Author: Erica Drayton Writes

As I rewatch the series I’ve wanted to incorporate lore and documentaries and interviews I find along the way. But I don’t want to absorb content and information beyond what I’m watching.

Recently, I came across The Center Seat while looking for something to watch on Amazon Prime. I know I should be watching the next episode of Star Trek whenever I’m in a search like this. But there’s a reason why tv shows, I believe, should be spaced out one a week. Dropping an entire season is still something I can’t wrap my head around. Whether or not I was brought up that way and the concept is just ingrained in me, I feel I need to give myself space in between my consumption of Star Trek. Silly me for thinking I could watch one a day and be okay!

The Center Seat was done not too long ago, back in 2021 so I don’t feel like I’m too late to that party. It’s narrated by Gates McFadden, Dr. Beverly Crusher, on-again-off-again love interest for Captain Jean Luc Picard, and mother to Will Crusher (Will Weaton) from TNG.

I will stay I love the “set-up” of the way it’s done so far. And the backstory drama of getting the show off the ground is great. So much so I wanted to bring it here to you so if you don’t have Amazon Prime or access to watch this 11-episode series you’ll at least get a brief overview of what it’s all about.

Series Description: The Center Seat: 55 Years Of Star Trek is a multi-episode documentary series that takes viewers on the definitive in-depth journey behind the scenes of one of the greatest landmark franchises of all time: Star Trek. Chronicles rare and fascinating details of how “Star Trek” began, where it’s been, and how it’s going where no television series has gone before.

S1 E1 – Lucy Loves Trek (November 5, 2021)

It all began when Gene Roddenberry convinced Desilu to foot the bill for not one, but two Star Trek pilots. Thanks to Desilu’s boss – America’s darling Lucille Ball – the world met Kirk, Spock, and McCoy.

This was something I knew coming into watching the series all over again. I did some rudimentary research and was not at all surprised to find that Lucille Ball is responsible for why we have Star Trek today. She basically put Desilu and her reputation (as well as her wallet) on the line to put Star Trek on the map because she knew it would be a rerun goldmine. If you don’t know the fascinating story of Lucille Ball, I recommend watching any of her interviews from the past or the many documentaries created about her. They mostly get it right. I really enjoyed the TCM Podcast hosted by Ben Mankiewicz on her life. It doesn’t touch on her connection to Star Trek though so let’s get into it now.

Her husband, Desi, knew that reruns were going to make them millionaires. It was a concept not quite understood by television studio executives and so when Desi insisted on getting exclusive rerun rights, he got it. I won’t go into the sordid details of the separation between Lucy and Desi, but when they divorced he no longer wanted the production studio they built together and Lucy owned Desilu entirely. When I Love Lucy began to run in syndication everywhere Lucy wanted move. Along came Paramount who cut a deal to own Desilu and give Lucille Ball the opportunity to now seek out a new show that would be the same, if not longer lasting, than I Love Lucy. In came Gene Roddenberry with his idea of putting a western in space! That is how he pitched it and that sold her on the idea right away. One thing he always said he didn’t want Star Trek to be or become was another Lost in Space. Have you seen it? Man, that was terrible television!

Okay, so now with the backing of Paramount money (half of the cost, anyway) they proceeded to work on a pilot. I don’t need to tell you that The Cage just didn’t go over well with the executives and they canned it. Not willing to be dissuaded, Lucy went ahead and commissioned a SECOND pilot for Star Trek! It’s the second one, highly unusual and honestly I can’t think of another time it was done and worked to this day, that propelled Star Trek forward. Yes, there were hiccups along the way, the biggest one being Gene as we’ll discover in future episodes.

But let us all give thanks to Lucille Ball and her genius in seeing something in Star Trek and it’s lasting influence on society over decades and generations that no one else saw. I always loved Lucy but when I found this out it only made me admire her more. She is my hero!

