An Alternate Trek

[Lindseyman]

Episode 23 The Spores Broadcast June 12th 1967

On mission date 881.6, the Endeavour arrives at Mendel III, where a Commonwealth research station started several months earlier. Later it was discovered that the planet is showered by Berthold rays, a deadly form of radiation, which causes severe tissue damage within a few days of exposure. To make matters worse, there had been no communication with the station for quite a while. The Endeavour's sad mission is to retrieve the scientist's remains and their equipment.

Braun, along with Spock, Acting Chief Medical Officer Fynely, and other crewmen, beam down to the planet's surface and make the startling discovery that the scientists are still very much alive. The crew is greeted warmly by David Thompson (guest star Ian Bannen), the Research Team Leader who assures them that there have been no problems other than a faulty communications system. They encounter another scientist, Dr.Kurt Schmidtt (special guest star Horst Buchholz), with whom Braun fell in love twelve years earlier back on Mars. At a loss to explain why these people are still alive, Dr. Fynely arranges For M’Beke to perform medical exams on a number of the scientists while other crewmembers search the vicinity for answers.

The puzzle deepens as M’Beke finds the colonists in flawless health; in reviewing the scientists' medical records, he finds that, although the records indicate that Thompson had had his appendix removed, his own examination of Thompson indicated the researcher had an intact appendix. The other members of the landing party discover that there is no animal life present — no livestock, no birds and no insects. Evading Spock and M’Beke’s questions about the general absence of animal life on the planet, Thompson explains simply, "We're vegetarians."

As Braun is searching the surrounding area for clues, the Kurt meets with her and agrees to show her how the scientists have survived. He takes her to a place where there are strange flowers, which spray her with spores.
Being a committed follower of the Hanovarian Way, Braun doesn't normally express her emotions, but moments after exposure to these spores; she is able to say to Kurt, "I love you." Now free to find bliss with Kurt, Katharina laughs and with her head in Kurt's lap she lolls under a tree with him as they contemplate the clouds. When Spock attempts to contact her, it is not Katharina but Kurt who opens the communicator. Unwilling for a moment to stop embracing, nuzzling, and kissing Kurt, Katharina answers Spock's questions with amused curtness.

Katharina shows the strange flowers to Spock and other crewmen, but at this point Spock escapes being hit by their spores as he is just out of their range. When Spock returns to the ship, it is full of the flowers and their spores. The entire crews, in an open but peaceful mutiny, begin to beam down to the planet. Before she leaves, Ensign Colt sabotages the ship's communications system to prevent contact with the Fleet or the Navy.

Soon, Spock is the only person remaining aboard the ship. Since the ship is filled with the plants Spock finds himself within range of one of them on the bridge, and it shoots its spores at him. Spock begins to feel at peace and makes plans to beam down to the colony, but as he is about to leave the Endeavour, he has problems in operating the transporter, causing him to feel a wave of violent emotions, which overwhelms and destroys the effect of the spores.

Spock now realizes the spores cannot survive the presence of strong feelings. He asks Decker to come up to the ship ostensibly to help him with some things that they won't be able to retrieve once the last of them leaves. Spock actually wants to revert Decker's change of personality.

Spock is uncertain that his plan will work. Vulcanians were once ferocious warriors, with violent emotions (much more intense than Humans), before they embraced “The Circle” and ended the wars that were destroying their world. He is not certain that even intense human emotions will be enough to overcome the influence of the spores.

Nonetheless, when Decker arrives, Spock insults him with a stream of racist abuse and taunts him as not being worthy to command the Endeavour. He only got the command by being at the right place at the right time and he knew that. Decker is angered and a brawl ensues but fortunately, his rationality returns to him. They collaborate and create a device to send a subsonic frequency through the communicators that will irritate everyone in the colony.

Soon after the subsonic frequency is sent, fights break out quickly ending the spores' influence.

As the Endeavour, with the scientists safely on board, prepares to exit the planetary system, Braun comments about her experiences saying: "For the first time since I was a child, I was emotionally happy."

 

[Lindseyman]

Episode 24 I shot an Arrow Broadcast June 19th 1967

On Mission date 916.2 the Endeavour is surveying the Lowell system. They have found that Lowell IV is inhabited by a pre-industrial civilization at about the same level as that of late Roman Earth. As is standard procedure in these cases a message is sent to fleet headquarters for the system to be quarantined until the indigenous civilization reaches the systems outer planets. As the Endeavour heads back to the jump point Holmes picks up a faint signal that is approaching the system from outer space.

