"The Omega Glory" Full Reaction! - Star Trek: The Original Series Season 2
Added 2024-07-06 05:33:12 +0000 UTCSorry for this being late! I lost track of the days!
Comments
You so missed what this episode was about. They did indeed mirror the earth and it's populations independently. Fascinating, and more beautiful and fit women to enjoy ๐๐
Anthony Silva
2024-07-28 09:13:48 +0000 UTCI think Woodward's performance as well as the hilarity of the flag/National Anthem appearance are my favorite parts about this episode.
bunnytails
2024-07-15 06:13:30 +0000 UTCNo comment. Saving my quatloos for the next episode, "The Ultimate Computer".
Mark Gosine
2024-07-12 02:09:29 +0000 UTCI'm late in watching this reaction, due to RL, and a lot of what I could say HAS already been said by others, so I'll keep this brief. :) Great timing with this coming out just after the 4th of July! I really like this episode, plot problems and heavy patriotic feelings aside. It's a little above average for me. Great performance again by Morgan Woodward as Captain Tracey, who really steels the whole show. Not only was this episode written during a time when a lot of people were losing faith and questioning the US government and the country as a whole war (the late 60's were bad times all around), but also when the threat of nuclear and biological war was always a constant fear. In this episode the writers tried to both to remind Americans of the good things to live for, and the dangers of what would happen if the Cold War got too heated, As for how this planet developed in line with Earth to get the US Constitution and the US Flag, you can look at it two ways: Star Trek reason: This is another 'Parallel Earth' of which there was a number of them, where conditions developed the same but the world took a different path then what happened on Earth in Star Trek. Real reason: This episode could be done on the cheap if they just made things to mirror Earth. (While it's amazing how GOOD The Original Series is overall considering the constant shoestring budget they were operating on, thank God the later shows actually had healthy budgets!) I do find it strange that the Essex wouldn't have been reported missing in the last six months -- unless they were and the Enterprise was sent to their last known location to look into it? The show didn't actually say this, but I think it's the most likely story. Finally, I totally agree with what Kirk said at the end -- the Federation believes in many written declarations just like the ones found in the US Constitution, and what the Constitution says needs to apply to everyone or it applies to no one -- all people on Earth should have the basic freedoms and rights that the document grants. It's easy to loose sight of that.
Greg Polander
2024-07-07 20:08:59 +0000 UTCIt helps to know that the Godfather movies are a lot more loaded than the original Star Trek series. You may want some heads up of what to look for in the last two Godfather films to fully understand and enjoy them without spoiling them.
Erwin Quiachon
2024-07-07 19:11:53 +0000 UTCVery patriotic episode. Loved the look Kirk gives to Old Glory at the end, even though Shatner is from Canada, and no joke on the bridge to wrap it up. Maybe they were concerned about the awkward plot device. I like the Prime Directive eps in general for a glimpse inside the federation. Having Kirk and Tracey quoting to each other is something armed forces veteran Gene Roddenberry was clearly fond of and used to lighten the mood. During this period in history, the Prime Directive is flexible. It allows you to beam down to the surface in uniform and with a phaser hanging from your belt. In later series they go to the planet using cloaking devices. I never knew until bunnytails reacts that Van Gelder and Tracey were acted by the same person. Van Gelder is a small part compared to Captain Tracey. Tracey is fun to watch. Van Gelder gets gaslit, then they leave a guy who's not well in charge of the planet. Also the evil doctor in Dagger of the Mind is played by James Gregory, one of my favorite actors! This episode is a lot of fun. They are in post-apocalypse Planet of the Apes territory: a nice bit of alternate history.
