Full disclosure: I haven’t watched a full episode of Star Trek TOS since I was a kid. And, sure, we’ve come a long way since then and a lot of this old series will, no doubt, feel charmingly outdated by today’s standards but, damn, if I don’t feel a shiver of excitement every time I catch a scene of the original crew in their vibrant uniforms or a shot of the Enterprise in orbit or that stirring theme and jazzy dramatic underscore. I am SO looking forward to this!
Yes, let’s make it official. We are gonna have us an old-fashioned Star Trek: The Original Series re-watch!
Yes, we’ll be re-screening all 79 episodes of Gene Roddenberry’s SF classic from “The Man Trap” through to “Turnabout Intruder” in glorious technicolor.
Now I realize that everybody’s schedules are different and the prospect of watching an single a day may prove tricky for some, so I’m going to suggest the following viewing plan: we’ll watch the show in weekly 5-episode instalments. So, over the course of those seven days, you can watch those five episodes at your convenience. You can watch one a day or all five in one sitting. Whatever works best for you. And then, next Wednesday (June 25th), we’ll reconvene, here on this blog, and discuss.
The five episodes we’ll be watching this week will be:
1. The Man Trap (Stardate: 1513.1, Original Air Date: September 8, 1966)
Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy meets a former girlfriend when the Enterprise brings supplies to a remote archaeological survey group. Still attractive to McCoy, the woman’s current appearance holds a dark and deadly secret.
2. Charlie X (Stardate: 1533.6, Original Air Date: September 15, 1966)
Raised as a child by non corporeal beings, 17 year old Charlie Evans is picked up and transferred to the Enterprise. On board the ship, the teenager proves dangerously unable to wield his enormous psionic powers with maturity.
3. Where No Man Has Gone Before (Stardate: 1312.4, Original Air Date: September 22, 1966)
When the Enterprise encounters a force field at the edge of the galaxy, one of the crew member’s psionic abilities are accelerated to godlike proportions, causing him to become a powerful, murderous being.
4. The Naked Time (Stardate: 1704.2, Original Air Date: September 29, 1966)
An alien virus strips the Enterprise crew of their inhibitions, causing chaos as each crew member is overcome by hidden emotions. Meanwhile, the Enterprise is being pulled inexorably into a nearby planet’s gravity well.
5. The Enemy Within (Stardate: 1672.1, Original Air Date: October 6, 1966)
Split by a transporter malfunction into two beings with very different personalities, the resulting twin Captain Kirk proves that neither a purely evil or purely good Captain can survive without the missing half.
So, what do you say? Are you in? Know any fans of the original series who would like to watch along? Let ’em know! Spread the word! And we’ll see you next Wednesday!!!
No. Wait. I’ve still go a blog to update.
See you tomorrow.
I’m in!
Did you see what IDW comics released today? http://www.idwpublishing.com/news/article/2754/ I can’t wait to pick up a copy. Maybe we should throw it into the discussion as well?? It’s a Six volume mini-series.
Um, not sure I can find them to watch. But I think I know them by heart anyway.
@das: Buck gifs? And you didn’t share? 🙁
Title is “June 18, 2014: Join our Stargate TOS re-watch!” but article is Star Trek?
Damn. Good catch!
Wait: you’re skipping the pilot (“The Cage”)?
I see somebody’s fingers have a strong muscle memory that automatically types “gate” after “star”. Hint – the blog title 🙂
As I just watched it not to long ago in glorious bluray – better colours, sound, etc I haven’t yet decided if I will watch them again for this, but I am certainly looking forward to your views of the episodes with all your experience as an SF writer/producer.
I’m in, but let’s watch from “The Cage”, no?
Love your photo, by the way! I miss The Experience, especially Quark’s Bar and Grill. 🙂
@Sparrow_hawk:
If you have Netflix, all three seasons of Star Trek TOS are there. And if you’re a prime member with Amazon, they have it in on Amazon Instant Video for free streaming as well.
Now to get in those five episodes with Barb before next Wednesday…
Something NCIS fans might get a kick out of…
Watching an old Adam-12 episode, and it featured Mark Harmon as a young hot shot rookie cop riding along with Reed (Kent McCord). The kicker? In the ep Harmon’s character was a Marine! Once a Marine, always a Marine, I suppose…even in TV land. 🙂
@ Sparrowhawk – Oh, ALL right…HERE (big whiner! 😉 ):
http://sebuttchinstan.tumblr.com/post/89184012847
http://dailysebastianstan.tumblr.com/post/86580401988/underneath-all-of-the-programming-and-underneath
http://eduardica.tumblr.com/post/86141542133
There…that should hold you for a bit… 🙂
das
Hey Joe, I have been doing a Star Trek re-watch the past few weeks. I started with DS9 and now I am watching Voyager. Guess I can jump to TOS. I actually HATED TOS when I was a kid, I couldn’t get past the horrible acting and props. It was not until TNG that I learned to appreciate and love TOS.
Nothing better than the original Star Trek. I’m so old, I have probably seen all the episodes many many times. But I will see if I can’t watch along.