A space probe swings into the system and starts monitoring the planets. Spock comes on duty and relieves Holmes at the Science station. On analyzing the data received by Holmes’s initial analysis of the probe he visibly turns pale! Decker asks him what has caused this reaction. Spock replies that this is one of the S’Karr probes launched from Vulcanis nearly 600 year previously, during Vulcanis’ last nation state phase. They were fitted with a propulsion system based on the emission of fast ions, which are extremely dangerous to anything too close. This is made clear when a shuttlecraft sent to investigate the incoming probe encounters violent vibrations from the drive. It manages to withdraw but its propulsion and life support systems are badly damaged.

The probe then starts to head towards Lowell IV. Spock argues that it cannot be allowed to reach that planet for two reasons; firstly it would launch a small survey probe at the planet and discovery of this by the natives would affect their development and secondly if the drive interacts with the planet’s atmosphere in any way, it could lay waste to the entire surface!

It is decided that the probe must be shut down and brought on board or be destroyed, Stein and Holmes argue that there must be a way to save the huge amount of data that the ship has gathered in its travels. Spock, Holmes and Stein frantically research the probe to try and find the signal that would shut down the drive.

Just as Decker is preparing himself to fire on the probe although that would produce a flash in the night sky that could not fail to be noticed by the natives of the planet Spock finally finds the right codes and signals. The probe’s drive is successfully shut down and it is beamed on board.

However preliminary analysis of the data stored on the probe shows that it had passed through another star system and found intelligent life on its third planet (which had reached roughly the same level of development as pre WWV Earth) about 400 years previously. However on comparing the records the last survey of that system by the Fleet, which had occurred only 10 years previously, had found a pre-industrial civilization and evidence of a major catastrophe about 400 year before!

Decker decides that he must go and investigate.

 

[Lindseyman]

Episode 25 Where it Landed Broadcast June 26th 1967

On mission date 925.8 the Endeavour is specifically ordered by Admiral Bourne (Nigel Green) to investigate Lysenko III. It is a system surveyed by an automated probe a decade previously which reported a pre-industrial society but also evidence of a major catastrophe 400 years earlier. The Endeavor’s recovery of a Vulcanian S’Karr probe, which has passed through that system 400 years before but had found evidence of an industrial society, had set alarm bells ringing at Fleet headquarters. Regardless of general Order 1 if the probe had caused the collapse of that planet’s society, then the Commonwealth was morally bound to help correct the situation.

The Endeavour enters the system and approaches the third planet. They find some satellites in orbit. However they are communications satellites and hold no useful information. Surveying the planets surface Holmes and Spock find evidence of primitive agricultural communities but no evidence of any industrialization apart from the ruins of destroyed cities. These are apparently given a wide berth by the agricultural communities.

Decker is about to order a security team down to one of these cities to try and recover records when they discover a military spy satellite, which still appears to be working. Stein manages to hack past the sophisticated computer encryption and defence protocols. There was far more information available than one would expect of a military spy satellite. It appears that the military concerned had uploaded the planets history and a record of the fall of their civilization. This information that they recover gives them all cause for reflection.

The natives had been aware of the S’Karr probe but it had been a cause for celebration. They were not alone! There was other life out there. They had observed the probe as it had made its way through the system and departed. Political differences had been put aside and an effort was made to develop a faster than light drive. Then the cloud had come.

It was a dense cloud of matter and had drifted into their system. It had been caught by the gravitational attraction of the star and had formed a dense barrier to the star’s radiation blocking it off from the planet. Frantic efforts were made to disperse the cloud but it remained stubbornly impenetrable. Crops failed, food supplies ran out and the planet had collapsed into wars for the few remaining resources. The military base that had programmed the satellite had been the last remaining. They had shut themselves off from the world but only had supplies for ten years. They had to hope that this was enough.

There was one last message recorded. The cloud had finally thinned and light was again reaching the planet in sufficient quantities that agriculture was again possible. However despite rationing, food shortages and disease had reduced the numbers of survivors to about 50. There was not enough food left to wait to plant and harvest the crops. So a decision was made to plant the crops and then most of the survivors would seek others and bring them back for the crops and seeds.

The satellites imagery had then shown the slow spread of agriculture from this central node but civilization had not rebuilt itself. Decker sends the information to the fleet and the Commonwealth. It will be for the politicians to decide what to do.

