Reviews (7)

Stupid is as Stupid does
I felt I had to say something since the last reveiwer just made a complete ass out of himself. Yes Lenard nimoy did play the lawyer IN THE REMAKE that is not being discussed here. In this one he played the reporter. So looks like someone else needs to straighten their facts before posting.

did you watch the show?
if you watched the show you made a mistake. Leonard Nimoy was the lawyer that represented adam not a reporter.
get your fact straight before posting here stupid

excelent show.
Marianna Hill is so hot
2 thumbs up

Howard da Silva defends a "killer" robot in court
Fans of Isaac Asimov's robot stories should not get too excited by the fact the title of episode 41 of "The Outer Limits" is entitled "I, Robot." Clearly Otto Binder's script is inspired by the robot stories, but this is not one of Asimov's tales scripted for television even though the climax is clearly taken from one of those short stories (aside: if you have not read the script Harlan Ellison wrote based on the "I, Robot" short stories, you should check it out). The robot in question is Adam Link, a human-looking robot who is the work of a local inventor. But when the inventor is found dead with Adam standing over him, the robot is charged with murder. Consequently, this "I, Robot" story is essentially a courtroom drama.

Not to be redundant and repetitive, fans of "Star Trek" should not get all excited because Leonard Nimoy is in this episode, because the future Mr. Spock is has a small role playing a local reporter covering the trial. The actor who carries this episode is Howard da Silva, who spent years in Hollywood playing bad guys and was just starting to do some outstanding work as a character actor, climaxing with his wonderful performances as Benjamin Franklin in the musical "1776". As the voice of reason trying to speak out against fear and prejudice, da Silva delivers an understated but powerful performance. The robot in question is okay looking, and certainly evokes a sympathetic response on the part of the audience. "I, Robot" is not a great episode of "The Outer Limits," but da Silva's performance compels me to round up the 4.5 stars this one deserves.

Golem Goes Ga-Ga!
Often effective murder mystery/courtroom drama centering on Adam Link, a robot accused of killing his creator. What really ends up being on trial is human prejudice and ignorance, and the question of artificial intelligence.

The robot is sympathetic and appealing, and brilliantly designed in such a way as to appear human, yet unsettling. Its pulp tin-can design contributes largely to the success of this piece. Marianna Hill does a nice job of evincing further sympathy as Adam's "mother," being the daughter of the man Adam is suspected of having killed and his early teacher, and his staunch supporter throughout the trial. The show really belongs to Howard DaSilva, though, as the crotchety, cynical humanitarian lawyer, who comes out of retirement to defend the much-maligned bucket-of-bolts.

The problem with this one is a cliched script and heavy-handed handling. But it has many nice moments, especially the memorable finale.

a memorable and moving second-season episode
"I, Robot" is an engrossing, hard-hitting OL drama in the tradition of "Inherit the Wind", but featuring a robot wrongly framed for murdering its inventor, rather than a schoolteacher accused of teaching evolution. The robot itself is effectively portrayed, a bit like C3PO from "Star Wars", but with a less "non-threatening" persona. The opening scene shows him being hunted down by a posse of locals who have concluded his guilt before any facts have been determined. The robot pauses to help a bratty little girl whom he has stumbled upon and accidentally frightened; but alas, she perceives only that he meant to harm her, and points the way he fled to the posse. When he is finally rounded up and jailed, marked for the junkyard, the dead scientist's sweet-tempered daughter (Marianna Hill, of Star Trek's "Dagger of the Mind") tries to save him, with the help of a cynical, opportunistic reporter played by Leonard Nimoy (the H.L. Mencken-like role), and a crotchety but lovable lawyer (a Clarence Darrow type) whom he refers her to. The lawyer has had a life-long, quixotic antagonism toward "philistines" and demands due process for the mechanical man; and the reporter has a sharp nose for a sensational story, so both have their own motives for taking the up the daughter's cause. In a flashback sequence, we learn the robot is innocent and even child-like. But the cards are stacked against him because of the narrow-mindedness of the human community that tries him and can't see past its own fear and craven prejudices. The ending is cathartic, deeply moving, and unflinchingly true to the story. It recalls a scene from an old "Twilight Zone" episode ("I Sing the Body Electric"), but puts it to shame for sheer dramatic impact. This second-season OL episode packs a full punch, and illustrates how the vision and sensibilities of the show's creators continued to inform the better episodes of the second season even after their departure at the end of the first season. This show seems to say that despite our human failings, there is enough to justify hope that we can rise above our flaws, based on the emotion and sympathy we come to feel for the persecuted robot--its a human affair and within our reach, a persistent theme of classic OL. This is a tragic yet uplifting powerhouse episode that builds inexorably to an unflinchingly honest conclusion. Fans of intelligent, humane, and thoughtful science fiction will not be disappointed. This is stirring and unforgettable stuff with a solid moral perspective and a sharp bite. ... Read more

Amazon.com

While exploring an uncharted region of the galaxy, the Enterprise encounters a cube-shaped alien probe (a predecessor of Borg vessels?) that Kirk promptly destroys. That action brings the wrath of a spaceship called the Fesarius, which locks the Enterprise in a tractor beam from which it can't escape. The show is perhaps best known for something of a surprise ending when the "captain" of the Fesarius (played by Clint Howard, brother of Ron and child star of TV's Gentle Ben) is revealed. Directed by Joseph Sargent (Colossus: The Forbin Project). --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (15)

This should have been the real Star Trek pilot episode
I always thought "The Corbomite Manuever" should have been the Star Trek pilot episode, because the story deals with the risk of exploring space and encountering new races. The Enterprise is out mapping a region of space when it encounters a cube that blocks their path. When the cube starts emitting radiation, Kirk destroys it with phasers. Then the biggest spherical spacecraft you have ever seen arrives upon the scene and the Enterprise receives a message from Commander Balok that they will be destroyed for violating the territory of the First Federation. What is nice about this episode is not only that Kirk uses his brains rather than his fists to solve the problem but that his relationship with Lt. Bailey speaks to the crux of the show's five-year mission. Compare this with the Kirk-Mitchell relationship in "Where No Man Has Gone Before" and you can see that the lesson Kirk teaches Bailey about not being afraid of the great unknown is more central to the show's dynamic. Plus, the dynamic between Kirk, Spock and McCoy is starting to develop and you have to love the twist when we get to look behind the curtain at Balok. "The Corbomite Maneuver" is one of the best of the early Star Trek episodes.

The first real episode
After two pilot episodes, here is the first real episode of the Star Trek series. All the familiar elements are here (although Uhura wears a gold uniform instead of what would later become her familiar, red one). Sulu's at the helm, McCoy's in sick bay, and Uhura's opening hailing frequencies like only she can.

Kirk is in rare form here. In STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN, it is taken for granted that Kirk is a miracle-worker who refuses to admit defeat no matter how dire the circumstances. This episode goes a long, long way towards developing that part of Kirk's character. This is Kirk at the top of his game and it's a lot of fun to watch.

A tremendous amount of tension is effectively built in the episode as Kirk tries to think his way out of a no-win scenario and the story approaches its climax. Unfortunately, that tension is inexcusably tossed aside in favor of a cute ending that is too eager to wrap everything up in the allowed time.

POKER EVERYONE!
One of the better episodes. As I look at this episode retrospectively (I saw it during the first run in the 60's), they - Kirk and Balok - are BOTH playing poker. Watch and see.

Funny, I still memember the older daughter of my baby sitter moving away from the TV screen as the scary Balok made his fierce appearance. (She was moving toward me, but I was too young to take advantage.)

