Comments on: “The Mark of Gideon” Remastered Review + Screenshots & Video

By: Geoff Capp

Geoff Capp — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:55:53 +0000

I would have liked to see some subtle touches behind Kirk’s head to suggest the “scenery” is changing because he’s on a holodeck. A century before this, Trip Tucker was introduced to it on the alien ship where he got pregnant. The Gideonites acquiring a holodeck technology is so much more believable than them recreating a 23-storey starship on their crowded planet. Besides, wouldn’t it show up easily on visual scanning of the planet? 079 and 709 might be vertical coordinates, so I suppose the fake ship could have been built in an abandoned mine cavern or a limestone cave.

One example: when Kirk and Odona leave the bridge together, there’s a fast and lousy pan to the main viewscreen. I would have changed it to pan as far as Spock’s station and show it slightly shimmering as the wall shows, like it did in “Encounter at Farpoint” and “Ship In A Bottle”.

Another example, when Hodin finally appears and comes to take Odona. The jig is up – Kirk knows he’s been “marked” – so the wall behind Hodin is seen “closing up” from an opening that has a Gideonite control room.

By: Roy F. Moore

Roy F. Moore — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 05:36:52 +0000

It would be interesting if some fanfiction were written, in which the Gideonites fought each other over the Hodin Infection Plan, for lack of a better term. Hodinites and Anti-Hodinites struggling for control, along with the aftermath of such a struggle.

I would think that, like government today, the idea of colonizing other worlds – even within their own solar system – never really occurred to the Gideon Council in the first place. The bureaucratic mindset and all.

And if word about this ever got out to the Klingons or the Orions or the Romulans, how would they react? Would they take advantage of the situation or leave it be?

Would some on Gideon vow to take revenge on Kirk and the Federation for bringing this plague to them? How would that work out?

Or would some Gideonites find a way to buy a freighter or colony ship and colonize some world out of Federation control? Perhaps try to bring new life to Cheron, where Lokai and Bele still fight each other over their long-dead planet. What would be the fallout from that, the last men of Cheron facing colonists from Gideon?

Even a ham-fisted, plot hole laden script promoting the genuine evil of contraception can still yield good fanfiction possibilities. They deserve to be explored, IMHO.

Thank you all for your time and attention.

By: Decepticreep

Decepticreep — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 16:48:54 +0000

To me the biggest plot hole here is that the Gideons don’t try to colonise other worlds to fix their overpopulation woes. Surely they must be a warp capable society to be in negotiations to join the Federation? So they (who cherish life so much they refuse to use birth control) are more willing to infect themselves with a plague to cure their problems instead of simply moving a big chunk of the population offworld?

By: Billy Bobby

Billy Bobby — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 17:25:40 +0000

I just saw The Lights of Zetar and it was the worst special effects job I have ever seen.

By: planettom

planettom — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:05:46 +0000

The Gideons can make an exact replica of the Enterprise, but they can’t tape some black plastic garbage bags over the windows.

Seriously, I realize the creepy effectiveness of the reveals, but you wonder why the “viewscreen” and the “window” have any possibility at looking out on the real planet Gideon.

Also, for people who can’t feel pain, the one guy really lets out an “ooomph!” when Kirk punches him.

By: Commodore Z

Commodore Z — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 20:34:51 +0000

#95:

I can see (even if I don’t personally share) your sense of being disappointed, but “enraging”? You must have a disturbingly low threshold of rage.

By: Spocko

Spocko — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 02:06:13 +0000

I like the original shot with Kirk on the fake bridge looking out at Gideon. The original showed the front top of the planet, but of course, the new remastered one had to fix this by moving it to the side. It was disappointing and a bit enraging.

Obviously CBS-D does not believe in a creative new type of orbit.

By: Blimpboy

Blimpboy — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 19:54:18 +0000

Why doesn’t Kirk have his communicator in this show? It would have made it a 5 min. show. How was he going to beam up without calling the ship?

By: Billy Bobby

Billy Bobby — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:07:43 +0000

I bet these people had lots of food synthesizers.

By: jimj

jimj — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:39:58 +0000

#85-Said in my best Scooby Doo voice: HUH???