S1 E2 – Saturday Morning Pinks (November 12, 2021)

Didn’t realize there was a cartoon version of Star Trek in the early 1970s? Not only was it great, but with original series creator Gene Roddenberry, writer D.C. Fontana, and the series’ original stars on board, it is the fourth season of the original show.

Fast forward past how difficult getting the three seasons of Star Trek done, it resulted on NBC deciding to cancel the show after that run. But it wasn’t until it was gone and started to go into reruns that they realized it was outperforming brand new shows on television by a mile! The network executives just couldn’t understand it. The first ever cult following of a show that they have all but decided to give up on. Do they call the cast back? And if so, could they even afford them at this point? Also, the first ever Star Trek conventions were started up by the fans and they were massive (at least, by 1970s standards). The love for Star Trek just could not be ignored.

So, NBC got together with Gene to concoct a way to bring back Star Trek but not have each episode cost as much as filming a movie! The idea of animation came to be. However, turns out the fans were not having it. Huge petitions were started and producers lives were threatened if they went ahead with the animated version of Star Trek. Fans felt it would take away from it being science fiction and make it hokey. I find this laughable as it was science fiction! But I digress.

The fans did not win out and the showrunner and head-writer (basically Gene’s right hand man…err…woman) went ahead with seeing this ship got off the ground as intended. DC Fontana (Dorothy Catherine Fontana) tried as best she could to steer the ship in a way that kept true to the lore and cannon of Star Trek. Only problem was, because it was animated the network decided to put it on Saturday mornings. Not realizing the content of the episodes would be far too adult for children to be watching!

I look forward to watching Star Trek The Animated Series as I confess I have never seen it. This episode gave me some background to how it came to be and some of the mishaps that took place along the way. Such as the legend that the colors came about because the head editor in charge was colorblind! His being colorblind is true but he was not responsible for making the decisions about what colors the aliens they encountered were to be. That fell to someone else who apparently had a love of pink and its many shades.

S1 E3 – Trekking through the ‘70s – Phase II and The Motion Picture

Paramount wanted to launch a fourth network with the new Star Trek series Phase II as its flagship. When the network proved unworkable, Phase II appeared doomed – until Star Wars and Close Encounters Of The Third Kind proved box office hits. Phase II became the 1979 blockbuster Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

Now that the animated series was out for a full 22 episodes the Network decided it was time to end that run and perhaps bring back Star Trek for real. But they were not about to pay Kirk and Spock prices for those actors. Phase II was born but unfortunately it went nowhere.

People say it was because of the popularity of a little known movie called Star Wars that made the network decide they needed to pivot from Phase II as a television show and turn it into a movie. But it was actually another movie, Close Encounter of the Third Kind and how well it did that made the networks stop and realize Star Trek was better suited to be a major motion picture.

I love how they called the first movie Star Trek The Motion Picture because they wanted the fans to know it was going to be a movie and not a television series. How clever these studio execs are!

They brought in a professional to write the movie, someone who knew how. Because, while Gene was the master creator of Star Trek he had no skill in writing for the big screen. His scripts were constantly turned away and turned down. He became really difficult to work with. Not just for the director, Robert Wise, who is quoted as saying he hated working on this film, but the writer, Harold Livingston opening hated the man as well. The movie was filmed under extreme duress as the studio promised movie theaters and fans the film would be ready in 18 months time! They said this even though they knew they had no script, an incomplete cast, and no concept of how to make the special effects needed for it to be a success. Not to mention the budget! When the dust settled it cost upwards of $40m dollars to make and the film was famously “still wet” when it was brought to the movie theater to play for the first time.

There is so much to absorb from this episode I feel overwhelmed just thinking about what to mention and worried about what I may forget and leave out. I will say The Motion Picture, while everyone around it, even Leanard Nimoy, felt it made absolutely no sense, the audiences LOVED IT! It grossed three times what it cost to make and that, as they say in the business, is good enough to do it again!

