Movies I-IV

Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Release Date: December 7,1979

This movie is not on netflix, it is available on itunes. Tax Returns came so I bought the box set with the Original Cast Members. I finished the Animated about a week ago, I am watching these 4 movies that came out before The Next Generation premiered in March of 2013.

The Extras claim Gene Roddenberry told a Sci Fi convention he was thinking about movies as early as 1968, before the third season.One thing that was clear was the show simply would not die. Books were best sellers whether it was novelizations of the TV episodes and cartoons or original materials.Conventions of fans began to pop up and you had millions of people still watching the show in syndication re runs. 4:00 every night on Channel 41 in Kansas City and Channel 27 in Topeka,Kansas. And Merchandising .

Movie wise, in the summer of 1977, Star Wars began a game changer. According to the DVD, every studio was asking "What do we have like this ?". Paramount debated whether to go with "Phase II" or Movie. The movie is basically the plot episode with the exception of the deaths of Ilia and Decker would not have occurred as what happened in the movie.

The story is really,a true science fiction story that doesn't reveal itself until near the end as we find out the enegry force that threatens Earth is a NASA launched space probe that wants to get it's creator the information it has collected over the centuries.

At worst the movie, particular the villain V'Ger has been called boring, mainly do to the fact it is not human. The Movie lacks the action that the villain in the next movie would provide. Good point but let us not compare it to anything else.

Now, the movie does suffer from long tracking shots, as V'Ger use a tractor beam to bring the Enterprise and the shot near the beginning when Kirk and Scotty take a shuttle to the ship.

Things new:
The Klingon's appearance will not change much through out the rest of the franchise.
The Theme music is the Jerry Goldsmith score used for decades

Things I had forgotten about
There is no "Space the Final Frontier narration at either the beginning or end of the movie
I really like the tag line "The Human Adventure is Just Beginning " tag line

As we go other, the series suffers from Even number movies Good,Odd number movie bad, and I think that is unfair on the bad side, this is not a bad movie at all, it just doesn't have the excitement of what comes next. I am kinda sorry we don 't get the Ilia character, that would have been interesting to explore, I am not even sure if she or Deltans were used in the books.

To end this entry with a personal note: I recall vividly I was 14 years old when the movie came out and going through about the worst time ever as I had my leg in a cast for several months. I could not miss this movie and uncomfortably sat at the Topeka Blvd Cinema and watched the movie from the back row. Coming in an era of Star Wars,Close Encounters,Battlestar Galactica,Buck Rogers and Alien, I was mesmerized. I don't think I could have imagined the movie franchise would still be at in the summer of 2013.

Side note, a friend of mine tweeted an article talking about how Voyager 1, launched in 1977 is just now about to leave the bounds of the Solar System


Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan   
Release Date: June 4,1982

Where do I even begin with this movie, The Alpha and Omega of the Star Trek Universe. Richardo Montalban returns to the role he played in 1966 as Khan Noonien Sighn, the genetically engineered super human from the 1990's that Kirk and crew awakened from cryogenic sleep. Khan really is the best villian  the series ever produced, The Borg,Romulans are good but not the Herman Melville quoting superman Khan.

The Genius of Khan vs. Kirk is that it is so compelling and the two nemesis are never in the same room.The dialogue is incredible and quotable to this day. As Academy Voting standards have changed through time, I am fairly certain that if Heath Ledger could get a nomination for playing the Joker, Richardo Montalban would have gotten one today for Khan, the not quite overboard acting is a work of  art. In the 1980's action movies were not truly honored.

This movie is more about action,so the science fiction elements are some what downplayed, yes we have the Genesis device "Life from Nothingness", as McCoy explains " Now instead of 6 days, we can create life in 6 minutes". Another interesting point of the plot Kirk dealing with getting older, He is an Admiral,hates inspections and misses the action. Spock,now Captain even tells him he should not have taken the promotion.

