UNCUT REACTION - Star Trek The Original Series - Patterns of Force S2E21
Added 2022-11-10 16:54:20 +0000 UTCIt's the nazi episode folks!
Here is our full uncut reaction to Patterns of Force - an episode that many have said they were excited to see our reaction to. We have quite a lengthy discussion afterwards as well, which as Patrons you of course get to see in its entirety!
Thank you for being a Patron & enjoy!
Comments
I think this would rank as the most controversial episode of TOS for obvious reasons. As others have said you can see what they were going for in saying that no matter how efficient or unifying the nazi regime may have seemed, it's simply not worth the cost. But ultimately, it just doesn't work anywhere near as well as they intended. The episode can be entertaining in it's own way, and the performances were pretty good(aside from that Melakon dude's face when he got shot, that was a ridiculous takeπ). Also I noticed a lot of the Zeon names are clearly inspired by traditional Hebrew names. Isak = Isaac, Abrom = Abraham, Davod = David. Also only time in all of Trek Nimoy took his shirt off. Roddenberry wanted him to shave his chest like Shatner, but he refused Not the worst episode in TOS, some things are executed well, others not so much. The show threw a lot of stuff at the wall to see what would stick. The core idea here is one that leaves you asking what they were thinking though.
Timothy Nikiforovs
2024-04-20 23:11:59 +0000 UTCIMO of course... #22 is good. Not great, just good. #23 is near as bad as season 3 sometimes got. GIANT eye-roll! #24 is okay; a different take on a recurring idea in ST. Not a fave for sure. #25 is bad-ish. Not as bad as 23 but enough with the parallels already!! It has its moments but to me they are few. #26 the finale, to me, is really good, fun, funny and I was crushing on Teri Garr at one time (this ep, an ep of M*A*S*H and Young Fronkensteen espec. -even Oh God! and Close Encounters... (yes! I'm old-ish)) so this one has a special place in my heart. It is my 2nd favorite of what I call the "FARCE" episodes (A Piece of the Action being my #1 of those).
MertzRocks
2023-06-18 21:57:54 +0000 UTCAnd the offices with the window air conditioners were supposed to be near the Trek production offices. They'll be seen again in another episode.
Stardate 1312.4
2022-11-14 14:48:49 +0000 UTCThe Director of the episode agrees with you when they were interviewing him about his time on Star Trek he had new memories of making this episode other than that he was bored making it. It was his turn up in the rotation so itβs what he was stuck with. The writer was very interested in sociology and Nazi Germany so they let him go with it but he is very scholarly. As a kid I thought the episode was dramatic, as an adult it kind of dragged. Due to the weird air date order, some of these themes will be back again soon without the Nazis this time. Also not sure if you noticed the buildings at the beginning are the same as Private Little War just with signs on them.
Jonathan
2022-11-13 22:51:39 +0000 UTCThis one was a little fascinating for me, as when I watched it as a kid, I didn't fully understand history, except Nazis=VeryBadPeople. Then as I grew older, I could see what they were trying to do, but yes, could have executed things a little bit better.
Firekrys FWO
2022-11-12 20:04:32 +0000 UTCI am with Josh on this one. Another meh episode, which to me, season 2 has too many episodes like this one. One thing I do find interesting in watching this episode now is realizing Shatner and Nimoy were both Jewish and how weird or uncomfortable they might have felt having to dress up in Nazi uniforms.
Collin Freeman
2022-11-12 02:43:45 +0000 UTCIts Star Trek TOS - they are all good - but some I can watch over and over and never lose interest - and some are "less good" :-)
Ricky Johnson
2022-11-11 11:42:24 +0000 UTCRosalind Russell was born to be Auntie Mame, no one else can or will ever capture her performance as Mame.
Brad Barter
2022-11-11 06:52:16 +0000 UTClooking at the remaining episodes I'm not sure which one you are thinking is bad. They all offer something.
Ken R
2022-11-11 06:30:32 +0000 UTCZeon is just another way of pronouncing Zion, the Jews.. It's interesting you were reminded of Biden, when I saw the scene of them chanting "Heil Victory" I immediately go to the 2017 alt-right convention where the Trump supporters were chanting literally that, although yes, Biden does seem in a stupor at times. As far as real world German politics, the Nazis were democratically elected and the people all went along with it, only pretending in 1945 they had no idea. This episode is okay, a straight up adventure but not one that I run to rewatch. Next episode is one I always enjoy rewatching, Scotty's best episode too.
Ken R
2022-11-11 06:27:47 +0000 UTCLove the Auntie Mame reference! Great movie and a powerhouse comedic performance.