"Not chess, Spock. Poker. You know the game?"
Yep, this is the episode that featured that rubber alien that often was the last image you saw during that slide show that accompanied the end credits. This was also the episode that featured that giant beehive in space. And who can forget Tranya? Aaahhh . . . delicious and invigorating Tranya. Yet, despite these dubious distinctions, "The Corbomite Maneuver" is actually a half-way decent episode.

The U.S.S. Enterprise encounters a strange cube in space and destroys it in order to pass. The cube's destruction attracts the attention of the I.S.S. Fesarius. Upon making contact with the gigantic ship, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) is confronted by a threatening alien who calls himself Balok. Balok threatens the Enterprise with destruction for its hostile actions. Caught between a rock and a hard place, Kirk bluffs his way to victory by telling the Fesarius that the destruction of his ship will guarantee Balok's end also. Soon Balok's true identity is revealed to Kirk when he beams over to the Fesarius. It turns out he really is only a child-sized humanoid (Clint Howard) and that the threatening alien seen on the viewscreen was a mock-up. An exchange program is suggested to Kirk and Lt. Bailey (Anthony Call) is chosen to be the lucky crew member who will get to spend the foreseeable future hunched over within the corridors of the Fesarius.

"The Corbomite Maneuver" is the ultimate bipolar Star Trek episode. It starts off with the Enterprise in dire peril and ends up with Kirk attending a cocktail party trading laughs with the being who had earlier threatened him. And the strange thing is that it works! There is true suspense in the confrontation scenes. There is true gumption in Kirk's gambling. And there is true amusement in seeing a young Clint Howard guffaw it up while serving drinks. How can you not like an episode that gets goofier and goofier as it goes along? "The Corbomite Maneuver" is not one of the deeper episodes of the original series' run, but it is one of the more amusing ones. Another round of Tranya bartender!

Early early Trek
The Corbomite Manuever-This episode, in which Kirk bluffs a frightening looking alien only to ultimately find out the joke is on him, was the fist produced in season one. The plot is pretty spare, and the episode has a far slower feel than later shows. Part of this can be explained by the fact that everything was new to us (the transporter scenes for example are slow), but there also seems to be a conscious effort to keep things simple for dramatic purposes.

This episode does a nice job of demonstrating that the crew will encounter plenty of unknowns, many of them frightening. Kirk also proves himself to be courageous, resourceful, and ultimately compassionate. The episode also has a nice twist at the end, although the execution (particularly the dubbing) is less than perfect. Also somewhat unusual is the unambiguously happy ending; Most first season episodes had bittersweet and/or preachy endings. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Another Great Trek Outing
As a kid, this one and "Doomsday Machine" always made me giddy with excitement. They both feature Sol Kaplan's thumping, nail-biting score, and the special FX were outstanding, even by today's standards.

Star Trek has always been ignored by the Hollywood elite, as a sort of Red-Headed Stepchild; nevertheless, no other show in history did so much to further it's genre, and Trek's overall consistency in quality and storyline have made it a pop phenomenon. This episode contains all that made Star Trek great: Terrific acting and writing, intense drama, spectacular FX, and the wonderful "feel" that only Star Trek could produce. It also has a heaping helping of Star Trek's wonderful and quirky humor.

We begin with Spock nearly passing out with pain due to the mental cries of over 400 dying Vulcans, light years away, "astonished" as to the reason for their death. The episode quickly moves along, showing a tired crew fighting for their lives as duty impels them to explore and ultimately meet head-on with one of Sci-Fi's most amazing baddies: A huge space germ -the cause of the death of the USS Intrepid and it's Vulcan crew, and the demise of several nearby star systems.

Of course, the crew of the Enterprise always prevail at the last second.... but what a ride!

A "must have" for all home TV Sci-Fi lovers.

Maybe it's not it, it's me?
The giant amoeba episode has just never won me over for some reason. While the hook is probably slightly more intriguing than, say, Obsession's, this is really a 'face value' episode. It doesn't pack any subtle messages. If the episode were more engaging, I'd say no problem, but unfortunately this one is pretty dull. McCoy fans will appreciate his prominent role in this one though.

Underappreciated Star Trek Episode
I think "The Immunity Syndrome" is one of Star Trek's best episodes, even though it's always overlooked. The special effects in this episode are top-notch, and hold up extremely well even today, and the buildup of tension in the episode is perfectly paced. But what really makes this episode special is the dialogue between Kirk, Spock and McCoy. Spock and McCoy fight for a chance to die studying the creature, leading to some of the most touching lines between the two. My favorite Spock line of all time comes at the end of the show--"Why thank you, CAPTAIN McCoy."

The Enterprise takes on the biggest amoeba in the universe
While "The Immunity Syndrome" does not offer anyone acting like Ahab (a frequent occurrence on Star Trek) we do have a giant amoeba playing the symbolic part of the great white whale. The Enterprise encounters a massive area of darkness and discovers the giant single-cell organism inside. When the always-curious Spock investigates in a shuttlecraft, he ends up inside and discovers the creature is about to reproduce. Since one of these things is a threat to the galaxy, two would probably be a lot worse, so Kirk takes the Enterprise inside the amoeba (I mean, come on, that is obviously what they have blown up here, an amoeba) in an effort to save the universe. The magnified amoeba is certainly interesting looking, but the tension in this episode is equally artificial. But it sure is amazing what you can find out there in deep space. "The Immunity Syndrome" is, at best, an average Star Trek effort.

The Best Effects ever on Star Trek
Special effects and a good story are the highlights of this episode as the Enterprise crew race to destroy an amomba like creature before it destroys the galaxy. Some great Spock/Bones remarks here as well. It's almost like they are both competing with one another to be Jim Kirk's best friend. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Marry in Haste.....
"Crime of Passion" is a solid basic film noir. It lacks much of the dark exteriors, night shots, strange camera angles and gloomy interiors of a complete noir film but this is still the real thing. Barbara Stanwyck is a successful newspaper columnist in San Francisco. She impulsively marries an L.A. cop, Sterling Hayden. The suddenness of the marriage might signal some future "problems". The newlyweds settle down to a neat little suburban house, which would appear right at home on an "Ozzie and Harriet" set. Hayden is happy as a clam but not the Mrs! She wants more! She quickly becomes bored with the stilted little dinner parties and catty gossip of the other police wives. Who could blame her! Then Stanwyck over reaches! She has an affair with her hubby's boss. The intent was getting him a promotion. The guy is none other than Raymond Burr, the soon to be Perry Mason of 50s TV fame. Can we imagine Perry getting involved with a hot girl like Barbara? This reviewer is straining not to give away the ending, so I'll just reveal that matters start to unravel. At least one person winds up dead! The gossip columnist is out of her league. Her ploy does not exactly work. The hard-nosed ending is quite satisfying and in line with 40s and 50s cop/noir films. A star is subtracted for the rather sudden "resolution". 2 final notes: True crime fans may be appalled at one especially egregious example of shoddy police work. Does anyone remember the term "protection of evidence"? No wonder O.J. walked 35 years later! Silver and Ward's "Film Noir" states that CP was a prime example of the "malaise infecting suburbia" in the 1950s. While that does not apply to Hayden it certainly does to his conniving spouse. If only she had stayed in San Francisco!

"I hope all your socks have holes in them."
In the film "Crime of Passion", tough, successful career woman Kathy Ferguson (Barbara Stanwyck) abandons her newspaper column and a prestigious new job to marry LA police detective Bill Doyle (Sterling Hayden). She imagines a life of domestic bliss, and soon she's living in suburbia--along with all the other detectives' wives. Doyle is happy plodding along in his career, but Kathy really can't stand the life she finds herself in. The Doyle's social life is composed of dreary evenings with Doyle's co-workers. The men play card games, and the women chatter on about inane subjects. While no unpleasant words exit from the mouths of the detectives' wives, it's quite clear that a strict social hierarchy exists. In particular, one wife, Sara Alidos, is all too happy to carry on at length about her intimate friendship with the Police Commissioner Pope (Raymond Burr) and his wife. Kathy really doesn't belong with these other wives. Try as she might, she just doesn't fit in, and her own lack of conformity drives Kathy to the brink of a breakdown.

