Welcome back to Character Insight! This week, we finish up the "Best Of" series for The Original Series characters with a look at Captain James T. Kirk. Here are some of his most memorable quotes and appearances.
https://archive.org/details/CharacterInsightEp192
Captain Kirk has plenty of strong character moments, but perhaps none quite as strong as when he falls in love with Edith Keeler before accepting that she must die in order to reverse changes in the timeline caused by Dr. McCoy after they travel through the Guardian of Forever in the episode The City on the Edge of Forever:
Capt. Kirk: Spock... I believe... I'm in love with Edith Keeler.
Spock: Jim, Edith Keeler must die.
One of Kirk's greatest assets is figuring his way out of impossible situations, like in the episode The Corbomite Maneuver, where Kirk makes up the existence of a destructive material to regain control of the ship from Balok. Even in tough situations, he can find time for a funny quip:
Capt. Kirk: When I get my hands on the headquarters genius that assigned me a female yeoman...
Dr. McCoy: What's the matter, Jim, don't you trust yourself?
Capt. Kirk: [Kirk suppresses a smile] I've already got a female to worry about. Her name's the Enterprise.
Another example of Kirk making things up on the fly came in the episode A Piece of the Action. This time, the Captain must invent rules for a card game on the fly while dealing with Kalo on a planet crafting itself after 1920s America and gangsters:
Capt. Kirk: The name of the game is called, uh... fizzbin.
Kalo: Fizzbin?
Capt. Kirk: Fizzbin. It's, uh... not too difficult.
Kalo: Mm-hmm.
Capt. Kirk: Each player gets six cards, except for the dealer, er, the player on the dealer's right, who, er, gets seven.
Kalo: On the right?
Capt. Kirk: Yes. The second card is turned up, except on Tuesday.
Sounds simpler than some board games I've played. Captain Kirk is a bit like James Bond, in that he has countless scenes wooing women and countless scenes of bravado, highlighted by the Gorn fight in Arena and the Spock fight in Amok Time. However, he's so brash that he's also willing to take on an alleged God with this challenge from the otherwise forgettable movie The Final Frontier:
Kirk: What does God need with a starship?
McCoy: Jim, what are you doing?
Kirk: I'm asking a question.
"God": Who is this creature?
Kirk: Who am I? Don't you know? Aren't you God?
Sybok: He has his doubts.
"God": You doubt me?
Kirk: I seek proof.
McCoy: Jim! You don't ask the Almighty for his ID!
Much like Spock and McCoy, Captain Kirk is such a vital central piece to what made The Original Series work well. It's impossible to cull his contribution down to a few clips, so we may revisit more great moments like we have multiple times with Spock already. Until next time, boldly go like Gene Roddenberry's original vision to celebrate 50 years of Trek.
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Character Insight No. 191: Crossovers and the New Series
Welcome back to Character Insight! This week, we discuss crossover characters appearing in different Star Trek series, with an eye on the next series coming up this winter.
https://archive.org/details/CharacterInsightEp191
Crossovers of regular characters from series to series or between movies and television has been a staple of Star Trek. For example, the premiere episodes of every series after TOS have included one or more former characters, including Dr. McCoy in TNG, Captain Picard in DS9, Quark and Morn in Voyager, and Zefram Cochrane in Enterprise. These crossovers provide a familiar tie to the overall story line and continuity of the show, as well as sometimes providing interesting interactions between famous crew members not normally seen together.
Other crossovers include episodes of TNG with Scotty and Spock, and an episode of Voyager with Sulu. Geordi La Forge also shows up on Voyager, along with Q and Reginald Barclay. Perhaps the most lambasted of the crossovers is the most recent one, which is Riker and Troi in the finale of Enterprise.
Although not officially crossovers in the normal sense, Worf and the O'Briens also became staples in two different series: TNG and DS9. This type of long-term crossover seems less likely in an anthology series, but perhaps it could happen based on season-by-season shifts of story line and crews. As mentioned last week, it would be great to see Sulu in the new series, even if a new actor other than George Takei would be a better fit for playing the role.
That leads to a first question for Mike and Darrell and the listeners: if a TOS character is to show up in the new anthology series as a crossover, do you care if it is a new actor, such as those actors in the current movies like John Cho, etc.? Would that cross the streams too much?
