MovieChat Forums > Star Trek (1973) Discussion > Repetition of Elements and Goofs

Repetition of Elements and Goofs


One thing I found a little disheartening when rewatching these episodes is the repetition of some elements in the episodes. Good example of what I mean...

In episode #9, production #22017, "Once Upon A Planet," at one point toward the end of the episode, Kirk decides that they should feign an injury in order to gain entrance into the Pleasure Planet's central core to save Uhura. The only thing is that they forgot that the Pleasure Planet master computer READS MINDS!!!! So it would have already known what they wanted to do. The computer constantly reads people's minds in order to reproduce their thoughts and fantasies.

Then in episode #15, production #22016, "Eye of the Beholder," toward the end of the episode, Kirk or Spock decides that the best way to escape their telepathic captors is to feign an injury and when someone comes in to check on them, they can escape. Once again, they forgot that their captors are telepathic!

Compound this with the fact that the episodes were produced back to back and it makes it even more ridiculous. Surely they could have thought of another idea before dipping back into the well so soon. Surely!

Two things I wanted to note about "Beyond the Farthest Star,"
the first-aired episode. At one point when the Enterprise phasers fire, Sulu says that he tried the "mutual override" but it didn't work. Wouldn't "mutual override" mean that both Sulu AND the phasers were trying to turn the phasers off? I think it would have made more sense if he said "manual override"? This kind of strange grammar litters most of the episodes.

Also, at the very beginning of "Beyond the Farthest Star," the Enterprise is on an outbound course beyond the fringe of the galaxy (according to Kirk's monologue). Then at the end of the episode, Kirk says, "Resuming outward course beyond the farthest star of our galaxy. Mission: starcharting." I wonder... how can you chart stars when you are going away from them? What, are they going to starchart in the next galaxy over or what? Also, I wonder if their course is taking them toward the galactic barrier that surrounds our galaxy, as seen in "Where No Man Has Gone Before" (TOS) whereat people attained God-like powers.

Just some comments after rewatching TAS. Despite these items and others of their kind, it was enjoyable watching TAS.

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Well, it was after all a cartoon, but it was of good quality for the time...And let me tell you us Trek fans back then were SO HAPPY to have anything Trek on that we overlooked alot of things...I used to live for Saturday morning......

Better Living Thru Chemistry

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Yeah, don't get me wrong, I agree with you. I've been a lifelong Trek fan and I can appreciate TAS if only for that fact (the drought). But it's not like I'm bashing the show. "Mudd's Passion" and "How Sharper Than A Serpent's Tooth" were both really enjoyable episodes, for instance. I just thought some of the faults were kinda silly and thought I'd discuss them here. I started off on the wrong foot with the comment about how they ripped themselves off in back to back episodes. Now that, for instance, was a little disappointing watching as an adult. There were any number of ways that could have been resolved. But other than that, I'm not complaining about TAS because I am more than a little familiar with the toons of the 70s. I know the production values and all that and I know that it really wasn't bad for the time in which it was made and at least I finally own them after all these years.

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Oh I agree with ya on all your comments, you are right on the money, but man as you said there was a drought...I was the pres of the local Star Trek group in my area during the TAS era, and we lived for Trek...I remember the first Trek Con, I went to in the early 70's in Houston, got to meet Nichele, and Walter Koineg, it was SO exciting...It was so informal back then....I used to draw pictures of Trek, and when the book the making of Star Trek came out I was in heaven...Tom

Better Living Thru Chemistry

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How large was the Star Trek fangroup over which you presided? I wasn't able to go to any of the early cons, unfortunately. The Making of Trek book is quite excellent. The Theiss costume art was great in it. And the other concept pieces. Really great stuff.

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The computer might only read minds when it centers with imagination. Not everything they think of.

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