But then Kathy has an idea. In Kathy's mind, her husband is superior to the other detectives, and she is cleverer than the rest of the wives. And so Kathy sets out to use her brain to promote her dullard of a husband through whatever means are necessary.

Barbara Stanwyck is excellent in the role of Kathy--a woman who gives up her career and lives to regret it. Kathy is hard and tough, but when she meets Bill, she gives into romance, and in her case, this is a big mistake. Bill Doyle is a good, hard-working man, but Kathy doesn't respect him. Raymond Burr as Pope is the man who sees past Kathy's persona and sees the conniving woman underneath.

"Crime of Passion" contains some extremely interesting comments especially about the roles of women in the 50s. Some of the scenes and comments in the beginning of the film were very revealing. However, I don't think the film went quite far enough with Kathy's character, and so, ultimately, the film was a little disappointing. But for film noir fans, this is a film worth watching--displacedhuman

WHAT SCHEMES MAY COME....
Neat, tidy little B-picture about a woman who tries to push her husband up the ladder of success only to have it backfire on her. San Francisco newspaper writer Kathy Ferguson (Barbara Stanwyck) meets and quickly marries macho LA detective Bill Doyle (Sterling Hayden) and finds herself plopped down in the middle of suburbia. This is all well and good until she finds her role relegated to the living room with the brainless other wives while the "boys" play poker in the kitchen. Being from a newspaper, she's used to being one of the boys and not one of the "little women". She finally snaps after one too many of these evenings and starts scheming to move her husband up in the department so she can be proud of him and mingle intelligently with the upper crust where she feels they belong. Her plans go beautifully until she runs up against her biggest obstacle, Bill's boss police chief Raymond Burr. They become close and one night he shows up at Kathy's while Bill's away and confides that he needs to retire and is looking for a replacement. Kathy siezes the opportunity to sell Bill as the replacement and commits the ultimate sacrifice via a one-night-stand with Burr thinking she's cinched the "deal" for Bill. But Burr has other plans---leaving Kathy horrified and guilty over what she's done. Her next move will be murder. Stanwyck always excelled at portraying strong, driven, ambitious women and Kathy is no exception. But the film has an obvious feminist slant unusual for the time. The director and Stanwyck make it clear what motivates Kathy and why she she goes over the edge. She loves her husband enough to go all out for him but smart enough to know that she will benefit too. She's too strong a woman to just sit around and mindlessly gossip over dresses, diets and phony aspirations. Her aspirations are real because she knows what she wants for herself and her husband. And it doesn't include cream cheese and olives. For Stanwyck fans, this is an interesting addition to her gallery of headstrong women with an agenda. It's not a "great" film but it's good and worth watching.

Criminal Intent
This movie might have single-handedly brought on woman's lib. When middle-aged San Francisco reporter Kathy Ferguson (Barbara Stanwyck) meets hunky middle-aged LA cop (Sterling Hayden), she chucks her career for love. This lands her in the San Fernando Valley in the dining room listening to the unbearably grating chatter of her husband's cop buddies wives. Naturally, this drives Kathy completely bonkers (If I heard the words "cream cheese and olive" one more time, I might have gone bonkers with her), and she becomes determined to get her husband to the top at any cost! Naturally, mayhem ensues.

This movie is only saved by the performance given by Barbara Stanwyck. She manages to make Kathy Ferguson a real person; she shows the real longing, desire (Barbara eyes Sterling Hayden like the prime slab 'o beef he is, and makes her intentions very clear), and smarts this woman has, and how frustration at being sidelined by society can bring out fierce competition in someone (today she'd be called manic-depressive). What's funniest about this movie is that it's so subversive. On the surface, we are supposed to be shocked, shocked I tell you, that Kathy does what she does in the name of her husband's career. On the other hand, life in the valley in the 50's is painted as so soul-destroyingly vapid, you wonder how she managed not to go on a killing spree. A really seldom seen gem that any fan of film noir should check out.

crime of passion
Good Noir. Good Stanwyck. Middle-aged love affair that goes wrong. What can happen to someone from San Francisco, if they move to LA. Well the valley that is. Stanwyck plays Kathy Ferguson, a reporter for a major newspaper who gets married, and has only one ambition, to make her husband move up in the ranks of the LA police Dept. And she will do anything to do it. You know there will be trouble. The acting is crisp and the pace is quick and watchable. I beleive Raymond Burr gets his only screen kiss that I know of. Fay Wray is terrific in a supportive role. Its great to see her and Stanwyck together.

Watch this with chips and CreamCheese and Olive dip. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Written by Robert Bloch (author of the novel Psycho, the basis of Hitchcock's film), "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" finds Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and nurse Christine Chapel (Majel Barrett) beaming down to planet Exo III, where Christine is to be reunited with her fiancé, Dr. Roger Korby (Michael Strong). The meeting is less than joyful, however, when it becomes clear that Korby has been developing androids that he intends to spread throughout the galaxy--using the Enterprise as his delivery vehicle. This was certainly the first significant performance for Majel Barrett in the Trek family; longtime fans know she went on to play Lwaxana Troi on The Next Generation (and Mrs. Gene Roddenberry in real life). An entertaining episode all around, with the notion of an android Kirk somehow amusing. (Maybe it was the android who sang on that notorious Shatner album.) Fans of '60s TV will also enjoy the performance of Ted Cassidy (the original Lurch from TV's The Addams Family) as the giant android, Ruk. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (16)

An influential Star Trek keystone
Seminal first season episode of ST:TOS and one of the series best efforts. A science fiction staple, androids make their initial appearance here before becoming a cardinal feature of the Star Trek universe. The story develops nicely, beginning as a bit of a mystery, then injecting equal doses of intrigue and suspense before we get any substantial clues to help us.

The Star Trek production team did an excellent job in creating the massive but agile android Ruk, effectively played by Ted Cassidy. He tosses Kirk around effortlessly; speaks in a deep resonating voice - "More complex...Much superior!" and "Existence...survival must cancel out programming!"; his complexion is dark gray, and he has sharp angular bones that shape his face which are shadowed for effect. He makes one of Star Trek's most formidable foes. They also did an incredible job of seamlessly connecting the two shots of the real Kirk and the android Kirk at the dinner table. It is exceptionable special effects work for 1966.

Beyond that are the discussion of ethics between Kirk and Dr. Korby and then Korby's final passionate effusion of pathos that surface at the conclusion. Kirk strategically uses both Ruk and Andrea as tools to purpose his escape. He first confuses Andrea by attempting to evoke a sense of romance in her which proves too abstract for her programming to comprehend. Then he convinces Ruk that Korby is no different than the creators that Ruk and the previous android population had done away with. Kirk's cryptic message to Spock is also a humorous treat for Trek fans.

One odd thing to note about this episode is the slightly risque clothing that Andrea wears. She seems quite scantily clad in comparison to the men who are fully dressed with only head and hands exposed.

