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Star Trek TAS - Season 1

Star Trek TAS - 1x01 - Beyond the Farthest Star

Originally Aired: 1973-9-8

Synopsis:
The Enterprise is dragged off course by Questar M-17, an imploded negative star mass, and meets a strange shapeless being. [Blu-ray] [DVD]

My Rating - 4

Fan Rating Average - 4.82

Rate episode?

Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
# Votes: 12 2 2 4 12 4 5 9 9 3 4

Problems
- The orange alien mysteriously disappeared from his post in one shot during the opening scenes, replaced by a redshirt.
- Spock mentions the temperature aboard the alien ship is absolute zero, which is impossible. Absolute zero is a theoretical value on the temperature scale, not an attainable one.
- Another use of the dreaded slingshot effect...
- Life support belts are a technology which we'll never see again after TAS. We can rationalize this like the slingshot effect. Perhaps they too ended up being deemed too risky for anyone to use after a series of accidents or something. And of course once again our TAS cast got absurdly lucky to have such good luck with them.

Factoids
- Chekov was not present at all during TAS.

Remarkable Scenes
- The sight of that massive organic starship.
- The deployment of the automatic bridge defense system. Cool device!
- Kirk and Spock getting their asses kicked by the automatic bridge defense system when the alien took over the Enterprise. Haha!

My Review
TAS begins its short run nicely, exploiting its cartoon production style by showing us grandiose sets they could have never used in live action. Indeed, this is TAS' single greatest advantage. Remarkable character: Lieutenant Arex. (The orange alien.) Just like the sets, Arex was a crewmember they couldn't have done in live action due to technology and budget constraints.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

  • From CAlexander on 2011-04-05 at 2:19pm:
    Not bad for an old cartoon. Has a fun sense of exploration as they say "Gee whiz!" at everything on the alien ship. But once the alien took over the Enterprise, I was more or less confused the whole time.

    - I like how the life support belts give the animated show more freedom to actually let the crew explore places which do not have a breathable atmosphere.
  • From James T Quark on 2014-08-24 at 9:35pm:
    Poor Chekhov. I can just imagine the phone call.
    "So I hear that we are doing another Star Trek, this time animated! GREAT! I'm so excited! When do we start?"
    "Sorry, Mr. Koenig, they are proceeding without Pavel Chekov."
    "What? Why? I don't understand!?"
    "You've been replaced, Mr. Koenig. By an orange alien."

    Hehe I'm not sure what the details are as to why he didn't do the series but perhaps, in animation, they didn't need a Davey Jones type for the teenage girls. 😃
  • From Alex on 2019-12-23 at 2:58am:
    The biggest, grossest error for me is when they realise the age of the derelict ship, and Kirk wonders about "a civilization that advanced 300 million years ago... before life even emerged on Earth".

    This is SO wrong. 300 mil years ago plant life already firmly established itself on land, and amphibians and arthropods already thrived (including ancient cockroaches).

    By 1973 it was definitely already known that life is older than some 300 mil years. Currently it is theorised that life may have existed as early as 4.3-4.5 billions of years ago.
    ___
    Otherwise it was very pleasing to see those detailed drawn sets that would unfortunately be very very hard to do in live action production. And the episode overall was decent.

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Star Trek TAS - 1x02 - Yesteryear

Originally Aired: 1973-9-15

Synopsis:
By using the Guardian of Forever, Kirk, Spock, and the historian Erikson explore the planet Orion's past. When they return, there is no record of Spock. [Blu-ray] [DVD]

My Rating - 9

Fan Rating Average - 6.66

Rate episode?

Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
# Votes: 10 2 2 1 3 2 4 2 8 20 14

Problems
None

Factoids
- This episode is the winner of my "Best Episode of TAS Award" but is not a candidate for my "Best Episode Ever Award" because only episodes rated at 10 can be candidates.
- The Guardian of Forever was first discovered in TOS: The City on the Edge of Forever.

