An Alternate Trek

[Brainbin]

I've been watching this thread for quite some time, and to be honest I think that, assuming we accept the premise of Gene Roddenberry proving unable to sell Star Trek to Desilu or anyone else stateside and finding better luck with a benefactor across the Pond, I honestly think a lot of the outlining is far too conservative to what transpired IOTL. The Federation (even if it gets a name change to "Commonwealth", which I actually like on paper), the Klingons, and the Eugenics Wars were all the invention of Gene L. Coon, who joined the show midway through its first season (in late 1966) and was probably the single largest creative influence on the show's direction - head and shoulders above Roddenberry. He hasn't even been mentioned once on this thread, even though most of his contributions have been.

Honestly, if you want to create a British Star Trek, it doesn't make sense to take anything from OTL canon other than the original 1964 pitch, Star Trek is... along with the few scripts that Roddenberry had a direct hand in writing ("Mudd's Women" and "The Omega Glory" come to mind, and that latter episode is also a good example of why I think it would be very difficult to send someone with Roddenberry's ideology across the Pond, but I digress...). As soon as he sold the idea to Desilu, their people (Oscar Katz, and more notably Herbert F. Solow) had an impact on it, as did the executives at NBC (including Grant Tinker), and later, those who worked on the pilot (such as Robert Butler and, of course, Robert L. Justman). And these people are only the ones who influenced the making of "The Cage", and they're all gone. (And so is Majel Barrett - his mistress or not, she isn't going to be following him - and his wife - to England). Funnily enough, I can see a character like Number One - who so famously repulsed NBC executives and American test audiences - "selling" right off the bat in the UK, already accustomed to trailblazers like Dr Cathy Gale. This, in turn, makes Spock so radically different from the character who emerged IOTL (developed in large part, as previously noted, by the also-absent D.C. Fontana) that it wouldn't make much sense to compare the two.

Most glaringly, the episode summaries that have been listed so far resemble the OTL series far too closely:

1. The Cage(The Cage)

Okay, written by Roddenberry, so it's a likely candidate (though, IOTL, Solow claims that it was ghostwritten by someone else).

2. Inhibitions (The Naked Time)

Written by story editor John D.F. Black. He worked so long and so hard on this script that he actually neglected his duties as story editor, and had to be replaced. This episode is not mentioned anywhere in Star Trek is..., which means it wasn't devised by Roddenberry.

3. Yesterday is Tomorrow (Tomorrow is Yesterday)

Apparently the idea to make this a two-parter with "The Naked Time" originated in the writers' room after the show was picked up - this episode doesn't appear in Star Trek is... either. Written by D.C. Fontana - and Gene's secretary isn't going to follow him to England just for a long-shot at writing for a TV show.

4. The Herschel (The Galileo 7)

Written by S. Bar-David; not mentioned in Star Trek is...

5. Old Wounds (The Man Trap)

One of several episodes commissioned from high-profile science-fiction writers IOTL - the title appears in Star Trek is... but refers to a different plot.

6. The Mind Sifter (Dagger of the Mind)

Written by S. Bar-David; not mentioned in Star Trek is...

7. The Federation (The Corbomite Manouver)

Written by Jerry Sohl; not mentioned in Star Trek is...

8. Shiva (Space Seed)

Written by Gene L. Coon. Kiss this one (and Khan) goodbye, it's not happening.

9. The Guardian of Time (City on the Edge of Forever)

Written by Harlan Ellison; even if they get him, it won't be anything like the episode as aired (written by D.C. Fontana) or as Ellison wrote it (his original script was unworkable).

10. Where no one has gone before (WNMHGB)

Commissioned from Samuel L. Peeples as a second pilot script; notably the only one of the three choices not written, at least in part, by Roddenberry, and yet it's the one that NBC chose. The idea was derived from "The Day Charlie Became God" in Star Trek is..., so an episode vaguely like this is feasible for the British Star Trek.

11. Yin and Yang (The Enemy Within)

Written by Richard Matheson. Somewhat resembled an outline from Star Trek is... called "The Mirror" (which also inspired "Mirror, Mirror", of course).

12. The Aphrodite Syndrome (Mudd's Women)

(Co-)written by Roddenberry himself, and based directly on an outline from Star Trek is... called "The Women". A safe bet.

13. Sugar and Spice (What are little girls made of?)

Written by Robert Bloch; not mentioned in Star Trek is...

14. The Lost

Apparently a story idea original to TTL - by my reckoning, there should be a lot more.

15. Elsinore (The Conscience of the King)

Written by freelance teleplay writer Barry Trivers, who never made another sale to Star Trek.

16. Shore Leave (Shore Leave)

Written by Theodore Sturgeon, but similar to an outline in Star Trek is..., so we'll give this one half-credit. (It wouldn't have that title, at least.)

17. The Forgotten(The Return of the Archons)

Story by Gene Roddenberry, based on an outline in Star Trek is..., this one's a go.

18. MAD (Balance of Terror)

Written by Paul Schneider, who also created the Romulans. They or any race based upon them won't appear in this series, and neither will this superb episode. Granted, it is based on an old movie (The Enemy Below), and Roddenberry did base early Star Trek on Forbidden Planet... but that is a highly tenuous connection.

19. Triskelon (Arena)

Written by Gene Coon, so it's gone. Purportedly based on a short-story by Fredric Brown, but bears only a superficial (and apparently coincidental) similarity thereto.

