3.75 : The Way To Eden.

[Dave]

The groovy episode with the Hippies.

IMHO the various creators of Star Trek were usually more careful with their vision of the future than here. For example, instead of the analogue electric meters, and the spools of magnetic tape, that other SciFi programmes of the time would use on their futuristic equipment and computers, they went instead for a completely sureal look that wouldn't get dated, or at least not as quickly. Instead of mirroring the turbulent events of the sixties in a more usual dystopian future, it was a vision in which mankind endured, and social upheaval and world wars were a thing of the past.

So, bearing that in mind, why could they possibly believe that hippies would still exist, with the same clothes, hairstyles and musical tastes as in the Nineteen Sixties? And would Spock really feel so much sympathy for their cause, that the usually reticent Vulcan would join in a "jam session"?

Luckily, it is an international holiday on Romulus; something like an American Thankgiving and a Scottish New Year's Day combined together. The Enterprise ploughs straight through Romulan space to get to Eden, yet no Romulan ships show up to challenge her, no cloaked vessels stalk her and no diplomatic incident results.

This episode again deals with the "expulsion from Paradise" theme that was encountered already in 'The Return of the Archons', 'This Side of Paradise', 'The Apple', and 'A Private Little War'. Here, the hippies discover their paradise in a planet called Eden, only to discover that the plant life is acid-filled and the fruit is poisonous.

 

[Extollager]

An unbearable episode. One of the first to go if, by a process of elimination, one was going to winnow the shows down to The Episodes That Count.

 

[BAYLOR]

The inane Hippies in space episode.

 

[Dave]

All series have a few bad apples, but TOS had some real humdingers and doozies. It is only because the others were excellent that we are able to forget these episodes.

 

[Extollager]

I actually just watched this one again, after who knows how many years. It was, if anything, worse than I'd remembered. The nadir of the series. The musical numbers, the slang, the costumes and makeup and wigs, all adorn a story that should never have been made into a script and filmed. Seriously, would anyone contend that there was a worse original series show than this one?

 

[Dave]

would anyone contend that there was a worse original series show than this one?

Spock's Brain??

 

[KGeo777]

Herbert! Herbert!

 

[Extollager]

Spock's Brain??

That one is pretty bad too -- "Brain and brain!!" But it's at least amusing. "Way to Eden" wasn't fun to watch, at least for me....

 

[Droflet]

Ah, the sad, sad third season. They'd hit their stride in season 2 then the wheels fell off. The bulk of the production staff, including Roddenberry, were gone, and replaced by an idiot producer who knew nothing about making quality science fiction. Such a sad end to a great show.

 

[Extollager]

There are some second season ones that were worthy of being third season (i.e. pretty poor), but a relative few third season ones that were worthy of a place with the second season. And the first season was the best. My opinion, of course.

I'd say "Catspaw" from the second season was worthy of the third, for example, while "The Tholian Web" and "All Our Yesterdays" were worthy of the second season at least.

 

[KGeo777]

The third season had some episodes I remember fondly like the one where they are in the Ok Corrall and where Kirk and Spock meet Lincoln and Surak. The producer of the third season had done the Wild Wild West. The "Kirk kick" where he jumps in the air and kicks someone--Robert Conrad did that in the early WWW episodes. I wonder if James Kirk took any inspiration from James West since WWW started in 1965--maybe Star Trek was thinking to have a more action and romance oriented captain because of it.
Captain Pike was pretty dull to be honest.

 

[Extollager]

Yes, "Spectre of the Gun" is worthy of the second or even first season. For once the sound stage look actually works in the show's favor, since the setting is supposed to look fake. The alien looks alien. The single best moment for the show, and one of the best moments for the whole series, occurs when Spock enables the other crew members not to believe that the unreal bullets are real -- and the "bullets" pass through them, splintering the "fence" behind them while they stand there unharmed. A thrilling moment! The episode as a whole has a nifty Twilight Zone quality to it, thus some magic generally missing from the third season.

 

[KGeo777]

There's a gathering sense of doom to the story.

When McCoy talks to a very intimidating Doc Holiday. It is also an interesting contrast since McCoy represents future medicine and that's the 19th century equivalent---pointing a shotgun at his face.

 

[Extollager]

But I stand by this: "The Wat to Eden" is the worst TOS teleplay.

 

[dask]

Is this the “I’m gonna crack my knuckles and jump for joy, I got a clean bill of health from Dr. McCoy” episode?

 

[Extollager]

Is this the “I’m gonna crack my knuckles and jump for joy, I got a clean bill of health from Dr. McCoy” episode?

A merciful oblivion has interposed itself between my consciousness and this episode, so I can't say for sure, but it sounds like it.