Buried Treasures/Star Trek at 50: TV Novelizations

Karen: Continuing the theme of Buried Treasures this week, I came across these four paperbacks a couple of weeks ago while looking for another book entirely in one of the plastic bins full of books in my garage. I had honestly thought I had donated my Star Trek novelizations years ago, so I was delighted to find these James Blish books were still in my collection.

Karen: Blish wrote the adaptations for the episode of the original series. Twelve books were produced, and each book contained  several episodes, typically half a dozen or so. Initially he often worked from the early drafts of scripts, and so sometimes the stories in the books were slightly different than the episodes broadcast. When the Trek production crew discovered that the adaptions in the books were not mirroring the final episodes, they were annoyed, to put it mildly. Marc Cushman describes what happened in his book, These Are The Voyages Volume Two. It was actually Leonard Nimoy who first heard about the problem, when a fan wrote him and complained about how Spock was portrayed in the first novelization, as well as discrepancies in the adaptation of "The Naked Time." Nimoy went to Roddenberry with it. After the second book came out, D.C. Fontana was upset that Blish had left out the central point of her script for "Tomorrow is Yesterday," that Captain Christopher had to be returned to Earth because of his unborn son. She also found fault with his handling of "Court Martial" and "Operation:Annihilate!". Roddenberry wrote an executive at Desilu (Star Trek's production studio) and he contacted Blish's editors at Bantam books. All of the complaints were sent off to the author, along with a writer's guide for the series. Later books appeared to cleave more closely to the finished episodes.

Karen: Of course I knew nothing about this as a kid. Back in the mid-70s, I was just happy for any Trek product I could get my hands on. Although I only purchased four of these books, I read all of them through our public library. It was a way to relive the episodes, back in those days before DVDs and the internet. 

Karen: I thumbed through the books, and actually read "Space Seed" from book 2. I can see why the Trek production crew were frustrated with the adaptations. In "Space Seed," Blish completely leaves out McCoy's encounter with Khan in sickbay, the scenes establishing Khan and McGiver's relationship are also left out, and the physical confrontation between Kirk and Khan at the end is summarized in a single sentence! He also spells Khan "Kahn" throughout. To be sure, the stories are less than perfect. But they have a certain nostalgic value. I think however it has lessened since we have easy access to the actual episodes now. 

Karen: Any thoughts or memories about these adaptations?

Star Trek at 50: The City on the Edge of Forever

Season 1

Episode 28: The City on the Edge of Forever
Filmed:  February 1967

First Air Date: April 6, 1967

Karen: Kirk sacrifices the woman he loves to save the future. It's a heart-breaking story that has gone on to be hailed the best Star Trek episode ever by many. And yet, the original story would not have had the Captain making this soul-rending decision. Perhaps more than any other episode "City" suffered from incredible behind the scenes strife. But it turned out to be a beautiful, touching tale.

Karen: Star Trek fandom has for years heard tales of the rancor between Roddenberry and Harlan Ellison, the writer of this episode. Depending on who you're listening to, you may hear a very different version of what happened. Again, we turn to Trek historian Marc Cushman and his book These are the Voyages Volume One for a detailed and (seemingly) unbiased account. If you're looking for all the minutiae I suggest you pick up the book (well, I suggest you pick it up anyway) but the basics are that Roddenberry approached a number of high-profile science fiction authors as he began getting Star Trek off the ground. Ellison was one of them. Ellison, besides having written a number of stories, had also written scripts for TV shows, including the script for the Outer Limits episode "Demon with a Glass Hand," which won a Writers Guild award.  There was no doubt about his talent. Ellison had an idea about Kirk going back in time and meeting a character based on the evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, who Kirk would fall in love with but have to let die in order for the future to proceed properly. Roddenberry gave the go-ahead and Ellison quickly produced a story treatment. This was in March of 1966.

Karen: However, while producer Robert Justman and others thought the story was beautifully written it also was not something they could film, for a number of reasons. Part of it was due to budget -there were too many things in the script that they couldn't translate to film given the meager funds they were working with. But perhaps just as important, there were things in the script that simply weren't consistent with the type of show Trek was. Maybe the best known of these is that rather than having McCoy become temporarily insane from an accidental overdose of a drug, as was filmed, Ellison had a crew member (not one of the regular cast) selling hallucinogens on the ship, and bludgeoning to death another crew member  who threatened to turn him in. This is certainly not typical behavior on the Enterprise.  It was felt by the Trek staff that the script needed revision.

A graphic novel featuring Ellison's original story is available

Karen: This is where the merry-go-round starts. Ellison provided a revision -but it took five weeks to get it. It was  May, and they were beginning to film the first episode ("The Corbomite Maneuver"). Even at this point, they were concerned about running out of scripts. They needed to turn them out with some alacrity. But Ellison was moving slowly on getting the teleplay finished. So in an act of desperation, Roddenberry set Ellison up with a desk in a tiny office at the studio, hoping they could keep an eye on him and get that script. Unfortunately, it may have distracted Ellison more, as he was frequently found on set. D.C. Fontana defended Ellison, to some extent, saying that, "Harlan did spend some time visiting the set, but that's considered necessary research for a writer. When a show hasn't been on air yet, freelance writers must have an opportunity to study the actor's speech patterns and delivery, the little gestures and nuances that each one brings to his or her role -and most of all - the character relationships which are being built episode by episode."

Karen: Robert Justman finally got his script from Ellison on June 7. After the first blush of excitement, Justman realized they were in trouble. Although the script was "brilliantly written" it was still too expensive to film, and the characters weren't acting the way they'd been established in the show. They were stuck at the same point. Ellison revised his script, unhappily, feeling that the special qualities of the script that he had worked so hard to put in were being lost with each revision. And there were many, many revisions. According to Cushman, Ellison himself provided three versions of the story outline, then did three versions of the teleplay (script), at which point Steven Carabatsos, who was still story editor (October 1966) stepped in to provide a rewrite. It was Carabatsos who removed the drug dealing element and instead introduced the idea of Dr. McCoy getting hurt and then injected with Adrenalin, which makes him go temporarily mad. After Carabatsos' effort, Ellison again went at it. What was marked as his final draft arrived in the Trek offices December 19th. It still wasn't where the staff felt they could use it. So Gene Coon took a shot at it over the Christmas holiday, then D.C. Fontana came in and worked on it, then Coon again, then Fontana, and finally Roddenberry touched it. By February of 1967,  nearly a year later, they finally had their script.