I suspect that crossovers will remain a part of the new series, especially if done in anthology format. Just like seeing Spock, Scotty, Picard, and Quark interact with characters in newer series, this will provide just enough fan service to keep long time fans more interested while tying things together across the shows as well.
Do you want to see crossovers continue, and if so, who would be your pick for the first couple crossovers? I'd personally love to see more of Uhura, Ben Sisko, and B'Elanna Torres.
------------
Feedback can be sent to me with future segment suggestions on Twitter @BuckeyeFitzy.
https://archive.org/details/CharacterInsightEp191
Crossovers of regular characters from series to series or between movies and television has been a staple of Star Trek. For example, the premiere episodes of every series after TOS have included one or more former characters, including Dr. McCoy in TNG, Captain Picard in DS9, Quark and Morn in Voyager, and Zefram Cochrane in Enterprise. These crossovers provide a familiar tie to the overall story line and continuity of the show, as well as sometimes providing interesting interactions between famous crew members not normally seen together.
Other crossovers include episodes of TNG with Scotty and Spock, and an episode of Voyager with Sulu. Geordi La Forge also shows up on Voyager, along with Q and Reginald Barclay. Perhaps the most lambasted of the crossovers is the most recent one, which is Riker and Troi in the finale of Enterprise.
Although not officially crossovers in the normal sense, Worf and the O'Briens also became staples in two different series: TNG and DS9. This type of long-term crossover seems less likely in an anthology series, but perhaps it could happen based on season-by-season shifts of story line and crews. As mentioned last week, it would be great to see Sulu in the new series, even if a new actor other than George Takei would be a better fit for playing the role.
That leads to a first question for Mike and Darrell and the listeners: if a TOS character is to show up in the new anthology series as a crossover, do you care if it is a new actor, such as those actors in the current movies like John Cho, etc.? Would that cross the streams too much?
I suspect that crossovers will remain a part of the new series, especially if done in anthology format. Just like seeing Spock, Scotty, Picard, and Quark interact with characters in newer series, this will provide just enough fan service to keep long time fans more interested while tying things together across the shows as well.
Do you want to see crossovers continue, and if so, who would be your pick for the first couple crossovers? I'd personally love to see more of Uhura, Ben Sisko, and B'Elanna Torres.
------------
Feedback can be sent to me with future segment suggestions on Twitter @BuckeyeFitzy.
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Character Insight No. 190: Best of Hikaru Sulu
Welcome back to Character Insight! This week, we continue the "Best Of" series for The Original Series characters with a look at Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu. Here are some of his most memorable quotes and appearances.
https://archive.org/details/CharacterInsightEp190
Sulu is a helmsman and astroscientist on the original Enterprise's five year mission. He has many passions including fencing, and he gets to show this off when the crew goes a little crazy in the episode A Naked Time:
Sulu: Stand, no farther. No escape for you. You'll either leave this war bloodied, or with my blood on your swords.
Sulu is often caught in much less lighthearted situations, as when he leads a stranded away mission crew on a frigid planet in the episode The Enemy Within. However, one of Sulu's unique character traits is on full display here, as he can be witty to help make it through the toughest of situations.
Sulu: Can you give us a status report, Captain? Temperature's still dropping. Now 41 degrees below zero.
Captain James T. Kirk: We've located the trouble. It shouldn't be much longer.
Sulu: Do you think you might be able to find a long rope somewhere and lower us down a pot of hot coffee?
.....
Sulu: I think we ought to give room service another call. That coffee's taking too long.
Sulu often did not have much in the way of substantive plot points and dialogue, but when he did, we often saw a moral compass which was valuable to have in the chain of command, as shown in this quote from Turnabout Intruder.
Sulu: The captain really must be going mad if he thinks he can get away with an execution.
Chekov: Keptin Kirk wouldn't order an execution even if he were going mad. That cannot be the keptin.
Sulu: What difference does it make WHO he is? Are we gonna allow an execution to take place?
Chekov: If security backs him up, how will we fight him?
Sulu: I'll fight them every way and ANY way I can.
Like the other secondary main characters, Sulu found more good character development in the movies and in subsequent series. His appearance as the Excelsior's captain on the Voyager episode Flashback, while mostly about Tuvok, had some great Sulu truisms and beliefs.
