by Janice L. Newman The mood was bittersweet as we gathered to watch the final episode of Star Trek. It also held a hint of trepidation: would we get another instant classic, like All Our Yesterdays, or another disappointment, like the string of episodes before it? As it turned out, the final episode of Star … Continue reading [June 12, 1969] Heavy on the Bitters (Star Trek: Turnabout Intruder)→
By Mx Kris Vyas-Myall Speaking at the US Embassy today, Herman Kahn, director of the Hudson institute, gave his predictions of the coming “post-industrial culture”. As a result of the massive amount of technological change coming and the secularization of society, he predicts that by 1985, there will emerge five major personality types: neo-materialist, neo-epicurian, … Continue reading [May 14, 1969] The Enterprise crosses the Atlantic (Star Trek in Joe 90 Comics)→
by Gideon Marcus The other shoe dropped on February 17: Star Trek is officially canceled. Moreover, ABC won't pick it up for its "Second Season" in January. Fan efforts are being directed at CBS, but I can't say the prospects are promising. One has to wonder if the decision was made due to the spate … Continue reading [March 18, 1969] What a way to go! (Star Trek: "All Our Yesterdays")→
by Erica Frank This episode opened with the Enterprise circling an uninhabitable lava planet with a poisonous atmosphere, but anomalous readings of some kind of civilization or power source. They planned to leave anyway, until they got a message…from Abraham Lincoln. "Welcome to Washington, Captain Kirk!" Our crew is now very experienced with meetings with … Continue reading [March 12, 1969] Rock Opera (Star Trek: "The Savage Curtain")→
Just Bad by Janice L. Newman Star Trek has given us some amazing episodes over the past three seasons, episodes that made us think, made us gasp, made our hearts bleed for the characters and made us laugh out loud. Unfortunately, we’ve also had many kinds of bad episodes, from ridiculously, gloriously bad, to offensively, … Continue reading [March 6, 1969] Different points of view (Star Trek: "The Cloud Minders")→
The Corrosive Threat of Antidisestablishmentarianism by Amber Dubin US-world relations have been growing increasingly concerning as we venture cautiously into the first couple of months of 1969. From never having quite gotten back on the right foot since last year's Tet offensive (and with this year's edition currently ongoing) to the aftermath of the Pueblo … Continue reading [February 28, 1969] We Reach (Star Trek: "The Way to Eden")→
by Joe Reid This week’s episode of Star Trek will likely turn many members of the audience into devout Buddhists. It’s an episode which stands as a reminder of the destructive nature of desire and why the devotees of the Buddha eschew that emotion. “Requiem for Methuselah” showcased a level of desire that proved more … Continue reading [February 20, 1969] The Old Man and the She (Star Trek: "Requiem for Methuselah")→
by Lorelei Marcus I'm convinced Star Trek is cursed. Around the same time every season, the episodes drop off in quality, going from engaging teleplays each week to bottom of the barrel Hollywood hack. Of course, the divide isn't quite so clear cut, but there is a distinctive shift as the producer runs out of … Continue reading [January 31, 1969] Clinging to life (Star Trek: "That Which Survives")→
by Gideon Marcus "Gideon"—the very name connotes greatness. Grandeur. Brilliance. Romance. Surely, any world with that namesake must be a living paradise. So it is no wonder that the Federation bought the reports sent from planet Gideon declaring it to be just that. No wonder that the Federation would tie itself in knots so as … Continue reading [January 24, 1969] Make rheum, make rheum (Star Trek: "The Mark of Gideon")→