Karen: Typically, when you have this many people fiddling with a script, it comes out a mess. But somehow, they managed to create a gem. The Ellison script was, by all accounts, absolutely incredible, and would have been perfect for an anthology show like Outer Limits. But it was felt that it didn't have the 'feel' of Trek. The finished episode however is resolutely Trek to its core; the characters are the people we have spent this entire first season getting to know. Their mannerisms, their personalities, are all there. I should note that Ellison does not feel this way at all about it and you can easily find out more by searching the web. 

Karen: The acting in this episode is top-notch. Shatner is still working hard as Kirk. We see the gears turning in his head and the love and the anguish he feels is very real. Nimoy is as understated as ever but Spock's sense of concern for Kirk and his plight is tangible. DeForest Kelley gets to have some fun as the demented McCoy, but he has a sweet scene with Joan Collins as well. Kelley said that he decided to play it as if McCoy was also enchanted by Keeler. And what of Edith Keeler? Joan Collins was a well-known actress at this time and a casting coup for Trek. She and Shatner had real chemistry and the two of them made a lovely couple. Director Joe Pevney, who helmed many episodes, said of this show, "It was a pleasure working with the actors. They realized their full potential in that one."

Karen: There was one scene in this episode that I never completely saw until I got the DVD set, and that was McCoy's arrival back in 1930. When it went into syndication, they removed  the part where the derelict he encounters accidentally phasers himself out of existence. The full scene is in the clip below. 

Karen: Most of this episode was filmed back in Mayberry again -there is one well-known publicity  still where Floyd's Barbershop can be seen behind Kirk and Keeler - and desperate for stage space, the crew even borrowed the My Three Sons empty stage to film some scenes. I'd always wondered about the design of the Guardian, the mysterious machine/entity that transports our heroes through time. It was a strange design, but effective. Apparently it was not the work of the series regular designer, Matt Jeffries, who was ill at the time, but of Rolland Brooks. D.C. Fontana stated that Brooks misread the script, somehow translating 'runes' into 'ruins' and so we got the broken classical columns surrounding the Guardian. It's unclear where the lop-sided shape of the portal itself came from. Reportedly, when Jeffries walked onto the set he burst out with, "What the Hell is this?"

Karen: I have to admit, as a kid, this episode didn't do it for me. But now...it really guts me. Throughout the series Kirk has to make many hard decisions, but this one is surely the most terrible. Despite the short time he is with Edith, she is a real kindred spirit  and it's easy to see how he could fall in love with her so quickly. The line "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one" has become a standard within Trek fandom since Star Trek II:The Wrath of Khan but long before Spock performed the math on that and made his decision, Kirk does it here, to its brutal conclusion. When Kirk discovers that McCoy is in the mission and races back to it, the brief joy he and Spock and McCoy experience at being reunited, plunges quickly into utter devastation when he realizes Edith's fate has arrived, and he has to actually hold back McCoy from saving her. McCoy's anger at Kirk -"Do you know what you've done?" and Spock's almost-consoling, "He knows, Doctor. He knows" were pitch perfect. Of course the final line, uttered by Kirk as they leave the planet was the perfect way to end the episode: "Let's get the Hell out of here."

Star Trek at 50: The Devil in the Dark

Season 1

Episode 26: The Devil in the Dark
Filmed:  January 1967

First Air Date: March 9, 1967

Karen: We're back to a monster episode, this time featuring a creature called a Horta -or as I referred to it as a child, 'the pizza monster.' Of course, this is Star Trek, so a monster is never just a monster, which we -and the Enterprise crew -figure out over the course of this episode. "Devil in the Dark" speaks to one of Trek's main themes -overcoming our prejudices -and it does this quite well. It isn't perfect -there's obvious budget issues, some story-telling gaps, and well, at times I thought it was a bit boring. But it's quite a feat to take an amorphous shambling mess and make us feel sympathy and pity for it. 

Karen: This episode, written by producer Gene Coon, came about for the most prosaic of reasons: costume maker and stunt man Janos Prohaska created the suit and the production team loved it, especially when they saw it in action. Coon quickly wrote a script, and after a few revisions, they were ready to go. As Marc Cushman points out in These are the Voyages Volume 1, the story is somewhat reminiscent of the early season episode, "The Man Trap," where we also have a creature that is the last of its kind, killing humans on a planet. But in this Coon-penned episode, Kirk is not so quick to condemn the creature; instead he tries to understand its motivations and shows compassion for it (much as he did the Gorn in "Arena," another Coon effort).  Star Trek was evolving before the audience's eyes.

Karen: That's not to say this episode isn't clunky -how did the blobby Horta dismantle the reactor? I never could figure that out. And they don't have any spare parts for a critical piece of equipment? But it's necessary for the drama, so you have to buy it. If you're willing to buy a silicon-based blob boring through solid rock, the rest should be easy, I guess. 

Karen: Depending on your tastes, Spock's mind melding with the Horta is either a fascinating scene or a silly one. Personally I go back and forth over it. I always wondered how he could touch it -shouldn't it still have the residue of the acids it secreted to burn through the rock still on its hide? McCoy is in perfect form, complaining that he is not a "bricklayer" as he has to shovel cement into the creature's wounds. 

Karen: Many fans already know the story about how William Shatner's father died while they were filming this episode. In Shatner's book, Star Trek Memories, the actor described how the show's cast and crew helped him through the tough day of waiting to fly out from Los Angeles to Miami, where his father's funeral would be. Initially they were going to stop filming but Shatner asked them to continue -that he couldn't take the waiting, he needed to be occupied. The show went on.

 "An hour later, after we'd broken for lunch and after the tears and the anguish, we started shooting what we'd been rehearsing all morning. And all through the scene, I kept having trouble with a particular line. My emotion was getting in the way, making me forget. And even though I really can't remember the day's details anymore, the one thing I recall perfectly and that I'll never forget is the closeness that my friend Leonard (Nimoy) had toward me. Not just emotionally but physically as well. I mean I've seen films of elephants that support the sick and dying with their bodies, and Leonard somehow always seemed physically close to me. Our cinematographer, Jerry Finnerman, whose father had also recently passed away, stayed close, too. And together, they kind of herded around me, assuring me that there were people close by in case I wanted to talk or just needed a friend. Between Leonard and Jerry, we were able to make it through that awful afternoon, and I was able to fly out that evening to my father, warmed by their love and affection."

