Star Trek 1.23, 1.24
I found myself snarking “A Taste of Armageddon” relentlessly. It’s not that it’s a bad episode. In fact, I really like the concept and think it’s extremely clever and a great look at the realities of war. I love that pointing out that the messiness and brutality is what *actually* brings peace is what it took them to consider negotiations instead of just rebuilding their computer. Boy, Kirk sure does love breaking computers, doesn’t he?
My problem with this one was execution. It just seemed sloppy. It was filled with little things, like first Jim takes on a pile of guards and they beat him down and capture him. But later, he’s able to miraculously knock out three with a single punch. Huh? But maybe I was on the look out for mess more than I would have normally been. I blame the costumes. Because they so recycled these for “Friday’s Child”. The one-legged jumpsuits and the head caps. And everybody knows I’m obsessed with the bad costumes in that episode. Heh.
I love Barbara Babcock though. She’s so gorgeous. And tall! She was wearing flats and stood maybe an inch shy of Shatner in his little Cuban heeled Starfleet boots. I don’t know that I ever noticed how tall she was on Dr. Quinn. And ooh, she did the voice for Trelane’s mother!
I didn’t remember “This Side of Paradise” initially. I found it both engaging and extremely slow. Again, I really liked the concept but wondered at the execution. Less frequently than with Armageddon but there were still moments that made me snort. I think everyone did a wonderful job playing the dazed-by-Utopia versions of their characters. And it really was perfect that Kirk’s romance with his ship is what kept him from being overcome by the spores.
I think this episode gave me a lot of insight into Movie Spock because of the undercurrents of his humanity and how he comports himself in a relationship with a human female. The line about him not even putting his arms around her immediately made me think of how coldly he embraced Uhura in the turbolift. But that he *did* embrace her at all was the key difference for me.
When I noted that DC Fontana wrote this one, Mr. b made a comment that she must have been the inspiration for Kira’s alter-ego in DS9’s “Far Beyond the Stars”. I can’t believe I never thought of that before!
My problem with this one was execution. It just seemed sloppy. It was filled with little things, like first Jim takes on a pile of guards and they beat him down and capture him. But later, he’s able to miraculously knock out three with a single punch. Huh? But maybe I was on the look out for mess more than I would have normally been. I blame the costumes. Because they so recycled these for “Friday’s Child”. The one-legged jumpsuits and the head caps. And everybody knows I’m obsessed with the bad costumes in that episode. Heh.
I love Barbara Babcock though. She’s so gorgeous. And tall! She was wearing flats and stood maybe an inch shy of Shatner in his little Cuban heeled Starfleet boots. I don’t know that I ever noticed how tall she was on Dr. Quinn. And ooh, she did the voice for Trelane’s mother!
I didn’t remember “This Side of Paradise” initially. I found it both engaging and extremely slow. Again, I really liked the concept but wondered at the execution. Less frequently than with Armageddon but there were still moments that made me snort. I think everyone did a wonderful job playing the dazed-by-Utopia versions of their characters. And it really was perfect that Kirk’s romance with his ship is what kept him from being overcome by the spores.
I think this episode gave me a lot of insight into Movie Spock because of the undercurrents of his humanity and how he comports himself in a relationship with a human female. The line about him not even putting his arms around her immediately made me think of how coldly he embraced Uhura in the turbolift. But that he *did* embrace her at all was the key difference for me.
When I noted that DC Fontana wrote this one, Mr. b made a comment that she must have been the inspiration for Kira’s alter-ego in DS9’s “Far Beyond the Stars”. I can’t believe I never thought of that before!