In this episode: A complete analysis of World Building in Season One of Star Trek The Original Series: A Survey of all strange new worlds (30) and all new life forms and civilizations (25) A breakdown of categories for each, from barren desolate planets to advanced ones, and primitive aliens to evolved non-corporeals  The State … Continue reading "StarTrek 01.33–Post Season 1 Analysis Part 2: World Building"

Masterpiece Science-Fiction Theater

StarTrek 01.33–Post Season 1 Analysis Part 2: World Building

In this episode: The first part of our post-season 1 analysis of Star Trek: The Original Series, with a focus on trends in narrative structure. Antagonist Type: There are more monster episodes than you might think, but the monsters and the villains are depicted in unconventional ways. Monster: 11/28 (39.2%) Villain: 9/28 (32.1%) Computer: 4/28 … Continue reading "Star Trek 01.32–Post-Season 1 Analysis Part 1: Narrative Structure"

Star Trek 01.32–Post-Season 1 Analysis Part 1: Narrative Structure

In this episode: an analysis of “Operation: Annihilate!” the last aired episode of Season One of Star Trek a fitting season finale (even though 60s TV did not really do those as we understand them) because it has a grand scale and important character development for all three leads–Kirk, Spock and McCoy–which is unusual a … Continue reading "StarTrek 01.31–Operation: Annihilate!"

StarTrek 01.31–Operation: Annihilate!

In this episode:  An analysis of The City on the Edge of Forever: How the episode still lives up to the hype five decades later Edith Keillor voices Star Trek’s Mission Statement, and is a stand in for all Star Trek fans A comparison with Ellison’s script–the good, the bad and the ugly–especially Keillor, whom … Continue reading "StarTrek01.30–The City on the Edge of Forever"

StarTrek01.30–The City on the Edge of Forever

In this episode: An analysis of Errand of Mercy. The origins of the Klingon culture–hint: another Vietnam-era analogy. The Klingon look–not just swarthy villain stereotypes NOTE: I did not address connections to Star Trek: Discovery in the podcast, due to time. But I have included quotes from the episode that speak how Kirk viewed the … Continue reading "StarTrek01.29–Errand of Mercy"

StarTrek01.29–Errand of Mercy

In this episode: A literary analysis of The Devil in the Dark Everyone’s favorite silicone-based lifefrom, the Horta Roddenberry and his producers believed this episode provided Stark Trek with its organizing thesis about how to treat aliens and “the other” and the show, but I argue this thesis was marbled through the first season back … Continue reading "StarTrek01.28–The Devil in the Dark"

StarTrek01.28–The Devil in the Dark

My initial throughs on Discovery’s second season premier, “Brother.” New and old characters on a new adventure. I also share some musings about where I think the season is headed thematically: the clash between secular society and religious faith. It may prove to be more controversial than a new Spock or the colors of the … Continue reading "Discovery005-Brother"

Discovery005-Brother

In this episode: This Side of Paradise a heavy sci-fi episode by TOS standards the third episode by Trek’s best woman writer, DC Fontana a counterpart to The Naked Time with strong Kirk and Spock character development A return to a major TOS theme: Life’s a bitch and you like it that way (ok, the … Continue reading "StarTrek01.27–This Side of Paradise"

StarTrek01.27–This Side of Paradise

In this episode: “A Taste of Armageddon” Another rare pure science-fiction Star Trek episode: a 500 year war waged by computers. While the Federation was first mentioned in “Arena” this episode is first to mention the full name: United Federation of Planets The message is not explicitly anti-war, but that if you are going to … Continue reading "StarTrek01.26–A Taste of Armageddon"

StarTrek01.26–A Taste of Armageddon

Space Seed: an episode that is not as good, and more problematic (#MeToo) than I remember it. Still a classic, but not a masterpiece. Excellent sci-fi elements: Most extreme and detailed “future history” Trek has ever attempted: Mid 1990s Eugenics Wars; a dictator from Northern India region (possibly a Sheikh), leading a band of genetic … Continue reading "StarTrek01.25–Space Seed"

StarTrek01.25–Space Seed

In this episode, an analysis of the third quarter of Season 1 of Star Trek, where we cover the following episodes: The Menagerie Parts I and II Shore Leave The Squire of Gothos Arena The Alternative Factor Tomorrow is Yesterday The Return of the Archons We discuss narrative structure; science-fiction and technobabble elements; world building, … Continue reading "StarTrek01.24–Third Quarter Analysis"

StarTrek01.24–Third Quarter Analysis

In this podcast: The Return of the Archons One of Season One’s more science-fiction-y episodes, with many great Trekian themes Kirk talks a computer into frying its own circuits–not for the first or last time! One of Roddenberry’s top 10 episodes (of course he wrote it).

Star Trek 01.23-Return of the Archons

In this podcast: The Star Trek franchise’s very first time-travel romp; sets the precedent for Trek’s mix of time travel and fish-out-of-water comedy; thoughts on why TOS’s long lasting narrative tropes need to be retired in the era of Star Trek: Discovery.

StarTrek01.22-Tomorrow Is Yesterday

In this episode: The Alternative Factor, Star Trek’s first W.T.F episode. The plot is a mess, but it did give us one of TOS’s few strong female black guest roles, and that classic closing line… What of Lazarus…?

StarTrek01.021-TheAlternativeFactor

In this podcast: Revisiting Season 8 of the X-Files, how Mulder was abducted and returned, then killed off and resurrected; how the mythology can convey great drama and pathos, but the ultimate end points and explanations ring hollow in late seasons.

The X-Files 001) Late Season Mythology Plot Contrivances

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