I liked how Star Trek was able to start out an episode almost hopeless and grim, and by the end of it everybody’s happy and the situation is resolved, they don’t make shows like this anymore, loved the reaction and analysis BTW.
One of the things to keep in mind when watching "Patterns of Force" is that all of the adult actors lived through WW2. Scotty was in the service. Both Nimoy and Shatner are Jewish, and born in 1931. Episodes that refer to the gangster era or Great Depression ... the actors were kids at that time. So the history is fresh for them, and not as remote as it might seem to the modern viewer. It's part of their experience, not in any way theoretical or imaginary.
The galactic barrier was also featured in the second pilot, WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE. Spock's dialogue approaching the barrier in this episode is identical to that in the pilot.
A couple of facts about ‘Patterns of Force’. The first Nazi that accosted Kirk and Spock is the same guy they met on the street in return of the Archons’. I guess after getting freed from Landru, he decided to follow another dictator, also Valora Noland who played Daras wasn’t aware she had to wear a swastika as part of this role and it so disgusted her that she never returned to acting. She changed her name to Valora Tree Baum and wrote several books.
A historian using his knowledge to run an entire planet, mighty alien conquerors defeated by simple human sensations... The creativity of these writers was insane back in the day!
The first story kind of reminds me of the story of Tiberius and Sejanus. And in the 60's show "I, Claudius", Sejanus was played by a future Star Trek Alum.
Star Trek was definitely known for it's "morality play" episodes, dealing with issues of the day, but a big reason there were so many Earth-parallel episodes is that it was cheaper to use an existing set than to physically build a new alien landscape or spaceship every week. CGI wasn't a thing. One TOS episode used the "downtown Mayberry" set of The Andy Griffith Show, a half-hour black-and-white comedy, and other TV shows that were being filmed on the same lot were re-used in the same way. (Star Trek wasn't the only show to do that.)
The 60s and 70s were a wacky time to grow up in. I do love the idealistic world that Rodenberry created. Sci -fi writers weren't scared to try out any idea. Pointy space-sideburns at maximum in the second episode.
The second world war was not that far away in the 60s. Fathers of kids watching the series would all have been in the military and many shows were done about the war at the time so actors would have been used to playing the parts of both sides of the conflict. There were so many shows and movies about WWII at the time.
I was a bit too young to understand WW1/WW2 history when I first saw this episode. I had heard of Germans/Nazis being bad guys, but had no historical reference to know anything. Best I had at that age was this and Hogan's Heroes which was a comedy that made Nazis look like blundering idiots. My dad is a war/history buff and he had lots of books around the house that I could read to learn about everything. Fast forward to today. There is some history being repeated right now and it is amazing how ALL the different political/cultural/religious points of view are still around and in play as leaders make decisions and people react to international situations. I no longer think of things in left/right (dictionary definitions) or nationalistic perspectives. We are all proud of our heritages. However, no matter the cultures/countries, there always seems to be a authoritarian/dictatorship vs shared power line that seems to boil down to individual personalities. Bullies vs empathic/benevolent people. It's not totally black/white or good/evil, there is grey area. Even within a family, you have parents who are very strict and those who are very supportive. The reality is that you need a combination of strong leadership to keep the overall goals in mind as well as supportiveness/empathy to ensure that the majority of people are able to pursue their own interests.
From your comments, I think you would VERY much enjoy "He's Alive" a Twilight Zone episode with a similar plot and one of Rod Serling's best closing statements.
"Patterns of Force" 1. This was interesting. It had me in my middle school history class. 2. Kirk's bloody marks weren't all that convincing. 3. Suspension of belief with the homemade laser (even for a kid) 4. Many of the players had an issue with this episode, including Leonard Nimoy, who was Jewish. 5. I get to re-watch this again tomorrow. "By Any Other Name" 1. As a male adolescent when I first saw this is he killed the wrong red shirt. 2. I'm a retired Sailor and I'd love to do 12oz curls with Scotty. 3. Outstanding teamwork.
“Assist me with the food synthesizer.” You: “Are you going to feed him.” That is good, Star Trek can use more comedians. By the way, this is one of the most underrated episodes of Star Trek.