This episode gets a C+ grade and is ranked 45th out of 80
The U.S.S. Enterprise arrives in orbit around Exo III, to search for exobiologist Dr. Roger Korby. When Kirk asks Spock if Korby could possibly still be alive, Spock glances at Christine, then quietly shuts off his monitor. Christine Chapel, McCoy's chief nurse, is Korby's fiancee. Chapel had signed on with the U.S.S. Enterprise in the hope of finding him. Korby is known as the "Pasteur of archeological medicine." At Dr. Korby's request, only Kirk and a very excited Christine Chapel beam down to the planet. They find the doctor living in an underground cavern built by what is known as, "The Old Ones," the extinct natives of Exo III. He tells them that he discovered the caverns while suffering from severe frostbite, five years before. Using equipment left behind by these now-dead beings, Korby has learned how to construct androids who look and act like humans. His android companions, Ruk and Andrea, amaze Kirk and Chapel with their realness. Although, Korby explains, Ruk existed long before he, himself, arrived, a product of "The Old Ones." Christine recognizes Dr. Brown, Korby's aide, but is mystified by his failure to recognize her. The reason for his behavior becomes clear when they discovered that he, too, is a sophisticated android. Korby's plan is to slowly replace key people in the Federation with androids, integrating the machines into other worlds. Taking Kirk prisoner, Korby creates a perfect duplicate of the Captain, which fools even Nurse Chapel. During the duplication process, however, Kirk plants false memories and ideas in his double's brain which makes Spock realize that something is very wrong. Korby, convinced that his android will fool the U.S.S. Enterprise crew and allow him to take over the starship, has the double beamed aboard. The false Kirk is to look over their proposed route and pick a likely planet on which to begin colonization. Spock immediately becomes suspicious of his captain until finally, after spewing an ethnic slur at the first officer, Spock is certain that this is not Capt. Kirk. He orders a landing party to meet him in the transporter room after the Captain has beamed down to the planet. Meanwhile, on Exo III, Christine Chapel realizes that somehow Roger Korby has changed; he's no longer the wonderful man she'd fallen in love with. He's become somehow distant and unfeeling... though he obviously still has a great fondness for his fiancee. Separated from Christine, Kirk is being guarded by Ruk. The Captain convinces the hulking android that Korby is a threat to his continued existence and must be destroyed. Ruk attacks Korby and is eliminated. It is discovered, to Christine's horror, that Korby has housed his essence inside an android body. Kirk convinces the doctor that he's become more machine than human. In front of his horrified fiancee, Korby grabs Andrea and fires a phaser blast that kills them both. Spock arrives with a landing party to find only Kirk and Christine remaining. Chapel announces that she would like to stay with the U.S.S. Enterprise to complete her tour.

"Have you ever been engaged, Mr. Spock?"
Despite an intriguing premise that has been explored often in the realm of science-fiction, "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" is one of those Star Trek episodes that just does not work. It moves at a snails-pace, the androids aren't really memorable, and the spin table technology left behind by "The Old Ones" is kind of silly. Yet, Sherry Jackson's outfit comes close to saving the day. It is so attention-grabbing that it almost manages to keep you distracted long enough to forget about the episode's shortcomings. If there ever was an Emmy awarded for "Outstanding Supporting Performance By A Garment In A Television Series" then Jackson's attire must have walked away with the statue for this outing. Impressive work indeed.

The U.S.S. Enterprise arrives at Exo III in search of exobiologist Dr. Roger Korby (Michael Strong) who is the fiancé of Christine Chapel (Majel Barrett). Both Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Chapel beam down to the planet where they find Korby and the technology he has discovered that enables him to construct androids. They are introduced to the androids Ruk (Ted Cassidy) and Andrea (Jackson) and amazed by how lifelike they both appear. However, matters become dire when Kirk is taken prisoner and an android duplicate of him is constructed. It turns out Korby himself is an android and has devised a plan to infiltrate the Federation with androids of his creation. However, the real Kirk manages to stop Korby before the plan is put into motion.

People typically only remember two things from "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" - the freaky-looking android Ruk and Sherry Jackson's outfit. There's basically nothing else to write home about. Chapel's character wasn't developed much over the run of the series so it was nice to see her grab some of the spotlight here. Too bad her big opportunity came in an episode that has pretty much been forgotten. And to support my point that this episode has been condemned to limbo, I ask if you have ever heard anyone bring up "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" in any conversation dealing with the best episodes of the original series? I thought not. By the way, did I remember to mention Sherry Jackson's outfit?

Best for Andrea
What Are Little Girls Made of?-The first of the android episodes, in which the landing party end up deep inside an icy planet, is a solid episode. As in Charlie X, we see the question of what it means to be human explored, as well as the human quest for immortality and god-like power. While the episode is thoughtful enough in these regards, less convincing are the motives behind the plan Korby hatches. Additionally, the surprise doesn't really come as a surprise at all. Still, overall an offbeat and forgotten episode with enough action to suffice. This episode can't exactly be punished for employing themes what would be beaten to death, since it is one of the first shows to employ them.

Excellent Story
The Enterprise orbits around Planet Exo III to try and find Dr. Roger Korby "The Pasteur of Archeological Medicine." Korby was also the fiance' of Enterprise Nurse Christine Chapel. When Korby is discovered alive, Kirk and Nurse Chapel beam down to meet him, but are unaware of Korby's true motives.They later discover that Korby's assistant, Brown, who met them at the entrance to the caverns, is an android, as are Andrea, a stunning beauty and Ruk,a hulking giant who kills the two security officers Kirk had beamed down, Kirk & Christine find Korby, but discover that he is somehow different. Kirk is captured by Ruk and, to Christine's horror, is locked down naked on a giant turn table and is about to be duplicated into an android himself, but not before the resourceful captain plants an ethnic slur during the duplicating process into his double's mind to warn Spock. A truly great episode, with the erie and dark caverns of Exo III to scare the daylights out of you, not to mention Ted Casiday in the scary make-up and deep sinister voice as Ruk. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Too often overlooked
This underrated 'cold war' episode featuring a gorilla-unicorn, is another taught thriller from the second season. In addition to the non-stop action (shootings, Mugatu bites, Klingon intrigue, etc.) we have a well-reasoned ethical debate about the dual perils of intervention and non-intervention by a superpower. Kirk even acknowledges some ambivalence about the arming of the Hill people (think Vietnam) at the end of the show. Other pluses in this episode are the culture of the planet, as well as Nona. Her healing scene with Shatner is pretty racy, even by today's standards.

Inspiring
I loved the episode so much when I first saw it six years ago,that it inspired me to begin an original serial using a Nona type character as the lead, and Tyree's people as my character's adopted people. Some reading this would say "so what?" but others would say that if an episode that has such good writing can inspire a budding writer, it's gotta be good! As to the Viet Nam parallel that people are referring to, I see the episode as just good story telling on it's own merit.

Maintaining a Balance of Power on a primitive planet
... "A Private Little War" is one of the most thoughtful Star Trek episodes dealing with the problematic Prime Directive, although Kirk has an easy out since the Klingons are already interfering. Obviously there are some parallels to Vietnam, but the episode can clearly stand on its own. Unfortunately, Star Trek never did really work out all the implications of the Prime Directive, even after trying for four different series. Still, there is an inherent sense of sadness to what has happened to the people on this planet that gives this episode an undeniable resonance. But the monster would be more believable if it was not this giant WHITE thing running around the jungle.

Boldly going....to Vietnam?
The crew of the Enterprise visits an idyllic, pre-industrialized world inhabited by the docile hill-people and the greedy villagers. Not incorporated into the Federation of Planets, this pre-techno world is supposed to be free of any interference by either the Federation or the Klingon empire. Nevertheless, on a routine survey, the villagers attack the hill people with crude rifles - though that requires technology beyond them. With Mr. Spock severely injured, Kirk stays behind looking for evidence that the Klingons are illegally supplying technology that will allow the villagers to conquer the planet and rule it for the Klingons. Reuniting with the Hill People, among whom Kirk once lived, Kirk hooks up with their leader, Tyree and his wife, the bewitching Nona. Sneaking into the Villagers' stronghold, Kirk finds evidence of non-indigenous technology (carbon-free metal tools are a big tip-off). Though implicating the Klingons, Kirk now faces an even bigger quandry - allow the rapacious villagers to conquer the planet, or give the hill-people the means to fight back. Either alternative gurantees bloodshed, with the decision coming down to ensuring either the genocide of the hill people or a ceaseless and bloody war with the villagers. Dr. McCoy, who stayed planetside with Kirk, provides the perfect moral foil for Kirk who is defiantly pro-defense.

