Spock’s dedication to logic surrounds a plot with so many illogical holes. Completely separated from Kirk for the first time, we see that Spock’s insistence on pure logic can really irritate his human colleagues. One of the other officers comes darn close to outright mutiny, and you’re left wondering how Kirk would react once he learned the full details of what happened during the Galileo’s little outing.

Can you recharge a spaceship with a gun? How long would you have waited for Yoeman Mears? Are you afraid of space giants? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or send us an email at StarTrekQuest@gmail.com.

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Conscience of the King Review

Episode 6: “The Naked Time”

The Naked Time Sulu with a Sword

Madness reigns as the Enterprise crew faces its inner demons under the influence of a strange alien disease.

On this Special Easter Edition of The TrekQuest Podcast, orange shower curtains can’t protect Spock and expendable crewman Joe from contacting a psychosis-inducing red liquid substance. Passed through contact, the disease is shared with Sulu, our newest navigator Kevin Thomas Riley, Nurse Chappel, Spock, and eventually Captain Kirk himself. Strangely, Bones seems completely immune to the emotionally-inflating disease, perhaps because he is so over-emotional to begin with.

The TrekQuesters had a great time discussing this episode’s classic scenes, from Sulu running around shirtless with a fencing sword to Spock crying like a baby (and then punching Kirk across a table). Even Uhura got a chance to tell Kirk off in this show, a moment we’re sure Nichelle Nichols enjoyed immensely.

Do you know how many bobby pins are in Nurse Chappel’s hair? Do you have a better body than Sulu? Could you beat Kevin Riley at “I’ll take you home again Kathleen” karaoke? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or send us an email at StarTrekQuest@gmail.com.

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The Naked Time Star Trek Episode Review

Episode 4: “The Enemy Within”

This week, the TrekQuesters barely make it through discussing their least favorite episode to date. Between Sulu’s frigid jokes, the horned “alien” dog, and Shatner’s horrifically over-the-top acting, we were laughing so hard we were literally crying. Add in Dad’s random harmonica playing, and you’ve got a truly unique entertainment experience on your hands.

Probably the least politically-correct episode of the Original Star Trek series (and that’s admittedly saying a lot), “The Enemy Within” attempts to explore some pretty heavy philosophical themes including the inner struggle of good versus evil and the fundamental nature of leadership. In the end, however, it comes up very short — kinda like Shatner embracing his “identical” stunt double at the end of the show.

It’s amazing the episode that’s made us the most uncomfortable turned out the be our longest podcast to date (about 40 minutes). There’s just so much geeky goodness in this episode, from the first Vulcan Nerve Pinch to Dr. McCoy’s inaugural utterance of “He’s dead, Jim,” that it almost makes up for the hideously awkward bits between Kirk, Spock, and Yoeman Rand. Still, this isn’t an episode we plan to re-watch any time soon.

Can half a man survive? Can a parachute keep you from freezing to death? Does Kirk secretly wear makeup? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or send us an email at StarTrekQuest@gmail.com.

Listen to this episode now:

 

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