It’s official! Fifty years ago today, in the United States, Star Trek premiere, and the world hasn’t been the same since. I feel it appropriate to say a few words concerning what Star Trek has meant to me over the years. I started watching Star Trek right around the age of three, and as I grew and matured over the years, I came to understand new and exciting layers of storytelling within the Star Trek mythos. I latched on to the examples set by my modern day heroes and tried to pattern my own actions and way of thinking off of the most noble attributes of the various characters in the shows. The show literally helped to shape me into the person I am today. There are thousands, maybe even millions who could share similar testimonials. From social evolution to technology, Star Trek has shaped the world in which we live today, and it all started 50 years ago.
It’s hardly a secret anymore that Star Trek had tried and failed to launch years before it was finally picked up by Desilu and NBC. In 1964, Roddenberry had made a pilot episode called “The Cage” which starred Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike, and Majel Barrett as Number One. It’s a fine episode to be sure, but the networks were a little concerned that the general masses wouldn’t understand it. Thus, Roddenberry went back to the drawing board and followed up that first attempt with a second pilot called “Where No Man Has Gone Before”. This episode features the cast that we can to know and love over the years and there were a lot of changes made to the aesthetics of the show to reflect developments based on the criticisms that had been made regarding the first pilot episode. It’s probably a good thing in hindsight that things didn’t pan out with that first pilot as Jeffrey Hunter would tragically pass away in 1969, and that would probably have been the end of Star Trek. But the universe was smiling on this quirky little sci-fi spaghetti western and it has managed to endure for five decades.
As I said last week,it’s far too convenient that September 8 would coincide with a Thursday and so we’re going to look at the first episode ever to be broadcast, “The Man Trap”. There are a few generally interesting things about this episode. First, in today’s television, we’ve grown accustomed to getting a pilot episode,and possibly an entire lengthy arc explaining the origins of the characters and setting of shows. It’s definitely not a bad thing. In writing they always say start from the beginning so it makes sense, but with “Man Trap”, that wasn’t the case. We’re plunged into this setting with these characters, and they’re made to develop over time from episode to episode. We’re not told how the Federation came to be, or given detailed explanations as to how Starfleet operates, we’re just shown one ship and one crew. I know that from time to time the universe was expanded a little in the Original Series, but that wasn’t the focus at the beginning. Instead, we’re given a fascinating mystery that unfolds in an exciting and unexpected way. Even having watched the episode so many times, I can still imagine sitting in front of the TV in 1966 and being blown away by the twists in the plot!
The second thing that’s unique about this episode as a pilot episode is that Kirk is not the primary focus. He’s the captain, and he does get his share of screen time, as well do the other characters, but the action does not center around him. Instead, the story centers on McCoy. This is a bold and telling decision in my opinion. From a production standpoint, it says that while there is someone at the top of the command totem pole, that person will not always be the main focus of the show. And indeed there were episodes where Kirk took a backseat to one of the other characters. It’s also cool because we’re getting to know McCoy before we’ve had a chance to meet Kirk and so we’re being given a glimpse into Kirk’s support network before we actually become more familiar with the man. It gives the show the possibility for creative longevity, and helps it to operate on a high level intellectually.
There are a number of things to love about the Original Series in general. One is the film techniques used. I love the melodramatic lighting and camera angles to accompany the melodramatic acting. There was particular attention paid to things like ambient noise. If the characters are on a planet, there’s alien ambient planet noise, if they’re on the ship, there’s ambient ship noise. This may have been to offset the limitations that the production staff faced in terms of set design budget, but for me, it really became a hallmark of original Star Trek. Also, the episodes rely heavily on the stories. This was a time when any special effects no matter how mundane would be cost prohibitive. Thus, the stories had to be strong. In the case of “Man Trap” there’s an unknown assailant murdering people and leaching the salt from their bodies. It’s the setup of a ‘B’ horror film, but mixed with other aspects, it works really well. The audience is left to guess the motivations of the assailant up until the point when all of that is finally revealed. It makes for fun viewing.