Captain Hikaru Sulu: You'll find that more happens on the bridge of a starship than just carrying out orders and observing regulations. There is a sense of loyalty to the men and women you serve with - a sense of family...Let the regulations be damned.
That scene highlights what would've been a good era to see more of, Captain Sulu at the helm of the Excelsior. Although The Undiscovered Country and Sulu's brief stint in the command chair during Into Darkness were good glimpses of this, that would be a season of a new anthology show I'd sign up for in a heartbeat. What do Mike and Darrell think on this?
Sulu was a good character for adding both diversity and a healthy bit of lightheartedness to the show. Plus, actor George Takei has been a treasure to have as an ambassador of the series as well. If you want more of his best, check out his extensive Twitter and Facebook posts over the past few years.
https://archive.org/details/CharacterInsightEp190
Sulu is a helmsman and astroscientist on the original Enterprise's five year mission. He has many passions including fencing, and he gets to show this off when the crew goes a little crazy in the episode A Naked Time:
Sulu: Stand, no farther. No escape for you. You'll either leave this war bloodied, or with my blood on your swords.
Sulu is often caught in much less lighthearted situations, as when he leads a stranded away mission crew on a frigid planet in the episode The Enemy Within. However, one of Sulu's unique character traits is on full display here, as he can be witty to help make it through the toughest of situations.
Sulu: Can you give us a status report, Captain? Temperature's still dropping. Now 41 degrees below zero.
Captain James T. Kirk: We've located the trouble. It shouldn't be much longer.
Sulu: Do you think you might be able to find a long rope somewhere and lower us down a pot of hot coffee?
.....
Sulu: I think we ought to give room service another call. That coffee's taking too long.
Sulu often did not have much in the way of substantive plot points and dialogue, but when he did, we often saw a moral compass which was valuable to have in the chain of command, as shown in this quote from Turnabout Intruder.
Sulu: The captain really must be going mad if he thinks he can get away with an execution.
Chekov: Keptin Kirk wouldn't order an execution even if he were going mad. That cannot be the keptin.
Sulu: What difference does it make WHO he is? Are we gonna allow an execution to take place?
Chekov: If security backs him up, how will we fight him?
Sulu: I'll fight them every way and ANY way I can.
Like the other secondary main characters, Sulu found more good character development in the movies and in subsequent series. His appearance as the Excelsior's captain on the Voyager episode Flashback, while mostly about Tuvok, had some great Sulu truisms and beliefs.
Captain Hikaru Sulu: You'll find that more happens on the bridge of a starship than just carrying out orders and observing regulations. There is a sense of loyalty to the men and women you serve with - a sense of family...Let the regulations be damned.
That scene highlights what would've been a good era to see more of, Captain Sulu at the helm of the Excelsior. Although The Undiscovered Country and Sulu's brief stint in the command chair during Into Darkness were good glimpses of this, that would be a season of a new anthology show I'd sign up for in a heartbeat. What do Mike and Darrell think on this?
Sulu was a good character for adding both diversity and a healthy bit of lightheartedness to the show. Plus, actor George Takei has been a treasure to have as an ambassador of the series as well. If you want more of his best, check out his extensive Twitter and Facebook posts over the past few years.
Monday, May 9, 2016
Character Insight No. 189: Best of Montgomery Scott
Welcome back to Character Insight! This week, we continue the "Best Of" series for The Original Series characters with a look at Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott. Here are some of his most memorable quotes and appearances.
https://archive.org/details/CharacterInsightEp189
While Scotty is of course known for his engineering prowess, he is also high on the chain of command for the Enterprise. We see his diplomacy style when in charge of the ship in the episode A Taste of Armageddon:
Scott: The best diplomat I know is a fully activated phaser bank.
While Scotty earns a reputation for his engineering, one of his low moments as a character was found in Spock's Brain, where the flat dialogue indicates he can see engineering prowess in others based solely on gender (ah, the 60's):
Scott: Those women could never have set up anything as complex as this has to be – that takes engineering genius but there's no sign of engineering genius in any of those women.
It does get better for Scotty though, as even when he gets into trouble by starting a bar fight to defend the honor of the Enterprise in The Trouble With Tribbles, he turns it into a positive by being happy to review his beloved technical manuals some more.
Capt. Kirk: Another technical journal, Scotty?
Scott: Aye.
