Should have been Leslie at navigation instead of her though...
Was Ensign Haines' first name used anywhere in the ep? It was weird to see a one-off character, that was almost an extra, get a first name.
Should have been Leslie at navigation instead of her though...
This episode is pretty boring! And Shatners acting was worse than usual if you ask me.
Boring?
You obviously didn't have your eyes focused on Shayna (Angelique Pettyjohn)
THAT WAS EXCITING!
Not really. You sure do have a funny taste in women John A Lang!
Shayna? Grace Lee Whitney?? Kate Mulgrew??? Yuk!
A thousand times yuk!!
You should stick with Troi! At least she was good looking back in her Next Generation days!
IIRC, Angelique Pettyjohn was at at least one '70's convention I attended. I also think she's attractive. By the way, she seems to have some porn credits to her name.
Also, I think CBS News anchor Susan McGinnis is very attractive. Especially when she wears her glasses, which she just started doing. Was it Dorothy Parker who once said or wrote "Boys don't make passes at girls who wear glasses." Well, she was full of it, as I think that eyeglasses (especially the small oval frames that are stylish today) are very becoming.
Just to clarify since you used the present tense: Angelique Pettyjohn died in 1992.
Also, her character was named "Shahna."
Didja notice that there's only one time that Galt blinks? It happens just after the Providers finish bidding on Kirk and company. Makes ya wonder if Galt was an android.
Live long and prosper.
These brains are easily amused, aren't they... in the beginning when the away team lands on the planet and is attacked by the thralls, they put on a worse show than an average wrestling team. The 2 girls push Uhura a bit around, they don't even fake to make it a good catfight...
The final fight between Kirk and the thralls is rather lame as well. The thralls have several opportunities to kill Kirk but are reluctant to do so. Oh well, when you have a matinee, a lunch and an evening fight to do every day, I guess you're pretty fed up after a while...
Spock (or at least the Trek makeup crew) must have changed barbers. Spock's hair style, which used to go straight across his forehead, comes to a small point here.
When Chekov & Tamoon talk to each other in Chekov's cage, you can see the shadow of a boom microphone overhead
Yeah John, the "chief" phil had noted that in his TOS guide. But here's something about this episode that no one has ever really pondered about. Kirk asks Shana if they can stop the workout and take a break because they "must have covered at least 2 miles" and he's TIRED ! How can a big bad super duper starfleet officer like captain Kirk be tired after only running (or jogging for matter) 2 miles ??? Maybe the crew of a constitution class starship is confined for such long periods of time that they can't train for that, uhh, I don't know ...
The Triskelion symbol Galt wears, and the symbols displayed everywhere else are the reverse of each other. That's odd, because if it's considered the equivalent of a flag or coat of arms why would Galt's be reversed? It's like having the American field of stars on the lower right hand side of the flag.
Chekov is strangely unemotional during Uhura's screaming when Lars attacks her.
It would have been interesting in the third season to see Ensign Haines at the navigation station, and Lt.Rhada at the helm. I don't think any ship has ever had two women piloting a starship in any of the series.
The communications officer that replaced Uhura isn't wearing a red uniform, but rather the yellow colored one.
Why are the Provider brains three different colors? If they were the same species shouldn't they all be the same? Yours and mine and everyone on Earth has a grey brain, since we're the same species.
Provider 1 wagered against his own Thralls (Kirk and co.) when Kirk wagered that he and his people could defeat an equal number of Thralls set against them. Nice vote of cofidence!
And on the topic of Provider 1, he bid on Kirk, Chekov, and Uhura, based solely on Kirk's performance. That's a risk, but I guess also that's because he (it?) is willing to gamble on Chekov and Uhura not being inferior to Kirk's fighting prowess.
The fight at the end with the rule of players not allowed to step on opposing colors isn't quite followed. At one point, just for a second, Kloog has both feet on Kirk's yellow area, and others frequently make contact with an opposing color, if only for a second and a couple inches.
Shahna's look of astonishment when she removes her collar of obedience is priceless. Quite reasonable, since she was born on Triskelion, and probably wore her collar since she was a child (over 20 years, let's say). Because she's never known a life without her collar, removing it was probably as shocking to her as if you or I found out we could remove a hand, since it was so much a part of her.
