I was 11 in 1966 and I know that I and my friends didn't think Janice Rand was wearing a "hat". And yes, my family had a color TV. We just had a more open mind about a science fiction show and this one was far more sophisticated than what we were used to. Star Wars was still 11 years in the future. We also were very disappointed when Janice disappeared from the series without explanation.
From what I remember, the actress who played Rand was raped by a Paramount executive and was too traumatized to continue working. Unfortunately, that also lead to drugs and a stint as a prostitute before she was able to get help and make a comeback. I always rather liked the character.
While I've heard the sexual assault story as well and I believe it to be true that's not the reason why she left the show. As the video host said the most common story is that they didn't want her to become romantically involved with Kirk (which was hinted at strongly) because they wanted him to be free to have affairs with female guest stars. The real reason (or so I've heard in other documentaries and interviews) was good old fashioned nepotism. Gene Roddenberry as we all know was married to Majel Barrett. She played Number One in The Cage pilot. When that character was not carried over to the series Roddenberry created the character of Nurse Christine Chapel as a way of keeping his wife on the show. They also made her blonde to differentiate her from Number One. That was bad news for the other blonde woman on the show. One of them had to go and it wasn't going to be the bosses wife. I've never heard that Grace Lee Whitney was involved in prostitution but she did suffer severe depression after she was fired and turned to the bottle for several years.
Well, I'll tell you this (and don't tell anybody else); if DeForest Kelley's tombstone doesn't say "I'm Dead, Jim", I'm headed to L.A. with a chisel and hammer...
Yomen Rand's character, played by Grace Lee Whitney, was moved off the show not because fans might expect Capt. Kirk to be faithful to Yomen Rand, but because she had a drug problem. She wrote a book about it and gave many interviews regarding this. Otherwise great video, keep'em coming.
I had lots of fun watching this! Just one tip: You could add a sentence or two on the main message/s of each episode. "Devil in the Dark", for example, is a wonderful allegory about overcoming hatred and fear, and learning to accept those we deem different from ourselves. Many episodes had similarly positive messages, which is what set Star Trek apart from most other scifi shows of the time.
I was fortunate enough that I saw some of the original series while broadcast which I recall was at 5 pm on Saturdays on NBC. I recall asking my mother to finish up at the grocery in time for my brother and I to catch the episode as there was no streaming, dvrs, or vcrs. Then, as a teen in the ‘70s, enjoyed the years of daily syndication where you could catch the rebroadcast episodes right after school. Comparing STOS and STNG, I recall at the time liking STNG very much at the moment but have found that today I feel STOS stands up better in comparison. Some of the characters in STNG I liked at the time take on a completely different emotional tone that I like much less now. (Data and Troy particularly)
Agreed. TOS definitely holds up much better, TNG doesn't seem to be holding up all that well. One thing I notice the most besides characterization is directing and photography. TOS photography is incredibly strong; TNG - not at all. Some inventive and interesting directing in TOS, real flat and staid in TNG.
These descriptions remind me of reading the descriptions of the episodes on cable. Not a lot of info but, just enough so that you know what episode your going to watch. I guess I find it hard to believe that there are people that have not seen all of these episodes a thousand times, like I have but, I forget there are youngsters that have never seen one episode. In that case, these descriptions are pretty spot-on!
A cold review of an outstanding series. The interaction between the key cast members is the core of the sprit that Roddenberry injected. Are you a fan of Trash Trek because you're delivery is just as empty and devoid of care and attention to the little details that made REAL Star Trek such a joy. 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Aside from the Alternative Factor, the original Season of TOS was amazing and filled with excellent episodes -- especially in comparison to the first season of TNG, DS9, Voy or ENT. All of the other Trek series would hit their stride by the third season, but TOS came strong right out of the gate, which is especially impressive given the total lack of a budget or time the crew had to put together episodes on a weekly basis.
One thing, I like and prefer ONLY The Original Star Trek series. Hate it when all that followed the Original Series is compared to that cheesy next generation stuff and all that other cheesy space garbage that is named Star Trek afterwards. The Original Series will ALWAYS stand out as being the only true BEST STAR TREK OUT THERE! No exceptions to the rule.
@@danbasta3677 I think you're a tad harsh on your assessment, Dan. TOS had plenty of "cheese" in it's 3 season run. TNG was a very worth successor, with many episodes, story lines and characters that were equal to, and in some cases, far exceeded TOS. DS9 &Voy also had moments of brilliance. Ent, not so much. Instead of pitting these series against one another, judge each on their own merits. Your assessment is somewhat of a disservice to the ST universe.....
It should be noted that "The Corbomite Maneuver" was the first Episode shot for the series. This is where McCoy and Uhura was used for the first time and the uniforms with the black collars which are thicker for Spock and Sulu and couple of others are used for the first time too. So production wise it was just after the two pilots. Take care all.
They are thumbnails, meant to express the basic idea of each episode. They get some things wrong, and he takes specific positions on some things that are debatable - but they are a good overview.
@@williamanthony9090 I plan on redoing these videos eventually. I make note of any errors anyone points out so I can correct them in the updated videos. What mistakes did you find?
It's a joke, Jim. Uh, Aaron. For, I don't know if he intended it that way, but that's how it came out; a comical adult's look back on STTOS from 50 years perspective. I grew up watching it, but as an adult, yes, a lot of things about the original show were ridiculous, same as most westerns and a lot of other shows. It's fiction. A lot of it is pretty far fetched. And far too many people forget that and want to pretend it's all real; we see this phenomenon especially in the more recent 'adult' fascination with comic books. 50 years ago we grew out of that. Today, a lot of people do not, and that's how we wind up with a population that gets taken in by nonsense.
17:48 Number One is Majel Barrett, Gene Roddenberry's wife from 1969-1991. She also played Nurse Christine Chapel on the original Star Trek in the '60s. She was also the voice of the computer aboard Star Trek Next Generation and several other Star Trek movies.
