{"id":5540,"date":"2014-08-25T05:53:29","date_gmt":"2014-08-25T05:53:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/26-The-Counter-Clock-Incident"},"modified":"2014-08-25T05:53:29","modified_gmt":"2014-08-25T05:53:29","slug":"26-the-counter-clock-incident","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relivethemajesty.com\/index.php\/2014\/08\/25\/26-the-counter-clock-incident\/","title":{"rendered":"2.6 — \u201cThe Counter-Clock Incident\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n \n

2.6 — \u201cThe Counter-Clock Incident\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Plot:<\/strong> The Enterprise<\/em> runs into trouble on a mission to escort the 75-year-old Commodore Robert April, original Captain of the Enterprise<\/em> (now a Federation ambassador), and his wife to a retirement ceremony on Babel. Lassoed to a speeding alien ship by tractor beam, the Enterprise<\/em> is dragged into an alternate universe where time runs backwards, causing the crew to start devolving in age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Thoughts:<\/strong> This is it! My feelings about this specific episode are somewhat overwhelmed by the fact that this is the series finale for TAS, and the last new-to-me official Star Trek story featuring the original cast I will ever see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I love the return of Star Trek\u2019s dress uniforms, and the new nuggets provided to fill out the Trek back story in the person of Commodore April and his memories of the Enterprise<\/em> being built in the San Francisco Navy Yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mandatory retirement at 75 doesn’t leave much allowance for future improvements in health and life expectancy. It’s a real life issue, however–in Washington the widely respected chief justice of the state supreme court was recently forced to retire at 75 midway through his third six-year term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I wonder if the backwards alternate universe they visit is the 5th dimension home of Mr. Mxyzptlk? Despite enjoying some of the diversions provided by watching crewmembers who are either older or younger than those we are used to seeing, I found the alternate universe story mostly boring, besides being wildly implausible. Also, they should issue some clarifications about spaceship speeds in the showrunner\u2019s bible so that we aren\u2019t forced to try to wrap our minds around what it would mean to lasso a ship travelling at warp 36. Never mind the complete misunderstanding of the time and distance scales involved in operating ships that travel at relativistic speeds. And let\u2019s not get into the return of the magic transporter trick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This is an interesting question, however–if you were 75, and could have your youth restored, together with your spouse, would you do it? It depends on to what extent my knowledge, memories, and experiences would also be lost along with the wrinkles and arthritis, I guess. But my first answer was \u201cHeck yes!\u201d I don\u2019t think I would want immortality–but an extra 40 years of youth and vigor, especially with the benefit of hindsight and experience? Yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I note that Eugene and Torie really liked this episode over at www.theviewscreen.com<\/a>, giving it almost perfect marks:\u00a0http:\/\/www.theviewscreen.com\/the-counter-clock-incident\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I give it 2.5 out of 5 crews who will do anything to avoid dreary retirement parties.<\/p>\n\n\n

http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Counter-Clock_Incident<\/a>