TOS - 1.02

 The second episode of Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) to air, "Charlie X",  features a scenery chewing guest performance by Robert Walker as the obviously alien and super-powered Charlie Evans.

I must say, before I delve into the many absurdities of this particular story, I do indeed love TOS and I hope my "reviews" of these shows don't come across as too negative.  The story telling of many episodes (not so much this one) is often inspiring and the three main characters are as well fleshed out as any main protagonists on television or in the movies today.

That said, there is a whole lot of nonsense in "Charlie X"

Where to begin?   How about we start with the "singing performance" of Nichelle Nichols as the normally stoic and brave Lt. Uhura.   TOS has many "cringe" moments over it's three seasons, this is the first truly big one.  Uhura's song isn't so much a song as it is a warbling, random, sing-song nonsense diatribe about astronauts and moon beams.  It goes on interminably long and then, infuriatingly - Yeoman Rand blurts out "One more time!"   Oh God.  No.  Just NO.

And if one massive cringe scene wasn't enough - then we have Shatner's pants as he attempts to teach Charlie how to judo.   I need eye bleach after this scene.  Unfortunately some things cannot remain unseen.  And if I have to suffer - so do you.

And finally perhaps the most cringe of all - Charlie slaps Yeoman Rand on the ass, much to her consternation.  And though she is upset she doesn't say what she should say - "Hey!  That is completely unacceptable.  Don't ever do that again.  Do not touch me, stay away from me." or similar - and that unfortunately is understandable because this show was made over 50 years ago.  But what I can't abide or understand is that when Kirk finds out what happened - he too is unable to tell Charlie what needs to be said!  He doesn't say "You don't ever do that.  It's completely unacceptable.  You need to apologize and promise it will never happen again" or similar.  I understand the show is old fashioned but really, Kirk's silence on this matter, be it his uncomfortableness with the situation or whatever it is - is pretty unsettling.

So after nearly half an hour of Charlie obviously using his powers (and again, apparently killing people left and right) it finally begins to dawn on the ever oblivious crew that something's not right with Charlie.  Just when it all seems to go to shit, the aliens finally show up and transport Charlie away and casually mention that all the disappeared people have returned.  Indeed Yeoman Rand shows up at the end, in what is actually an otherwise effecting final scene, as Charlie is whisked away to be with his alien benefactors.  Yeoman Rand cries for him, apparently ass-slappers are endearing or something.

Yes, this is my least favorite episode of the show out of the half dozen so far that I've watched.  The Charlie character is written to be annoying - and mission accomplished. I don't know if I feel better or worse that the sexist dialogue and situations here were written by a woman - DC Fontana, though the original story pitch was Mr. Rodenberry's.

But I guess I should recognize this plot set the template for a lot of similar situations in the future.  Charlie is indeed the original "Q" character who would show up on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Once again the show also suffers from interminable pacing problems.  The good news is, that many very good to great episodes coming up do not.  This one however, is pretty much a turkey and had my mind wandering and my body shifting uncomfortably more than once.

  

TOS - 1.01

 In these final months of quarantine (hopefully) I've started to binge Star Trek - TOS. TOS would be The Original Series.

I'm skipping "The Cage" for now, as it was the original pilot, and it never aired. It surfaced in the early 1990's as part of the original TOS release on DVD. I'm going through in broadcast order, I'll watch "The Cage" when I'm done with TOS.

Episode 1, season 1. "The Man Trap".

The story starts off compellingly enough, but soon starts to fall apart as a choppy structure falls pray to what would be a continuing problem with TOS - the good captain and his crew are VERY slow on the uptake and figuring out what is going on.

Also, another continuing issue I have with the series - the crew members truly are disposable. Very little thought or concern for dead crewman and women as the bodies pile up. In this episode alone I counted at least 4 dead Enterprise personnel. Kirk is concerned but only to a point that serves the narrative. We never feel the impact that a real human death should warrant.

I also feel the show suffers greatly from our modern attention spans. This, and all TOS Star Trek episodes, is upwards of 49 minutes long! Considering a modern network hour can be as short as 39:30 (source: yours truly who has delivered hour long network programming) - that's a BIG difference! Of course many shows on streaming services are an hour without commercials - BUT, they typically only have 10 episodes (or 8) per season. Each season of ST TOS had to deliver 29 episodes!

The length of time really shows in this episode, as there are several scenes that feel very padded and could have easily been trimmed or cut altogether. Other, stronger episodes coming up in the series don't feel nearly as glacial.

It's interesting that this is the very first episode that aired on television - as it was filmed not only after the 2nd Pilot, but after four other episodes as well. I've read a few times in different sources that the network went with "Man Trap" because it was more action heavy than the other episodes that were finished.

