Customer Reviews

Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 7, Episodes 14 & 15: The Galileo Seven/ Court-Martial

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you're like me, then you've caved to the very expensive but irresistable prospect of owning the entire series in this superior format. Chalk that up to the high price of posterity. Happily, it's pretty safe to say that the dvd format is here to stay and unless tremendous leaps are made in digital media, this will be the last time you need to invest in the set.

The overall picture and sound quality of the original Star Trek series on dvd is much, much better than the video versions previously released by Paramount and certainly better than anything you may have taped off of TV. The packaging isn't bad, but I wish more thought had gone into creating meaningful liner notes. Instead, we get some canned 'trivia' bits and seemingly endless promotions for other Paramount/Star Trek products.

This volume in particular has glaring flaws and represents the worst transfer in the collection (through volume 12). Most notably, there are white "lines" running vertically down the screen in several scenes from "Court Martial." I'm glad this has been noted by some other reviewers here, because I initially thought I'd received a defective copy. It's hard to believe that nothing could be done about this awful flaw with all the technology available to those granted the important task of "restoring" and "preserving" this series. Another big problem with this series is that Paramount has neglected to restore any of the trailers. They look like home movies from the '60s.

If I may, a pre-emptive gripe about Paramount's plans to release "The Next Generation" on dvd. Why not follow a new trend in TV to dvd and issue seven "complete season" sets of this series? Fox released the complete first season of The X-Files in one very handsome boxed set (7 dvds) that sells for well over $100. Fox plans to release the second complete season this fall and will presumably continue with the 3rd, 4th, etc. This is a much friendlier way to market old TV shows to collectors and it would encourage many more to buy and complete their collections.

Past evidence seems to point fairly clearly to Paramount's propensity for ripping off fans. The company moved from including 2 episodes on every VHS release to just one per cassette in the DS9 and Voyager series. Not only does this make completing a collection arduous (your local store may have 15 copies of v. 10 but no v. 11), but it adds considerably to expense and demands twice as much room in your home to store.

If TNG, DS9 and yes, even Voyager, were released in season-series sets, I'd buy the whole lot gladly.

These are two of my favorite ST:TOS episodes, but I'm afraid that the transfer of the film to DVD did not eliminate many of the video artifacts. In one scene of Court Martial, for example, there is a "line" running from top-to-bottom of the screen -- a leftover from a scratched film that was used in the transfer. A good digital scrubbing would have been in order.

Volume 7 of Paramount's reissue of Classic Trek contains two pivotal episodes from Season One.

The Galileo Seven (the "Seven" in the title refers to the number of crew on board the shuttle) was an important episode in Spock's character development. This limitations of logic in dealing with the unknown are pointed out in brutal fashion here. This episode also features the first use of the shuttlecraft, and the first of many Federation Bureaucrats, always a thorn in Kirk's side.

Court Martial seems not to have gotten the best reviews here, but I feel it's an important episode on several levels. This was the first of many stories to introduce an "old flame" from Kirk's past; the first to show the inner-workings of Starfleet beyond the Enterprise; the episode which launched Kirk's fascination with antique books. This installment also began Star Trek's tradition of placing minority actors in important roles, in this case Percy Rodriguez as Commodore Stone. As for the story itself, it is a well crafted courtroom drama worthy of the best television had to offer at the time, with a surprise ending. It also touches on the man vs. computer theme which would be used again.

There is a minor instance of film deterioration in Court Martial, with some visible scratching during a bridge scene. Despite that problem, the colors are vibrant and sharp, and the audio is much improved.

The original Star Trek series came out in the 1960's at a time when the worst horrors of the 20th century were still fresh in everyone's minds-two world wars, the Holocaust, the millions who perished in the Gulag's of the USSR, China and other Communist countries culminating in the omnipresent threat of the total annihilation of humanity by nuclear weapons. The writers of the series decided to make a statement of how possibly to cope with these things by creating the character of Mr Spock who comes from a race which decided to eliminate all emotion and to live only by "logic" and "reason". However, the question is always hovering over Spock as to whether this is really possible, i.e. can man really change his nature. Spock's friendly adversary, Dr McCoy does not believe this is possible and in the "Galileo 7" both men are put in a crisis situation where Spock is finally given command and he can now put his theories on human perfection to use. This show has all the elements of Star Trek at its finest: life or death drama, fear of the unknown, military command decisions, loyalty of friends to each other, interference from superior authorities and others. The script and acting are splendid and the first-time viewer will be riveted to his TV screen. This proves that a good story and fine actors can make a great production even with low-budget sets (something the later versions of ST forget).
I would also recomment "Journer to Babel" an another excellent epidsode that deals with the Vulcun/Human encounter.