Karen: Shatner says "Devil in the Dark" is his favorite Star Trek episode.

Star Trek at 50: A Taste of Armageddon

Season 1

Episode 24: A Taste of Armageddon
Filmed: December 1966/ January 1967

First Air Date: February 23, 1967

Karen: "A Taste of Armageddon" is a solid episode, with a strong anti-war theme that requires little explanation.War has become the norm for the two planets of Eminiar and Vendikar. They've rendered it neat and clean, and come to accept the inevitable loss of life. The pattern is so thoroughly bred into them, after hundreds of years, that they don't even think about stopping it. Until Kirk forces them to.

Karen: This is another strong message episode, filled with just enough action to keep the kids and the network happy. Coming during the Vietnam War, it clearly had much to say about the dehumanizing effects of war. The writer, Robert Hamner, is quoted in Marc Cushman's These are the Voyages as saying, "At the time, the military was developing the neutron bomb. These were designed to kill people without harming the buildings. It was like big business going to war. 'Don't destroy the factories, just kill the workers!' I thought it would be terrible if a neutron bomb were developed. It would take all the devastation out of war and just leave death...That was the whole idea of the script when I walked into Gene Coon's office."  Coon worked with Hamner to tighten the script and add more action, work on Kirk's motivation and eliminate or revise some of the scenes that would be too costly to shoot. He also wrote the "we're not going to kill today" speech that Kirk gives at the end. All together, the episode is fairly emblematic of what Trek would come to be recognized for, philosophically speaking.

Karen: However, by this episode, we start to see certain patterns appearing in Trek: a civilization that is out of order and Kirk and company decide they must intercede; the landing party cut off from the Enterprise; the Enterprise under attack and unable to assist the landing party; Kirk destroying a machine to put an end to the problem. We got most of this with "Return of the Archons" and we're seeing it again here. This formula can be forgiven when the episode is a good one, but is quite noticeable when it's a lesser effort ("The Apple" for example).

Karen: Besides Kirk getting to be the man of action in this, Spock gets his moments too. When the landing party is captured, we see the Vulcan utilize his mind meld ability in a new way, reaching through the wall of the room they are being held prisoner in to contact the mind of their guard and control it, getting him to open the door. I think Trek could have run the risk of making Spock into their deus ex machina if they had abused his mental abilities, and a lesser show would have done this. But thankfully it was used sparingly, and at the right times. We also got to hear Nimoy deliver the line, "Sir, there is a multi-legged creature crawling on your shoulder" before applying the Spock nerve pinch. Just beautiful.

Star Trek at 50: Space Seed

Season 1

Episode 23: Space Seed
Filmed: December 1966 

First Air Date: February 16, 1967

Karen: Star Trek had a number of impressive guest stars, but perhaps none as striking as Ricardo Montalban. His powerful portrayal of the genetically-enhanced tyrant Khan Noonien Singh was unforgettable, and the raw energy between he and Shatner as Kirk was one of the reasons that this episode was chosen, out of the entire series, to form the basis for the second Star Trek film. Producer Harve Bennett was looking for something in the old episodes that would make for an exciting movie; he certainly found it in "Space Seed."

Karen: Khan is a mystery at first, but Kirk and Spock soon suss him out. He is one of a group of scientifically created super-humans who ruled Earth in the 1990s during a period known as The Eugenics Wars (obviously we are living in an alternate timeline). Apparently these super men and women decided that they should be running the show. As Spock puts it, "Superior ability breeds superior ambition." Eventually however, 'normal' folks prevailed. Khan and 72 of his fellows blasted off into space to escape being put on trial (or just shot, one supposes).  And that's how the Enterprise came upon them, adrift for a few hundred years in space. A normal man would feel gratitude and contentment at being revived from an endless sleep. But not Khan. No, right from the start, he begins plotting to take over Kirk's ship. Could there ever be a place for such a man in the enlightened era of the Federation?  

Karen: Montalban is a pleasure throughout the episode. His Khan is a being of power, amoral, existing only to fulfill his destiny -to rule. He reminded me of nothing less than a great white shark, ruthlessly pursuing his primal function. In some ways, Khan is a great Dr. Doom - seeing as how we've yet to get a fully realized Victor Von Doom on screen, Khan is not a bad template. He doesn't see himself as a villain; indeed, he thinks that what he was doing was right -"We offered the world order!" Khan says, slamming his fist on the table during the formal dinner. It is only natural and right that he should rule; he is superior. That others can't see this must perplex him to no end. Montalban throws himself into the role with everything he has, and is a great counterpoint to Kirk. Shatner, at this stage, was still very much controlled, capable of subtlety and quiet strength. His Kirk is a man of action, but also great intelligence and perception. The scenes in the dining room and  the one in Khan's quarters are all dialog, but you can feel a tremendous exertion of will between the two of them. The one place this episode falls flat, unfortunately, is the fight sequence towards the end where clearly stunt doubles have replaced the two actors. This would happen repeatedly in the first season.

Karen: McCoy and Scotty also had some fine moments in this episode. When Khan is recovering in Sickbay, he feigns unconsciousness, and when McCoy comes to check on him, he grabs him and holds a scalpel to his throat. McCoy remains cool as a cucumber and tells him that cutting the carotid artery on the left side would be the quickest way to kill him. It's a great bit for the character and for actor DeForest Kelly. We see much more of Scotty in this episode than in previous ones -he was becoming more popular with the showrunners, who saw the potential not only of the chief engineer but of the man who played him, James Doohan. While Scotty gets off a few quips, my favorite moment of his is after the Enterprise command crew has been taken hostage by Khan. Kirk and Spock have escaped, and they flood the room where Khan and his men are holding the crew with a knockout gas. Scotty jumps up to run out of the room, but pauses, turns back around, and socks one of Khan's men in the jaw and then runs out! It's that gratuitous punch that tells us so much about this character. Uhura also has a nice moment of defiance when Khan demands she turn on a viewscreen. No Sulu in this one, and of course, no Chekov, who didn't appear until season two, which is one of the faux pas of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, when Khan recognizes the Russian.