The wikipedia articlele linked here mentions that this episode got a 25 rating (which would leave a top rated network show in the dust in 2020) with almost half of all televisions that were turned on being tuned into Star Trek. Although the ratings would go on to slip, especially in the second season, there were still tens of millions of people watching Star Trek every week.

I'm not shocked that it became such a cultural phenomenon, when you look at the sheer number of eyeballs that saw every episode. Even though Star Trek has long been talked about in terms of "low ratings" we have to remember that back in the day the ratings were indeed low, but only in comparison to other network shows. Today, these same numbers would be almost Super Bowl sized.

The monster at the end is pretty cool - as dated as it is by lack of articulation or wet surfaces - the design is both delightfully shocking and vulgar.

Star Trek has arrived - and for all of the episodes problems that I outlined, there are also a ton of positives.

All three lead characters, Kirk, Spock & McCoy arrive already very flushed out and dimensional. The ship itself has a fairly believable layout and operating procedures. The production design, while not without it's budgetary shortfalls, is still very effective in establishing a pleasing and compelling aesthetic.

And as much as I have harped on how slow the story was - it nonetheless remained compelling throughout. I may have had the desire to check my phone a few times, but I never felt anywhere near compelled to simply turn off the show. I did have to stick around and see how it played out. Both the wife and kid did drift in and out of the room, but they both by the end were seated and watching.

Not a bad endorsement of a show that is now over 50 years old!

Stay tuned - I'm hoping to write one of these "reviews" (really it's more of a minor critique along with praise and informational parts) once a week or so. The master plan is to binge all three seasons of this still very remarkable show.

My Fellow Americans...

 On the eve before this, the 19th anniversary of 9/11, I sit in the dark - having busted out of an evening online poker tournament.   Still on the Zoom call, I'm listening to my friends chatter about cards and chips, virtual of course.

My mind wanders to that fateful day all those years ago.  Many of the memories are still fresh - seared into my brain.

But most of my thoughts inevitably wander back to today, and how our country has one gone through the wringer.  Not in a painful flash, but this time in a slow and unending burn.  First with a pandemic, that for good or bad, right or wrong, saw our economy grind to a halt.

Then a man in Minnesota met his end, under the knee of an officer.   And our cities burned.  And burned. 

And burned.

And continue to burn.

Soon the fires spread to the forests - and now are still alight as the skies turn from yellow, to orange, to ash and soot.

Yeah, 2020 is kind of like a prolonged 9/11.   Not over in an instant, not a galvanizing event that for a good month afterwards saw our country more united than we've ever been.

No, this time around the unity is actually heading inexorably in the other direction.  We are thoroughly divided.  Us versus them.  Politics, it turns out, are everything.  Party and candidates are a insidious infections that spread everywhere.

Well, as much as a political junkie as I am - I have to say, I'm really less interested in politics today than I've ever been.  I've got much bigger concerns.

My concern is not who you are voting for.  My concern is what are you willing to ignore to further your candidate or your various causes?

I'm not a mind reader, and I'm genuinely unconcerned with what people think of our president or of the fellow who is running against him.

But I do know what I am against, which may not be the best way to look at things, but it's certainly the simplest and most definitively correct.  The list below, of things that are non-negotiable for me, may be very basic and it may be crude - but to me these beliefs are far more important to me than imperfect policies or partisan leanings.

More importantly, if you vote for someone that I don't vote for or have a different view on what kind of policies will help people more - I will always still care for you and call you my friend, unequivocally and unconditionally. 

If however, you read down this list - of principles that I believe in - and you find yourself on the other side, strongly and consistantly - it may be time to reassess where we stand with each other.

• I believe that our country is the greatest nation on the face of the earth and it is absolutely NOT systematically racist.  Nor was it founded on racism.  Are there racists among us?  Certainly. Do we have problems with race in our country?  Of course.  Is racism widespread and institutionalized in the USA?  Nope.  Not even close.  I would point you to half a dozen third world countries that I've spent time in where the wrong race in the wrong part of town is a literal death sentence.  I've spent too much time abroad to buy into the lies and fear spread by both the radical left and right.

• I believe that Critical Race Theory, as brought into modern times by Derrick Bell, is a SICKNESS and blight upon this country and the world.  It is rooted in marxism and has nothing to do with fighting racism or bringing people together.  Martin Luther King Jr. would've thought it abhorrent, and I do too.

• I believe saying "all lives matter" or "I don't see color" are noble expressions of good faith.  CRT (see above) has brainwashed a good amount of Americans (mostly white and affluent) to believe these phrasings are basically one step away from saying the n-word.   Sorry, I was raised to treat everyone the way I want to be treated - and I would certainly not want to be patronized and coddled.  I am not a victim and I will not tolerate being treated as such and I will absolutely NOT treat others this way.  