Remarkable Scenes
- Nobody knowing who Spock is.
- The first officer, an Andorian! Cool.
- Spock learning of his own death.
- An Andorian using the Vulcan salute. Surreal...
- Seeing the planet Vulcan is always remarkable.
- Sarek's appearance.
- Seeing Spock's sehlat. They look so cute and harmless in a cartoon unlike Spock's description in TOS: Journey to Babel.
- Spock talking to Spock.
- McCoy bemoaning about having to recalibrate his Tricorder to give Spock a physical.

My Review
TAS is not considered canon by most people, which I disagree with. However, even among people who firmly believe TAS is not canon, this episode is largely an exception. Mostly because Spock's backstory is established here. The details of which will be confirmed by later live action shows. I take one point off for using the ridiculous Guardian of Forever and the ensuing time travel absurdity. Other than that a wonderful episode. Remarkable alien: the winged bird-like alien, a Federation member.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

  • From JRPoole on 2008-12-12 at 5:46pm:
    Problem: Spock has Kirk order up period clothes, then waltzes through the Guardian without them, only to be wearing them later.

    Bigger problem: Selik/Spock tells Sarek he's "on a pilgrimmage to honor our Gods." I just don't see the logical Vulcans worshipping gods, and I don't think it's ever mentioned again.

    That said, not a bad episode for TAS.
  • From CAlexander on 2011-04-05 at 7:58pm:
    The actual story of this episode is fairly routine. It is that chance to see some of Mr. Spock's back story that makes it cool.

    Response to JRPoole:
    - I believe Spock put the outfit in a bag, carried it through, and put it on off-camera. Though I wondered why he didn't put it on before going through, that would make more sense to me.
    - You wouldn't think the Vulcans would worship Gods. But TNG, at least, made clear that they had Gods at some point. And as seen in Amok Time, they do some really, really weird stuff when it comes to honoring ancient Vulcan traditions. So I wouldn't disbelieve some sort of pilgrimage for that purpose.

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Star Trek TAS - 1x03 - One of Our Planets is Missing

Originally Aired: 1973-9-22

Synopsis:
The Enterprise crew learns that a massive, planet-destroying extragalactic entity has entered Federation space and threatens every planet in the galaxy. [Blu-ray] [DVD]

My Rating - 6

Fan Rating Average - 4.59

Rate episode?

Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
# Votes: 14 2 10 2 3 7 8 9 2 11 2

Problems
- McCoy inexplicably disappears from the bridge during one of the overhead shots where he is previously and subsequently seen standing next to Kirk.
- When Kirk speaks to Governor Bob, part of his shoulder is drawn on the wrong computer monitor.

Factoids
- This is the first episode in which Arex has lines.
- This is the first episode we actually see the engines of the Enterprise in. The general design remains largely consistent with future series.
- This episode is more proof that Vulcan mind melds can be performed without touch but are much more difficult.

Remarkable Scenes
- Arex with lines!
- Our first look at the engines of the Enterprise!
- Kirk: "Am I doing the right thing, Bones? Once I said that man rose above primitiveness by vowing, 'I will not kill today.'"
- Spock's communication and mind meld with the creature.

My Review
This episode features a familiar theme. A planet eating monster, similar to TOS: The Immunity Syndrome or TOS: The Domesday Machine. The interesting difference, however, is that a nonviolent solution is achieved. The creature leaves our galaxy and returns to its own. One wonders if it's out eating planets over in Andromeda or something. ;)

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

  • From CAlexander on 2011-04-05 at 9:15pm:
    Given the time constraints, a rather good episode.

    - Mr. Scott's solution to the power drain problem is the most reasonable techno-solution I can ever remember to a Star Trek problem. Everything he says makes perfect sense given what we already know about the situation and the ship, no invented technobabble.