"Patterns of Force" was banned in parts of Europe for many years while showing any kinds of Nazi symbolism was illegal. It's not the only episode that drove people away from Trek without some kind of analysis of the story. But Trek did, after all, defeat Naziism within the (over simplified) context of an hour-long episode. There are several episodes where people watch the first few minutes, see the symbols or the racism or whatever, and shut down without seeing the story dismantle them at the end. It's a shame, because some of these controversial episodes are among the best. It's a good thing that the Kelvans weren't psychic. That would have opened up a whole new can of worms when they hit the galactic barrier. "Friends, Romans, Countrymen" is prophetic.
Thank you for great commentary, in particular the historical context of Patterns of Force, and how it makes sense that they would be so explicit about their commentary on the holocaust given when this was produced.
I don't like that they totally forget that they destroyed that woman in that cube. The leader should at least answer for that murder. While it is a wonderful twist and very dark, she had nothing to do with his contest. So, all is forgiven for that murder? That feels like a part of Gene's many rewrites.
The problem isn't that power corrupts. The problem is that power attracts the corrupt. If you are going to have centralized power you had best have strict anti corruption measures and oversight of those in power.
I'm not sure I completely subscribe to that. Would you elaborate? Even strict anti-corruption measures have to be enforced by another party. And that party can also be corrupt.
Hi Courtney :) A few pojnts: - Bill Shatner and Leonard Nimoy are both Jewish. - The actor who plays Isak reminds me of Jeff Goldblum, but he would be way too young in the 60s. He would've been about 15. - Ever since the Nuremberg trisls, Germany has made Nazi references illegal. This episode was not shown in Germany until 1994. - Skip Homeier, Melakon, is in one more episode. I will not sponsor l it but you will recognize him.p if you look hard. Great job on this video. Peace be with you :)
It’s interesting the number of Hebrew allusions in Patterns of Force. I don’t know a connection with Ekos, but Zeon is like “Zion”, as in “Zionists”. Eneg is “Gene” - Gene Roddenberry spelled backwards. It’s been a while, but I remember some characters in this having biblical names.
Isak (similar to Isaac) was the man in prison with them. The man he met in the underground was Abrom. Daras contains "Sara" backward, which is a stretch but I've seen that mentioned.
PF I can live without. / BAO episode has an odd structure as the first half is a horror but the second half, a comedy. I was terrified of it as a child.
Two interesting episodes, .... so, you give the Kelvan's some emotions & they just completely change their minds "sure we'll live on that planet, here, have your ship back".........I never did like that ending, seemed kinda lame. As always, enjoyed your reactions Courtney.
"Must be the Klingons", pffft. Typical Starfleet propaganda! ;p "I would take offense to that" being called a Nazi; Shatner is in fact of Jewish family. This was quite the commentary at the time, a lot of other jewish name inserts. Zion, etc. Love the watch-throughs! Excited for the future & rest!
The writers weren't subtle naming the "Zayons" or "Zeaons," close to "Zion." But none of the episode was subtle, not that it needed to be. The part that annoyed me most is that back in reality, Nazi Germany was one of the most IN-efficient of modern states. Fascism is made up of sub-fiefdoms run by competing men questing for power and authority. There's no ruling principle beyond "do what the Fuhrer wants!" (See also the T administration and how it worked.) This makes for the opposite of efficiency, and anyone who knows much about Nazi Germany knows how this worked. But Gill had to have *some* reasonable motivation, so they threw that under the bus, if they even knew anything about Nazi Germany beyond the symbols. But the episode had some good lines, including Spock's about Kirk "should" be a very convincing Nazi. Shatner shoots a great look at Nimoy. The jail part also made for some excellent contributions to fan-edited K/S vids. Sadly, the entirely logical subcutaneous transponders never made an appearance ever again on screen. :-( But that's typical TOS/1960s lack of continuity." The reminder of antisemitism is more timely than ever. 😞
When watching this episode, one cannot help but hear the term "Zion" in the word "Zeon"(just change one letter). That could mean that the Zeons represent the Zionists, or the Jewish Nation, along with their advancements in all kinds of fields of study, especially the sciences ... which, of course, would make the Ekosians the obvious representation of The State of Germany.