Original air date: February 9, 1968

SYNOPSIS

The Enterprise is guided to a distant, long-dead world where survivors of an extremely ancient race – existing only as disembodied energy – desiring the bodies of Kirk, Spock and astro-biologist Ann Mulhall so that they may live again.

CANON CONTEXT

This episode was the first appearance of Diana Muldaur in the Star Trek franchise. She appeared again as Dr. Miranda Jones in the third season episode, “Is There in Truth No Beauty?” and as Dr. Katherine Pulaski in the second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. It seems the Star Trek franchise was running low on female actresses to play a doctor?

RECAP

Consider this to be one of the shortest reviews I hope to do for this series. Mostly because it’s a storyline I’ve seen and written about too many times already. Let’s go over it quickly, shall we?

Orb like thing that is a being so god-like it can squash humanity like a bug chooses three members of the Enterprise to inhabit their bodies. Purpose? So they can use these bodies in order to build robots that look human but will live forever. See, they hate living their life in orbs for all eternity. In this form they don’t have hands and legs to build with and to ask a human to build what they need just would take too long. They are far superior and therefore could do the work in less than half the time.

Kirk is squarely on their side and wants to donate his body to this cause. It could mean so much to humanity if they do. Why? Well, I can’t quite explain that right now as it makes little sense but trust him, it does. As usual, Bones is against it and thinks the whole thing is ridiculous. I think he’s jealous that he wasn’t one of the three these orbs chose to inhabit.

The being that inhabits Spock has other plans in mind, especially as his body is far superior in strength and thinking than that of Kirk and Dr. Jones. She is this episode’s “femme fatale” except she’s not a damsel in distress like the others.

Spock plans on killing Jones and Kirk and taking control of the ship all while remaining in the body he’s in.

But, like any warm blooded human he would love some companionship or at least an ally. Who better than the woman. If he could only get rid of her husband. Let us take a brief pause to see what the male robot they are building will look like.

The perfect male specimen? Yikes. I feel bad for the actor who had to lay there during this scene lathered in that vaseline?

Suffice it to say, the orb who inhabits Kirk’s body dies, taking Kirk with him. The woman decides not to help Spock, but instead to use her power to revive Kirk. I had no doubt of this. And you shouldn’t either.

In the end, the leader of the tri-orb (as I like to think of them) didn’t really die, just like Kirk didn’t. He is pleased that his wife didn’t succumb to the evil ways of their friend who was busy trying to take over the Enterprise (and by extension the world). All of the gods return to their orbs where they voluntarily destroy their orb vessels and “disappear into space”? No idea, really. Let’s just say they are gone and all is right in the world.

DID THEY REALLY SAY THAT?

Capt. Kirk: They used to say if man could fly, he’d have wings, but he did fly. He discovered he had to. Do you wish that the first Apollo mission hadn’t reached the moon, or that we hadn’t gone on to Mars and then to the nearest star? That’s like saying you wish that you still operated with scalpels and sewed your patients up with catgut like your great-great-great-great grandfather used to. I’m in command. I could order this, but I’m not because Doctor McCoy is right in pointing out the enormous danger potential in any contact with life and intelligence as fantastically advanced as this, but I must point out that the possibilities – the potential for knowledge and advancement – is equally great. Risk! Risk is our business. That’s what this starship is all about. That’s why we’re aboard her. You may dissent without prejudice. Do I hear a negative vote?

Original air date: February 2, 1968

Captain’s Log, Stardate: 4211.4

SYNOPSIS

Peaceful, primitive peoples get caught up in the struggle between superpowers, with Kirk unhappily trying to restore the balance of power disrupted by the Klingons.

CANON CONTEXT

Don Ingalls’ first draft of the script had specific references to the Vietnam War, such as Mongolian-type clothes and a character described as a “Ho Chi Minh” type. Other early ideas included Kirk’s friendship with Tyree developing completely during Kirk’s second visit to the planet and a personal conflict between Kirk and Krell the Klingon. Eugene Myers and Torie Atkinson of Tor.com argue that the episode is sexist in its presentation of Nona, and that the episode, in trying too hard to be an allegory for the war in Vietnam, fails to find a peaceful, Star Trek, solution to the problem.

