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Not Enthralled
From: Marc Thomas
Hi Trek TV Friends The Gamesters of Triskelion should be one of my favorite episodes, it's way campy, which is what I, generally, look for in vintage Star Trek. It's sound stage Styrofoam all the way, no location shots! You know I love fake, if I want real, I'll go out side. Which I don't, I'll stay in, thank you.* This episode is a showcase of over the top Shatner. Close ups abound of... Kirk in agony, Kirk in anger, Kirk in love, smarmy fake love. Shahna,whom you aptly named 'Tin Foil Titties', gives her own parody-inviting soliloquy which closes the episode. Enough cheese for a pizza. Vaughn asks, Did Kirk and Shahna do it? I believe this was a pornographic movie commissioned by Roddenbury, which was then quickly edited, in a pinch, to serve as episode number 46. I think everybody did everybody. Including a varsity-squad 3-way on the bridge of the Enterprise. Vaughn was right about Bones having a bone to pick with Spock. All while Scotty watches. Inspite of this, I don't often re-watch "Gamester's". I think the 'Kirk fight's, while the crew watches at home' theme works better in Arena (episode number 19). I can't really name another good reason for my indifference. Aside from the usual violence against and commodification of women, the disregard for the Prime Directive, or the fallacy of linear evolution. These are par for the course where TOS is concerned. Maybe I do like this one, I like that Spock has learned to handle disgruntled subordinates better since Galileo 7. I like the way our villainous 'brain's under glass' resemble some electronic games at the local video arcade. I am surprised that "time to increase the herd" never really caught on as a coital euphemism. Funny thing, culture. I find the scene where Uhura refuses selection a bit unnerving. I'm assuming she fought off Miniskirt Man but it seems a little ambiguous. "Gamesters.." was written by a woman named Margaret Armen. Interesting, DC Fontana always claimed that she penned her scripts thus, fearing sexual discrimination if she used her given name, Dorothy. Interesting how some of Treks most egregious misogyny came from woman writers.* I'd forgotten that there was an Andorian in this episode, it makes sense that we'd see at least one alien combatant whose species was familiar to us. I liked that part. This ones fine, all in all, but there are no intriguing high sci-fi concepts at play. I guess that's why it's not a favorite of mine. Gambling Brain's just don't do it for me. Next, 'obsession' over some bad gas turns Kirk into an asshole. Enjoy your further world travels as you boldly go where I have never gone before. The exotic East! Or North, from your vantage point. How exciting for you non-agorophobes Happy Trails, Marc Thomas * I feel I may have re-used a turn of phrase or two from past email's, I'm not sure. My brain may be going into syndication.