The Animated Series 2x6 "The Counter-Clock Incident"

rating: ****

Memory Alpha summary

via Trekcore

"Yesteryear" is the episode best remembered, and for fairly good reason, but "The Counter-Clock Incident" is the most important episode of the series.

A far, far better version of the de-aging idea (and as such, the much more prolific rapid-aging seen in many, many episodes) later featured in Next Generation's terrible "Too Short a Season," "Counter-Clock" most pointedly features Robert April.

(Also, Next Generation featured the crew de-aged into children in "Rascals."  That's the other half of what happens this episode.  It's cutesy without being annoying in a way similar developments in the series failed to be, but would not in itself be a reason to recommend it.  Unless you're amused by the familiar acting voicing themselves younger.  George Takei probably is the best in that sense.)

(The idea of a reluctant retirement, as April is facing, is again addressed in a Next Generation episode, "Half a Life.")

(Finally, a different series, Voyager, features an alien civilization aging differently in two episodes: "Innocence," with the idea of aging backward like "Counter-Clock" and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and "Blink of an Eye," with a planet whose rotations are far more rapid than the norm, as Janeway and company observe their epochal progress while stuck in orbit.)

Who is Robert April, you may be asking?  When Gene Roddenberry originally conceived of Star Trek, he was the original captain.  Before Kirk and before Pike, there was Robert April.

via Wikipedia

In fact, even though the character to date has never appeared in any live action series or movie, Roddenberry himself has traditionally been depicted as Robert April.  In a very real sense, other than the grand idea of the Great Bird of the Galaxy, this is the closest to inserting Roddenberry into his own creation the franchise has ever come.

And without "Counter-Clock," the character does not technically exist.  This is the most galling part of the common notion that the series does not exist canonically.  Take away the sentimentalism, and "Counter-Clock still functions in much the same capacity as "The Menagerie," the two-part original series episode that incorporated Pike's appearance in the first pilot, "The Cage," to make it canonical (and cost-effective).  Yes, the circumstances are different.  But here's Robert April, under unique circumstances actually getting to save the day.

With the appearance of April, this final episode of the series is also a definitive bookend to the franchise as it was at that point, however unintentionally, much as Enterprise would later attempt to accomplish, however dubiously, with "These Are the Voyages..."  And that's another reason why it, as well as the series as a whole, ought to be at last embraced as a part of the Star Trek legacy.  

four quarter analysis

franchise * series * essential * character

notable guest-stars:

James Doohan

Nichelle Nichols

The Animated Series 2x5 "How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth"

rating: *

Memory Alpha summary

via Dan Hauser Trek

More successful than the earlier "Magicks of Megas-Tu," and right there you can see that "Serpent's Tooth" is part of a tradition, and that is Star Trek's arguable defining trope, at least through the duration of Q's appearances, of trying to grapple with the existence of divine beings.

The episode also famously pivots around a Native American crewman, a sort of predecessor to Voyager's Chakotay.  The story itself is not wholly recommendable, spending a lot more time on ideas than making them particularly credible and thereby demonstrating once and more all the limits of the series, although of course the live action show that came before it did about the same on numerous occasions ("The Apple," "Who Mourns for Adonais?").  "Serpent's Tooth" is basically an homage to those stories, and in that regard is also perhaps a sign that the series was mercifully coming to an end (only one episode remained after it).

Perhaps most notable and memorable is in fact the title, which is one of several to draw from Shakespeare.  It may have the distinction of being the most overly elaborate, but it's also artful.  Other than "Eye of the Beholder," it's the only instance in the series where this common practice from the original series is continued, and it's not again until Deep Space Nine when the practice is picked up again.  By Enterprise, it's been completely abandoned, alas.

four quarter analysis

franchise * series * essential * character

notable guest-stars:

James Doohan 

The Animated Series 2x4 "Albatross"

rating: ****

Memory Alpha summary

via Cygnus X1; and they remained the best of friends
for years and years and years!

Here's an episode you can absolutely watch if you want a good sense of the Kirk-Spock-McCoy dynamic at work, in any series or movie, with the rare perspective of being a McCoy episode.

"Albatross" acts as a fine example of the sometimes dubious franchise instinct for stories about a Starfleet officer being condemned by an alien civilization.  It's also a medical mystery, which you would probably expect from a McCoy episode.  And it's the only instance in the series, other than "Yesteryear," that reaches into a character's past for the purposes of the present.  