William Terry
2024-07-07 01:40:37 +0000 UTCDespite the glaring cultural implausibilities displayed in the final act, this has always been a guilty pleasure of mine, almost entirely due to Morgan Woodward's superb performance as the unhinged Captain Tracey (albeit, differently unhinged than his previous role as Dr. Van Gelder), because otherwise it's a hash of questionable racial stereotypes with a howler of an ending, all written by Gene Roddenberry. (Weirdly, this was one of the original three stories submitted to be the second pilot. Can you imagine the show getting picked up if they'd made this instead of "Where No Man Has Gone Before"?) Aside from Morgan Woodward, we have another returning actor: Ed McCready, in his fourth TOS appearance, as the Exeter's chief medical officer. He had non-speaking roles in "Dagger of the Mind" (seen as the first "patient" in the neural neutralizer, aka the Chair of Death) and "Patterns of Force" (as an Ekosian Nazi soldier), but had a memorable scene in "Miri" as the deranged mutant that attacked McCoy for touching the broken tricycle. Vincent McEveety directed all of McCready's episodes (and there's one more to come). This episode is notable for a costuming error that eventually led to an erroneous theory shared by many Trek fans, and even alluded to in some canonical publications. During production, costume designer William Ware Theiss took the initiative to provide the Exeter with its own insignia. Unfortunately, it was established in the first season episode "Court Martial" that all Starfleet officers serving aboard starships wear the 'arrowhead/delta' insignia seen regularly on the show. Co-producer Robert H. Justman noted the new emblem while watching dailies and consulted Roddenberry about the discrepancy. Roddenberry confirmed Justman's suspicions, thus leading to one of the best memos Justman ever wrote (and he wrote plenty of them). However, this memo was only made public fairly recently. In its absence, fans created individual insignia for the remaining known Constitution-class ships, entire patch sets of which can be found online. Last August, an article at StarTrek.com (https://www.startrek.com/news/starfleet-insignia-explained) alluded to the Justman memo and broke down every instance in which a different emblem was seen. An even more comprehensive article on the subject can be found at Fact Trek (https://www.facttrek.com/blog/emblematic) for those who are still interested and haven't already fallen asleep during my overly-long comment. Enjoy/wake up!
Lee
2024-07-06 19:54:53 +0000 UTCYes you spotted Morgan Woodard who had played Dr. VanGelder. He is one of several actors who appeared more than once as different characters over the three seasons of Star Trek. Woodward was also known for playing Texas oilman Punk Anderson one of J.R. Ewingโs buddies in โDallas.โ He just died in 2019 at age of 93. This episode is sort of a parallel to another parallel โMiriโ in season one, which had a duplicate of Earth, where the inhabitants were working on a bacteriological agent to extend life.
Dave Riley
2024-07-06 19:51:28 +0000 UTCThanks for sharing in Discord!
bunnytails
2024-07-06 19:28:53 +0000 UTCI think if they handled it the way you said, with things being similar but not exactly the same, it would have thrown me off less. I wonder if they were worried the audience wouldn't quite catch on if they did it that way, though. I really have not watched Dagger of the Mind since the initial viewing and edit, but yeah. Morgan Woodward did leave a big enough impression on me in that episode!
bunnytails
2024-07-06 19:27:49 +0000 UTCAlright, thanks! I'll keep it in mind moving forward :)
bunnytails
2024-07-06 19:24:02 +0000 UTCOkay, we can talk about it when the time comes then :D
bunnytails
2024-07-06 19:23:33 +0000 UTCI am happy to hear that! Season 2 will be going out on a high note!
bunnytails
2024-07-06 19:23:07 +0000 UTCGlad to hear it!
bunnytails
2024-07-06 19:22:04 +0000 UTCI'll echo SuicSune Sol: this is a timely episode - and, I'll add, in more ways than one. J. Scott Phillips pretty much sums it up for me: it's too bad they didn't or coudn't go the extra mile and slightly alter the U.S. flag, etc, just to help us suspend our disbelief. That said, I love the idea and the plot - yes, it's another Earth parallel episode, but, still, it's done very well. I absolutely love Vincent McEveety's direction, camera moves and angles (the pan from McCoy's hand as he changes his mind and reaches for the glass of water for example). Also, nice catch, Bunny: yes, Morgan Woodward was Doctor Simon Van Gelder and is now back, this time as Capt. Tracey. Who directed "Dagger of the Mind" ? Vincent McEveety : )
Skyman's Follies
2024-07-06 18:21:04 +0000 UTCHow about a count of how many of those dead redshirts turned up in later episodes? I can think of a few off the top of my head.