Despite what is a goofy, techno-babble ending for "The Court Martial", this episode is one of my favorites for that most wonderful of Star Trek quotes, applicable in 1966 and applicable even moreso in 2003:

(Elisha Cook Jr speaking to Shatner, refering to a computer terminal's sterility over the stacks of books apparent in the scene)

"Books, young man, books. Thousands of them. If time wasn't so important, I'd show you something-- my library. Thousands of books. ... This is where the law is, not in that homogenized, pasteurized, synthesized--Do you want to know the law,
the ancient concepts in their own language, Learn the intent of the men who wrote them, from Moses to the tribunal of Alpha 3?
Books."

By golly if this line isn't worth every deus ex machina and boring, ignorant techno-babble, I do not know what is. It is one of the great lines ever made by Hollywood. More than that, it inspired "My own library. Books. Thousands of them!" And I can't think of a greater gift from Star Trek to my life.

Volume 7 is truly one of the lesser DVD's in The Star Trek Original Series collection. Not that it's bad but it contains some of the standard (and somewhat boring) episodes. Both however are watchable and if you love the original series like me it is a must.

The first episode is titled THE GALILEO SEVEN. The episode finds Kirk under pressure by the Federation to deliver supplies to the plague-ridden Hansen's planet however Spock and six other crew members (including Scotty and McCoy) are sent to inspect a galactic phenomena but are pulled off course and crash land on Taurus II which is inhabited by giant hostile humanoids. As Scotty tries to repair the shuttle Galileo two crew members are killed by the Humanoids. Meanwhile Kirk is being pressured by High Commissioner Ferris to deliver his supplies and abandon Spock and the others. The episode is watchable and entertaining it also devlopes Spock's character quite a bit. Especially his logic against emotion situation.

The other episode is COURT MARTIAL is a court room drama that was done less than an episode later and better in the two part MENAGRIE episode. However it's still worth a watch as Kirk is accused of sacrificing a crewman unnecessarily during an ion storm. The episode has some bizarre twists and turns that make the plot quite interesting. However COURT MARTIAL pales in comparison to the other Trek court room episode THE MENAGRIE. Still it is worth watching though.

Overall volume 7 is a standard Star Trek collection but it is not essential. It is worth a peek though. So if you manage to get you hands on this one get it. Recommended.

With the latest DVD entry in the classic Trek library, Gene Coon enters the scene as the executive producer of the show and classic Trek kicks into high gear. The changes are immediate--from a greater emphasis of characters and character conflict to a bit more of the light-hearted, fun spirit that pervaded Trek. Not that the show didn't tackle some serious issues, but the tone isn't always as severe as early episodes.

No where is this more evident than in "The Galileo Seven," which is really an episode that exapnds on Spock's character in new and interesting ways, all the while giving us enough of a view of Kirk to provide a compare and contrast effect between the two. It's nice to see that crew is human and doesn't always get along and agree on everything. Also, to see the growth of Spock's character is nicely done. But in the midst of that serious vein are some nicely realized character moments, especially between Spock and McCoy. If you're a Spock fan, this one is a must see.

As for Court Martial, it's diverting enough but it's just not on par with the overall series. It's an episode that can be easy to forget, even though it's got a strong storyline going for it. It certainly is interesting to see another side of Kirk--namely that he had to "step on" some friends in order to get where he is. However, the court room drama isn't all it could be and wears thin quickly. Also, the denoucement is a bit to rushed and doesn't work as effectively as it could. That said, it's still fun to watch Shatner go to work and really show he can act (yes, I said Shatner can act...).

That said, both episodes are examples of why classic Trek has endured for over 30 years.

These two episodes deal with the responsibilities of being in command.

In "The Galileo Seven," Spock (Leonard Nimoy) is in command of a shuttlecraft that crash lands on a planet inhabited by hostile, primitive giants. His logical approach clashes with the emotional reactions of McCoy (DeForest Kelley) and other crewmembers and handicaps his ability to predict the actions of beings that possess no logic. The emotion vs. logic dynamic may be a bit heavy-handed here (I felt that the humans were pretty hard on poor Spock, not that he would care), but it cetainly sets up some powerful character conflicts. Spock must trust his command decisions in the face of nearly unanimous disapproval. Interestingly, Scotty seems to have no problem with Spock's "cold" methods, maybe because he's too busy trying to repair the shuttlecraft.