I must have seen this episode a hundred times as a kid, never knowing that it was obviously a take on the war in Vietnam which had already escalated by then. The weird part is how this film makes as the enemies, the urbanized and technologically advanced villagers, which is more analogous to the Southern Vietnamese regime. Like the very best sci-fi, when it must be topical, the script is dignified enough to explore both sides. It's a weak episode of Trek, suffering because the comedy team of Bones and Spock spends much of the time apart (with Spock stuck on the Enterprise, recuperating from the attack in the beginning of the episode). The script tries juicing things up with the wicked-hot Nona and an attack by the "Mugato", a sort of white, horned gorilla with poison fangs, that both seem to distract from the message of the show (which may have been the biggest reason for putting them there - the guys who write for Trek were brave, but to a fault). A flawed but still important episode.

Horn + white ape suit = alien
I once overlooked this episode and it took me a number of years to realize just how good it is. Along with Friday's Child, the Cloud Minders and Operation:Annihilate, this is one of the most underated episodes of the series. Yes, the Mugato looked like it would put a gleem in Irwin Allen's eye and the Natives wear third rate poofy wigs, but the story is just terrific. They took a foreign intervention story and stuck it out on a primitve planet plus Kirk fights a healer's influence and Spock fights off a possibly fatal attack. This episode is well written and carried out in fine fashion. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The delightful episode "Tomorrow Is Yesterday" is a time-travel story with an infectious blend of suspense and humor. After dropping into a black hole, the Enterprise ends up orbiting the Earth in the late 1960s and is spotted by U.S. Air Force captain Christopher (Roger Perry), who happens to be flying by in his jet. Inadvertently giving poor Christopher an unwanted glimpse into the future, and wrecking his jet with an overpowering tractor beam, Capt. Kirk (William Shatner), not having a good day, beams him aboard the Federation starship. The collision of sensibilities and reference points between characters born several centuries apart has a fresh, urgent tone that subsequent Star Trek series have never captured (though Deep Space Nine came close with its dazzling episode "Trials and Tribble-ations"). The problem, of course, is what to do about Christopher now that he knows what he knows, and history demands that he stay put in his own world: the pilot's unborn son, it seems, will one day make a space flight of historic importance. Terrifically entertaining and something of a precedent-setter for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (the theatrical feature set in contemporary San Francisco), "Tomorrow Is Yesterday" is Trek at its best. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Back to the past
The first of the contemporary earth episodes is a solid offering about a USAF pilot who ends up aboard the Enterprise. One might be forgiven for not realizing they were watching Star Trek here; the Enterprise doesn't show up until the end of this unusual teaser. This episode explores the trappings of time travel, with every effort the crew makes at not altering the future invariably leading to more modification of the future. If the questions of logic posed by the above aren't taken to seriously (they shouldn't be, in my opinion) this episode is watchable enough. The strongest aspects of this show are the humor behind the cultural (temporal?) differences and a fallible Kirk. In truth though, not that much happens here, and the contemporary Earth idea isn't too interesting 36 years later after the fact.

Star Trek's first (and funniest) Time Travel episode
For the first time the Enterprise goes back in time in "Tomorrow is Yesterday," thrown back while trying to break free of the gravitational pull of a black hole. The Enterprise ends up in the late 1960's (neat coincidence, huh?) over the United States, where a jet fighter is scrambled to check out the giant blip on the radar. Worried about nuclear missiles, Kirk uses the tractor beam to stop the aircraft, which then falls apart. The Enterprise rescues the pilot, Captain John Christopher, who finds everything (including Spock) a little hard to believe. Then Kirk discovers he is between a rock and a hard place: they cannot let Christopher return with his knowledge of the future but the officer has to return because his son, who is not yet been conceived, is going to be a famous space explorer. If this does not give Kirk a headache, then just think about the old kill a butterfly and cause monsoons in China theory of causality. There are some nice moments in "Tomorrow is Yesterday," having to do with the sudden confrontation of the past and the future, the best of which (Kirk being interrogated by the Military Police and noting wryly that the lengthy prison sentence he is being threatened with would be "just about right" for getting him back to his own time) will pop up again in the movie "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home." I have to admit, I like a time travel episode where the entire fate of the universe does not hang in the balance, as in "The City on the Edge of Forever."

Bad Day for Kirk--Good Episode for Fans
When I first saw this episode so many years ago, I was afraid they had replaced Star Trek with some show about the air force. What a classic teaser! What a relief to see the Enterprise make it's surprise appearance!

We don't get to see the Enterprise at its best in this episode, which is what makes it so fun. Kirk makes one blunder after another. The computer has had a recent unfortunate personality transplant. Even Spock overlooks a very important facet in his calculations. As the episode progresses, the situation just gets worse for our heroes. It's very enjoyable watching Kirk squirm under interrogation.

The resolution didn't come across as very believable, but I'm no time travel expert, so what do I know? I just accept it and applaud.

And, of course, the "chicken soup" scene is a classic Star Trek instant.

Tomorrow Is Yesterday
In "Tomorrow Is Yesterday," the Enterprise finds itself in the 20th century, not far above the surface of the earth. It is spotted by a pilot of the United States Air Force and is believed to be a U.F.O. Scared of being shot down and possibly destroyed, Captain Kirk decides to beam the pilot onboard. If Kirk and the rest of the Enterprise crew don't watch out, they might change the course of history.

I thought "Tomorrow Is Yesterday" was a pretty good episode about time travel. At times in the episode, the Enterprise will travel back in time, making the clock onboard the Enterprise counts backward. I thought that was one of the best things about the episode. "Tomorrow Is Yesterday" isn't one of the best episodes of Star Trek The Original Series, but it isn't a bad one either. If you like The Original Series of Star Trek, I recommend getting "Tomorrow Is Yesterday."

Time Travel on Star Trek.
Captain James T. Kirk must find a way to get his ship and crew home after they are transported back in time after pulling away from the gravity of a black star. Problem is they must also return an air force pilot, they beamed onboard, and he must have no memory of ever meeting people from the future, other wise history will be forever altered.Written by D.C. Fontana.Directed by Michael O'Herlihy.Music Composed and Conducted by Alexander Courage. ... Read more

Amazon.com

It's the supporting players who provide the most watchable performances in the 1969 "Whom Gods Destroy," one of the best episodes from Star Trek's final season on NBC. Running an errand to the planet Elba II, an inhospitable place housing a remote hospital for the hopelessly insane, Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) discover that a longtime patient and Starfleet icon, Captain Garth (Steve Ihnat), has overtaken the facility. Suffering delusions of absolute power, Garth declares himself master of the universe, though his mastery fails to lure the rest of the Enterprise crew into a trap.

