Tag: Star Trek

Star Trek Rewatch

TOS 1×02 The Man Trap

Summary:

The USS Enterprise arrives at a remote outpost on planet M-113 where archaeologist Dr. Robert Crater and his wife Nancy are the planet’s only known inhabitants. Their mission is to provide supplies and routine medical care to the two of them. Captain Kirk, Dr. McCoy, and Crewman Darnell beam down to the planet’s surface. It is noted that Dr. McCoy used to be romantically involved with Nancy, who happens to be the first person they see when they arrive. Unbeknownst to them, however, they all see a different woman. Professor Crater insists that the only thing he and his wife need is salt, other than that he demands they be left alone. Kirk and McCoy persist and eventually Crater gives in and has a physical. Partway through the physical, hysterical screaming can be heard from outside, and the three men rush to investigate. They find Nancy distraught beside Crewman Darnell who Dr. McCoy announces to be dead. Darnell has red circular markings covering his face. Nancy tells them she saw him with a borgia plant and was unable to warn him in time before he took a bite. Kirk and McCoy return to the ship with Darnell’s body to conduct a thorough examination. It is discovered that he couldn’t have been killed by the borgia plant and the only thing wrong with him was a complete and sudden lack of salt. The red marks on his face remain unexplained. Kirk and McCoy beam down to the planet with two crewmen to investigate further. Both crewmen are killed by Nancy and then “Nancy” transforms into one of them (Crewman Green). As Green she beams aboard the Enterprise with Kirk and McCoy. Aboard the ship, “Nancy” takes several more victims, increasingly baffling the crew. Kirk and Spock beam back down to the planet to get Professor Crater and Crewman Green’s body is discovered. It is now known that whatever is killing the crew is a shapeshifting creature. Kirk and Spock capture Crater by stunning him and discover that the creature is the last of its kind and needs salt to survive. Meanwhile, the creature turns back into Nancy and seduces McCoy, convincing him to take medication that puts him to sleep. She then disguises herself as him and attends a briefing with Kirk, the department heads, and Professor Crater. In this briefing, Kirk asks if Crater can recognize the creature on site and if he’ll help them find it. He refuses. Spock suggests a truth serum, and accompanies Crater and “McCoy” to administer it. The creature kills Crater in sickbay and attacks Spock. Appearing again as Nancy, the creature returns to McCoy’s quarters and begs him to protect her. Kirk and Spock show up and attempt to convince McCoy that she is not Nancy. Eventually the creature reveals itself while attempting to drain the salt from Kirk and McCoy is forced to kill it with a shot from his phaser.

Read about it here on Memory Alpha

Personal Thoughts:

  • I love how the initial music is so suspicious even though we don’t yet have any reason to believe anything suspicious is going on lol
  • Did you notice how both McCoy and Crewman Darnell see Nancy as someone they’re attracted to but Jim sees her as just a normal middle-aged woman? (*cough* gay *cough*). In all seriousness though it’s probably just because Nancy knew he’d be too suspicious otherwise lol
  • Professor Crater is SOO mean right off the bat lmao. Like I understand his motivation for trying to get them to leave before they could investigate too much but maybe he could’ve tried a nicer approach first? Lmao he didn’t eve try 50 or 75 he just went straight for 100.
  • Jim calling Bones “plum”. Enough said
  • Uhura trying to flirt with Spock and Spock just being utterly clueless/confused lol
  • I can’t believe it took 23rd century medical equipment that long to figure out he’d lost that much salt
  • “Another error on my part.” “I’m not counting them, Bones.” I love their interactions. Also when Kirk says, “Are you in the mood for an apology?” because he recognizes that he may have been a little harsh when he snapped at Bones earlier.
  • Janice eating the food she’s delivering to Sulu lol
  • The creature did such a good job posing as Crewman Green down on the planet but as soon as they get back to the Enterprise it acts as awkward and suspicious as possible lmao
  • “You were just thinking of someone like me.” Okay even knowing what we know about the creature, what a bold thing to say??? Like it would be a bold thing to say even if he was just a random handsome crewman but considering the creature said it that’s literally a clue that could get them caught??
  • The creature could’ve easily drained all the salt from McCoy and killed him before leaving his quarters disguised as him but instead it just makes sure he’s asleep and leaves him alive??? I’m so confused about the creature’s motivations here.
  • Spock’s patented I Was Saved By My Vulcan Biology ™
  • Jim (understandably) screamed so loud when the creature started sucking salt from him but how come no one heard anybody else scream when it happened to them? When the creature killed Crewman Darnell in the beginning, they could hear Nancy’s screams from that distance, but they never heard Darnell scream.
  • “Something wrong, Captain?” “I was thinking about the buffalo, Mr. Spock.”

