Star Trek s1 e15 "Balance of Terror" on Netflix
Added 2024-02-08 16:00:08 +0000 UTCWell! This is gunna be fun! I will be switching off Netflix for these to watch the originals not remastered!
I was sleep deprived this week so again, excuse me LOL I forgot which Planet Spok was from for a sec!
Note to self: get more sleep BEFORE Reacting LOL
Love you guys!
xx
ames
Comments
Love TOS, to me will always be the best. but I do also love TNG and DSN
John A
2025-08-12 17:17:51 +0000 UTCThanks for bringing me back around to TOS, it's been awhile. I'm sure by now all questions and trivia have been addressed but thought I'd drop what I know just in case. [] Gene Roddenberry was ideologically progressive at a time we were still being called communists. [] The episode Balance of Terror was a re-telling of a 1957 movie about and American destroyer and a German U-boat called the Enemy Below. [] Gene had to fight for much of what makes TOS good including the diversity of the crew resulting in the first interracial kiss broadcast on American television between Uhura and Kirk. [] Nichelle Nichols (Uhura) wanted to leave the show but was convinced by Martin Luther King Jr. to stay. Siting cultural significance of TOS and how Uhura was a symbol of dignity. [] I was lucky enough to have a short conversation with Majel Barrett (Gene's wife) who plays Nurse Chapel (has a thing for Spock) and in TNG Lwaxana Troi (Deanna's mom) and more. [] JJ Abrams ruined Star Trek almost as badly as Disney ruined Star Wars. Anyway, thanks for the great watch. Really glad you enjoyed the original series. Cheers.
Natas Krad
2025-01-08 03:39:08 +0000 UTCI also grew up with TNG but this episode quicky became a favorite when I watched it with my dad one day. Fantastic reaction! #SpocksLostEar
John
2024-09-21 20:18:15 +0000 UTCA lovely reaction! I'm sorry that I didn't realize you were doing this until now; it's going to be fun to watch all your takes on these. This episode was closely based on a WW2 film, "The Enemy Below" (1957), about a similar tactical battle between the captain of an American destroyer and the commander of a German U-Boat. Robert Mitchum played the American captain, Kurt Jurgens played the German commander, Theodore Bickel played the German sidekick. As with that film, it is the interplay, the "chess moves," and ultimately the respect between the commanders that really drives the energy of the episode. As you can probably tell, the Romulans were modeled after the ancient Romans. Not only the names and ranks, (centurion, praetor, Decius, etc.), but also the martial philosophy were derived from Rome. Thus, the Commander's suicide at the end is exactly what a Roman commander would have done after losing a humiliating battle. If you look closely at his posture when he is destroying his ship, he brings his arms together in front in precisely the same a gesture a Roman would use in "falling on his sword."
Ken Schneyer
2024-08-05 19:18:16 +0000 UTCI have the entire original series on laserdisc so it will be fun to pull them out and watch along.
MotoDork
2024-07-03 00:58:19 +0000 UTCthanks for this comment Clay!! Im not sure how much I liked Zachary Quinto as Spok! but its been a while since I have seen the reboots! But I love Spock as a character!
Amalia Wolf
2024-02-11 23:34:41 +0000 UTC--I grew up watching the ST original series in the mid-70s. At age 11, I had a model of the Enterpise and a model of a Klingon warbird hanging from my bedroom ceiling. My uncle helped me assemble (glue) the models. An innovative series, ranging from a view of the unknown to a focus on logic vs emotion to a black female officer on the bridge, etc. --Then, watching TNG (an ultimate for me) in the early 90s was a weekly event for me and my wife in our house. I will never grow tired of hearing Picard say "No. 1" or "Engage." [We also watched Deep Space Nine and Voyager.] --Lastly, I am an old timer who is a big fan of the Chris Pine trilogy. Canon w/alternate timeline and honors the ST franchise. Fresh, slick, and entertaining. Excellent depiction of the characters. The first in the trilogy is Star Trek (2009). RT 94% (Audience score 91%). "Star Trek (2009) reignites a classic franchise with action, humor, a strong story, and brilliant visuals, and will please traditional Trekkies and new fans alike." Leonard Nimoy very much liked Star Trek (2009): The movie has "great heart with the characters." "I had a great time. I thought that J.J. and his writers had captured the essence of the fun of the Star Trek characters, the chemistry between the people, the excitement of becoming part of that crew and going out on this adventure. I thought it was a great ride as a film. I was pleased with how they treated the Spock character. I thought that they really got it. When they first called me and asked me to come to a meeting, I went to meet with J.J. and Orci and Kurtzman, and the conversation was very moving to me, because I thought these guys really understood what an audience really loves about Star Trek and what an audience loves about the Spock character.... When I read the script I called J.J. immediately and I said, 'Let’s go. Let’s go to work. I love it.' I had a great time doing it." "I finally got a real good sense of closure for myself with Star Trek, and I was very happy to see Zachary Quinto take over the character. I think he’s an excellent, well-trained actor and excellent for the job." "This movie contains a very broad spectrum of Spock’s character. I had a wonderful time making the movie. It was very close to myself. I felt totally comfortable, very much like I feel personally. Having arrived where I am as a person, and the place that Spock has arrived, I felt very, very comfortable with it. It was totally like slipping into a warm bath or an old, comfortable sweatsuit."