Yeoman Rand (Grace Lee Whitney) also had other issues as well: ..."Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry cast Whitney in the role of Yeoman Janice Rand, the personal assistant to Captain James T. Kirk, in 1966. Whitney said: "I was on diet pills trying to stay thin-and I was very thin. They wanted you to fit into the uniforms and I couldn't quite so I went on amphetamines."[3] Whitney appeared in eight of the first thirteen episodes, after which she was released from contract. She had claimed that, while still under contract, she was sexually assaulted by an executive associated with the series.[4] Later, in a public interview, she stated that Leonard Nimoy had been her main source of support during that time. She went into more details about the assault in her book The Longest Trek, but refused to name the executive, saying in the book, "This is my story, not his."[1] In a later interview, she said of her termination from the series: They wanted William Shatner to have romances in each episode with a different person, because for him to be stuck with one woman was not good for him and it wasn't good for the audience. That's what they told me, so I was written out. There were two blond girls and one black girl. Nichelle was a more important character and couldn't be written out. Everything's political in America. One of the blondes had to go. The other one was engaged to the boss, so guess who went? I just about killed myself. I drank, that's what we do, we drink to get rid of pain. I was really mad. My God, was I bitter.[3] ..."
Snark is easier to summon on command than talent. Some of the assumptions inferred here are not objectively verifiable. But you can't have "thumbnail" appraisals without concomitant inaccuracies. I'd hope new viewers who haven't seen it will seek out the TOS episodes and judge for themselves. They weren't all great but under the draconian cost and time pressure circumstances of the time, their qualitative batting average rises far above where it resided for other, less challenging programs of the period. It's still a miracle it was made with the eye cast to quality and adherence to concept that is self-evident even after all these years.
Obviously drama, good writing, and cinematography are lost on our host. My guess is his retrospective of "The African Queen" would be `Humphrey Bogart drags a boat down a river while Katharine Hepburn sit in the boat complaining.'
That brings back great memories....the first season had incredible stories...some of the special effects are dated but for it's time it was the best sci fi on TV. Almost every episode was good but especially both pilots...the Cage and Where No Man has Gone Before....really see Forbidden Planet in the first one....and Star Wars in the second one. Plus all of the other great episodes...the City on the edge of Forever, Space Seed, Miri, What little Girls are made of. The second season was good to but the third season...the lame duck season with no money...no producer ...no nothing...still even a few good episodes. Real shame they didn't realize what they had and kept it going with all the bells and whistles for 3 or 4 more seasons. The chemistry of the crew ...at least on screen was incredible...maybe even more so since we have heard about all the stuff going on behind the scenes.
Something that I loved about Season 1 and the early episodes of Star Trek was the sense of danger involved. Especially in the two pilots, you feel like the crew is stuck together in a metal box that could malfunction at any moment, and are just winging it with their human intelligence and perseverance the entire time. The Cage, especially, involves the crew leaving from a literal war and desperately trying to handle the Talosian situation as it evolves. You really feel that same sense of danger and urgency in episodes like the Android, Corbomite and Galileo Seven ones as well. I really enjoy the rest of TOS, but it does somewhat feel like it settles into the grove of "what kind of wacky situation are Kirk, Spock and McCoy in today?" Season 1 really benefited from not being quite fully formed yet, in my opinion, in creating a unique atmosphere of excitement and danger that I appreciate.
A lot of the first season episodes of the Original Star Trek series were the best there, Barabus Collins there. Like the Original Dark Shadows as well to. Never cared for either tv shows spin offs, ya just can't mess around with a classic show.
Yes, COTEF was remarkable . Having to reduce the entire experience to a, 'mere mission' was a quintisential example of the caliber of thier character . The recognition of a woman's caliber & character is her greatest stock value ! Combined with alluring beauty it can cause physical illness in a man when she becomes unrequainted . 😡😒
Yes one of the best episodes of the series. City on the Edge of Forever was originally titled Edith Keller Must Die. It won several awards for tv science fiction writing. If my memory is correct the Peabody award (not sure my Star Trek books are buried under a pile of other books too deep to pull out right now). It’s author was interviewed once and he seemed a bit stuck up, but that episode is often ranked #1 by some. I myself can’t rank the episodes because I love them all but it would be in my top ten if I were forced to say which were the best episodes.
Oops correction it’s Edith Keeler, not Keller. The episode is one of the great time travel paradox and tragic love stories written for science fiction television.
When Paramount was going back and forth (a lot!) as to whether the TNG pilot was going to be one hour or two... landing on two hours with almost zero notice... Gene added another hour to DC Fontana's script... and that hour was Q. Fontana was one of the first to recognize that Gene had repurposed the idea of Trelane. It's all to the good, but yes, it is the same.
The plot Balance if Terror was directly cribbed off of a 1957 Robert Mitchum movie about an American destroyer vs a German U boat. That was one of my favorite episodes back in elementary school. Roddenberry even payed some royalties to the estate of Gary Cooper who owned the rights to that movie.
@@bbbabrock - VERY difficult to claim it was unintentional when you watch the two side hy side - the same plot with the same plot devices and pretty much the same sequence of events- subsituting cloaked spaceships for submerged vessels. The Mitchum film is The Enemy Below - watch it - them watch the ST episode - then tell me what YOU think - not what youve been told to think
This episode is very similar to The Enemy Below. Schneider (the author) might have watched and forgotten that film and this idea came from his subconscious. Or he might have outright cribbed it. But one way or the other, ideas from that film got into this episode.
@David Hecht - I was actually delighted the first time I saw TBOT - The Enemy Below has always been one of my favourite WWII films, so to see a faithful word-for-word, gesture-for-gesture remake of that clasic done in nothing less the the Star-freaking -Trek universe was an absolute joy for me
@David Hecht I think I have heard that somewhere or another the explanation for Spock's surprised look is retconned from "Whoa, I am surprised how much those Romulans look like us Vulcans" to "Whoa, I am surprised how that Romulan captain sure bears a strong resemblance to my father".