20. Court Martial (Court Martial)

Written by Don Mankiewicz and Steve Carabatsos (who replaced Black as Story Editor). Does not appear in Star Trek is...

21. The Spores (This Side of Paradise)

Written by Jerry Sohl; heavily re-written by D.C. Fontana to highlight Spock (the beginning of her love affair with the Vulcan). Given that, ITTL, Number One would remain the emotionless one, this episode would turn out very differently (IOTL, originally Sulu was the one who fell in love).

22. The Miners (Devil in the Dark)

Written by Gene Coon - in one weekend, so the legend goes - to make use of a costume designed by Janos Prohaska (who performed as the Horta in the resultant episode).

23. Organia (Errand of Mercy)

Written by Gene Coon, so say farewell to the Klingons (though that name might still appear, because it comes from Lt. Bill Clingan, Roddenberry's fellow pilot in the USAAF).

24. Brothers (Operation:Annihilate)

Written by Steve Carabatsos; does not appear in Star Trek is...

25. The Computer War (A Taste of Armageddon)

Story by Robert Hamner; teleplay by Gene Coon. Another one gone.

26. Janus (The Alternative Factor)

Written by Don Ingalls, so good riddance to this wretched monstrosity (he also wrote "A Private Little War" - yes, they actually brought him back).

---

Oddly, one episode that stands a chance of making it across the Pond in pretty decent shape ("Charlie X", based directly on "The Day Charlie Became God" from Star Trek is..., though it was written by Fontana) is omitted. If we include that, we have perhaps five or six episodes that will bear even a vague resemblance to those which aired in the OTL first season (notwithstanding the substantial changes in character, sets, props, costume design, makeup, visual effects, score, etc. etc.).

This is an interesting idea, but I honestly think you're playing it way too safe. Gene Roddenberry did not have nearly as big an impact on Star Trek IOTL as he led everyone to believe (like George Lucas, he was much better at selling himself and creating a mystique). You shouldn't feel constrained by how the mythos developed IOTL.

 

[Lindseyman]

Thank you! I was beginning to think that no one was actually reading this thread just looking at it! I'm starting close then diverging more and more as I find my feet.

In my defense I did say that they were equivalent episodes not just translations across the timelines. The sparks of inspiration that caused Star Trek in OTL would be leaping around in this one as well, just hitting different tagets with more and more divergent results as time goes on.(Think of Hwel the dwarf playwright from the Discworld series and the adjacency of some of his plays to a certain W.Shakespeare!)
I have already decided on one change I'm swapping Court Martial to be the last Plummer episode after Guardian of Time. Given that we will have had two time travel episodes(three if you include Shiva) the new DTI is going to want to get its point across about playing with time! The OTL Star Trek OTS rarely dealt with long term consequences. This was in fairness so each episode could be stand alone and watched with little or no prior knowledge but Kirk never even seemed to get his wrist slapped and by season 3 he was really playing fast and loose with rules and regulations!

The Plummer Episodes
1. The Cage(The Cage)
2. Inhibitions (The Naked Time)
3. Yesterday is Tomorrow (Tomorrow is Yesterday)
4. The Herschel (The Galileo 7)
5. The Mind Sifter (Dagger of the Mind)
6. The Federation (The Corbomite manouver)
7. Shiva (Space Seed)
8. The Guardian of Time (City on the Edge of Forever)
9. Court Martial (same name but completely different from OTL Court Martial)
The Bradford Episodes
10. Where no one has gone before (WNMHGB)
11. Yin and Yang (The Enemy Within)
12. The Aphrodite Syndrome (Mudd's Women)
13. Sugar and Spice (What are little girls made of?)
14. The Lost
15. Elsinore (The Conscience of the King)
16. Shore Leave (Shore Leave)
17. The Forgotten(The Return of the Archons)
18. MAD (Balance of Terror) (introduces the Rhihannuan)
19. Triskelon (Arena)
20. Old Wounds (The Man Trap)
21. The Spores (This Side of Paradise)
22. The Miners (Devil in the Dark)
23. Organia (Errand of Mercy)(introduces the Klingons)
24. Brothers (Operation:Annihilate)
25. The Computer War (A Taste of Armageddon)
26. Janus (The Alternative Factor)

 

[Lindseyman]

The DTI

The reasoning that the Commonwealth use for the formation of its DTI is much the same as the Federation use for forming their DTI as expounded in Christopher Bennett's books in OTL. However in TTL there is never any doubt that the DTI will be an independant body free of any interference by either the Fleet or the Navy. Having said that its first chair is Admiral(retd) John Campbell-Foreman.
This British Trek was going to be more aware of, and deal with,the potential problems caused by time travel because of a certain programme on the other side. However the DTI investigators are not going to have to deal with a disappearing blue box and its occupant(s) despite the help and advice freely flowing between both production staff (usually in pubs around London).

 

[Lindseyman]

Epidode 4 The Herschel Broadcast 28th January 1967

On mission date 321.5, CSS Endeavour is undertaking a survey of the Hoyle system. The asteroid belt shows a distinctly unusual tendency to bunch up and then move apart, much like the ebb and flow of a traffic system. As the Endeavour is too large to manouver within the asteroid belt, Pike decides to send a science team composed of Braun, Stein, Scott, and two other members of the science staff Lieutenant Brennan (guest star Glynn Edwards) and Ensign Hawkins (guest star Jackie Lane) in the shuttle, Herschel, to investigate the formation. Pike warns Braun to be careful as there is something in the asteroid belt that is badly affecting the long rangesensors making tracking them very difficult but also that Spock is working on it.

