Plot: What’s it about?
Episode #75- “The Way to Eden” >>> Airdate 2/21/69
As Kirk and his stalwart crew chase down a stolen ship, they have no idea of what kind of antics are aboard the vessel. The Aurora is the ship’s name and just before it explodes into small pieces, Kirk beams aboard those on its decks. He soon discovers the passengers are strange individuals indeed, a band of rebels in search of Eden. The planet of Eden is a myth most have heard and few believe, but these folks believe, to be sure. The leader is Dr. Sevrin and he suffers from an illness, one that has left him insane. Soon after they arrived on the Enterprise, they forge a takeover attempt and plan to use the craft to find Eden, no matter what the cost. Can Kirk and his crew somehow overtake this dangerous cult?
As frequent readers know, I am no Trek nerd, but I have seen all the episodes of this series, including this one. I’ve always liked the premise of The Way to Eden and even though it doesn’t fulfill the true potential of the material, this episode is pretty good overall. I wish more time could have been taken with this one, as it seems rushed and forced, since the production team had to squeeze it all into fifty minutes, give or take. Even so, the cult members are fun to watch and as they take over the Enterprise, you can’t help but cheer them on. I mean, this crew has beaten so many forces before, you just want them to lose here, to this hilarious cult. In any event, this is a cool episode and such, both Trek nerds & casual fans will be interested.
Episode #76- “Requiem for Methuselah” >>> Airdate 2/14/69
The crew of the Enterprise has faced down a lot of formidable challenges, but this latest one could be prove to be the fatal obstacle. It seems that the lethal Rigellian fever has infected the crew members and this no simple cold, this is a most dangerous disease. There is an antidote, but it is quite rare and unless Kirk can locate some, he and his crew are doomed to perish. He takes the ship to the sole planet where the antidote can be found, but he runs into a beautiful woman and an eerie old man instead. When Kirk puts the moves on the female, the old man becomes mad and uses his powers to lock up the Enterprise. Now Kirk must smooth talk this creepy old fart into letting them go, or else they’ll die right in their deck chairs!
This one reeks of stale cheese and everyone seems to know it, even the weird old man that appears in this episode. Although the old beet’s eyebrows are humorous and the love interest angle is decent, the other elements stink, no doubt about it. The story is riddled with easy out options, unexplained plot movements, and of course, tons of wooden acting. The only person in fine form here is the immortal Shatner, who blazes the screen with his incredible presence. But even his skills can’t save this leaky ship and in the end, only those damn Trek nerds will be interested here, or perhaps masochists of some kind.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in full frame transfers, as intended. The image looks terrific in both episodes, considering the age and nature of this series. The print are cleaner than in the rerun versions, so when you look at the cards, this is the best way to view Star Trek. The colors come through in decent form, though a mite faded at times, while contrast is stable and remains stark, a solid overall treatment. You have to commend Paramount for their work on these episodes, as Trek fans have never had it this good, without a doubt.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio is also better than ever, thanks to brand new Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes found here, but don’t expect too much. As the material is from 1969 and is filled with cheese laden sound effects, the new mixes sound thin and cheese laden, an appropriate concept, I would think. The surround presence is limited to the musical score and some random beeps & such, but in a program like this, that’s more than enough. No issues with dialogue either, as vocals stay clean and crisp from start to finish here. This disc also includes English subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the original broadcast trailers for each episode, but no commentary track from William Shatner.
