Episode Review - The Lights of Zetar (Original Series, Season 3)

For those who are new to my episode reviews, you can find the post where I establish my point criteria here

Overview – The Enterprise is on its way to Memory Alpha, a planetoid that is home to the Federation’s largest computer library. On board is Lieutenant Mira Romaine, who has won the affections of Chief Engineer Scott. A strange storm approaches the ship, and it incapacitates the crew in different ways. Romaine collapses after the encounter and is heard speaking some sort of garbled language. Shortly after, the same storm engulfs Memory Alpha and kills the majority of the people stationed there. As Kirk and his away team explore the outpost, they encounter a woman who speaks the way Romaine did earlier. After the woman dies, Kirk questions Romains. The storm returns and this time, Lt. Romaine is overcome by the lights. It turns out that the storm is the remnants of the population of Zetar, a planet where all life was wiped out long ago. They seek Romaine as a vessel to inhabit and survive. Kirk and his crew risk Romaine’s life to drive out the aliens.

Score: 6/10 – It’s always nice to see someone other than Kirk get the girl. This episode, it’s Scotty’s turn. He is ever the gentleman towards the lovely Mira. The story, which was co-written by legendary ventriloquist Shari Lewis (best known for her act with Lamb Chop). The story is interesting, but the writing is a bit slow paced. I liked the idea of Scotty being in love, but he was portrayed as being a bit on the mushy side. The idea of Memory Alpha, an interstellar library of the Federation’s knowledge, was also interesting.

Relevance – 1 point. Not much connects this episode to anything else. I will give a point for Memory Alpha itself. If you look closely at the star charts in Kirk’s quarters, you will see the location of this planet. Other than that, there is nothing relevant to this episode. I will note here, however, that the online Trek reference site is called Memory Alpha for this place. It is the site that I get a lot of information from and would highly recommend you use it to learn more about all things Trek.

Continuity - 3 points. A point is scored for character continuity. Scotty has always worn his heart on his sleeves, and he does so in this episode. Kirk, at the end, makes a surprising conclusion when Scotty, Spock, and McCoy are all in agreement, and he makes a little joke about it, just as we would expect him to. Universe continuity is also good. Story wise, well, despite being a basic story, it follows along nicely.

Character Development – 2 points. Scotty definitely gets some attention, this time around with a love interest. The rest of the characters are not really given anything to build upon, as most of it is either commenting on Scotty’s love, or discussing the current dilemma. It is very refreshing to see our beloved chief engineer get the girl. While his love for Mira causes him to act terribly lovestruck, it is a different side of him that we see. Mostly, Scotty’s true love has been the Enterprise, but it is good to see that there is room in his heart for human companionship.

Social Commentary – 0 points. I really could not come up with any real connection to social commentary. This is a story, nothing else. It gives us nothing to really think about or ponder. Yes, there is the idea that we will go to great lengths to stay alive as the Lights of Zentar did, but to go to that extent is just not something most, if any, people can relate to.

Cool Stuff – 1 point. For its time, the effect of the sparkling lights was quite a cool effect. I liked the idea of having the souls/consciousnesses of former Zentarians was an interesting concept. While the effect may not be spectacular now, at the time they were worthy of note.

Rank – Lieutenant (13 points). A bit of a ho-hum episode. It’s nice to see Scotty in love, but beyond that there is not much else to it. For a better Scotty story, I would suggest “Wolf in the Fold” instead.

If you would like to read other reviews from the Original Series, click on the link here.

If you would like to read an episode review from any of the Trek series, click the following link to get to the series catalog. If the episode you want reviewed has not been done yet, then feel free to request it in the comments and I will see what I can do.

Episode Review - Relics (Next Generation, Season 6)

For those who are new to my episode reviews, you can find the post where I establish my point criteria here.

Overview – The Enterprise receives a distress call from the USS Jenolan, a transport ship that had been missing for seventy-five years. They find it on the surface of what they will learn is a Dyson sphere, a large structure built around a star. On the Jenolan they discover a pattern that has been stuck in the transporter buffer. Upon activating the transporter, they rematerialize Captain Montgomery Scott. Scotty attempts to rematerialize a fellow crewman, but his pattern had degraded too much. As the Enterprise studies the Dyson sphere, Scotty tries to adjust to living in the 24^th century. He clashes with Geordi in engineering, finds that members of the crew are disinterested in his stories of past adventures, and eventually has to accept that all of his former friends and colleagues are most likely dead. It is a crisis with the Dyson sphere that finally brings two generations together to save the ship and crew.

