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Murder at the Space Buffet
From: Marc Thomas
Hi Trek TV Friends, Interesting that we didn't meet the parents in Amok Time. Spock's Mom always tells humans the family name is unpronounceable because she doesn't want to admit that her name, since marriage to Sarek, is Amanda Huggenkiss. Poor Spock. It must be so awkward having his parents aboard. They never let up with the Vulcan finger sex thing, Too much PDA people, get a room. Have any of you Trek TV-ers ever seen season three's "The Enterprise Incident"? There is some serious, ear-pointing, double-digit porn on the way. Notice that every time Spock needs a doctor, Ol' Grinchy McBones bemoans his own lack of Vulcanian anatomical know-how? Reading this, as you are, having finished reviewing Kirk's "Private Little Viet Nam", isn't it nice to see that Spock finally gets his own general practitioner? Even if such does involve some measure of bitch slapping. But back to Babel, this is one of the great Trek's for me, While I feverishly enjoy each and every last one the TOS offerings, this is the last of the episodes to achieve that sublime mix of camp, sci fi tropery, and a certain intangible Trek mojo. . It's the last of my top three, the others being Mirror Mirror and Amok Time. This is the last episode where I already had so much ready made to say that I began my letter to the podcast almost a week before it was due. My future emails will be briefer, I'm sure, thank-you for your indulgence. Naturally Babel kicks ass for it's exhibition of federation aliens. What about the lavender haired mini skirt ladies? I'd love to know the history of their society as well as that of the gilded little people in fezz caps. There is, of course, the improbable biology at the core of this episode. I don't see how fauna of whose evolutionary histories are light years apart, could inter-breed, when I can't even get a bonobo pregnant. All the species hosted by Kirk and his posse are very nearly human. All can enjoy the same booze and the same multi colored pastel food of the future. I suppose Hodgkins Law could apply…astonishing parallels in evolution. I have long hypothesized that humanoid aliens would have evolved from hominoid ancestors. To illustrate my point I am attaching this illustration of just a few of the austrolophithicine forbears who populated the alpha quadrant a just a few million years or so ago. Notice Hodgekin's ubiquitous termites whose earthen mound is initially probed by the the precocious Talosian (The Cage, The Menagerie) . See Jane Goodall's "In The Shadow of Man" for the reference. My concerns regarding Trek's evolutionary improbability will be addressed in episode 49, Return to Tomorrow as well as a similar TNG episode, but I'll write more about that in a seven weeks or so. The important thing is the message that Journey To Babel teaches us. Namely, that sexism and species-centric bigotry are, apparently, logical ,since Vulcans are so into it. Notice that Mark Leonard, who played Sarek is the same guy who played the Romulan Skipper in "Balance of Terror"? Sure, everyone knows that but one of his diplomatic aids is played by a guy who played evil Spock's chief henchman in "Mirror Mirror". Those ears are expensive and if an actor has been fitted for them by golly…I think I made this point in Amok Time actually, one of those Vulcans was a recycled Romulan too. I love season two. Too bad there's not more Sulu, but he was busy filming John Wayne's valentine to Viet Nam called "The Green Berets". I'm leaving notes on the cutting room floor, this email could have been even longer. Enough Babel-ing from me Marc (Empty Head) Thomas