2011/07/26

The Lost Star Trek (TOS) Episode…

Posted by db johnston under Movies/TV | Tags: , , , |
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The script for The Joy Machine, by Theodore Sturgeon (who wrote many excellent short stories, and two mediocre Star Trek episodes; Amok Time, and Shore Leave), was never used as a Star Trek episode (the script of  The Joy Machine was novelized by James Gunn).

In The Joy Machine, the Enterprise is dispatched to a leisure planet that has cut communication with the Federation. Several Federation agents were sent to the planet, but they all disappeared without a trace. Also missing is one of Captain Kirk’s many ‘old flames’.

It turns out that the planet’s inhabitants are now blissfully controlled by a computer. Sounds original…

Sturgeon’s Revelation (often referred to as Sturgeon’s Law) is a maxim attributed to a Theodore Sturgeon quote: “Ninety percent of everything is crap;” therefore, the abundance of low-quality works in science fiction is similar to any other artistic endeavour.

 

2011/03/22

Remembering Star Trek, TOS (1966-69)

Posted by db johnston under Movies/TV | Tags: , , |
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Schlock, it certainly was, but  the cast mix was progressive for the mid-late 1960s; TV was still pretty white-bread and stereotypical back then. The cast included:

  • James Tiberius Kirk, Captain, and an American (from Ohio, but we all know he’s really Canadian)
  • Pavel Andreievich Chekhov, an Ensign, and a Russian (starting in the 2nd season (1967-68); remember, this was during the Cold War)
  • Nyota Uhura, Lieutenant, the Communications Officer, and one of the first characters of African descent to be on a TV show
  • Hikaru Sulu, Lieutenant, Helmsman, of Asian (Japanese) descent (note: in the 2nd pilot he was a physicist).

Moreover, in the 1st pilot episode a woman was second in command (‘Number One‘: the actress ended up with a much smaller role as Nurse Christine Chapel; apparently, the Network Executives were stuck in the past with the rest of us). I think that the only character that survived the 1st pilot episode was Spock; I suppose you could say he lived long and prospered.

For more information (including other Star Trek incarnations), check out this website