Score: 9/10 – This is one of the fondest tales for fans of the old series to be in the Next Generation. When word came out that Scotty was going to be brought back, fans were understandably excited. When the show aired, they were not disappointed. The story was great, the acting was wonderful, and it was a pleasant romp down memory lane. I thought the use of the transporter to bring back Scotty was not only clever but appropriate for our favorite Scotsman. The pairing of him with Geordi as a source of conflict was well done. The concept of the Dyson sphere was something the writers had been toying with, and it was the story of “Relics” that allowed them to do so. So many things about this episode are noteworthy, but I want to give a special shout out to the recreation of the Enterprise bridge from the original series. The detail that they employed, even down to the sound effects, was touching. There was a plan to have footage from previous episodes that would have had Scotty interacting with his former crew, but budget restraints sadly led to that being omitted. It was unfortunate, to say the least, but beyond that, this was and is a special event episode.

Relevance - 3 points. It’s Scotty! That has to be relevant! Besides, he refers to three classic episodes: “Elaan of Troyius”, “Wolf in the Fold”, and “The Naked Time”. Those alone could be worth the three points, but wait, there’s more! We eventually got Geordi swapping tales with Scotty, sharing a moment from “Galaxy’s Child”. Plus, we have Data in Ten Forward offering Scotty an alcoholic drink for when Scotty could not stomach the synthetic scotch he was offered. When asked what kind of drink it is, he tries to determine what it is before replying “It is green”. This is a direct reference to the original series episode “By Any Other Name”, in which Scotty gives the same answer to an alien that he had been drinking with.

Continuity – 2 points. Character continuity gets a point here as everyone acts the way that they should have. Geordi is definitely a different sort of engineer than Scotty is, and this does lead to some understandable conflict between them. Geordi has shown a similar lack of patience with other crew members that are just a bit out of their league on the Enterprise (looking at you, Barclay). I almost deducted the point for Troi giving Scotty a warm kiss on the cheek before he left at the end of the episode, but there was a deleted scene that would have established a history between the two. Still, I see Troi as being a warm and compassionate person who truly would have done that for him. Speaking of the final scene, the brief exchange of looks between Scotty and Worf was perfect. I am taking a continuity point away for the line that Scotty uses when he rematerializes on the transporter pad of the Jenolan. When he learned that it was the Enterprise that rescued him, he claimed that he knew that James T Kirk would have pulled the Enterprise out of mothballs to go looking for him. It would later be established in the film “Generations” that Kirk was lost and presumed dead, and Scotty was present when it happened. Sorry, that is a point lost for story continuity. Universe continuity does check out, so we still score two points here.

Character Development – 2 points. One of the reasons that I love this episode is that Geordi gets some much needed attention. He has great chemistry with Scotty, even though they are very different in their approach to engineering. Geordi treats his title as chief engineer as a job, Scotty treated it as a sacred calling. This put the two at odds initially, but Geordi came around to seeing Scotty for who he is. I am also counting Picard’s development here. After Geordi, Picard is the character that has the most interaction with Scotty. Their shared scene in the holodeck on the bridge of the Enterprise (no bloody A, B, C, or D) is a great one, as the two bond over lost loves (previous ships they has served on). We learn that although Picard loves the Enterprise, he misses his first command, the Stargazer.

Social Commentary – 3 points. How do you stay relevant when you become more associated with the past than the present? That is the issue tackled here. It is poignant for both those in the older generation and those in the younger. The young among us must acknowledge the wisdom and experience that comes from those that are older, while those who are older must learn that the world keeps moving right along without them. A clash and then combing of two generations is always relevant.

Cool Stuff – 3 points. You cannot help but score a point for the recreation of the original Enterprise bridge. That is still one of the best things in all of Star Trek for me. I also am scoring a point for the Dyson sphere. While I remain skeptical that such a structure could ever be constructed, it is pretty cool to see. Plus, the fancy flying of the Enterprise as they try to escape the sphere is cool. Finally, a point scored for James Montgomery Scott himself. If nothing else, this is a really cool thing about this episode.