In "Court-Martial," Kirk (William Shatner) is accused of murdering a crewmember with whom he had a strained relationship. Veteran character actor Elisha Cook, Jr. gives a strong performance as defending attorney Samuel Cogley. Presented with damning evidence, Kirk, too, must preserve confidence in his command abilities. By the way, this episode features one of my favorite technobabble glitches, when Spock says that the Enterprise computer is capable of amplifying sound to the magnitude of "one to the fourth power." Since 1x1x1x1=1, wouldn't that mean that the sound was not amplified at all?

Two fun episodes.

These are two of the better and my favourite episodes from the first season. In the first episode, we get to see Spock in his first command of the doomed shuttlecraft which lands on a planet populated by giant cavemen! Having lost 2 crewman to these creatures, the rest of the crew grow impatient at Spock's lack of sympathy and emotion and rebel at his incessant logic. Still, the good finale shows Spock surprising us with his actions and still winning the day in what eventually becomes a very successful first stint in charge.

In the second episode, Kirk gets courtmartialed in what can be described as Perry Mason in space! I won't spoil the ending for you but I can tell you that this story is a great piece of detective storytelling and is a must-see episode.

If you are picking and choosing the volumes to keep, this is a keeper as they rank among the best episodes of the first season. Recommended.

REVIEWED ITEM: Star Trek® Original Series DVD Volume 7: The Galileo Seven© / Court-Martial©

THE GALILEO SEVEN© PRELIMINARY BRIEFS:

Basic Moral, Ethical, and/or Philosophical Subject Driven Into The Ground: Logic versus Emotions

Expendable Enterprise Crewmember (`Red Shirt') Confirmed Casualty List: 3 Dead (One off-screen), 2 Wounded (both off-screen)

REVIEW/COMMENTARY: I consider this to be the best showcase of the logic-versus-emotions battle between Spock and Dr. McCoy. After an emergency crash-landing of their shuttlecraft on a planet of hostile primitive giants, Spock attempts to get himself and his crew (which includes Scotty, the doctor, and four expendables) out of their predicament by taking the most logical steps towards a resolution. Unfortunately, the results of his calculations rarely achieve logical conclusions, and the rest of his shuttle crew eventually resent his cold methods and bluntness. Unfortunately, Kirk isn't around to help keep things from gettin' too heated, since he's on the Enterprise bridge mounting a search for his lost shuttle crew whilst trying to fend off an overbearing bureaucrat who's breathing down his neck. Yep, it's your basic `Save-The-Day-At -The-Last-Possible-Moment' kinda eppie.

One of my fave `special defects' moments in the entire series happened at the beginning of this episode. One shot shows the shuttlecraft `riding the wave' of the turbulence that eventually forces the whole emergency-landing thing I mentioned in the previous paragraph. This effect looked fairly silly, but what really surprised me was how it was almost perfectly imitated two decades later in a SNL sketch featuring William Shatner! You know, that one where Shatner told the audience at the Star Trek convention to "Get a life!"? Which is very good advice, by the way...

COURT-MARTIAL© PRELIMINARY BRIEFS:

Basic Moral, Ethical, and/or Philosophical Subject Driven Into The Ground: The Basic Rights of The Accused / Retaining One's Humanity In A World Of Ever-Increasing Automation/ The Pitfalls of Professional Jealousy

Expendable Enterprise Crewmember (`Red Shirt') Confirmed Casualty List: 1 dead... or is he?

REVIEW/COMMENTARY: From Star Trek VI's Klingon Court scene to NextGen's `The Drumhead' to DS9's `Rules Of Engagement', I've always had a certain fondness for Star Trek's `Courtroom Drama'- Style episodes. And even though `The Menagerie' had quite a bit of legal wrangling regarding Spock's fate, I'd have to say `Court-Martial' was the first pure legal drama eppie in the history of the franchise. Ol' Jimmers is in hot water over the death of a crew member whose demise may've resulted from his negligence, and he has to stand trial to keep his commission.

The prosecutor's (one of Kirk's old flames) case looks to be a slam-dunk, except for one little Perry Mason-esque twist: the person Kirk had supposedly `killed' may still be alive! Will Jimbo keep his command and clear his name? Well, he must have. I mean, this was an eppie from Star Trek's first season, and the show went on for two more years with Kirk in the command chair for the rest of the run, so he must've beaten the rap, right? Yeah. Uh-oh, did I just spoil the ending? Sorry `bout that. But aside from so-called `spoilers', expect to see Kirk gettin' his uniform top rended during Court-Martial's climactic hand-to-hand duel scene as he attempts to save the Enterprise from certain doom! Jimmers sure does have an affinity for flesh exposure on this show, hmmm?

`Late