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Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 12, Episodes 23 & 24: A Taste of Armageddon/ Space Seed

Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 12, Episodes 23 & 24: A Taste of Armageddon/ Space Seed

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Armegeddon & Khan!
Review: "A Taste of Armegeddon" is a very well written episode about 2 planets that are fighting a war with computers with real casualties. "Space Seed" See the TOS episode that inspired "Star Trek II"

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Armegeddon & Khan!
Review: "A Taste of Armegeddon" is a very well written episode about 2 planets that are fighting a war with computers with real casualties. "Space Seed" See the TOS episode that inspired "Star Trek II"

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This is a taste of the BEST Original episode ever made!
Review: A Taste of Armageddon is quite possibly the best Star Trek Episode Ever!!! James Kirk is in prime form, single handedly taking care of buisness withot a ship or a phazer. Spock is out of control. He's blowing up everything in sight. And Oh Scotty is carrying out General Order 24? This episode is my favorite and great to watch even if you're not a star trek Fan.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This is a taste of the BEST Original episode ever made!
Review: A Taste of Armageddon is quite possibly the best Star Trek Episode Ever!!! James Kirk is in prime form, single handedly taking care of buisness withot a ship or a phazer. Spock is out of control. He's blowing up everything in sight. And Oh Scotty is carrying out General Order 24? This episode is my favorite and great to watch even if you're not a star trek Fan.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Another of the best Trek DVDs
Review: A Taste of Armaggedon-This thoughtful episode concerns a planet that has sanitized war. The episode explores important themes such as 1) the sacrifice of the individual good for the societal, and 2) the drawbacks of all types of war. The latter issue in particular remains a timely one as science continues to pursue technologies that may (at times unwittingly lead to more efficient and sanitized killing. This is one episode where Kirk offers a convincing and fresh argument against a society's folly. Another plus of the episode is that it admits shades of gray rather than oversimplifying the issues. Add in a plot twist that brings the Enterprise and crew more directly into the action, and you've got a winning show. Strong guest acting, from Opatoshu, Babcock, and Lyons also boost this episode (4.5 stars)

Tidbit: Barbara Babcock would reappear in Plato's Stepchildren during season three.

Space Seed-This classic episode first introduces us to the eugenically bred Khan. Here we have another thoughtful episode that prophesizes an issue ('unnatural' selection) that would feature prominently in the headlines today. It is interesting to see Kirk and company portrayed as 'inferiors' (in a narrow sense of the word) for much of the episode. The scene that ends with Khan threatening Kirk is particularly tense and threatening. Ricardo Monteblan is also effective in his scenes as leader and seducer.

The acting performances and tight script lend an air of subtle believability to this episode that wouldn't always be present on Star Trek. The conflict and drama are well developed. Also interesting is Kirk's ultimate compassion, which of course distinguishes him from the 20th Century leader. Trek, like many great westerns, often found a way to show that compassion and humanity did not have to be synonymous with weakness, passivity, or the absence of charisma. These are important messages for young viewers. Left open here is whether that compassion here will ultimately come back to hurt the Federation. The difficult question is whether one must follow their conscience even when the long term consequences may be detrimental.

Tidbit: This episode features one of Star Trek's most notorious bloopers, in which a dropped phaser visibly distresses several onlookers, particularly DeForest Kelley. (4.5 stars)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Another of the best Trek DVDs
Review: A Taste of Armaggedon-This thoughtful episode concerns a planet that has sanitized war. The episode explores important themes such as 1) the sacrifice of the individual good for the societal, and 2) the drawbacks of all types of war. The latter issue in particular remains a timely one as science continues to pursue technologies that may (at times unwittingly lead to more efficient and sanitized killing. This is one episode where Kirk offers a convincing and fresh argument against a society's folly. Another plus of the episode is that it admits shades of gray rather than oversimplifying the issues. Add in a plot twist that brings the Enterprise and crew more directly into the action, and you've got a winning show. Strong guest acting, from Opatoshu, Babcock, and Lyons also boost this episode (4.5 stars)

Tidbit: Barbara Babcock would reappear in Plato's Stepchildren during season three.

Space Seed-This classic episode first introduces us to the eugenically bred Khan. Here we have another thoughtful episode that prophesizes an issue ('unnatural' selection) that would feature prominently in the headlines today. It is interesting to see Kirk and company portrayed as 'inferiors' (in a narrow sense of the word) for much of the episode. The scene that ends with Khan threatening Kirk is particularly tense and threatening. Ricardo Monteblan is also effective in his scenes as leader and seducer.

The acting performances and tight script lend an air of subtle believability to this episode that wouldn't always be present on Star Trek. The conflict and drama are well developed. Also interesting is Kirk's ultimate compassion, which of course distinguishes him from the 20th Century leader. Trek, like many great westerns, often found a way to show that compassion and humanity did not have to be synonymous with weakness, passivity, or the absence of charisma. These are important messages for young viewers. Left open here is whether that compassion here will ultimately come back to hurt the Federation. The difficult question is whether one must follow their conscience even when the long term consequences may be detrimental.