For the great script and dialogue, my favorite part of the movie and still compelling after viewing after viewing , is the cat and mouse game inside the nebula as Khan and Kirk chasing each other blind,only seeing static images on the monitor and relying on touch and feel, It is an electric scene, high tension stuff.

And then the ending of the movie, Yes a spoiler, at the end of this movie Spock dies .Spock gives him life in a wonderful Shakespearean moment,mild melding with McCoy "Remember" an incredible scene with Kirk. An odd moment at his funeral, Kirk elegy of his friend " Of all the souls I have encountered his was the most human", what an insult to the man who has spent his entire live fighting his human side.

So the Genesis device is exploded by Khan, a new system is created, Spock's coffin is launched into space and lands on a newly created planet and Leonard Nimoy says in one of the interviews on the disc " I was sure this was it, this would be the last of the movies". Not so much.

Things new:

Kirstie Alley as Saavik, a new Vulcan in Star Fleet.

David Marcus- the son of Dr. Carol Marcus,one of Kirk's old flames. I have long believed Kirk has spread Bastard children all though out the galaxy, here we meet one.

Kobayashi Naru- The No Win scenario that all Officers to be go through at Academy.












Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Release Date: June 1,1984

The movie picks up a little bit before we left off, Spock and Kirk's final scene, the funeral, Spock's coffin on the Genesis Planet.Weird things start to happen, McCoy is in Spock's sealed quarters talking in Spock's voice. A Science ship with David Marcus (Kirk's son) and Lt. Saavik (same Vulcan,different Actress) aboard notices a Life form reading near Spock's coffin. For a Villian, a Klingon (Christopher Lloyd) has acquired top secret information about Genesis and wants the device for himself.

If you add in Kirk in hand to hand combat, Kirk outwitting Klingons several times, it is really not very different than a regular episode. Mark Lenard adds playing Sarek in a Movie to his resume, it is a really touching scene as he wonders why Kirk hasn't done what he promised to do. He couldn't Spock melded with McCoy,not Kirk.

The movie really is the second part of a trilogy and should be treated as such, and it also pretty good,if not a little dark. It becomes the dark movie in the series as Kirk and crew defy Starfleet not to return to Genesis, steals the Enterprise is due to be mothballed and commit several other crimes against the Federation.

The philosophical issue deals with Souls and the next step, it is handled well and not focused on to much. The writing mixes humor.We find out Scotty says something is going to take longer than he says,pointing out " How else do I keep my reputation as a miracle worker ?", there is a great life lesson in that line.

Special notices should be given to Robin Curtis who does a wonderful job as Saavik, Spock's body is reborn on Genesis and Saavik shepards him through Vulcan youth. The scenes are touching and add depth to the movie. The look She and Spock share after his mind has been rejoined to his body is priceless and one of the best moments on the extras as well.

Leonard Nimoy proves an able director. Getting back to the darkness of the movie of course we have the destruction of the Enterprise. a tear jerker moment for the hard core fan: RIP USS Enterprise

And we should also note Tribbles join Mark Lenard as appearing in the original series,the animated series and movies:

Star Trek IV:The Voyage Home
Release Date November 26,1986 (love the poster with the wrong date)

Ending the trilogy begun with Wrath of Khan in 1982, the story begins with a Probe floating in space disabling Klingon ships and a space dock. Hovering over Earth as Kirk is being put on trial,the planet begins to experience weather and power disruptions. Meanwhile on Vulcan, McCoy has HMS Bounty painted on the side of the Klingon ship from the last movie. The Crew has  voted to face their fate and return home.

In route, the crew receives a distress call from Earth, Spock
figures out the probe sounds like Whale singing and since they are extinct in the 23rd century they have to slingshot around the sun and go back in time, will the Klingon ship be able to take it ?

So they arrive in San Francisco in 1986 and the movie becomes a time travel movie,an ecology movie and is really very enjoyable.
As with the last movie, the dialogue is often funny. My favorite sequence is Dr. McCoy in a 20th Century and aghast at how dark ages it is.

