RELEVANCE OF THE ANIMATED SERIES by 'James T. Dixon' 9508.28 -------------------------------- "Yesteryear" Written by D.C. Fontana herself, Spock's early life is explored. Considered by many to be the best of TAS, tons of data is introduced: I-chaya (the name of Spock's Sehlat), the sister planet (later called Tkhut) of Vulcan, the Lematya desert predators, Spock's mother's maiden name (Grayson) etc. Info from this episode was used countless times in novels ranging from "The Vulcan Academy Murders" to the most recent novelization of TNG's "Unification" (the name of Spock's pet, I-Chaya, although not appearing in the actual aired episode)... Aleek-om, one of the historians, is an Aurelian--their race would be mentioned in passing many times in novels, including most recently in "Chains of Command." Sarek was also voiced by Mark Lenard--how more "official" can an animated episode get? Also the first return to the Guardian of Forever. "One Of Our Planets Is Missing" This one comes closer to ST-TMP more than any other episode. Note the return of Commodore Bob Wesley, now Governor of Mantilles, voiced by the same Barry Russo. The destruct scenario where Kirk instructs Scotty to arm the self-destruct system in the engineering core is also used again in ST-TMP... The Ship's computer is also voiced by Majel Barrett, as in all TAS episodes (and most TOS/TNG ones)... Of Treknical importance is the interior shot of the Enterprise warp nacelle and the row of "toroids" which would later be carried over into the movie series inboard nacelle designs and eventually into TNG's (warp drive coils). Although at this early era, in technical fandom the chambers are known as Cycling Stations in the Geoffrey Mandel cutaway Main Propulsion blueprint (which very neatly ties up the loose ends of the inboard design and integrates the service crawlway of "That Which Survives " in as well!). "The Lorelei Signal" Hand phasers are fired for the first time in this episode. Their beams in TAS are invariably yellow, orange, or sometimes red and their sound is greatly toned down from TOS--incredibly closer to the phaser beams we would see in ST II:TWOK and TNG episodes. They are consistent throughout TAS. McCoy selects the drug Cortropine by spinning the cylindrical end of his hypo--the exact procedure according to the technical illustrations in the Star Fleet Medical Reference Manual. "More Tribbles, More Troubles" Sequel to "The Trouble With Tribbles" again features the voice of Stanley Adams as Cyrano Jones. Tons of Klingon info here, if you look closely enough, including red topedoes firing from the bow "hole" of the Klingon battlecruisers (later seen "live" in ST-TMP) detailed close-ups of the Klingon trefoil emblem, and interior views of the Klingon battlecruiser later to be incorporated into the Klingon D-7 Blueprints (the bow-firing torpedo launcher is present only on the later technical prints: an upgrade and different warship class). Briefly we get the Klingon verbal salute, "Survive And Succeed!" later compacted down to "Success!" starting in ST III:TSFS. Robot grain ships are featured also: years later they will be blueprinted and not only a Booklet of General Plans will be issued , but they will be featured in the Federation Reference Series (Sherman class). Jackill's Reference Manual will later feature TMS era robot ships striking similar to this design but with the newer engines (Pershing class). The Enterprise uses an aft fantail -mounted tractor beam to tow the cargo units from the blasted robot ships here--exactly as we would later see in TNG episodes aside from the tractor beam color of yellow instead of blue. Captain Koloth and Korax also appear again (although not voiced by the originals) aboard the Klingon battlecruiser Deviser... McCoy's new medical scanner is seen close-up here (it will be seen in many other TAS episodes) flashing colored light out the bottom--not too different from his medical scanner in ST II as McCoy bears down on the incapacitated Chekov. "The Survivor" Carter Winston is featured here, later to appear in the novel "The Final Reflection." McCoy mentions his daugher (although not named, Joanna was mentioned in The Making of Star Trek and many novels including "Dreams of the Raven" and "Crisis On Centaurus") who was going to school on Cerberus ten years ago... Cerberus II is where Admiral Jameson obtained his regenerative drug in the TNG episode "Too Short A Season." The novelization of this episode in Star Trek Log 2, by Alan Dean Foster (also credited with the script for ST-TMP) gives the name as Cerberus II, as in the TNG episode... Briefly we see a ship's layout chart in a turbolift in this episode: with a flashing cursor dot played along it--exactly as we'd see years later in ST-TMP's turbolifts! Romulans are also featured using Klingon warship designs in this episode (as in "The Enterprise Incident"). Lt. M'ress, Uhura's relief communications officer, is featured here for the first time. She's a Caitian (of which, tons of info would later become available in fandom) and a felinoid--the bar dancer in ST V is a