To start with it is an uneventful if slightly bumpy ride and Stein, Brennan and Hawkins take lots of readings which half suggest answers to the motion of the asteroids. Then suddenly the shuttle is pulled off course and out of the Endeavours's erratic sensor range. The shuttle hits something that the sensors haven’t detected and one of the engines is damaged. Braun makes an emergency landing on a large asteroid. However the damaged engine fails completely during the attempt and it ends up being a crash landing.

When the crew come too, only the emergency lights are working and Brennan has been badly injured and concussed having not correctly fastened his safety straps during the crash. Scotty works hard and manages to restore partial power. This does not bring good news. In the landing the damaged engine was ripped off and the oxygen tanks holed. There is only enough breathable air for an hour. The EVA suits have enough air for an extra hour. Also the landing has brought them under a ledge comprised of rock that would shield them from the Endeavour’s sensors even if they were working properly.

Stein frantically works on the data collected, despite Braun and Scott insisting that all efforts should be concentrated on contacting the Endeavour, and together with Hawkins works out that there is a minature black hole moving through the asteroid belt. As its movement is not completely synchronous with the asteroids, it creates a tide like effect hence the strange movement of the asteroids. It was with this that the shuttle collided. Meanwhile Scott and Braun are frantically trying to get enough power to communicate with the Endeavour. Mr. Scott concludes that he will need to siphon the energy from all the phaser power packs in order to boost the shuttles coms enough to signal the Endeavour. Scott's plan is partially successful and Spock picks up the signal on the Endeavour.

Pike orders another two shuttles to search along the heading given by the signal. However although they find some wreckage they cannot find the Herschel. By now the crew is in the eva suits and have only a few minutes left in those. However although they can pick up the signals between the shuttles and the Endeavour, they no longer have enough power left to signal themselves. Braun gets an idea and decides to pressurise the remaing atmosphere in the airlock and flare it with a remaining almost drained phaser. The flare produced is spotted by one of the shuttles and a rescue is effected.

Back on board the Endeavour, Pike questions Braun, attempting to get her to admit that her expending the air was illogical as she couldn’t have known that it would work. When Braun replies that at that stage such an apparently illogical action was the logical course of action to take, the Bridge crew cannot contain their mirth much to Braun’s chagrin..

 

[Lindseyman]

Even more from the Handbook

The Andorians

At one time the most effective warriors in this part of space. Up until the arrival of the Humans they were the only civilisation to defeat the Klingons and stop their expansion (at least in their direction) abruptly enough to be recognised under the Code. They are natives to the planet Andor which orbits its sun at about an equivalent distance as Earth from its sun. however the Andorian sun is smaller and cooler. This has led to the climate of Andor being cooler to that of Earth (the Andorian Tropics are similar temperatures to the UK!). The Andorians consider Earth to be warm and Vulcanis to be uncomfortably hot! They are humanoids but are covered in short fur similar to colour to Earth's Polar Bears although they become bluer the closer they live to their tropics.

Over the past 1000 years the Andorian Birthrate has fallen drastically . Successful births had fallen to 1 in 10 and since Andorian females cannot become pregnant again for 10 "years" after giving birth (even a still birth) the Andorian population has plummeted to almost crisis levels. By careful shielding the Andorians had increased successful births to 1 in 7.

Humans with their "there is no problem that cannot be solved if either enough money or scientists are thrown at it " approach, have helped the birth rate to rise to 1 in 5. Andorian Females who are away from their planet for the birth have a 1in 2 success rate for births but they cannot live away from Andor for the length of the pregnancy (14 earth months). Both the Humans and Vulcanians suspect that more is going on than just the erratic behaviour of the Andorian sun (which the Andorians believe is the problem) but have no proof.

As a result Andorians no longer tend to leave Andor until they are past child rearing age. Once they are they willingly join in Commonwealth politics, the Fleet and the Navy.

 

[Lindseyman]

Potted Earth History since WWII

(please note this is VERY provisional and will change as more episodes are written about)
1945 On liberating some of the Eastern European Camps, Russian Scientists find some interesting research on ubermenschen. Certain scientists, their research and research subjects are hurriedly moved to central Siberia.
1945-56 Appears much as OTL
1956 Suez. The fall out from this causes the UK to let the Empire go as it cannot afford to maintain it any more. Lots of wars break out over territory in Africa between ex colonies in the late 60s. By 1980 South Africa ends up controlling southern Africa up to Zambia also taking in Angola and Mozambique.
1963 Sino-Soviet War breaks out. Long standing tensions result in a massive border war. Certain men and women, with children, break out of a prison camp in Siberia and make their way to India, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq.
1968 Sino-Soviet war finally goes nuclear. PRC effectively destroyed as a functioning nation. USSR not in a much better state. Beginning of serious seperatist movements in USSR and the Warsaw Pact Countries start breaking free. USSR no longer strong enough to stop them.(This is NOT WWIII in itself but is considered part of it together with the African wars).