The Movie follows the formula established in III and somewhat in II, in any case look to Harve Bennett as the brain child who took the movies to another level. There is a story on the DVD that the box office was so good that the series was green lighted after that first weekend. It has always been my favorite movie,probably because of the time travel element. In most of the trilogies, the second is the dark one and the third one the resolution.

As I was going through the Animated series,I found a lot of discussion about M'Ress, the cat creature appearing in the movie. There is a Cat Creature in the trial scenes, It is never identified as M'Ress or a Caitlan. I have also heard she is used in some of the books. Also she is apparently popular at conventions. Too bad their were no lines, no chance to here that sexy purrrr-y voice.




The movie was released in 20th Anniversary of the show,Kirk and crew have 2 more movies, but the next time Star Trek appears, It is as a syndicated TV show set some 70 years in the future. On to Star Trek: The Next Generation. Premiering in September of 1987.

TAS: Season 2, Episode 1-6

2x1 The Pirates of Orion  September 7,1974

I was afraid the quailty would drop over in the second season, only 6 episodes. I was right. This really isn't a memorable episode. The Director changes and the animation quality is poor ( as if that is possible).

2x2 Bem   September 14,1974

Kirk identifies himself to a God looking after a very primative population that is his name is "James Tiberius Kirk", in fact he says it several times. This is the first time we find out what the T stands for. That is the only thing memorable out of this episode. Season 2 is not working out for me so far.

2x3 The Practical Joker September 21,1974

The one thing this series has not had is an episode played purely for laughs. The title tells it all, a practical joker is on board the ship and it is all fun and games for a while until every one gets sick of it. Good Romulan episode as well. Also the first holodeck episode.

2x4 Albatross September 28,1974

This is a great episode as 1) McCoy is put on trial for Mass Murder as he failed to cure a plague 20 years ago and 2) Enterprise crew members get the plague and turn blue.

2x5 How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth  October 5,1974

Another of the stronger outing in this series episodes. As a plot device I was wondering why someone new was at the helm, where was Sulu. Navigator Walking Bear becomes the only person to connect an Alien vessel to Native American Markings. The plot then turns Chariots of the Gods with enough stuff to make Mayan Conspiracy fans go crazy. It is an effective episode was Earth and other Planet visited by Aliens in it's infancy ? Spock has a great line "Vulcan was visited by Alien beings and left much wiser."

2x6  The Counter-Clock Incident October 12,1974

79 Episodes of the Original Series + 22 Episodes of the Animated as this is the last episodic adventure of for Captain Kirk's crew. We meet Commodore Robert April who is being taken to Babel for his retirement at the mandatory age of 75. The Enterprise ends up in another Universe and everyone begins to reverse age which puts the crew in peril.

The quick thinking of Cmd. April manages to save the Enterprise. It is another smart and enjoyable Episode.

I had heard and read The Animated Series was really good. I remember watching it on Saturday Mornings, I was reminded Nick At Night and Cartoon Network had shown the series and it available on DVD Format. Everyone who said how good it was right on target. In a sense this is truly the lost seasons of the show.


I have raved about the write as I went on watching the episodes, it was very strong throughout. As you read, you find out there was a writers strike and it was easy for David Gerrold and Larry Niven to find time to write an episode. I will stand by my earlier comment that we knew the characters so you could write great stories.

Does Cannon mean anything ?, when you think of how multi media Star Trek has become. I was disappointed Gene Roddenberry took the series out of the show Cannon. The Show certainly maintained the Cannon of the original series. I would also point out, the Cat girl M'ress will appear in the books, The New Frontier series and I am looking foward to the fourth movie and her brief appearance at Kirk's trial.

In conclusion it is easy to see why the show won an Emmy for  Best Childrens Series-1974/75.

So, It is 1978, the show is a hit in syndication. Novelizations of TOS and TAS sell well. What Next ?
A TV Show called Phase II with a totally bald woman or maybe take the show to the Big Screen ?