 

[Lindseyman]

Episode 26 Janus Broadcast July 3rd 1967

On mission date 1182.5, the Endeavour, completes a mapping assignment of an uninhabited planet in the Draconis system. Decker notes in his personal log that they have had 3 quiet months, which has enabled them to get every system fully functioning. As the crew prepares to depart, the Endeavour is rocked by an unknown energy pulse. Spock informs Decker that the gravity of the planet fluctuated to zero and describes that the surrounding space seemed to momentarily "wink" out of existence.

Sensors then locate a human presence down on the planet that wasn't there before. Spock and Decker, along with a four-man security detail, beam down to the planet to investigate and find a small, one-man spacecraft. A disheveled, bearded man appears, the apparent victim of some violent struggle. He babbles about having to stop someone before it's too late, then staggers around as if sickened and accidentally slips off a cliff. The man survives the fall, but is injured, and Decker has him beamed to the Endeavour for examination.

Back on the ship, Scott informs Decker, that the mysterious disturbance drained the energy systems of the warp drive, and the Endeavour has about 10 hours of main power left before the ship drops out of orbit. A message is received from Admiral Pike, now of the DTI which reports every quadrant of the Milky Way, and even beyond, has been subjected to the same winking effect and following electronic disruption as the Endeavour. Fleet Headquarters has been receiving strange signals from ships that appear to have the wrong captains, in the wrong places and in some cases the wrong names! Pike wryly comments that so far they have had signals from himself in charge of the Endeavour, Decker, Braun, Spock and someone called Kirk! As the disturbance seems to be centered on the Endeavour’s current position Decker is ordered to investigate.

Fynely notifies Decker that the fallen man is now awake and Decker goes to question him. Decker learns that the man, who calls himself Magister (special guest star Christopher Lee), is on a fanatical crusade, chasing down the "monster" that destroyed his entire civilization. He describes his nemesis as a murdering beast, the anti-life, existing only to destroy. Periodically, Magister fades in and out of existence, encountering his adversary in a kind of dimensional corridor. Each time he does so, another energy wink occurs that ripples through the universe.

Fynely and M’Beke both claim to notice that a wound on Magister's head had disappeared the last time they checked him out. Confronting him later, Decker and Fynely find the wound has reappeared. Decker however, thinks that the doctors are imagining things.

Decker takes Magister to the bridge when Spock reports an amazing discovery down on the planet: a "rip" in space and time has formed near where Magister was found. The rip appears as a bright twinkling of light on the planet's surface. Magister insists that his enemy is trying to destroy the universe and he is causing the phenomenon. He tries to enlist Decker's help.
Decker beams back to the planet with a security team to search out this "hidden" enemy. Once again, Magister has another dimensional episode, and is returned to sickbay where Decker follows to demand the truth. Tired of Magister's double-talk, Decker orders security to escort Magister at all times.

Reluctantly, Magister explains he is a time traveler, and the planet below was once his home although not his people's planet of origin. His "spacecraft" is in fact a dimensional time ship. He claims his enemy counterpart destroyed his civilization in the past, for which Magister chased him for centuries. He demands Decker's help, but Decker still refuses to get involved.

There is then another episode and Magister again escapes in the ensuing confusion as Decker, Braun and Spock all think that they are in command. He beams down to the planet to repair his ship. Decker follows, but Magister activates his time machine just as Decker tries to stop him. Stepping into the portal, Decker is accidentally teleported to another dimension where he encounters the anti-Magister.

This Magister however, seems sane, not the murdering monster the other Magister described. The anti-Magister explains what is going on. He informs Decker that his people believed that many universes existed, and they tried to prove it, but failed, causing their own destruction. The Magister to whom Decker is currently speaking found a way, but he confirms that breaking the barriers between the universes may trigger doomsday.

The anti-Magister tells Decker the "dimensional corridor" — Magister's ship — connecting the universes must be severed. If too much matter is transferred between universes then the Universes will destroy themselves trying to get rid of the "infection". Decker must close off the portal for good. Decker returns to his universe and confronts the insane Magister; overpowering him they beam back to the Endeavour. Decker orders that both phasers and torpedoes target the dimension ship. They are fired and the ship is destroyed. M’Beke signals Decker and says that Magister is now sane and lucid and is asking to be taken to the Guardian's planet . Decker signals Pike and Pike confirms that this should be done as the Guardian of Time has been in contact and requested that very thing.

