"Private Little War": Star Trek at its Best

[M'Sharak]

The Shambala Preserve in Acton on the land that was AfricaUSA is a wild animal preserve maintained by the Roar Foundation, founded by actress Tippi Hedren in 1983 as a 501(c)3) nonprofit organization. Shambala cares for endangered exotic big cats such as African lions, Siberian tigers and Bengal tigers, leopards, servals, mountain lions, bobcats, plus a lynx, a Florida panther, and a liger...

Well, that's interesting; thanks. I've heard of that big-cat sanctuary, but I had no idea is was in the location of the former AfricaUSA. I won't forget it now.

I'm wondering if AfricaUSA was also used for a Wild Wild West episode with a tiger and Antoinette Bauer (Catspaw).

I think all or nearly all of that ep ("The Night of Sudden Death") was done on a soundstage.

 

[Jeri]

M', it was out of doors; it might have been on a back lot, but it wasn't indoors.

 

[M'Sharak]

^ You're right, and I was posting half-asleep. The only detail IMDb gives for that episode for filming location is the CBS Studio Center in Studio City, which may have included a back lot then but does not seem to now.

 

[GSchnitzer]

^ You're right, and I was posting half-asleep. The only detail IMDb gives for that episode for filming location is the CBS Studio Center in Studio City, which may have included a back lot then but does not seem to now.

"Night of the Sudden Death," a black-and-white episode from TWWW's first season (its fourth episode, in fact), was shot largely on a soundstage. There were some exteriors used for the "preserve" where the circus animals were allowed to roam free. But even these exeteriors were simply shot on the CBS Studio Center backlot. The fenced-in area of tropical foliage and the small lake where James West is attacked by an alligator is unmistakably the same lagoon from Gilligan's Island. (Much of this backlot area was paved over years ago to increase CBS and MTM studio parking space.)

 

[Jeri]

Well, there ya go; thanks, GS. There are a number of things in common between WWW and ST, but this wasn't one of them apparently.

 

[ClayHefner]

Yeah, I always loved this one. The world with its magic plants seems alien enough, the costumes are not too goofy and the location flming was nice. And even if you think the Mugato looks silly, it's an alien animal/monster, and it's always good to have one of those.

What bothers me a bit about the episode: The Klingons seem very cautious about this takeover. They provide materials that look as though the black haired guys had produced them themselves. They don't give them phasers or land their own troops.

As though, if someone exposed this little plan (and brought this to the Organians' attention, maybe), this whole scharade would be over in a second.

So why is this such a hopeless situation?

Kirk and McCoy have the evidence. The Klingons' little scheme has been exposed. Kirk could probably even land his own men to potect the blonde dudes until the matter is resolved.
If the Organians aren't the reason for this overly cautious approach, then who is?

 

[Mytran]

Or are the Feds and Klingons are on their final chance with the Organians and neither wants to get them involved?

AYELBORNE: Unless both sides agree to an immediate cessation of hostilities, all your armed forces, wherever they may be, will be immediately immobilised.

At this point in Errand of Mercy both armies had already been "paused", so perhaps Ayelborne's use of the term "immobilised" refers to a permanent state he was threatening them both with, if either side stepped out of line?

Of course, it still doesn't explain where the Organians were in later years of open warfare between the two superpowers. Perhaps they ascended to a higher plane and never came back?