dead ringer for her. Some also believe that male Caitians are featured in the Federation council scene in ST IV. In the Alan Dean Foster novelizations, the Caitains are offshoots of the Kzinti, to be discussed later. Now pick up the Star Fleet Technical Manual. The manual's medical tricorder features a hand-held wired medical scanner, and McCoy uses a very similar instrument in this episode. Turn to the Astrogator station (positioned between helm and nav consoles on the bridge): the redesign features two clocks, one for the stardate on the left and one for ship's time on the right. After Kirk returns to the bridge from his quarters we see these chronometers, identical to the Technical Manual's drawings. When the Vendorian incapacitates McCoy, he awakens in an adjacent room: the apparent banks of specimen cases on the wall are very close to the design in ST-TMP's Enterprise sickbay. "The Infinite Vulcan" A follow-up to "Space Seed's" Eugenics Wars outcome, with Dr. Stavos Keniclius' clones being featured. Probably significant only for being Walter Koenig's only Trek script. Vulcan philosophy is requoted from TOS, belt lights are used for the first time, and a translator known as a Voder is featured (also mentioned in some oddball Trek novel later published). Note that Keniclius mentions the Kzinti as a galactic threat, originally featured in Larry Niven's Known Space series and later in his Man-Kzin Wars books--but still in an alternate Trek universe. The Caitians, like M'ress, are related to the Kzinti, or so it goes. While treating Sulu on Phylos, we briefly see the often-mentioned but rarely seen "field reader tube" in action. "The Magicks Of Megas-Tu" My pick for worst TAS episode of all time, ST V conflicts with this one as the Enterprise is assigned to chart the galactic core and, after viewing the "creation point" the ship is sucked into a parallel universe were magic rules. Pretty pathetic considering Kirk's discussion in ST V about how probes never returned from the Great Barrier surrounding the core. Of course, with the Megas Tu inhabitants' powers, they could have wiped the memories from the Enterprise members' minds...if you want a cheapo explanation... "Once Upon A Planet" Sequel to "Shore Leave" with a return to the Amusement Park Planet We see the same hangar deck scene from "Mudd's Passion" (3 shuttles lined up on each side of the hangar bay). This episode is also politically correct, featuring a black helmsman filling in for Sulu on the bridge And a black engineer: Lt. Gabler. "Mudd's Passion" The third Harry Mudd installment with Harry Mudd again "played" by Roger C. Carmel. We see the use of hand-held I.D. cards here (later seen in ST III and ST IV), as well as shuttlecraft of different designs being carried aboard the Enterprise (although the hangar deck was briefly glimpsed in "Once Upon A Planet") many of which are featured in the original USS Enterprise Officers Manual as well as early issues of Starfleet Handbook and other publications. The shuttle designs are varied yet well within Star Fleet specs and any one of which would easily fit alongside shuttlecraft designs represented in TNG. The craft Mudd steals is known as a heavily armored landing vehicle and is probably warp driven. "The Terratin Incident" The large dilithium crystals used in the "main circuits" are featured here. These crystals, in the nacelles, also form part of the Geoffrey Mandel inboard Main Propulsion Unit diagram as the core of the Dilithium Crystal Converter Assembly. This uprated design would later be carried over into the movie series technical prints, as seen in From The Files of Star Fleet Command. The room they're mounted in also perfectly matches Mandel's blueprint. And among other TAS episodes, Transporter Room 3 is used here. In TAS, transporter rooms have numbers just like on the TNG Enterprise. This episode also features one of the many main bridge shots in TAS with the secondary bridge exit to the immediate left of the main viewscreen. This upgrade is shown on the bridge drawings in the Star Fleet Technical Manual and in the USS Enterprise Blueprints. "The Time Trap" Previously seen aliens are featured on the Elysian Council including a Romulan, Orion, Klingon, Kzin, Andorian, Phylosian ("Infinite Vulcan"), Aquan ("The Ambergris Element"), Vulcan, Tellarite, Human, and Gorn -- better continuity with TOS than TNG's and the film series' bogus made-up-on-the-spot aliens! The briefing room aboard the Klingon ship is also featured on the Klingon Battlecruiser Blueprints. Many ship designs in the "starship graveyard" are from other episodes, and the Bonaventure (the first ship with warp drive) is mentioned in many publications as well as being illustrated in the original USS Enterprise Officers Manual. The Spaceflight Chronology book uses the name only and draws up their own design (as the writers apparently never watched a single TAS episode). The Klingon ship's S-2 Graph Unit propulsion system is mentioned in this episode, later to appear many times in treknical manuals. Commander Kor (of "Errand of Mercy") is featured (although not voiced by John Colicos), as well as the 2nd female Klingon to be seen: Kali (later to appear in a TOS novel). Their ship, the Klothos, also is mentioned in a TOS novel or two. "The Ambergris Element" The first Water World encountered, many more will be featured in TOS and TNG novels. Ships' phasers, fired from the Enterprise, are used to divert a quake--wouldn't we later see a variant of this used in a TNG episode? The Star Fleet equivalent of binoculars are featured--later to be seen in ST V and TNG. Life support belts, belt-generated personal force fields replacing pressure suits, are featured for the first time. Although not seen in films or TNG episodes (withdrawn from service?) they are mentioned from time to time in the novels, including TNG's "The Peacekeepers" (where they're called Life Support Shields). They'll be worn in all TAS episodes where environmental protection is needed. The Aquashuttle is featured here. One of the Jackill's Star Fleet Reference Manuals will illustrate a TMS era design, and according to these manuals aquashuttles are more or less standard aboard starships of TMS. The sickbay aquarium has oval-shaped buttons very much like those featured on control panels throughout the later Enterprise in ST-TMP. "The Slaver Weapon" Larry Niven's Known Space short story "The Soft Weapon" converted over to Trek. The Kzinti are featured extensively and tons of info on them would later appear in zines, manuals, blueprints, and gaming sources. The shuttlecraft Copernicus, perhaps the first long-range warp driven Enterprise shuttle, is seen, complete with aft-opening doors--somewhat similar to the shuttlecraft of ST V --one of which is also named Copernius, landed on Sha Ka Ree! The same shuttle gets mentioned in several TOS novels including "Double, Double" where it's blown up in the hangar deck! "Beyond The Farthest Star" Another non-corporeal life form invades the Enterprise--cross between Redjack and the critter from "Lonely Among Us". Significant for the automatic bridge defense system half-dome extending from the bridge ceiling (looks something like the unit in the top center of the Enterprise bridge in the films). The interior design of the alien pod ship with its crystalline energy collector wands bears a striking resemblance to the description of the inside of Delkara's doomsday machine ship of TNG's "Vendetta" novel--apparently the same technology. Use of the slingshot effect ("Tomorrow is Yesterday") rips the Enterprise out of the negative stellar mass's grip. "The Eye Of The Beholder" Spock's tricorder emits a steady beeping sound, as does David's tricorder in ST III and Saavik's tricorder in ST II, among other TAS episodes. In the live-action episode "This Side Of Paradise" Kirk was able to home-in on Spock's open communicator using his own communicator's directional control. Kirk does the same thing in this episode to get a bearing on the lost Ariel's landing party "Jihad" The movie series pioneered the first "talking while beaming" during transport. Well, we see it Here for the first time when the expedition is beamed off of the Mad Planet, though granted it is a Vedalan transporter not Federation standard. "The Pirates Of Orion" A follow-up to "Journey To Babel" which gives us the most info on the Orion pirates--novels like "Prime Directive" would add-on some more... The episode is most interesting for a look at another Star Fleet vessel (run by the merchant marines), the SS Huron (extensively blueprinted in technical fandom) and its crew- -featuring the first bearded starship captain. For details consult the USS Independence Class Armed Freighter booklet of general plans which insinuates that the Antares, Astral Queen, Beagle, Carolina, and Dierdre of TOS were all of this starship class... "Bem" This is the only episode other than "Where No Man Has Gone Before" to mention phaser rifles, although none are seen. Kirk's middle name of Tiberius is stated here for the first time (twice in fact) --not heard anywhere else until ST VI. "The Practical Joker" A holographic rec room aboard the Enterprise is featured: almost identical in form to the holodeck of TNG aside from being operated by a central control console. The ship's computer malfunctions wildly and even pumps laughing gas into the air, to be repeated in the TNG episode "Evolution." The ship's food synthesizers are entirely computer controlled and activated by voice command --no different from TNG's food slots! "Albatross" "How Sharper Than A Serpent's Tooth" "The Counter-Clock Incident" Captain Robert April, first captain of the Enterprise, is featured for the first time. He'd later be the focus of the (somewhat erroneus) novel "Final Frontier" and mentioned countless times in novels and treknical references, including the TNG "technical manual." And that's about it for now... I really haven't much to say about "Albatross" and "Tooth" although the latter features an "ancient astronaut" type alien who does resemble the face of Vaal carved in stone in "The Apple"--possibly suggesting that he established the feeders of Vaal...