TOS Journey to Babel -- Review

[charlesnaismith]

G: 4 stars - The plot mostly makes sense and the family conflict mostly worked well. Dialogue pretty good and I always like the more political diplomatic type episodes. I like the way that the tension ratcheted up as multiple issues happened at the same time, each one requiring the full attention of the commanding officer of the Enterprise. There were a few dated and naff moments. The depiction of a human/vulcan couple was mostly pretty good except for the end. I liked the various aliens.

C: 4 stars (if it was edited) - If you could edit out 3 or 4 lines of banter at the end this could have been a really great episode. Everybody's motivations made sense it was a much more Next Generation style plot. The only thing that really irritated me was Spock's mother saying that he shouldn't do the transfusion thing and then changing her mind the opposite way without any reason. It feels like that event was meant to highlight how emotions are illogical. Having her character act that way is really unfair and sexist. The closing banter was just rampant misogyny and verbally abusive; it should/could have been a touching ending.

 

Plot Summary: The enterprise has to host and transport a heap of diplomats for a conference - murder, sabotage, and hospitalisation ensue. Family story segues into detective story, into medical drama, into space opera.

 

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