With Kirk and Spock subdued prisoners of the brutal Garth, the story opens to Ihnat's flamboyant yet sympathetic performance. You can see behind the character's crazy veneer to the bold starship commander whose exploits fired Kirk's imagination as a cadet. Equally good is Yvonne Craig as Garth's would-be queen, the very sexy Marta, a compulsive killer whose seductive dances, wayward intelligence, and exotic, green skin make her one of the most striking females from the original series. Newbie Trekkers will be happy to know that the story by Lee Erwin and Jerry Sohl clarifies a couple of biographical points about Kirk and Spock, including the captain's own reference to his Starfleet career track before becoming an explorer. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (8)

A lot of filler to complete an episode
The storyline here is a very thin and old one, based on the premise of an insane, but supposedly brilliant man who has grandiose visions of achieving absolute power. In this case, the man (Garth) is a former starship captain who is locked in an insane asylum on a planet with a poisonous atmosphere. The Enterprise arrives at the asylum bearing a medication that supposedly will cure the inmates, a small group who are the only incurably insane people in Federation space. Given that the group also includes a Tellerite, Andorian and a green-skinned woman, that space is indeed large.
Garth has somehow been transformed into a shape-shifter (one of many far-fetched components of the plot), and takes the place of the governor, so when Kirk and Spock beam down, they are easily captured. After several extremely campy scenes, they of course escape and Garth is medicated, apparently on the road to recovery.
Nearly everything about the episode is an attempt to fill the allotted time. While the dance done by the green-skinned woman is very good, it is much longer than it had to be. Spock and Kirk's dialogue is much wordier than usual and the climactic scene where Spock is trying to decide which of the two "Captains" is the real Kirk, goes on much too long, and naturally involves Kirk fighting hand-to-hand. Spock is of course an expert in logic, so all he had to do is come up with a simple question that only the real Kirk would know. Even human students of logic could do that in a matter of seconds.
Garth has also invented an incredibly powerful explosive, so powerful that a single vial could destroy the planet. This would make it more powerful than anti-matter, making it an absurdity. When watching the episode, I wondered why this feature is even included. It is unnecessary, so my belief is that it was included just to fill the time.
Unlike some of the other stinkers of the original series, there is no underlying philosophical theme that makes it more palatable. At least "The Alternative Factor" dealt with the idea of noble acts leading to eternity in purgatory, "The Mark Of Gideon" dealt with overpopulation and "The Empath" had Kirk, Spock and McCoy each willing to die for the others. This one has nothing of that caliber, so it is very close to the worst episode in the original series.

Like Spock's Brain, bad if taken literally, but good as camp
The second of the insane asylum/ penal colony episodes is no better than the first (Dagger of the Mind). The episode has the cold, impersonal feel that was becoming a staple at this point in Trek's run (at least in part attributable to the actors having to act of character [witness the recondite Spock here], the executive producer's let's get this over with approach, and a growing sense that the run was over.) The episode does have some merit as a camp vehicle, and a caricature of Star Trek (over the top acting, silly performance antics, little effort to have the plotline or character motivations make sense). In a sense, the show was simply no longer taking itself seriously. This approach may (I don't know) have begun with Fred Frieberger (who took over as executive producer), but by this point in the third season it had spread to the rest of the team. As in sports, once you go on a losing streak there is a tendency to stop investing yourself in the product. That kind of demoralization and the resulting distance from the material, is a signature of the second half of season 3.

Much of the dialogue here is aimed at obfuscating plot inconsistencies and stretching out the thin storyline; first and second season episodes generally did not feel this way. Plot implausibilities were also reaching absurd proportions. The transporter / password subplot did not make sense on any level, so this ended up being nothing more than a Kirk in danger story. Spock's behavior during the fight scene between the two Kirks likewise was totally irrational (for lack of a better word).

A telling scene has Kirk and Spock seated, with Garth and his cohorts standing behind them. Are the slouching Kirk and Spock's snickering, knowing, and tired expressions aimed at Garth's entourage of misfits, or a way of telling us, the audience, that they relized the product was no longer classic Trek? Most of the make-up, costumes, and equipment are retreads, and the plot too has nothing new to say. As in other third season shows, we have sadism for its own sake. The cruel and childish antics are reminiscent of the recently finished Plato's Stepchildren. But as in the real world, evil for evil's sake would surface all too often in the 3rd season.

In this sense the stylistically trippy 3rd season is actually more realistic than the idealistic 1st season. Oh well, at least this episode's finale holds out some hope for Garth and company's redemption. Too late for the viewer!

Good Acting Performance vs. Poor Story Line
By the third season, Star Trek had pretty much exhausted the main story lines associated with the basic premise of the show which is how mankind copes with the challenge of meeting the unknown in exploring the universe beyond. This problem manifested itself in poor scripts and a general demoralization among the actors, writers and producers of the show. This episode comes from this period of decline, but it noteworthy for the excellent performance by guest star Steven Ihnat who plays the mad Capt Garth of Isar who developes a megalomaniacal obsession with "conquering the galaxy". The associated story line is sometimes ludicrous, but Ihnat keeps the viewers attention with his constantly changing moods, going in moment from devious subtlety to explosive rage. Ihnat was one of the premier guest stars on action/adventure series of the 1960's in which he played both "good guys" and "bad guys" so he was well suited for playing a role like this one. In my opinion, even someone who is not a diehard fan of S T can enjoy this episode.
This episode also contains one of my favorite lines from the series which is said by Garth: "Don't beg Marta, it's degrading!"

Campy Fun But not For Fans
Though true Star Trek fans are appaled at this episode, and I admit in many ways it is just plain dreadful, it is a lot of fun if you don't take it too seriously.

It has a sexy green girl, a crazed mad man, a Tellerite and Andorian...I mean admit it! It's gotta be fun!

It is not intelligent, poetic Trek for what made the show famous, but it is entertaining!

If you watch the shows for deep meaning, you will not enjoy this episode, b ut I don't feel it deserves all the critisism it gets. It is certainly one of the "darker" episodes and one of the last.

Buy at your own risk but it is certainly fun and the ending is a neat little twist.

Kirk encounters a dangerous but really stupid shape shifter
The Enterprise stops by the Maximum Security Asylum on Elba II (cute, huh?) and finds that Garth of Izar, an infamous Starfleet captain who destroyed an entire race, has learned how to alter his appearance and has assumed the face and position of Governor Cory. Locking up Kirk and Spock, Garth changes himself to look like Kirk and tries to take over the Enterprise. "Whom Gods Destroy" is a below average Star Trek episode, especially since Garth's plan can only work if the Enterprise basically has no security measures in place whatsoever. I have children who could program the computer not to let unauthorized characters beam aboard the ship, but that would sure kill a lot of stories on Star Trek. Certainly the idea of a shape shifter running loose on the Enterprise is a good idea, Odo more than proves that on DS9, but beyond his special ability Garth is just pretty stupid for an ex-Starfleet captain. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Tossed In(to) Space
"Second Chance" is a great idea flamboyantly rendered, however silly the result. Painfully bad dialogue only adds to the fun. In fact, the stilted lines kind of befit the amusement-park milieu-artificial thrills, artificial dialogue. In keeping with the theme of facades, writer Louis Morheim's characters all wear emotional masks, while the Joyland flying saucer serves as a front for a REAL flying saucer. Only the Empyrian (the beakless, avian alien) shows his real face, except that everyone thinks it's part of a costume. It isn't, as Mimsy Farmer discovers, to the crew's collective horror, in the episode's best scene. This drama gives us a lot to think about. How many of us, for example, live in houses that are really flying saucers that can take off at any moment? Or cars?

Anyway, Paul Stanley's direction is excellent; Kenneth Peach's lighting is alternately flat and arty; and the acting is pretty good considering the lines the players are stuck with. Great sound effects and superior Dominic Frontiere music. Stick this one in the VCR, close the airlock, and (pun alert) enjoy the ride!

Flying Saucers Stole My High School Football Career!
One of the best premises ever attempted on the show: a carnival flying saucer ride turns out to be the real thing - piloted by a real alien.

Unfortunately, the script is weak, and the characters inconsistent. The alien who converts the ride in order to abduct pre-selected humans is portrayed as benevolent and sympathetic (if ruthless), yet he callously murders a security guard who has the misfortune of stumbling across him at the very start of the story. The dialogue is often trite, and sometimes even unintentionally funny. The situations, once the alien and his abductees are in space, are hackneyed.

