Pretty In Pink

I always think of Star Trek as a series that deals mainly in primary colors. Red. Yellow. Blue. It looks good. Occasionally Kirk wears around his sweet, green V-neck but, otherwise, they stick to the basics. That's why it seemed so strange when, all of the sudden, splashes of bright pink started showing up all over Star Trek: The Animated series.

Tribbles Of Usual Size

Tribbles of Unusual Size

Kzinti Uniforms

Kzinti Ships

Even Klingon Uniforms

At a certain point, I just had to ask, "What's the deal with all the pink?" I asked Memory Alpha because they have the hook up. Apparently, the answer is both simple and 100% awesome. Hal Sutherland, the director of The Animated Series, was straight-up color blind. This meant that he was seeing pink for light gray. Because of this little mutation in Sutherland's retinal cones, we're left with some very pretty additions to the show and, I don't know about you, but I like the Klingons' uniforms. 

Distinguished Officers

I've been watching Star Trek: The Animated Series which I have never seen before and it's just so extra awesome. Ok, it is very much a 70's cartoon and, yes, sometimes I feel like I'm watching vintage Scooby Doo. And, yes it would be better in a lot of way if they re-made it now (or any time after Batman: The Animated Series swooped in and changed kids' cartoons forever) but there's  really something very special about this series. All of the original actors returned to voice their character (and several other characters much of the time) and, in 1973, when this cartoon first ran, it had been four years since there was any new Star Trek and no one really thought there would be anymore... EVER! So, I think it's great that it exists. Gene Roddenberry said that he never regarded TAS as canon but I feel that, since it exists and I've never seen it, I ought to watch it.

Anyway, one of the rules Roddenberry had about this show was that the writers ought to do things, go places, feature species, etc that they could never accomplish with the live action series. Just imagine a Star Trek without budgetary limitations! That's what they tried to do and, in spite of the fact that they actually had a very minuscule budget for TAS, I think they managed it rather successfully. Not only does the crew visit extraordinary places and go on crazy missions that wouldn't be feasible for live action, but we get brand new crew members and I love them. And, since I love them so much, let me introduce you:


First, Aleek-Om. I love this guy. How can you not love a giant, Never-Ending-Story-esque Bird Guy? Also, he's apparently a historian, which makes me love him even more.

Next is M'Kess who I like so much I had to do my own illustration of her in a previous post. She's a felinoid species complete with a fur coat and tail and she gets to walk around barefoot on the bridge all day which is definitely my kind of thing. She's voiced by Majel Barrett-Roddenberry and sounds an awful lot like Henrietta Pussycat. 

Finally, there's Arex. He's basically a navigator who works during Chekov's off time. He has three arms and three legs which makes no sense at all but looks pretty damn cool. 

These crewmen really highlight the "race doesn't matter" ideal that Star Trek was really trying to get across to the general public. Not only are these officers not white guys--they're not even human (or half-human.) One of them is a kitty cat! But, again, it doesn't matter because, by the 23rd century, we've left all those old, commonly held beliefs about supremacy and segregation behind. And, that's pretty awesome. 

TOS: Season Three Essentials

I actually finished TOS a few days ago but, for some random reasons, it took me a while to get around to this post. Since I'm sure you've been sitting there waiting for this one, I'll get right to it. Here are my Five Essential Episodes from Star Trek: The Original Series, Season Three.

1- Spock's Brain
-Watch this one for three reasons:
First, Kirk and McCoy are driving Spock around with a remote control like a big, RC Science Officer.
Second, this is widely considered the worst episode of Star Trek ever.
Third, I disagree with the above statement and think that, at least in the abstract, this is kind of an awesome episode.
-Stand Out Line: They sucked his brains out! 
Just kidding. That's from Starship Troopers.
-Actual Stand Out Line: His brain is gone! 

2- The Tholian Web
-This episode isn't just a classic, it's a genuinely great episode.
-Bonus points for the completely fantastic space suits.
Stand Out Line: I'm sure the captain would have simply said, 'Forget it, Bones.'

3- Plato's Stepchildren
-This is not one of my favorite episodes. BUT it is a classic episode. It features the very first interracial kiss on television and that's pretty damn epic.
-Watching this episode, it's also interesting to think about the fact that it was originally written that Spock and Uhura should kiss. Instead, Shatner insisted that if anyone were to kiss Nichols, it ought to be him.
Stand Out Line: Alexander, where I come from, size, shape, or color make no difference. 

4- The Savage Curtain
-I've said it before and I'll say it again: Abraham Lincoln Fistfight.
Stand Out Line: You're the science officer. Why aren't you--well, doin' whatever a science officer does at a time like this. 

5- Turnabout Intruders
-This is the very last episode of Star Trek: TOS to air. Even at the time of filming, they knew it was over.
-Instead of getting a real series finale, you end up with this kind of strange, body-crossing episode. Even with all of that, though, this is still a pretty good one and it's interesting to watch it knowing that it was the very last one.
Stand Out Line: I love the life he led. The power of a starship commander. It's my life now.