The First and Second season of TOS are the best of the series. So amusing to me that guys never like the same episodes as girls. 😁 Totally agree about Majel’s “Number One” though. It was a shame they never revisited the character in any of the incarnations of Trek. To quote an icon of the saga she was “fascinating.”
Oh yeah, really enjoyed this. I believe that Jack Lord (Captain Steve McGarrett from the original series of Hawaii Five-O) was also considered for the part of the capt of the Enterprise. It would have been nice if Reed Westwood had given the names of some of the actors who played significant roles in Star Trek's first series, e.g. Ricardo Montalban played Khan in "Space Seed" and Joan Collins played Nurse Ruth Keeler in "The City on the Edge of Forever."
David and John you both are right. Jack Lord was considered along with Lloyd Bridges, however Jack Lord wanted all camera pans on him, and a ridiculous salary requirement that Gene outrightly refused to accept, so Lloyd Bridges was considered however at that time, he didn't want anything to do with space. So, William Shatner was then selected, which was in the very end, an excellent choice for the role of Captain Kirk.
Is it true they wanted an actor under 40 for Hawaii Five-O and that when Jack Lord who was over forty when auditioning for the part lied about his age, got the job; and once it was a hit the producers looked past his little misrepresentation?
@9:53 ... Yes, Mark played the Romulan Commander in "Balance of Terror" - and he played Sarek multiple times - but he was also the Tlinghan commander, the only speaking Tlinghan, in "Star Trek: The -Motionless Pigeon- Motion Picture"
2:10 They rejected Majel as first officer because she was Roddenberry's girlfriend/mistress, not because she was a woman. The latter is a myth created by Roddenberry to cover his tracks. 4:19 There was also behind the scenes personal reasons with the actor who played Rand why she did not return later on.
Yes, this video really needed better research. The "These Are The Voyages" books were available when this was recorded, and covers this info quite thoroughly. The info in this video is popular myth and has been disproven on multiple occasions.
Excuse me guys but you didn’t mention the craziest line ever read by anyone on any Star Trek. Episode devil in the dark and with McCoy learning something about medicine. He says, “... I could bring this (new knowledge) to the WORLD!” Yes He says 🌎 world, as if he’s not 1000 worlds from earth.
I am grateful to star trek continues because of that we now have 90 episodes of original star trek when n b c Cancelled star trek l was a child l knew in heart star trek would come back in did many times OVER
@RedneckSpaceMan l think they did a good job with star trek continues my favorite was episode number four the captain goes back in time in his mind to deal with grief in his lifetime. The rest of episodes were very good as well every fan of star trek should see the 11 episodes of star trek continues. Many people l know think the last two episodes were the best
Good thing his middle initial wasn't A. The USS ZUMWALT already had a captain named James A. Kirk. I wonder if he quit because of too many jokes about his name.
@Reed Westward - nice, especially the no cursing. A "slingshot" is an actual space move whereby one uses the gravity of a planet or sun to boost one through...a time/space portal? Slingshot, the real thing, is actually used by probes like Voyager (not Janeway's though I'll be her number one any time). Slingshot=gravity assist.
This retrospective is pretty mediocre. Why criticize yeoman Rand's hair? Does her wig really hurt the show that much that you need to discuss it. As far as why the Character of Rand was cut after a handful of episodes I remember reading that Grace Lee Whitney had a drinking problem at the time and the producers felt she wasn't reliable enough to be ready on set to film the weekly episodes. By the way I thought her performance as Rand was solid and it was sad that her character was cut so quickly.
Yes, she had a drinking problem. But it was after she was fired from show not during it. And why was she fired? As the video host said the most common story is that they didn't want her to become romantically involved with Kirk (which was hinted at strongly) because they wanted him to be free to have affairs with female guest stars. The real reason (or so I've heard in other documentaries and interviews) was good old fashioned nepotism. Gene Roddenberry as we all know was married to Majel Barrett. She played Number One in The Cage pilot. When that character was not carried over to the series Roddenberry created the character of Nurse Christine Chapel as a way of keeping his wife on the show. They also made her blonde to differentiate her from Number One. That was bad news for the other blonde woman on the show. One of them had to go and it wasn't going to be the bosses wife. I've never heard that Grace Lee Whitney was involved in prostitution but she did suffer severe depression after she was fired and turned to the bottle for several years.
I did not watch Star trek when it aired I could have but my family had other ideas I did watch star trek in reruns I was hooked after the first viewing
Reed, this is very good. Two questions: 1) Why aren't you making more? and 2) Why aren't you making more? (This second might seem like a redundancy but it was so pertinent I felt it necessary to ask twice).
I thought that at first too. But when you think about it that's really the only time in all 3 Seasons where the entire primary cast is together in one single posed shot like that. that's probably why he used it
The reason the network didn't want Majel Barret to be 2nd in Command had NOTHING to do with the fact that she's a woman. It was because she was Gene's mistress (Gene was married to Eileen Rexroat) and the network wanted NOTHING to do with that type of drama.
Both Star Trek and Star Wars were the culmination of all the sci fi that their creators watched growing up, so resemblance to Forbidden Planet comes as no surprise, nor resemblance to any other sci fi
This might be okay if you've never seen the original show, but adds little of value for any of us who've watched every episode dozens of times over since it was syndicated back in the 1970s.
Plus numerous of the stated “facts” are wrong. For instance in “Return of the Archons,” Kirk actually talks the computer to “death” they do not destroy it with their Phasers.
I know that the "official" story about Grace Lee Whitney character Yeoman Rand was that her character was let go because it would give Kirk more love interest, but that was a bogus story put out by the studio. She was intended to be the Miss Kitty to Kirk's Matt Dillon from Gunsmoke according to Roddenberry. The REAL reason she was let go was because one of the slimy TV Execs raped her. Forced himself on her, and because she didn't want to lose her job. she didn't say anything. The next day. "coincidentally" she was let go from the show. She only had one more episode. Dagger Of The Mind where she stood in the background with no lines.