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Star Trek TAS - 1x04 - The Lorelei Signal

Originally Aired: 1973-9-29

Synopsis:
The Enterprise enters an uncharted sector of space where Federation and Klingon vessels have been reported missing every 27 years. [Blu-ray] [DVD]

My Rating - 4

Fan Rating Average - 3.35

Rate episode?

Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
# Votes: 17 2 1 4 6 5 5 3 1 3 1

Problems
- Nurse Chapel's uniform switches from blue, to red, then back to blue again when she beams down to the planet.

Factoids
None

Remarkable Scenes
- All the men being "summoned" by the signal.
- Uhura taking command of the Enterprise.
- Scotty singing in the captain's chair.
- Uhura: "Mr. Scott, as senior Luitennant I'm taking responsibility for the safetey of this ship." Scotty: "Very thoughtful of ya, love."
- Uhura's attack squad kicking some ass!
- Uhura: "Release captain Kirk and his men or we will destroy your temple!"
- Kirk: "Beam us up Scotty!" Another very close line to the famous and much parodied but never actually uttered, "Beam me up Scotty!"

My Review
An episode where the women take command because all the men are incapacitated is a nice change of pace, and certainly comically valuable. This episode features yet another alien race that looks exactly like humans though. Something almost totally unforgivable now that it can no longer be blamed on makeup for aliens being expensive. It's nice that Nurse Chapel's affection for Spock is once again revisited, creating some good continuity. Once again, the transporter is used to reduce aging, which annoys me. Spock says their chances of living through the procedure are extremely low, which makes up for any potential miracle cures for general aging, but once again our heroes beat the impossible odds. Just like they do with the slingshot effects, the life support belts, and half a dozen other things!

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

  • From CAlexander on 2011-04-07 at 10:44am:
    Amusing to see the women finally get to do something. But not a very sophisticated episode. I practically predicted the whole plot just from the name.

    - I too am annoying by the transporter de-aging effect. Totally unnecessary to the plot, just an attempt to milk some extra drama.

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Star Trek TAS - 1x05 - More Tribbles, More Troubles

Originally Aired: 1973-10-6

Synopsis:
The tribbles return for more trouble as the Enterprise encounters Cyrano Jones, the Klingons and a new breed of the popular pest. [Blu-ray] [DVD]

My Rating - 7

Fan Rating Average - 4.9

Rate episode?

Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
# Votes: 11 2 2 7 0 1 3 11 8 6 1

Problems
- While Scotty was beaming the passenger from the scout ship onto the Enterprise, he magically acquires and loses a mustache several times, probably because they were using stock footage of the mustached transporter operator guy for half of the cuts.

Factoids
- This episode is a kind of "part 2" for TOS: The Trouble with Tribbles.
- We get to see a Klingon emblem for the first time in this episode.

Remarkable Scenes
- The Klingons attacking the scout ship.
- The Klingons disabling the Enterprise with their new weapon.
- Uhura, regarding the ship being defenseless: "We could always throw rocks!"
- Spock: "You can't afford to lose that grain!" Kirk: "I can afford to lose the Enterprise even less!"
- Kirk winning against the Klingons using the robot ships.
- A tribble eating creature! Hahaha.
- The tribble eating creature trying to sink his teeth into a giant tribble.
- Kirk reluctantly defending Cyrano Jones from the Klingons.
- The Klingons buried in tribbles.
- Kirk buried in tribbles.

My Review
This episode is a funny homage to TOS: The Trouble with Tribbles. Indeed, it's funnier than the original, even if less intelligent a plot. You have to forgive it for that, as TAS was largely marketed to children. Granted it was cliched to deliberately bury people in tribbles again, I would have seen it as a missed opportunity if they hadn't taken advantage. :)

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

  • From Orion Pimpdaddy on 2009-10-14 at 1:02pm:
    Funnier than the original? This is a tiny fraction of comedy compared to The Trouble With Tribbles.

