Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Star Trek: The Survivor

My friends and I are embarking on a new journey to watch all 22 episodes of Star Trek's animated series.  We'll be posting on Wednesdays.  All are welcome to join us for all or parts of our adventure.  

Episode: "The Survivor"
Series: Star Trek: The Animated Series
Season 1, Episode 6
Original Air Date: October 13, 1973
via Wikipedia
Shapeshifters are a big deal in Star Trek.  The very first episode of the original series (TOS) to air, "The Man Trap," was a shapeshifter story.  27 years later, the Changeling Constable Odo would be a principal character on Deep Space Nine.  "The Survivor" resides comfortably in that tradition.

When our friends rescue the pilot of a damaged spacecraft, they believe him to be Carter Winston, a well-known and long-lost human philanthropist.  But naturally, he's actually a shapeshifting Vendorian bent on mischief.  He takes the captain's form, then orders the ship into the neutral zone.

This is one of the better episodes so far, reminiscent of typical stories from TOS.  The Vendorian (rather squid-like) is voiced by Ted Knight of Mary Tyler Moore Show (MTM) and Too Close for Comfort fame.  I always smile inside when MTM alums turn up in other things.  Knight had quite an active voice-over career in the 1970s, also performing on The Super-Friends among other shows.  His voice is close to Shatner's, in fact - a drawback for some critics of this episode but I think it's fine.

*****
via Memory Alpha
M'Ress, one of TAS's recurring characters, first appears in "The Survivor."  She is a Caitan, a felinoid race.  The only other appearance of her kind in Trek lore is in a courtroom scene in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.  While she never appears in any of the other TV series, M'Ress does turn up in various books and comics.  In TAS, she is voiced by Majel Barrett.

If you would care to join us for all or part of our travels, please add your link to the list below.  In the meantime, please visit the others who are participating.  Next week: "The Infinite Vulcan."

16 comments:

  1. Wow; I thought I knew the basic details of each TAS episode... but then I learn that Judge Smails is in this one? Must watch! :-)

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  2. Ted Knight did the voice? I wonder if I would giggle since I know this actor so well from MTM and Caddyshack. Majel Barrett probably didn't get paid enough for all her work

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    1. Well, she was married to the producer. I'm sure there was a decent windfall over the years.

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  3. Ted Knight was hilarious in Mary Tyler Moore.

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    1. Such a great show - highly under-appreciated these days.

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  4. Its interesting to see the Romulan Warbirds in this episode which look more like Klingon battlecruisers!

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  5. Oh, your travels sound interesting!

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  6. Shapeshifters are a big deal in Star Trek but this is one of the better ones since animation freed them from SFX costs. A great episode and my favorite so far (review up now).

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  7. I am ashamed to admit I thought it WAS Shatner all through the episode only learning otherwise as I blogged about it...but given the work of Doohan and Barrett throughout the series, perhaps I can be forgiven in thinking Shatner pitched in sometimes, too.

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    1. I'm not ashamed to admit I thought so, too, at first. Apparently Knight did a lot of work for Filmation.

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