# STAR TREK: Miri **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 9, 2005, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-miri/289180 "2005-02-09T13:24:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-miri/289180/21 "2005-02-09T20:18:34Z")
Okay, let me explain my “creepy” comment. Miri had an obvioous crush on Kirk. Rand notices and acts a bit jealous and protective. Miri notices this and acts a bit possessive herself. She came this close to acting coquettish towards Kirk. Now, if this were a real prepubescent girl (or just entering in puberty), then there’s no real problems. Everyone knows how to deal with schoolgirl/boy crushes. You let them play out. Soone enough, they end. No problem. However, with this girl child, there is a problem. First off, the actress used is obviously already in or just past puberty. She’s a young woman now. In our time we would say she’s on the cusp of being a woman. So, her hormones create some obvious feelings towards James R Kirk. No doubt a reaction to extreme virilty. AND… Kirk takes advantage of this. So, you have a several hundreds of years old child, just now reacting to the hormones which have already obviously changed her physically, developing a lustful crush on the Captain. Was it indeed lustful you ask? Sure looked that way to me. ESP with the Rand/Miri interaction. Then, throw in Kirk taking advantage of her feelings… Well, put all together, including the hundreds of years old bit, and it’s creepy. Not natural. Odd. I wasn’t saying Captain Kirk was pervy mcperv. Just the whole situation skeeved me out. A nitpick: Why were all the communicators all together and why did EVERY SINGLE PERSON have to leave the room to see the “foolie?” Don’t they usually wear those things on their belts? And, if those kids weren’t pubescent yet, why did the leader boy have sideburns? Best lines: “Bonk, bonk. On the head.” “Blah, blah, blah.” Best missed opportunity line: “Miri, Miri, on the wall…” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-miri/289180/22 "2005-02-09T21:10:14Z")
My wife and I have been waiting for this episode to air. Her cousin, Adrian Spies, wrote it! She’s been pestering him for months to see if he can get her in to see the set. He’s met the cast and everything! ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-miri/289180/23 "2005-02-09T21:21:45Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > First off, the actress used is obviously already in or just past puberty. She’s a young woman now. In our time we would say she’s on the cusp of being a woman. So, her hormones create some obvious feelings towards James R Kirk. Say, what does the “R” stand for, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-miri/289180/24 "2005-02-09T21:34:36Z")
> [@JThunder](#): > > Say, what does the “R” stand for, anyway? Good question. Of course, I’m just going by the gravestone thing in the premeir episode. Richard? Robert? Reginold? Reinhart? ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2005, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-miri/289180/25 "2005-02-09T22:20:01Z")
Duplicate Earth, blah, no biggie. But they By God landed in a duplicate Mayberry, one where Andy musta let Barney and Otis take over or something!!! Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Helena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c68b51/32.png) [@Helena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-miri/289180/26 "2005-02-10T05:36:12Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > (You could check Kim Darby’s name in the [Internet Movie Database](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0200981) and see that _True Grit_ was made three years in the future.) Check the what? ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-miri/289180/27 "2005-02-10T05:44:55Z")
(My 2005 comments are in parentheses.) ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-miri/289180/28 "2005-02-10T05:51:40Z")
> [@JThunder](#): > > Say, what does the “R” stand for, anyway? Roddenberry, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-miri/289180/29 "2005-02-11T03:10:45Z")
The thing about the duplicate earth that bothered me was the fact that this earth seems to do ok without any cloud cover at all. That and the Enterprise seemed to be constantly over India/Africa or North America. I’m not sure what they were going for. Was this Neverland and the lost boys (and girls) and Miri was Wendy? Or was this a sort of a “Never trust anyone over thirty” story. I thought a few of the Kirk/Miri scenes were creepy. The actress may be 19 but the story clearly states that she is JUST entering puberty. What, exactly is a Yoman. (Yomen?) And how lond do you think Rand works on her hair to get that stupid basket weave effect? However I did like this episode. I jumped pretty good when the first creature attacked. Then later when Bones just takes the serum without the computer, well, that was great. For a sci-fi show they seem to dis-like tech. They become dependent on it and removing it (stealing the communicators) makes them pretty helpless. But then McCoy goes ahead with his gut feeling and saves the day. I’m going to like McCoy. Some questions. Why couldn’t someone beam down in a protective suit? Why couldn’t they beam them up to secure room? ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-miri/289180/30 "2005-02-11T03:20:31Z")
> [@Pochacco](#): > > My wife and I have been waiting for this episode to air. Her cousin, Adrian Spies, wrote it! She’s been pestering him for months to see if he can get her in to see the set. He’s met the cast and everything! [2005] Cool. IMDB could give us cold lifeless facts, but perhaps your wife could tell us Trekkies more about Mr. Spies and his TV work. Did she ever get in to see the set? Are you writing “in character” and referring to your wife to whom you were married in 1966, or was she a child then? [/2005] Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-miri/289180/31 "2005-02-11T04:44:28Z")
