# TOS: Catspaw **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 10, 2017, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-catspaw/798425 "2017-10-10T01:00:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2017, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-catspaw/798425/1 "2017-10-10T01:00:35Z")
Bit slow…I’ve always liked the aliens and the alienness about them, Sylvias desire for sensations. One interesting note: Spock: “The cat, one of the most ruthless and terrifying of creatures.” Spock? ok…course Vulcan does have terrifying [cats.](http://geeksyndicate.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/TASYY.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2017, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-catspaw/798425/2 "2017-10-10T01:10:47Z")
Oh, I forgot. I also liked Kirks anger with Sylvia after his seduction ruse was discovered and how he marched off with his guards without even waiting for her to tell them to take him to his cell. basically: “Take to my cell men!” And Sylvia’s, “Your men will be swept away! Your ship! Your WORLDS!!!” And Kirk doesn’t even turn around. ---
**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 10, 2017, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-catspaw/798425/3 "2017-10-10T01:12:35Z")
Notable really only because it was the first episode produced (but NOT the first aired) with Walter Koenig as Chekov. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2017, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-catspaw/798425/4 "2017-10-10T01:24:08Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Notable really only because it was the first episode produced (but NOT the first aired) with Walter Koenig as Chekov. That wig! ---
**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 10, 2017, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-catspaw/798425/5 "2017-10-10T03:33:43Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > Spock: “The cat, one of the most ruthless and terrifying of creatures.” Spock? ok…course Vulcan does have terrifying [cats.](http://geeksyndicate.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/TASYY.jpg) That’s a \*sehlat \*… a fat teddy bear with six-inch fangs. :o ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2017, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-catspaw/798425/6 "2017-10-10T03:58:42Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > That wig! Which one?! ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2017, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-catspaw/798425/7 "2017-10-10T05:39:10Z")
I’ve always found it to be the one Trek attempt at a full-on Halloween episode. Not that there aren’t other terror-based episodes, but that this is the only one that feels like Halloween. I also believe it was the only one produced then. It does not at all benefit from the remastering. It’s very obvious how cheap looking it is, even for the time. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2017, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-catspaw/798425/8 "2017-10-10T06:00:33Z")
By Robert Bloch, but not the best of his ST episodes. ---
**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 10, 2017, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-catspaw/798425/9 "2017-10-10T06:10:39Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I’ve always found it to be the one Trek attempt at a full-on Halloween episode. Not that there aren’t other terror-based episodes, but that this is the only one that feels like Halloween. I also believe it was the only one produced then. > > It does not at all benefit from the remastering. It’s very obvious how cheap looking it is, even for the time. At least the remastering got rid of the strings working the puppets at the end. I was amazed at how that ever got on the air even back in 1967. :smack: ---
**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 10, 2017, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-catspaw/798425/10 "2017-10-10T06:15:03Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I’ve always found it to be the one Trek attempt at a full-on Halloween episode. Not that there aren’t other terror-based episodes, but that this is the only one that feels like Halloween. I also believe it was the only one produced then. It was intended as a Halloween episode. It was the first episode of the second season shot, but wasn’t aired until the last week in October. I’d have to check MA, but I think the first episode aired that season (“Amok Time”) was filmed fifth. ---
**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 10, 2017, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-catspaw/798425/11 "2017-10-10T06:19:06Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > At least the remastering got rid of the strings working the puppets at the end. I was amazed at how that ever got on the air even back in 1967. :smack: As an aside, there’s a passage in Whitfield’s book telling how they needed “a little creature” for one episode, but there was only $500 left in the budget. I think he must have been referring to these puppets, but I find it hard to believe they cost that much! ---
**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 10, 2017, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-catspaw/798425/12 "2017-10-10T06:31:02Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Which one?! Chekov’s “Beatles” wig. It must have been designed by the same person who did Janice Rand’s beehive hairdo. :eek: If I’m not mistaken, he wore it three times: in “Catspaw,” “Friday’s Child,” and “Who Mourns for Adonais?” Before _ **Trek** _, Koenig had been doing shows like _ **Combat!