War is for Children: Star Trek TOS, S1Ep18, "The Squire of Gothos"
An entertaining meditation on the childish nature of war with more subtlety than is characteristic of the show.
The Case for More Analysis than Action: Star Trek, S1E16, "The Galileo Seven"
Deforest Kelley plays McCoy with such revulsion of Spock that we can believe an otherwise competent officer and Dr. could so lose his mind to racist thinking that he would turn against his leader rather than swallow his pride to serve the interests of the team.
The Past is an Alien Shore: Star Trek S1E15, "Shore Leave"
Not a good start: Kirk has a kink in his back, so the female yeoman, Barrows, immediately starts massaging it. Barrows's job is first to nag Kirk about getting some shore leave, and then to be an object of Bones's desire. Along the way, she gets assaulted by Don Juan—twice.
In a Different Reality, I Might Have Called This Great: Star Trek S1E14, “Balance of Terror”
Just in case you thought the episode was running out of poignancy, there's more!
#TOS Too: Star Trek S1E13, “The Conscience of the King”
At a time when we are facing up to the idea that many of the artists responsible for entertaining us on a daily basis may have dark secrets, this is a curious episode to be reviewing.
One Beep for a Dying Colonialism: Star Trek TOS, S1Ep11 and 12, "The Menagerie"
The ideal of an harmonious human race necessitates external threats, but the fantasy of the show is pernicious by making the threatening aliens so frequently absent. This works as a variation of Edward Said’s concept of Orientalism in that discourse about the other (aliens) is controlled by European (Federation) writers, so that the subjects of inquiry are given no voice in creating a knowledge base about them. The result is a total demonization of the other that justifies continued cultural and political domination via colonization.
Peace at Any Cost? Star Trek TOS, S1Ep10, "The Corbomite Maneuver"
Weird children is an apparently common theme in TOS.
"What Are Little Girls Made of?" The Answer Will Shock You! Star Trek TOS, S1Ep8
This confusion of archaeology as science is troubling. For a series that’s praised for its exploration of what it means to be human, it is shockingly ignorant about a field of study that is all about understanding human cultures.
Thoughts on “Star Trek: The Original Series”
For a show that’s praised for its forward thinking, it dwells far too long and too often on essentializing male and female differences.