**yeoman** : a naval petty officer who performs clerical duties. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-miri/289180/32 "2005-02-11T14:00:51Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > **yeoman** : a naval petty officer who performs clerical duties. **yeoman** : a pretty naval officer who performs clerical duties. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-miri/289180/33 "2005-02-11T21:26:51Z")
So you’re saying Yeoman Rand was Kirk’s CPO–his Chief Pretty Officer. Or was that Spock? 😃 Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-miri/289180/34 "2005-02-11T21:44:31Z")
Doesn’t it seem strange that they aren’t worried at all about alien germs? It seems that this problem should have been delt with before with some sort of decontamination device or the transporter could leave out any new material. It just seems reckless to beam down to strange new worlds of Germs. Don’t they read HG Wells in the future? ---
**Author:** ![Edwin\_North](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@Edwin\_North](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edwin_North)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-miri/289180/35 "2015-07-03T10:20:17Z")
> [@nitroglycerine](#): > > I thought some of the scenes with Kirk and the little girl were kind of creepy. The Captain seems to be a bit of a sex addict. I wouldn’t have let him out of my sight with her. The actress in question was 19 at teh time. Her haing a crush on him is perfectly normal, how he chose to respond at times was kind of squick ---
**Author:** ![Edwin\_North](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@Edwin\_North](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edwin_North)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-miri/289180/36 "2015-07-03T10:30:25Z")
> [@AncientHumanoid](#): > > The premise was interesting, tho. What would a world be like if if was filled with 200 yr old children? Do they still count as kids? Would it be a planet wide Lord of the Flies? > > I would bet that some of those kids were kids of the producers, writers, or stars. If the body didn’t age the brain, emotions and 300 years of hard living would surely mature them emotionally and intellectually, even the physically youngest. I mean look at Claudia in Interview with a Vampire. Ann Rice openly acknowledged her sexuality as she grew older and her growing maturity as well. I’d think at 300 years old even a stuck 3 year old would be much more mature. I think the idea of a disease that kills at puberty would be enough. It’s fiction, so make it like two generations post disease to wipe out adults and leave kids. I guess teh problem of kids having kids in the 60’s would be an issue, but if you are going to basically have a Lord of the Flies planet with immature kids running loose? Okay, they arrive at the planet 2-4 years post outbreak… Too many holes. The alleged Kirk/Miri age difference does really go two ways…but seeing that she as a characters was maybe 12-15, average puberty age? yea… creepy. Sure the actress was 19, but still. Even if she was 300 years old… ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-miri/289180/37 "2015-07-03T12:31:14Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Doesn’t it seem strange that they aren’t worried at all about alien germs? It seems that this problem should have been delt with before with some sort of decontamination device or the transporter could leave out any new material. > > It just seems reckless to beam down to strange new worlds of Germs. Don’t they read HG Wells in the future? Points made in other episodes: (1) Instruments register only what they’re designed to register (according to Spock). A hitherto unknown disease would therefore not be detected. (2) Everyone in the crew has been given “spectrum injections” (according to McCoy). Again, you can’t immunize against something you’ve never encountered before. (3) The transporter can “decontaminate” someone after they beam up (Spock in “Naked Time”). Apparently, it too cannot deal with things new and unexpected. In the future (say, 78 years later), I suspect there will still be things that get by the transporter’s … let’s call them “biofilters” … e.g., mutations that make one age rapidly. Even a ship’s surgeon might be lulled into a sense of false security! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-miri/289180/38 "2015-07-03T12:34:59Z")
> [@AncientHumanoid](#): > > Good question. Of course, I’m just going by the gravestone thing in the premeir episode. Mitchell may have had godlike powers, but he didn’t know _everything_ (like his best friend’s correct middle name, f’rinstance)! :smack: :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-miri/289180/39 "2015-07-03T12:40:24Z")
> [@kingpengvin](#): > > I think the “just like earth” may have been a way to explain why the street sets look like earth rather than an alien planet. May also have been a nod to the “multiple universes” concept, where events are constantly splitting off and developing in different directions: an infinite number of possibilities, repeated an infinite number of times. Sad that they didn’t develop the concept further in this episode. (Though I suspect we’ll see lots of, uh, “parallel planets” in later stories.) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-miri/289180/40 "2015-07-03T12:42:18Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Why couldn’t someone beam down in a protective suit? > Why couldn’t they beam them up to secure room? Again, not enough known about this threat to properly assess or justify the risk. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-miri/289180.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-miri/289180.md?page=3)