She was a HOT Mama.
I loved her legs.
Kirk was a lucky and lusty dog!
Again…..FIRST!
Harry Ballz
June 13, 2007 8:28 pm
Well fiddle-de-dee, it’s time for tweedledum and tweedledee!!
Jovan
June 13, 2007 8:29 pm
I agree. Nichelle Nichols was a very attractive woman in her prime. I envy Shatner.
I never saw this episode before, but didn’t they use the shot of the kiss from another angle where their lips, in actuality, didn’t make contact? That’s what it said in “Star Trek Memories” anyway. Maybe they dug up the unused shot and used it instead. :)
Gary Seven
June 13, 2007 8:43 pm
Envy Roddenberry. He had an affair with Nichelle Nichols prior to Star Trek, if I remember correctly.
Lao3D
June 13, 2007 8:46 pm
That’s the same shot, its just before Shatner turns Nicols toward the camera hiding the full lip-lock. Hard to believe the controversy nowadays. I did always think the whole “first onscreen interracial kiss” angle got over-played in subsequent years, given the hidden view and how it was portrayed as painful and against their wills. Still, if nobody else had even gone that far yet, I guess it still deserves credit as groundbreaking.
Harry Ballz
June 13, 2007 8:54 pm
It reminds me of that old country/western song, “I used to kiss you on the lips, but now it’s all over”!
SteveinSF
June 13, 2007 9:44 pm
Yet another Dog of the third season. The only good part was taking Alexander with them at the end.
Oh the Kirk horse thing—–oh no. no, no, no.
Josh T . ( The future came and went ) Kirk Esquire'
June 13, 2007 9:54 pm
Someday, long after we have all gone the way of the do do, technology will exist to basically create your own adventures with the drag of a mouse or then equivalent, and choose your own adventure Star Trek series will be produced, so that’s why I don’t gripe too much about the third seasons episodes, with art, everything is so relative and subjective anyway, in terms of appreciation and acceptance. These “painful” episodes will exist only in archives somewhere, and people will be making their own unique episodes from all of this material.
I bet it will be interesting some of the adventures they come up with. or equally shitty heh.
trektacular
June 14, 2007 3:22 am
Off topic but still relevant since we’re talking another 3rd season clunker, the reason Star Trek was great was because of Gene Coon, before and after him it was just quite never the same. Anyone care to dispute it?
Stanky "XI" McFibberich
June 14, 2007 3:40 am
This episode makes “Spock’s Brain” look like an Emmy winner.
doubleofive
June 14, 2007 5:35 am
I think the ship rocking in orbit looks SO MUCH better than previous turbulence attempts. It finally doesn’t look like a model on strings shaking.
Yay for no cringes!
Shaye
June 14, 2007 5:41 am
This is a bizzarely good episode, It is filled with displays of wild emotions and TWISTED farce ,Yet touched with an angel … Micheal Dunn, AKA..”Dr Loveless” from the WILD WILD WEST TV series.
billy don't be a hiro
June 14, 2007 7:20 am
“Off topic but still relevant since we’re talking another 3rd season clunker, the reason Star Trek was great was because of Gene Coon, before and after him it was just quite never the same. Anyone care to dispute it?”
Gene Coon wrote “Spock’s Brain”. The end.
diabolik
June 14, 2007 7:37 am
#13: We all have bad days now and then. A man’s work is judged by the overall quality, not the occasional strike-out. But “Spock’s Brain” is a bad mark on anyone’s reputation.
Granger
June 14, 2007 7:38 am
Ah, but let’s say Gene Coon wrote Spock’s Brain as a send-up of bad scifi, and his reputation remains intact. ;-)
diabolik
June 14, 2007 7:43 am
I wonder where, oh, where, is the review for “Spock’s Brain”? Is it too daunting a task?
Scott Gammans
June 14, 2007 8:38 am
^^^ Indeed, diabolik.
Back in the day, Washington Post’s TV critic Tom Shales would write reviews of Kathie Lee Gifford’s truly awful Christmas specials. The reviews were an annual early Christmas present for Post readers, because they were invariably more entertaining to read than watching the specials themselves.
Here’s just a small sample, to give you a taste of what I’m talking about:
What’s the difference between the 24-hour
flu and a Kathie Lee Gifford Christmas
special? Twenty-three hours.
The actual title for this year’s exercise in
false piety, faked sentiment and aerobic
grinning was “Kathie Lee Gifford:
Christmas Every Day,” an appalling
prospect any way you look at it.
This is the kind of television to be watched
not from the couch, as it were, but while
peering out from behind it and using it
as a shield, as if perhaps an air raid
or some other sort of massive bombing
were in progress.
A Shales-like review of “Spock’s Brain” would be an instant classic!
scarpad
June 14, 2007 8:57 am
I will give it to CBS/Paramount they have made a lesser episode look pretty good with that preview, if I never had seen it I’d want to watch it.