    Oh yeah, is it me, or are they mispronouncing the name of the grain (quadrotriticale) throughout this episode?
  • From CAlexander on 2011-04-05 at 10:42pm:
    I didn't think it was as funny as the Trouble with Tribbles, but it was cute. As you say, a less intelligent plot.

    - The tactic of using the robot freighters to overload the Klingon battlecruiser was interesting because it was a real, legitimate tactic, rather than the "make up imaginary scientific words" tactics so often used in later Star Trek shows.
    - A weapon that can render the Enterprise helpless and susceptible to boarding hardly sounds useless. I guess it was too expensive, and the Federation must have developed counter-measures.
    - The Klingon captain's voice is so wimpy sounding, it is really hard to imagine this is the same species that becomes so ultra-macho in later shows.

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Star Trek TAS - 1x06 - The Survivor

Originally Aired: 1973-10-13

Synopsis:
A long-lost philanthropist, Carter Winston, is discovered on board a damaged one-man vessel and is reunited with his fiancee on board the Enterprise. [Blu-ray] [DVD]

My Rating - 1

Fan Rating Average - 3.98

Rate episode?

Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
# Votes: 21 4 4 2 4 5 5 1 4 7 6

Problems
- How could McCoy not know how many examining tables are in his sickbay?
- In one scene, Nored's starfleet symbol was on the opposite side of her uniform because they used a mirror image of her stock animation.

Factoids
- This episode establishes that McCoy has a (probably grown) daughter.
- This is the first episode to feature M'Ress, another cool and very different alien we get to see thanks to the benefits of a cartoon.

Remarkable Scenes
- Romulan: "You appear to have a propensity for trespassing in the neutral zone, captain Kirk." Kirk: "It was not deliberate, I assure you." Romulan: "It never is." A nice reference to all the times the Enterprise has crossed the zone.

My Review
I couldn't write a better review than the one of pure perfection on Bernd Schneider's site. "A living legend of the Federation (what a surprise) on a damaged shuttle (what a surprise), whose fiancee is on the Enterprise (what a surprise), turns out a shapeshifter (what a surprise), causes trouble by assuming the shapes of crew members (what a surprise) and orders a course through the Neutral Zone (what a surprise). The whole episode is nothing but 'All kinds of TOS cliches in 25 minutes', almost like an unintentional parody, and doesn't show anything original." I might add, another alien race which we'll never see again (what a surprise) and another female crewmember who fails in her duty thanks to love (what a surprise).

No fan commentary yet.

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Star Trek TAS - 1x07 - The Infinite Vulcan

Originally Aired: 1973-10-20

Synopsis:
While visiting a new planet Sulu is poisoned and Spock becomes cloned by the Phylosians, a plant-like species. [Blu-ray] [DVD]

My Rating - 1

Fan Rating Average - 2.41

Rate episode?

Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
# Votes: 27 13 2 0 1 2 1 3 2 4 3

Problems
- Giant Spock...

Factoids
- This episode was written by Walter Koenig, who played Pavel Chekov on TOS. It is the first Star Trek production to be written by a Star Trek actor.

Remarkable Scenes
- Kirk: "Beam us up, Scotty!" Another very close line to the famous and much parodied but never actually uttered, "Beam me up, Scotty!"
- Spock reciting the philosophy of the IDIC.
- Kirk: "Any chance of teaching me that body throw?" Sulu: "I don't know. It isn't just physical you know; you have to be inscrutable." Kirk: "Inscrutable? You're the most scrutable man I know!"

My Review
This episode is completely pointless. It tries to make a point about how creating a master race is bad, but the ridiculousness of the plot blasts away any profound messages that it attempted to convey. We're not given any explanation for why Keniclius or Spock were so huge, the plant aliens were interesting but ultimately served no purpose, and Keniclius' goal of creating a peacekeeping army was pointless seeing as how starfleet is essentially just that. In the end, Keniclius gives up way too easily; or should I say not soon enough because his motives were so blurry? Only small details in this episode redeem it, such as Spock's recital of the philosophy of the IDIC and the reference to the Eugenics war of 250 years ago.