Karen: One thing that always bothered me about this episode is Marla McGivers. What a worthless officer.  She falls apart over Khan, betrays the ship, then just as quickly betrays Khan -this is a truly spineless and awful character. Necessary for the plot I suppose but she makes me cringe. Also, everyone talks about the great love story here, and much of Khan's motivation in Wrath of Khan is supposed to be about his desire for revenge on Kirk over losing this woman he loved so deeply. But in the episode, Khan treats her horribly. He manipulates her and physically abuses her (he forces her on her knees by crushing her hand). I don't see love here -I see a powerful man taking advantage of a weak woman. Whatever became of this relationship, I'm pretty sure it was a dysfunctional one. 


Karen: Once again, Marc Cushman's excellent book These Are The Voyages Vol.1 has some interesting information about this pivotal episode. The original story, by writer Carey Wilbur, featured a group of 20th century criminals who had been put into suspended animation and launched into space; it was Gene Roddenberry who added the idea of making the criminals super-humans, and that created the hook that made Khan so intriguing. Gene Coon came in to do a major overhaul of Wilbur's script, making the Enterprise crew sound like the people we know and love, as well as working out a number of rough spots. Originally Khan was to be called 'Harold Ericsson' and was envisioned as a Viking-like  antagonist.It was Roddenberry who, in the very final draft made the name change (supposedly to that of a long lost friend). McGivers started out as a Communications Officer; Coon changed her to a historian, to give her an intrigue with men of the past. Roddenberry conceived of a 'Dark Ages' in the late Twentieth Century -a very un-Star Trek like idea, one that contrasted with the generally hopeful vision of the future that the show portrayed. This ultimately became The Eugenics War.

Karen: Certainly "Space Seed" is a highlight of the first season, and I would argue one of the best episodes of original Trek -maybe of all of Trek? That is due in no small part to the work of Ricardo Montalban - one of the most memorable of Star Trek's guest stars.

Addendum: I couldn't let it go unmentioned that today is the 47th anniversary of the Apollo 11 crew landing on the moon (and yes, it really did happen). 

Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon, July 1969 AD. We came in peace for all mankind.

Star Trek at 50: The Return of the Archons

Season 1

Episode 22: The Return of the Archons
Filmed: December 1966 

First Air Date: February 9, 1967

Karen: When I was a teen, my geeky friends and I used to have fun with each other, repeating some of the lines from this episode like, "You are not of the Body!" or "It is the Red Hour!" or "Festival, festival!" and so on. The strange, insular society the Enterprise encounters on Beta III provides all sorts of curious behavior to remark upon. Despite goofing on this as a kid, I find this to be a very  effective story about the dangers of a rigid, controlling government or culture. The people of Landru's world have order and peace, but no joy, creativity, or freedom. No one thinks for themselves - every person is like a single cell in a greater organism. We could view this episode as an analogy for Communism, but it can be taken outside of the time it was produced and it still holds up. In any given time period, there seems to be no lack of groups trying to control people by stripping them of their individuality, whether it be governments, religions, or some other type of organization.

Karen: This episode is the first where Kirk is pitted against a computer or other sentient machine, and has a battle of wits. It is a theme we will see repeated again and again, but Landru was the first "living computer" to become unbalanced by the Captain's relentless moral arguments. Another first: the introduction of the Prime Directive, which was added to the script by Gene Coon. Coon may have come up with it just to provide a nice dramatic problem for the characters on the show, but the Prime Directive, with its code of noninterference (in living, growing cultures) would go on to be a major influence in Star Trek, not only in the original series but in every series and movie to follow. 

Karen: A couple of weeks ago the third movie in "The Purge" series came out. I haven't seen these films, but I randomly caught a half hour of the second one on TV one night, and I thought, "Hey, the premise of this is a lot like 'The Return of the Archons.' "  I did a little poking around and found out that the episode did provide some inspiration for the films (although from what little I saw of the movie, I'll stick with Trek). What they both have in common is that for a brief period of time, people are allowed by their society to do whatever they want. Nothing is illegal and they are not held responsible for any crimes they commit during that time period. In 'Archons', it is knows as 'Festival" and the time it starts (6 pm) is 'The Red Hour'. Festival is the way Landru allows people to blow off steam, essentially -although this means all sorts of mayhem, including, apparently, rape. This is implied to happen to Tula, daughter of Reger, one of the rebels who provides the Enterprise crewmen safe haven. This was all filmed by director Joe Pevney in a subtle enough way to get past Broadcast Standards, but if you're paying attention, it's there. So much for the perfect society. Kirk and Spock, galactic cowboys that they are, have more than enough reason to change the course of this world.

Karen: Filming was back at Desilu's Culver City backlot -you may recognize the streets of Mayberry again as Festival breaks out. I don't think Andy, Barney, or Floyd the barber ever saw anything as wild as that when they were living there! On another note, I always wondered about the actor who speaks to Kirk and the landing party right before the Red Hour. He has such an odd speech pattern. In These are the Voyages Volume 1, Mark Cushman has a comment from the actor, Lev Mailer. It seems he was under the impression he should be playing the role as if he were from New England in the 19th century! So that's why we get the weird delivery. Why did no one correct him though?

Karen: One of the conspirators against Landru, the 'priest' who guides Kirk and Spock into the inner chamber, is played by none other than Torin Thatcher, who you might also recognize as Sokura the evil wizard from Seventh Voyage of Sinbad. He also appeared on an episode of Lost in Space, but had been active in films as a baddie for many years before his television work.

Karen: This episode is a good example of how the show was able to weave in political and ethical elements while keeping the action-adventure dynamo rolling. One thing I find with many of these episodes is that the themes presented still have meaning today -they are not limited to their time but speak to us even today. I can look at the people of Beta III and wonder about a culture like North Korea. Or Scientology. There are unfortunately many examples. Good Trek tends to stick with you after you watch the show.

Star Trek at 50: The Alternative Factor

Season 1

Episode 20: The Alternative Factor

Filmed: November 1966 

First Air Date: March 30, 1967

Karen: What a convoluted backstory this episode has. "The Alternative Factor" is widely panned by fans, and it definitely has problems. But beneath the muddled plot, uneven performance by Robert Brown, and continuity errors, there feels like a good story struggling to get out. Unfortunately it never does.