Lee
2024-07-06 17:16:06 +0000 UTCIt's a great story, Bunny. It was a different time socially and in Hollywood doing TV shows. I always like to put this up on July 4th, for me ,being a veteran, Navy, Submarines and such. Yeppers, took a bit o' the twist,eh? I'll put it in the Discord Star Trek ๐ฅน
timothy w moyer
2024-07-06 13:28:28 +0000 UTCI always felt the weakness of this episode was trying to suggest the parallels of the American flag, the Pledge of Allegiance and the Constitution were anything other than just plain silly. If only they could have made the same point without those things all being so exact. Couldn't the flag have been similar but a bit different? Couldn't the words of the Pledge and Constitution meant basically the same thing, but worded differently? And maybe, just maybe... not in perfect English? Granted, the TV production needed to get the idea across quickly, but it is just too on-the-nose to be believable. BUT ... besides the goofy parallels, the story itself is pretty good. The idea of the disease, the natural immunity of the people, Tracy's mistaken interpretation of the medical facts, ALL good stuff. If only they hadn't gone for the silly American duplication, I think this episode would have scored much higher by consensus. James Doohan must not have been available for this episode. I always thought it was odd that, if Kirk's first step was to beam into a dead starship's engineering section, he wouldn't take Scotty. Or why wasn't Scotty left in command of the Enterprise, at least? But Sulu did a great job, and deserves an accommodation for his handling of the mission! A loose thread... it seems Kirk left behind a perfectly operational starship! I guess we have to assume Star Fleet will send someone else out to the Exeter home. And I guess the Enterprise must have taken Tracy into custody to drop him off at a staircase somewhere for court martial? Good job on spotting Morgan Woodward from "Dagger of the Mind"! Not sure how many times you've watched THAT episode in order to remember his face so many episodes later. For watching these shows for the first time ever, you always seem to have great, detailed recall. When I was a kid, Viewmaster came out with its Star Trek 3-D set of stereo slides shot on set during this episode. I was always disappointed they hadn't shot one of the more shipboard-based episodes, like The Ultimate Computer for instance (coming up soon in your reviews, I hope!). But now, I always imagine The Omega Glory in 3-D whenever I see it. But anyway... rambling again! So sorry! See you next time!
J. Scott Phillips
2024-07-06 12:44:41 +0000 UTCIn the second season writer's guide, they posited that worlds we visit have undergone "parallel development" with Earth. This allowed for the use of period costumes and props from the studio warehouse, in an effort to cut some costs. You'll see it even moreso in some upcoming episodes. So yes, we are meant to accept that there was no previous Federation interference in this episode, the civilization just developed in a parallel fashion to that of Earth.
Mike Collins
2024-07-06 09:51:32 +0000 UTCOk, there is some subtle context that "may" explain how the US Constitution showed up on a random planet... However, I will not expound on this because talking about would be a spoiler from The Next Generation. NO SPOILERS!!!
Carlos Stevens
2024-07-06 08:30:03 +0000 UTCRed Shirt Count: 15. Alas.
Carlos Stevens
2024-07-06 07:51:09 +0000 UTCSigh...First Mafia... then Space Amoebas... Then Space Nazis... now Space Americans... sigh... given the state of Science Fiction back in the 60s.... OK... I understand. (Love me some '60s Sci Fi)
Carlos Stevens
2024-07-06 07:39:24 +0000 UTCFun episode, really enjoyed watching with you!๐ฐ๐
ded cowbowee
2024-07-06 07:11:58 +0000 UTCVery timely release considering we had July 4th yesterday. Star Trek TOS loves to do the "parallel Earth story" way too often. In this case, they took it to the extreme and had the US flag, Constitution, etc. develop on a foreign planet in exactly the same way with the exact same words. The odds are so astronomically low so as to be virtually impossible. This episode unfortunately makes lists for the top 10 worst episodes in the series, so don't worry if you weren't really impressed by it. Thankfully, the last three episodes of the season are much better.
SuicuneSol
2024-07-06 07:03:18 +0000 UTCBill Crystall did this!๐
ded cowbowee
2024-07-06 06:21:20 +0000 UTC