That was a lot of fun to watch. I never saw the original series as a whole, just episodes or scenes here and there. Hearing your take on the plotlines is really interesting.
There's two versions to the story of why Majel was cut after The Cage. The studio's version was that Majel was Roddenberry's mistress (which she was) and he was using the filming to basically enable his infidelity away from his wife Eileen, and they got sick of it. The other version is that the studio felt audiences wouldn't accept a woman. He also had an affair with Michelle Nichols, who broke it off after finding out about Majel, so again his explanation of why he chose to include her may need to be combined with other information. As with all things star trek, the drama and counter stories are many and with identity politics being so huge these days, the versions that touch on this have gained a lot of traction. The counterpoints would have been nice for balance, even if you believe one over the other.
There is no evidence whatsoever that anyone was trying to prevent women and people of color from being in lead/supporting roles. NBC was in favor of it, as was Herb Solow from Desilu - and Lucille Ball especially. It is only in Roddenberry's mind that any of this took place. Read Marc Cushman's "These are the Voyages" books, as well Herb Solow/Robert Justman's book about TOS "Inside Star Trek: The Real Story". Their information completely contradicts his story; Solow and Justman helped bring the show to TV as much as Roddenberry did, if not more once Roddenberry had the idea and it was presented to Desilu by Roddenberry and Solow.
McCoy's line about Vulcans being conquered doesn't hold up because later, Spock tells of how Vulcan has never been conquered and the very idea is inconceivable.
Summary of ST1 series:Captain's log ... trouble rears it's ugly head ... some babes turn hot/cold ... knock 'em down, drag 'em out scene ... problem resolved by brute force ... McCoy flatters Kirk, shades Spock, minor chuckles ... fade to star field...
You could have probably mentioned that the end of the episode "SPACE SEED" served as the BASIS for the LATER STAR TREK hit film, "STAR TREK 2: THE WRATH OF KHAN", where Ricardo Montalban reprised his TV role as KHAN.
Wow, bruh...you need some edumakation. Read the following: Joel Englel's "Gene Roddenberry: The Myth And The Man", Herb Solow and Robert Justman's "Star Trek: The Real Story", and finally, "Harlan Ellison's City On The Edge Of Forever". It'll burst your Roddenberry-worship bubble, and deservedly so.
![Star Trek: The Original Series, Season 2 [Retrospective]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/7lsD2I96dUg/mqdefault.jpg)
![Star Trek: The Original Series, Season 2 [Retrospective]](/img/tr.png)
" The Menagerie " part 1 and part 2 was great! I loved those. Thanks for posting this.
I was 11 in 1966 and I know that I and my friends didn't think Janice Rand was wearing a "hat". And yes, my family had a color TV. We just had a more open mind about a science fiction show and this one was far more sophisticated than what we were used to. Star Wars was still 11 years in the future. We also were very disappointed when Janice disappeared from the series without explanation.
From what I remember, the actress who played Rand was raped by a Paramount executive and was too traumatized to continue working. Unfortunately, that also lead to drugs and a stint as a prostitute before she was able to get help and make a comeback. I always rather liked the character.
While I've heard the sexual assault story as well and I believe it to be true that's not the reason why she left the show. As the video host said the most common story is that they didn't want her to become romantically involved with Kirk (which was hinted at strongly) because they wanted him to be free to have affairs with female guest stars. The real reason (or so I've heard in other documentaries and interviews) was good old fashioned nepotism. Gene Roddenberry as we all know was married to Majel Barrett. She played Number One in The Cage pilot. When that character was not carried over to the series
Roddenberry created the character of Nurse Christine Chapel as a way of keeping his wife on the show. They also made her blonde to differentiate her from Number One. That was bad news for the other blonde woman on the show. One of them had to go and it wasn't going to be the bosses wife. I've never heard that Grace Lee Whitney was involved in prostitution but she did suffer severe depression after she was fired and turned to the bottle for several years.
Well, I'll tell you this (and don't tell anybody else); if DeForest Kelley's tombstone doesn't say "I'm Dead, Jim", I'm headed to L.A. with a chisel and hammer...
😂
1st and 2nd classic seasons are (and will ever be) the best Star Trek
There were some episodes From Season 3 that stand out. It's sad that it was cut at 3 years...
Yomen Rand's character, played by Grace Lee Whitney, was moved off the show not because fans might expect Capt. Kirk to be faithful to Yomen Rand, but because she had a drug problem. She wrote a book about it and gave many interviews regarding this. Otherwise great video, keep'em coming.
Its even more likely she was fired due to being sexually assaulted by 'an executive' whose initials were GR.
Roddenberry was a shit head L.Ron Hubbard wanna be
I also like the phrase you coined "shacting"
This is exactly what I was looking for. thank you.
I had lots of fun watching this! Just one tip: You could add a sentence or two on the main message/s of each episode. "Devil in the Dark", for example, is a wonderful allegory about overcoming hatred and fear, and learning to accept those we deem different from ourselves. Many episodes had similarly positive messages, which is what set Star Trek apart from most other scifi shows of the time.
he is young he doesn't know any of this
I was fortunate enough that I saw some of the original series while broadcast which I recall was at 5 pm on Saturdays on NBC. I recall asking my mother to finish up at the grocery in time for my brother and I to catch the episode as there was no streaming, dvrs, or vcrs. Then, as a teen in the ‘70s, enjoyed the years of daily syndication where you could catch the rebroadcast episodes right after school. Comparing STOS and STNG, I recall at the time liking STNG very much at the moment but have found that today I feel STOS stands up better in comparison. Some of the characters in STNG I liked at the time take on a completely different emotional tone that I like much less now. (Data and Troy particularly)
Agreed. TOS definitely holds up much better, TNG doesn't seem to be holding up all that well. One thing I notice the most besides characterization is directing and photography. TOS photography is incredibly strong; TNG - not at all. Some inventive and interesting directing in TOS, real flat and staid in TNG.