@ Tam – My car is in the shop now. Driving a rental for about 3 weeks they say. The guy had full coverage so that is very nice. It was stop and go traffic so wasn’t going very fast, but he gunned his engine and made a hard left to jump in another lane, just didn’t clear me first. Did a lot of damage for such a minor thing. His car had to be towed, busted radiator. I’m good. No complaints. Thanks for asking!
quoting Kathode:
Wait: you’re skipping the pilot (“The Cage”)?
he’s going by the original air-dates. the cage (the first pilot) didn’t air until much later. although parts of it were used in the 2-part episode the menagerie.
look here for all of the episodes (listed in production order) with their original air-dates;
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_The_Original_Series#Episode_list
random trek info: where no man has gone before was the second pilot filmed not long after the cage. (because the network though the first was “too cerebral”) that’s why the uniforms are different & there’s another doctor instead of mccoy.
Me and my wife tried watching TOS all the way through around three years ago. We got a few episodes in, then got tired of it and switched to Stargate. But this just might be the motivation we need to try it again! I’ll see if I can get her on board with it. At the very least I have at least a week, because we watched all five of those on our first run through.
Yeah I was just going to ask about that. Shouldn’t we be starting from the first two episodes – i.e the pilots that started the whole things?
Since I have been a fan since ’69 yeah I wouldn’t mind… 😀 First Con was back in ’81… Also met Gene Roddenberry… actually managed to upset David Blue with my story about meeting him.
http://imgbox.com/GslE2qjO
After this pic was taken the disco started up and the disco version of the ST theme started so I asked him for a dance and he said yes. So I have danced with Gene to the theme music of the show! yep my 15 mins of fame there! 😀 <3
In that link you will also see loads of other pics from the Star Trek Conventions I have been to.
Kriss 🙂
You looks very welll with the Federation´s Fleet uniform. But i imagine you with pointed ears. 😀
Stargate TOS? Yep and Stargate DS9 & Stargate Voyager. When you guys write Stargate Enterprise? Well you know “Only Nixon could go to China”.
seen most of these a few times already in the past year 🙂 no need to rewatch them. i can almost write the script by now without watching them 😀
I am still at moms helping her move, and internet coverage is spotty at best, so will enjoy catching up on everyones thoughts when I can. Love TOS, looking forward to the whole thing, what ever the episodes. I think I have a similar picture of myself inserted into the Star Trek crew that I got when I visited the exhibition in Vegas, many years ago. What fun, thanks.
Thanks, Joe. That viewing schedule should work nicely.
@JeffW: Thanks! I do have Netflix. I will be in DeKalb this weekend for a charity bike ride (trying for 50 miles, but the weather is not looking great, so it might only be 35), but I’ll try to watch at least some of the episodes before discussion time if possible.
@das: Thank you. You’re so good to me. 😉 That will do nicely.
@Ponytail: So sorry to hear about the car accident. I’m glad you are okay.
@scifikriss: Nice picture!
I watched some of TOS in prime time, although it was on after my bedtime so I missed a few. My brother had black hair cut with straight bangs… yes, he was called Spock, even by his teachers. I found an old program from his high school play with “Spock Castle” as Mr. Brownlow when I was cleaning out my parents’ house.
Hey, I have the DVDs in nifty cases in the bright uniform colors.
For everyone who wants to do this, they’re on Netflix streaming, so they’re not too hard to find.
I won’t be taking part in this because I finished a watch of TOS about a month ago and am almost done with The Animated Series too.
Ponytail: I’m glad the accident wasn’t bad and things are working out ok.
My schedule maybe screwy then but I’m not worried. We watched the Blu-rays recently. They did a great job touching up the special effects. I’m not a purist and like it when the color is redone on the old flicks.
I am reading a book written by Craig Johnson. Does anyone read his Longmire series? Anyway, Mr. Johnson has an entertaining way with phrasing. The Wrangler Motel sat on the eastern side of Gillette like it was run out of town. Or when describing the foggy, snowy weather: You could cut sheep out of the air with a pair of shears Those phrases just made me smile. Love his work!
I’ve got a ton of busy work to do and I’m plugging in my mP3 book of “White Fire” to keep my brain working. Such a wonderful book and it’s read by Rene Auberjonois (who I will always think of as Odo in Deep Space 9).
SOunds fun, but I won’t be joining you guys. Literally just finished a rewatch of TOS & TAS that a podcast I listen to is doing. We/they just started on the TOS films. They’re on a 15-year mission to rewatch the entire franchise one episode a week. The podcast was put together by Gene Roddenberry’s son Rod. In case anyone else cares:
http://www.missionlogpodcast.com/
@ Sparrow and Tam – Thank you for your kind thoughts and words ladies! 🙂
Been doing a ST Voyager re-Watch myself. Loving That. Next up Basics pt#1.
So, Joe, I was looking at your Star Trek TOS set picture…in what season did you replace Chekov? 😉
It’s all here: https://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/2007/04/28/april-27-2007/