Kirk talks a computer to death Archive

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Star Trek Animated Series Re-Watch: “The Practical Joker”

The Practical Joker
Written by Chuck Menville
Directed by Bill Reed

Season 2, Episode 3
Production episode: 22021
Original air date:  September 21, 1974
Star date: 3183.3

Mission summary

The Enterprise is on a routine geological mission exploring asteroids. Kirk notes that they’re ahead of schedule and “the cruise has been uneventful,” which is filed with “They’ll never find us here!” or “What could possibly go wrong?” in the Ways You Should Not Tempt Fate folder.

As if alerted by the hubris, a trio of Romulan ships begin to fire on the Enterprise.

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7

Star Trek Animated Series Re-Watch: “Once Upon a Planet”

Once Upon a Planet
Written by Chuck Menville and Len Janson
Directed by Hal Sutherland

Season 1, Episode 9
Production episode: 22017
Original air date:  November 3, 1973
Star date: 5591.2

Mission summary

It’s time for some well-deserved r&r, so the Enterprise stops by the Omicron Delta sector to unload its weary crew on the so-called shore leave planet. McCoy, Sulu, and Uhura are in the first wave and note that the place is just as they left it–serene, idyllic, slightly wacky. To clue us in that this is a sequel, McCoy reminisces about that time he felt like he was in Alice in Wonderland, and right on cue Alice and the White Rabbit pop up.

UHURA: It’s hard to believe they’re not real.
MCCOY: Well just remember they’re highly sophisticated robots created by the planet computer to make your dreams come true.
UHURA: So think only happy thoughts.

At least they don’t have Stay Puft in the future.

The three of them wander off to enjoy the planet until McCoy is accosted by the Queen of Hearts, who decides to paint the roses red… with his blood! Shouting “Off with his head!” she and her cardguards chase him around for a bit until he finally gets through to the ship for an emergency beam out. They get a lock on Sulu, too, who reports no strange occurrences whatsoever and seems bummed to miss out on the vacation, but they can’t find Uhura anywhere. She’s been kidnapped!

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4

Star Trek Re-Watch: “The Changeling”

“The Changeling”
Written by John Meredyth Lucas
Directed by Marc Daniels

Season 2, Episode 3
Production episode: 2×04
Original air date: September 29, 1967
Star date: 3451.9

Mission summary
The Enterprise responds to a distress signal in the Malurian system, but when they arrive it’s already too late—the entire race, some four billion people, have mysteriously disappeared. The cause of their total destruction is less mysterious when an unknown enemy attacks the ship with energy bolts traveling at warp 15, each with the strength of ninety photon torpedoes. Shields hold up under three such attacks while they pinpoint the source and fire a photon torpedo at it, but it’s easily absorbed by their assailant. The fourth energy blast destroys their shields and they finally decide to attempt contact. Spock also determines that the enemy vessel is tiny: “Weight, five hundred kilograms. Shape, roughly cylindrical. Length, a fraction over one meter.”

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