Nurse chapel was in motion and carrying something. Ever stumble while doing that? You fight to keep balance, and worse, twist and contort to keep hold of what you're carrying, often to the detriment of your own well-being. It's just a reaction. Compared to somebody standing or hold nothing, that doesn't surprise me much.
Spock's Brain
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Wow, all these years and I TOTALLY missed this bit of information. They beam down, Kirk shivers since it's cold, and, thanks to closed captions I see that he nonchalantly orders, "Suit temperatures to 72." They all quickly reach in back and seem to adjust something (maybe on the back of their belts that we'll assume is a small control) so their uniforms help keep them warm above and beyond the way normal clothing does. They are generating heat! Cool.
Now it may be they beamed down with specially equipped uniforms this time since they knew it'd be cold and they don't normally do that, but hey - apparently they have some minor personalized control over the heat output/input of their clothes. They might work like a Chilipad - capable of heating or cooling a bed (or clothes) a dozen or so degrees above or below ambient temperatures. Isn't that interesting? Well, I liked it. I wish I had some clothes like that now and again.
This episode, unfortunately, is not widely liked, and for the premiere of the third season, many feel it didn't set the right tone.
"Plot holes" are often cited as the reason, or the slow pacing, but I've come to believe the plot holes are not all that huge. Some posit the following questions:
PLOT HOLE SOLUTIONS
As for languages, recall also these people are using translators - brain and man and woman and male and female are just not translating well since those are not everyday concepts for them. Still, they use most pronouns effortlessly, like "him." Kirk's (and the 60's) sexism is well demonstrated each time to insist on seeing the leader and wanting to take to "him." Such an assumption, and in a place controlled by women, it persists. Incredible.
Of course I dislike the fact that without even sampling the morg or eymorg language, the translators are already on the job making Kirk's words more or less understandable to their temporary morg captive. But that's not a problem in this story, but more all of Trek, and maybe a much wider swath of fiction in general where language barriers should be nigh insurmountable, but for the sake of the story, they're not. Otherwise, they would forever be carrying around large universal translators or some obvious equipment.
There may be other "plot holes," but you get the general idea - the viewer doesn't understand why something would happen, so they all too often conclude it wouldn't or couldn't a little too quickly and proclaim the whole story a stupid idea. Well, maybe it is or maybe it isn't. YMMV.
For example, why isn't a civilization as advanced as Earth was (will be) in 2030, visiting these other relatively close-by, and inhabitable worlds? Well, maybe they are. Anyway, that would be another story.
I myself wonder why go that far for a suitable brain when you have 2 habitable planets just next door - they sure don't have what it would take to stop them. But one could say, well, Spock's brain was really just that special or just so much better than those millions of others that are right next door - and they were capable of detecting it from that great distance, too.
And I have my doubts we'd have the tech necessary to so finely control a brainless body to walk around like that, let alone to the point that an agonized Kirk could get it to grab Kara's arms and find and push a red button while immobilizing the girl. You see, I often have more serious doubts about what they think we humans are capable than I do for what they think a more advanced alien culture is capable. I know something about humans and human culture and human tech (so far), but darn little of aliens, alien culture, and alien tech, which could be most anything (unless you've got some compelling reason to think otherwise).
There seems to be a distinction between ion propulsion and "ion power," but it's more mysterious tech and quite beyond us since it has the power to move a planet out of orbit. I think it's just badly named.
Anyway, it's never been one of my favorites episodes - probably the slowness. I dunno.
And, I admit, season 3 does have a higher percentage of stinkers, but this, I think, really isn't as bad as many people say. And if season 3 isn't as good, I don't think it was their fault. The budget was seriously slashed, some key people had to go then, and they moved the time slot - so what did they expect? They should pay for their lack of vision. Oh well. Or was it lack of vision or a more deliberate attempt to torpedo the show that wasn't doing it for them? In any case, TOS would survive to see its 4th season. The Trek phenomenon would be years away yet.
Tidbits: Both Kirk and Sulu misstate the name of the planet once or twice - it's Sigma Draconis VI, not Sigma Draconis VII, or even Daconis. Duh! And Kirk misstates the Stardate, too, for those paying attention to that. Honestly, I'm not one of those guys, so I only know because I was told.
The Beauties of the Day are Marj Dusay as Kara and Sheila Lighton as Luma, plus a few others Eye candies, umm . . .I mean eymorgs.
Side-By-Side Comparison
The re-mastered material contains the new alien ship, an icy planet that better fits the script's description, and a rather cool shot of the Enterprise during the title credit of "Spock's Brain". In particular, I liked the expanded shot of the beam down site that included a new and impressive icy mountain range.
I only rated this episode a 4, but with new effects and a little added thought, I think I could go as high as 5 or 5.5 out of 10.