The actor that played the Kelven leader played the starship doctor in "Forbidden Planet", the 1956 sci-fi classic film that inspired Star Trek.
I liked how Star Trek was able to start out an episode almost hopeless and grim, and by the end of it everybody’s happy and the situation is resolved, they don’t make shows like this anymore, loved the reaction and analysis BTW.
"Absolute power corrrupts absolutely." More like absolute power attracts the absolutely corruptible.
One of the things to keep in mind when watching "Patterns of Force" is that all of the adult actors lived through WW2. Scotty was in the service. Both Nimoy and Shatner are Jewish, and born in 1931. Episodes that refer to the gangster era or Great Depression ... the actors were kids at that time. So the history is fresh for them, and not as remote as it might seem to the modern viewer. It's part of their experience, not in any way theoretical or imaginary.
Shatner had Nimoy on his interview show, "Shatner's Raw Nerve," and they both mentioned losing a great deal of family during the Holocaust.
The galactic barrier was also featured in the second pilot, WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE. Spock's dialogue approaching the barrier in this episode is identical to that in the pilot.
You may remember the galactic barrier in By Any Other Name being what the crew encountered in Where No Man Has Gone Before.
15:47-16:17. I love how dismissively Spock looks at the eugenics and phrenology being thrown at him.
I noticed that Rojan began to show signs of colour in his facial complexion as the episode moved on .
You know, you’re right maybe the kelvins go white in the sun and tan in the dark
Those who do not learn from the mistakes from the past are doomed to repeat them.
A couple of facts about ‘Patterns of Force’. The first Nazi that accosted Kirk and Spock is the same guy they met on the street in return of the Archons’. I guess after getting freed from Landru, he decided to follow another dictator, also Valora Noland who played Daras wasn’t aware she had to wear a swastika as part of this role and it so disgusted her that she never returned to acting. She changed her name to Valora Tree Baum and wrote several books.
WOW I now recognize the actor's voice now! Seems so obvious...now.
I had heard about Valora.
I can understand why she did it. It seems a little bit extreme but I understand.
Costume designer William Theiss specialized in designing women's costumes that exposed parts of the body not covered by the censors.
That guy was a genius. And these were very, very tame costumes compared to later episodes.
38:50 "It's green."
And the canon loops back to this moment, quite a bit later.
The lines were, "Even historians fail to learn from history. They repeat the same mistakes."
A historian using his knowledge to run an entire planet, mighty alien conquerors defeated by simple human sensations...
The creativity of these writers was insane back in the day!
Patterns of force show one of the strengths of TOS. They could discuss various social issues, so long as it was set with "aliens".
Hurray! Courtney is a Trekkie! Welcome, permission to come aboard. LOL
The first story kind of reminds me of the story of Tiberius and Sejanus. And in the 60's show "I, Claudius", Sejanus was played by a future Star Trek Alum.
Who is Patrick Stewart?
Great miniseries
Star Trek was definitely known for it's "morality play" episodes, dealing with issues of the day, but a big reason there were so many Earth-parallel episodes is that it was cheaper to use an existing set than to physically build a new alien landscape or spaceship every week. CGI wasn't a thing. One TOS episode used the "downtown Mayberry" set of The Andy Griffith Show, a half-hour black-and-white comedy, and other TV shows that were being filmed on the same lot were re-used in the same way. (Star Trek wasn't the only show to do that.)
The 60s and 70s were a wacky time to grow up in. I do love the idealistic world that Rodenberry created. Sci -fi writers weren't scared to try out any idea. Pointy space-sideburns at maximum in the second episode.
"Some people apologize by... pressing other things." (Okay, that's pretty funny. Subscribed.)
I love how he says "whiskey"!!!!
37:10 "Is there some... _significance_ to this action?"
😄😄😄
The second world war was not that far away in the 60s. Fathers of kids watching the series would all have been in the military and many shows were done about the war at the time so actors would have been used to playing the parts of both sides of the conflict.
There were so many shows and movies about WWII at the time.