These descriptions remind me of reading the descriptions of the episodes on cable. Not a lot of info but, just enough so that you know what episode your going to watch. I guess I find it hard to believe that there are people that have not seen all of these episodes a thousand times, like I have but, I forget there are youngsters that have never seen one episode. In that case, these descriptions are pretty spot-on!
"Decimated by fries eggs"... Hilarious! Very nice summaries. Very enjoyable. Thank you!
gabevee3
I always thought of them as rotten fried eggs since I saw it the first time as a kid.
Based on "Piuppet Masters" classic by Robert Heinlein
Awesome. I don't have to binge watch these for another 6 months now.
Thanks for showing the cover of Greg Cox' Eugenics Wars. Every Trek fan should read that series, especially if they like Gary Seven, Roberta and Isis!
A cold review of an outstanding series. The interaction between the key cast members is the core of the sprit that Roddenberry injected. Are you a fan of Trash Trek because you're delivery is just as empty and devoid of care and attention to the little details that made REAL Star Trek such a joy. 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Roddenberry never came up with Wagon Train to the Stars.That was Robert Justin
I think guy read Star Trek facts for idiots
Aside from the Alternative Factor, the original Season of TOS was amazing and filled with excellent episodes -- especially in comparison to the first season of TNG, DS9, Voy or ENT.
All of the other Trek series would hit their stride by the third season, but TOS came strong right out of the gate, which is especially impressive given the total lack of a budget or time the crew had to put together episodes on a weekly basis.
One thing, I like and prefer ONLY The Original Star Trek series. Hate it when all that followed the Original Series is compared to that cheesy next generation stuff and all that other cheesy space garbage that is named Star Trek afterwards. The Original Series will ALWAYS stand out as being the only true BEST STAR TREK OUT THERE! No exceptions to the rule.
DS9 had the best episodes.
Just imagine what TOS might've done if they'd gotten 7 seasons...wow....
@@danbasta3677 I think you're a tad harsh on your assessment, Dan. TOS had plenty of "cheese" in it's 3 season run. TNG was a very worth successor, with many episodes, story lines and characters that were equal to, and in some cases, far exceeded TOS. DS9 &Voy also had moments of brilliance. Ent, not so much. Instead of pitting these series against one another, judge each on their own merits. Your assessment is somewhat of a disservice to the ST universe.....
I enjoyed The Alternative Factor because it was quite leftfield. The one with the silicone eggs was the episode I found quite boring.
I really like this video, thank you for making it I subscribed, and rang the bell. Cheers
It should be noted that "The Corbomite Maneuver" was the first Episode shot for the series. This is where McCoy and Uhura was used for the first time and the uniforms with the black collars which are thicker for Spock and Sulu and couple of others are used for the first time too. So production wise it was just after the two pilots. Take care all.
"The Enemy Within" really shows the acting ability of Shatner - ranging from a mild person to outright mad and paranoid.
I agree....HIGH 5
Enjoyed this. Thanks!
i loved your synopsis of the series.....very funny.
Really REALLY good work, both in your observations and the way you film and clip your voice over together. Good work honestly.
Reed, you missed the deeper philosophical meaning. Story lines are just scratching the surface.
it wasn't deep or philosophical...it was a whimsical romp through space....and usually very funny!
As someone who has been a fan of Star Trek since before the first episode aired, I have to say I loved your thumbnail retrospective. Good work.
Just discovered this and I love it. Can’t wait to watch the next one
These reviews are highly simplistic and miss a lot of substance about each episode. Which is unfortunate because of the brilliance of most episodes.
If it entices more fans to learn more about Star Trek that's fine by me
They are thumbnails, meant to express the basic idea of each episode. They get some things wrong, and he takes specific positions on some things that are debatable - but they are a good overview.
CommanderBalok- He gets a lot of stuff wrong, actually.
@@williamanthony9090 I plan on redoing these videos eventually. I make note of any errors anyone points out so I can correct them in the updated videos. What mistakes did you find?
It's a joke, Jim. Uh, Aaron. For, I don't know if he intended it that way, but that's how it came out; a comical adult's look back on STTOS from 50 years perspective. I grew up watching it, but as an adult, yes, a lot of things about the original show were ridiculous, same as most westerns and a lot of other shows. It's fiction. A lot of it is pretty far fetched. And far too many people forget that and want to pretend it's all real; we see this phenomenon especially in the more recent 'adult' fascination with comic books. 50 years ago we grew out of that. Today, a lot of people do not, and that's how we wind up with a population that gets taken in by nonsense.
Love every episode and still as an adult love it trekkie to the bone
A lot of very strong episodes in that lot!
Best Ever! Love your quick, fun summaries of each episode. Definitely keep doing these, for other seasons, and other Star Trek TV Series.
17:48 Number One is Majel Barrett, Gene Roddenberry's wife from 1969-1991. She also played Nurse Christine Chapel on the original Star Trek in the '60s. She was also the voice of the computer aboard Star Trek Next Generation and several other Star Trek movies.
The Enterprise used a tracker beam on the fighter jet and the jet started braking up so they had to beam the pilot up or he would have been killed
Contrary to some of the other comments, I found the reviews, though brief, often comical and I enjoyed the quick summaries.
Yeoman Rand (Grace Lee Whitney) also had other issues as well: ..."Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry cast Whitney in the role of Yeoman Janice Rand, the personal assistant to Captain James T. Kirk, in 1966. Whitney said: "I was on diet pills trying to stay thin-and I was very thin. They wanted you to fit into the uniforms and I couldn't quite so I went on amphetamines."[3] Whitney appeared in eight of the first thirteen episodes, after which she was released from contract. She had claimed that, while still under contract, she was sexually assaulted by an executive associated with the series.[4] Later, in a public interview, she stated that Leonard Nimoy had been her main source of support during that time. She went into more details about the assault in her book The Longest Trek, but refused to name the executive, saying in the book, "This is my story, not his."[1]
In a later interview, she said of her termination from the series:
They wanted William Shatner to have romances in each episode with a different person, because for him to be stuck with one woman was not good for him and it wasn't good for the audience. That's what they told me, so I was written out. There were two blond girls and one black girl. Nichelle was a more important character and couldn't be written out. Everything's political in America. One of the blondes had to go. The other one was engaged to the boss, so guess who went? I just about killed myself. I drank, that's what we do, we drink to get rid of pain. I was really mad. My God, was I bitter.[3] ..."