 

[Lindseyman]

Potted Earth History Pt2

1968 Richard Millhouse Nixon elected President of USA. China starts regrouping under Zhou Enlai. Student unrest in Paris leads to a full scale revolution.DeGaulle resigns as President in 1969. Czechoslovakia withdraws from military part of Warsaw Pact.
1970 Formation of Sixth Republic of France. Much of structure of 5th republic retained but Presidents limited to a Five year term and may not stand for reelection. Despite being called a recipe for disaster by many, this republic withstands all thrown at it and survives even WWV.
1973 Watergate. 1974 Nixon resigns when threatened with impeachment, Agnew becomes president only to be impeached for financial misdemeanors in 75!Agnews VP Rockefeller becomes president, but Reagan wins nomination of GOP.
1976 Zhou Enlai announces reformation of PRC. Reagan wins election to be president.
1977 East Germany leaves Warsaw Pact, West Germany leaves NATO but NOT EEC.
1979 East Germany is fast tracked to membership of EEC (Britain still refused membership!), Margaret Thatcher becomes British PM. Revolution in Iran.
1980 South Africa emerges from the African Wars controlling all southern Africa up to and including Zambia and Katanga.
1980-1990 Ten years of relative peace.

 

[Fredd114]

Keep up the good work lindsayman.

 

[e of pi]

Potted Earth History Pt2

A couple comments about this whole "potted history." First, it seems dramatically different than the OTL show, where they basically developed Earth's history--even the current date in the show!--as little as possible. I suppose this is perhaps the influence of the alternate writing staff--after all, IOTL it was the showrunners and staff writiers like Coon, Solow, Fontana, and others who more than anyone else set the details of Trek, but it still seems oddly different and far more detailed than you'd need to write episodes in the show's universe, which is the main purpose of a bible--to let off-staff or staff writers reference a "style guide" for what Star Trek scripts should be like and the basic key details. In light of that purpose, the level of detail seems odd.

A large part of the original Star Trek feel was an absence of every unnecessary detail they could get away with, something seen clearly in the OTL bibles, such as these excerpts. Removing this element of the feel is likely to make for a much less engaging show, I think.

Also, isn't this all being written in 1967? So they predict Watergate, Nixon's impeachment, and Thatcher correctly, but in spite of this prescience decide to liven things up with a couple nuclear wars? Seems silly to have them be right on the money on some very specific stuff and then just way off in amusing ways on others--and illustrates a lot of the benefits of avoiding such issues entirely by simply avoiding filling in the details of the intervening period between the present and the time of Trek except specifically when needed for a single episode IOTL.

 

[Lindseyman]

Memo to self. This is being written in 1965/1966/1967!!! not 2013!!!
Nixon being predicted OK even him winning a second term and being nearly impeached as he did have a bit of a reputation(Chequers anyone?)
British female PM OK but not named as Margaret Thatcher-fair point.
Ask any one who lived in 60's Britain we were expecting the bombs (think the BBC production "The Wargame") paradoxically more so than in the early 80s when they came nearest to falling (Able Archer but we great unwashed didn't know about that at the time). Even OTL Star Trek TOS has WWIII in the late 60s. Everyone who didn't think that the USSR and PRC were bosom Communist buddies(USA) expected a war between them.
From a British 60's point of view South Africa taking over southern africa isn't farfetched. They had the best armed forces (even though Apartheid was not popular).
As to why, I'm trying to set up WWIV (Eugenics Wars in OTL TOS) where Europe gets creamed but not China nor USA, one because it's not a threat (China- still rebuilding) and the other because its still far too strong(USA) .

 

[Lindseyman]

Episode 5 The Mind Sifter Broadcast 4th February 1967

On mission date 389.7 the CSS Endeavour is visiting an archaeological dig on Quehordhorr. This planet has ruins from the Wotadynne Autarchy a space faring civilisation which collapsed some 600 000 years previously. The expedition leader Professor Duncan Laird (guest star Gordon Jackson) believes that Quehordorr was where the Wotadynne had their last stand and that the legendary Wyrrddhister (the mind sifter) could be found somewhere on the planet.
One day Laird runs about shouting "I've found it! I've found it" and collapses. Later the second in command (guest star George Sewell) Macmillan Beith finds him dead in his tent. Beith notifies the Endeavour and Stiles and Holmes beam down with a security team to conduct an investigation. They are thwarted throughout the investigation as everybody contradicts each other and themselves, constantly changing their stories, as if they don't really remember what happened and are making stories up from the fragments that they do recall. Stiles falls prey to the same affliction but seems to keep repeating "ladiglamist". Spock beams down and together he and Holmes piece together what happened. When they confront Beith and his wife(guest star Judi Dench), Beith makes a run for it. He is cornered holding a strange glowing implement which flares up and then crumbles in his hands. His wife breaks down as Beith is now unable to recall anything and seems to be mentally fragmenting. She confesses to the murder of Laird as she and Beith wanted to take the fame and credit for the discovery of the mindsifter for which they had done 90% of the work.
On recovering Stiles said that all he could think of was the Scottish Play hence he was trying to say Lady of Glamis. Spock comments that he never ceases to be amazed at how many ways human life seems to mirror Shakespeare's plays.

 

[katchen]

If the Commonwealth has a ship named Herschel (after the discoverer of Uranus, who was British), surely there must be a Commonwealth ship named the Issac Newton. And maybe starships with names like Vindicator and Justiciar and Magna Carta. No Ark Royal! That would be the name of a space habitat or starbase!

