# Star Trek (TOS) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, star-trek-paramount\ **Created:** [September 21, 2020, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tos/921122 "2020-09-21T05:26:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 21
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2020, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tos/921122/401 "2020-10-27T13:49:20Z")
There had to have been a comprehensive file of Vulcan physiology in the computer in case there’s an emergency and Spock is unable to operate on himself. But enough of that- why did they never avail themselves of seatbelt technology? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2020, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tos/921122/402 "2020-10-27T14:32:05Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I haven’t seen many of the remastered episodes, but since Paramount went to the trouble of re-recording the theme, I had assumed they’d use the new version for every one of them. Whatever it was they did, in the first season remastered episodes you can barely hear Kirk’s voice over. And I think it has an echo. I might not have the details completely correct, as I skip the credits now, and use the one in my head instead. ---
**Author:** ![Oglomott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oglomott/32/3543_2.png) [@Oglomott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oglomott)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2020, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tos/921122/403 "2020-10-27T14:59:46Z")
Landing parties: Why would the ships navigator, helmsman, and communications officer be on any landing party, ever? Even the captain and first officer, especially both at the same time. You lose them, and you’ve lost the two most important people on the ship. They have 430 men and women on the ship, they should have enough specialists to handle almost any landing party mission. The only time the captain should be on a landing party is for important diplomatic issues, and even then… ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2020, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tos/921122/404 "2020-10-27T15:28:25Z")
> [@Oglomott](#): > > Landing parties: Why would the ships navigator, helmsman, and communications officer be on any landing party, ever? They tried to get away from that in Next Gen. Picard was supposed to stay on the ship. That lasted all of…what, a couple episodes? The only ship commander that seemed to actually stay on ship and command (and stay out of the episode’s off-ship action) was Lorne Greene’s Adama. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2020, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tos/921122/405 "2020-10-27T15:56:09Z")
> [@Oglomott](#): > > Landing parties: Why would the ships navigator, helmsman, and communications officer be on any landing party, ever? Even the captain and first officer, especially both at the same time. You lose them, and you’ve lost the two most important people on the ship. > > They have 430 men and women on the ship, they should have enough specialists to handle almost any landing party mission. The only time the captain should be on a landing party is for important diplomatic issues, and even then… Not to mention the ship’s chief medical officer. Sure, the were other doctors besides McCoy on the Enterprise, but why risk the man in charge of the entire medical department. Bones wasn’t safe just because he wasn’t wearing a red shirt. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2020, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tos/921122/406 "2020-10-27T17:05:24Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Bones wasn’t safe just because he wasn’t wearing a red shirt. What do you mean not safe? The man took a lance to the chest from a charging knight on horseback, and came back fit as a fiddle by the end of the episode! ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2020, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tos/921122/407 "2020-10-27T17:09:11Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Bear, not bear. A bear is an animal. Bear and bear! What is bear? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2020, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tos/921122/408 "2020-10-27T17:11:59Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > What do you mean not safe? The man took a lance to the chest from a charging knight on horseback, and came back fit as a fiddle by the end of the episode! Not to mention being tortured to (near) death, contracting Xenopolycythemia and surviving, being injected with an overdose of cordrazine, being artificially aged while being older than the main cast and therefore closer to death but not only not dying, finding the cure, or being infected with the grup disease, with the same result. The man is indestructible! ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2020, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tos/921122/409 "2020-10-27T17:24:19Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > \*I would roll my pre-teen eyes at the thought of so many so-called “after school” specials airing at 2:30. In what planet is 2:30 “after school”? Maybe New York City. Vulcan, but after school specials featured differential equations for third graders. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2020, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tos/921122/410 "2020-10-27T17:29:41Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Vulcan, but after school specials featured differential equations for third graders. [Tim] He’s the youngest student in the university, thirteen years old, physics major, I.Q. of 190. [Uncle Martin]: On Mars [and probably Vulcan, but they wouldn’t be so rude about it] he’d be considered retarded. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2020, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tos/921122/411 "2020-10-27T23:45:23Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Whatever Memory Alpha says, I never heard the vocalized version of the theme until the third season. With all due respect, knowing how good my own memory is for things that happened more than 50 years ago, I’ll go with Memory Alpha (and Netflix).😉 ---
**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:** [October 28, 2020, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tos/921122/412 "2020-10-28T00:06:35Z")
You may believe anything you wish, of course. But I recommend you don’t rely too heavily on certain sources of information. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2020, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tos/921122/413 "2020-10-28T00:09:13Z")
I certainly don’t rely on my own memory, let alone someone else’s! ---
**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:** [October 28, 2020, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tos/921122/414 "2020-10-28T00:16:38Z")
No reason you should do either. ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2020, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tos/921122/415 "2020-10-31T02:38:42Z")
They’re mirroring the era of Captain Cook when the captain did disembark and stick his nose in everything RHIP ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2020, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tos/921122/416 "2020-10-31T02:44:52Z")
I have rattling around in my brain "the ship is on a five year mission and is actually FORBIDDEN to return to Earth Is that purely a Blish novel thing? Maybe it appeared also in …whatever that behind the scenes Star Trek book was in the early 70s “The World of Star Trek” Whatever…I do no the notion was reinforced in TNGs “Conspiracy”…when they say something about how rare it is to return to Earth and the admiral goes on about “We always welcome our ships back to the …nest”(???) Sorry I’m at work and my memory is hazy ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2020, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tos/921122/417 "2020-10-31T02:51:14Z")
In _The Making of Star Trek_ Whitfield quoted a passage from the Writer’s Guide that said the show would never set an episode on 23rd Century Earth. I don’t remember anything said about it one way or the other in any TOS episode, however. ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2020, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tos/921122/418 "2020-10-31T03:02:37Z")
Also …funny how quickly “spending five years going where no man has gone before” devolved into shuttling around asshole commissioners and diplomats ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2020, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tos/921122/419 "2020-10-31T03:24:19Z")
> [@Pavelb1](#): > > They’re mirroring the era of Captain Cook when the captain did disembark and stick his nose in everything Not really so. When encountering a new land, the captain would in most cases send a scouting party ahead before landing himself. He would not land unless it was deemed safe, and accompanied by a contingent of marines. And they were certain that they were technologically superior by far to any culture they encountered. The Enterprise routinely encountered entities far superior to them that they couldn’t understand. Cook was killed in a skirmish with Hawaiians, but it was after he had been in contact with them for some time, not on first landing. Cook would have considered Kirk to be a complete idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2020, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tos/921122/420 "2020-10-31T04:33:32Z")
Thanks for the insight. i was also rolling Bligh into that…and knew Bligh had no marines. But Bligh was also well acquainted with the Tahiti chieftain. I can’t recall if he disembarked with the first boat or if he sent some crew ahead to let the chieftain know that Bligh was on the way. I think another rationale is the notion that of “five-year Constitution -class explorer missions are different then anything we’ve seen before. So let’s captain them with a special breed of man\* that leads by example.” Ceratinly in the early eps, some of the crew sure act like they’re about to fly apart at the handle. E.G. Tomlinson and that one dude in The Corbomite Maneuver…also Styles in Balance of Terror sure isn’t your normal ‘shut-up and follow orders guy’. \*Commodore Decker, Captain Pike and Captain Tracey certainly seem to be cut from a different bolt of cloth then most boring commanders. Decker fairly easily handles a guy 20 years his junior and Kirk loses most of his fights with Tracey. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tos/921122.md?page=20) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-tos/921122.md?page=22)