The abductees themselves, chosen because they will have the least to leave behind, are an odd lot: a down-on-his-luck shoe salesman with a self-defeatingly unpleasant personality and a long-suffering loyal wife, a vapid teenage socialite, her high school football hero boyfriend and his game-fixing toadie pal, an art student making ends meet as the carny ride conductor, and the acting pilot who happens to be an unknown genius formerly with the Defense Department. Only one or two on the guest list - who end up deciding to make the journey anyway, after the alien reasonably enough decides to return them all and instead ask for volunteers - really make much sense. And the alien's reason for stealing away human beings is not really that plausible.

Still, Second Chance has a lot going for it. It starts well, the implausible murder of the security guard notwithstanding, and manages good suspense for the entire first half. The abduction itself is dramatic. It isn't until the crew are all in space that the story starts really going south.

But even then, there are some wonderful moments, the best of which is when they first awaken from launch blackout to realize that they are "not in Kansas, anymore." The shoe salesman panics and attempts to flee through the airlock, prevented by the quicker-witted "stewardess" of the flight, who forcefully makes him realize, "That's space, out there! It's real!" And he sadly - and believably - pitiably whines, "But why...why is it all real...?"

Second Chance Deserves One
This is not the sexiest episode in the Outer Limits series, nor is it the episode which best represents the series' enduring strengths and virtues. It is, however, a well written, well acted, and completely enjoyable story of a group of people who, for individual reasons, desperately need a second chance at life after bungling their first attempt, but don't quite realize this until they are on their way to another galaxy.

Suprising
A group of people get on a space ride and it turns out to be the real thing. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

the laughing spaceman
The Chameleon is usually dismissed as a well written tale brought down by low budget and poor effects. I must say i found the effects (mainly an alien makeup) completely satisfactory, the apparently low budget didn't make it any less convincing for me. But then again, i'm a Doctor Who fan. Who watches 60's scifi tv for effects anyway?
Of all the mature, psychologically convincing Outer Limits episodes i find this one of the very best. The story is tight and very original, Robert Duvall's Mace is unforgettable. In fact he is a very modern character: a guy who despises himself and finds meaning in life only by throwing himself into any extreme job. Unlike Robert Culp's character in The Architects of Fear, who goes through a similar ordeal suffering for a greater good, Mace gets KICKS out of his sacrifice.
The only trouble i see in this episode-if you accept the effects-is that the acting job rests almost completely on Duvall. The rest of the cast seems a bit clumsy. And oh yeah, the version i saw had NO BARFIGHT IN THE BEGINNING. Thank's a lot, Scifi-Channel!

CIA Agent Defects - to the Stars!
A small cast and a smaller budget convincingly pull off this clever story.

A flying saucer has landed near an Air Force base. It doesn't answer our hails, and one expeditionary team sent to investigate it has been vaporized by the saucer's alien occupants. The base colonel wants to blow it up, but his Intelligence advisor tells him their measurements indicate the saucer has enough combustible elements aboard "to make Hiroshima look like a bonfire, if it's hit." They have a longshot idea to figure out the means and motives of the elusive aliens: send in an undercover agent.

Enter Robert Duvall as agent Louis Mace, a former assassin compromised from further work in the Intelligence game, but whose life is an empty shell without his work. Through a recombinant DNA trick, Mace is temporarily turned into one of the aliens, and given a cover story to gain entrance to the saucer.

But once aboard, the Intelligence team have a little problem on their hands: Mace seems to want to go native with the aliens; they can't be sure that the process they used to transform him hasn't really contributed one more to the aliens' number.

Good script, passable effects, great cast. Wonderfully produced on a shoestring budget.

You too can write Sci-Fi ...
By the story the way it's written I COULD WRITE SCI-FI ... in fact all you need to do is know how to WRITE period. I like Robert Duvall in this, not as good as TZ's "Miniture" starring Duvall but with the way this material is written ... what can you expect?

First, before watching this fastforward the video (or laser disc, like I have) for 15 minutes. Why? Because the first 15 minutes are just general FLUFF used to stretch this out to an HOUR!

Second, the story. The scientists will make Mr. Duvall into an alien (EXACTLY like the ones that landed) and chase him into the alien ship in hopes the real aliens will embrace him? And Duvall is supposed to say to the aliens, I do not know my origin, but I've been on earth for a while? Plain ridiculous on every count. Even SCI-Fi needs boundaries and limits ... even in the Outer Limits.

Thirdly, the masks used would have looked good in 1950 ... I don't care what kind of a budget they had ... the look of those creatures is too hammy.

Alien camouflage
"The race of Man is known for its mutability. We can change our moods, our faces, our lives to suit whatever situation confront us. Adapt and survive. Even among the most changeable of living things, Man is quicksilver-more chameleon-like than the chameleon, determined to survive, no matter what the cost to others... or to himself." A C.I.A. agent uses an alien-like mercenary in order to penetrate a mysterious flying saucer and obtain informations with a hidden audio camera. Pre-"Vera Cruz" Henry Brandon is stubborn and skeptical General Crawford who dislikes unconventional C.I.A. manners. Howard Caine is C.I.A. agent Leon Chambers who tries to convince his military colleage ("Only an insane scheme has any chance of working, right now !"). Pre-"The Wild Wild West" Douglas Henderson, from "The architects of fear", is sensitive Dr. Tillyard who turns Mace into an alien due to a sample of skin. Pre-"The inheritors" Robert Duvall is undercover agent Louis Mace who is a quiet, lonely ("Between missions, I cease to exist...") and resigned drunk misfit living in Mexico. And the most important scene remains the killing at the Mexican bar which shows two paramount sides of Mace. He is a stone-cold killer ("But being ugly is better than being nothing...") and a warm-hearted man towards a poor musician whose guitar has been destroyed. The fixing of the guitar becomes Mace's last obsession. The scene I like the most is when General Crawford says to Chambers about Mace : "You, Intelligents people operate in a strange and devious ways. You find a derelict for this job !" Then you see Mace's face with a blind lighting effect. The last important detail is Mace's crazy laugh which indicates the change of his mind. As in most episodes, the main character undergoes a temporary state of schizophrenia. Finally, the transformation chamber and UFO surroundings are eery-enough. An episode directed by Gerd Oswald, written by Robert Towne with peace-loving monsters, that I'm very fond of, and I always thought it was a two-parter show (due to Mace's character). "A man's survival can take many shapes, and the shape in which a man finds his humanity is not always a human one."

Exelent FX
An alein spacecraft lands in a forest. The peoplehave one question, are they friend or foe? ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Evil Space Aliens Abducted My Neighborhood!
One of OL's all-time best. It even has better-than-usual sets and effects, having been filmed early in the season before the budget dried up.

The humanoid inhabitants of the technologically superior planet Luminos abduct an entire neighborhood of humans from Earth, transplanting them for study to test their viability as slaves. The first half of the episode is spent with the characters gradually coming to realize they're "not in Kansas, anymore." By the time they find out what's going on, they're beyond help - but not beyond hope.

The only drawbacks to this episode are its sheer talkiness (mostly unavoidable, since a lot of exposition has to be dispensed with in a short period), diminished suspense by the revelation from the outset of the abduction (and its purpose), and the curious lack of any children in the stolen neighborhood.

Aside from that, it's richly atmospheric and often downright frightening. The milieu throughout is eerie as hell, shadowy figures moving in and out of a pervasive fog, odd goings-on, strange sights and sounds...the feeling of actually being on another planet is exceedingly well-done. The performances are uniformly excellent. And the finale is the most moving of the entire series.

The new OL remade this one, which is not as good as the original.