According to Wikipedia, Angelique Pettyjohn was also a striptease dancer.
I wonder if she thought she was overdressed with that silver Thral costume? 
No doubt. I read somewhere that when she wore the Thrall outfit at the Star Trek Conventions, the midsection was absent and you could see her navel.
The remastered version airs this weekend. The preview shows the reused "Devil in the Dark" matte painting behind the brains, but as last week's preview showed, this doesn't mean it's in the episode.
However, this would probably be the hardest matte to replace because Kirk keeps moving around in front of it. My guess is they left it.
quote:However, this would probably be the hardest matte to replace because Kirk keeps moving around in front of it. My guess is they left it.
New orbital shots, of course. Gamma II is now a barren, ringed planetoid. We can see the three suns around Triskelion from space.
None of the planet scenes were changed, including the recycled matte from "Devil in the Dark" and the twinkle in Galt's eyes.
The syndication edits remove all of Tamoon's advances on Chekov -- now he barely appears in the episode.
Galt says their old titles mean nothing on Triskelion, but then immediately calls Kirk "Captain".
The dome over the brains is from the top of Lazarus's timeship. Note the half-circle plug that covers what was the door.
NANJAO: Galt has a scar over his left eye.
None of the planet scenes were changed, including the recycled matte from "Devil in the Dark".
Saw that as well. I was a bit disappointed. So, who gets the 10,000 quatloos? 
Shahna's hair looked greener than I'd ever seen it.
TGOT was never a quality Trek episode but what a shame that they neglected to enhance it more with CGI,& certainly replace the "DITD" matte painting with something else new. I saw Angeligue Pettyjohn at a sf convention years ago wearing an outfit similar to the one,if not the exact one,in this episode for her presentation.I was sorry to see also that she was smoking.
quote:How can a big bad super duper starfleet officer like Captain Kirk be tired after only running (or jogging for matter) 2 miles?
quote:I saw Angeligue Pettyjohn at a sf convention years ago wearing an outfit similar to the one, if not the exact one, in this episode for her presentation. I was sorry to see also that she was smoking.
I did indeed read your comments Adam regarding Ms.Pettyjohn doing some porn & I was sad to do so.There must be bus loads of young people going to Hollywood with the dream of a career in legitimate film or television & then finding out just how daunting that is they resort to other choices.
quote:There must be bus loads of young people going to Hollywood with the dream of a career in legitimate film or television & then finding out just how daunting that is they resort to other choices.
Anti-nit: Phil finds it strange that Kirk's punishment has a rest period. I've seen it suggested that people under torture can go numb. A rest period lets them start feeling it again.
The remastered "The Gamesters of Triskellion" runs next week, with "Obsession" the following week.
During the first fight, Kirk does the old "throw the non-working gun" trick -- and it works! Lars falls down!
When they're first hit with the pain collars, they only use one hand at their neck to indicate the collars are choking them. Why not two? The other hand is working the switch to turn off the lights in their collars. Nichols and Koenig have one hand behind their backs; Shatner is making a fist. Once the light goes off, you can see he has let up his thumb.
When they refuse the practice target, the lights for Nichols and Shatner are controlled by a stagehand offscreen. In hi-def, you can see a wire dangling behind Shatner's leg. In the screencaps at TrekCore it looks like a crack on the floor, but it moves.
The third time they get zapped, the wire behind Koenig's leg is visible.
When the camera focuses on the bridge navigation console, you can see part of the unremastered chronometer.
Am I the only who feels like Kirk screwed over his crew members in that first fight on Triskelion? While Kirk took on the one guy who was normal human size, he left Chekov, who was never much of a fighter to begin with (just watch Pavel in the barroom brawl in "The Trouble With Tribbles") to deal the Andre the Giant look-a-like and Uhura to fight the two women. At the very least, he could've switched with Chekov. Way to go, Captain!
"Live long and prosper."
After all these years I realized this time that Galt, despite being the main 'bad guy', and someone that inflicts pain upon our heroes, is never punished, or even had a finger lifted against him by Kirk and the others.