Runners Up

Let That Be Your Last Battlefield
-This episode is iconic for all the wrong reasons. Yes, these dudes are clearly wearing make up. Yes, their costumes are a bit silly. Yes, the subject matter seems a bit dated/broad to us. But, this is a truly great "big idea" episode of Star Trek. They were really trying to do something important with their little SciFi show, they were really trying to make a difference, and it's episodes like this one that have made Star Trek an influential, important show from the beginning.

Spectre Of The Gun
-Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, and Chekov are all beamed into a crazy film-set version of the O.K. Corral. They wear leather gun holsters with their Starfleet uniforms and eventually get into a totally awesome gun fight. The look of the episode really stands out and I like the flat, story-book feel of it. Plus--cowboys in space. Can't go wrong with that.

Just One of Those Days

Today, I didn't have time to write a proper blog post. Instead, I watched nine episodes of Star Trek: The Animated Series and worked on a huge illustration project I've been trying to finish up. When my husband got home he asked, "Where's your post for the day?" And, that's when I realized that I'd been so swamped, I hadn't written one.

So, I sat down and made the following drawing. Just in case you didn't know, there's a cat girl (she's from the Caitan race) serving on board the Enterprise in The Animated Series. She's voiced my Majel Barrett-Roddenberry and she purrs when she talks. Her name is M'Ress and she's pretty M'Awesome.

Weekend Roundup #5

This week, I got a bit behind and only managed 13 episodes. Part of this is because I was doing my first ever video post which took FOREVER. Consequently, I watched absolutely zero hours of Star Trek yesterday and today was all Super-Bowley. Anyway, here's some of what I was thinking as I watched these episodes: 

68- ELAAN OF TROIUS

-Green dude. Woah, these guys have some serious outfits. It’s all shoulders and no pants.

-The Enterprise crew doesn’t bow until they see how hot this princess is. They literally bowed to her hotness.

-This is the episode wherein Kirk slaps a princess then she tries to stab him and he threatens to give her a spanking. Seriously. 

-McCoy utters the phrase, “Super love potion.”

69- WHOM GODS DESTROY

-Hey, there’s an Orion girl and she actually has a name and lines. Nicely done, Star Trek.

70- LET THAT BE YOUR BATTLEFIELD

-Woah, is that The Riddler?

-I remember this one from when I was a kid. It totally blew my eight-year-old mind. 

-It's easy to talk about how this one's kind of silly but I really like it. 

71- THE MARK OF GIDEON

-This episode has a lot of guys saying coordinates. Thrilling!

-This is a great idea, not sure about the execution.

72- THAT WHICH SURVIVES

-Oh, a crazy mystery planet. Nice. 

-I think the geologist is about to bite it.

-Yep. He bit it. 

-I really like the idea behind this episode. Interesting and different. 

73- THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR

-Scotty’s girlfriend gets possessed by an alien entity. She's ok though. 

-Notice that Scotty didn't get a girlfriend till he grew out his damn bangs. 

74- REQUIUM FOR METHUSALAH

-Who is this guy? Extreme age? 6000 years? Oh, Methusala, I get it.

-Woah! Flint has the ONLY flat screen TV I’ve ever seen in Star Trek. Awesome. This guy lives in THE FUTURE.

-This episode would be so awesome without Kirk “falling in love” with Rayna. Unnecessary. 

75- THE WAY TO EDEN

-These are some rockin’ anime cosplay wigs.

-Are these Space Hippies?

-Is a “Sit-In” happening in the transporter room.

-Yes. Awesome.

-What is Quentin Tarantino doing in this episode?

"That's now! That's real now!" 

76- THE CLOUD MINDERS

-Oh, I really like this one. 

-Poor rich girl, fawning all over Spock. Bless her heart. She needs to get in line behind me and Nurse Chapel.

77-THE SAVAGE CURTAIN

-President Lincoln shows up. Nuff said.

78-ALL OUR YESTERDAYS

-Donna Noble is in the library. Donna Noble has been saved.

79- TURNABOUT INTRUDER

-Let me just say that here is yet another example of Kirk messing up a woman's life. 

-Also, considering this episode features a woman in Kirk's body and vice versa, this one's actually better than it ought to be. 

-The series was already cancelled when they were making this episode. As they were shooting, the sets were being dismantled. Thinking about this made me really sad. I wish they'd been given a proper series finale. Given that this is the last one, though, it's really not bad. 

THE ANIMATED SERIES           

1- BEYOND THE FARTHEST STAR

-They’re all back! Hooray!

-There’s an alien working on the bridge! Awesome! 

-It’s clear that they can do things here that they couldn’t do in TOS… like land everyone on the outside of a giant insect pod spaceship. Nice. Can't wait for more. 

The Young Naturalist #4

The whole time I've been doing these vintage naturalist illustrations of Star Trek creatures, I've intended to do a portrait of the Polygeminus grex or, as we all know them, Tribbles. This illustration took me a while though. Tribble hair is ridiculous. 

Captain's Log AKA My First Vlog

Ok, I went back and forth A LOT about whether or not to even do this but, I figured since I'm really diving into this whole My Year Of Star Trek thing head first, I might as well go all out. If it flops, that's fine. Buy hey, maybe it won't. Maybe the opportunity to stare at my face for five minutes is just the kind of thing this blog needs. Whatever. It's an experiment.

Also: here's a photo so this post will show up properly in the sidebar. Enjoy!