At their best when things were worst
Joseph Stefano suggested that A Feasibility Study was the most humanistic of Outer Limit Episodes. He's probably right. In a series in which aliens were actually the more sympathetic characters in many cases, here they are decidedly malignant. The Luminoids abduct an entire neighborhood from Beverly Hills (though their ship looks as though salt should be pouring out of it), and bring the unsuspecting inhabitants to their world so that humans can serve as their slaves, and do their physical labor. The Luminoids suffer from the effects of a progressive disease that turns them into immobile stone-like lumps. The title refers to their effort to see if a small sample of humans will prove resistant to the disease and make planet-wide abduction and slavery feasible. While some of the initial human abductees accidentally get exposed to the disease and contract the disorder, it seems enough would survive to make the experiment work, UNLESS, someone spits in the test tube. That's the ultimate decision/solution that confronts the humans. They know they can't save themselves, but they can make the experiment fail by intentionally exposing themselves to the disease.
While some of the dialogue and interaction is schmaltzy, especially the overly-intellectualized discussion about bringing more children into a troubled world, there are also brilliant moments in the screenplay. The interaction between Ralph and Rhea (David Opatashu and Joyce Van Patten) is both grating and comical ("Really, Ralph!" "When you say that, it sounds like 'Mealy Mouth!'"). The whole experiment and abduction plan are exposed when a teenaged Luminoid disobeys orders and snoops around, acting just like a whiny Earth adolescent.
The final moments of the episode, where the gathered inhabitants all agree (some more reluctantly than others) to take the suicidal step of exposing themselves intentionally to the disease to spoil the experiment is one of the most moving I've ever seen on television. I first saw it in the OL's first run in 1964, when I was 5. The scene in which Sam Wannamaker says, "I'm going to take my wife's hand. Won't someone please take mine" is still moving, nearly 40 years later. Stefano's opinion about this being the most humanistic episode of the OL (though ironically the decision is reached in a church, and the first person to take the hands of the afflicted, outside of their spouses, was the priest)is exemplified by the final narration from the control voice: "It could have happened anywhere. It did happen here. It would have happened everywhere, had they been less brave. Had they been less-human". Bravo!

It's a Wonderful Episode.
"A Fesability Study" is one of the more experimental outings for the classic "Outer Limits" first season. And it succeeds on all counts.

I'll dispense with a synopsis and just say that it's one of the more intense and enjoyable shows. The final speech and joining of hands is wonderful. A shame that such innocence & simplicity are considered passe for today's tv fare.

One interesting note. The special effects used at the beginning of the show, particularly the journey through the stars, comes from earlier films. Although it is mixed in with original effects at times. Note when the narration starts and we see a moon-like planitoid pass closely by. That footage is from "It's a Wonderful Life". You can tell by the 'galaxies' in the distance.

One of the good episodes
"The Outer Limits" was a very inconsistent show. The bad episodes were barely above the quality of a 50's b-movie, and were basically excuses to put a monster made for about [money] on the screen. The good episodes, however, could be intelligent, poingant and exciting all at the same time. "A Feasability Study" is one of the good ones, arguably the best.

Although the plot is well described in other reviews, a synopsis really could not do this episode justice. Although the characters do a fair amount of talking their interactions give depth to their personalities and weight to their feelings. This allows the viewer to be drawn in and genuinely feel for their plight. Unlike most OL aliens the Luminoids are decidedly villians, their arrogance and cynicism being made very clear. Yet even they evoke a measure of sympathy, as viewers can imagine the horror the Luminoids must live with, knowing that once they become adults they will become immobile, forever. The conclusion is heartwrenching, but also inspiring. I have found few stories, regardless of their medium, which evoked such a perfect balance.

It is episodes like this one that have established the original Outer Limits as one of the best treatments of the sci-fi genre that television undertook. Even after almost 40 years its ability to stimulate the mind while simulateously touching the heart has yet to be duplicated.

An excellent OL classic, scary and poignant
"A Feasibility Study" is a finely-wrought masterpiece, one of many from the cellars of classic OL. This episode illustrates the sadder-but-wiser, paradoxically uplifting tragedy type of sci-fi drama that typified some of the best installments of the series. On the one hand, the ending is downbeat. Yet the focus is firmly upon the human capacity for virtue, to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, the ability to overcome against all odds--even a powerful, implacable alien intelligence that views earthly life with a cold and uncaring eye. Also, in the grand OL tradition, this is an excellent scare show that delivers the goods. The Luminoids are stuff of which nightmares are made, intensified by the pathology that ultimately paralyzes them and gives rise to their designs on our species. Story credibility is heightened by the fact that the earthlings are not the only ones suffering. The humans' altruistic solution to the alien menace saves our species from a fate we don't even dream of as we lay sleeping peacefully, and is all the more poignant because the sacrifice of the heroic few will never be sung. And what overcomes the aliens' malign intentions also patches up the troubled marriage of the husband/wife protagonists, a stirring and characteristically OL element that beautifully showcases the economy, humanity, and essential brilliance of the scenario. This is typical of the kind of mature, thoughtful, and highly entertaining storytelling routinely served up each week by the greatest science fiction show ever to emerge from the land of television (--Stephen King, if I recall correctly). PS. Weighing in on a debate among reviewers below, can we get it right? The alien ship resembles a bronzed badminton birdie ! "Really, Ralph!" ... Read more

Amazon.com

"Shore Leave" was written by a literary giant in science fiction, Theodore Sturgeon. The story concerns a break in the action for the Enterprise crew, nearly all of whom beam down to the surface of an Eden-like planet for shore leave, where they find that everyone's wish comes true. Individuals from crew members' pasts turn up, fantasies of romance or heroism are instantly realized--and if it all seems too good to be true, it is. In time, the dark side of this dream shows itself when people start getting killed. This episode emerges from the trippier side of Star Trek and very cleverly sheds light on the personalities of the show's major characters by making their dreams manifest. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Jimmy me boy!
I find this episode, in which anything that pops into one's mind is almost immediately realized, to be funny, entertaining, and original. Certainly much of the material is very hoaky, but it's never good to watch Trek with too critical an eye. This episode's premise also introduced a flexibility which helped flesh out some of the characters. Examples include the look at Kirk's academy days and McCoy's waggish ways with the ladies here. Overall, an off-beat and upbeat tone prevails, despite the episode's substantial (if temporary) negative twist.

That's absolutely strange!
This movie is really fun to watch. It's really strange to think things that you fantasize, and all of a sudden they just appear out of nowhere. Remember the Twilight Zone episodes? I like this movie because it's absolutely fun to watch. I also like the intense moments, like Kirk engaged in a fist fight with Finegan, and MCCoy getting run through with a lance. I highly recommend this episode to future Star Trek fans.

Long before holodecks.....
This episode takes you to a planet where the crew of the Enterprise is supposed to relax. They do everything but..
Kirk and company are chased by the things they fear most. It's a planet who has a computer which can read people's most inner thoughts. It was interesting to see that McCoy came from a Southern background. Something I didn't know until watching the episode. It has a few tense moments...like McCoy getting jousted by a knight in armor. It was anther one of those supercomputers that alters reality thing....

Light Hearted story on Star Trek.
The crew start seeing people and things while on shore leave on a distant planet that is supposed to be uninhabited. Bones sees Alice and the Rabbit from "Alice in Wonderland", Sulu finds a 1930's style gun, and other members of the crew see a flock of ducks, a tiger, and a World War II style aircraft fighter. Who or what is causing these things to appear? The answer is a surprisingly simple one at the end. Written by Theodore Sturgeon. Directed by Robert Sparr. Music Composed and Conducted by Gerald Fried!

Shore leave on a planet where the impossible keeps happening
The Enterprise makes the fateful decision to enjoy "Shore Leave" at a planet in the Omicr