Episode of the Week : What Are Little Girls Made Of?

[Botany Bay]

Another week, and another TOS classic for you to rate and review.

Each week I'll be saving the scores as usual so we can rank the whole series in order of popularity when we eventually get through them all.

This week : What Are Little Girls Made Of?

 

[BillJ]

7.

A fun outing.

 

[Botany Bay]

I think I just discovered another Gene Roddenberry cameo.

Around 1:50, listen to the intercom chatter as Kirk sits in his command chair, a guy hands him a report to sign, and a voice says over the speaker : "Communicator, we need more lines to the impulse deck".

It's gotta be the Rod

 

[mach7]

For me kind of a miss.

I give it a 5, It would be a 4 except for Sherry Jackson in the excellent costume!

Ruk is also a good addition to the episode.

No McCoy,or Scotty. Too much Chapel.

 

[Melakon]

I think I just discovered another Gene Roddenberry cameo.

Around 1:50, listen to the intercom chatter as Kirk sits in his command chair, a guy hands him a report to sign, and a voice says over the speaker : "Communicator, we need more lines to the impulse deck".

It's gotta be the Rod

Yes, I seem to remember reading back in the 70s or 80s that it was him. It's all a blur after this many years.

 

[Ssosmcin]

I always considered this one pretty weak. Majel is “meh” and Michael Strong is miscast. The penis rock didn’t help.

Still, it’s a strong “Kirk” episode and Ruk is fricking amazing. The Fred Steiner music is legendary and wonderful. A 5.

 

[Warped9]

I used to not really care much for this when I was younger, but now I think it's awesome. I'd give it a 10 except for a few nitpicks. Now it's a solid 9.

There are ideas in this story that are so far ahead of their time it's spooky.

Very cool overall.

 

[TOSalltheway]

Good bakground on Nurse Chapel. Sherry Jackson is awesome. I am sorry, but ever since I saw the still photo of Kirk hold that stalactite I can`t take this episode seriously. If you don`t know what I mean...look it up.

 

[ToddPence]

Michael Strong is miscast.

They should have had John Astin as Korby, Carolyn Jones as Andrea and Jackie Coogan as Dr. Brown.

 

[MGagen]

I love the "Androids don't eat, Miss Chapel..." moment.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

I always considered this one pretty weak. Majel is “meh” and Michael Strong is miscast. The penis rock didn’t help.

Still, it’s a strong “Kirk” episode and Ruk is fricking amazing. The Fred Steiner music is legendary and wonderful. A 5.

I agree with all of that until your 5 rating. Sherry Jackson counts as a 10, so if the episode is otherwise a five, they average to 7.5, which is where I land on this one.

 

[CrazyMatt]

Bad boy!

That aside... er, I give this episode a 5. On the plus side, Sherry Jackson. 'Nuf said.

On the minus side, the lamentable character of Christine Chapel, the TOS wimp.

 

[AtoZ]

For me a fun episode with great casting. I always loved the spinning Lazy Susan idea for making an android and Kirk's method of drawing Ruk into thinking for himself....the dramatic moment that comes of it....underlines that fun. One great weak point however is the near omission of Spock in the narrative.

 

[Pauln6]

It gets a pass from me as the first 'robots are bad, n'kay,' episode but generally speaking, I'm not a fan of humanoid intelligent robots at all. Ted Cassidy is fun though.

The penis stalagmite is one of the funniest moments in Trek history too.

I like the fact that Chapel got a sizable role but the material she's given is just terrible. They labour on the fact that she's a research scientist but that plays absolutely no part in the story at all, she just plays the jealous, defenceless fiancee. She never uses any scientific method in this episode or later, with the possible exception of TMP. I feel bad for her, and worse still they treated her as a worthless, pointless character in the reboot too. Very frustrating.

 

[T'Bonz]

OK, enough of this crap. Would post say this for a woman? Don't say it for a gay man.

 

[Redfern]

I just love it whenever Ted Cassidy spoke, particularly when he mentioned the "Old Ones", his creators. Mogg, what a VOICE! When he finally remembered (archive retrieved?) the "equation" that would allow him to kill (obviously, what we consider Asimov's "3rd Law" got priority in his society), you knew to "Watch out!!!"

I just wished William Ware Theiss designed something for Ted that did not resemble my grandmother's peach colored housecoat. It kinda' diminished Ruk's menace.

Sincerely,

Bill

 

[Runetouch]

Really average episode. 6 out of 10.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

I just wished William Ware Theiss designed something for Ted that did not resemble my grandmother's peach colored housecoat. It kinda' diminished Ruk's menace.

I've never put that thought into words, but yes. Ruk should have had something tough-looking, like a black tunic and trousers. He should never have been dressed like the clown in Pagliacci.

 

[Timo]

Oh, dunno. If this episode can make peach and pink look menacing, all the more glory to it...

OK, enough of this crap. Would post say this for a woman? Don't say it for a gay man.

Statistically speaking, and hereabouts, the percentage of size queens in men is way higher than in women - close to 100% in my experience. So there's certain appropriateness in the choice of "victims" in the humor.

It's difficult to fathom how this thing could have been accidental. Was it a decision approved, and snickered at, by the director and others involved?

In any case, a solid 8, with the issues detracting from perfection already mentioned above: certain actors were brilliant, others much less so.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[BillJ]

I just wished William Ware Theiss designed something for Ted that did not resemble my grandmother's peach colored housecoat. It kinda' diminished Ruk's menace.

I've never put that thought into words, but yes. Ruk should have had something tough-looking, like a black tunic and trousers. He should never have been dressed like the clown in Pagliacci.

Why? Kind of defeats the purpose of showing differing cultures and species if you're just going to dress them up in what humans consider appropriate.