Tidbit: This episode features one of Star Trek's most notorious bloopers, in which a dropped phaser visibly distresses several onlookers, particularly DeForest Kelley. (4.5 stars)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great episodes! Get this DVD for Khan's debut!
Review: If you love Star Trek, you should buy this DVD, which has 2 great episodes of the original Star Trek! I got it just to get Khan's character debut, and if you plan to get 'Star Trek 2:The Wrath Of Khan', this DVD will be VERY IMPORTANT for you! The digital remastering is great, and I am glad that 2 episodes are on 1 disc! The action, suspense, great acting, and 60's Star Trek flavor are all great!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Video Transfer is excellent, Great 5.1 Dolby Audio
Review: One of the greatest episodes. The video and audio transfer were excellent.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Two classic episodes
Review: One of the real treats about Parmount releasing two episodes of Star Trek per DVD is that the entire series was so good you're guaranteed of at least getting one good episode. But on rare occasion, the unthinkable happens--you get not only two good episodes, but two GREAT episodes on one offering. Such is the case with this Trek DVD.

Both episodes are classics and they both look stunning being remastered.

Of course, Space Seed is probably the most famous episode on the set, namely because it features the first appearance of Khan. The episode itself is what classic Trek is all about--suspense, drama, great characters, well-written dialogue and some nice action. Ricardo Montelban delivers a great performance as the arrogant, superman Khan and Shanter plays off him point for point. And, of course, this episode features one of the all-time great Star Trek bloopers of all time (watch DeForest Kelly's reaction very closely when Khan is first coming out of stasis and Shanter knocks his prop off his belt). Space Seed is simply marvelous--one of the top ten episodes of all time.

Ranking right up there with it is the superb and underrated A Taste of Armageddon. Kirk and company are sent to make contact with a society that fights their war by computers with "casualties" being tallied and herded into disentegration chambers. No sooner have Kirk and Spock beamed down then the Enterprise is declared a war casualty, a set of events that does not agree with Kirk. Kirk must then spend the rest of the episode upping the stakes to save his ship and to stop the war. (Prime directive you ask? We don't need to steeenkin' prime directive!) It's an episode that features the theme of Kirk vs. computer (though not as much as Return of the Archons or the Ultimate Computer) and it also features the recurring theme that if you rank above Kirk most chances are you're either an idiot or gone mad. In this case, it's the Federation ambassador who can't see beyond his limited range and almost gets red-shirted for it. It's a great episode that is still exciting and entertaining to watch today and is certainly looks spectacular on DVD.

These are two superb episodes...and they've never looked better. Episodes like these are why classic Trek has endured to this day. And like great wine, it gets better and better with age.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Kirk takes on people who think there are really smart
Review: People who think they are too smart for their own good provide the common denominator for the pair of episodes here on Volume 12 of the Star Trek DVD Series. One of the fun things about science fiction is that you can take things to their logical albeit extreme conclusions. That is what the Enterprise encounters on Eminiar VII in "A Taste of Armageddon," a planet that has been at war for five centuries but which fails to show the usual signs of destruction. This is because they have been fighting the war with computers; after such an attack Anan 7, leader of the High Council announces that half a million people were "killed," and now have to report to disintegration chambers. Unfortunately the Enterprise, which was warned not to approach the planet, has also been destroyed and Kirk's crew needs to beam down for disintegration. Of course, Kirk takes exception to this request and decides to remind these people of the true face of war. As far fetched as this idea might be, you have to remember the idea of the Neutron Bomb, which would kill the people but leave the buildings, a weapon that was ironically considered by some to be more "humane" than your traditional nuclear device. Kirk's efforts to restore sanity are hampered by the presence of Federation Ambassador Fox, who wants to stick to the traditional diplomatic approaches despite the fact nobody on the planet is impressed at all by such delicacies. "A Taste of Armageddon" is another, albeit minor example, of Captain Kirk versus the Super Computer plotline that was so prominent in Star Trek's first season.

Probably no episode of Star Trek has gained in prominence more than "Space Seed," which was due, of course, to the release of "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." Ricardo Montalban turns in a powerful performance as Khan Noonien Singh, a genetically bred superman from the late 20th century on Earth. The Enterprise discovers Khan and dozens of his followers in suspended animation when they find the Botany Bay adrift in space. The charismatic Khan seduces Marla McGivers (who may well be the only ship's historian ever seen on a starship) and with her help revives his crew, who immediately take over the Enterprise. You would think these people who be daunted by 200 years of scientific and technological advances, but Kirk lends a helping hand by giving Khan all the technical manuals he would need. Montalban's performance is what makes "Space Speed" a standout episode, proving that there is not much more impressive in the world than good diction and a neat accent. He might be having his biggest battles in this episode with Kirk, but the scene where Khan threatens McCoy provide one of Bones' finest moments. However, I have to think in the future the Enterprise will do without a ship's historian and just use the computer to find out about the past.


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