 

[Lindseyman]

If the Commonwealth has a ship named Herschel (after the discoverer of Uranus, who was British), surely there must be a Commonwealth ship named the Issac Newton. And maybe starships with names like Vindicator and Justiciar and Magna Carta. No Ark Royal! That would be the name of a space habitat or starbase!

The Navy will, not the Fleet. Fleet ships will be named after famous ships linked with exploration and explorers (NOT just Earth's by the way) for example CSS Byrd, CSS Peary, CSS Amundsen,CSS Cheng Ho, CSS Santa Maria, CSS Taurhhan. The Navy will have the Vindicators, Excaliburs,Bismarks, Tirpitzes named after famous ships and military personnel of the past (again not just Earths). Star bases will be named after famous politicians and events eg CSB Constitution, CSB Runnymede, CSB Gandhi.
Naming of shuttles and runabouts depends on the ship and/or planet of origin. (However these are usually famous scientists. Mind you there is one ship whose shuttles are named Banks, Cohen, Wilson, J.Charlton, Moore, Stiles, Ball, Peters, R.Charlton, Hurst and Hunt)

 

[Lindseyman]

Potted History Pt 2 V2 and Pt 3

Late 60s - mid 70s 2 US Presidents in a row impeached due to political and/or financial scandals. Fifth Republic of France replaced by Sixth which proves more durable. Warsaw Pact effectively ceases to exist as a military alliance.African Wars continue
Mid to Late 70s Reformation of PRC. Expansion of EEC to include ex Warsaw pact nations. Britain still not allowed to join! First UK female PM. African Wars continue
Early 80s South Africa emerges from the African Wars controlling all southern Africa up to and including Zambia and Katanga.
Otherwise 80s are a decade of relative peace although there are a series of revolutions,coups and elections ,starting in the late 70s, which result in authoritarian but efficient governments in South Asia and Middle East who then form a new alliance.
Early 90s increasing tensions between EEC and the new Asian/Middle eastern bloc led by Gunwant Khan. (Particularly over Turkey and the Gulf States of Arabia).
Mid 90s WWIV between EEC Nations and Asia/Middle East over oil from the Gulf and Khan sponsored takeovers of Egypt and Libya. USA stands aside until mass use of Chemical and Biological weapons by BOTH sides in late 90s.
13th September 1999 Disappearance of Khan and his supporters. Collapse of both sides in war.

 

[Lindseyman]

Episode 6 The Federation broadcast February 11th 1967

On mission date 392.2, the Endeavour, finishes a third day of mapping an unknown planetary system, when navigator Lt. Bailey spots a large object floating in space. Braun orders Dare to sound an alert.

On the bridge, Chief Engineer Scott studies the cube, but is at a loss as to how it works. A nervous Bailey advocates attacking it with phasers. Pike arrives and instead orders the ship to back away from the object. The cube responds by coming even closer and emitting harmful radiation, and Pike reluctantly destroys it.
Two hours later Braun informs Pike that a much larger object is rapidly approaching from the second planet.

Responding to the object's destruction – which the crew soon learn was a boundary marker – a gigantic glowing sphere quickly approaches the Endeavour. It fills the bridge viewscreen, even at low magnification. The vessel's controller, Commander Balok, identifies his ship as the Fist of the Archon, the flagship of the Federation.

Mr. Spock manages to get a visual of Balok, a green-skinned humanoid. Balok ignores Pike's greetings, and announces that he will destroy the Endeavour for trespassing into Federation territory and destroying the marker buoy. Balok informs the crew they have ten minutes to pray to their deities before their demise.
Braun compares the situation to a game of chess: "In chess, when one player is outmatched, the game is over." She regrets that she can find no logical answer. Pike replies that the solution is not chess, but poker. He bluffs, telling Balok that the Endeavour has a defence system which, when the ship is attacked, creates an equal force rebounding on the attacker.

Apparently falling for the ruse, Balok does not destroy the ship as previously announced. Meanwhile there is a shift change and Chekov,Eisen and McKenzie assume their posts. Afterward, Balok makes direct contact with the Endeavour, requesting details on the system. After allowing sufficient time, mostly to cause Balok to worry the details, Pike refuses.

A tug ship then detaches from the Fist of the Archon and tows the Endeavour deeper into the Federation space, where Balok announces he will intern the crew and destroy the Endeavour. Under tow, Pike orders the Endeavour to increasingly resist the tug ship's tractor beam. Just as the Endeavour's engines are about to explode from the overload, it breaks free. This disables the alien vessel. With the power supply nearly drained, the tug cannot even call for help from the bigger ship.

Rather than flee, Lynch, Fynely, and Braun form a boarding party to render assistance. Pike and Spock remain on the Endeavour to assist them, in case this was a trap. Scott, operating the transporter, tells them to bend down, as the scan on the alien ship reveals it has a very low ceiling. Upon arrival they discover that Balok is the size of a human child. He enthusiastically welcomes them aboard, offering them food and drink.

Balok explains that he was merely testing the Endeavour and its crew, to discover their true intentions. Although he had read the Endeavour computer records, he felt they could have been a deception. He knew his true appearance would never frighten anyone. Balok informs them that he runs the Fist of the Archon entirely by himself. The Federation only has one other ship the Fist of the Archona which is currently under repair after they were involved in a battle with an unknown ship which had refused all communication and had attacked at first sighting. Balok shows the Endeavour crew recordings of this ship in the hope that they can identify it. None of them can except Spock who gives a very obvious start upon seeing the ship. When Stiles questions him Spock replies that if it is whom he fears, then this sector of space is in grave danger, This race are in a state of constant war with the Klingons on the opposite side of the Empire to the Commonwealth. They are called the Rhihannaun.