Now it may be they beamed down with specially equipped uniforms this time since they knew it'd be cold and they don't normally do that, but hey - apparently they have some minor personalized control over the heat output/input of their clothes. They might work like a Chilipad - capable of heating or cooling a bed (or clothes) a dozen or so degrees above or below ambient temperatures. Isn't that interesting? Well, I liked it. I wish I had some clothes like that now and again.
This episode, unfortunately, is not widely liked, and for the premiere of the third season, many feel it didn't set the right tone.
"Plot holes" are often cited as the reason, or the slow pacing, but I've come to believe the plot holes are not all that huge. Some posit the following questions:
PLOT HOLE SOLUTIONS
Why did they even leave Spock alive?
Well, his body can't die before they take the brain out or the brain would be damaged, so at each step, they do what it takes to keep the body going, sealing tissue, preventing bleeding, etc., until finally they're done. Both brain and body are alive. If anything, it might take extra time and effort to kill the body, and extra time is something she did not have, and she'd have no reason to believe they could find her.
Why didn't Scotty or Kirk take a crack at the teacher and get the medical knowledge needed to finish the operation?
I suppose they were lucky enough it augmented McCoy's preexisting medical knowledge, which it couldn't do well enough for the others. It is an alien device meant for an alien brain, after all. Lucky it worked at all for the doctor, and for them, it more likely wouldn't have worked, or given them what they needed to be medically helpful.
How could Spock help since he doesn't know anymore than McCoy about restoring a brain?
Obviously, McCoy had done most of the major work, and the minor work that remained at the end might have been something Spock looked over in the alien data banks before they took his brain out of the box, so he knew something of it - the basic equipment and procedures involved, and he could feel which steps were correct and which weren't, so instant feedback was the key.
If they can knock out people with those wristbands, why do they need the pain belts?
The knockout field zaps everybody in the area except the wristband wearer, and that's often too clumsy and not desirable. A more focused control is needed in a group setting with friendlies in the area. Besides, they use pain and delight to control and teach and/or train their men, and their training had begun.
How is this not another violation of the prime directive?
I think since they were "attacked" by an advanced civilization, despite the morg being backwards, they are part of a more advanced warp capable. The prime directive, therefore, does not apply (I think, and contact with the men or primitive individuals probably wouldn't have an lasting effect anyway, like one during a time of mass communication, or if one more openly appeared and said, "Behold, I am the archangel Gabriel" or something similar).
How can they not know about children or even what a brain is?
It might be the case these women, these eymorgs, are not becoming pregnant in the usual sense and carrying kids to term, but their eggs might be harvested, and with the morg sperm, the kids are grown elsewhere in incubators, then kept in learning bed until mature enough to become a member of the society below, or released to the surface, depending on gender. Recall, this was a highly advanced civilization before it fell, and remnants of it still probably exist. What Earth woman wouldn't want to spare her body the arduous period of pregnancy and the agonies of childbirth and the possible health problems or even death, if she could avoid all that and still get the kid that was also a product of her own genes? Well, I suppose some would still want that experience, but a growing number would likely rather avoid it. Artificial womb technology might not be that far away, and certainly was likely capable in such a highly advanced civilization. That option may have allowed that whole culture to think more freely of separating men and women that way in the first place. And for the rest, they seem simple and easily forget what the great teacher instructs them to do. This may even be deliberate, the teacher keeping them simple and therefore more manageable.
Well, his body can't die before they take the brain out or the brain would be damaged, so at each step, they do what it takes to keep the body going, sealing tissue, preventing bleeding, etc., until finally they're done. Both brain and body are alive. If anything, it might take extra time and effort to kill the body, and extra time is something she did not have, and she'd have no reason to believe they could find her.
Why didn't Scotty or Kirk take a crack at the teacher and get the medical knowledge needed to finish the operation?
I suppose they were lucky enough it augmented McCoy's preexisting medical knowledge, which it couldn't do well enough for the others. It is an alien device meant for an alien brain, after all. Lucky it worked at all for the doctor, and for them, it more likely wouldn't have worked, or given them what they needed to be medically helpful.
How could Spock help since he doesn't know anymore than McCoy about restoring a brain?
Obviously, McCoy had done most of the major work, and the minor work that remained at the end might have been something Spock looked over in the alien data banks before they took his brain out of the box, so he knew something of it - the basic equipment and procedures involved, and he could feel which steps were correct and which weren't, so instant feedback was the key.
If they can knock out people with those wristbands, why do they need the pain belts?
The knockout field zaps everybody in the area except the wristband wearer, and that's often too clumsy and not desirable. A more focused control is needed in a group setting with friendlies in the area. Besides, they use pain and delight to control and teach and/or train their men, and their training had begun.
How is this not another violation of the prime directive?
