Star Trek: The Original Series - "Operation -- Annihilate!" Full Reaction!
Added 2024-01-19 18:00:09 +0000 UTCWatch along with your own copy of the episode by syncing up with me!
Comments
I guess we all have our own peeves. Personally, I never noticed or worried about props being re-used, but I can see how it might be an annoyance to some.
bunnytails
2024-09-05 18:00:38 +0000 UTCYou are so funny. I love your reactions! Remember, the purpose of the show was to tell entertaining stories, in under an hour, on very tight weekly schedules and with an extremely limited budget. So just enjoy the story! But it's okay to be bugged, too, on the side. For me, I am bugged by the re-use of props. In this episode, for example, you see the medical decompression chamber and a couple of hibetnation beds from Space Seed, Spock getting the light blast sits in the torture chair from Dagger of the Mind, etc. Later on you can look forward to Horta eggs in Main Engineering! And with all the super spacey stuff like acrylic clubs and tongs, why did Spock put the creature sample in a vintage 1967 red metal toolbox? FYI, this was filmed on the not-yet-open campus of UC Irvine in Orange County, California. And, while I very much enjoy this episode, I still don't entirely trust fried eggs, and I always keep an eye on them in case they fly around and try to sting me in the back. Oh, this probably appears later on in the comments but it's late and I need to get to bed, so knowing this is almost certainly redundant.... in 'What Are Little Girls Made Of?" Reak Kirk: "But what about memory? Tell me about Sam." Duplicate Andriod Kirk: "Your Brother, George Samuel Kirk. Only you call him Sam." Real Kirk: "He saw me off on this mission." D.A. Kirk: "Yes, with his wfe and three sons." Real Kirk: "He said he was being transferred to Earth Colony 2 Research Station." D.A. Kirk: "No,Captain. He said he was continuing his research and that he WANTED to be transferred to Earth Colony 2." Okay, so now you can let THIS bother you: WHY WASN'T CAPTAIN KIRK CONCERNED ABOUT SAM'S TWO OTHER SONS???!!?!? Sorry. I couldn't resist. *chuckle*
John DiGiantomasso
2024-09-01 05:34:53 +0000 UTCWalter Koenig's first appearance as Ensign Chekov is in the season two episode "Catspaw." So don't worry, you didn't miss him.
Lee
2024-01-23 05:00:37 +0000 UTCThis is how I feel with a lot of these episodes. Someone can say why they like or hate a particular episode and I can see where they are coming from, even if my own opinion still holds true for me.
bunnytails
2024-01-20 22:19:48 +0000 UTCWait, did he? I guess I forgot because I saw him in season 2 and was like "FINALLY HE'S HERE" whoops?
bunnytails
2024-01-20 22:14:14 +0000 UTCHehehe. Vulcan body saves the day again!
bunnytails
2024-01-20 22:13:37 +0000 UTCI won't :)
bunnytails
2024-01-20 22:13:00 +0000 UTCI think it will be great to talk about/mention the episodes after I watch them, and not before. :)
bunnytails
2024-01-20 22:12:50 +0000 UTCOhh neat!
bunnytails
2024-01-20 22:12:08 +0000 UTCOhhh yes! You're right, I remember that now!
bunnytails
2024-01-20 22:11:47 +0000 UTCYou're right, they probably had lots of difficulties and I am happy we got all the episodes that we did, even if some aren't as good as others :)
bunnytails
2024-01-20 22:11:35 +0000 UTCI have such mixed feelings about this episode. On one hand I really want to like it. We get more about Spock's mental abilities, some lore on Kirk's family, a fair amount of phasers phasering, sciencey stuff, the off-ship stuff shot on location and not a sound stage or the middle of the desert, and the amoebas and the concept aren't really any more silly than a lot of things we've seen so far. On the other hand a lot of dialogue and writing choices, acting, music cues etc feel somewhat off to me. Almost a little..."try hard," if that makes sense. Forced, even. And I say that as someone who has a very high tolerance for campyness and the way these things tend to be different from modern tv. Still, I always kinda want to cringe a little when I watch it. All of that to say I honestly don't know how to rank this one. Someone could make a case to me for anything from bottom of the barrel to near top tier and I'd probably go "yeah, I can see that" lol Honestly, just a complete question mark from me π But it's Star Trek so of course I'll still love it on some level. Till next time, B.
Absolute0
2024-01-20 06:45:59 +0000 UTCThis is the first episode where Lieutenant Chekhov appeared. I had heard that he became a thing because the Russians were the first to launch a manned mission into space and they (the Russians bellyached about it.)
Carlos Stevens
2024-01-20 06:23:26 +0000 UTCAh yes, this episode. "I'm quite blind." ~Four minutes later.~ "Oh it was temporary."
SuicuneSol
2024-01-20 06:16:20 +0000 UTCCool... lets convince Bunny to watch it (I think she will). @Bunny... FYI the cartoon series came out before the Star Trek Movies. Lets keep production order a thing.
Carlos Stevens
2024-01-20 06:11:39 +0000 UTCI've never seen that actually. I wouldn't mind watching it for the first time with her.
SuicuneSol
2024-01-20 06:05:04 +0000 UTCNo dude... no I am not. So many memes came from that episode. I am so keeping my mouth shut about it. Let use allow Bunny discover the Star Trek Universe on her own. Dude..just talking about it...I have to watch the episode again.