Pike agrees to leave the Federation details on how to contact the Commonwealth if they should ever feel the need to do so and they part on good terms.

 

[Lindseyman]

Episode 7 Shiva Broadcast February 18th 1967

On mission date 401.9, the Endeavour, exploring the Wilder star system finds a derelict ship floating in space. Its hull identifies it as the Shiva. It has all the appearances of an enlarged version of a late 20th Century space shuttle. Intrigued as there is no record of the Shiva nor should an earth ship of its period have made it this far in the time since the 2000s, Pike orders a scan of the ship. They detect about 100 suspended animation pods but more horribly a working warp drive which was not invented for another sixty years!

A landing party consisting of Braun, Doctor Noyce, Chief Engineer Scott, and historian Lieutenant Wheeler (Anneke Wills), is beamed over to the freighter. Wheeler is selected because she specialized in late 20th-century history and culture. The landing party finds a cargo of 94 humans, 82 of whom are still alive in suspended animation after 200 years. Scott examines the engines and finds that they are very similar to Cochrane’s but much cruder especially with regard to the antimatter shielding. Wheeler finds the stasis tube that contains the body of the group's leader. The male occupant begins to revive, but his stasis cell begins to fail; he is taken back to Endeavour for a medical examination.

Pike has the Shiva taken in tow by a tractor beam, and Chekov starts calculating the quickest course for CSB Gandhi. In sickbay, Wheeler marvels over the man, who is a living relic from an era she has studied all her life. The patient puts a scalpel to Fynely's throat, demanding to know where he is. Fynely responds by suggesting the optimal way to kill him if he wishes to do so. Impressed by Fynely's bravery, the man puts the scalpel down and introduces himself as "Khan" (special guest star Pran Sikhand). To Wheeler and Fynely’s horror on finding where he is, Khan says “Ah yes, so he was right after all”

Spock discovers that their guest is Gunwant Khan who, along with his people, are products of 20th-century genetic engineering designed to be perfect humans. The genetic superhumans instead took over the Middle East and South Asia sparking global war. At end of WWIV, between ninety and a hundred of them were unaccounted for; Khan is recorded the most dangerous of these people.

Khan is given quarters, although his door is locked and an armed guard posted outside. Pike and Stiles question him. He is quite forthcoming about how he knows about the Endeavour. Not only did the beaming back of Cochrane not result in him forgetting about the incident with the Endeavour (episode 3 Yesterday is Tomorrow) but Stiles and Holmes had also left behind a communicator. Khan kidnapped Cochrane in the early 90s and interrogated him for all he knew. He also acquired the communicator from the vaults beneath the Tower of London. His scientists knowing that warp drive was possible and reverse engineering the communicator developed a crude warp drive. Asked how he knew about Cochrane, Khan replies “You weren’t the only ones around at that time”.

Khan manages to escape and beams back aboard the Shiva (causing more consternation as he knows how to operate the machinery)where he revives the rest of his supermen. They return to Endeavour and assume control of the ship. Khan throws Pike into a decompression tank, and threatens to slowly suffocate him unless Pike's command crew agree to follow Khan. Spock frees Pike from the chamber but at the cost of his own life. Pike and Noyce vent anesthetic gas throughout the entire ship to disable Khan and his cohorts. Khan escapes the gas and heads to Engineering, where he attempts to destroy Endeavour, but Scott confronts him and a brawl ensues. Though outmatched by Khan's superior strength, Scott uses a tool as a club to knock the superman unconscious.

When Khan and the other superhumans are rounded up, Pike holds a hearing to decide their fate. Khan is unapologetic but states that he regrets Spock's death although he died as a good subordinate should in defence of his commander. Pike decides that Khan and his followers should be put back into suspended animation until the Commonwealth authorities decide what to do with them. He freely admits that his own judgement would be faulty because of the death of Spock. Khan's final statement is to warn Pike that there are forces in play that make the Commonwealth look as but children in comparison. The Endeavour tows the Shiva to the jump point where it makes a rendezvous with CSS Warspite and CSS Solath who are to tow the Shiva to Earth. They also take Spock’s body so that it can be transported to Vulcanis. A memorial service is held for Spock. Pike makes a full report to Fleet headquarters and as he expects the Endeavour is recalled to Earth.

 

[Lindseyman]

The viewing figures for Star Trek were remarkable. It trounced the BBC early saturday evening programmes with the exceptions of Doctor Who and the Forsyte Saga ( which the Beeb were very careful not to have clash with Star Trek). This was despite mixed reviews in the papers. The established critics hated it as it was sci-fi although even they admitted that it was more thought provoking than most programmes. The other critics really liked it and said that it was an exceptionally good follow-up to Thunderbirds that deserved its prime time billing. As always the British public went their own way and voted with their choice of channels.

ITC had a smash. Star Trek sold everywhere, even when it had to be dubbed. The one market it couldn't crack was the US. The networks wouldn't touch it despite it getting exceptional viewing figures everywhere it was shown. Lew Grade once said in an interview that he thought that to begin with it was sour grapes on the US broadcasters part as they had all rejected Roddenberry's initial pitch.Then he was told that it was "too British". However he had very few problems selling his other productions to the US even those which were really British such as "Randall and Hopkirk deceased"!.

