1.16 — “The Galileo Seven”
I found myself wanting to mostly just watch this episode rather than jot down notes or think about it from different angles. I’m afraid that’s because I didn’t think it was very good. Admirable premise; weak execution.
The writers hit the theme of racial prejudice against Spock with a sledgehammer–not nearly so elegantly or effectively as in “Balance of Terror.” While I suppose I can accept that a handful of random unfamiliar crewmembers are arrogant morons, it demeans Scotty and McCoy to depict them as overlooking this.
I also found the angst about emotion being overcome by logic much too heavy-handed. The writers of the teleplay do not seem to understand the difference between being logical and being an imbecile. The Spock I believe in would understand that it is logical to allow for the emotional needs of the other crewmembers (given their limitations), and realize that the are in as much danger from low morale and possible mutiny as from hairy giants. And Spock is quite right that desperation maneuvers, like Hail Mary touchdown passes, are logical tactics to employ when there’s no time left on the clock. I felt like the writers kept cheating to try to prove Spock’s approach was wrong, and just wound up making his case for him. I mean, are we really supposed to side with Lt. Boma and Lt. Gaetano?
I also didn’t like McCoy laying back and picking on Spock when it really matters, as if he barely knows or respects him. What happened to his passionate defense of Spock in “The Menagerie, Part I?” I did like his line: “Well, at least I lived long enough to hear that.”
On a lighter note, I obviously don’t understand 23rd century fashion, or else I’d know what was going on with Commissioner Ferris’ neck kerchief. They would have been better off making Ferris a real person and not such an unbelievable one-dimensional character. Is this the first episode to establish that “ion storms” (eh what?) are capable of disabling the ship’s instruments? I have to say that I liked the shuttle door action on the Galilieo, which was made as a full-size prop.
According to various online sources, “The Galileo Seven” was inspired by a 1939 film called Five Came Back. (I guess it’s not a spoiler to print the title that the filmmakers gave it.) Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Came_Back) has it that this currently unremembered film was a veritable fountain of inspiration, the genesis of everything from Gilligan’s Island (1964-1967) to the whole disaster epic genre epitomized by The Poseidon Adventure (1972). This, by the way, makes Five Came Back indirectly responsible for J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot, since it is unlikely he would have been hired if not for the success of Lost (2004-2010).
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