To reach that point, "Albatross" is also the incredibly rare franchise story that features Starfleet deliberately returning to the scene of a previous mission.  One of my personal frustrations with Star Trek has always been the trope that, say, Khan's marooning on Ceti Alpha V seems to have been completely forgotten, which is to say that Starfleet's records seem pretty terrible, that once a world is visited it is basically never visited again.  In a series like Deep Space Nine, where they literally stick around the same place the whole time, you can see the benefits of continued contact in a whole spectrum of ways.  "Albatross" is not a Deep Space Nine episode by any means, and is otherwise typical of its own series in most other respects, but it's another indication of what the series learned from its predecessor, and what it might have become, or in other words, the beginning of the franchise as fans would come to know it.

And yes, it features some classic character work, which was actually somewhat rare for the series, there being so little time to explore something other than the story at hand in a half-hour animated format.  But with one of the central characters in peril, and that being McCoy, you can bet Spock has some quip to make eventually.  And of course he does.  That's just how these guys are.  It's always good to see.

four quarter analysis

franchise * series * essential * character

notable guest-stars:

James Doohan

The Animated Series 2x3 "The Practical Joker"

rating: *

Memory Alpha summary

via Cygnus X1; most illogical...

"The Practical Joker" is popularly regarded as the retroactive first appearance of the holodeck, later to debut officially and become a staple in The Next Generation and its successors, but in many ways it may even be considered the first "holodeck episode" in all its notorious glory.

Oh, and speaking of Next Generation, "Joker" is pretty similar, all told, to "Emergence" as well.

That and it's a Romulan episode.

No, not Romulan episode as in "Balance of Terror," but more like, and you just knew there would be another Next Generation reference, "The Neutral Zone," which is an episode you might not typically think of as a Romulan episode (you may even consider the third element of that one, the first hint of the later Borg invasion, more significant!), yet there they are all the same.

And that's the kind of episode "Practical Joker" is.  Equal parts relevant and complete nonsense, it's not exactly "Trouble with Tribbles" hilarious in humor, but probably that's another association you can make in terms of what they were thinking when it was made.  

You can, ah, inflate or deflate the episode's worth at your own risk.  (There's an in-joke in the preceding sentence.  Yeah.)

four quarter analysis

franchise * series * essential * character

notable guest-stars:

Majel Roddenberry

James Doohan

The Animated Series 2x2 "Bem"

rating: **

Memory Alpha summary

via Trekcore

If you watch only one episode for something only this series could have pulled off, make it "Bem."

Remember that Next Generation episode, "Liaisons," where alien ambassadors take a variety of ways to explore how the crew reacts (Troi gets the best one, because they spend the whole time eating chocolate)?  Well, "Bem" is kind of exactly that episode, except with a colony alien.

Colony alien?  Imagine the Trill (most memorably embodied by Jadzia and Ezri Dax), who have humanoid hosts and slug-like symbionts, but with a far more incomprehensible setup.  This time the body breaks down into independent component parts, such as the torso being able to separate, and the lower body producing an entirely new set of arms to compensate.

It's kind of completely insane, but the episode pulls it off.  The more time you spend time with Bem, the more you like him, regardless of how exasperated he makes Kirk.  (Actually, Kirk is exasperated throughout most of the series.)

Speaking of Kirk, "Bem" establishes his middle name as being Tiberius.  That's another historic element that should settle the matter of whether or not this series should be considered canon.  I mean, right?

But then, I guess the counterargument will always be, but weirdo concepts like Bem exist too...

four quarter analysis

franchise * series * essential * character

notable guest-stars:

Nichelle Nichols

James Doohan

The Animated Series 2x1 "The Pirates of Orion"

rating***

Memory Alpha summary

via Star Trek; we're not just green, you know

If it's the start of a new season from a series featuring Kirk as captain, you can bet it's an episode featuring some trauma happening to Spock.  Yeah, the second season of the original series kicked off with the classic "Amok Time," while the third with the infamous "Spock's Brain."  This time it's "The Pirates of Orion."

The problem this time is a little like condensing "Amok" and "Brain" into one, Spock in a straight-up medical emergency that sends the crew scrambling to save him.  I shouldn't need to point out that this is the third episode to focus primarily on Spock (after "Yesteryear" and "The Infinite Vulcan"), demonstrating a clear series preference for the character.

Beyond Spock, as the title suggests "Pirates" also features the enigmatic Orions, usually at that point best known for their green-skinned "slave girls," or for that surprise element of "Journey to Babel" in which they were saboteurs.  In Deep Space Nine, two episodes ("Honor Among Thieves" and "Prodigal Daughter") focus on the Orion Syndicate, which might be considered an update of the eponymous pirates, how the culture in general tends to act when not dominated by their women (as revealed in one of several Enterprise appearances, "Bound").

As the image suggests, the episode features Orions who are not, in fact, green-skinned.  This is commonly considered a production mistake.  But obviously humans feature diverse pigmentation, and so do Klingons and Vulcans.  If this series is to be considered canon at all, "Pirates" might as well be considered canon establishment of the same for Orions. 