RECAP

This is a strange episode, one of those that was clearly written at the time for the time. Notes of the Vietnam war and a clear message on whether it was a good or bad thing. Hint: Seems like just about everyone felt it was not a good thing.

In the case of this episode, Kirk is visiting friends on a planet that he hadn’t been to since his early days at the academy. Not soon after transporting onto the planet, Kirk, Spock and Bones find an enemy group with firearms shooting at the friendlier and non-violent group. Kirk interferes to save the lives of his friends but it ends up getting Spock shot!

Back at sickbay, Spock’s internal organs are fighting to save his life and heal themselves. Who’s the dude on the left? He’s the doctor in charge because Bones has to go back down to the planet with Kirk to investigate how guns are on a planet that should be progressing at a really slow pace.

We’ll get back to Spock and his progress later.

On the planet, strange gorilla looking creature. Why do I feel like this isn’t the first time I’ve seen a creature (Mugato) that looked like this in the show?

It attacks Kirk before he’s able to get to the Hill People camp. It’s up to Bones to get him to safety and help before he dies as this creature apparently is poisonous. Back at camp we find out that Tyree, Kirk’s friend is the leader now and his wife, Nona, is the only one who can cure Kirk and save his life. Now, what happens next is… really strange and inappropriate to put on tv. I mean, what in the heck is going on here? You tell me?

Okay, so after that happens, where they apparently swapped souls or something, I leave it up to your own interpretation, he now belongs to her. This means she uses some sort of flower or something that has hallucinogens in it that makes her husband go all horny for her.

And it works even better on Kirk who probably would’ve got all up in that even without her little flower but whatever helps him sleep at night for pawing all over his friend’s wife.

Are we going off the rails a bit? Damn right, we are! There’s a femme fatale here! But back on track, Nona (the femme) wants Kirk to provide her husband and tribe with their phasers in order to defend themselves against their enemy who has guns. Oh, and I should probably mention the guns came from Klingon who apparently have visited the planet a while ago and provided the guns in order to cause chaos. Cause that’s what they do!

When Kirk finds out the Klingons are involved he feels the only solution to the problem is to give his friend guns to even the playing field. Bones thinks this is a stupid idea but they do it anyway.

Good idea? Bad idea? Only time will tell. But Nona is dead. And his friend, Tyree, who resisted guns, now finds himself wanting to kill the enemy who took the love of his life. The end.

Oh wait, Spock! Of course he survives. But if you ask how, Nurse Chapel is instructed to do whatever Spock asks of her in his current hypnosis. His request? To slap him hard over and over again with all her might! Yep, and she does it. It’s a scene you gotta see to believe. When Scotty walks in on this he’s mortified! “What are you doing, woman?”

DID THEY REALLY SAY THAT?

Dr. M’Benga: Don’t let these low panel readings bother you. I’ve seen this before in Vulcans. It’s their way of concentrating all their strength, blood and antibodies onto the injured organs – a form of self-induced hypnosis.

Nurse Chapel: You mean he’s conscious?

Dr. M’Benga: Well, in a sense. He knows we’re here and what we’re saying, but he can’t afford to take his mind from the tissue he’s fighting to heal. I suppose he even knows you were holding his hand.

Nurse Chapel: [embarrassed] A good nurse always treats her patients that way. It proves she’s interested.

Original Air Date: January 19, 1968

Captains Log Stardate 4307.1

SYNOPSIS

The Enterprise encounters a gigantic energy draining space organism that threatens the galaxy.

CANON CONTEXT

When this episode was filmed, George Takei was filming The Green Berets and therefore unavailable to portray his character, Lt. Sulu. John Winston’s character, Lt. Kyle, occupied Sulu’s helmsman’s seat, wearing a gold command tunic instead of his usual red engineering tunic that he wore as transporter chief. However, Kirk repeatedly mispronounced his name in this episode as “Cowell”.