** _ and _ **Jericho** _.\* His hair must have been as short as Shatner’s was at the beginning. It took a while before he started to look like Davey Jones, which was the intent. They wanted someone who could draw in the teenage audience. \*A CBS series about Resistance fighters in WWII. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2017, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-catspaw/798425/13 "2017-10-10T07:04:27Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > At least the remastering got rid of the strings working the puppets at the end. I was amazed at how that ever got on the air even back in 1967. :smack: I thought the puppets were kind of cool. The strings didn’t bother me; years of watching Gerry Anderson shows conditioned me to ignore them. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2017, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-catspaw/798425/14 "2017-10-10T07:10:37Z")
The cold open has my very favourite redshirt death (although I don’t think he’s wearing a red shirt). ---
**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 10, 2017, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-catspaw/798425/15 "2017-10-10T07:11:31Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > I thought the puppets were kind of cool. The strings didn’t bother me; years of watching Gerry Anderson shows conditioned me to ignore them. One of my favorite lines from the original \*\*\*Thunderbirds \*\*\*(I think it was) was “Can you pull a few strings for me?” 😃 ---
**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 10, 2017, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-catspaw/798425/16 "2017-10-10T07:16:42Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > The cold open has my very favourite redshirt death (although I don’t think he’s wearing a red shirt). Correct. It was Command gold/tenne/green: > **[Jackson (Lieutenant)](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Jackson_(Lieutenant))** > > Lieutenant Jackson was a male Human Starfleet officer who lived during the mid-23rd century. He served in the command division aboard the USS Enterprise under Captain James T. Kirk, during a historic five-year mission the starship undertook. In 2267,... ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2017, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-catspaw/798425/17 "2017-10-10T15:11:16Z")
The episode aired 27 October, 1967. A month later, on 29 November, the actor who played Korob, Theodore Marcuse, was killed in a car crash while intoxicated. ---
**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 10, 2017, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-catspaw/798425/18 "2017-10-10T15:45:45Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > The episode aired 27 October, 1967. A month later, on 29 November, the actor who played Korob, Theodore Marcuse, was killed in a car crash while intoxicated. And on that cheery note… ☹ ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2017, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-catspaw/798425/19 "2017-10-10T16:13:24Z")
Theo Marcuse was fortunate he lived long enough to have an acting career. One of many war heroes from WWII. > **[Theo Marcuse](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theo_Marcuse)** > > Theodore Carroll Marcuse (August 2, 1920 – November 29, 1967) was an American character actor who appeared frequently on television in the 1950s and 1960s, often portraying villains. > Marcuse was born in Seattle, Washington to Margaret and Theodore M. Marcuse, a World War I veteran and co-owner of Klementis-Marcuse, Co., fur retailer.\[citation needed\] > After growing up in San Francisco, he studied dramatic arts at Stanford University and was active in theatrical productions there. Later he recei... > [@](#): > > He served with the Navy during World War II and was awarded a Silver Star, Bronze Star Medal, and a Presidential Unit Citation for his heroics while serving as a lieutenant on the famed submarine USS Tirante. ---
**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 10, 2017, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-catspaw/798425/20 "2017-10-10T17:06:57Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > At least the remastering got rid of the strings working the puppets at the end. I was amazed at how that ever got on the air even back in 1967. :smack: In 1967 you were watching an analog signal of 525 lines on a TV screen that measured 23"-25" at best, drawn from an antenna that may or may not have been perfectly aligned with the broadcast signal and subject to ghosting as well as atmospheric static, a 3-gun color signal where the red, blue and green streams probably didn’t converge on a single point, and something called “fine tuning” which you had to do manually until the 1970s. A few puppet strings weren’t a problem. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tos-catspaw/798425.md?page=2)