Snark is easier to summon on command than talent. Some of the assumptions inferred here are not objectively verifiable. But you can't have "thumbnail" appraisals without concomitant inaccuracies. I'd hope new viewers who haven't seen it will seek out the TOS episodes and judge for themselves. They weren't all great but under the draconian cost and time pressure circumstances of the time, their qualitative batting average rises far above where it resided for other, less challenging programs of the period. It's still a miracle it was made with the eye cast to quality and adherence to concept that is self-evident even after all these years.
Obviously drama, good writing, and cinematography are lost on our host. My guess is his retrospective of "The African Queen" would be `Humphrey Bogart drags a boat down a river while Katharine Hepburn sit in the boat complaining.'
Agreed.
That brings back great memories....the first season had incredible stories...some of the special effects are dated but for it's time it was the best sci fi on TV. Almost every episode was good but especially both pilots...the Cage and Where No Man has Gone Before....really see Forbidden Planet in the first one....and Star Wars in the second one. Plus all of the other great episodes...the City on the edge of Forever, Space Seed, Miri, What little Girls are made of. The second season was good to but the third season...the lame duck season with no money...no producer ...no nothing...still even a few good episodes. Real shame they didn't realize what they had and kept it going with all the bells and whistles for 3 or 4 more seasons. The chemistry of the crew ...at least on screen was incredible...maybe even more so since we have heard about all the stuff going on behind the scenes.
Something that I loved about Season 1 and the early episodes of Star Trek was the sense of danger involved. Especially in the two pilots, you feel like the crew is stuck together in a metal box that could malfunction at any moment, and are just winging it with their human intelligence and perseverance the entire time. The Cage, especially, involves the crew leaving from a literal war and desperately trying to handle the Talosian situation as it evolves. You really feel that same sense of danger and urgency in episodes like the Android, Corbomite and Galileo Seven ones as well. I really enjoy the rest of TOS, but it does somewhat feel like it settles into the grove of "what kind of wacky situation are Kirk, Spock and McCoy in today?" Season 1 really benefited from not being quite fully formed yet, in my opinion, in creating a unique atmosphere of excitement and danger that I appreciate.
Great stuff! Thanks for the snark!
SO SHWEEEETTT...much love Tee with LIONS NAMED LEO.[the music worldwide}
....so fun...
"City on the edge" was the best!
A lot of the first season episodes of the Original Star Trek series were the best there, Barabus Collins there. Like the Original Dark Shadows as well to. Never cared for either tv shows spin offs, ya just can't mess around with a classic show.
The Dark Shadows remake series with Ben Cross wasn't too bad in the early 90's, The remake movie with Johnny Depp totally sucked!
Yes, COTEF was remarkable . Having to reduce the entire experience to a, 'mere mission' was a quintisential example of the caliber of thier character . The recognition of a woman's caliber & character is her greatest stock value ! Combined with alluring beauty it can cause physical illness in a man when she becomes unrequainted . 😡😒
Yes one of the best episodes of the series. City on the Edge of Forever was originally titled Edith Keller Must Die. It won several awards for tv science fiction writing. If my memory is correct the Peabody award (not sure my Star Trek books are buried under a pile of other books too deep to pull out right now). It’s author was interviewed once and he seemed a bit stuck up, but that episode is often ranked #1 by some. I myself can’t rank the episodes because I love them all but it would be in my top ten if I were forced to say which were the best episodes.
Oops correction it’s Edith Keeler, not Keller. The episode is one of the great time travel paradox and tragic love stories written for science fiction television.
Love this series! It's like going down memory lane but in fast forward. Thank you.
Trelane from "The Squire of Gothos" was undoubtedly the inspiration for "Q" in Star Trek TNG series.
When Paramount was going back and forth (a lot!) as to whether the TNG pilot was going to be one hour or two... landing on two hours with almost zero notice... Gene added another hour to DC Fontana's script... and that hour was Q. Fontana was one of the first to recognize that Gene had repurposed the idea of Trelane. It's all to the good, but yes, it is the same.
I liked the the way you handled this....all in a nut shell....LOL......LIVE LONG AND PROSPER STAR TREK....HIGH 5
Interesting little tidbits I did not know previously. Cheers!
Trekkies know LOL
The plot Balance if Terror was directly cribbed off of a 1957 Robert Mitchum movie about an American destroyer vs a German U boat. That was one of my favorite episodes back in elementary school. Roddenberry even payed some royalties to the estate of Gary Cooper who owned the rights to that movie.
I thought the influence was unintentional and denyed.
@@bbbabrock - VERY difficult to claim it was unintentional when you watch the two side hy side - the same plot with the same plot devices and pretty much the same sequence of events- subsituting cloaked spaceships for submerged vessels.
The Mitchum film is The Enemy Below - watch it - them watch the ST episode - then tell me what YOU think - not what youve been told to think
This episode is very similar to The Enemy Below. Schneider (the author) might have watched and forgotten that film and this idea came from his subconscious. Or he might have outright cribbed it. But one way or the other, ideas from that film got into this episode.
@David Hecht - I was actually delighted the first time I saw TBOT - The Enemy Below has always been one of my favourite WWII films, so to see a faithful word-for-word, gesture-for-gesture remake of that clasic done in nothing less the the Star-freaking -Trek universe was an absolute joy for me
@David Hecht I think I have heard that somewhere or another the explanation for Spock's surprised look is retconned from "Whoa, I am surprised how much those Romulans look like us Vulcans" to "Whoa, I am surprised how that Romulan captain sure bears a strong resemblance to my father".
