Concur. I’d also hold off on voting in polls that have selections from episodes you haven’t seen.
No the redshirt just signifies “Support” Branch personnel. In my years of playing Star Trek the Role Playing Game, the game treated the position as a Department-head position (on a larger ship) so we gleaned TOS carefully for references to this position. Several episodes make reference to one-shot Security Chiefs (aka Chief of Security as well).
Lieutenant Pitcairn - The Menagerie, Part 1 S1E15
Lieutenant Commander Giotto - Devil in the Dark S1E20
“Security Chief” - Tomorrow is Yesterday S1E21
Lieutenant Freeman - Assignment: Earth S2E26
Lieutenant Dickerson - The Savage Curtain S3E22
Savage Curtain specifically states that it is most definitely a Department-Head position of its own.
Sulu is named as being Security Chief on the ISS Enterprise in Mirror, Mirror S2E10.
In my opinion, fo a very large ship, with a large, specifically trained Security contingent, a separate position makes sense, as it is on a Naval Vessel (note however, in the USN, that function would be filled and performed by Marines on a larger vessel).
For a smaller vessel, an the position as an Additional Duty (Weapons & Security position, for instance) seems to make more sense.
Kirk delegates a lot of direct, detailed instructions in all episodes to Spock as First Officer (aka XO/Executive Officer).
Thanks for this - you’ve helped me put my finger on what I don’t like about “Dagger of the Mind”, which is that we’ve already done all this before with Dr Korby in “What Are Little Girls Made Of?” except that episode had an interesting Ship of Theseus concept at its core and this has psychological gobbledygook. Plus it had Lurch.
On the tropey-ish nature, I do agree. It’s almost like they really were waiting for some scripts to finish baking in a script oven with this, Miri, The Enemy Within, Mudd’s Women, Where Little Girls.
I just prefer this to that episode (Pink Penis Nonsense, Two Kirk Tropey stuff, Bad Chapel, Andrea suspenders).
I shall quote myself:
Yes, we’re about to start an extremely strong run of episodes. Should be a blast.
Hahahah. I don’t know who Andrea is, but I immediately knew from the word Suspenders. Most unique costume/dress I’ve seen on TV. I’m not sure if it could be described as sexy or tomboyish or ridiculous.
That is why i rank that episode so low (sorry, @RichVR, @divedivedive ). When it isn’t a comedy and I laugh that much when I am not supposed to, that knocks it down a few notches. What Are Little Girls Are Made Of? is season 3 level, campy, unintentional comedy. Sorry, Lurch.
Another thing. Chapel gets to meet long lost fiance on world doing “Archaeological Science Explory Stuff” sounds a lot like:
McCoy gets to meet long lost fiance on world where her husband is doing “Archaeological Science Explory Stuff”
“Dagger of the Mind” is such a nothing of an Episode. Thematically there’s some ok stuff here. I appreciate the idea that in the future they were looking for ways to rehabilitate and not just put people away forever.
There’s also some great interplay between Kirk, McCoy, and Spock at the top of the Episode. And Kirk’s demeanor for much of the episode was oddly good-natured. Even the banter with the crew in the transporter room was light. I thought to myself, “Yeah, I can see how people respect and admire him as Captain.”
I think there is good set up here, but it’s all over so fast it feels like they never make a case for the themes. Nearly everything that happens of importance occurs in the last 10 minutes. Before that, it’s a lot of walking around the colony.
Notes (in which I partly crib from Pod’s excellent comments):
- When I was younger I used to snicker at the work Penal.
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“Mister Spock, you tell McCoy that she had better check out as the best assistant I ever had.”
That line got a big laugh from my wife. -
Kirk decides to try the Mind Erasing machine on himself??
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What happens at the Christmas party stays at the Christmas party. Geeze, ever her name is Noel.
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First Mind Meld!
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The end goal of Dr. Adams is unclear with regard to what he did to Kirk.
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But I thought it was clever that on the planet Tantalus, Adams plants the suggestion that he longs for Dr Noel, and then takes her away.
-Greg out!
Later there will be a Tantalus Device that takes people away!
GregB finally posts the only screenshot that matters in this episode.
I had the same thought during the episode. And it was immediately followed by the thought “he reminds me of Chris Pine in this episode”.
(For @Navaronegun: Chris Pine is the actor who plays Kirk in the new movies that you haven’t seen, and the young Shatner reminds me a lot of him in other episodes so far as well).
I was admiring how many named crew we get in TOS, and now I see we have a Senior position!
If the rest of Trek proves interesting I might give some of the skippers a go. But I only have so much free time!
I didn’t even consider this! We’ve already had a few aptronyms in Trek. I’m going to have to start noting down the ones I see.
Not even the one where you can see her blue drawers?
There are no new movies. They ended with the TNG Dune Buggy ride. Certainly not with Chris Pine. He was busy making all 6 films in that Smokin’ Aces franchise with JJ Abrams.
My favorite Smokin’ Aces movies were the ones that took place in space.
That’s kind of cool they did that. Space heists. That’s novel.
I mean the big one where their spaceship comes out of an ocean was where they were kinda jerks about it. Sure, it may have been helpful, but they really messed with the people’s unique culture.
But them being jerks does fit, so it works.
Yeah but also I’m pretty sure the prime directive in the Smokin’ Aces universe is to mess with as many cultures as possible, so at least it fits.
I love the Internet.
Ok, that one is pretty good. Nice call-back to that one Smokin’ Aces movie where a bunch of space-bees blow up their space car, but those jerks show those space bees who’s boss in the end by playing loud music at them.
I found this intriguing. Lens flare! And a little foreshadowing for next week…
We should have a sidebar for reused tech. The spinning light will be used again and again. As will others in future episodes. It was even a joke in the movie Airplane 2. By none other than Shatner himself.