• I believe that Law Enforcement Officers are an essential ingredient to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  Without the police, law and order will cease to exist and we will be less free.

• I believe that both de-funding the police and re-allocating funds away from the police are the SAME THING.  80% of all black Americans do NOT want either in their communities - they want the same funding or more.  If you are pro-cutting police budgets or "moving" funds - you are lost and ignorant.  More than likely you live in a safe and affluent neighborhood and have no idea what it's like to face criminals on a regular basis.

• I believe that if you do not comply with a police officer, including but not limited to ignoring commands, abruptly reaching into your clothing or vehicle, lashing out at the officer, striking the officer or in any way reaching for the officer's weapon - you very likely will be shot and very possibly lose your life.  This is immutable.  It does not mean you deserve to be shot or to die, but it means that if you don't listen and behave rashly, a calamitous outcome is highly likely - and that I will have very little sympathy for you.

• I believe if you have lived your life villainously, without morals and with an abundance of bad choices - drugs, abusing women, abusing children, using acts of violence on others - especially the weak and defenseless, then you have in effect MADE YOUR BED - and you will have to lie in it and inevitably will face repercussions for you behavior.  This includes hopefully a LONG prison term where you either die or are so infirm when you get out that you cease to be a danger to others.  Society may have played a part in your being reprehensible, and it's true we can all work together on that part to make it better for others - but we CANNOT excuse criminal behavior or look the other way.

• I believe that people who riot - smash windows, burn buildings, attack cops, attack bystanders or counter-demonstrators - are CRIMINALS who should go to jail and stay there for awhile.  Damaging property is an act of violence, whether someone's home or place of business.  Punishment for such violence should be swift and severe.   It's NOT "just things" - buildings are businesses and livelihoods.

• I believe that free market capitalism, while flawed and certainly able to be improved, is the ONLY system on the planet that has demonstrably lifted citizenry out of poverty.  The Critical Race Theory folks, aka the idiot proponents of "white fragility" are not compelled by reason or logic - they are emotionally driven marxists whose goal it is to dismantle the capitalist system.   I recognize that they are my enemy and a dangerous threat to liberty and the sovereignty of the individual.

Finally, let me say that it has become my firm belief, that cowering in the face of those who would seek to destroy my country - is no longer something I'm willing to do.

I am reluctant to share my political and policy views in public - both because I worry about future employment and also because increasingly I don't think my politics or yours matter all that much.  I don't care who you vote for.  I don't care if you are a liberal or a conservative.  I have many friends on both sides of the aisle.

What I will no longer hide however, is my strong love of my country and my firm belief that this poisonous cancel culture is very real and that it must be called out and fought.

With that in mind - going forward - I am distinguishing between my dear liberal friends, men and women who love this country and want to see it prosper and want it to be forever free - and those who are straying into the fold of the radical fringe.  Be it leftist or alt-right, if you are against the police, or against the free market or against the right of Americans to speak, worship and defend themselves - then you and I are not friends after all.

If you have decided that you side with the radical fringe, that you want the USA dismantled, police abolished, freedoms curtailed - then you can go ahead and de-friend me now.   I won't reach out to you if you do.  I will pray for you, but I am perfectly fine with letting you go for good.

If you are buying into the brainwashing - this infantile dogma about making amends for the crimes of your ancestors or paying reparations for things you have nothing to do with - we can still be friends, and I will also still pray for you.   I do also implore you, wake up and grow up.

Just know - wherever you are at on the spectrum between loving and loathing our country - understand that I will NEVER bend my knee to any marxist struggle session.  I will NEVER pledge fealty to tenets of fear and anger.  I will NEVER submit to the poison of CRT and it's toxic off-shoots.

You will NEVER BREAK ME.

I will go forward with love in my heart, matched only by a ferocious determination to stand and support my fellow Americans as we fight for our freedom and our future.

We will not be cowed.

We will not be fearful.

We will stand together as Americans, as we did on September 12, united as Americans regardless of the least important thing.   (That least important thing would be pigment.  The most superficial and pointless distinction to make.)

Going forward - I will not hide from calling out cancel culture or thought policing if I see it.

I will also not shy away from condemning the radical fringe - be it the cowardly criminals of establishment darlings like antifa or disgusting and increasingly irrelevant white supremacists who are reviled by both sides.

So, it's not back to politics - I will shun discussing them as I have now for over five years.  But I'm done hiding from speaking out when I see something that is wrong.

If you have to un-friend me, then by all means go ahead.

God bless you, whatever you decide.