In 'Minders' we learn that Kirk is not only an awesome Starship Captain, he's also an excellent ventriloquist. He delivers a line without moving his lips.😅
There was originally a very different ending to The Cloud Minders. There was no tidy resolution, and the injustice in the society remained. But the network didn't like it and pressed for a happier ending.
"The Cloud Minders" is one of my favorite underrated episodes. It combines Plato's allegory of the cave with a powerful tale of exploitation, bigotry, and class struggle. A great example of the ethos of Star Trek.
One element of The Savage Curtain that I always found interesting is that Lincoln and the other duplicates all seemed to have actual identities in which they thought they were the originals.
@Bfdidc The other rock creatures are method actors. 😉 They definitely get into the role but as the other commenter has observed, they are either unaware of minutiae or they don't want to waste time with expository dialogue.
Rock creatures: "We cannot tell the difference between hedonism and morality, or the difference between childish behavior and adult behavior, because the writers of this episode don't know it themselves."
👍 Always enjoying REAL Trek on your channel! Still can't believe Shatner himself literally went into outer space and has the world record of oldest Man to go in outer space at age 90🙂
Calling your attention to this, because I find it so compelling: while he was looking down at the Earth, he found himself overcome with emotion, even to the point of weeping, but he wasn't sure exactly what he was feeling, or why. Later, in an interview, he said that, looking back on that moment in space, he felt overwhelming grief, and when he looked closely at it, he realized it was because the Earth is so beautiful, fragile and terrible things are about to happen to it....and he dropped the conversation at that point. He saw it all. And I wouldn't be surprised if others have had the same reaction to extreme natural beauty. "This is about to be destroyed, just so people can make more money off of gas."
It will interest you to know that "The Cloud Minders" was written by David Gerrold, whose first successful script was "The Trouble With Tribbles". I can never get over Dronxine's gorgeous dress; if she hadn't been in such spectacular shape, it wouldn't've worked at all. That, friends, is the genius of William Ware Theiss. Realli made me want to learn to sew! :) Yes, I liked this ep right off the bat.
The key to the episode "The Cloud Miners" is the Cloud City's unwillingness to help the Trog Miners. The miners need equipment and some concessions to just to do their jobs and get a better quality of life. Conversely, the cloud dwellers have become tyrannical by trying to force a bad situation. But Kirk comes in with one piece of equipment and the dynamics changed. The miners delivered and actually de-escalated situations. The City people started to reflect on what they had become.
We shall test good verses evil... memes! On one side business cat meow, omniman think mark think, & arnold do it! On the other kermit sipping tea, willie wonka being sarcastic and one does not simply!
Apply this today where CEO pay is well over 500x what a worker's pay is. They give in the sky in penthouse apartments or palaces of pink and gold for one in Florida. Our middle class and opportunity to ascend from lower class to middle to upper are dying.
Groupthink is a term which describes when like minded people fixed in their beliefs cannot accept ideas outside the box. Once an authority figure says something can't be done, this decreases any chance of outside ideas being introduced. I recommend the movie Apollo 13 which contains an example of this.
"I don't like filters, or even masks," "Huh, that sounds familiar..." 😆 How did Ardana ever gain admission to the Federation in the first place? Maybe they were letting anybody in back then.
@@LesterManley-so3om They desperately needed the zenite. During the 1960s when this show was filmed, a lot of former colonies were gaining their freedom and becoming new developing countries. A lot of them had resources that huge US multinationals wanted to exploit, so we ignored the fact that they were run by strongmen. In fact we sponsored coups that put puppet strongmen in power as long as they would do our bidding. For example, Saudi Arabia and most other gulf states are totalitarian monarchies run by a royal family which have no democracy at all, oppress women, and torture prisoners. But the US conveniently overlooks that all this violates the same human rights standards we self-righteously apply to other countries like China and Russia. It's only our enemies that we criticize as being undemocratic. Our allies can be nasty dictators, as long as they are OUR dictators.
Great reaction I just like to remind you that the great doctor i Martin Luther King Junior love the show and it was the only TV show. His children were allowed to watch after this episode Nichols wanted to leave the show because she didn’t like them using that word. He said it’s too important. He thought the episode was good and and he thought it was good for all the people with the show was trying to say and she can make a difference so she stayed with Star Trek until her death went to conventions and always talked about it even join NASA to recruit others for the project. She was in charge of making sure that minorities in NASA without her so he was right she did make a difference a difference for everyone and they were a little better today not as much as he wanted, but still better than we were. We can still be better today each day. We can be better than the day before hopefully God willing . Thanks for the fun until next time.