No fan commentary yet.

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Star Trek TAS - 1x08 - The Magicks of Megas-Tu

Originally Aired: 1973-10-27

Synopsis:
While investigating the theory of creation, the Enterprise is caught inside an energy/matter tornado and pulled to the center of the galaxy. [Blu-ray] [DVD]

My Rating - 0

Fan Rating Average - 3.77

Rate episode?

Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
# Votes: 17 6 2 3 3 4 2 4 3 5 4

Problems
- Impossible travel to the center of the galaxy.
- Reference to matter being created from nothing.
- Magical powers without rational explanation.

Factoids
- This episode is the winner of my "Worst Episode of TAS Award" and is therefore a candidate for my "Worst Episode Ever Award."

Remarkable Scenes
None

My Review
Oh boy. An impossible travel to the center of the galaxy, blatant disregard for the law of conservation of matter/energy, magical powers coming real without any kind of rational explanation. This episode features some of the worst science ever featured in Star Trek. Quite possibly the worst episode of Star Trek ever made. Only the idea that the aliens lived on Earth in ancient times and were persecuted for their magical powers at the Salem witch trials is interesting. An advanced race's natural abilities would indeed seem like magic. Though, unfortunately, this episode claims that it actually WAS magic. Furthermore, this episode contradicts its own already frail explanation for the magic. The episode claimed the magical powers can only exist in that alien dimension. So how did the aliens use their magical powers while on Earth? Also, I like the crack on religion in this episode; Lucifer = good guy. Though those nice little details aren't enough to save this most dreadful episode.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

  • From pjotrwolf on 2017-04-02 at 5:32pm:
    There is not so much difference between the magic of the megas and the "omnipotence" of Q or other beings of the Q continuum. The Squire of Gothos does similar sorcery. I wonder why their powers and conjuring tricks are not questioned for rational explanations.
  • From Hugo on 2020-09-02 at 12:53pm:
    Isn't it a bit similar to the TNG pilot? A omnipotent being holding humanity at trial... ?

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Star Trek TAS - 1x09 - Once Upon a Planet

Originally Aired: 1973-11-3

Synopsis:
The Enterprise returns to the amusement planet where the crew had once taken shore leave, but this time things go wrong. [Blu-ray] [DVD]

My Rating - 5

Fan Rating Average - 3.78

Rate episode?

Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
# Votes: 14 1 4 11 1 7 7 3 2 2 3

Problems
- In one scene, Spock speaks lines, but his lips do not move.

Factoids
- This is the first episode in which M'Ress has lines.

Remarkable Scenes
- Another white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland.
- M'Ress with lines!
- The revelation that the pleasure planet computer has become disgruntled.
- The giant cat.
- Zero gravity Enterprise.
- McCoy, assuming Sulu dreamed up the monster attacking them: "Sulu!" Sulu: "Never in my wildest dreams would I think of that!"

My Review
Another rehashed plot from TOS, though like the tribble rehash it was very tactful and makes good use of continuity. The computer which provides all the entertainment has sentience and intelligence; and it no longer wants to spend its life in eternal servitude. The episode's situation is resolved peacefully without violence through negociation with the computer, true to the spirit of Star Trek.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

  • From Yonagonaf on 2016-04-30 at 4:24pm:
    The two-headed red dragon reminds Yonagonaf of the cover of the first "Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set".

    Yonagonaf used to play "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons".

    Yonagonaf used to watch “Dungeons & Dragons” on television on Saturday mornings.

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Star Trek TAS - 1x10 - Mudd's Passion

Originally Aired: 1973-11-10

Synopsis:
The Enterprise is ordered to find Harry Mudd, a Federation outlaw, who is accused of selling a fake love potion to miners. [Blu-ray] [DVD]

My Rating - 4

Fan Rating Average - 4.65

Rate episode?

Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
# Votes: 13 1 7 5 8 8 6 0 2 7 9

Problems
None

Factoids
None

Remarkable Scenes
- Spock ruining Mudd's latest scheme.
- Spock getting emotional and Chapel getting pissed at Mudd for the potion's (supposed) failure.
- The whole crew being infected by the love potion.
- McCoy: "If the Enterprise had a heart I'd save her too."
- Spock: "That is an outstandingly stupid idea!"

My Review
And another TOS rehash; this time by bringing back Harry Mudd. Captain Kirk tracks down Harry Mudd to arrest him. Once again, good continuity regarding Nurse Chapel's attraction to Spock is well exploited. Nothing too terribly interesting happens in this episode, though nothing too terribly boring either. It's safe to say it's a fairly average episode, excepting of course for some of the dumb things Nurse Chapel did.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

  • From JRPoole on 2011-08-11 at 1:15am:
    Count me among those who can't consider TAS canon. There are some potentially neat things about the concept, like Arax, and they try to tie it in with the original series with nods to Harry Mudd and the shore leave planet and the eugenics wars and whatnot, but the whole thing suffers from some really dumbed down writing. And the cat woman who sometimes sits in Uhura's seat is really annoying. Majel Barret sounds annoyed that she has to do the little meow thing after every other sentence. And we don't even get to see her hook up with Scotty on the bridge.

    If this were canon, we'd have to accept that Nurse Chapel is the biggest bimbo in the galaxy. She should also be thrown in the brig for experimenting with drugs given to her by a known criminal and intentionally dosing a fellow officer.

    The real kicker here, though, is when Kirk feeds the love pills to the rock monster. The only thing that makes this episode watchable is the creepy bromantic moment between Spock and Kirk while they're rolling on Mudd's ecstasy pills.

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Star Trek TAS - 1x11 - The Terratin Incident

Originally Aired: 1973-11-17

Synopsis:
A strange flash of light paralyzes the entire Enterprise crew and all organic matter begins to shrink. [Blu-ray] [DVD]

My Rating - 8

Fan Rating Average - 1.8

Rate episode?

Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
# Votes: 145 0 2 11 5 3 4 7 10 12 3

Problems
- Arex claims his eyes can't reach the optical instruments at his station. But there are no optical instruments at his station... Now if he had Sulu's job, or Spock's job, I might have some sympathy for him.

Factoids
- Starfleet uniforms are made of organic matter called xenulon.

Remarkable Scenes
- The crew of the Enterise shrinking.
- The little crew trying to operate the ship's equipment.
- Sulu breaking his leg by falling from his station on the bridge.
- Chapel nearly drowning in an aquarium and Kirk saving her using a string like a rope.

My Review
This episode is remarkable in the fact that the story could not have been done in the live action series because the special effects wouldn't have been up to the task. Additionally, the science behind the crew shrinking is extremely good, especially by TAS standards. It was fun watching the miniature Enterprise crew struggle to operate the ship's equipment. Only the resolution of the plot was a bit contrived. Once again the transporter is the miracle cure, which is annoying. Even more annoying is Kirk's hesitation in rescuing the Terratins. Overall, a great episode though.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

  • From tigertooth on 2017-03-19 at 7:29pm:
    This is another poll that clearly got spammed (or maybe a bug caused a bunch of zero votes to accumulate). The other TAS episodes have a few dozen votes total, but this one has nearly 200 votes, and 3/4ths of them are zeros!

    If you took away the 144 zero votes (as of this writing), the fan voting average would be 6.7 instead of 1.46. So these fraudulent votes make the average useless.

    If there's any way to eliminate the bogus zero votes, that would make the fan voting averages much more useful data. Thank you.