Rank – Admiral (22 points). Honestly, I have never met someone who actually disliked this episode. They may not have seen its merit the way most fans do, but not to the point of hating it. If there are any out there that do, please don’t tell me. I may have to ask that your fan club membership be revoked for not fully appreciating how wonderful this episode is. It is how you do nostalgia properly, and it gave us one last adventure with James Doohan in his defining role.

If you would like to read other reviews from the Next Generation, click this link.

If you would like to read an episode review from any of the Trek series, click the following link to get to the series catalog. If the episode you want reviewed has not been done yet, then feel free to request it in the comments and I will see what I can do. 

Episode Review - Friday's Child (Original Series, Season 2)

For those who are new to my episode reviews, you can find the post where I establish my point criteria here

Overview – Kirk leads an away team to Capella IV, where Doctor McCoy had previous experience with the local population. Upon arrival, they encounter a Klingon that has begun his own negotiations with the Capellans for their mineral rights to topaline. Before long, Kirk and his team are drawn into a power struggle over the leadership of the Capellans. While McCoy tries to save the life of Eleen, the wife of the former teer, and that of her soon to be born child, Kirk and Spock must outwit the Klinogon and his Capellan allies long enough to survive.

Score: 7/10 – I have a hard time rating this episode. There are definitely some good moments with lots of action. The pace is a bit slow at times, however, and the Capellan outfits are just plain goofy looking. I find it hard to believe that a strict, warrior-class society would wear such bright colors and silly hats. It is interesting to see how McCoy stands up to Eleen, showing his deep understanding of Capellan culture. Indeed, the good Doctor gets a lot of attention as a diplomat and cultural expert in this episode. Speaking of Eleen, we get a great performance from a legendary actress, Julie Mewmar (likely best known for playing Catwoman in the old Batman series). I also quite enjoyed how Scotty commands the Enterprise, using wisdom and courage to support his captain.

Relevance - 1 point. Scoring a point for the first time that Chekov claims that something was invented in Russia. This time it was the “Fool me once…” saying that Scotty used, but it will happen several times after.

Continuity - 2 points. While character and story continuity all check out, I have to make a deduction for the universe continuity. In the footage that McCoy shows the staff in the briefing room, McCoy is seen in a blue tunic identical to the one he wears in this episode (although with a lower ranking insignia than he currently has). While the attention to the lower rank is nice, this previous visit to the Capellans happened before this style of uniform was used. McCoy should have been wearing a uniform that looked like what was worn to the pilot “Where No Man Has Gone Before”.

Character Development – 2 points. Definitely a McCoy episode here. He shows that he is much more than a phenomenal country doctor, but that he is a knowledgeable diplomat. He demonstrates his knowledge of Capellan culture (and his determination to help his patients) when he slaps Eleen as she tries to refuse his help. While this may have been seen as wrong, especially in today’s culture, it was definitely the Capellan way. Finally, we see his lighter side as he coddles and cuddles the newborn baby (giving us the “cootchie coo” line that confuses Spock). Also giving some credit in this category for Scotty, showing him to be an effective starship commander. When a distress call turns out to be a fake, he uses his wisdom to ignore another (likely) faked distress call to keep the Enterprise ready to assist the captain when needed. It was nice to see Scotty as such a good leader in this episode.

Social Commentary – 0 points. Some of these episodes are hard to find anything of particular relevance to society. They can just be a good action episode without saying too much about the world in which we live in. While some may find something to apply to their lives in this episode, I must admit that I can’t even find something that is a stretch. Oh well.

Cool Stuff – 2 points. One point scored for the “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me” line used by Scotty. It was a great line delivered perfectly by James Doohan. One point is also scored for the impressive looking Capellan weapon called a “kleegat”. It looks to be an impressive weapon that, among other victims, claimed yet another red shirt on the away mission.

Rank – Lieutenant (14 points). So this episode may not be a “must see”, but it does have some good moments. I would say if you love McCoy, watch this one. Otherwise, it is likely worth at least a single viewing.

If you would like to read other reviews from the Original Series, click on the link here.

If you would like to read an episode review from any of the Trek series, click the following link to get to the series catalog. If the episode you want reviewed has not been done yet, then feel free to request it in the comments and I will see what I can do.