I think since they were "attacked" by an advanced civilization, despite the morg being backwards, they are part of a more advanced warp capable. The prime directive, therefore, does not apply (I think, and contact with the men or primitive individuals probably wouldn't have an lasting effect anyway, like one during a time of mass communication, or if one more openly appeared and said, "Behold, I am the archangel Gabriel" or something similar).
How can they not know about children or even what a brain is?
It might be the case these women, these eymorgs, are not becoming pregnant in the usual sense and carrying kids to term, but their eggs might be harvested, and with the morg sperm, the kids are grown elsewhere in incubators, then kept in learning bed until mature enough to become a member of the society below, or released to the surface, depending on gender. Recall, this was a highly advanced civilization before it fell, and remnants of it still probably exist. What Earth woman wouldn't want to spare her body the arduous period of pregnancy and the agonies of childbirth and the possible health problems or even death, if she could avoid all that and still get the kid that was also a product of her own genes? Well, I suppose some would still want that experience, but a growing number would likely rather avoid it. Artificial womb technology might not be that far away, and certainly was likely capable in such a highly advanced civilization. That option may have allowed that whole culture to think more freely of separating men and women that way in the first place. And for the rest, they seem simple and easily forget what the great teacher instructs them to do. This may even be deliberate, the teacher keeping them simple and therefore more manageable.
As for languages, recall also these people are using translators - brain and man and woman and male and female are just not translating well since those are not everyday concepts for them. Still, they use most pronouns effortlessly, like "him." Kirk's (and the 60's) sexism is well demonstrated each time to insist on seeing the leader and wanting to take to "him." Such an assumption, and in a place controlled by women, it persists. Incredible.
Of course I dislike the fact that without even sampling the morg or eymorg language, the translators are already on the job making Kirk's words more or less understandable to their temporary morg captive. But that's not a problem in this story, but more all of Trek, and maybe a much wider swath of fiction in general where language barriers should be nigh insurmountable, but for the sake of the story, they're not. Otherwise, they would forever be carrying around large universal translators or some obvious equipment.
There may be other "plot holes," but you get the general idea - the viewer doesn't understand why something would happen, so they all too often conclude it wouldn't or couldn't a little too quickly and proclaim the whole story a stupid idea. Well, maybe it is or maybe it isn't. YMMV.
For example, why isn't a civilization as advanced as Earth was (will be) in 2030, visiting these other relatively close-by, and inhabitable worlds? Well, maybe they are. Anyway, that would be another story.
I myself wonder why go that far for a suitable brain when you have 2 habitable planets just next door - they sure don't have what it would take to stop them. But one could say, well, Spock's brain was really just that special or just so much better than those millions of others that are right next door - and they were capable of detecting it from that great distance, too.
And I have my doubts we'd have the tech necessary to so finely control a brainless body to walk around like that, let alone to the point that an agonized Kirk could get it to grab Kara's arms and find and push a red button while immobilizing the girl. You see, I often have more serious doubts about what they think we humans are capable than I do for what they think a more advanced alien culture is capable. I know something about humans and human culture and human tech (so far), but darn little of aliens, alien culture, and alien tech, which could be most anything (unless you've got some compelling reason to think otherwise).
There seems to be a distinction between ion propulsion and "ion power," but it's more mysterious tech and quite beyond us since it has the power to move a planet out of orbit. I think it's just badly named.
Anyway, it's never been one of my favorites episodes - probably the slowness. I dunno.
And, I admit, season 3 does have a higher percentage of stinkers, but this, I think, really isn't as bad as many people say. And if season 3 isn't as good, I don't think it was their fault. The budget was seriously slashed, some key people had to go then, and they moved the time slot - so what did they expect? They should pay for their lack of vision. Oh well. Or was it lack of vision or a more deliberate attempt to torpedo the show that wasn't doing it for them? In any case, TOS would survive to see its 4th season. The Trek phenomenon would be years away yet.
Tidbits: Both Kirk and Sulu misstate the name of the planet once or twice - it's Sigma Draconis VI, not Sigma Draconis VII, or even Daconis. Duh! And Kirk misstates the Stardate, too, for those paying attention to that. Honestly, I'm not one of those guys, so I only know because I was told.
The Beauties of the Day are Marj Dusay as Kara and Sheila Lighton as Luma, plus a few others Eye candies, umm . . .I mean eymorgs.
Side-By-Side Comparison
The re-mastered material contains the new alien ship, an icy planet that better fits the script's description, and a rather cool shot of the Enterprise during the title credit of "Spock's Brain". In particular, I liked the expanded shot of the beam down site that included a new and impressive icy mountain range.
I only rated this episode a 4, but with new effects and a little added thought, I think I could go as high as 5 or 5.5 out of 10.
And with that, we're off and running with season 3.
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