 

[Lindseyman]

Here endeth series 1! I'll tidy up/edit a few posts and rethink TTL's "The Cage".
There will be a series two but there is a dichotomy on some fronts:
1. ITV really want 13 episode series not 26 episode ones so that is going to cause some discussions.
2. Gene Roddenberry can't really get his head around how "cynical" we Brits are about optimistic futures! (ie There is always a hitch and/or when you think everything is going fine you get kicked in the b*****ks). There is going to be an interesting time when Gene tries to get a version of "The Omega Glory" made.

Otherwise there will be a version of "Bread and Circuses" as Romans in Space appeals to us Brits as much as the Yanks. There may well be an Arthurian themed one as well. There will be another alternate Universe story but it WON'T be a straight transcription of "Mirror Mirror". There are going to be more stories about "the lost" in this series and some clues but no answers as to why there are so many Humans in this part of space (sorry that should read why there are so many Klingons in this part of space). Try as I might I can think of no real way of having Tribbles in TTL.

Also as a sidetrack since Star Trek is now British what has taken its place in US broadcasting? It may well of course be more successful as remember Star Trek in OTL, after season 2, would have been cancelled if the networks had had their way.(Mind you that would have saved us some clunkers of episodes!).

Any thoughts?

 

[Lindseyman]

The viewing figures for Star Trek had held up all through the 26 week run although there had been a slight decline through May to July as the British had their version of a summer. Both ITC and the ITV companies, who for once had all shown a programme at the same time, agreed that 26 weeks was too long for a run of 1 hour programmes on British television but a series that long would make it easier to sell in syndication in the US. So they came up with a classic British compromise. Series 2 of Star Trek would run for 13 weeks before Christmas, have a break over Christmas and the New Year and then run for 13 weeks basically up to early April. It then wouldn't clash with the Olympics, Wimbledon, the Ashes or anything else which might be considered more important.
CTV had started showing Star Trek in June 1967 and it had got both good reviews AND good viewing figures (especially over the border!) but still the US Networks showed not the slightest interest in purchasing Star Trek. Lew Grade was not amused and only slightly mollified that it was being picked up everywhere else.

 

[Lindseyman]

Despite Stiles being a popular character Edward Woodward was torn as he was the lead in Callan. He decided to concentrate on Callan. Also James Ellis wanted to concentrate on Z Cars. Lew Grade leapt at the chance to increase the American component of the crew as he suspected that this was one of the reasons that Star Trek was not being picked up in the US- a lack of characters with whom Americans could identify.
Several actors were approached but in the end Glenn Corbett became Lieutenant Commander Zephram Reynolds in charge of security, and Gary Clarke became Lieutenant Virgil Summers the second in charge of security.
Then Sian Phillips dropped a bombshell, she was undergoing problems with her private life and wanted out especially as she suspected that much of her role would be subsumed by Corbett's Reynolds as he was much better known in the States. So Zephram Reynolds became the new second in command of the Endeavour and Gary Clarke's Virgil Summers became Chief of Security.

 

[Lindseyman]

Errata

No one has noticed that the dates from episode 22 onwards were 2 days out. I could claim that the programme was moved to Monday but it was my mistake!
The episode list with corrected broadcast dates will follow later

 

[Lindseyman]

Episodes with corrected broadcast dates

Here is the episode list together with correct broadcast dates.

Christopher Plummer Episodes (Captain Christopher Pike)

1. The Cage (7th Jan)
2. Inhibitions (14th Jan)
3. Yesterday is Tomorrow (21st Jan)
4. The Herschel (28th Jan)
5. The Mind Sifter (4th Feb)
6. The Federation (11th Feb)
7. Shiva (18th Feb)
8. The Guardian of Time (25th Feb)
9. The Court Martial (4th March)

Richard Bradford Episodes (Captain Matthew Decker)

10. Where No One has Gone Before (11th Mar)
11. Yin and Yang (18th Mar)
12. The Aphrodite Syndrome (25th Mar)
13. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (1st Apr)
14. The Lost (8th Apr)
15. Brothers (15th Apr)
16. The Forgotten (22nd Apr)
17. Charlie’s Law (29th Apr)
18. Mutual Destruction (6th May)
19. Old Wounds (13th May)
20. Organia (20th May)
21. To Thine Ownself (27th May)
22. The Computer War (3rd Jun)
23. The Spores (10th Jun)
24. I Shot An Arrow (17th Jun)
25. Where It Landed (24th Jun)
26. Janus (1st Jul)

 

[Marc Pasquin]

given any thought to the design side of things like uniforms and props or did you envision it more or less like the OTL series?

