TOS Season 1: A look back

Well, I've finished watching all of the first season --- 30 episodes, including the original pilot.  And while some of the shows have been pretty good, most of them were fair to poor, with a few just flat-out awful.  I have to admit that I had my doubts about this whole endeavor more than once.  Special raspberries go out to:

• "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" - The first example (but sadly, not the last) of the Star Trek writers putting forth the argument that computers are soulless machines by writing a lot of computer characters with souls.  Plus, the scariest villain looked like Zippy the Pinhead.
• "The Menagerie", parts 1 and 2 - How do you get two Star Trek episodes?  Cut up a show that never aired, then stitch it together with a plot which makes no sense.  Introduce a lot of tension by getting your two principal characters in a lot of trouble with Starfleet, including the violation of a rule which makes no sense and is antithetical to Starfleet values, and let them off with no sort of punishment whatsoever.
• "The Alternative Factor" - Similar to "The Menagerie", this episode reeks of trying to squeeze another episode into the first season --- and actually, it just reeks.  A mishmash of nonsense about antimatter, hundreds of trips between the ship and the planet, and no security whatsoever on someone who has promised to steal the ship's dilithium crystals.  Still the nadir of TOS, in my opinion.

On the other hand, I would recommend the following episodes to my friends:

• "The Corbomite Maneuver" - This episode has everything.  In addition to suspense and intrigue, there's also some of the best dialog in the series so far.  Plus, an astonishing lack of plot holes.
• "Balance of Terror" - Great commentary on attitudes towards war, plus a great chess match between Kirk and the Romulans.
• "The City on the Edge of Forever" - A Trek classic, and deservedly so.  Great writing by Harlan Ellison, great cameo by Joan Collins, and a bit of emotion from Shatner.  The final few minutes of this episode more than make up for the stumbles in the first few minutes.
• "Errand of Mercy" - Sort of borderline, but worth seeing for its commentary about war and peace.  Also, a good cameo put in by the actor playing Kor, the Klingon commander.

I would also recommend "Space Seed", not because it's a great episode --- it isn't --- but because I'm sure it contains information which is good to know when watching Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

And although I haven't been keeping strict count, I think that so far we've only heard about two things McCoy isn't: a bricklayer and a psychiatrist.  We've seen four episodes where Spock saved the day with his special Vulcan abilities ("Dagger of the Mind", "A Taste of Armageddon", "The Devil in the Dark" and "Operation - Annihilate!").  And finally, we've seen about two dozen female Yeomen, even though we're supposed to believe women are rarely placed in such posts.

Ah, Yeoman Rand and your basket-weave hair --- we hardly knew ye.