Great synopsis of season one especially the part where McCoy helps the rock monster with cement despite the fact that he is a doctor not a bricklayer
FUN FACT
JAMES CROMWELL
was considered for the role of
ZEFRAM COCHRANE
but the producers throught
he was too young
( he was 27 at the time )
Fun fact: Kodos and Kang were inspirations for The Simpsons characters
The First and Second season of TOS are the best of the series. So amusing to me that guys never like the same episodes as girls. 😁 Totally agree about Majel’s “Number One” though. It was a shame they never revisited the character in any of the incarnations of Trek. To quote an icon of the saga she was “fascinating.”
Excellent summary, if a bit flippant.
Airing the 2nd pilot as the 3rd episode of the 1st season must have been confusing to the original television audience in 1966.
It was.
Oh yeah, really enjoyed this. I believe that Jack Lord (Captain Steve McGarrett from the original series of Hawaii Five-O) was also considered for the part of the capt of the Enterprise. It would have been nice if Reed Westwood had given the names of some of the actors who played significant roles in Star Trek's first series, e.g. Ricardo Montalban played Khan in "Space Seed" and Joan Collins played Nurse Ruth Keeler in "The City on the Edge of Forever."
And also Lloyd Bridges...
David and John you both are right. Jack Lord was considered along with Lloyd Bridges, however Jack Lord wanted all camera pans on him, and a ridiculous salary requirement that Gene outrightly refused to accept, so Lloyd Bridges was considered however at that time, he didn't want anything to do with space. So, William Shatner was then selected, which was in the very end, an excellent choice for the role of Captain Kirk.
Correction: EDITH Keeller.... NOT Ruth....
Is it true they wanted an actor under 40 for Hawaii Five-O and that when Jack Lord who was over forty when auditioning for the part lied about his age, got the job; and once it was a hit the producers looked past his little misrepresentation?
Lloyd Bridges was also considered for the part of Captain Kirk.
As was Jack Lord, I believe.
@9:53 ... Yes, Mark played the Romulan Commander in "Balance of Terror" - and he played Sarek multiple times - but he was also the Tlinghan commander, the only speaking Tlinghan, in "Star Trek: The -Motionless Pigeon- Motion Picture"
That's Klingon.
2:10 They rejected Majel as first officer because she was Roddenberry's girlfriend/mistress, not because she was a woman. The latter is a myth created by Roddenberry to cover his tracks.
4:19 There was also behind the scenes personal reasons with the actor who played Rand why she did not return later on.
Yes, this video really needed better research. The "These Are The Voyages" books were available when this was recorded, and covers this info quite thoroughly. The info in this video is popular myth and has been disproven on multiple occasions.
Excuse me guys but you didn’t mention the craziest line ever read by anyone on any Star Trek.
Episode devil in the dark and with McCoy learning something about medicine.
He says,
“... I could bring this (new knowledge) to the WORLD!”
Yes
He says 🌎 world, as if he’s not 1000 worlds from earth.
awesome
I am grateful to star trek continues because of that we now have 90 episodes of original star trek when n b c Cancelled star trek l was a child l knew in heart star trek would come back in did many times OVER
@RedneckSpaceMan l think they did a good job with star trek continues my favorite was episode number four the captain goes back in time in his mind to deal with grief in his lifetime. The rest of episodes were very good as well every fan of star trek should see the 11 episodes of star trek continues. Many people l know think the last two episodes were the best
Season one was awesome.
Good thing his middle initial wasn't A. The USS ZUMWALT already had a captain named James A. Kirk. I wonder if he quit because of too many jokes about his name.
I have the complete series, remastered. It plays very well. My favorite episode is "Spectre of the Gun".
watch the
TNG ep
A FISTFUL OF DATAS
Great summaries . Your sense of humor fits well . 😉
@Reed Westward - nice, especially the no cursing. A "slingshot" is an actual space move whereby one uses the gravity of a planet or sun to boost one through...a time/space portal? Slingshot, the real thing, is actually used by probes like Voyager (not Janeway's though I'll be her number one any time). Slingshot=gravity assist.
Why the shot of the gang in the episode 'I Mudd" from season 2 in a retrospective of season 1? Just asking......
This retrospective is pretty mediocre. Why criticize yeoman Rand's hair? Does her wig really hurt the show that much that you need to discuss it. As far as why the Character of Rand was cut after a handful of episodes I remember reading that Grace Lee Whitney had a drinking problem at the time and the producers felt she wasn't reliable enough to be ready on set to film the weekly episodes. By the way I thought her performance as Rand was solid and it was sad that her character was cut so quickly.
Yes, she had a drinking problem. But it was after she was fired from show not during it. And why was she fired? As the video host said the most common story is that they didn't want her to become romantically involved with Kirk (which was hinted at strongly) because they wanted him to be free to have affairs with female guest stars. The real reason (or so I've heard in other documentaries and interviews) was good old fashioned nepotism. Gene Roddenberry as we all know was married to Majel Barrett. She played Number One in The Cage pilot. When that character was not carried over to the series
Roddenberry created the character of Nurse Christine Chapel as a way of keeping his wife on the show. They also made her blonde to differentiate her from Number One. That was bad news for the other blonde woman on the show. One of them had to go and it wasn't going to be the bosses wife. I've never heard that Grace Lee Whitney was involved in prostitution but she did suffer severe depression after she was fired and turned to the bottle for several years.
I did not watch Star trek when it aired I could have but my family had other ideas I did watch star trek in reruns I was hooked after the first viewing
Retrospective?
More like 'ten second summaries', LOL...but still, very amusing and entertaining stuff, your tone is quite engaging and likable, man...
Reed, this is very good. Two questions: 1) Why aren't you making more? and 2) Why aren't you making more? (This second might seem like a redundancy but it was so pertinent I felt it necessary to ask twice).
