Customer Reviews

Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 33, Episodes 65 & 66: For The World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky/ Day Of The Dove

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After finally seeing the "For The World Is Hollow..." for the first time ever, all I can say is: it's about time! After two-and-a-half seasons featuring either Captain Kirk baggin' the babe or Mister Spock playing `hard to get', ignoring the advances of would-be love interests (the tease!), it's about time McCoy got a bit of romance thrown his way! Even Scotty got a few dates in before Bones' love connection! Unfortunately, I discovered the reason why Cupid hasn't been too kind to the good doctor: he's a cold fish when it comes to kissing! His two lip-locks with Natira were about as romantic as taking your date to see the latest `Friday The 13th' sequel. But, on the bright side, his one brush with couplehood is one more than most Trekkies could ever hope to attain... heh.

Then there's "Day of The Dove", a showcase of Star Trek's third-season production budget cutback woes. This is especially apparent with the Klingon makeup- the swarthiness is uneven, and a bit too shiny. And the destruction of Kang's abandoned ship is cheesier-looking than the usual silly outer space FX one has come to know and love about the series. But, on the upside, if you're looking for some of that infamous over-the-top Kirkian halting dialogue full of heavy-handed moralizing, this particular eppie's got it in spades!

`Late!

Those who exnay Star Trek's 3rd season obviously didn't watch all the episodes thoroughly. "World is Hollow..." is a great story with McCoy falling in love after being diagnosed with a fatal illness. "Day of the Dove" is one of the best Klingon related stories in Trekdom...with Michael Ansara as Kang. Great SFX thoughout the story, plus our first look at the Klingon women.

"For the World Is Hollow..." is a hackneyed plot - a Star Trek staple plot, for that matter - but well done. The Enterprise encounters an asteroid that isn't an asteroid - it's a hollow, artificial planet, carrying the descendants of a distant race to their eventual new home, run by a computer that overdoes its protective job of caring for them and has gone a little megalomaniacal. The high priestess of the artificial planet - who, like her people, does not know she is inside a hollowed out asteroid, or that her god is a computer - takes a fancy to Dr. McCoy, who has recently discovered (will the cliches never end?) he has only a few months left to live, and as a result accepts her proposal of marriage and retires from Starfleet service to spend his final days with her. Needless to say, Kirk and Spock have to rectify the entire situation. The episode is nicely produced, for how [inexpensive] it is - the entire third season was [inexpensive] - and Kate Woodville is endearingly naive and regal as Natira, the asteroid-planet's priestess/McCoy's new bride. The sets and costumes are quite attractive and colorful.

"Day of the Dove" is great fun, more for its cast and the gusto with which they perform their roles than for the story itself. Kirk and Co. find themselves lured by a fake distress signal to a planet where only a half dozen Klingons survive. The Klingons blame the Federation for having lured them to the same planet with a fake distress signal, and killing most of his crew. After Kirk gets them safely rounded-up and under guard aboard the Enterprise, all hell breaks loose: an unseen power hijacks the ship outside the solar system at Warp 9, in circles, and releases and arms the Klingons and the Enterprise crew with swords; the two rival races fight to the death, over and over again, since the same unseen third party seems also somehow to keep repairing their injured bodies. Kirk, one way or another, has to gain the trust of the Klingon leader to identify and eliminate the alien invader responsible for the carnage, before they are trapped in eternal warfare with each other.

"Dove" is a real scenery-chewer, and one of the [least expensive]-ever episodes of the series. Only the Enterprise core cast and a handful of Klingons are ever seen - everyone else, we are informed, has been sealed off (conveniently and cheaply) below decks - leaving them to roll their eyes and gnash their teeth in artificially induced fury for most of the hour. Michael Ansara, who never disappoints, is ideal as the Klingon captain, Kang, and Susan Howard - in one of her final performances before permanently retiring from acting - is appealing and interesting as his emotionally torn wife, Mara.

Volume 33 of the Star Trek DVD series contains two of the third season's flawed yet decent episodes. Both episodes suffer from Star Trek's third season syndrome but nonetheless are classics.

FOR THE WORLD IS HOLLOW AND I HAVE TOUCHED THE SKY finds Kirk, Spock and McCoy venturing to the Yonada planet (which is really a space ship on a collision course with an asteroid). The oracle which is a relentless computer controls the ship and it must be stopped to save the good people of Yonada. Meanwhile McCoy discovers he's suffering from a disease and only has a year to live. Upon arrival on Yonada, McCoy meets up with Natira (Kate Woodville) and falls in love. This episode marks the first time McCoy ever brushed with romance really. You would think it would be more of a landmark episode but it isn't really. Mainly cause this plot was done before and way better on THE PARADISE SYNDROME. A nice enjoyable episode but nothing to special here. Average at best.

DAY OF THE DOVE probably should have been a terrible episode of Star Trek because of it was one of the cheapest Star Trek episodes ever produced. However strangely it ended up being one of the third season's most popular episodes. Probably cause of the presence of Klingons and the fact that most of the episode is packed with action and fighting scenes. The appearance of Mike Ansaras as Kang the Klingon Commander also boosts this episode's status. However DAY OF THE DOVE suffers from a weak plot line. The idea of a bizarre entity feeding off the hatred of Humans and Klingons is kinda far fetched and the ending of this episode is utterly weak. Although it is a classic and a enjoyable show with Klingons and action and all, but when you get down to the nitty gritty this is an average episode of Star Trek at best.

Overall a nice collection but not really classic. Both episodes are totally watchable though and DAY OF THE DOVE is actually a favourite of many. The appearance of Klingons almost always set the stage for a good Star Trek episode. Highly recommended!

'For the World is Hollow and I have Touched the Sky' may well be one of the reasons that the Original Series was cancelled. It is a very ordinary story which you cannot really feel part of. Yes it does allow McCoy to have a romance, but everything is so uninvolving you feel it is a waste of resources all round. 'The Day of the Dove' is much better. It perhaps shows for the first time that there is more to the Klingons than just being the enemy, looking for advantage over the Federation at any opportunity. They only do this of course once they realize that they are being manipulated by a malevolent creature. I gave three stars but by episode it should be 1.5 for the first and 4 for the second.

Given that this volume comes from the worst season of classic Trek, this volume comes under the "buyer beware, non-essential viewing" category. In what is actually a touching love story involving Dr. McCoy, the problem lies in the far-fetched storyline. A dying race decides to go cross-galaxy to find a suitable habitat. Questions: why decide to go in a hollowed-out asteroid? Why couldn't they find a suitable planet without having to travel for thousands of years? Why have a machine take control and keep this mission a secret upon pain of death? This episode just seems to be a shabbily put together one just to have an excuse for a love story; weak indeed.

In the second episode, we get a parable where an entity that feeds upon fear and violence ("A Wolf in the Fold" revisited?) creates and perpetuates ill feelings among the Klingons and the Enterprise crew who have to join forces and literally tell the entity to leave them alone. What's the moral? The devil feeds on violence and anger and tempts the unsuspecting into perpetually feeding him until you renounce these actions and cast him out.

For the World is Hollow... is too lacking in action and has too much melancholy for me. McCoy has two problems... he's both dying AND in love. If you like love drama, go for it. I'll pass. Day of the Dove - now that's action. Many reviews trash it as a weak story line. Perhaps they are right, but it has plenty of hand-to-hand action. Doesn't hold a candle to many of the 1st and 2nd seasons' best, but in a dismal 3rd season, this episode stands out as one of the more exciting. Where there are Klingons, there is action!!!