Karen: Just so you know I care, I watched this again...twice in the span of two months...and it still makes no damn sense. The Enterprise is in orbit around a planet when everything -the whole universe -seems to "wink" out of existence for a moment. A quick trip down to the planet reveals a terrible, Disneyland-teacup of a spaceship and a ranting weirdo with scraggly facial hair. He turns out to be Lazarus (although there are never any formal introductions). Lazarus is chasing after a being whom he says is responsible for these disruptions of reality. He's clearly nuts. But also somehow involved with the reality winks. But Kirk never puts any security on the guy; he just freely roams the ship! We're introduced to a Lt. Masters, who is in charge of the ship's dilithium crystals, an integral part of engineering. But other than getting knocked out by Lazarus, she has little to do (I'll discuss why later). Kirk and the Starfleet admiral in charge think the reality blinks have something to do with an invasion -why? It's not explained. Eventually, in what is probably the best scene in the show, Kirk and Spock work out what is going on: there is a gateway opening to a parallel universe -an anti-matter universe -and it could cause the destruction of both universes. There are two Lazaruses, one from each universe. Kirk goes after our universe's Lazarus, who has fled to the planet with the dilithium crystals, and confronts him. Kirk gets shunted to the anti-matter universe and meets the anti-Lazarus, who is actually sane and good. They work out a plan to trap the other Lazarus into a "negative magnetic corridor" with anti-Lazarus, where the two of them will be stuck for all time. And that's just what happens. And we close with the famous, "But what of Lazarus" uttered by Kirk.

Karen: This episode plods and repeats certain points, all going nowhere. The Anti-Lazarus even tells Kirk that he and the other Lazarus are time travelers -what? Where is that coming from? What does that have to do with the parallel universes? And Robert Brown's performance -OK, Lazarus is supposed to be insane, but good lord, he really milks it. He's not helped by a bizarre beard that is sometimes very thick, and sometimes just a wisp of hair. 

Karen: The effects really let the episode down too. When the "reality blink" occurs, we get a rather lame superimposition of a nebula over the screen along with thunder sound effects and a spinning plate. When the two Lazaruses (Lazari?) are in the corridor, it looks like a room with smoke on the floor, filmed in negative -because that's what it is. It just seems unimaginative even for 1967. (Please excuse Lazarus yelling "Kill!" again in this clip, it was the best I could find to demonstrate the effects).

Karen: What went wrong? Let's start with the story. We get an excellent peek behind the scenes via Marc Cushman's These Are The Voyages, Volume One. The original story was brought to Trek by a friend of Gene Roddenberry's, also an ex-cop, named Don Ingalls. He had written for shows like Have Gun -Will Travel, The Virginian, Whiplash, and others. The story outline presented Lazarus as a sort of tormented hunter, who the younger Enterprise crewmen admire, and Lt. Masters falls for. But even in the initial story outline, it was difficult to keep the two Lazaruses distinct. And the way Lazarus seduces Masters to help him was very similar to how Khan would seduce Marla McGivers into betraying her duty in "Space Seed," which was already in development. It was felt that the betrayal element was more necessary to "Space Seed," so "The Alternative Factor" was the one to change. The romance was removed from the script; it may have avoided creating two similar episodes but it probably made Lazarus a less interesting character.

Karen: Another problem occurred in casting. The original choice to play Lazarus was John Drew Barrymore, son of John Barrymore, future father of Drew Barrymore, and at the time, a prominent young actor (albeit somewhat troubled). It was a coup that Trek had signed him for a guest role. He came in for a wardrobe fitting on the first day of filming (he didn't have scenes that day). That afternoon, the Trek crew was notified that he wouldn't be coming in for work the next day -he was backing out of the role! There is mixed information as to why -some say he didn't like the script; other sources say he was incapacitated. Whatever the case, another actor had to be found quickly. Hurried calls were made, and at 11 pm that night, Robert Brown was signed, coming in cold the next morning to perform. So perhaps he should be cut some slack if he seems a little off. Unfortunately make-up was no help to him either, with that inconsistent beard. You can see it change from scene to scene. That's just sloppy.

Karen: As for Lieutenant Charlene Masters, they had decided to hire Janet MacLachlan, a young Black actress on the rise. According to Cushman, NBC was uncomfortable with the idea of an interracial romance -or even the suggestion of such -and pressure was on Gene Coon to either replace MacLachlan with a white actress or change the script. Ultimately, the combination of the similarities to the upcoming "Space Seed" and the network discomfort resulted in the romance angle being removed entirely -making Masters seem almost pointless.While I applaud the decision to keep MacLachlan, it is a shame they didn't do more with her. But despite Trek's seemingly progressive ways, women were still seen as primarily playing roles that supported men - as objects of romance, typically. We're lucky that Uhura was never paired up with anyone on the show. In that respect, the new Trek movies are regressive, with Uhura now seen mainly through the lens of being Spock's girlfriend. But I digress.   Indeed, one wonders why Masters is overseeing the dilithium crystals instead of Scotty. But Scotty is not in this episode (neither is Sulu). And why are they in a tiny room labeled "Engineering"? We know the engineering section is much larger than one room! Masters also wears a blue, sciences uniform -this was a holdover from an early version of the script when she was a chemist, not an engineer. And of course, she has no rank braid on her sleeve. I could go on, but what's the point? The flaws are plentiful.

Karen: The concept behind this episode -of alternate universes -was handled much more adeptly (although without the matter and anti-matter angle) in the second season episode, "Mirror, Mirror." As for "The Alternative Factor," pretty much everyone involved knew it had been a mess. John Barrymore certainly threw a monkey wrench into the production, and he would take heat for it. Desilu decided to file a complaint against Barrymore with the Screen Actors Guild. SAG sided with Trek, and Barrymore was given a $1,500 fine and his SAG card was suspended for six months, which effectively put him out of work for that time. But blame for the failings of this one can go all around. As it was, although filmed as the 20th episode, it was pushed back and aired as the 27th original episode. So much for Lazarus!

Star Trek at 50: Where No Man Ever Went

Karen: As we have reached the mid-point of the first season, I thought it might be interesting to discuss some of the story ideas that didn't make it into episodes in this first season (or maybe ever). Many thanks to Marc Cushman and his excellent book, These are the Voyages, Vol. 1 (if you haven't bought it yet, what are you waiting for?), wherein he discusses many of these failed concepts.

