Topic: Some sort of Star Trek - The Original Series [spoilers]
So I'm finally getting around to watching the original series of Star Trek and thought I'd do sort of a mini-review of the episodes as I watch them. Would love to hear others' thoughts too.
01 - The Man Trap AKA The Salt Monster
The crew beam down to a planet where they meet a scientist and his wife, an old flame of Dr McCoy. The 'redshirt' gets drawn away by the wife, who appears as a different woman to the men around her, and gets suckered to death because of his salt content. I'm not sure how much salt we have in our bodies, but I can't imagine there being that much. As more crewmen get killed they realise it's the woman and the end is very dramatic, perhaps overly so, with McCoy having to 'kill the woman he loves' before it kills Kirk. The episode does an admirable job at setting up their relationship, so I'd say it's very much earned that he does pull the trigger.
The creature's rather interesting, having assumed the memories of her victims, seemingly sentient and having feelings, but running mostly on instincts and hunger. The last of its kind they say, so there's a sort of tragedy to her fate, which they're all too eager to point out for us as the episode closes.
Two points really, Kirk is very smiley. He really turns on the charm a lot, and it's fascinating for me to see this young Shatner. Sure, he smiles a lot in his recent stuff like Boston Legal but it's quite another thing to see the smile really work for him. And what is up with redshirt not actually wearing a redshirt (something that I'm noticing a lot)?
02 - Charlie X
The crew take custody of a young man who's spent the better part of his life alone on a planet, the sole survivor of a crash many years before. Except the young man has powers of a godlike being, and he uses them to get what he wants. Kirk fills the role of surrogate father, and manages to control the boy's impetuous whims and infatuation for Yeoman Rand, at least initially. Eventually the boy runs rampant on the Enterprise until the deus ex machina arrives and wisks him away. What I found interesting in this episode, which I actually liked a lot, was Kirk. I'd always thought of him as a punch first ask questions later kind of character, a cowboy. But 2 episodes in and I'm totally re-evaluating that perception. He's measured and seems to be forceful only when it's time. Charlie's pleas at the end are rather hearfelt, and almost make you feel sorry for him. It's quite an unsettling ending too, as you don't really know his fate.
Also, Kirk loves his ship and is fiercely protective of his crew. Gives his action in Search for Spock when he sets the self-destructs an added poignancy (or makes that look really out of character, depending on how lenient you want to be).
03 - Where No Man Has Gone Before
The Enterprise flies near the edge of the galaxy and two of its crew get turned into superbeings. Loved this episode! It's sort of like Charlie X, but with the added drama of having a friend of Kirk turn bad with the absolute power. Kirk punches and judo throws his way too victory, which is the only downside in my view. I'm not really sure how they manage to kill Mitchell in the end - a big rock falls on him. Apparently this is a second pilot, so the costumes are slightly different and Spock's suggestion that they kill the transformed Mitchell outright is pretty harsh. Another sad ending too, as Kirk's physically victorious but knackered perhaps and mentally defeated. He's lost a good friend.
Finally, that hearbeat monitor thing in sickbay is awesome.
Some episodes are a real delight to watch.