I'm really enjoying your reactions to TOS, Court. Sad to see it ending, but pleased to hear you're going to continue on to Next Generation. Two suggestions, if I may: 1. This may be a great time to watch the Star Trek spoof movie Galaxy Quest 2. You may want to watch the ST movies (1-6) with the original cast before starting TNG
Droxine, aka Lufyllin, is a bronchodilator. Gives you a breath of fresh air. At least Ardana doesn't have an ivory tower. The troglyte tools look like models of Tholian ships stuck to trowels, but I doubt that's how they were constructed. Glad to see that the writers of "The Savage Curtain" knew that Honest Abe loved a good brawl. "The Savage Curtain" is actually a foundational episode of the franchise. Green, Surak, and Kahless all come back in later series. Consider checking out the blooper reels after finishing Season 3. They're available on RU-vid.
Unrelated to Star Trek specifically but to listen to one of the best statements on making a virtuous choice when it seems only winning counts, listen to an even older movie, called "Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)" especially the verdict delivered by the fictional Lead Justice Dan Haywood (played by Spencer Tracy) in a trial of Nazi judges regarding who was responsible for the Holocaust. You can find it on RU-vid. The whole movie is great, but for the issues here, it's worth a listen. An FYI: a quite young William Shatner is also in the movie as a court liaison to the lead judge.
Our culture could learn the truth of what Lt Uhura said “not to fear words”. Our culture fears words more than they do actions. Don’t believe me? About a month and a half ago and NFL kicker gave a commencement speech at a Catholic College and said some controversial things that people are still talking about and angry about even now, a few days after his speech another NFL kicker was accused of sexual assault by two women, and it was barely discussed. Most of you probably don’t even know anything about it.
Think about moving on to the animated series. It's only 22 half hour episodes and Roddenberry did actively work on the show along with Tos writer/story editor D.C. Fontana. You can't just jump to the movies...this is a continuation of Trek...in my mind the movies take place after The Animated Series. At two episodes a pop you can do it in twelve segments. Then you can jump into the movies, plus some stuff in the animated show is referenced in future Trek. By
@@CourtReacts-zm9yv Two episodes a pop? The animated series was a Saturday morning cartoon, with each episode being 30 minutes. I suggest doing 4 at a time. 🙂 The stories are really good for a cartoon, having brought in several of the original writers, including David Gerrold. Walter Koenig (Chekov) wrote one, too!
Well at 4 a pop it will go by too fast. Some of these episodes like e2 Yesteryear should have a whole show by itself to discuss. Start out with two and see how that goes. Because it's only a half hour_22 or so each but they pack alot into that short amount of time. Remember Tos Twilight Zone and the classic western Have Gun - Will Travel(which a young Gene Roddenberry wrote many fine episodes)were only a half hour and cramed alot into their 25 or so run time.
Semi spoiler here, remember the second episode if you watch TNG, the klingon in this is brought back in one of the episodes of TNG. they did a good job with continuity with this episode regarding the Klingons.
Both Martin Luther King, Jr. And Presidential hopeful Bobby Kennedy were assasinated around the time this episode aired, so I was told. Despite landing on the moon my parents told me these were really rough years for America that instilled a feeling of melancholy that has really never completely gone away. Always when people try to make things better there are always 'forces' that are determined to keep things as is. So....Gene Roddenberry wrote the first half of the episode and the other writer finished it up. You can tell because the first half sets everything up very well but the resolution left much to be desired. Still high in my Top Ten season 3 list. Trek almost got picked up for a 4th year. In summer re-runs in 1969 NBC moved Trek to another time slot...it was the better one Roddenberry originally wanted for season 3 and the ratings DID improve but it was too late because the decision to cancel the show has all ready been made but while NBC was having second thoughts the sets were already being torn down. Pity....I mean to can see the quality drop in season 3. If Roddenberry stayed I'm sure he could have pulled Star Trek out of its nose-dive. The 3rd season wasn't horrible....just mediocre...with a few gems sprinkled here and there which might have been okay for any other show but come on. Were talking STAR TREK here!
I know, right?! These made my heart happy 😊 I completely forgot about the animated series, so I am going to watch those episodes and then get to the films.
7:16 "Physical discomfort is extremely persuasive, Captain." "Discomfort?" That's what you call that? I mean, under other circumstances, it has been referred to as "enhanced interrogation." These are useful euphemisms for "torture." That's what was just going on, there. Now, to be _completely_ honest, yes, torture is useful for getting people to talk. It's _not_ so useful, though, for making the information they disclose _honest._ If lying gets you to stop torturing them, they lie. You want them to stop lying, stop torturing them.
@@lazyperfectionist1 Well it is their planet and I'm sure each member world in the Federation is free to deal with their population as they see fit. That's why Plasus kicks Kirk off the planet.
