TOS: Season 2, Episodes 22 and 23 (Jan 21, 2020)

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Series and Season: Star Trek: The Original Series, Season 2

Episode #,and Episode Name: 22 – “By Any Other Name”, and 23 – “The Omega Glory”

Setting the Stage: I started at 6:30 pm on January 21, 2020, still watching Netflix and using their viewing order. Professor Zoom was in his pen, eating his frozen, pumpkin-filled Kong, and my husband watched with me while we ate dinner. Tempura was on his lap for most of the evening and Thor attempted to put his butt in my face several times, oh cats. While writing tonight, I am listing to a mix of: Hanz Zimmer (Man of Steel soundtrack), John Cage, and more Minus the Bear.

My goal this evening was to watch two episodes with dinner and a third while working out. Unfortunately my desktop decided to have hardware issues (glares at electrical engineering husband who just “upgraded” the hardware), so I instead went for a walk around the neighborhood AT 8:30 PM IN THE FREEZING COLD WITH NO SIDEWALKS. I did, however, have a nice chat with a beloved friend and we talked about Star Trek so that counts, yes?

Quick Summary with my Impressions: “By Any Other Name” opens with another fake distress call, didn’t we just do that? Wait, what the hell just happened when she pressed that button? More women without bras in space, sigh. Kirk is trying to use diplomacy, but this dude Rojan is not having it. I BIG TOUGH MAN, MUST CONQUER. We have encountered yet another entity who is using the human form as a shell, ugh haven’t we seen this a lot too? Oh, more Vulcan mind tricks, now this I like… because, Science (fiction)! Oh the poor red shirts have been turned into tiny objects. Okay, so we’re re-using the “Spock becomes comatose” thing from a few episodes ago where he was shot and we’re also deploying the “get help” shtick from Thor. Yes, I know Star Trek came first. Kirk doesn’t seem to have his same gusto, not sure if he’s playing it to throw the Kelvans off or what. They’re instructed to go to “Warp Eleven” and I immediately think of This Is Spinal Tap. If you’ve never seen it, there’s your homework assignment for the week.

Scotty and Spock come up with a way that works, the only problem is the whole ship would have to explode, so Kirk decides against that. After the Enterprise goes through the energy barrier, the Kelvans begin to neutralize the bridge personnel AND UHURA IS LOST, nooooooo. Chekov too, sad face. Kirk, McCoy, Scotty, and Spock are the only “essentials” on the ship. One of the Kelvans begins to eat some food in the mess hall, and Spock realizes they are responding like humans. Scotty’s idea – get them drunk! McCoy goes for shots of the medical kind. Kirk, to no one’s surprise, is flirting. Spock, also to no one’s surprise, is paying chess and using logic. Seeing Scotty emotional over the old-ass bottle of scotch whiskey is the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen. The smile Kirk shows means he’s got his mojo back, and Hagar has gotten himself confined to quarters. Spock is REALLY good at manipulating emotions, for someone who doesn’t have any. In the midst of a fight, Kirk resumes diplomacy, and this time Rojan hears him and agrees the proposal.

I started off not liking this episode, but ended up really liking the last half of it. Each of our four remaining leading men takes a Kelvin and manipulates them the way they know best, they all play to their strengths. I also found the Scottish music playing when Scotty was triumphant not as in awful taste as the Irish music playing from Season 1’s Episode “Shore Leave“. Kirk eventually was able to have the Kelvins see reason, but only after they were humanized a bit. This episode deserves 7 flamingos, of various sizes and colors.

“The Omega Glory” has Sulu back again! Unfortunately there’s another ship that only has the uniforms and no people on it, strange. McCoy explains the crystals around the uniforms are what became of the crew. They beam down to the planet where they find the captain of the other ship, who turns out to be the bad guy. Apparently the inhabitants of this planet don’t get sick and live for quite some time. Unfortunately the Yang doesn’t help Kirk but does go back to warn his people. Tracy and Kirk get into a screaming match, McCoy jumps in, and Spock is knocked out. They are all captured by the Yangs. Okay, there’s an American flag and what the what did I just watch? Apparently the white folks are similar to the American Indian culture of North America circa 1990 (well, what 1960 thought would happen in 1990) and the Asian folks are communists. I can’t even deal with the end of this episode, Tracy is ridiculous. Kirk is equally as ridiculous, gambling everyone’s freedom on the assumption that good conquers evil. Spock tries using some Vulcan mind tricks. And then we have the Constitution, and a parallel world? This is ridiculous. I just can’t even with this episode.

So this episode started off good with a medical mystery, some local drama, and a heel turn (wrestling fans know what’s up). But then it went downhill very quickly at the end. I have no words, well other than the ones I’ve already written, about how awful this episode turned out to be. In fact, this is worse than “The Gamesters of Triskelion“, which I wrote about a few days ago. That means “No Rating For You!”

I hope to finish out Season 2 tomorrow, but who knows what the future will hold? Until tomorrow, get some sleep!