Trip/T’Pol Angst

Here are some angsty Trip/T’Pol headcanons because sometimes I enjoy pain and I decided to inflict it on all of you *evil laugh*

  • Trip never had another serious or long-lasting relationship after T’Pol, it was just never the same
  • After Trip died, T’Pol regretted every day she hadn’t told him she loved him
  • T’Pol made sure Trip, their daughter, and his sister Elizabeth were all buried next to each other. She lays flowers on their graves every year because she knows it’s a human tradition

Character Appreciation

 An appreciation post for Kira Nerys in “Emissary” (parts 1 & 2)

  • The brash way she just says her opinion
  • “We’re only here to help.” “That’s what the Cardassians said 60 years ago.” like wow??? What a powerful line???
  • The way she just gets down and dirty with the rest of the crew, cleaning up the promenade in between her regular duties as first officer
  • Her reaction to Bashir calling his assignment there “frontier medicine” and calling it a “wilderness”. “This ‘wilderness’ is my home.”
  • The very first time we hear her say Dukat’s name on screen she spits it out like it’s a dirty word. I’m here for that
  • How she just wants to MOVE AN ENTIRE SPACE STATION IN A DAY OMG
  • When she begrudgingly admits to needing Starfleet’s assistance. I like it because it shows that although she may be brash, opinionated, and stubborn, she’s not unreasonable and knows when to accept help
  • When she orders O’Brien to fire all the torpedoes they have and then pretends like they have a shit ton more defenses. What an icon
  • “But I’m just a Bajoran who’s been fighting a hopeless cause against the Cardassians all her life.”
  • When the wormhole opens and she’s just like I TOLD YOU SO!!!
  • “If you don’t take that hand off my hip, you’ll never be able to raise a glass with it again.”

Star Trek Rewatch

TOS 1×01 Pilot: The Cage

 Summary:

After answering a distress call from Talos IV, Captain Pike is captured and discovers that the distress call wasn’t real at all, but an illusion created by a powerful telepathic species, the Talosians. Being held captive with him is a woman named Vina. According to her, the Talosians wish to study them as “specimens” and will give them the illusion of anything they wish so long as they cooperate, otherwise they are punished severely. They are meant to take on an “Adam and Eve” type roll and repopulate. However, Vina also gives Pike the key to blocking the Talosians’ mind-reading abilities: hate. Using hate against them, Pike manages to take one of the Talosians hostage and use him to escape. Meanwhile, other Talosians gain a complete knowledge of human history through the Enterprise’s library and archives. With this knowledge, they come to the conclusion that humans are too violent for their purposes, that purpose being to turn them into slaves to rebuild the surface of the planet. Due to this, they decide to let Pike and his crew go. Vina, however, reveals that she was horribly deformed when her ship crashed there 18 years ago, and wishes to remain on Talos under the illusion of being young and beautiful. Captain Pike honors her wishes to stay behind, getting assurances from the Talosians that she will be well taken care of, and departs with his crew.

Read about it here on Memory Alpha

Personal thoughts:

  • Comfy sweater uniforms!!! Like seriously I want one (I think that’s the next Star Trek uniform I’m going to get for myself tbh)
  • SPOCK’S EYEBROWS!!!! I know it’s just because they hadn’t decided on his Look yet, but like… I like to think of it as a phase he was going through. Just like his beard in Discovery. Or when he thought he could purge all emotion to stop being in love with Jim lmaoooo
  • On a related note: SPOCK’S SMILE!!!! I know that’s also because the writers hadn’t decided on what Vulcans were going to be like yet, but I saw a headcanon once that he was experimenting with embracing his human side. Either way his smile is adorable and I’m glad Pike was the kind of captain that made him feel comfortable doing things like that
  • How old is Pike???? When they find the “survivors” he IMMEDIATELY starts lusting after Vina even though he’s informed that she was born right after the crash and is therefore only 18
  • On the subject of Vina at the “survivor sight” she has perfect makeup after living on a deserted planet her whole life??? Immediate red flag
  • Moving on to the Talosians: honestly the way their veins pulse when they do their telepathy thing creeps me out. But veins in general creep me out tbh lol
  • When Pike tries to break the glass by running into it and it makes that “boing!” noise??? I love it
  • When they do the Rigel VII illusion and Vina’s wearing what looks like a medieval outfit from a middle school play and she makes that weird face before running away. lmao that whole scene is weird af lol
  • Also that weird growling noise the Kalar makes wtf
  • And this has to be said: we must kinkshame the Talosians
  • When the crew tries to beam down to save Captain Pike but only Number One and Yeoman Colt get transported and Spock just shouts “THE WOMEN!!” I just??? I love Spock in this episode ok don’t @ me
  • Yeoman Colt’s “unusually strong female drives” GET IT GIRL
  • Ok but the way Pike kidnaps one of them is actually really smart??? Imagine outsmarting a species that can literally read minds and create illusions
  • When the Talosians realize humans are too violent for captivity. DAMN RIGHT!!!! LIVE FREE OR DIE!!!!
  • Ok but when they show Vina’s true form why is she so lopsided??? 1. They could’ve found out what humans look like by reading her mind. “They’d never seen a human before” is no excuse. 2. If, for some reason, they couldn’t read her mind because she was that close to death or whatever, at least make her symmetrical?? 3. They’re a humanoid species!!!! How hard could it have been to make it at least somewhat correct??? Instead she has a HUGE left shoulder for no apparent reason lmao
  • “Who would’ve been Eve?” Imagine asking that question to your superior officer, especially when you were one of the choices. How bold, how brave, how legendary. Yeoman Colt is my hero