Anthony Pascale
Author
June 14, 2007 9:12 am
16
the review of SB will be up this evening. For those that care it is being done by Dennis Bailey
Jim J
June 14, 2007 10:11 am
lol-well, I’m sure no one will complain about DB doing the review. LOL I am looking forward to it, myself. BTW-did you get a special preview of PS this week? Last I checked, it STILL wasn’t on startrek.com
CmdrR.
June 14, 2007 12:05 pm
I actually like this episode. Michael Dunn was such a good actor. Nice themes of absolute power and telekinesis. It suffers, I think, mostly because it must be compared to both Bread and Circuses and Who Mourns for Adonis? Now, that latter is a true stinker. But, PS shouldn’t be blamed just because it was late to arrive at the Trek toga party.
Al
June 14, 2007 12:10 pm
Phwoar…!
Jim J (Did Pike feed Kirk sugar cubes?)
June 14, 2007 12:31 pm
Ok, I confess…I love the “Tweedle Dee and Teedle Dumb” sequence. The SHAT horsey? Kinda ironic, isn’t it! But my favorite is the SHAT slapping himself silly and the slow mo to a collapse on the floor and then a long and loud “ARRGGHHHH!!!!” Kind of a forerunner to “KHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAANNNNNN!!!!!!”
LOL
Oceanhopper
June 14, 2007 1:20 pm
ooohhh. Bitt-er Dregs……
Shaye
June 14, 2007 1:25 pm
“Ah…good …Dr. Marcus!….Everything checks out on Ceti Alpha 5!…”
Yes…a good SNL Spocks Brain type review hopefully from crewman Dennis Baleiy (still hanging out on the Pesarus, and that ugly dwarf, Balok?)
…and his “excellent” reviews
;-)
thx-1138
June 14, 2007 1:28 pm
I have to admit that when I saw “Plato’s” as a kid, I was kind of lost as to just what I was watching. I got the jist of it when I got older, but didn’t enjoy it much, but I like all the FX heavy shows anyway.
No way is it worse than “Spock’s Brain” though. My apologies to all the Gene Coon apologists. That one can only be categorized as a stinkeroo. Not a sly satire on bad SF.
It IS bad SF.
trektacular
June 14, 2007 1:43 pm
I meant when Gene Coon was producer, the show in its 40 year history was just never as good.
diabolik
June 14, 2007 1:47 pm
Re: #21…
“Who Mourns For Adonis” a “true stinker”? Not in my book, I’ve never seen it make any Top 10 lists of Worst Episodes. I like it as well as most of the middle-range episodes, those between the “Best” and “Worst” list.
ety3
June 14, 2007 2:06 pm
Ugh.
Just, ugh.
Nelson
June 14, 2007 3:24 pm
Are you kidding, Who Mourns For Adonis features Leslie Parrish as Carolyn Palamas and one of Bill Theiss’ magical costumes that defies gravity! What a knock out! : )
MichaelJohn
June 14, 2007 4:32 pm
I must admit the kiss between Capt.Kirk and Lt. Uhura was pretty darn hot! Kirk was such a lady’s man and heart breaker!
Unfortunately the same can’t be said of the kiss between Nurse Chapel and Spock. YUUUUUCK!
Mike :o
Jeff Bond
June 14, 2007 4:59 pm
This is near the bottom of the barrel for me although I do like Michael Dunn. I much prefer “Who Mourns for Adonais?”–it’s a potentially silly premise but well done, beautifully scored and a pretty bold attack on religion. It sure seems like CBSD is going out of their way to slog through season 3 now….which makes no sense to me because of their DVD commitments; once that became clear you’d think they would really have wanted to stick to chronological order just to keep themselves sane…but I think the idea is to keep a few beloved episodes down the line to keep viewership as high as possible…
THEETrekMaster
June 14, 2007 6:14 pm
Anyone who thinks Spock’s Brain is the worst episode…how can they say that with a straight face when you’ve got this episode with “Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum; Equestrian Kirk; the Kirk “slapathon” with some of the most ridiculous and comedic (unintentionally) dialog — “Do not take that TONE with meeeee….” and the slapathon begins. Oh…and who can forget Spock’s flamenco dance and laughfest.
Good LORD this one sucks!!!!
It does have one saving grace: it’s at least funny (again) unintentionally.
I still say And the Children Shall Lead is the absolute god-awful worst.
TTM
MichaelJohn
June 14, 2007 6:31 pm
I liked Spock’s brain and this episode too. They were both funny and entertaining, but definately not a classic like my all time favorite ST TOS episode- City on the Edge of Forever.
Mike :o
THEETrekMaster
June 14, 2007 7:12 pm
This is about as close to “City” as man is to the amoeba.