In true Star Trek fashion, there is a moral conundrum to be examined. From the McCoy point of view, he has been unexpectedly reunited with one of his old flames. He’s smitten all over again and he’s protective of his former lover. This is in direct opposition to her husband, who is also very protective of her. When it’s finally revealed that the creature that McCoy sees as his old lover is actually a salt vampire, McCoy has difficulty accepting this revelation, and understandably so. It’s only when he can finally see the creature for what it really is that he’s able to accept the loss of his lover and do what needs to be done. It’s a complex and poignant emotional component to an already great story. To further that and layer it, there’s also moral allegory involved. A comparison is drawn between the salt creature and the buffalo. It’s a little weak, but it still works. We find out that the salt creature is the last of its kind, and it’s killing for survival. This makes the creature just a little sympathetic, which is starkly contrasted with unrelenting ruthlessness. The whole setup makes for a very complex and layered episode. Also worthy of note, Spock totally has to resort to violence in order to solve a problem at the end. It would become so uncharacteristic that seeing it here makes it all the more entertaining. In all, I can say that this is one of the good ones. Perhaps it’s not one of the best, but it certainly has managed to carve out it place in history and there are millions of fans the world over who are glad that it did.
In keeping with last week’s formula, let’s take a look at our ‘anvil’ episode for the Original Series. Remember that these episodes are not what I would consider bad episodes, they’re just really heavy handed in their methodology. Disclaimer being done, our ‘anvil’ episode is “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield”. Now before you start spewing hate in my direction, let me say that I really like this episode for a lot of reasons. And it’s definitely considered to be one of the better episodes of Star Trek. Just hear me out and maybe you’ll see why I chose it for this particular distinction. The episode revolves around two alien from a planet called Cheron. One is a fugitive and the other has been sent out to apprehend him and bring him back for trial. The bounty hunter, Bele, at one point seizes control of the ship and directs it back towards his home planet. It’s a constant power struggle between Kirk and Bele for control of the ship. In the other corner as it were it the fugitive, Lokai. He lodges his power play in the form of inciting members of the crew to his side of the argument. Ultimately, the two return to their homeworld to find it destroyed and devoid of life. It’s all very dramatically portrayed and it’s very gripping.
Riddle me this, then why is it the ‘anvil’ episode? I’m going to just leave my hint right here:
Figured it out yet? For those who haven’t seen the episode, One is black on the right side while the other is white on the right. That’s right, it’s a racism and civil rights allegory. Now I don’t mean to put down, or make light of the social issues presented. In fact, I’d call that a strength based on the social climate today. However, the execution could have been perhaps a little more subtle. I can’t personally speak to the exact social climate of the late 1960s, I can only speculate based on whatever information I can gather after the fact. But based on research, the portrayal of the two sides of the civil rights movement are pretty well done. Of course they won’t be spot on, but the levels of unrelenting hatred and mistrust are not only poignant, but sometimes outright uncomfortable to watch, even today.
I commend those involved for bringing depth to the commentary. It would have been easy just to leave the issue skin deep… Go ahead and groan. But, the two characters are extremely different from one another in keeping with the two groups being represented. Lokai attempts to appeal to the common masses in order to gain numbers in support while Bele attempts to work through the ‘government’ in order to legislate himself into an advantageous position. It truly is a fascinating look into the social climate of the time, and the fact that these issues are coming around full circle puts the episode up there in the higher echelons of great science fiction. I also drew a parallel to the Maquis in Deep Space Nine. Their struggle is not terribly dissimilar to that of Lokai and I could see DS9 writers potentially drawing inspiration from this episode.
Also of note, the episode guest starred the great Frank Gorshin, who is most well known for playing the Riddler in the 1960s Batman. In all, this is still a really good episode of Star Trek. I might even go so far as to call it great. Certainly it flew in the face of the attitudes of its day and that takes guts. I’d highly recommend giving in a watch despite the heavy handed nature of the commentary. It’s exciting, it’s thought provoking, and it’s a prime example of Star Trek doing what Star Trek does best. We’re only two weeks into Star Trek month so keep those hailing frequencies open because next week, we’re looking at Deep Space Nine!
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