Catspaw, an occasional Halloween tradition of ours, is an imperfect episode. The "science" is kind of left behind in the "science fiction" but I kind of like it anyway.
The earliest recollection, from the primordial soup of my childhood memories, consists of images: The giant cat. Kirk going mano-a-mano with martial arts "expert" Sulu. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy chained to the dungeon walls. Images meant to evoke emotional responses rather than to further along a cohesive story.
In the early 90s, the story became a little clearer. I was hospitalized for a fractured vertebra, temporarily paralyzed, and hopped up on Demerol. When this episode came on the television, my cognitive functions were almost completely suppressed while many of my subconscious receptors were enhanced. Kirk is exposed to stimuli meant to evoke fear, lust, greed, and gluttony. When he finally destroy's the magic doohickey, it all goes away, leaving the barren reality of and empty alien landscape and two laughably ineffective life forms. Fin.
There's an interesting message here, but it gets lost in the cheese. This is one of the few episodes where a movie type budget would have enhanced the story considerably. I'll bet you credits to navy beans that high tech special effects, realistic Gothic sets, dissonant music assaulting the subconscious, a Hitchcock type director, and a month or two to get the blocking and reaction shots just right would have elevated this into prime television viewing. The basic story is just fine.
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Răspuns de Jetfire59
pe data de 1 noiembrie 2018 la ora 2:13PM
Check these out. Irrelevant to your point, but fun.
https://trekkerscrapbook.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/catspawhd0573.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/4a/78/53/4a7853a28cdf8354ab8504efb3f16eff--all-seeing-eye-cinderella.jpg
Răspuns de sukhisoo
pe data de 1 noiembrie 2018 la ora 3:14PM
Haha. This does indeed belong in another thread. The Gilligan's Island and Trek thread, perhaps?
Răspuns de Jetfire59
pe data de 1 noiembrie 2018 la ora 4:33PM
That's where I got it. What can I say? I like repetition. I'll delete it if you want.
Răspuns de sukhisoo
pe data de 1 noiembrie 2018 la ora 5:28PM
I was the one who gave it a thumbs-up. It would be silly of me to ask you to delete it.
Răspuns de Jetfire59
pe data de 1 noiembrie 2018 la ora 5:33PM
Oh, didn't see the thumbs up. Thanx.
Răspuns de Nexus71
pe data de 3 noiembrie 2018 la ora 5:44PM
It's a free mason symbol the "All Seeing Eye of God" just shows how evil Hollywood has always been .
Răspuns de jxh13
pe data de 5 noiembrie 2018 la ora 6:09AM
Yep.
Robert Bloch knows his way around the human psyche (witness Norman Bates) and was a veteran television writer; the episode certainly feels rushed, and the concept is not satisfactorily explored. My own interpretation is that the Production Team wasn't particularly excited to be doing a Halloween themed episode demanded by NBC. The episode would undoubtedly have benefited from a sympathetic creative team.
Răspuns de Nexus71
pe data de 6 noiembrie 2018 la ora 6:59PM
I was more of a fan of Robert Bloch's A Wolf In The Fold ,I thought the idea making Jack The Ripper into a murdering feeding of fear serial alien an interesting and intriguing concept.
Răspuns de jxh13
pe data de 7 noiembrie 2018 la ora 6:04AM
Agreed; "Wolf" is an interesting idea competently told. Although, of the three Bloch scripts, I prefer "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" The question of what makes us human is generally intriguing, and Ruk's moment of clarity ("That was the equation! Existence outweighs programming!") anticipates dangerously self aware AIs from Colossus: The Forbin Project to Skynet.
Răspuns de sukhisoo
pe data de 8 noiembrie 2018 la ora 10:19AM
I see the concept of Jack The Ripper in this story as being a metaphor for our own predatory nature. While it is necessary to our survival, we need to be able to control it to advance as humans. It will, of course, follow us into space.
The episode itself leaves me cold, though. Let me think about it and maybe I can figure why I disregard this one while warming to the objectively weaker Catspaw.
Răspuns de sukhisoo
pe data de 8 noiembrie 2018 la ora 10:21AM
Me too. It is, by far, the best of the three Robert Bloch scripts.
Răspuns de Knixon
pe data de 8 noiembrie 2018 la ora 7:07PM
Also the later TOS episodes "Return Of The Archons," "The Ultimate Computer"...
Răspuns de Nexus71
pe data de 10 noiembrie 2018 la ora 9:15PM
and The Changeling...
"Star Trek The Motion Picture : Where Nomad Has Gone Before .."
Răspuns de wonder2wonder
pe data de 29 decembrie 2019 la ora 4:54PM
This was the first episode with Chekov (broadcast out of order to coincide with Halloween), so no mention of a Minsk cat.
Răspuns de znexyish
pe data de 29 decembrie 2019 la ora 8:19PM
Chekov would say that Korob and Slyvia were the last of the Romanovs who escaped the revolution and made their way to the planet. Or maybe Korob was a future relative of Rasputin