This post is a thread. It works slightly different from my regular review emails so I thought I would give it a try in cases where news is made in the Star Trek Universe that is worth mentioning and opening for discussion. Not sure if links work here or not.
‘Star Trek: Section 31’ Original Movie Event Starring Oscar Winner Michelle Yeoh Announced
Thoughts?
Original air date: November 17, 1967
The Enterprise hosts a number of quarrelling diplomats, including Spock’s father, but someone on board has murder in mind.
Wyatt had been widely known for the 1950s sitcom Father Knows Best, where she played Elinor Donahue’s mother. On a previous Star Trek episode, Donahue was a guest actor, playing Commissioner Nancy Hedford, who became Zefram Cochrane’s “Companion”.
This episode introduced the Andorian and Tellarite species.
The time has come, after a full season + 10 that we meet Spockās parents. Now, I have to admit Iāve watched Strange New Worlds which, as you may or may not know already, features Spock as well as his parentās, prominently. I will say the stark contrasts and similarities between how the actors choose to play their parts is remarkable in both instances.
The Enterprise has been tasked to house several dozen dignitaries and representatives from various planets who are coming together for a very important vote.
Think of it like a meeting of the United Nations to vote a new nation into the club. Some are all for it but there are always those who are adamantly against it. at such times, a mingling party is always in order.
While at the party we discover an alien race demands to know how Sarek, Spockās father, intends on voting. Ever the stoic, strong and silent type, he refuses to answer. A bit of harsh words are exchanged before Kirk intervenes.
Kirk thinks Spock and his parentās might want to spend some time together to catch up, unaware of the strain that has been present between Spock and his father.
I must say I appreciated every single scene with Jane Wyatt, of Father Knows Best fame and other notable roles. Especially those with her and Kirk.
She is indeed a formidable woman and not one to be treated as anything less than the wife of Sarek, a very important man in his own right on Vulcan. Very bad ass, for sure. A pleasant change of pace from what Iāve grown accustomed to seeing with all the femme fatales fawning and falling all over the place.
There is clearly a mutual show of respect and love between Sarek, a Vulcan and Amanda, his human wife. I love to see it.
Eventually a mystery begins when the alien who confronted Sarek demanding to know how he would vote is found to be dead. The manner in which he was killed could only be known by someone of Sarekās previous station so he becomes a suspect. However, that quickly changes when he falls ill and in need of a blood transfusion. But he is Vulcan and as we are always reminded, his blood is not red like ours. His son has half Vulcan blood so he is the nearest and best candidate. However, Kirk is taken out of commission when he is attacked just walking his own ship! Madness!
Spock refuses to give up command of the ship to someone else just so he can save his fatherās life. It is illogical. Even when his mother confronts him about how stubborn both he and his father are being. She slaps Spock! And for the first time I feel like Iām seeing some really amazing acting coming out of this show! If you havenāt seen this episode it would easily be in my top 5 favorites across all of TOS.
Kirk is forced to hide just how severe his injuries are to trick Spock into leaving the bridge and report to surgery to do the blood transfusion to save his fatherās life. Which he does. Is there nothing Kirk canāt do or fake?
There is a touching moment at the end which, upon reflection, I wonder if it were logical to have happened being that Vulcans are not one to express emotion. Is not humor and sarcasm an emotion? Hmmā¦
Amanda: And you, Sarek, would you also say thank you to your son?
Sarek: I don’t understand.
Amanda: For saving your life.
Sarek: Spock acted in the only logical manner open to him. One does not thank logic, Amanda.
Amanda: Logic! Logic! I’m sick to death of logic! Do you want to know how I feel about your logic?
Spock: Emotional, isn’t she?
Sarek: She has always been that way.
Spock: Indeed. Why did you marry her?
Sarek: At the time it seemed the logical thing to do.
Original air date: November 10, 1967
Captainās Log, Stardate
While returning to the Enterprise aboard the shuttlecraft, Kirk, Spock, McCoy and a seriously ill Federation diplomat find themselves kidnapped by an energized cloud.
Ok, I have SO much I want to say about this episode but Iām going to try and hold my tongue about it. What I will say is I have an āexposeā if you will, about Kirk titled āHow Captain Kirk Is Bad For the Federationā and will be an upcoming Supplemental. Oh it will be a hot take, for sure. But try as I might Iām going to move past this and get onto the actual episode.
Kirk, Spock, and Bones are on their spacecraft, Galileo, ferrying a female commander who contracted some disease that could only be found in 1 in a billion! Wow! So, of course she didnāt receive the necessary vaccine against that disease that will kill her rapidly if she isnāt taken to the Enterprise to receive the proper treatment. On the way two things happen:
We discover just how annoying this commander is with her ungrateful attitude.
A thing appears out of nowhere in forces their ship of course towards a planet that appears uninhabited.
We soon discover there is at least one man down on this planet.
He seems harmless enough but looks can often be deceiving as Kirk discovers this guy looks awfully familiar. Only problem is he has little time for pleasantries with Cochrane. He has to get Commander Hedford to the Enterprise to save her life.
Only problem is when he discovers Cochrane is a man who did the first warp 150 years ago and should be dead. Though Spock points out his body was never found. Turns out he was brought to this planet by āThe Companionā as he calls it and given eternal life. That came with a price of boredom and loneliness. To fix that the Companion brought this spacecraft to him.
While Kirk worries about getting free from this planet the commander is first freaking out at the idea of being a āpetā to the Companion? It seemed a bit too extreme, but maybe not as Cochrane makes a similar āthis is disgustingā response when they point out that clearly he and the Companion are in a ārelationshipā whether he likes it or not.
I mean, just look at how they communicate with each other.
Enough said my dude.
Okay, now, back on the Enterprise we have Scotty (in charge) and Uhura both giving us their best facial expressions and catchy phrases and Iām here for it.
Kirk finally realizing he canāt defeat the Companion when they are able to hear it speak and it sounds like a woman, so that means he has an idea of how to deal with her. Because we all know what a sentient female voiced form would want, love and to be love and to feel love. Iām going to try not to think about a Celine Dion song and I welcome you to not do the sameā¦
The obvious solution here, which I assumed was how this episode would end just not how they did it but Cochrane and Hedford end up together. The Companion realizes the only way for her to be with Cochrane (who she loves) is to become human and give up her powers. She inhabits Hedfordās body, thereby healing her from the killer disease she had, which I question how she managed doing that if by entering her body she lost her powers. But the point of Star Trek is not to over analyze the details to that extent so weāll overlook that.
At the end of the day, love is in the air when Cochrane decides to stay with the Companion aka Hedford and live out their life together on this planet. How sweet.
Zefram Cochrane: I could even offer you a hot bath.
Nancy Hedford: [dripping with sarcasm] How perceptive of you to notice that I needed one.