RECAP

You know a story hasn’t got much going for it when you search for images to use alongside and there are few and far between. In short, the crew happen upon a thing in space. Stop me if you’ve heard this set-up before…

The thing in space, a mystery by all accounts, must be observed and investigated as that is the purpose of the Enterprise. Of course, some on the ship are a bit annoyed as they were on their way to some R&R before they encountered this black hole that isn’t a black hole.

Spock is, as their science officer, full of answers as to what it isn’t, but has no help whatsoever as to what it actually is. Before they can do any further testing with probes and whatnot, they find themselves having passed through it. They know this because their surroundings are pitch black with no stars or anything around them.

I won’t go into the science uncovered while trying to figure out a way out of this thing they are trapped in. I had a bit of a hard time following it myself and I looked the damn episode up on Wikipedia just so I can try to brush up on what I just saw. Trust me, not worth the read.

What I will say is that the answer came about by Spock and Bones essentially playing rock, paper, scissors to determine which one of them got to board the Galileo to get a closer look and possibly free the Enterprise from whatever hold it has on the ship. Both men were pretty adamant about wanting to be the one to discover this thing IN THE NAME OF SCIENCE!

Leaving Kirk to decide which one of them is best suited for the mission that could very well result in death. Spock is chosen much to annoyance of Bones.

The thing seems to be very fish-like in how it looks and they determine that they must destroy it or it will basically multiply and swallow the entire universe! Scary stuff, I know.

You may be surprised to know that the Enterprise manages to not only destroy the thing but save Spock as well! All is happy in happytown! The crew also are able to stay on course towards the rest they so deserve.

The end.

DID THEY REALLY SAY THAT?

Mr. Spock: That sound was the turbulence caused by the penetration of a boundary layer, Captain.

Capt. Kirk: What boundary layer?

Mr. Spock: Unknown.

Capt. Kirk: A boundary layer between what and what?

Mr. Spock: Between where we were and where we are.

Capt. Kirk: Are you trying to be funny, Mr. Spock?

Mr. Spock: It would never occur to me, Captain.

Mr. Spock: [Kirk has ordered a tractor beam placed on the shuttlecraft.] Captain, I recommend you abandon the attempt. Do not risk the ship further on my behalf.

Dr. McCoy: Shut up, Spock, we’re rescuing you!

Mr. Spock: Why, thank you, *Captain* McCoy.

SYNOPSIS

The crew of the Enterprise struggles to cope with a planet of imitative people who have modeled their society on 1920s gangsters.

CANON CONTEXT

This was the last Star Trek script credited to Gene L. Coon.

RECAP

What do you think about mobster movies? They were all the rage back in the late 60’s after The Rat Pack and Ocean’s Eleven made such a splash (to name a couple notable ones). I am sure the cast must love when episodes like these are done because it gets them out of their standard starfleet uniform (except for Kirk, of course, who may spend an entire episode topless) and into more “civilian” clothing.

This episode sees the Enterprise on their way to a planet that was “interfered” with by a previous starship and now, they are tasked to see the damage that may have been caused because of said interference. Did I mention this planet is inhabited by “imitative people” meaning they will completely become whatever they learn or see. And in this case, that starship left behind this lovely little (?) book for them to study and become:

And when I tell you they hit the nail on the head on this planet, I mean it. The language was actually a bit foreign to me and I thought I knew all the lingo from the 20’s. Not because I was born during that time, though I’ve been told I have a pretty old soul, but because I’ve seen my share of mobster movies. But I digress.

When Kirk and Spock and Bones beam down onto the planet they are met by guys in suits carrying some pretty heavy weaponry around. Even the women on the streets are packing. And if you ain’t packin’ brother are you in trouble! Know what I mean?

