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UNCUT REACTION - Star Trek TAS ep1 - Beyond the Farthest Star

The journey continues!

Here is our full uncut reaction to the first episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series - Beyond the Farthest Star

We will still be doing the videos with 1 episode at a time, but we should be getting through it pretty quickly. We are watching these off of the blu-ray box set. I believe in the US it is available on Paramount+

Thank you for being a Patron & enjoy!

UNCUT REACTION - Star Trek TAS ep1 - Beyond the Farthest Star

Comments

TAS Sex Scoreboard First TAS and we have a SCORE. An interesting one but none the less, lets count it. Kirk 11 Chekov 4 Spock 3 Bones 2 Scottie 1 Uhura 1 Extras: Enterprise New +1 - That’s right. The first score in TAS is the Enterprise. The alien enters our girl and fills her up..... all up in her. Just like the one time though I got punched, the Enterprise’s man shows up takes over and the alien gets left alone in a dark bar…star.

Prof Moff

I think the consensus is, it's a fairly standard Trek story. Nothing amazing but reasonably well written and executed. The real strength is in all the stuff they could do in animation that would be almost impossible at the time in live action. The massive, organic looking alien ship, the life support belts, and a 3 armed alien as examples. In that sense it serves as a perfect pilot for the series, because it shows that even a fairly standard Trek episode can have it's ideas elevated by all the options animation opens up. It is a shame Chekov didn't make it into the series, but at least Nimoy made sure it was an almost complete reunion, and some new and interesting characters were introduced as well. We even got Kyle back, though with Doohan voicing him, he kinda comes across like Scotty if he grew up in a different part of the UK and had a moustache(which of course he did later).

Timothy Nikiforovs

I had the opposite problem; could hear the show but not their commentary.

Tristan Rose

The main reason that they got a lot of the original writers from the series. There was a writers strike at the time but according to the by law you were allowed to write for an animated series.

Jeffrey Lindenblatt

I watched these as a kid growing up. I heard you say something about how there were a lot of animators, that's because this was decades before computer animation. Every cell of this was drawn by human hands.

Pondo

As a kid born in 1969, I was the literal target audience for this, but strangely I remember these stories from Alan Dean Foster's amazing Star Trek Log series, more than the actual cartoons. They are great Star Trek, though. And I do believe they are considered canon at this point. I think they are meant to be Season 4 and 5.

Angelaina Marie

Thanks guys, that was a fun watch! There are only 3 that I remember (this was not one) so it was great watching it with you. The animation style sure takes me back to my childhood!!!

Gary Leyh

I have been eagerly awaiting this. I believe you are really going to enjoy it. The animation doesn’t really get better. Filmation was even more of a hack studio than Hanna-Barbara devolved into (although a lot of good future animators cut their teeth there). But most of the stories are awesome. Chekov’s place was taken by the three armed Lt. Arex who is/will be voiced by James Doohan (Doohan ended up doing a lot of side voices for this show). Walter Koenig DID write an episode for this series though (the kinda whacky The Infinite Vulcan). You will soon meet Lt. M’Ress at communications. Don’t be sad when Uhura is missing since Nichelle Nichols voices both roles (edit: I am mistaken. M'Ress was Majel Barrett. I KNEW that. Don't know why I misremembered it). M’Ress and Arex are kinda fan favorites. You may have noticed that this episode was written by Samuel A. Peeples, the same man who wrote the second ST pilot “ Where No Man Has Gone Before”

StealthMomo

Just finished it, and I have a big grin on my face. I remember none of this episode and it's gonna be like that, as I never followed up with this as an adult. But the art style and animation flashed me back the experience of watching this. My Dad had gotten me hooked on all his videotapes of TOS, so this was a no brainer when it started popping up in my 80s cartoons as a kid. Best of both worlds (hehe)

Firekrys FWO

the one thing this show does is it never talked down to their audience. Having the original creators and writers helped. otherwise I'm sure we would have got the wisecracking new robot character like all adaptions for sat morning did. Next episode which I won't spoil they handle a very sensitive adult topic, get your tissues out

Scarpad’s Domain

Hold up. The captain's log to close the episode says "continuing outward course beyond the farthest star of our galaxy. Mission: starcharting." By definition, there are no more stars to chart once they go beyond the farthest star. Unless they're planning to go all the way to other galaxies, but TOS established that even a 300 year intergalactic trip was impressively fast.

Jeff Cornell

I'm almost done with my own rewatch, and I was surprised how close they managed to get to the live show despite the limitations of 1973 animation and the need to "kiddify" it. But, even so, they still have Spock spouting scientific jargon, and many of the beats (or tropes if you wish) are still familiar. The music managed to capture the feel, too.

tyranusfan

Most of these episodes are written by writers who wrote for TOS, so you'll notice the story quality is pretty consistent with the original show. DC Fontana is the story editor/producer and she made sure that the writing quality was on a par with the original series, of course some things had to be toned down for a Saturday morning show. They couldn't afford Walter Koenig to voice Chekov, but he does write one of the later episodes. Some of the things you both said you would have liked to see if the original show got a fourth season, well, stay tuned.