He actually gets off scot-free after hurting our crew!
This occurs also in 'Bread And Circuses' with Claudius Marcus. After everything he does against the landing party, he doesn't get so much as a karate chop from Kirk!
The Enterprise crew is not into revenge for revenge's sake.
Galt was just as much a slave as the others were. He had a collar. Granted he was in charge of the other slaves, but still a slave himself.
As for Claudius Marcus, it's hard to karate chop a guy when he's surrounded by armed guards all the time.
Well, I wasn't saying it from an Enterprise crew perspective.
Speaking from a writer's point of view, I mean that the writer didn't have Kirk trying to jump Galt when his collar was activated, and Marcus wasn't in the line of fire from his guards.
Usually, I've seen the 'Heavies' bite the bullet or get hurt, but not these two times.
I also wonder why a writers who have no compunction about killing off poor redshirts by the score, and yet still can't see fit to give this Galt SOB the gruesome demise he so richly merited.
Well, clearly Galt was a victim. He was raised in this terrible system and never had a chance to be anything other than what he became. Redshirts on the other hand are faceless mooks who support the military of an imperial power who wants to colonize other people's worlds and make them a part of the Federation.
;-)
There's no way to know where the black slave comes from, but I'm throwing Ligon II from TNG's 'Code Of Honor' out there.
When Kloog stands up to resume whipping Kirk, Chekov makes a hand gesture towards Kirk-- it's cut off, just out of frame, but his facial expression seems to indicate it could be a 'thumbs up', as a way of saying, 'You can take him, Captain-- Kloog is still out of breath and tired!'
Ligon II. Could be.
Todd Pence on Sunday, November 01, 1998 - 12:00 pm: After the Enterprise people are sold to one of the providers, Galt tells them that since they are now full-fledged thralls, any further disobedient acts will be punished by death. Yet a short time later they try to escape again, and Galt just lets them off with another warning.
Perhaps such good quality thralls are hard to acquire.
'Who Threw That?!'
Yet a short time later they try to escape again, and Galt just lets them off with another warning.
Maybe Galt and/or the Providers were so totally en-thrall-ed with the Enterprise personnel that they let them slide. 
Kirk says to Shanna "On Earth, we pick our own mate." That line makes me smirk a bit, as Shatner has (as of this writing) had four mates. (He was still on his first when the episode was shot.)
I must have been infected by political correctness or something, because watching Kirk, Chekov, and Uhura's first encounter with these aliens seems like the completely wrong way to perform a first contact.
Sure, Kirk was correct in saying that they'd beamed down to the wrong planet, which means they were kidnapped, but Kirk's first instinct, upon seeing aliens brandishing weapons (but NOT attacking and NOT using them) was to fire their phasers at them. Then, when they don't work, to fight these aliens hand-to-hand.
Shouldn't he have talked to the aliens first? "What do you want? Who are you? We're on a peaceful mission; what are your intentions?"
Then if Lars swings his knife at Kirk, THEN by all means protect yourselves.
But, Kirk could have gotten themselves killed by his aggression.
Hairstylist Pat Westmore must have had a bad hair day (or week) here. Spock's hair is not straight in the front; it comes to a point in the middle of his forehead. The only episode (I think) where it's styled that way
It was hinted that the ruined city that Kirk and Shanna visited was part of the civilization or the Providers.
Yet, when we see them, there are only three Providers. Three do not a civilization make. Where are all the others?
I always assumed survival of the fittest.
I guess so.
I wonder what would happen had the Providers grabbed a bunch of Klingons or Romulans.
Galt; "Your old titles mean nothing here. You are Thralls now."
Really? Then why does Galt refer to Kirk only as 'Captain'? That's his title, not his name. He never calls him 'Kirk', nor do the Providers call him anything other than 'Captain'. Chekov and Uhura are referred to by name, with no reference to their ranks of ensign and lieutenant.
Remember, Galt was as much a slave as the rest of them. Perhaps this was his secret way of sticking it to the Providers.
Joseph Ruskin, who played Galt, was one of a select few actors who appeared in both TOS and some of the later Trek shows, such as DS9 and Voyager.