He says tripping balls too many times
You forgot Lloyd Bridges as Robert April and Jack Lord as Captain Winters
You talk about the first season... and immediately show a still from I, Mudd -- which has Chekov in it and is absolutely second season.
I thought that at first too. But when you think about it that's really the only time in all 3 Seasons where the entire primary cast is together in one single posed shot like that. that's probably why he used it
The reason the network didn't want Majel Barret to be 2nd in Command had NOTHING to do with the fact that she's a woman. It was because she was Gene's mistress (Gene was married to Eileen Rexroat) and the network wanted NOTHING to do with that type of drama.
Checkof wasn't in the 1st season. Not till season 2.
Well, he said he was in the john for the entire first year; that's how he knew about Kahn in ST: TWOK. 😉
2:15 - No female leads then? In what dimension? I Love Lucy, Gidget, The Donna Reed Show, I Dream of Jeannie, That Girl etc etc.
Both Star Trek and Star Wars were the culmination of all the sci fi that their creators watched growing up, so resemblance to Forbidden Planet comes as no surprise, nor resemblance to any other sci fi
Personally, I'd love to see them remake Forbidden Planet, but they'd probably make a movie that is far inferior to the original
This might be okay if you've never seen the original show, but adds little of value for any of us who've watched every episode dozens of times over since it was syndicated back in the 1970s.
my thoughts exactly .......he said spoilers LOL
Plus numerous of the stated “facts” are wrong. For instance in “Return of the Archons,” Kirk actually talks the computer to “death” they do not destroy it with their Phasers.
"Wagon Train to the Stars" or "Hornblower in Space"....
I know that the "official" story about Grace Lee Whitney character Yeoman Rand was that her character was let go because it would give Kirk more love interest, but that was a bogus story put out by the studio. She was intended to be the Miss Kitty to Kirk's Matt Dillon from Gunsmoke according to Roddenberry. The REAL reason she was let go was because one of the slimy TV Execs raped her. Forced himself on her, and because she didn't want to lose her job. she didn't say anything. The next day. "coincidentally" she was let go from the show. She only had one more episode. Dagger Of The Mind where she stood in the background with no lines.
Great millianul take on Star Trek TOS.
They use the soft or blurred focus on kirks face, sometimes, too. Kirk is super-hot. Excellent list. Thank you very much.
Captain Leslie Nielsen!
That was a lot of fun to watch. I never saw the original series as a whole, just episodes or scenes here and there. Hearing your take on the plotlines is really interesting.
You missed a lot not watching The Original Star Trek series. Much better and more mature than that cheesy next generation stuff, that's for sure.
Yeah, you know what? Why did they turn Harry Mudd into a bloodthirsty killer in Star Trek Discovery?
There's two versions to the story of why Majel was cut after The Cage. The studio's version was that Majel was Roddenberry's mistress (which she was) and he was using the filming to basically enable his infidelity away from his wife Eileen, and they got sick of it. The other version is that the studio felt audiences wouldn't accept a woman. He also had an affair with Michelle Nichols, who broke it off after finding out about Majel, so again his explanation of why he chose to include her may need to be combined with other information. As with all things star trek, the drama and counter stories are many and with identity politics being so huge these days, the versions that touch on this have gained a lot of traction. The counterpoints would have been nice for balance, even if you believe one over the other.
There is no evidence whatsoever that anyone was trying to prevent women and people of color from being in lead/supporting roles. NBC was in favor of it, as was Herb Solow from Desilu - and Lucille Ball especially. It is only in Roddenberry's mind that any of this took place. Read Marc Cushman's "These are the Voyages" books, as well Herb Solow/Robert Justman's book about TOS "Inside Star Trek: The Real Story". Their information completely contradicts his story; Solow and Justman helped bring the show to TV as much as Roddenberry did, if not more once Roddenberry had the idea and it was presented to Desilu by Roddenberry and Solow.
"Kahn is my name". "'Kahn' nothing else?" "Kahn".
McCoy's line about Vulcans being conquered doesn't hold up because later, Spock tells of how Vulcan has never been conquered and the very idea is inconceivable.
(3:38), season 1 brief overview, episode by episode.
Really funny
Tomorrow is Yesterday was supposed to be a sequel to Naked Time.
That what the black star was-a bad rewrite of Psi 200,where the Enterprise is escaping the planet
Yes,next time do some research
Summary of ST1 series:Captain's log ... trouble rears it's ugly head ... some babes turn hot/cold ... knock 'em down, drag 'em out scene ... problem resolved by brute force ... McCoy flatters Kirk, shades Spock, minor chuckles ... fade to star field...
Trelaine....baby Q
There you go again, we are dealing with the Original Star Trek series, not that cheesy next generation stuff.
volume two roddenbury vault this summer 2019
"Squire of Gothos" obviously suggests "Visit to a Small Planet".
You could have probably mentioned that the end of the episode "SPACE SEED" served as the BASIS for the LATER STAR TREK hit film, "STAR TREK 2: THE WRATH OF KHAN", where Ricardo Montalban reprised his TV role as KHAN.
wow, watching this review one would think you hated every episode and just put this together as a way to make fun of the show.
he doesnt know anything about the show its a classic
Barrett looks better with black hair.
Wow, bruh...you need some edumakation. Read the following: Joel Englel's "Gene Roddenberry: The Myth And The Man", Herb Solow and Robert Justman's "Star Trek: The Real Story", and finally, "Harlan Ellison's City On The Edge Of Forever". It'll burst your Roddenberry-worship bubble, and deservedly so.
after watching Star Trek Discovery S1-2 it was impossible to watch The Original Series, it is trash. thank you for the recap, I saved my time ❤️
People didn't dress like Trelayne in the 19th century. His clothes are more like 17th / early 18th century, I would say.
My only comment other than way way way to simplistic (did you write these when you were 8?) is Shiny Extremely Large Zipper Pull!
they don't destroy Landru with phasers they make the computer short itself out by giving it impossible and conflicting logic to process. lol