Karen: Stories were rejected at various stages of development, and for many reasons. Writing for a show as novel as Star Trek was not an easy task. Writers familiar with science fiction often came up with concepts too big (and expensive) for the TV screen. Those writers used to handling Westerns or police dramas just couldn't wrap their heads easily around the futuristic concepts of the show. So it was not unusual for stories to require a lot of hands-on from the staff. Sometimes they could be salvaged, but other times they had to be let go entirely.

Karen: In the first season, there were more than a dozen such stories which were either completely discarded, or reworked and produced in later seasons. Often considerable effort went into developing these stories, only to have Roddenberry or Coon come to the conclusion that it simply wasn't working. But perhaps a bit of an idea might be salvaged to be used elsewhere.

Karen: From the first season, prominent scrapped shows include Roddenberry's own "Omega Glory" which he had pushed again and again, and no one but he truly seemed enthused with it. It would eventually get produced in the second season, but grudgingly.

Karen: Science fiction writer A.E. van Vogt came up with an idea called "The Machine that Went Too Far," but apparently his idea went too far, and this story about an android who tries to take over the ship was reworked but rejected, although the second season episode "I, Mudd" had some similarities.

From "Elaan of Troyius"

Karen: Likewise, "The Galatea Syndrome" by Alfred Brenner involved the Enterprise transporting a hostile planet's leader to peace talks with another planet, and the leader's mistress used an aphrodisiac to wreak havoc on board. Although this treatment was disliked by Bob Justman and others, and rejected, elements of it can be seen in the third season episode "Elaan of Troyius."

Karen:  "Rites of Fertility" by Robert Sheckley, another SF writer, had the Enterprise crew turning into plant people. This one was rejected for a variety of reasons, including expense. 

Karen: One of the most intriguing, and perhaps infamous rejected stories, is "Portrait in Black and White." Fans have heard tales about this one at conventions and through other means for years. In his book, Cushman gives a detailed rundown of how this idea came to be. My short version: Roddenberry came up with an idea about a parallel world resembling the pre-Civil War era South, with the twist being that Blacks were the ruling class and Whites were enslaved. He handed this off to writer Barry Trivers to flesh out. Associate Producer Bob Justman was very uncomfortable with the whole thing, which included breeding camps, and he felt they had to send it over to NBC before they got too far along with the project. NBC flat-out rejected it, despite Roddenberry's protestations, and it died...but by the third season, a different story would use a blatant make-up technique to address racial hatred in "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield."

Karen: George Clayton Johnson, writer on the episode "The Man Trap" and numerous episodes of

George Clayton Johnson

The Twilight Zone, as well s the film Logan's Run years later, received an assignment to develop one of Roddenberry's ideas, titled "Chicago II," but it went nowhere. Johnson submitted his own idea, "Rock-a-Bye Baby, and Die," which involved the Enterprise becoming 'impregnated' with a newborn soul. As the being becomes aware of itself, it wreaks havoc on the ship. Gene Coon felt the story was too out there, and he and Johnson couldn't see eye to eye. Johnson went to Roddenberry for help and Roddenberry essentially said Coon, his producer, had final say. Feeling Roddenberry had taken the easy way out, and just generally annoyed by the whole situation, Johnson withdrew his story. It was the end of his affiliation with Star Trek.

Karen: One of the stories I find the strangest was titled "The Squaw," and was pitched by Simon Wincelberg, who had worked on "Dagger of the Mind." Essentially it is a cowboys vs. Indians story, where the Indians on the planet are primitive Vulcans, and the cowboys are human survivors of a spaceship crash. Spock winds up with the 'Indians' and one of them, a woman named Missie, becomes smitten with him. No, I am not making this up. This actually got through two drafts, but bad blood between Wincelberg and Roddenberry over the rewrites of "Dagger of the Mind" put a stop to any chance of our seeing Kirk and Spock riding horse -although come to think of it, we'd see them with six-shooters in "Spectre of the Gun" and they would encounter Native Americans in "The Paradise Syndrome."

Karen: There were many more lost episodes but I think this is enough for now (the second season had some even more interesting ones!). One thing is for sure: no concept was ever wasted! Even if a story never made it into production, some concept could surely be taken and reworked for another episode.

Star Trek at 50: The Menagerie, Parts 1 and 2

Season 1

Episodes 15 and 16: The Menagerie, Parts 1 and 2

Filmed: October 1966 (The Cage filmed November -December 1964)

First Air Dates: November 17, 1966 (11th episode aired), November 24, 1966 (12th episode aired)

Karen: This two-part story is well-loved by most Star Trek fans - and why not? It surely gives us a deeper understanding of Spock, and expands our sense of wonder at the universe out there that the Enterprise crew is bravely exploring. It's also a huge 'what if' - what if the network had given the original pilot ('The Cage') the greenlight, and we had received a very different Star Trek?

Karen: Gene Roddenberry had the idea to incorporate footage from 'The Cage' as not only a cost-cutting measure, but to help fill out the production schedule, as the network had ordered more episodes of the show. However, rather than producing a crass product, the move created two fine episodes which invariably make top ten lists. 

Karen: Roddenberry put forth his proposal to NBC, and they agreed, stipulating that the new content be approximately 50% of the two episodes and feature current cast members. An 'envelope' story, to encompass the footage from 'The Cage,' was developed. John D.F. Black made a first pass at it, but Roddenberry wasn't satisfied and did his own version.  Black filed a complaint with the Writer's Guild for credit but lost, a result he was always bothered by. Roddenberry felt he had been the originator of the concepts. As noted in previous posts, these sort of disagreements would occur frequently with the show, particularly in the first season. Gene Coon would provide some additional script work before it was final.

Karen: According to Marc Cushman in These are the Voyages Volume One, NBC was gratified that the script highlighted Spock. In a memo from NBC rep Stan Robertson to the producers, it reads, "We are very pleased that you have written in Mr. Spock as the primary character since, as you know, he is emerging as one of the definite "pluses" in the series." It had become apparent that the viewing audience 'grokked' Spock. This story would be a nice vehicle for the Vulcan.

Karen: Malachi Throne was cast as Commodore Jose Mendez. Of note is that Throne originally did the voice of the head Keeper in 'The Cage' (which you can hear in the trailer below) but it was redubbed for 'The Menagerie. Sean Kenney had the unenviable role of the injured Captain Pike. They needed an actor who had at least a basic resemblance to Jeffrey Hunter, who had played Pike in the pilot. But poor Kenney was literally slathered in latex, stuck in a bizarre futuristic wheelchair, and had no lines! Luckily he was also cast on two other episodes ("Arena" and "A Taste of Armageddon") as Lt. DePaul -happily without any makeup.