THEETrekMaster
June 14, 2007 7:12 pm
I would say this is about as close to “City” as man is to the amoeba.
Laughing at the Superior Intellect
June 14, 2007 8:53 pm
Thank goodness we have these “quality” TOS shows to remind us of how HORRIBLE those TNG, DS9, VOY and ENT series were.
PHfffffffffffffftt…
THEETrekMaster
June 15, 2007 2:21 am
Well, they are ALL better than Voyager or Enterprise…lol.
TOS never got that bad.
Cervantes ( looking for that CBS DIGITAL follow up interview... )
June 15, 2007 4:36 am
#32 Jeff Bond
The current chosen workload order of not yet done episodes/possible extra work and RE-enhancements of the first High Definition releases is a whole ballgame I’d like some answers to.
dil
June 15, 2007 2:30 pm
And they were able to reproduce this mind power with a hypo cocktail. Such potential. I’d use it to get CBS to have more episodes available in HD on XBOX. They are 100% better than network airings. If the HD DVD offerings are exact, then it’s a buy.
sharon fisher
June 16, 2007 8:20 pm
#3: Nichelle Nichols’ biography says they did.
ljgcaalfrk
June 18, 2007 4:22 am
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She was a HOT Mama.
I loved her legs.
Kirk was a lucky and lusty dog!
Again…..FIRST!
Well fiddle-de-dee, it’s time for tweedledum and tweedledee!!
I agree. Nichelle Nichols was a very attractive woman in her prime. I envy Shatner.
I never saw this episode before, but didn’t they use the shot of the kiss from another angle where their lips, in actuality, didn’t make contact? That’s what it said in “Star Trek Memories” anyway. Maybe they dug up the unused shot and used it instead. :)
Envy Roddenberry. He had an affair with Nichelle Nichols prior to Star Trek, if I remember correctly.
That’s the same shot, its just before Shatner turns Nicols toward the camera hiding the full lip-lock. Hard to believe the controversy nowadays. I did always think the whole “first onscreen interracial kiss” angle got over-played in subsequent years, given the hidden view and how it was portrayed as painful and against their wills. Still, if nobody else had even gone that far yet, I guess it still deserves credit as groundbreaking.
It reminds me of that old country/western song, “I used to kiss you on the lips, but now it’s all over”!
Yet another Dog of the third season. The only good part was taking Alexander with them at the end.
Oh the Kirk horse thing—–oh no. no, no, no.
Someday, long after we have all gone the way of the do do, technology will exist to basically create your own adventures with the drag of a mouse or then equivalent, and choose your own adventure Star Trek series will be produced, so that’s why I don’t gripe too much about the third seasons episodes, with art, everything is so relative and subjective anyway, in terms of appreciation and acceptance. These “painful” episodes will exist only in archives somewhere, and people will be making their own unique episodes from all of this material.
I bet it will be interesting some of the adventures they come up with. or equally shitty heh.
Off topic but still relevant since we’re talking another 3rd season clunker, the reason Star Trek was great was because of Gene Coon, before and after him it was just quite never the same. Anyone care to dispute it?
This episode makes “Spock’s Brain” look like an Emmy winner.
I think the ship rocking in orbit looks SO MUCH better than previous turbulence attempts. It finally doesn’t look like a model on strings shaking.
Yay for no cringes!
This is a bizzarely good episode, It is filled with displays of wild emotions and TWISTED farce ,Yet touched with an angel … Micheal Dunn, AKA..”Dr Loveless” from the WILD WILD WEST TV series.
“Off topic but still relevant since we’re talking another 3rd season clunker, the reason Star Trek was great was because of Gene Coon, before and after him it was just quite never the same. Anyone care to dispute it?”
Gene Coon wrote “Spock’s Brain”. The end.
#13: We all have bad days now and then. A man’s work is judged by the overall quality, not the occasional strike-out. But “Spock’s Brain” is a bad mark on anyone’s reputation.
Ah, but let’s say Gene Coon wrote Spock’s Brain as a send-up of bad scifi, and his reputation remains intact. ;-)
I wonder where, oh, where, is the review for “Spock’s Brain”? Is it too daunting a task?
^^^ Indeed, diabolik.
Back in the day, Washington Post’s TV critic Tom Shales would write reviews of Kathie Lee Gifford’s truly awful Christmas specials. The reviews were an annual early Christmas present for Post readers, because they were invariably more entertaining to read than watching the specials themselves.
Here’s just a small sample, to give you a taste of what I’m talking about:
What’s the difference between the 24-hour
flu and a Kathie Lee Gifford Christmas
special? Twenty-three hours.
The actual title for this year’s exercise in
false piety, faked sentiment and aerobic
grinning was “Kathie Lee Gifford:
Christmas Every Day,” an appalling
prospect any way you look at it.
This is the kind of television to be watched
not from the couch, as it were, but while
peering out from behind it and using it
as a shield, as if perhaps an air raid
or some other sort of massive bombing
were in progress.