It's a fine episode that stays away from the weirder inclinations of the series and a strong link to the rest of the franchise, in various and surprising ways.

four quarter analysis

franchise * series * essential * character

notable guest-stars:

George Takei

Majel Roddenberry

James Doohan

The Animated Series 1x16 "The Jihad"

rating: *

Memory Alpha summary

via Gutter Talk Comics

Sort of a mix between the original series episode "Journey to Babel," Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, and the Next Generation episode "The Chase," "The Jihad" is a group quest that's rife with peril and betrayal.

It's another episode that's pretty series-specific otherwise, what could easily have been a defining story.  And it happens to be the first season finale.  If things had been different, and the series lasted much past a few episodes in the second season, "Jihad" might have a more significant reputation, because in a lot of ways it's almost a prototype for how later Star Trek would begin ending seasons.

Instead it's another more or less one-and-done episode with a one-and-done significant new species never seen again, and a bunch of others besides.  Sounds less impressive that way, doesn't it?  What I mean to say is, "Jihad" is a transition between what the franchise had been and what it would become.  Or almost.

Perhaps most interesting is guest voice actor David Gerrold, who is best known as screenwriter for the classic "Trouble with Tribbles" from the original series as well as "More Troubles, More Tribbles" and "Bem" from this one.

four quarter analysis
franchise * series * essential * character

notable guest-stars:
James Doohan
David Gerrold

The Animated Series 1x15 "The Eye of the Beholder"

rating: *

Memory Alpha summary

via the Agony Booth (still fun for the whole family!)

Perhaps bearing the distinction of the most subdued episode of the series, "Eye of the Beholder" takes the opposite tack seen in various other franchise stories concerning the relative intelligence of humans.  Whereas it was common for god-like beings to belittle the idea, "Beholder" is actually more akin to the revelation about the Horta in the original series episode "Devil in the Dark."

As in, don't judge a book by its cover.  Our heroes are put in an alien zoo, and must convince their captors that they don't belong there.

And that's about it, really.  A pretty simple affair, nothing too flashy, a much more cerebral experience than is typical for the series, less dominated by the visual flair animation made so tempting, or falling back on familiar elements.  It's an episode, generally, that could easily have fit in with its live action predecessors.  

four quarter analysis

franchise * series * essential * character

notable guest-stars:

Majel Roddenberry

James Doohan

The Animated Series 1x14 "The Slaver Weapon"

rating: ***

Memory Alpha summary

Continuing the series-specific hotstreak from "The Ambergris Element," "The Slaver Weapon" is another quintessential episode.

via the Viewscreen

In a one-and-done affair, "Slaver Weapon" features the Kzinti, who might be considered this show's true Klingons (featured for the only time in "Ambergris").  I've always wanted to reconcile the Kzinti with a hostile species mentioned in Deep Space Nine ("The Adversary"), the Tzenkethi.  (Apparently Robert Hewitt Wolfe agrees.)

The Kzinti might be considered at the very least the Gorn of the series.  They're one of several distinctly alien species that have never appeared elsewhere, even in the expanded CGI depictions from Enterprise, and they alone merit an entire episode featuring their impact as a species as well as a fairly extensive look at their culture.

In the episode, they contend with Starfleet in pursuit of an ancient weapon.  The only truly unfortunate element is the name of the species who created the weapon.  

This is your chance to see what Kirk-era Star Trek is like without Kirk, by the way, and of course that's the more objective selling point of "Slaver Weapon."  It's an episode that features Spock squarely in the lead, supported by Sulu and Uhura.  Scotty and McCoy join Kirk in omission, though Jimmy Doohan remains in his versatile voice acting capacity.  As a Spock episode, it's perhaps not very enlightening, other than the fact that he clearly can carry Star Trek just as well as Kirk.  Historically significant in that regard.

four quarter analysis
franchise * series * essential * character

notable guest-stars:
James Doohan
Majel Roddenberry

The Animated Series 1x13 "The Ambergris Element"

rating: **

Memory Alpha summary

"The Ambergris Element" may be the best possible example of what only this series could get away with.

via Let's Watch Star Trek

A combination of the pacing that syncs up perfectly with the animation style and the storytelling itself makes for an episode that is quintessentially Animated Series.  Kirk and Spock end up being transformed into water-breathers.  Watching them cope, or even just watching them swim, in the way the series tended to recycle scenes, puts a focus on the key differences between what was at that point the two contrasting Star Trek experiences.  While everything at that point was virtually the same, style and cast members, the expanded possibilities of animation had always promised to expand storytelling potential.  Here, in its own element, the series achieves exactly that.

It's almost sublime, really, watching this moment finally happen, as if the creators stopped trying to force it to happen, and stopped trying to recreate the original series itself.  Watching "Ambergris" ought to be considered the ultimate test as to whether or not you "get" the series at all.

