Season 1 Retrospective

I've made it through The Original Series season 1, and it's time to look back for a minute.

"City on the Edge of Forever" does live up to the hype, even if there was some controversy about changes to Harlan Ellison's original script.  I would tend to agree with the review titled, "Ellison" on this page.  Based on the original script, the new script was much closer to the spirit of Star Trek.

"The Naked Time" is the episode where we get to see the main characters go out of character.  A shirtless Sulu threatening the others with his rapier is very memorable indeed.  (I also realized that Sulu's swordsmanship in the 2009 Star Trek reboot was canonical after all.)

"Balance of Terror" reminded me of Run Silent, Run Deep, a film I watched numerous times as a kid.  The parallels of the hostility of the deep sea and deep space, and man's complete dependence on their vessels for protection from those environments, are pretty obvious.  Also, is there any better Vulcan/Romulan than Mark Lenard?

This season, we also get a good dose of literary references, such as Shakespeare, in "Conscience of the King," and the various characters in Sturgeon's playful "Shore Leave."  Western literature, history, and culture figure into quite a few episodes, and this is part of what makes the season memorable.

However, I cannot wrap up this post without commenting on one facet that would make a great study:  gender roles.  There are a few books on Amazon that tackle the subject, and I'd like to read them if I ever get the time.  Star Trek featured some guest appearances by some very lovely ladies to be sure, and I have to wonder how much the "eye candy" aspect of the series contributed to its popularity.  Short skirts were period for the 1960s, to be sure, but by 2012, that image of Star Fleet officers in skirts definitely feels outdated.  (Indeed, by The Next Generation, the right to wear skirts was pretty exclusively Counselor Troi's, as I recall.)

Well, I am running behind in my Video Mission Bucket List, and I do not know when I will have the time to catch up...