TAS: Season 1, Episodes 12-16

1x13 The Ambergris Element  December 1,1973

The Spock Effect I mentioned a couple of episodes ago, Even though Kirk and Spock are turned into Fish/man, think The Man from Atlantis, it is pretty dull, Spock seems ambivalent about turning into a fish, Kirk is freaking out " How can I command a starship from an aquarium? He asks. I am sure they used a lot of the stock underwater cells from Filmation JLA show, I was kinda surprised Aquaman did not make an appearance.

Note: I am just going where Netflix takes me,however it appears according to most episode guides that this is the 13th episode, Netflix thinks it is the 12th. I will use the episode number from other sources.

1x14 The Slaver Weapon  December 15,1973

The episode is written by legendary Sci Fi Author Larry Niven. It shows as one of the best,most literate episodes I have watched so far. Interesting that it is the only episode where Kirk does not appear. Spock,Uhura and Sulu are on a shuttlecraft.

It really is a great story,ruined somewhat by the cheap animation. The Kzinti are an interesting foe, just not very menacing.











1x15 The Eye of the Beholder January 5,1974

Enterprise is searching for a missing science team and ends up being an exhibit in an Alien Zoo. It was about as interesting and predictable as it sounds.

1x16 The Jihad   January 12,1974

Can you imagine introducing the concept of Jihad to Saturday morning TV audiences in 1974 ? That must have been a mind blower. Kirk and Spock are choosen to be part of a team by the Vadala of the first alien races humans encounted. A stolen religious artifact by a warrior race is missing and the race involved would launch a holy war against the known galaxy if they don't find it.

Kirk is choosen to lead the crew,each picked for special abilities, a lock smith, Spock for his logic, a tracker, etc,etc. They are sent a "Mad Planet" where the geography is shifting. Honestly this could have been a movie, it is ashame to contain it to the 22 minutes of the episode.

Dumb dialogue abound from the fliritations between the Lara and Kirk, it has to be a first the Kirk is more interested in the task at hand than her advances. He would have been all over her if this was TOS. Whoever did the voice of Lara, I just don't imagine the Brooklyn accent in outer space.

The dialogue is also clever when one of the crew says "I was sentenced to this mad expedition. My people are cautious, what you would call cowards."


 From the Volcano to the Null Gravity Combat, this episode is full of charms and I think one of the best from this animated series.

1x12 The Time Trap November 24,1973

Ahh, The Delta triangle where ships of all type disappear.Another strong episode. It is occurring to me the strength of the series is in the lack of character development. There is an assumption that you know Kirk,Spock,McCoy, no need to explain them to you, so let us get into the story. That Idea is on display here.

TAS: Season 1, episode 6 - 11

1x6  The Survivor  October 13, 1973

The Role of Carter Winston is voiced by Ted Knight, known for his icon role as Ted Baxter in The Mary Tyler Moore Show. What is interesting is I thought Shatner was doing the voice, I was surprised when I read Ted Knight did the voice. In some ways you can compare Shatner and Knight in a lot of ways.This is again is a well thought out,interesting well written episode. Shape changers and the Romulan Neutral Zone play key parts here.

1x7 The Infinite Vulcan October 20,1973

The episode is written by Walter Koenig, Chekov who did not do any voices in the series. This really was the least interesting episode of the series. Still not bad episode.

1x8 The Magicks of Megas-tu October 27,1973

I would not imagine Satan would appear on a Saturday morning cartoon in 1973 or 2013 or ever. But here is Kirk in a Salem Witch Trial setting and Lucien, a horned satyr as Aliens who have previously been on Earth put humanity on trial.

1x9 Once Upon a Planet November 3,1973

Sequel to Shore Leave (1x15) . Really an average episode as the crew deals with a rogue on the Shore Leave Planet.We are seeing a lot of the Aliens the last few years. Arex the 3 armed alien, I don't know that they have said where he is from and M'ress, the sexy voiced and slightly flirty communications officer.