And as Spock says if he returns to the Planet the Hi-Advisor, guess Spock forgot his name, it would be within his rights to have Kirk killed. So Plasus wasn't just talking out of his ass. He's acting within Ardona's Planetary law....excuse me?!?!?
@@lazyperfectionist1 Ok. They can always lie. Remember in Dirty Harry he tortured the Killer for the location of a kidnapped teen girl and he gives him the info were I assume Callihan stopped. Knowing full well himself that the girl was already dead but leaving out that detail to keep Callihan from straight up killing him.
As you continue your Star Trek journey into the later series you'll find that the transporter is much more versatile than was depicted in the original series. The usage and operation of the Transporter in the TOS era was somewhat limited in comparison to the later series but I won't spoil it for you. You'll just have to watch TNG to see how far transporter technology has come in the 24th century of that show. I not 100% but I think I remember reading that TOS transporter optical effect was achieved partly by dispersing metal flakes into a lighted tank of water for that famous shimmering effect I think? Also regrettably the episode " The Savage Curtin" marked the final appearance of Nichelle Nichols character Lt. Uhura.
In "Curtain", the creature wanting to know good vs.evil, because it doesn't know......so, you have other rock creatures (that also have no knowledge of good or evil) that morph into these various humanoids to have this contest....makes absolutely no sense, not a contest at all.....only Kirk & Spock had the true knowledge of good & evil. It was all guess work & what they all thought it was, on the part of the rock creatures. As always, enjoyed your reactions Courtney. 😊
@@RobXHEphotosPs37.29 Well they were taken from Kirk and Spock's minds so they were exactly what_they' expected them to be. Just like Oliver Stones version of Jim Morrison that Doors movie he did way back. It was Stone's version of Morrison and behaved the way he thought he would. How accurate it was is up to conjecture . But yes those four were pure evil....EVIL...
"The Cloud Minders" 1. Great story, BUT there's a huge GOOF: Spock almost drove himself crazy in "Amok Time" with his best friend Kirk tying himself in knots about Vulcan sex customs but is completely open about it with a perfect strange woman. 2. If t helps Plasus/Jeff Corey also played different characters in two "Little House on the Prairie" episodes. 3. No question Vanna over Droxine.😍 4. This story was the basic ""social injustice" trope. "The Savage Curtain" 1. Not a fan of this episode. Enough corn to replace Nebraska. 2. Sorry if my snoring kept you awake.
A lot of people say it is a goof. I don't. In "Amok Time" Spock was very much in the throes of the thing and was always hovering around the edge of being able to control himself. Even he, at that time, called it a form of madness. By this time, however, he is far removed from it and is able to discuss pretty much anything in his normal dispassionate Vulcan manner. Particularly with an intelligent person who has an obvious interest in him. Obviously, he finds her worthy of honest answers to honest questions.
@@zoppie Interesting take on the situation. Spock's unwillingness to discuss Pon Far while experiencing it's effects were a direct effect of his experience of Pon Far? He felt unaccustomed shame over his lack of control over his emotions... because of the unaccustomed lack of control over his emotions? I like it.
Whew, you look beautiful in this video, the shirt is extremely cute as well.....and, I continue to think it's silly for maga to be mad at Star Trek Discovery, which they described as "woke", in a derogatory sense, because it focused on an African-American woman officer (weird that they had nothing to say about Star Trek Deep Space Nine, which focuses on a space station, and the commander is an African-American man), when here we have two examples of "woke" in TOS! The Cloud Minders was obviously a metaphor for racism and slavery, and inequality in society in general. Good and evil were definitely at stake in the Civil Rights Movement in the 60s as well as today. Star Trek exemplified "stay woke" and we all should! 🖖 btw cloud cities may be a reality on Venus someday. Apparently, Earth's atmosphere floats in the atmosphere of Venus. So, in theory, we could make plastic bubbles filled with atmosphere we can breathe, and they would float there! The surface of Venus is hot enough to melt lead in minutes, but the clouds of Venus are roughly the same temperature and pressure as the atmosphere on sea level on Earth! So if you stepped out, you would just need a filter so you're not breathing in all the CO2 and other toxic gasses, and just make sure you don't fall off the cloud city. But I think it would be cool if we built those, in addition to self-sufficient colonies on Mars. 🙂 🖖
Carl Sagan suggested something similar could happen on Jupiter, in his original PBS "Cosmos" series, except that the creatures themselves would be the balloons.
What is nice is that the cloud people WERE superior. Their beliefs were valid and not unwarranted. Good balanced subtlety from both sides - so much better than the cartoonish woke narratives written now.