Capt. Kirk: Don't you ever relax?
Scott: I am relaxing.
One of Scotty's most interesting character pieces is Wolf in the Fold, in which Scotty is essential put on trial for murder, and his character is at issue. At one point, he loses all faith in the process of justice on Argelius II:
Scott: Captain, you mean my neck is gonna have to depend on some spooky mumbo-jumbo?
Just like other TOS characters, we also get to see Scotty develop further in the movies as well as in an appearance on The Next Generation. However, my favorite late Scotty scene is a funny one from The Voyage Home, in which Scotty expresses his distaste for the backwards non-voice recognition computers of the era:
Scotty: Computer! Computer?
[He's handed a mouse, and he speaks into it]
Scotty: Hello, computer.
Dr. Nichols: Just use the keyboard.
Scotty: Keyboard. How quaint.
Scotty adds yet another interesting dose of diversity and uniqueness to the cast of the original show, and he of course will always be remembered for the meme or phrase "Beam me up, Scotty." That's more than most characters have accomplished, and as such, Montgomery Scott and James Doohan made one of the best characters in Star Trek lore. Doohan would also go on to voice many of the side roles in The Animated Series as well.
https://archive.org/details/CharacterInsightEp189
While Scotty is of course known for his engineering prowess, he is also high on the chain of command for the Enterprise. We see his diplomacy style when in charge of the ship in the episode A Taste of Armageddon:
Scott: The best diplomat I know is a fully activated phaser bank.
While Scotty earns a reputation for his engineering, one of his low moments as a character was found in Spock's Brain, where the flat dialogue indicates he can see engineering prowess in others based solely on gender (ah, the 60's):
Scott: Those women could never have set up anything as complex as this has to be – that takes engineering genius but there's no sign of engineering genius in any of those women.
It does get better for Scotty though, as even when he gets into trouble by starting a bar fight to defend the honor of the Enterprise in The Trouble With Tribbles, he turns it into a positive by being happy to review his beloved technical manuals some more.
Capt. Kirk: Another technical journal, Scotty?
Scott: Aye.
Capt. Kirk: Don't you ever relax?
Scott: I am relaxing.
One of Scotty's most interesting character pieces is Wolf in the Fold, in which Scotty is essential put on trial for murder, and his character is at issue. At one point, he loses all faith in the process of justice on Argelius II:
Scott: Captain, you mean my neck is gonna have to depend on some spooky mumbo-jumbo?
Just like other TOS characters, we also get to see Scotty develop further in the movies as well as in an appearance on The Next Generation. However, my favorite late Scotty scene is a funny one from The Voyage Home, in which Scotty expresses his distaste for the backwards non-voice recognition computers of the era:
Scotty: Computer! Computer?
[He's handed a mouse, and he speaks into it]
Scotty: Hello, computer.
Dr. Nichols: Just use the keyboard.
Scotty: Keyboard. How quaint.
Scotty adds yet another interesting dose of diversity and uniqueness to the cast of the original show, and he of course will always be remembered for the meme or phrase "Beam me up, Scotty." That's more than most characters have accomplished, and as such, Montgomery Scott and James Doohan made one of the best characters in Star Trek lore. Doohan would also go on to voice many of the side roles in The Animated Series as well.
Monday, May 2, 2016
Character Insight No. 188: Best of Uhura
Welcome back to Character Insight! This week, we continue the "Best Of" series for The Original Series characters with a look at Lieutenant Uhura. Here are some of her most memorable quotes and appearances.
https://archive.org/details/CharacterInsightEp188
Uhura is typically seen at her communications station on the bridge, as evidenced in this clip from the episode Who Mourns For Adonais:
Mr. Spock: Progress report.
Nyota Uhura: I'm connecting the bypass circuit now, sir. It should take another half-hour.
Mr. Spock: Speed is essential, Lieutenant.
Nyota Uhura: Mr. Spock, I haven't done anything like this in years. If it isn't done just right, I could blow the entire communications system. It's very delicate work, sir.
https://archive.org/details/CharacterInsightEp188
Uhura is typically seen at her communications station on the bridge, as evidenced in this clip from the episode Who Mourns For Adonais:
Mr. Spock: Progress report.
Nyota Uhura: I'm connecting the bypass circuit now, sir. It should take another half-hour.
Mr. Spock: Speed is essential, Lieutenant.