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Star Trek TAS - 1x12 - The Time Trap

Originally Aired: 1973-11-24

Synopsis:
While exploring the Delta Triangle, where many starships have disappeared, the Enterprise is attacked by several Klingon vessels. [Blu-ray] [DVD]

My Rating - 6

Fan Rating Average - 4.47

Rate episode?

Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
# Votes: 13 2 2 5 3 3 10 7 3 5 2

Problems
- Kirk claims the stardate is 52.2. WTF? I don't normally say anything about stardates, but when they start going backwards I start getting annoyed.
- Scotty claimed the SS Bonaventure was the first ship with warp drive. This is not correct. Maybe he meant it was the first Federation ship with warp drive?

Factoids
None

Remarkable Scenes
- Kirk: "Mr. Spock has come up with a formula which may just get us out of here." The screen shows a bunch of symbols and numbers that don't make any sense. Hilarious.
- Kor and Kirk working together.
- Spock pretending to be nice to the Klingons as an excuse to touch them and probe their minds to find their hidden intent.

My Review
This episode bears an obvious reference to the Bermuda Triangle. The residents of the triangle formed a kind of miniature Federation, though it's not credible that the alien Elysian council is so ruthless in their methods of enforcing their odd laws, thankfully they don't get a chance to. Remarkable detail: the Elysian council is made up of several races we've already seen before. Such as an Orion female, a Tellarite, and even a Gorn!

No fan commentary yet.

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Star Trek TAS - 1x13 - The Ambergris Element

Originally Aired: 1973-12-1

Synopsis:
The Enterprise arrives to study the planet Argo, a water-based planet where earthquakes caused the land masses to sink. [Blu-ray] [DVD]

My Rating - 4

Fan Rating Average - 4.35

Rate episode?

Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
# Votes: 7 8 0 4 4 8 2 4 1 4 4

Problems
- At one point, you can see space outside the shuttle window while they were on the planet.

Factoids
None

Remarkable Scenes
- Shuttle being attacked by water monster.
- Kirk: "I can't command a ship from inside an aquarium!"

My Review
A black vs white conservative vs liberal society on the planet is a bit annoying, but the water breathing mostly xenophobic race was an interesting idea. The political contrast is just too stereotypical; young overly idealistic liberals vs old overly stubborn conservatives. Some of the science in this episode is a little fuzzy, but acceptable. Overall, the plot is original and fun to watch. A water planet with a water race is a nice change of pace.

No fan commentary yet.

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Star Trek TAS - 1x14 - The Slaver Weapon

Originally Aired: 1973-12-15

Synopsis:
When a rare artifact of the Slaver culture, a time-stopping stasis box, is being delivered to Starbase 25, it registers that another one is nearby. [Blu-ray] [DVD]

My Rating - 0

Fan Rating Average - 5.52

Rate episode?

Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
# Votes: 17 0 2 3 4 2 7 3 2 9 16

Problems
- The Kzinti's supposed history with Earth is hard to rationalize. See comments.

Factoids
- This episode is a candidate for my "Worst Episode of TAS Award."
- Anti gravity technology was supposedly discovered via a Slaver stasis box.
- Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy are remarkably absent from this episode.
- The Kzinti's uniforms were not originally supposed to be pink. However, the director of this episode was colorblind, and did not notice the problem until it was too late.

Remarkable Scenes
- Spock offending Uhura.