 

[Lindseyman]

Apologies in advance there are 3 posts here in one. I was busy whilst the board was being maintained. Please let me know what you think.

Episode 8 The Guardian of Time Broadcast February 25th 1967

Mission Date 404.8, the Endeavour is on route to Earth having been recalled after the Shiva incident. After a jump they receive a strange signal giving them a set of jump coordinates. These would take them light years away from explored space. They ignore the signal and make the next jump towards Earth. When making the jump there is a strange discontinuity and they do not arrive at their expected destination but at the coordinates given in the signal. They make several attempts to leave but all fail. Pike then gives the order for the Endeavour to set course for the planet from which the signal emanates.

Pike, Stiles, Holmes and Noyce beam down to the point from where the signal is generated. They are met by a humanoid figure wearing a gown with a deep hood and they are unable to make out his face. This figure tells them that they are expected but are late and have little time to put things right and that they can call him Guardian. On asked what he means, the Guardian says that history is being radically changed and as they, albeit unwittingly, were the agents of that change they have to put it right. Holmes again asks why. The Guardian sighs and mutters that no matter where they are humans are always the same! He shows them a viewscreen upon which he first shows them being thrown back to the Earth of 1964 and then their recent incident with Khan. He then shows them pictures of “what is yet to be”. They show Khan and his fellow supermen being released from stasis and being set free. Over the next ten years they take over Earth, then the Commonwealth and start a war with the Klingons. The Commonwealth and the Klingons fight each other to a standstill and then, both sides of the conflict are conquered by Aliens, that the shocked Endeavour crew do not recognise. Rhihannaun is the name given to them by their guide.

The Rhihannaun have been clandestinely observing the Earth for a thousand years or more observes the Guardian. They never made a move because of the Vulcanians and Klingons. Your accident gave them an opening and they took advantage of it. A few bribes in the right places in both time periods and they get what they want the Klingons and Humans as their slaves forever more. Khan is just the fall guy! Stiles and Holmes are told to retrieve their communicator and Pike and Noyce to ensure that Khan does not capture Cochrane (Tony Booth).

He leads them to another room and machine. Pike enquires as to the planet’s name. He is told that it has had many but none are currently relevant. The Guardian then informs them that he is the last of his race. He sends Stiles and Holmes through the machine, which he calls a portal, back to the RAF base in 1964. Their quest goes without a hitch although they nearly run into themselves and the military policeman again. Pike and Noyce then go through to ensure Khan does not capture Cochrane. They manage to intercept the kidnappers and to free Cochrane. They then have a dilemma; they cannot ensure that Khan does not capture Cochrane at a later date unless they kill him. Cochrane works this out as well and says that he is willing to die. His son has emigrated to Australia and does not need him any more. Pike and Noyce both object to killing him as it would make them no better than Khan. In the middle of their argument they, together with Cochrane, end up back on the strange planet with the Guardian, Stiles and Holmes.

The Guardian states that they have proved worthy of his trust and that Cochrane will be returned to Earth at a date after Khan is too preoccupied with other matters to be bothered with him. Cochrane says his farewells and jumps back through the portal. The Guardian informs them that their history has now been fully repaired but also warns them that there are consequences to their actions. Pike and the others signal the Endeavour that they are ready to beam up. Just as they are leaving Pike asks the Guardian his name. The Guardian replies but his reply is lost in the whine of the transporter.

Postscript


The actor who played the Guardian was never credited. Rumours abounded about the character and whom he was meant to be. Of course the most popular rumour was that he was this timeline’s version of the Doctor, however this was never confirmed nor denied, but it was pointed out that there would be the odd copyright issue involved if that was the case, and the furore died down. There were also persistent rumours about a deleted scene. This was easily dealt with, as there are always scenes that are filmed but not used. There it rested until 2003, when the BBC showed this episode of Star Trek at 6pm on Friday 21st of November as part of a run of ITC programmes to which they had acquired the rights (including Thunderbirds which they had finished showing 2 months before). After the credits had been run there was an extra scene. As Pike was beaming back to the Endeavour you heard him say “Who?” in response to the Guardian’s lost reply. There is a dry chuckle from within the hood and the Guardian says in a more familiar cheery voice, “Well that’s the first time I’ve been called that here!” and pulls back his hood to reveal Patrick Troughton.

Episode 9 The Court Martial Broadcast March 4th 1967

Unusually for Star Trek, there was a scene before the titles. It showed a court martial and the Judge Advocate General (special guest star Peter Cushing) was passing sentence on Christopher Pike. “You have pleaded guilty to all charges and it is therefore the decision of this court that you are relieved of command of the CSS Endeavour and all the rights and duties thereof”. (Roll titles.)

The programme proper opens with the Judge Advocate General Admiral (retd) Campbell-Foreman and the Board (Admiral Ross (guest star Guy Doleman), Admiral Bourne (guest star Nigel Green) and Admiral Saito (special guest star Sessue Hayakawa)) taking their seats in the courtroom together with the prosecution council Captain Reid (guest star Ian Hendry) and the defence council Captain Decker (Richard Bradford). During the programme it is made clear that Decker volunteered to be Pike’s defence council as Pike was not going to contest the charges so that his crew were not also charged.