Dan Krantz

BTW this episode was written by Sam Peeples, who also wrote a hot banger called "Where No Man Has Gone Before".

Chuck Rice

Well, it is a Saturday morning kids show.

Mark Chrisco

I canceled Hulu so I could get Paramount, just so I could enjoy this. I can't wait to get home to enjoy this.

Firekrys FWO

Awesome reaction, I've been looking forward to this! It's a great first episode. I'm glad you enjoyed it. They really do use the animation to it's strength with the characters and ships and do some things they couldn't in TOS. Really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to seeing the rest!

Bret Kay

TAS had such potential to show us things we could not see on the live TOS show due to practical effects and budget - aliens, other ships, etc. Unfortunately, TAS had its own budget restrictions and imo it never measured up to what its potential was.

Collin Freeman

Always loved these. Always considered them canon. Obviously a huge labor of love by everyone involved. The rotoscoped the Enterprise from TOS episodes, so they would perfectly evoke those establishing shots of the ship in orbit around a planet. Also James Doohan and Majel Barrett voice about half the universe.

Chuck Rice

We will boost our audio more moving forward

Josh (Target Audience)

We will set the volume a little higher. Just don’t want to get hit with copyright from the show volume.

Josh (Target Audience)

Great reaction! I've never watched TAS in its entirety. Tried to watch it for the first time a few years ago but just couldn't get into it. Hoping to enjoy it more this time around!

Elizabeth N

Being a Saturday morning show, STTAS did tone down a bit some of the elements of the original series. No one in the twenty-two episodes dies (at least not violently), and Kirk doesn't chase after any women in this incarnation. In fact, the one time he is offered a romantic liaison in the series, he turns it down!

MntrTodd

We are watching them in batches

Josh (Target Audience)

(It wasn't Gene that said it wasn't canon. It was his lawyer, who was making life a living Hell for everyone during the production of early TNG that said it wasn't canon. )

Steven Johnson

Fun to watch the animated show with you guys since I never really got into it before. Love the original series though. Enjoyed the video but while I could hear you guys fine I could barely hear the show.

Kristine Doggett

Gene Roddenberry has said he didn't consider this show canon, except for one later element I won't spoil for you. He said he only did this show because he needed money & if knew Star Trek would come back later he wouldn't let the writer's do some of the things they did. People who grew up watching this like to consider it canon & when Viacom split up Paramount & CBS & CBS got Star Trek, they declared this show as canon simply because it was a show that existed, but to me it doesn't work as it displays technology never before or again seen in Trek so it doesn't fit it without continuity errors. Regardless of that it's a fun watch for historical purposes, but I personally consider it as much canon as the novels On a side note. is it possible for your audio to be boosted for the next video. I had you guys on max volume & my video turned down to almost nothing & your volume was still drowned out.

Retro Tom

I'd consider it canon. There are a few things introduced in the cartoon that are now considered official. And if GR is involved then it sort of by default should be Canon.

Ken R

Was hoping giving its length you’d do two a session you have a lot of trek to get thru

Scarpad’s Domain

Good start glad you enjoyed it. A long time since I watched these.

AzoriusMage

Beyond The Farthest Star is a strong opening. Maybe one of the strongest in all of Star Trek, at least relative to its format. But don't let that fool you, there are some episodes ahead that... That 22 minutes draaaaags. You said it back in the TOS reviews, the worst thing an episode can do is be boring. Some of that is down to the limitations of the budgeted animation format they were in. Koenig/Nichelle/Takei were not going to be brought back for budget reasons. The original concept for the show actually was going to have a bunch of kids as space cadets. Like the Superfriends or something. Gene, D.C. Fontana, and a few others basically told them "No, we can do this like the original show and make it really good." That, and Nimoy being the man of great character that he was, said he wouldn't work on the show if the other characters weren't brought back. They decided to compromise on Koenig because he wasn't part of the OG team. They needed to save money desperately. So you'll hear a lot of Majel, Nichelle, and Doohan. In this episode alone Doohan did Mr. Kyle, Scotty, and the alien. (Mr. Kyle was in the original series a couple times, including in Mirror, Mirror. "Give me your agonizer." "No, Mr. Spock, please!" You can turn a drinking game out of the little animation glitches that crop up. Sulu's shirt changes color once, and the guy next to him goes from being Lieutenant Arex (The alien) to some other random guy in one shot. Sometimes things get put in the foreground that are supposed to be in the background. Amusing as all Hell, but they were not only on a tight budget, but absolutely screaming for time. The turnaround was ridiculous.

Steven Johnson

Great reaction. Samuel A. Peeples wrote Where No Man Has Gone Before, the episode that sold the series, was invited to write this first episode.

Mark Chrisco

Sorry to hear that Brad, hope everything turns out alright wishing the best for you

Josh (Target Audience)

I hope you guys enjoy it. Unfortunately I will have to wait until the YouTube version as not only can't I find it but I lost my job recently and can't afford it. Infact I most likely will leave Patreon until am more stable or when the TOS movies start as I own them all including TNG and DS9 on DVD.

Brad Barter


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