They announce their arrival to the “leader” or who they consider the leader because he owns and manages the largest part of the planet thus far. Being that this is all based on mobs, whoever has control over the most territory is the big cheese. Know what I mean?

Can’t say I like (or get?) the names of the two mob bosses we meet in this episode so I won’t bother you with what they are or use them. I like to give names based on appearance (yes, I’m shallow like that, my wife tells me all the time) and so for the purposes of this review I’m gonna refer to the big mob boss as “glasses guy.” Not pretty but it fits. Kirk and crew meet with him and he tries to strike a deal with them. He knows they must be pretty advanced and all that since the last ship paid them a visit. So he wants the Enterprise to supply him with enough weapons to take over all the other mobsters so that he’s the big kahuna. In return he’ll cut them in on the action. Something like that. Of course, Kirk (and starfleet for that matter) wouldn’t really like such a deal that could result in casualties.

But sooner or later Kirk has to acquiesce to the norms of his surroundings and what better way than to dress the part?

I’ve always loved a pin stripe suit and hope to one day have one tailor made for me. But I must say, Captain, that hat is not working for me at all.

In the suits they fleeced from guys working for the glasses dude they attempt to infiltrate the next largest mob boss. Let’s call him bowtie guy. He’s interested in a similar arrangement with glasses dude as they are both pretty tired of hitting each other (aka killing each others guys). That can get pretty old pretty fast.

By now you’ll be lulled into a false sense of glee and find yourself smiling for no reason. It was giving me that nostalgic feel for shows from this time period. I found myself wanting to watch I Dream of Jeanie or the original Batman television show.

One such laughing gag came when Kirk had to get them away from some mob guys playing poker nearby. He tells them about this game they play nowadays that’s much more complicated than poker which is silly stuff. The look on this guy’s face as he not only thinks he’s following Kirk’s rules but that he’s winning a game they aren’t even playing yet is one for the slapstick ages!

Another character worth mentioning is the kid on the street who thinks he’s a tough guy and just “wants a piece of the action” when he sees Kirk and Spock carrying their guns. The kid knows their about to bust in on one of the mob bosses and offers to help them as long as they cut him in. Who could turn down a face like this?

In the end, Kirk manages to convince all the mob bosses that they would be stupid not to take the federation seriously. He negotiates a deal where the glasses dude will be the leader of all the mobs with bowtie guy as his lieutenant. Together they will run the entire planet in a less mob-like way. In return, the federation will take a 40% cut of the action. Pretty sweet deal, if you ask me.

Of course, Spock has to sour it by asking how Kirk intends on informing the federation that annually they have to send a ship to this planet to collect. What a party pooper!

DID THEY REALLY SAY THAT?

The whole episode is one great line/scene after another. But here’s how it ends:

[last lines]

Capt. Kirk: All right, Bones, in the language of the planet, “What’s your beef?”

Dr. McCoy: Well, I don’t know how serious this is, Jim. And I don’t quite know how to tell you…

Capt. Kirk: Go ahead.

Dr. McCoy: But in all the confusion, I…

Capt. Kirk: Tell me.

Dr. McCoy: I think I left it in Bela’s office.

Capt. Kirk: You left it?

Dr. McCoy: Somewhere, I’m-I’m not certain.

Capt. Kirk: You’re not certain of what?

Dr. McCoy: I left my communicator.

Capt. Kirk: In Bela’s office?

Spock: Captain, if the Iotians, who are very bright an imitative people, should take that communicator apart…

Capt. Kirk: They will, they will. And they’ll find out how the transtator works.

Spock: The transtator is the basis for every important piece of equipment that we have – the transporter, the…

Capt. Kirk: [overlapping] Everything, everything.

Dr. McCoy: You really think it’s that serious?

Capt. Kirk: Serious? Serious, Bones? It upsets the whole percentage.

Dr. McCoy: How do you mean?

Capt. Kirk: Well, in a few years, the Iotians may demand a piece of OUR action.