Nyota Uhura: Mr. Spock, I haven't done anything like this in years. If it isn't done just right, I could blow the entire communications system. It's very delicate work, sir.
This role also serves to provide some opportunities for fun dialogue with other crew members and some awkward moments, like when she tries to start conversation with Spock in the early episode The Man Trap:
Mr. Spock: Miss Uhura, your last sub-space log contained an error in the frequencies column.
Uhura: Mr. Spock, sometimes I think if I hear that word 'frequency' once more, I'll cry.
Mr. Spock: Cry?
Uhura: I was just trying to start a conversation.
Mr. Spock: Well, since it is illogical for a communications officer to resent the word 'frequency'... I have no answer.
We see Uhura's singing talent on a couple occasions, including this song from Charlie X:
Lt. Nyota Uhura: [singing] Oh, on the Starship Enterprise There's someone who's in Satan's guise, Whose devil's ears and devil's eyes Could rip your heart from you! At first his look could hypnotize, And then his touch would barbarize.
Besides the singing and serving as a notable female presence on board, Uhura's most famous appearance is probably in Plato's Stepchildren thanks to her barrier-breaking interracial kiss with Captain Kirk. While under the spell, she says:
Uhura: I'm thinking. I'm thinking of all the times on the Enterprise when I was scared to death and I would see you so busy at your command, and I would hear your voice from all parts of the ship, and my fears would fade. And now they're making me tremble, but I'm not afraid. I am not... afraid.
Although Uhura's role in the television series was so small at times it almost made Nichelle Nichols quit the show, her perseverance paid off in the TOS movies, where she played a much more important role. One example is The Final Frontier, where she pulls the boys out of trouble multiple times:
Uhura: [arriving to pick up Kirk from shore leave] Captain, we've received important orders from Starfleet Command.
Kirk: Why didn't you just beep my communicator?
Uhura: You 'forgot' to take it with you.
Kirk: Oh... I wonder 'why' I did that?
Uhura may not have always served a vital role story-wise, but her character and what her presence stood for made a huge impact to inspire both women and minorities in the scientific communities. For that, this character will always be one of the best aspects of The Original Series. It's been a long journey since Nichelle Nichols started her career in 1948 as a backup singer for Duke Ellington, but her work on Star Trek will stand the test of time in my opinion.
Mr. Spock: Miss Uhura, your last sub-space log contained an error in the frequencies column.
Uhura: Mr. Spock, sometimes I think if I hear that word 'frequency' once more, I'll cry.
Mr. Spock: Cry?
Uhura: I was just trying to start a conversation.
Mr. Spock: Well, since it is illogical for a communications officer to resent the word 'frequency'... I have no answer.
We see Uhura's singing talent on a couple occasions, including this song from Charlie X:
Lt. Nyota Uhura: [singing] Oh, on the Starship Enterprise There's someone who's in Satan's guise, Whose devil's ears and devil's eyes Could rip your heart from you! At first his look could hypnotize, And then his touch would barbarize.
Besides the singing and serving as a notable female presence on board, Uhura's most famous appearance is probably in Plato's Stepchildren thanks to her barrier-breaking interracial kiss with Captain Kirk. While under the spell, she says:
Uhura: I'm thinking. I'm thinking of all the times on the Enterprise when I was scared to death and I would see you so busy at your command, and I would hear your voice from all parts of the ship, and my fears would fade. And now they're making me tremble, but I'm not afraid. I am not... afraid.
Although Uhura's role in the television series was so small at times it almost made Nichelle Nichols quit the show, her perseverance paid off in the TOS movies, where she played a much more important role. One example is The Final Frontier, where she pulls the boys out of trouble multiple times:
Uhura: [arriving to pick up Kirk from shore leave] Captain, we've received important orders from Starfleet Command.
Kirk: Why didn't you just beep my communicator?
Uhura: You 'forgot' to take it with you.
Kirk: Oh... I wonder 'why' I did that?
Uhura may not have always served a vital role story-wise, but her character and what her presence stood for made a huge impact to inspire both women and minorities in the scientific communities. For that, this character will always be one of the best aspects of The Original Series. It's been a long journey since Nichelle Nichols started her career in 1948 as a backup singer for Duke Ellington, but her work on Star Trek will stand the test of time in my opinion.
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