Tag: William Shatner
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STAR TREK REWIND: “How Sharper Than a Serpent’s Tooth”
“How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child!” I remember reading an article in the old Trek fanzine published and then re-printed for a paperback compilation in which writer Russell Bates was required to defend himself on charges of stealing the central idea of the second season episode, “Who Mourns…
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STAR TREK REWIND: “Albatross”
“Jim, if I’m ever in jail again, don’t send that Vulcan to release me. Just let me rot!” I love how the inhabitants of Dramia wait for the Enterprise to finish delivering necessary medical supplies before they put McCoy under arrest for charges equivalent to genocide. Pretty sneaky, Sis! This brings out the anger in…
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STAR TREK REWIND: “The City on the Edge of Forever”
“I am my own beginning. My own ending.” I dreaded writing about “The City on the Edge of Forever” not only because it is considered the greatest single episode of Star Trek, past and present, ever made but also because so much has already been written. Harlan Ellison himself wrote a book on the subject.…
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STAR TREK REWIND: “The Practical Joker”
“Come on Spock, where’s that Vulcan sense of humor?” Chuck Menville was a name virtually synonymous with ’80s children’s entertainment. Menville wrote for Land of the Lost, The Real Ghostbusters (not to be confused with the ’70s live-action series starring Larry Storch), as well as The Smurfs, and Tiny Toon Adventures. His material was characterized…
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STAR TREK REWIND: “Errand of Mercy”
“Even the gods did not spring into being overnight.” I stated in a previous review that the Romulans too closely resembled humans in their desires, fears, and motivations that they could never be considered the uber-villain of the Star Trek franchise. The Klingons were designed (by writer/producer Gene L. Coon) to fit that bill. As…
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FRANCHISE REWIND: Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, 1991 (William Shatner) Paramount Pictures “Second star to the right. And straight on ’til morning.” I think we go back to being dark in the Star Trek franchise because, while we had humor throughout the franchise, Star Treks IV and V embraced and then went overboard with high hilarity.…
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STAR TREK REWIND: “Bem”
“Mister Spock, something funny is going on.” David Gerrold returns to pen “Bem.” The titular character, voiced by James Doohan, is a bit of an annoyance for Kirk and crew as he insists on accompanying the landing party to the mysterious alien planet of Delta Theta III, populated by aborigine natives. He also seems to…
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STAR TREK REWIND: “The Pirates of Orion”
“Blasted Vulcan, why can’t you have red blood like any normal Human?” I don’t understand why there are outbreaks of disease on starships. I remember being told one time that vaccines are usually kept at airports in case they have to make a long trip to another location in the event of an epidemic. I…
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STAR TREK REWIND: “The Return of the Archons”
“You will be absorbed. Your individuality will merge into the unity of good, and in your submergence into the common being of the body, you will find contentment, fulfillment. You will experience the absolute good.”* Gene Roddenberry was a humanist. He didn’t embrace religion. In his works, he disliked religion, perhaps considering it the “opiate…
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FRANCHISE REWIND: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
“What does God need with a starship?” Ooh, I knew we were going to get to Star Trek V eventually. I remember there was a bizarre theory circulating around for quite some time about the Star Trek movies in that the even-numbered movies were the good ones, and the odd-numbered movies were bad. The theory…
Misadventures in Blissville 