Karen: 'The Menagerie Part One' is very much a mystery -why is Spock hijacking the Enterprise? Why is he kidnapping his former commanding officer, Captain Pike? Why go to Talos IV, a forbidden world? It's all very exciting. We know how incredibly loyal he is to Captain Kirk, as well as Starfleet, so his actions are shocking. Kirk is especially dismayed that his First Officer -his friend -would betray him. But as the story of the earlier Enterprise crew's mission on Talos IV unfolds, things become clear.

Karen: Ultimately, we discover the depths of Spock's loyalty and friendship towards Pike -and also Kirk, whom he keeps out of his plans, so he cannot be implicated. It reveals Spock not as a person devoid of emotions, but rather one who feels deeply, but keeps those emotions held rigidly in check.

Karen: It is intriguing to get this glimpse of a Star Trek that might have been. I think that the actors and characters we wound up with are much superior to the ones in the pilot. Kirk (and Shatner) is far more dynamic than Pike; and McCoy seems much more human and likable than Dr. Boyce. I have to admit that Number One was rather interesting, but it's been stated that many of her characteristics were transferred to Spock. Of course, Spock himself behaved quite differently at that point. In any case, having 'The Cage' as part of Star Trek lore provided some nice history and backstory. 

Karen: Pike's struggle with the Talosians was deemed 'too cerebral' by NBC at the time, but it seems like pretty good science fiction/adventure to me. Overwhelmed by illusion, the captain is unsure of what to believe - but pieces together a way to to overcome his captors. Susan Oliver as Vina, the only survivor of a spaceship crash, provides Pike with insights -and is well-remembered for her turn as a green-skinned Orion 'slave girl.'

Karen: The idea that the gravely handicapped Pike might prefer a life of fantasy to reality would certainly be controversial today. At the time however, it was a rather beautiful expression of Spock's desire to see his former commander live out his life peacefully. I'm curious what you all think of this ending.

Karen: On a lighter note, as a kid, the alien Keepers really freaked me out. They had those pulsating veins on their heads -ewww!! I remember I called them 'the buttheads.' Nuff said.

Star Trek at 50: The Galileo Seven

Season 1

Episode 13: The Galileo Seven

Filmed: September 1966

First Air Date: January 5,1967 (16th episode aired)

Karen: I have mixed feelings on this one. What should be a great showcase for Mr. Spock as he commands a shuttle mission is really quite aggravating, because everyone under Spock's command not only questions his every order but make some fairly derogatory remarks about him. These are highly trained, disciplined Star Fleet officers? 

Karen: However, this was our first chance to see the shuttlecraft up close, in both space and on a planet, and it was a thrill. This episode was only possible because the model kit company AMT wanted to make kits of the Enterprise, and a deal was cut that AMT would actually build the TV series shuttlecraft  as part of the package to get the rights to make the starship kits. Two full-size  shuttlecrafts were built: one for exterior filming and the other for interiors, along with a miniature for special effects shots. 

The full-sized Galileo under construction.

Shuttlecraft interior sketch by Matt Jeffries

Karen: The story, by Oliver Crawford,went through a number of rewrites. The first one was major. The original script had Kirk leading the team, with Spock still on the Enterprise. Roddenberry suggested the switch. Crawford did a complete rewrite of the script, this time with Spock in charge. But the staff was still dissatisfied with the work and brought in Shimon Wincelberg, who wrote "Dagger of the Mind," to try to add some depth to the story. His draft brought in the annoying HIgh Commissioner Ferris, who added some tension on the Enterprise, and he replaced Yeoman Rand with Yeoman Butler (later Mears). At some point too, McCoy and Scotty were added to the shuttlecraft team. However, they still weren't satisfied with the script. 

Karen: So the rewrites continued. Gene Coon came in and did a couple himself. His major contribution appears to have been upping the antagonism between McCoy and Spock, as well as the touch of humor at the end.

Karen: Despite all of the work on the script, Spock and McCoy seem out of character to me. Spock is rigidly logical, to the point of stupidity. McCoy barks at Spock's every action and comment, So does Lt. Boma, played by Don Marshall, whose insubordination seems like it should be enough to get him court martialed. But I guess it doesn't count when a Vulcan is involved.

Karen: Thankfully Scotty is rock-steady in this one. He's the only one who does not question Spock's commands or decisions but instead works with him to get the shuttle off the planet. 

Karen: The giant humanoids who attack the crew on the planet are an interesting story. All played by one actor, Robert "Big Buck" Maffei, a seven foot one inch tall giant of a man, they are never shown clearly. Apparently, the network thought the makeup devised for the creatures was too frightening, so we never get a good look at it, and a publicity still that showed it in all its neanderthal-ish glory was axed. But here's that publicity photo just for you to feast your eyes on. I think it was pretty cool myself!

Karen: Unfortunately, the primitives' attacks were a little less than convincing, with spears sort of haphazardly tossed towards the shuttle, and Spock pinned by what appeared to be the lightest boulder in the universe. Still, this episode did give us proof that it wasn't only the guys in the red shirts that were in jeopardy:

Karen: In the end, Spock's decision to jettison the fuel and set it alight saves the crew, and he is rewarded by having Kirk suggest he panicked and having everyone on the bridge break up laughing...seriously, it must suck being the only Vulcan on the Enterprise.

Star Trek at 50: The Conscience of the King

Season 1

Episode 12: The Conscience of the King

Filmed: September 1966

First Air Date: December 8, 1966 (13th episode aired)

Karen: "The Conscience of the King" is an episode I happen to like that seems to not be very popular, and I can understand why. It is talky. There aren't any space battles, and not any real fist fights to speak of. But this story gives us a glimpse at Kirk's past, and also shows us how Kirk responds when faced with choices -about justice, and vengeance. This is also a story about the burden of guilt.

Karen: Kirk gives passage to a travelling band of actors, although he has suspicions that one of them, Anton Karidian,  is actually Kodos the Executioner, a man who ordered the deaths of 4,000 people on Tarsus IV some 20 years prior. Kirk is one of the few survivors of the incident, along with Lt. Kevin Riley, also among the Enterprise crew. While Kirk investigates  Karidian, he finds himself attracted to Karidian's daughter, Lenore, also part of the acting company.