I was a bit too young to understand WW1/WW2 history when I first saw this episode. I had heard of Germans/Nazis being bad guys, but had no historical reference to know anything. Best I had at that age was this and Hogan's Heroes which was a comedy that made Nazis look like blundering idiots. My dad is a war/history buff and he had lots of books around the house that I could read to learn about everything. Fast forward to today. There is some history being repeated right now and it is amazing how ALL the different political/cultural/religious points of view are still around and in play as leaders make decisions and people react to international situations.
I no longer think of things in left/right (dictionary definitions) or nationalistic perspectives. We are all proud of our heritages. However, no matter the cultures/countries, there always seems to be a authoritarian/dictatorship vs shared power line that seems to boil down to individual personalities. Bullies vs empathic/benevolent people. It's not totally black/white or good/evil, there is grey area.
Even within a family, you have parents who are very strict and those who are very supportive. The reality is that you need a combination of strong leadership to keep the overall goals in mind as well as supportiveness/empathy to ensure that the majority of people are able to pursue their own interests.
"Your whole Earth history is made up of men seeking absolute power."
Ummm yeah.
Make the Federation Great Again!
From your comments, I think you would VERY much enjoy "He's Alive" a Twilight Zone episode with a similar plot and one of Rod Serling's best closing statements.
2 Jewish actors (Shatner and Nimoy) wearing nazi uniforms. I think my jaw was open when I first saw this episode
Me too. PF was an excuse to save money by using existing sets, uniforms & etc. I still have trouble seeing the use of it.
It was also a rather common occurence in Hogan's Heroes.
"Patterns of Force"
1. This was interesting. It had me in my middle school history class.
2. Kirk's bloody marks weren't all that convincing.
3. Suspension of belief with the homemade laser (even for a kid)
4. Many of the players had an issue with this episode, including Leonard Nimoy, who was Jewish.
5. I get to re-watch this again tomorrow.
"By Any Other Name"
1. As a male adolescent when I first saw this is he killed the wrong red shirt.
2. I'm a retired Sailor and I'd love to do 12oz curls with Scotty.
3. Outstanding teamwork.
23:50 the alert sound on your phone had me checking mine. 😅😅
38:46 whenever someone asked me what is it?
I reply it's green... 😅
39:57 "I was wondering, would you _please_ apologize to me, again."
🤦♂Oh, dear.🤷♂
40:17 "We were told to find out everything we could about you."
"And how's the research going?"
"I need some more experiments."
🤦♂Of course.
40:53 "Scotty, in... He's drunk. I can't say anything."
I think, at this point, there's not a whole lot he can say, either. Not without slurring.
Upon recent rewatching of the whole series I've noticed a lot of TOS involves things from the Andromeda Galaxy. I did na-zi that coming!
“Assist me with the food synthesizer.”
You: “Are you going to feed him.” That is good, Star Trek can use more comedians. By the way, this is one of the most underrated episodes of Star Trek.
Yes, only 300 years. It would take 2 million years even travelling at the speed of light.
"Patterns of Force" was banned in parts of Europe for many years while showing any kinds of Nazi symbolism was illegal. It's not the only episode that drove people away from Trek without some kind of analysis of the story. But Trek did, after all, defeat Naziism within the (over simplified) context of an hour-long episode.
There are several episodes where people watch the first few minutes, see the symbols or the racism or whatever, and shut down without seeing the story dismantle them at the end. It's a shame, because some of these controversial episodes are among the best.
It's a good thing that the Kelvans weren't psychic. That would have opened up a whole new can of worms when they hit the galactic barrier.
"Friends, Romans, Countrymen" is prophetic.
Thank you for great commentary, in particular the historical context of Patterns of Force, and how it makes sense that they would be so explicit about their commentary on the holocaust given when this was produced.
The actress playing Darrus was so distraught at having to wear a Nazi armband for her part she quit acting after appearing in this episode.
Yeah I always think about Shatner and Nimoy being Jewish and having to dress in those uniforms just a couple-ish decades after WWII.