A Shales-like review of “Spock’s Brain” would be an instant classic!
I will give it to CBS/Paramount they have made a lesser episode look pretty good with that preview, if I never had seen it I’d want to watch it.
16
the review of SB will be up this evening. For those that care it is being done by Dennis Bailey
lol-well, I’m sure no one will complain about DB doing the review. LOL I am looking forward to it, myself. BTW-did you get a special preview of PS this week? Last I checked, it STILL wasn’t on startrek.com
I actually like this episode. Michael Dunn was such a good actor. Nice themes of absolute power and telekinesis. It suffers, I think, mostly because it must be compared to both Bread and Circuses and Who Mourns for Adonis? Now, that latter is a true stinker. But, PS shouldn’t be blamed just because it was late to arrive at the Trek toga party.
Phwoar…!
Ok, I confess…I love the “Tweedle Dee and Teedle Dumb” sequence. The SHAT horsey? Kinda ironic, isn’t it! But my favorite is the SHAT slapping himself silly and the slow mo to a collapse on the floor and then a long and loud “ARRGGHHHH!!!!” Kind of a forerunner to “KHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAANNNNNN!!!!!!”
LOL
ooohhh. Bitt-er Dregs……
“Ah…good …Dr. Marcus!….Everything checks out on Ceti Alpha 5!…”
Yes…a good SNL Spocks Brain type review hopefully from crewman Dennis Baleiy (still hanging out on the Pesarus, and that ugly dwarf, Balok?)
…and his “excellent” reviews
;-)
I have to admit that when I saw “Plato’s” as a kid, I was kind of lost as to just what I was watching. I got the jist of it when I got older, but didn’t enjoy it much, but I like all the FX heavy shows anyway.
No way is it worse than “Spock’s Brain” though. My apologies to all the Gene Coon apologists. That one can only be categorized as a stinkeroo. Not a sly satire on bad SF.
It IS bad SF.
I meant when Gene Coon was producer, the show in its 40 year history was just never as good.
Re: #21…
“Who Mourns For Adonis” a “true stinker”? Not in my book, I’ve never seen it make any Top 10 lists of Worst Episodes. I like it as well as most of the middle-range episodes, those between the “Best” and “Worst” list.
Ugh.
Just, ugh.
Are you kidding, Who Mourns For Adonis features Leslie Parrish as Carolyn Palamas and one of Bill Theiss’ magical costumes that defies gravity! What a knock out! : )
I must admit the kiss between Capt.Kirk and Lt. Uhura was pretty darn hot! Kirk was such a lady’s man and heart breaker!
Unfortunately the same can’t be said of the kiss between Nurse Chapel and Spock. YUUUUUCK!
Mike :o
This is near the bottom of the barrel for me although I do like Michael Dunn. I much prefer “Who Mourns for Adonais?”–it’s a potentially silly premise but well done, beautifully scored and a pretty bold attack on religion. It sure seems like CBSD is going out of their way to slog through season 3 now….which makes no sense to me because of their DVD commitments; once that became clear you’d think they would really have wanted to stick to chronological order just to keep themselves sane…but I think the idea is to keep a few beloved episodes down the line to keep viewership as high as possible…
Anyone who thinks Spock’s Brain is the worst episode…how can they say that with a straight face when you’ve got this episode with “Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum; Equestrian Kirk; the Kirk “slapathon” with some of the most ridiculous and comedic (unintentionally) dialog — “Do not take that TONE with meeeee….” and the slapathon begins. Oh…and who can forget Spock’s flamenco dance and laughfest.
Good LORD this one sucks!!!!
It does have one saving grace: it’s at least funny (again) unintentionally.
I still say And the Children Shall Lead is the absolute god-awful worst.
TTM
I liked Spock’s brain and this episode too. They were both funny and entertaining, but definately not a classic like my all time favorite ST TOS episode- City on the Edge of Forever.
Mike :o
This is about as close to “City” as man is to the amoeba.
I would say this is about as close to “City” as man is to the amoeba.
Thank goodness we have these “quality” TOS shows to remind us of how HORRIBLE those TNG, DS9, VOY and ENT series were.
PHfffffffffffffftt…
Well, they are ALL better than Voyager or Enterprise…lol.
TOS never got that bad.
#32 Jeff Bond
The current chosen workload order of not yet done episodes/possible extra work and RE-enhancements of the first High Definition releases is a whole ballgame I’d like some answers to.
And they were able to reproduce this mind power with a hypo cocktail. Such potential. I’d use it to get CBS to have more episodes available in HD on XBOX. They are 100% better than network airings. If the HD DVD offerings are exact, then it’s a buy.
#3: Nichelle Nichols’ biography says they did.
Hello! Good Site! Thanks you! jfczzewaocwewf