My Review
This episode is controversial in that it was intended as a crossover between two science fiction universes. The repercussions are extensive. A supposed four wars were fought between the Kzinti and Earth, the last of which was about 200 years ago, in the time of Earth's early space travel. None of this, of course, has been validated on any other series, indeed it's been blatantly contradicted with Star Trek VIII: First Contact, as well as Star Trek Enterprise. This episode's biggest problem is that the plot logic is terrible. Random facts and trivia are inserted into this episode where they don't belong. Also, the behavior of the slaver weapon seemed completely random; why would a race build such a weapon? Why would the Slavers place random technology in little time capsules and spread them across the galaxy? Standing alone, this episode does not deserve a zero, it deserves a 1. But the rest of Star Trek has decided to blatantly ignore the events of this episode and no attempt has been made to do any kind of rationalization. So this episode gets a de facto zero.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

  • From Frankie on 2015-02-06 at 4:08pm:
    As ridiculous as this episode is, I still find it hard to dislike. It was an interesting change to see Spock, Sulu, and Uhura on a mission. But for me, the Kzinti were the absolute best part of the episode, especially with their revulsion to vegetarianism, which produced several cheesy yet memorable lines: "The human… he's too alien. He makes me taste yellow root crushed between flat teeth."

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Star Trek TAS - 1x15 - The Eye of the Beholder

Originally Aired: 1974-1-5

Synopsis:
The disappearance of a scientific team lures the Enterprise to investigate near Lactra VII. [Blu-ray] [DVD]

My Rating - 2

Fan Rating Average - 3.98

Rate episode?

Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
# Votes: 7 3 6 2 8 3 2 3 2 4 1

Problems
- At one point, the star symbol in the uniforms was placed onto the wrong side.

Factoids
None

Remarkable Scenes
- McCoy being crushed by the giant dinosaur monster.
- Scotty accidentally beaming up the young alien.

My Review
Another episode demonstrating the power of illusions. Another superior alien species using the cast for their own amusement. The only redeeming feature of this episode is the unique qualities of the aliens of the week. Granted, it's extremely cliched to have yet another super superior alien species; if there are so many alien species that are vastly superior to the Federation, then why is the Federation (and the Klingon and Romulan Empires for that matter) able to dominate so much space? Finally, it seems unlikely that such an advanced species wouldn't know their pets are sentient lifeforms.

The following are comments submitted by my readers.

  • From TashaFan on 2008-09-13 at 2:25pm:
    You ask how can there be so many superior aliens while the Federation appears to dominate so much space. I think the superior lifeforms largely ignore us. For example, we think of ourselves as vastly superior to ants. To the ants, it may seem that they dominate everywhere. Only when the ants become an annoyance do we go out and poison them. They see our houses and may try to get some food and as long as we don't notice they are left alone. But once we see them marching across the kitchen out come the baits and the anthill gets poison poured down it. And of course our kids might burn a few ants with a magnifying glass now and then. Just like the occasional Trelayne toying with the Enterprise crew. In the meantime, there are still millions of ants living everywhere that we live. Do they dominate the space? Do we?

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Star Trek TAS - 1x16 - The Jihad

Originally Aired: 1974-1-12

Synopsis:
On Vedala, Kirk and Spock are summoned to learn about a stolen religious artifact that could ignite a galaxy-wide holy war, a jihad. [Blu-ray] [DVD]

My Rating - 3

Fan Rating Average - 4.63

Rate episode?

Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
# Votes: 15 0 2 5 3 12 5 4 2 7 5

Problems
- Why didn't they use a shuttle or some other anti gravity vehicle since the planet they went to was filled with lava flows?

Factoids
None

Remarkable Scenes
- Lara declaring herself attracted to Kirk.
- The zero gravity fight.

My Review
The Vedalans are an interesting concept. A powerful race, moreso than the Federation, but not super god aliens like we've seen so much of already. They're neutral, but friends of the Federation. They're something like galactic prophets. The power to watch, but not the power to act. Maybe they're guided by their own version of a prime directive. In any case, they were a cool idea. Unfortunately, this episode suffers from some fuzzy plot logic. We're not told exactly how stealing the Soul of Skorr would cause the mass breeding of soldiers. I guess we're supposed to assume that the defacing of a religious symbol drives their race into a Jihad. Or maybe Tchar was just nutty. The audience shouldn't have to come up with this stuff though. Overall an interesting episode, but dragged through the mud by a bit of bad writing.

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