1x10 Mudd's Passion  November 10,1973

The third and final appearence of Harry Mudd, he was considered for Star Trek IV and a TNG episode but the actor passed away. So Con man Harry Mudd is peddling a love potion and basically turns the ship into the Love Boat. I assure the readers this picture is not photoshopped.

We see Spock and Chapel get together, Spock admits to loving her and calls her darling, M'ress and Scotty get together, McCoy and someone and Kirk actually is the only one who doesn't see any action, this friendly 1973 "hug" aside, after all Kirk and Spock are well known .... friends. Special friends maybe.



1x11  The Terratin Incident  November 17,1973

I have reached the half way point on this series. I have noticed something. Mister Spock has most of the dialogue and sometimes he really engaged in the episode or the situation in the episode and sometimes not, he can seem kinda bored, reguardless of how much he has to do the resolution. For instance he very engaged in this Gulliver's Travel inspired story and it is a good episode. The Spock Effect.

Star Trek: The Animated Series 1973-74: Episode 1-5

So the Original show had it's last new episode in June 1969, so what happened, syndication happened, the series began live on in comic books and adaptations written by James Blish and an original novel also written by Blish called "Spock Must Die".

Internet sources point out the first Star Trek convention was held in New York in 1972,Cast members and fans would get together. The show also created a merchandising boom, the phrase fans shared was "Star Trek Lives !". People just couldn't get enough of this cancelled series. So of course it came back as a cartoon.

The last time the cast got together was January of 1969, most of the cast,minus Walter Koenig gathered together to record the first couple of episodes.  It was common practice in Animation to do the voices whenever someone had time. William Shatner was on tour with a play and according to legend was on tour with a play and recorded a lot of his vocals in hotel rooms.


1x1   Beyond the Farthest Star  September 8,1973

The theme is different, it has a pseudo jazz,70's cop song feel about it. The couldn't sign Chekov, so he has been replaced by an orange dude with 3 arms. The first time we see the Alien ship that is the center of the episode I knew they would be doing things they couldn't have imaged in the real life series. You could probably make the ship look cool today but in 1973,no way.

I noticed little things, Life support are belts not the metallic space suits with the bee keeper masks from TOS. We learn the Bridge has an automatic defense system which is on dome of the bridge, little if ever seen in TOS.

Great dialogue Kirk: "Compared to the beings who built this ship,we are primitive Mr. Spock,even you."

The story is really good,sharp writing,not at all geared to a saturday morning TV Cartoon audience.

1x2  Yesteryear September 15,1973

This is a really great story by DC Fontana who wrote so many of the great episodes of TOS. This one brings into play the Time Vortex from City of the Edge of Forever (1x28) and we meet his childhood pet I-Chaya,mentioned by Spock's Mother in Journey to Babel (2x10). Somehow it seemed more menacing when it was being discribed. The Plot deals with Mr. Spock going back in time to save himself as a child. Again Mark Lenard plays Sarek.The first guest star to appear in the second series.


1x3   One of Our Planets is Missing  September 22,1973

The third really strong episode as the Enterprise finds itself inside of a cloud that is destorying everything in it's way, the citizens of the planet Mantilles are making some hard decisions about who can be taken off planet and who has to stay and meet their fate. Spock's mind meld scene is intense. Best mind meld of the whole series to date.

1x4   The Lorelei Signal  September 29,1973

You can make the argument that women were treated horribly in TOS, it is women to the rescue here as the men have fallen under the spell of a planet of very charming women, the cost for the men is the grow old,very fast. Again, another really strong episode, in  these first four episodes, the writing and stories are better than most of the last 40 episodes of the TOS. If you are reading this blog, you are probably a Star Trek, go to netflix and start watching The Animated Series, it is that good so far anyway .....


1x5   More Tribbles,More Troubles  October 6,1973

The sequal is better and more entertaining than the original. OK the original Trouble with Tribbles episode is not really that bad. Why are Klingons firing on and so intent on going after a small vessel in Federation space ? What is this new weapon the Klingons have ? and what ever do Tribbles have to do with all this ? this is a really enjoyable episode.