Gimme That Star Trek Ep.8: TOS Full Series Review

Siskoid goes way overboard and tries to review all 80 episodes of The Original Series, with guests pitching in with additional material. But Siskoid has always been a man overboard...

Listen to Episode 8 below!

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Credits:"Star Trek Theme" by Alexander Courage, with the mellifluous tones of the Irredeemable Shagg. End theme: "Deep Space Nine Theme" by Dennis McCarthy.

Contributions by: Cory Drew, Mike Peacock, Tim Wallace, David Ace Guttierez, David Gallaher, The Irredeemable Shagg, Ryan Daly, Chris Franklin, Rob Kelly, Bass Leveseque and Dr. G Man of Nerdology.

Bonus clips from: "Gene Roddenberry Up Close and Personal Interview"; and every episode of Star Trek The Original Series, starring Jeffrey Hunter, Sally Kellerman, George Takei, Grace Lee Whitney, Nichelle Nichols, Bruce Hyde, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Roger C. Carmel, John Megna, Anthony Call, DeForest Kelley, Malachi Throne, Julie Parrish, Barbara Anderson, Mark Lenard, Bruce Mars, John Crawford, William Campbell, Bart LaRue, Barbara Babcock, Majel Barrett, Joan Marshall, Charles Macaulay, David Opatoshu, John Colicos, Michael Forrest, Vic Perrin, Celeste Yarnall, James Doohan, William Windom, Antoinette Bower, Elizabeth Rogers, Jane Wyatt, John Fiedler, Michael Pataki, Angelique Pettyjohn, Walker Edmiston, Booker Bradshaw, Warren Stevens, Teri Garr, Joanne Linville, Susan Howard, Kate Woodville, France Nuyen, Frank Gorshin, David Hurst, Lee Meriwether, Charles Napier, Deborah Downey, Diana Ewing, and Barry Atwater; "Battleship" ad by Milton Bradley; "Tombstone" by George P. Cosmatos, starring Val Kilmer; and "Mortal Kombat Theme" by The Immortals.

And thanks for leaving a comment!

10 responses to “Gimme That Star Trek Ep.8: TOS Full Series Review

  1. First off: you’re nuts. Second: I’m LOVING THIS!!!

    Still listening, and just got to “Shore Leave”. How can you hate Finnegan? And Harry Mudd? And Riley in “The Naked Time”? Did you lose your funny bone in a tragic transporter accident? 😉

    I’m glad I didn’t pick “Shore Leave”…I almost did! I love it, a fun distraction. And there’s nothing wrong with that, IMHO.

    Listening on!

    Chris

    1. The whole point of having guests was to feature alternative view points, so that would have worked fine Chris!

      And I didn’t lose my funny bone, I just think most people overestimate how “funny” those characters are in such large doses.

  2. What a titanic episode.

    At first the 4 hr length seemed daunting, but once I realized you were doing the whole series in one go I was able to relax and luxuriate, like when I go see a very long movie and it becomes clear early I’m going to really enjoy it. The extra length becomes a feature, not a bug (BOOGIE NIGHTS, JACKIE BROWN, etc.)

    I never really considered that the show got more fantasy and less sci-fi as it wore on, but that makes sense after what we know about the production troubles that plagued TOS during SSN 3. Probably a lot easier to write “A giant space alien wizard does X” than come up with more science-based dilemmas. Still, I’m glad I stuck up for “Day of the Dove.”

    I’m guessing the feedback segment was recorded on another day, but since you sounded sick during it, I imagined you being just wrecked from recording the preceding three and half hours. Gave the whole thing a meta quality.

    I spent the first half of my work day listening to this, was great fun. LLAP.

    1. Actually, though it was done on different days, it WAS done in order. So my voice WAS wrecked by the end, but I’m not sicker in the feedback than I am in Season 3. I WAS trying to be relatively quiet because Shotgun was sleeping though, so that accounts for the different sound quality. I try to treat my room mates well! (Though I fear late night recordings with the Unschedulable Shagg might have pushed my luck.)

  3. Made it! I will say the length of the show didn’t bother me at all. The analysis was well-thought out and presented, and I appreciate you coming at each episode from a fresh perspective.

    I didn’t agree with all of your assessments, but I found them all to be fair and balanced. Well, I still say “The Way to Eden” is pretty bad, but I haven’t suffered through it in a while, so maybe I should. Or not.

    I was surprised that some folks have such a hard time with the Doomsday Machine’s effects. I know they are a little below par for the series, but the story and acting in that one is so strong, it transcends it. It’s one of the few times where I will get whole-heartedly behind the “new” effects, which solve many of those problems.

    I have to defend my pick “Specter of the Gun” somewhat, I think. I always loved the wrath-like portrayal of the Earps, myself. They come across as soulless automatons with a mean streak. Their strange, unknowable but still angry nature ups the stakes immediately.

    The biggest crime of “Whom Gods Destroy” is ripping off good chunks of “Dagger of the Mind” very poorly. The only saving grace is Yvonne Craig, but she’s an EARLY crush via Batgirl, so…

    Glad to see “All Our Yesterdays” made it onto the highly rewatchable pile. That’s Cindy’s favorite episode, and it’s always been one of mine as well.

    I’m not a hard science guy, so I never gave much thought to the proliferation of science fantasy as Trek progressed. I’ve never read that in my many histories of Trek either, but now that you’ve pointed it out, I can definitely see it. The fact that you added some new thoughts about perhaps the most examined TV show in history is no small feat. Bravo.

    You set yourself a Herculean task, and I’m sure Apollo would be pleased with the result. GREAT episode!!!

    Chris

  4. Well, you did it, Siskoid. Congrats, man! Sorry I sounded drunk and kept mispronouncing Metrons.

    Thanks for including me in this. I think this should be a weekly show.

  5. 4 hours? So this episode is only SLIGHTLY shorter than the first shots of the Enterprise in Star Trek the Motion Picture.

    This was a daunting undertaking, but you definitely assembled the right crew for the job.

  6. New Brunswick winters, much, Siskoid? I am glad you can keep busy in the log cabin!

    WOW, is all I can say. The 5 year mission that only took 3 years that we’ve been talking about for 5 years summed up in an afternoon, digested as I built my saw shack in the back yard. A well done tour de force.
    In the future, though? Why not chunk these up as a daily feed kind of thing? A show a day, or half season a week or something. You’re going to sprain your tongue if you don’t watch it!

    Well done, mon ami, well done.

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