Just about everyone must be familiar with this one right?
A menacing alien presence (with Ted Cassidy’s voice) tells the Enterprise crew that they will be completely “D-E-S-T-R-O-Y-E-D” in ten minutes.
Well, as you might know the Enterprise didn’t get destroyed in that episode (hmm should have used a SPOILER box :smack: )
Anyway, when they get on board the allien vessel, they meet up with Clint Howard and share a drink of Tranya (sp?). To everyone’s delight, it was just some little guy that was threatening them all along. Ha - Ha Happy ending.
In reality, don’t you think that everyone on board the Enterprise should have been a little angry at this alien “jokester”? Why didn’t the boarding party at least have made some passing reference to the fact that they were led to believe they were 10 minutes away from being blasted out of existence.
He isn’t pulling a practical joke. He’s testing an unknown culture. How do they react when threatened with total destruction? When the enemy ship suddenly seems helpless, what do they do?
Since the Enterprise responded to his seeming distress by beaming over to offer help, he decided that the Federation passed the test and opened up diplomatic relations with a nice glass of tranya.
Had the Enterprise attempted to use the opportunity to destroy his ship, or steal his technology, he would have informed them that they had failed and left.
“Shadow Of The Gun”, the episode whose name I can’t remember with Abraham Lincoln, the episode based on the classic sf story “Arena” I can’t remember the name of this one either but it had Gorns- all focused on various species testing humanity
I suppose trained professionals are supposed to suck up their feelings and get the job done. In first contact situations I imaging you make nice first and save your grievances for later.
Mr Blue Sky Thanks. Basically, the crew would have been used to ‘first contact with an alien species which puts us through a strange test which may lead to the ship being destroyed’.
I’m surprised they don’t have an official term for such a situation
"Captain’s . . . Log! Stardate 8 67 530 9. We had a type G encounter today. We escaped destruction and convinced the aliens of our value, when Scottie taught them how to produce alcohol. Before departing, the alien captain informed us that he would recommend opening friendly diplomatic relations with the Federation and said ‘I looove you, hoomon! You’re my besht buddy!’ He then vomitted on the warp core, which improved engine efficiency by 12%.’
Doc Cathode
Yes, I realized the Clint Howard character - Captain Balok - was doing more than just pulling a practical joke. However, when he meets with the Enterprise crew, he does get a good chuckle out of it. Don’t you feel that one crew member should have said “thanks for scaring the living crap out of us you stupid twerp !!!”
Also, that was one Hell of an unfriendly way to make contact with another species. Would he get away with that bullshit with the Kardasians (sp?), the Nossigans (sp?) the Krelman Bat Creatures of Remus 12 ? NO !!!
At least in the “Savage Curtain”, you knew that rock/lava creature was a jerk from start to finish. (No celebratory “tranya” for them). Also, in “Spectre Of The Gun”, the crew was given a warning by the space buoy.
Bear_Nenno
Yes it seemed every episode spelled almost certain death for the crew. You are right - maybe they got used to the routine.
Kardassians- The ship seems to be defenseless. Go in, take the crew prisoner so we can interrogate them later, study the ship. Be careful, it may be a trick.
Nausicans- The ship is defenseless! Let’s harvest their supplies and superior technology, and beat the crap out of the crew. Then, dom jot tournament!
Krelman Bat Creatures- (Ya got me on this one)
Ferengi- The ship, and the corpse of an unknown species are ours! Profit!
Klingons- Board the ship. Bring the alien to sickbay so that he may be healed. Then, I will kill him in single combat so that he may die with honor. Then, I will claim his ship as a trophy.
Borg- Threats are irrelevant. Tranya is irrelevant. All will be assimilated
Pakled- We take over his ship. Then, we are strong!
Doc and Bryan LOL
And just so everyone can sleep easier tonight - stop Googling for the Krelman Bat Creatures of Remus 12 - I made it up.
I was just doing the typical Star Trek “triple” - you know what I mean -
“Captain - remember the great writers of our time? Shakespeare, Hemingway, Tarbolde of the Canopus planet”.
(Trivia: Tarbolde was referenced around stardate 1313 - “Where No Man Has Gone Before” - Gary Mitchell quotes ‘Nightingale Woman’. Tarbolde is later referenced in a “Deep Space9” episode with Meg Foster. I think she references the great writers such as Shakespeare, Tarbolde, etc)
and it wasn’t quite Arena based. Gene Coon wrote it, someone figured out that it was very much like Frederic Brown’s story, and they changed the name and gave Brown writing credits. Mighty Vulcan of them.
In the story
the Earthman kills the alien, and the whole setup is different.
Aesiron
Wow - you know your trivia. I had no idea of the origin of “Nightingale Woman”.
And it was shamelss of Tarbolde to commit interstellar plagiarism.