I don't like that they totally forget that they destroyed that woman in that cube. The leader should at least answer for that murder. While it is a wonderful twist and very dark, she had nothing to do with his contest. So, all is forgiven for that murder? That feels like a part of Gene's many rewrites.
it's not forgiven but it goes with the job
The problem isn't that power corrupts. The problem is that power attracts the corrupt. If you are going to have centralized power you had best have strict anti corruption measures and oversight of those in power.
I'm not sure I completely subscribe to that. Would you elaborate? Even strict anti-corruption measures have to be enforced by another party. And that party can also be corrupt.
You are so much fun to watch. Keep it up. 😄
Hi Courtney :)
A few pojnts:
- Bill Shatner and Leonard Nimoy are both Jewish.
- The actor who plays Isak reminds me of Jeff Goldblum, but he would be way too young in the 60s. He would've been about 15.
- Ever since the Nuremberg trisls, Germany has made Nazi references illegal. This episode was not shown in Germany until 1994.
- Skip Homeier, Melakon, is in one more episode. I will not sponsor l it but you will recognize him.p if you look hard.
Great job on this video. Peace be with you :)
It’s interesting the number of Hebrew allusions in Patterns of Force. I don’t know a connection with Ekos, but Zeon is like “Zion”, as in “Zionists”. Eneg is “Gene” - Gene Roddenberry spelled backwards. It’s been a while, but I remember some characters in this having biblical names.
According to Memory Alpha "The term "ekos" was also a word in ancient and modern Greek (spelled oikos), meaning "house" or "home"."
Isak (similar to Isaac) was the man in prison with them. The man he met in the underground was Abrom. Daras contains "Sara" backward, which is a stretch but I've seen that mentioned.
@@davide123 Oh. Yeah. Thanks. I hadn’t thought of that.
I'm a doctor Jim, not the angel of death!
PF I can live without. / BAO episode has an odd structure as the first half is a horror but the second half, a comedy. I was terrified of it as a child.
Captain Kirk sweaty, what a turn on😊😊😊
Two interesting episodes, .... so, you give the Kelvan's some emotions & they just completely change their minds "sure we'll live on that planet, here, have your ship back".........I never did like that ending, seemed kinda lame. As always, enjoyed your reactions Courtney.
It is amazing and funny how easily these advanced beings are manipulated by humans.
@@CourtReacts-zm9yv I liked Scotty's form of manipulation 😂
"Must be the Klingons", pffft. Typical Starfleet propaganda! ;p
"I would take offense to that" being called a Nazi; Shatner is in fact of Jewish family. This was quite the commentary at the time, a lot of other jewish name inserts. Zion, etc.
Love the watch-throughs! Excited for the future & rest!
The writers weren't subtle naming the "Zayons" or "Zeaons," close to "Zion." But none of the episode was subtle, not that it needed to be.
The part that annoyed me most is that back in reality, Nazi Germany was one of the most IN-efficient of modern states. Fascism is made up of sub-fiefdoms run by competing men questing for power and authority. There's no ruling principle beyond "do what the Fuhrer wants!" (See also the T administration and how it worked.)
This makes for the opposite of efficiency, and anyone who knows much about Nazi Germany knows how this worked.
But Gill had to have *some* reasonable motivation, so they threw that under the bus, if they even knew anything about Nazi Germany beyond the symbols.
But the episode had some good lines, including Spock's about Kirk "should" be a very convincing Nazi. Shatner shoots a great look at Nimoy.
The jail part also made for some excellent contributions to fan-edited K/S vids.
Sadly, the entirely logical subcutaneous transponders never made an appearance ever again on screen. :-( But that's typical TOS/1960s lack of continuity."
The reminder of antisemitism is more timely than ever. 😞
BEFORE I WATCH...she'll have it solved within one minute and forty five seconds.
When watching this episode, one cannot help but hear the term "Zion" in the word "Zeon"(just change one letter).
That could mean that the Zeons represent the Zionists, or the Jewish Nation, along with their advancements in all kinds of fields of study, especially the sciences ... which, of course, would make the Ekosians the obvious representation of The State of Germany.
Courtney, have you ever seen the film Judgment at Nuremberg?
hi courtney looking gorgeous as always.