Otherwise it really is just another episode of the series, with all the same basic elements, a heavy emphasis on a strange environment and strange aliens inhabiting it, the essence of the franchise in many respects, just having fun, which is something you realize perhaps this series does best as it nearly completely dispenses with any real concern over how the characters react or if they have lives of their own going on.  Given the failure of Deep Space Nine to find a significant portion of fan support, one might argue that this may in fact be the ideal.

four quarter analysis
franchise * series * essential * character

notable guest-stars:
James Doohan
Majel Roddenberry

The Animated Series 1x12 "The Time Trap"

rating: *

Memory Alpha summary

via Agony Booth (ouch!)

The Voyager episode "The Void," Enterprise's Xindi Council, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Next Generation's "Birthright Part II," and indeed the whole concept of the Federation all feature elements viewers of "The Time Trap" will find familiar.

It's the idea of an interspecies coalition.  As in "The Void," "Time Trap" features a reluctant one intended to make the best of a bad situation, and the featured crew looking for a way out of the unique circumstances that have forced everyone together, a given region of space that is the true trap of the story.  The other trap, the one concerning time, is an unnecessary layer that is basically irrelevant except as an element of added danger.

More significantly, perhaps, is that "Time Trap features Kor, one of the major Klingons of the franchise, usually portrayed by John Colicos but here voiced by Jimmy Doohan.  Kor debuted in the original series episode "Errand of Mercy" and was one of three Klingons from that time to later appear in Deep Space Nine ("Blood Oath"), ending up the longest-tenured in that regard with two additional appearances ("Sword of Kahless," "Once More Unto the Breach").

Which of course also makes this a Klingon episode.  As with Klingon appearances in the preceding live action series, the famed warrior race to this point has perhaps a far greater reputation than actual presence.  It isn't until the next Klingons appear in the franchise, with newly-revised appearances, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, four major roles in subsequent sequels, and the figure of Worf, that they're actually as prominent as they seem to be all along.  Without any of these later appearances, Klingons would have gone the way of Harry Mudd.

Thankfully they don't.  "Time Trap" is in some ways a rehash of previous Klingons episodes, a forced alliance and stab at peace, that sort of thing.

Perhaps the most significant element is a far harder one to recognize: this is the first time George Takei is allowed to join the voice actor talent pool outside of his most familiar role (Sulu), something Doohan and Nichelle Nichols, along with Majel Roddenberry, have been during throughout the series already.

The interspecies alliance features cameos from a number of familiar aliens, from Romulans and Orions to some that are unique to the series.  But this is not a particularly notable showcase for any of them.

four quarter analysis

franchise * series * essential * character

notable guest-stars:

George Takei

Nichelle Nichols

James Doohan

The Animated Series 1x11 "The Terratin Incident"

rating: *

Memory Alpha summary

Honestly, if Deep Space Nine hadn't also done an episode where the crew shrinks ("One Little Ship"), I'd be tempted to dismiss "The Terratin Incident" as completely skippable.

And there you are, too, what happens for the majority of the episode: the crew shrinks, making various comments about their predicament.  It's exactly the kind of episode you'd expect from a show that can get away with anything without worrying about the budget.  The later (and in fact final) episode "The Counter-Clock Incident" features a similarly silly premise, the crew aging backward all the way to infants! but at least features a guest character who can carry the dramatic weight that otherwise keeps the action grounded in something fans can take a little more seriously.

via Tumblr.  Look at the size of that Kirk!  (Best I got.)

You have to wait until the end of the episode for any other element to be featured, which actually isn't that bad.  Honestly, a lot of otherwise bad stories, not just from Star Trek, could easily be redeemed if the good stuff weren't buried.  In this instance, "Terratin" turns into a kind of Kirk version of Brainiac from Superman lore.  Brainiac is a collector of worlds, famously creating the Bottle City of Kandor in the midst of Krypton's last days.  Unlike Brainiac, Kirk is doing the Terratins a favor.

Some allusions could be made to other franchise adventures in population relocation, but none of them like this.  

Otherwise, this is a silly episode.  It's a prime reason why most fans have a hard time taking the series seriously.  But then "One Little Ship" had to happen later.  And so we have yet another reason to reappraise the show's creative decisions, for good and otherwise.  

four quarter analysis

franchise * series * essential * character

notable guest-stars:

Nichelle Nichols

Majel Roddenberry

James Doohan

Roddenberry, Kelley, Doohan, and now Nimoy

Gene Roddenberry: October 24, 1991
Mark Leonard: November 22, 1996
DeForest Kelley: June 11, 1999
James Doohan: July 20, 2005
Majel Roddenberry: December 18, 2008
Ricardo Montalban: January 14, 2009

and now

Leonard Nimoy: February 27, 2015