Karen: This is a murder mystery -one of Kirk's old friends, another survivor, is killed early in the episode -and Kirk proceeds on his own with his investigation, until Spock confronts him regarding it. Kirk is not even sure at first that there is anything to it, until someone attempts to murder Riley. Once convinced, he relentlessly pursues his investigation, even using Lenore, although he had genuine affection for her. It isn't a good side of the Captain.

Karen: Karidian, played by Arnold Moss, is a hollow, haunted man. For a while, we are left to guess -is he or isn't he? Kirk eventually confronts him, and we know -yes, this is Kodos. But far from being a ruthless killer, this is a man who made a terrible decision as governor of a starving colony planet, resulting in the deaths of half the colony. He has changed his identity, gone into hiding, but his actions have destroyed him. It is only his daughter Lenore that keeps him going now. 

Karen: Lenore, played by Barbara Anderson, is certainly one of the more enchanting women the Captain has romanced. The brilliant Jerry Finnerman, director of photography, again sets a romantic mood on ship. Although there might be some eye-rolling at Lenore's remark to Kirk, "And this ship, all this power, surging,and throbbing, yet under control. Are you like that, Captain?"

Karen: This episode also sees the second (and last) appearance of Lieutenant Kevin Riley (Bruce Hyde), who we met in the episode "The Naked Time." There, a temporarily unhinged Riley drove everyone on the ship nuts by singing -badly - the song "I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen" over and over. Here, he is serenaded over the intercom by Uhura, who surprisingly is playing Spock's Vulcan harp. It's a nice chance for Nichelle Nichols to show off, and again, we get to see some of the crew in their off-duty hours.

Karen: This is also the last episode that Yeoman Rand would appear in. Returning to Marc Cushman's excellent sourcebook, These are the Voyages, Vol.1, there's a complicated picture of what happened to Rand and the actress who portrayed her, Grace Lee Whitney. On the surface, the problem appeared to be financial: Desilu wanted to cut costs, so they were looking at reducing the cast. Rand seemed like an obvious choice. Many were not happy with the character anyway, as she seemed to put a hamper on Kirk's romantic proclivities. But Whitney had stated that a studio executive had made sexual demands of her, which she refused, and she believed that was why she was let go. Like so many things, we may never know the whole truth. But for her final episode, she is barely noticeable in a scene on the bridge. 

Karen: I think there are a lot of effective moments in this episode, which I have to  credit to director Gerd Oswald. Oswald had fled Nazi Germany and came to Hollywood, where he was constantly in work. Before Star Trek, he had helmed 14 episodes of The Outer Limits, so he knew a thing or two about science fiction. The ending, when Kirk confronts father and daughter, is particularly thrilling. When Lenore grabs the phaser and there is a tight focus on her eyes, it appears as if there are tiny stars of light in them -again, I'm sure Finnerman had a hand in this -and her madness is palpable. I love the attention to detail that went into these first season episodes. They weren't just cranking out shows -they were making beautiful shows.

Star Trek at 50: Miri

Season 1

Episode 11: Miri

Filmed: August 1966

First Air Date:October 27, 1966 (8th episode aired)

Karen: I don't like 'Miri.' There. I've gotten that out of the way. It's not that it's bad, like 'And The Children Shall Lead' or anything like that. I can see it has redeeming qualities. But for me, personally, it grates. Like nails on a chalkboard, oh, it grates.

Karen: I think what gets to me is mainly the two chief guest actors, Kim Darby and Michael J. Pollard. Darby's Miri is a simpering woman-child who does little to make me feel like her planet is worth all the effort the Enterprise crew makes towards saving it. Pollard is quite simply obnoxious. I get that he's doing his shtick, but it's not something I find amusing. So - this coupled with what I find to be a weak premise -a planet ridiculously similar to 20th century Earth that has fallen victim to a biological experiment that wiped out all but the children -makes for a poor Trek for me. Plus, a lot of Yeoman Rand. Of course, your mileage may vary.Sorry about the poor video quality in the trailer.

Karen: Even though I personally don't care for this episode, it's worth noting that it was at this point that Gene Coon jumped aboard as a producer on Star Trek. Coon's influence cannot be underestimated. He provided a great deal of re-writing help with scripts, as well as story outlines and scripts himself. Although he would leave during the second season, he would continue to submit scripts under a pseudonym, Lee Cronin, during the third season. Coon was responsible for much of the geniality among the crew and outright humor that made its way into the series. Prior to Trek, Coon had worked on a number of shows, including The Wild, Wild West and had even come up with the initial concept for The Munsters, although he did not receive credit for it.

Gene Coon

Karen: Writer Marc Cushman details Coon's arrival and how he contributed to the script for 'Miri' in his book, These are the Voyages, Vol.1. The story, originally written by Adrian Spies, went through several rewrites, first by Spies, then by Gene Roddenberry and then-associate producer John D.F. Black. But Roddenberry still felt the script wasn't quite there. Coon came aboard on August 8th, 1966. After a quick course in Star Trekology, he went to work on the script over a weekend. While Coon left in most of the established story structure, he tightened up the dialog and made the situation more mysterious. In earlier drafts of the script, everything is explained to the Enterprise crew - the meaning of the terms 'grups' and 'onlies', even what happened on the planet and the nature of the disease. Coon reworked the script so that things were revealed slowly, with our intrepid cast figuring it out for themselves. It makes for a much better story, with less exposition, and the crew doesn't look like a bunch of dimwits.

Karen: Despite my dislike of it,  this IS a memorable episode, simply for all the weirdness with the kids in their 'Lord of the Flies' setting, and the unforgettable lines -"Tell 'em Jim, tell 'em Jim" and "Bonk bonk on the head" and such. Many people remember the show because of Miri's crush on Captain Kirk. Cushman quotes director Vince McEveety as describing Darby, who was just 18 at the time, as being "extremely strange. She had a neurotic and very, very bipolar kind of personality. She'd do a scene and I was happy with her performance - very happy, I thought she was wonderful in that respect -and then she'd go off and cry like a baby afterwards. I'd never know why and, after a while, I didn't care." Darby admitted in another interview that she had completely fallen for Shatner, so apparently Miri's crush was shared by the actress portraying her.Well, who could blame her for falling in love with the dashing Captain of the Enterprise?