Carlos Stevens
2024-01-20 05:06:27 +0000 UTCTo answer your over thinking question... There are bigger and much worse things in the Star Trek Universe to worry about than a space amoeba.
Carlos Stevens
2024-01-20 05:03:34 +0000 UTCaaaaaaaa, bunny... IMHO, this episode was a setup for Season 2, Episode 1.
Carlos Stevens
2024-01-20 05:00:06 +0000 UTCOne cell giant single celled organism.... I'm just going to clamp my mouth shut. about it like an Aldebron Shell Mouth.
Carlos Stevens
2024-01-20 04:43:11 +0000 UTCBunny is watching the episodes in production order, not by airdate. I suspect you're thinking of a different episode.
Lee
2024-01-20 03:50:17 +0000 UTCOMG Bunny PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, do not neglect the Star Trek Cartoon from the '70s. It is Awesome!
Carlos Stevens
2024-01-20 03:45:28 +0000 UTCSeason 2 Episode 1....Epic. Clamping my mouth shut about it... Sorry Bunny if that is a spoiler for you, but I've got a lot to say about it.
Carlos Stevens
2024-01-20 03:43:33 +0000 UTCDude... about the Orien women... shhhhhh.
Carlos Stevens
2024-01-20 03:36:43 +0000 UTCWHHHAAATTTTT!!! I never new that! I'm going to have to look closer as I watch it now.
Carlos Stevens
2024-01-20 03:35:21 +0000 UTCOne small trivia note: the actor playing Sam was William Shatner with a fake mustache! True story. My favorite reaction was to "The Menagerie." Not to discount my enjoyment of your first-time reactions, but watching you anticipate certain moments previously seen in "The Cage" ("The women!") was priceless. I certainly hope we'll get to see your take on an Orion woman someday.
Lee
2024-01-20 00:17:46 +0000 UTCBunny, Sam was mentioned in "What are Little Girls Made of" When Dr. Corby created the android Kirk, and demonstated how he had the same abilities and memories of the real Kirk. Kirk asked his android self, "Tell me about Sam" The android answered "George Samuel Kirk your brother only you call him Sam."
Dave Riley
2024-01-19 22:14:58 +0000 UTCGood stuff, Bunny. I think with Star Trek the original series, the great thing about it was, even with "bad" episodes, there was still 100% commitment between the actors, music, lighting, editing etc and so you could still have great scenes existing inside of a so-so episode. Even the general concept of this episode is pretty intriguing to me, so I think the writers should be given their due credit as well. It had to be so difficult, in 1967, to pull off these "mini-movies", every week, with a six-day shooting schedule, making something no one had ever tried before and still end up with only a handful of logic-holes. Not to mention they had NBC breathing down their neck re: falling ratings. I don't know how they did it. Kind of a miracle, I guess. Thanks for making these great videos. I know others have already said it, but re-watching these with you is like seeing them for the first time again and I've had a blast going through Season 1 with you. Not only do I get to re-watch these timeless shows again, but I get to see some moments from a completely knew perspective and that's what's really eye-opening to me. For example, when you choked-up at the end of "The Menagerie" I think I finally saw how emotionally powerful that episode was. I mean, I aways liked it, but now I see it in a new way, as I do a lot of these episodes. I'm sure it will be the way with Seasons 2 & 3. Cheers! : )
Skyman's Follies
2024-01-19 21:52:57 +0000 UTCFirst off, Bunny, congrats on finishing the first season! I'm glad you decided you want to do a recap of your top episodes from this season, as I'd love to hear it, and also compare your picks to mine. As one of the people who voted for Wrath of Khan, I take full responsibility for what happened. LOL So your right that this episode was recorded on a campus -- a aerospace engineering campus, actually. The planet scenes were recorded at Space Park located at Redondo Beach California. President Kennedy and the Apollo 13 astronauts also gave famous speeches here, and other episodes of TV shows such as Outer Limits filmed here as well. I really do like this episode -- it's about middle of the pack for me. Yes, I had the same problems with the episode that you did, but they didn't bother me as much. I think everyone was so emotional in this episode over what was happening -- Kirk losing his brother, McCoy over being unable to help Spock -- that they did things outside their training and 'normal' reactions, and went with their gut feelings, not making the 'best' or most rational choices. And Spock of course, being as logical as he was, was pushing for this to happen. So that's how I explain it anyway. Really good acting from Kirk, McCoy, Spock, and Scotty in this episode, along with a cool idea of the aliens. I always saw them as 'parasites', traveling across the galaxy, taking over a planet and controlling the people there, forcing them to help them spread, and so on. It's not established yet in Star Trek canon but Vulcan has a red very hot sun and a harsh desert like climate. So the explanation about the 'inner eye lid' is fine with me as something that would evolve there to help the Vulcan people out. I would say 'Alternative Factor' was the weakest episode of the first season for me, but like you, I'm pretty easy going and there's really nothing in Star Trek that I 'hate', just like I don't hate anything in Star Wars or many other franchises. I just think some things are better then others. Looking forward to you starting Season 2!
Gregory Polander
2024-01-19 20:01:28 +0000 UTCSo glad you enjoyed it! You see things I never did the first time
Open Horizon
2024-01-19 19:23:59 +0000 UTC
