It's been nearly a year since the last post in this series. I've had more modern Trek to watch - and with Picard about to start, it might be a while before you get some more posts here. But I will try to get one more in at least.
I'm not going to outline the plot etc. like my previous posts, but will instead list some of my thoughts in no particular order:
- There is some very nice scenery in this episode, but I believe it's pretty much the only location shooting done for the third season, with its vastly reduced budget.
- How on Earth can Spock identify the different tribes from that distance?
- Uhura is entirely absent from this episode.
- The depiction of the Native American characters is bad - simple minded "noble savages" with limited language skills who must be saved by a white guy. Once people realised that this episode lost nearly all of its popularity - and it was considered one of the best of Season 3 to that point.
- Scotty, Spock and McCoy all have some good stuff while in the ship... but it stretches credulity somewhat.
- Also, they're all played by white actors in brownface. Sigh...
- If this is one of the better ones, how bad are the others?
- There's a very weird CPR scene involving moving a kid's legs back and forth. Apparently, this is something called the Silvester Method, which is no longer taught.
- There's a mind meld that allows Shatner to thoroughly chew the scenery.
- Kirk gets a woman pregnant. She and the baby die at the end of the episode in what is actually one of the sadder moments - or would be if I wasn't distracted by Sabina Scharf's chest. What kind of bras did these people have?
Conclusion
The on-ship stuff does not make up for the surface plot, which as dull as it is racist.
2/10
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