Pike has been charged with altering the course of history and so recklessly endangering the billions of lives in the Commonwealth and beyond. The court goes through the entire last 4 months of Pike’s command. They pay special notice to the incident that the Endeavour back to 1964 although this board acknowledges that Pike and his crew were exonerated in a former board hearing. The board then turns its attention to the Shiva incident of which there are no records what so ever in the Endeavour’s computer banks, nor in the memories of any the crew EXCEPT Pike, Noyce, Stiles and Holmes. Spock is well and truly alive and is a witness at the Court Martial. Pike is relentlessly cross-examined as are the other three and it becomes increasingly clear that they are not believed.

The incident with the Guardian of Time is then dissected. There is no evidence of Fleet Headquarters recalling the Endeavour but there are orders sending them to the jump coordinates of the Guardian’s planet as there were strange signals emanating from that point in space. However in the light of Pike’s report on returning to the Endeavour, the CSS Zeng He was sent there. In a video link, the captain of the Zeng He confirms buildings similar to those described by the four in their reports but that they have obviously been abandoned for centuries due to their state of repair. Reid then goes to town over the lost communicator and the fact that Cochrane remembered the incident. It becomes apparent that they are going to be found guilty.

Decker puts up an admirable closing defence statement; this draws on the fact that the defendants cannot be found guilty of anything as there are no other records than the defendant’s own memories. He argues you cannot be convicted on a confession if there is no other evidence to support that confession. The Admirals withdraw to consider their verdict.

They come back in and begin to deliver the verdict. Suddenly the video screen comes back to life. There are wavy lines all over it and a voice can be heard bemoaning the inefficiency of human equipment. Finally a picture appears it is the Guardian. He states that if they are going to convict Pike they might as well see of what he is being convicted. The screen then shows the astonished court the entire Shiva and planet episodes. The Zeng He confirms that the signals are coming from the planet they are currently orbiting but that the source is intermittent as if it’s not there all the time. The judges withdraw again and the sound of arguing can be heard coming from the chambers.

The judges return and deliver an altered verdict. Pike is relieved of his command but is promoted to Admiral to act as the Fleet’s representative on the executive board of the Department of Temporal Investigations, under the chairmanship of Campbell-Foreman. Braun is offered the captaincy of the Endeavour but turns it down at this time, so to his astonishment Decker is offered the captaincy and he accepts.

 

[Lindseyman]

Addendum to postscript

Although the scene had been done with the full cooperation of both casts and crews both the ITC and BBC management went ballistic. The BBC because they didn't want to have to include Star Trek as part of the Who universe as they didn't have the budget (or were not willing to have that budget),ITC because it was a BBC character and they didn't want copyright issues or the public expecting this Doctor to act as Deus ex Machina for problems that the crew couldn't solve and perhaps more importantly they didn't want the public seeing them as one interlinked programme (and lets be honest neither management were consulted!).

So the clips were "destroyed". Fortunately not as successfully as occurred to some BBC programmes! Interestingly it was the BBC who went looking to see if it still survived when they acquired the rights to the original ITC Star Trek (and other programmes in 2000) as they had half an eye on Doctor Who's 40th anniversary in 2003. A copy was found in the belongings of an Ex ITC cameraman and was used.

The fallout from the clip being shown was that the naysayers at the BBC were totally silenced and BBC Wales and Russell T Grant were given the final green light for their reboot of Doctor Who.

 

[Lindseyman]

A bit more from the handbook

The Vulcanians

Inhabitants of Epsilon Eridani II, Vulcanians are humanoids with pointed ears, slanted eyebrows and a very red complexion. They do look remarkably like the popular image of the devil, lacking only horns, teeth and tail! This did cause some consternation at first contact and some people still harbour doubts about them because of the way they look.

Vulcanians are intensely interested in humans and their history and helped greatly with the rebuilding in the aftermath of WWV. At first it was believed that this was because we had undergone the war that they had avoided, however after the Klingon War it appeared that it was also because the Vulcanians thought that they had found a lost colony of Klingons who had forgotten that they were Klingons and instead of following the trends of Klingon history were instead following the trends of Vulcanian history! One example is that the Klingons never developed monotheistic religions that promoted peace even as an unattainable ideal, Earth had at least 4 (if you included Buddhism which isn't monotheistic) that believed in the ideals even if they didn't always achieve them in practice. Vulcanis had had 3.

Vulcanians had avoided their equivalent of WWV by adopting a Buddhist like philosophy. This enabled them to control their emotions which are at least as intense as human ones often more so, especially those connected with aggression. They had developed much more slowly than humans taking 4 thousand years from their equivalent of Earth's late classical period to Industrialisation. They have had space flight for 800 years and warp and jump technology for 600 years.

They discovered Earth in the early 1800s when an exploration ship discovered Sol's jump point. The Vulcanian's had then kept an eye on us for the reasons mentioned above. It was Christopher Cochrane's discovery of Warp Drive before WWV and his achievement in building a working warpship in the aftermath of that conflict that precipitated first contact.

Just as some humans are wary of Vulcanians, so some Vulcanians are wary of humans. They keep expecting us to revert to Klingon type. This fear was especially intense during the Earth-Klingon War when Humans showed that they could be just as lethal warriors as the Klingons. The shock was that after that conflict, humans then proposed the Commonwealth with equality of species rather than founding a Terran Empire to rival the Klingon Empire.