Me in 2007; "It would have been interesting in the third season to see Ensign Haines at the navigation station, and Lt.Rhada at the helm. I don't think any ship has ever had two women piloting a starship in any of the series."
Yeah, too bad when it finally happened it had to happen in a garbage show like 'Discovery'.
Kirk; "Can we take a breather? A rest?"
Shana; "Very well. You are tired."
Maybe. Or maybe all of those bloody scars from his recent whipping from Kloog are so painful that running is even more uncomfortable?
Kirk; "If we're even in the same dimension."
I think Kirk might have been referencing their visit into the Mirror Universe, which was also the result of a transporter accident.
Kirk; "Their voices sound mechanical. Are they computers?"
Shahna; "'Computers'?"
I guess Kirk was hoping to talk another wannabe Landru to death!
I still say that Galt is not quite humanoid. Here's why;
1. He seems incapable of turning his head.
2. His voice resonates like it's mechanical, or mechanically-enhanced.
3. He can turn the collars of obedience on and off with glowing eyes.
4. You can see his feet sometimes, but never anything like arms or hands. Maybe he doesn't have any? Maybe he has tentacles? Maybe some other type of appendage?
This was the first time that it occurred to me that Triskelion could have been the place to go for peaceful, non-lethal competitions between the starfarring races of the galaxy, which would still 'amuse' the Providers. Klingons, Romulans, humans, Andorians, you name it, the aliens could have visited Triskelion willingly for 'friendly' physical competitions (think the Olympics, but only with people fighting one another without weapons). Just remove the killing aspect of the fights.
All they'd need would be the 23rd century equivaliant of Vince McMahon and the WWE and the face of Triskelion would be changed for the better.
Was Ensign Haines' first name used anywhere in the ep?
Nope, but her first name is Jana, at least that is what Memory Alpha says. Her actor, Victoria George, is still living (she's 82).
Why are Kirk, Uhura, and Chekov wearing phasers? Remember, they were originally just going to check out an automated station on an uninhabited planet. Not much call for phasers there.
The fight scene, that happens after the trio arrive on Triskelion, is interesting. Kirk is wiping the floor with Lars. On the other hand, Chekov gets to fight Kloog, who is twice his size. He barely makes a dent on him. And what is it with Shahna and Tamoon just shoving Uhura back and forth, like two schoolyard bullies shaking the nerdy kid down for lunch money.
Of course, Kirk gets Shahna, who looks like Miss Galaxy 2267, as his thrall. If he had gotten Tamoon, would he have tried to romance her?
Speaking of Tamoon, when she tells Chekov that she might be selected for him, the "Oh cr*p!" look on his face is priceless.
I guess the Enterprise was the first ship to track down those the Providers had taken. Of course, we never learn what race that Shahna, Tamoon, and the other thralls were from. Perhaps they're from more primitive races.
Except one was an Andorian, a Federation race. Of course, perhaps he himself wasn't taken, but his ancestor was (like Shahna's mother). The Providers may have been doing this for centuries.
Another thrall, Lars, looked human, and he had a Scandinavian name. Perhaps one of his ancestors was taken from Earth, or an Earth colony.
In the final fight, Kirk seemingly has no problem killing both Kloog and Lars. Granted, he had no choice, but they were as much slaves as Kirk was. You would think he would suggested that just incapacitating them would be enough. When Shahna surrenders, the Providers are okay with that (despite they're saying that a thrall must be killed to be eliminated).
Of course, we know that Kirk would not have killed Shahna. If she had not given up, you would bet that he would have argued for her life.
TV Tropes brings up a question of whether the Providers followed through with their promise to free the thralls. Or did they just wait until the Enterprise was clear of the system, and then just enslave them again. Of course, all the surviving thralls had removed their collars, so all the Providers could do now was swear at them.
And if the Providers did follow through, I wonder what society was built on Triskelion? If Picard, Sisko, or Janeway paid a visit, what kind of world would they find?
The voice of Provider 2 was that of Walker Edmiston, who would go on to play Enik, the Altrusian, in the original Land Of The Lost series.