"Star Trek, Vol. 19: Changeling / Apple (Full Screen)"

The Apple-This episode, in which the crew beams down to a 'pre-fall' planet where the lizard-god still controls his followers, is an unpleasant surprise. Star Trek was in the middle of a strong rhythm that was broken by this silly episode. I suppose the basic biblical premise is OK, but it doesn't go anywhere. The planet is just a vehicle for red-shirt carnage, and none of the guest actors are convincing in their admittedly silly roles. I suppose the question of whether these people will be better off after their paradise is lost is an interesting one, but unlike in Who Mourns for Adonais?, the question is not taken up here. Basically just a half-hearted, 3rd season-like show, but without the trippy style many of the later shows at least contributed. (1.5 stars)

THE CHANGELING © PRELIMINARY BRIEFS:

Moral, Ethical, and/or Philosophical Subject(s) Driven Into The Ground: Man vs. Machine / Inperfection

Historical Milestone: The first temporary death of a core character (Scotty™); Spock™'s first mind-meld with a machine life-form

Notable Gaffe/Special Defect: In a few of the long shots of Nomad™, you can just make out the line that keeps him 'suspended' in mid-air.

Expendable Enterprise™ Crewmember ('Red Shirt') Confirmed Casualty List: Four dead

REVIEW/COMMENTARY: Out of all the Kirk™-outwitting-the-computer-by-talking-it-to-death episodes, this one is likely the most notable. It also was something of an inspiration to Star Trek: The Motion Picture (and you thought ST:TMP was uninspired!) with the whole The-Enterprise™-crew-must-stop-a-senitent-machine-trying-to-return-to-the-planet-of-its-creators-AKA-Earth-and-eliminate-all-imperfect-lifeforms scenario. Fortunately, unlike its big-screen clone, The Changeling™ isn't chock-full of overlong special effects sequences, nor does it lack primary colors. Bottom line: if you're thinkin' of taking a look at ST:TMP, just watch this eppie instead. You'll thank me for it some day...

Aside from this show's parallels to the Trek crew's first big-screen adventure, The Changeling™ features one of my all-time fave Trek moments: Nomad erases the mind of Uhura after taking a listen to her infernal caterwauling some tin-eared folks would call 'singing'. Now if that ain't a blessing in disguise, I don't know what is! Oh yes, don't forget to check out Uhura's re-education sessions with Nurse Chapel; you'll see what likely inspired the creators of Hooked on Phonics™!

THE APPLE © PRELIMINARY BRIEFS:

Moral, Ethical, and/or Philosophical Subject(s) Driven Into The Ground: Cultural Stagnation / Self-Reliance

Expendable Enterprise Crewmember ('Red Shirt') Confirmed Casualty List: Four dead

REVIEW/COMMENTARY: Continuing this volume's Man-vs-Machine theme, once again Kirk™ & Co.
Take a few liberties with the Prime Directive to put a stagnant society of innocent beings back on track towards 'normal' development by destroying a machine that controls them, much like what was done in Return of the Archons™. Throw in a few deadly dart-shooting flowers, land-mine rocks and vaporizing lightning bolts, and you've got a few great ways to off a few red-shirts! And for a twist, let's add Spock surviving a dart-flower attack as a way of showing off the toughness of his amazing half-Vulcan biology! You gotta do that at least twice a season, y'know...

My fave moment in this eppie is at the end, where Kirk alludes to Spock's appearance looking similar to that of Satan. This moment was Roddenberry & Company's little poke at some of NBC's execs statements that Spock looked a bit too satanic for network TV after viewing the series' first pilot. Fortunately, Roddenberry fought to keep the character in the show, and the rest as they say is history...

'Late

The first episode here is THE CHANGELING. The Enterprise runs across the ancient Nomad probe which has gone from galaxy to galaxy destroying biological inperfections. The somewhat damaged probe believes that Kirk is his creator and obeys Kirks commands. However the probe continues to follow out it's function and begins to destroy all biological inperfections on the Enterprise aka innocent crew men! The episode is well written but the Nomad probe looks really cheesy and Kirk arguing with it is even more ridiculous. Still this episode is quite watchable.
(Note: Vic Perrin does the voice of Nomad he also did the voice of Dr. Zin in Jonny Quest and appeared in various Sci-Fi Adventure shows)

THE APPLE is one of those Star Trek episodes where the crew finds a paradise and later finds out it's a living hell. When they arrive on this beautiful planet, 3 crew men are killed, Spock is constantly abused by the planet's plant life and lightning bolts from the sky and the idol worshipping natives with bad wigs and sun burned skin are too ignorant to help the crew. If thats not bad enough the Enterprise is being held by the idol Vaal (that is actually a machine controlling the natives) in a force field. Now don't get me wrong this is a good episode but this is typical Trek. This plot has been done a hundred times better in other Star Trek episodes but this is still decent. This was also the first Star Trek episode I ever saw : )

Overall a decent collection of episodes but nothing very special here. Both shows are good and watchable but I recommend venturing into a different Star Trek collection before buying this one. Recommended.