 

[Lindseyman]

given any thought to the design side of things like uniforms and props or did you envision it more or less like the OTL series?

Uniform discussed around post 90 and described in post 94
Ship discussed around post 130 and visualised (thanks to viewcode) in post 135

Design ethics will be a cross between Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet with a bit of UFO thrown into the mix (the Andersons are involved)

 

[Lindseyman]

The Omega Story

When Gene Roddenberry came over to the UK he had brought the ideas for "The Cage" which was made, "Mudd's Women" which was made as "The Aphrodite Syndrome" and "The Omega Story". This last story which originally was about a USS Yorktown finding a planet which had fought a war between the USA and Communists and the Yangs(Americans) finally recapturing their land from the Koums(Communists).

Roddenberry wanted to make this story as part of series 2. Lew Grade wanted a story that would hook the American market so was in favour. However the Andersons and the writers who had written for series 1 just couldn't take the story seriously. They kept driving buses through the plot holes(which was unfair as most of the episodes in series 1 had them) and asking how even a planet of "the lost" would follow Earth history so closely when Earth in Star Trek hadn't followed Klingon history at all. Roddenberry took this personally and battle lines were drawn.

 

[Lindseyman]

Production of the other episodes of series 2 went on. However relationships between the Roddenberrys and the Andersons were hitting rock-bottom. Eventually Lew Grade called them together to sort the matter out. Roddenberry was upset at the way that "The Omega Story" had been treated with disdain, Anderson couldn't believe that someone could produce such blatant "America is always right whatever" material.

Gerry Anderson said that a side losing a war but eventually reclaiming its homeland from the conquerers was fine. Having a captain go rogue because he had lost his crew was actually a good idea and worth exploring. However calling one side the Yangs, the other the Koums and making the parallels so obvious including the use of the Stars and Stripes was too much.

He finally got where he was coming from across to Roddenberry by recasting the Yangs as the Pryds and the Koums as the Krowttes and replacing the flag with a Union Jack and then asking Roddenberry how it looked.

Roddenberry got it! Relationships were never as good as they had been but the intense feeling of ill will and having to take sides went. "The Omega Story" was rewritten again but this time it was accepted and produced.

 

[Some Bloke]

Hahahahahahahahaha!

Pryds and Krowtes.

How's about this as an episode for cornering the American market:

Accidental time travel prevents the JFK assasination, he gets impeached over some sex scandal and somehow the
USSR wins the cold war. They recreate the conditions, take the disgraced former President Kennedy back in time to become the
Gunman behind the Grassy Knoll.

 

[Lindseyman]

Arnold and Dave do not approve!

 

[Some Bloke]

Only half way decent episode of season 7.

 

[Lindseyman]

Only half way decent episode of season 7.

This is why Kryten would also like a word.

Didn't anybody involved in the OTL "Omega Glory" realise how ridiculous the Yang/Koum part of the storyline looked outside the USA? The rest of the screenplay would have made a really good episode so why spoil it?. However Memory Alpha does include quotes of lines which were cut, these together with the original ideas about the timeline then make sense of this subplot.

 

[Lindseyman]

Uniform Changes for Series 2

The uniforms were slightly altered for series 2. The charcoal grey tunics were given a slightly higher collar so that the officer's rank insignia could be more clearly seen. The coloured tunics were also tweaked slightly. The Fleet insignia were moved to where a breast pocket would be and the pocket was removed.

In another change ALL personnel would wear combat fatigues when beamed down to unexplored planets and/or known dangerous situations.

Similarly the engineering crew would be seen wearing coveralls when undertaking repairs (exceptions made in battle conditions).

 

[Lindseyman]

The Main Crew for Series 2

Captain: Matthew Decker (Richard Bradford)
First Officer: Commander Zephram Reynolds (Glenn Corbett)
Chief Science Officer(and Second Officer): Lieutenant Commander Spock (Stuart Damon)
Navigator:Lieutenant Caroline D'Alembert (Alexandra Bastedo)
Helm:Lieutenant Gary Mitchell (Ed Bishop)
Chief of Security:Lieutenant Commander Virgil Summers (Gary Clarke)
Chief Communications Officer:Lieutenant Esther McKenzie (Carmen Monroe)
Chief Yeoman: Jennifer Rand (Jacqueline Pearce)
Chief Engineer:Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott (Michael Sheard)
Chief Medical Officer: Lieutenant Commander Richard Fynely (William Gaunt)

 

[Some Bloke]

How did Sian Philips get written out of the show?
(Please say promotion)