Clay F
2024-02-10 02:28:44 +0000 UTCAll my episodes in Canada are off by one!!!
Amalia Wolf
2024-02-09 15:58:13 +0000 UTCSeason 1 Episode 14 is what I see on Vudu's listing of the episodes. Maybe you have a bonus episode of season 1?
Chris H
2024-02-09 07:41:48 +0000 UTCWrong. He’s an extra terrestrial from the planet Vulcan! 🖖 Same as Darth Vader.
Sweetish_Jeff_25
2024-02-09 03:42:28 +0000 UTCMy former manager and longtime friend Rob is a Trekkie and we used to have all of the “Star Trek” episodes on VHS at Hollywood Video. He got me into Star Trek. The show was good, but I actually prefer the movies looking forward to the day when you go down that rabbit hole.
Sweetish_Jeff_25
2024-02-09 03:42:00 +0000 UTCStephen, "Mirror, Mirror" is on the short list of recommended episodes JM63 and I gave to Ames. BTW, sorry about the Lions loss to the 49ers. That was a tough one. I was hoping the Lions could hang on for the win.
John Courtright
2024-02-09 02:17:29 +0000 UTCSpock is from planet Crouton... I assure you .. lol
Spooky Dooky
2024-02-09 02:04:30 +0000 UTCHey happy to see you doing Original Star Trek. I started watching it with my mother in 1966 when I was 5 and have been a Trekkie my whole life. That said I absolutely hate what J.J. Abrams did with the Star Trek reboot and I think he also destroyed Star Wars with the final movie trilogy. In original Star Trek Vulcan is not destroyed but remains one of the core planets of The Federation. I really hope the episode Mirror, Mirror is in your watch list. It's one of the best in the show and has great character studies in it.
Stephen Knueppel
2024-02-09 01:23:07 +0000 UTCThe Romulan commander's line to Kirk at the end, "You and I, are of a kind", reminds me of what the surrendering German officer said to Winters in the last episode of Band of Brothers: "I wonder what will happen to us, to people like you and me, when there are no more wars to occupy us."
Baron Imhoof
2024-02-09 00:42:35 +0000 UTCJust to expand on what's already been said, without spoiling anything, the reboot movies are in an alternate reality. Nothing that happens there has anything to do with what happens here. Other than what they stole and repackaged less well.
Aaron Chandler
2024-02-09 00:42:09 +0000 UTCOK when I switch over I wont read them!
Amalia Wolf
2024-02-08 20:37:22 +0000 UTCthanks!
Amalia Wolf
2024-02-08 20:36:47 +0000 UTCBtw, try not to read the plot summaries of the movies on Amazon. They're pretty spoiler heavy!
JM63
2024-02-08 19:59:55 +0000 UTCLOL! Good one Bubba!
John Courtright
2024-02-08 18:36:31 +0000 UTCAlso, Season 1 aired in 1966, only about 20 years after WW II and just four years after the Cuban Missile Crisis. So the idea of another massive war and its terrible consequences were very much on the minds of the TV audience. (I also like how they even worked in a subplot about racism in a non-preachy way. Pretty decent screenplay.)
JM63
2024-02-08 18:28:30 +0000 UTCThe destruction of the planet Vulcan was a reboot thing, it didn't happen in TOS or movies. And like Jason said (I don't think this is spoiling anything), Romulans are a distant genetic offshoot of the Vulcans. They have the same intelligence as Vulcans, but they don't share the Vulcans' emphasis on logic. Glad you enjoyed this episode. Sure, there are cheesy parts, but the show's budget was stretched very thin b/c the props, sets, and costumes were custom made. (Most of the Romulans had helmets b/c they didn't have enough ears to go around!) Leonard Nimoy told a story about how he had an idea to improve a scene in an early episode. The director agreed, but he said you'll only get one take. He nailed it, but that gives an indication of how tight the shooting schedule was for this show. It's kind of amazing it still holds up reasonably well since TV was mostly thought of as disposable entertainment at this time.
JM63
2024-02-08 18:22:29 +0000 UTCMark Lenard, who played the Romulan Commander, went on to play Spock's father Sarek for the remainder of the series and on many movies. Ames asked about "yeoman". Star Fleet is basically a space navy, so all the ranks are based on Naval rank. I have to mention something about Star Trek lore. This is strictly lore and has nothing to do with anything specific, but stop reading now if you don't want to know. Vulcans and Romulans are debated to have a common ancestry.
Jason Vulgamore
2024-02-08 17:36:02 +0000 UTCSpock was only half Vulcan so arguably one ear could be accurate 😜
Bubba Fett
2024-02-08 17:28:48 +0000 UTC