Gary Leyh
2022-11-11 05:09:25 +0000 UTCThe transponders were just homing devices. Kirk feared that they might not be able to use their communicators (which they couldn't), and told Scotty to beam them up at a specific time no matter what their condition.
tyranusfan
2022-11-11 05:04:26 +0000 UTCI myself don't care much for this episode either. My favourite part is when Kirk tells Uhura to have them beam Bones down naked if they have to and him having issues (like Mame did in the movie Auntie Mame) getting his boot on. As a side note and as a Canadian following American politics the road the extreme right-winged Republicans are taking as well as Trump is how Nazi Germany got started with banning and burning books, bringing religion fully into politics and government as well as other things. I worry the world but especially the US is heading in a very dangerous direction. Let's hope the lesson all our brave soldiers gave their lives for proper freedom with their saying of Never Again holds out and true balance and peace is maintained. As tomorrow in Canada November 11th is Remembrance Day and is Veterans' Day in the US, let's all pause tomorrow for a moment of silence to reflect and remember their ultimate sacrifice.
Brad Barter
2022-11-11 03:58:58 +0000 UTCThis episode rewards those who truly understand German history. Shatner and Nimoy are both Jewish. This episode reminds us that any movement can start off with the best intentions but get subverted by the wrong people. You may appreciate this episode when youβre older. If you guys talk over dialogue, itβs not the showβs fault for your confusion.
BURKE Wells
2022-11-10 23:52:08 +0000 UTCAccording to IMDB, Valora Noland quit acting because she had to wear a swastika on her uniform in this episode. Apparently the symbol was only added to the costume after her fitting and she resented it.
James H
2022-11-10 22:34:08 +0000 UTCI have to disagree - I don't think they did it frivolously at all! They made a very good point - you don't go down that road - - EVER!!!
Ricky Johnson
2022-11-10 21:26:49 +0000 UTCThe 60s was a weird time as it comes to WW2. There was a sitcom called Hogan's Heroes that played Nazis as comedic buffoon characters.
Chas Summers
2022-11-10 20:59:09 +0000 UTCIt's come up before that this show had a small budget. Under that scenario, it's easy to understand that they grabbed Nazi uniforms left over from WW2 movies vs. designing new very similar ones.
Chas Summers
2022-11-10 20:57:56 +0000 UTCI didn't give this episode much thought when I was a kid, but now I find it's in poor taste. I feel like the writers were like, we've got a warehouse full of Nazi uniforms, so let's write a story around them. I feel that depicting Nazis in such a frivolous manner, i.e., "adventure of the week," is misguided. And then as far as the story went, I agree with Josh that it left me kind of "meh." The most fun I had was seeing your faces at the reveal! Gold!
Lin Phillips
2022-11-10 20:02:12 +0000 UTCI've never been a massive fan of this episode, but what I like about it watching now as an adult who has studied history is the line about how even historians don't learn from history. It's shocking how easily we forget the past and let the same things happen over and over again. Far right politics is once again growing popular all over the world and there are a lot of eerie similarities between the beginning of WW2 to what is happening now in Ukraine. People go along with it all now for the same reasons as they did back then. Interesting reaction guys! Funnily enough this won't be the last time we see Nazi uniforms on Star Trek!
Elizabeth N
2022-11-10 19:36:00 +0000 UTCRemember we were use to being late and tuning in a few minutes into an episode or missing what someone said if there was a distraction in the house. There was no subtitle option we couldn't rewind etc. If you took a bathroom break you might miss an important plot sequence so you held it until a commercial. Anyway No spoilers but i think you'll really like the next episode By Any Other Name and i hate the one after The Omega Glory as my personal worst episode made but i liked some that you hated and liked some you hated so go figure
Sherman Lin
2022-11-10 19:04:27 +0000 UTCI have to agree with Josh that this one could have bee executed better - it isn't a favorite but it always sticks out in your mind of how Star Trek tried some odd things. I can see Alex putting the Gangster Kirk/Spock poster on his closet door but when you open it he has the Nazi version facing the inside. what bothers me the most about the history of this episode is that it was banned by in Germany and some surrounding countries until the 90s. If you don't learn from history you will repeat which is what this episode espouses - banning a show because it has swastikas(which are still outlawed in France) seems short sited. Also, you get one more "cultural copy-cat" episode in season 2. Warning a bad episode is coming soon - I will let you guys figure out which one it is. The next one I'm excited about is the last episode of the season. I like it but many people really think it is bad - I'm interested in seeing which side of the fence you guys fall on.
Ricky Johnson
2022-11-10 18:51:24 +0000 UTC
