According to D.C. Fontana in the introduction for Star Trek: The Classic Episodes 1, when the mistake over the middle initial was discovered, Gene Roddenberry decided that if pressed for an answer on the discrepancy, the response was to be "Gary Mitchell had godlike powers, but at base he was Human. He made a mistake." The text on the tombstone appears to be "JAMES R KIRK", followed by "C 1277.1 to 1818.7"; the second number is probably supposed to be 1313.7, which fits with the stardates in Kirk's log entries.. Assuming the "C" stands for "circa", this could be another indication of Gary's fallibility -- he didn't know when Kirk was born and had to guess. The range is 36.6 stardates, close to Kirk's age of 33 we know he was 34 in The Deadly Years. The idea of 1 stardate = 1 year was obviously thrown out the airlock in later episodes
If you'll notice though, in tv shows & movies they never have the protagonist directly kill the antagonist, it's always indirectly, like shooting below the rock Gary put there that kills him in the grave Gary dug there.
This episode really freaked me out as a kid. Was a very new and dark character to witness. As I grew older I came to enjoy more and more. A truly great episode this was.
Yea, seeing those silver eyes and the telekinetic strangulation of kelso along with things like the throughton era dr who cybermen gave the sixties an electrifying edge for me as a kid.
It's one of my favorites. I complain about how they use too much comic relief in movies nowadays, but this episode has none (the chess game at the beginning doesn't count, because there's nothing to provide relief from, yet). It almost rips your guts out after only an hour. Great science fiction with some of the most quotable lines in all Star Trek.
My favorite episode of the entire series!! "Morals are for men not gods." "A god but still driven by human frailty." I was ten years old when the series premiered and watched avidly every week. I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen in my life!
I met Gary Lockwood at Toronto Fan Fest last Thursday. He is 81 now but was at table with Keir Dullea. He was in 2 seminal sci-fi entries: 2001 and initial Star Trek episodes. Nice to chat with both.
Being on Star Trek makes you live a long time. Shatner is 91, Takei is 84, Koenig is 85, Nichelle Nichols is 89, Nimoy lived to 85 and he was a heavy smoker.
@Brian Van Horn In Toronto, did you notice whether any female fans seemed to react emotionally to Gary’s handsomeness? I find him very attractive, even in his middle age.
@@kathrynfauble9053 honestly he was with an attendant and he seemed rather frail. Keir Dullea was much more youthful and vigorous. I was able to chat directly with the both of them as they and I were there out front very early so no crowds or lines. I had a very interesting and enjoyable chat. I thanked Keir for his acting roles but pointed out Gary’s luck to have been in two seminal roles with sci-if: 2001 and initial episode of Star Trek TOS “where no man has gone before”. Puts him in the actors pantheon for critical role placement.
Those eyes have been freaking me out since I was a child. Really good effect, especially for that time. Lockwood said in interviews that the hard contact lenses they used back then hurt too much to wear for more than a few minutes at a time and that he couldn't really see when shooting his scenes so they had to rehearse and block out where he would walk and look beforehand. And Gary Mitchell was doing the finger lightning thing almost 20 years before the Emperor
@@williamhaynes4800 Definitely season 1 had the best music. Season 2's music was a laughingstock with the score for "Amok Time." And Season 3 was bad, too, with the fight music in "Spock's Brain."
@@clauderobotham6261 Exactly the same in Batman. 1st season fight music was the best, 2nd season was OK. 3rd season was terrible. They even gave Batgirl her own music for the to fight to.
I think you have a good point that I never thought of. There has always been something very...charismatic and alluring about Gary Lockwood and his portrayal as Mitchell had a hint of danger even before his character changed. He would've created a lot of tension (in a good way) on the show and a lot of UST (unresolved sexual tension) with any female characters.
verisimilidude1 It seems like there was something written about that by Greek playwrights/philosophers, but I can't remember the quote. I find it amusing enever a fictional character has a great deal of power, he is labeled (or labels himself) a god. From Gary Mitchell to people (in story) worshiping Superman to the Asgardians being worshipped as gods by ancient man and falling for their own hype. The trope says a lot about human nature. I'll bet that if we are ever openly visited by advanced alien life, not only will there be people whose religious beliefs are thrown into chaos, but there will be fools who actually start worshiping them.
I admire how this episode ended, Kirk listed their service records as having died in the line of duty. I always thought that was a fitting & just end for an otherwise tragic story (he lost his best friend).
Right. And he ends that by saying, "He never asked for this to happen to him." Then Spock says, "I felt for him too." Then Kirk says, "I do believe there's hope for you after all Mr. Spock." My fav episode followed by the Gamesters of Triskelion, which deals with slavery. But there's also the Captain Pike episodes, great series.
@@parrsnipps4495 If you promise not to laugh, my favorite episode is The Squire of Gothos. The idea of a young yet extremely powerful alien being scolded by his parents for not properly taking care of the entire crew of the Enterprise as his newfound pets is GREAT writing to me, not to mention the actor was GREAT in his role.
the very first time i seen this episode somewhere back in the eighties i was instantly impressed the friendship Kirk & Mitchell had before he turned evil the part that really makes me feel bad is Kirk had to kill his own best friend to save themselves from the peril Gary had in mind for the human race however where an old friendship ended started a new one with Kirk & Spock.
I remember reading a non canon TNG novel many years ago, about Q - & in this story, it was revealed Trelane was a 'Q' & is being mentored by Q & at one point in the story the rebellious Trelane, who is using the power of the Q to mix up different universes, gets into a kind of battle of 'powers' in which Q is apparently destroyed by Trelane, he does however survive, barely, his consciousness drifting through time & space & into the other realities...until he drifts into the barrier & encounters the Enterprise - in _this_ episode - but, it's a slightly different universe, in which Kirk is 'James R. Kirk', hence the tombstone 0:52 Q at this point is just pure energy & is so weak, he can't quite communicate with any of the ships crew or manifest to them, so in desperation, he 'scans' them for anyone with any kind of psychic connection or latent ability that he can possess temporarily in order to build up his strength again & restore himself to full power & so partly takes over both Gary & Dr. Dana causing the god-like side effects with the silver eyes. interestingly, when he's searching the personas of each of the enterprise crew, he briefly reaches out to scan Kirk, but finds his mind unsuitable & just too erratic & *intense!!*
"Gary" is Gary Lockwood best known from Sci-fi classic 2001: A Space Odyssey as deputy commander Dr. Frank Poole. Sally Kellerman is the original "Hot Lips" from the film version of MASH.
Gary Lockwood also played a marine in the 1962-1963 TV series, "The Lieutenant" that was created by Gene Rodenberry. Lockwood played Lieutenant William T. Rice. The T for his middle name stood for Tiberius which was also James T. Kirk's middle name. The Lieutenant has several Star Trek actors in. A good show you can purchase on DVD from Amazon. It has a lot of similar story lines from a morality point of view like TOS.
@@MarkyBillsonIV rhino....a joke..head buried in his books. Kirk is to stubborn to quit. It was a cruel joke from Gary. Corrupted by the power of Q. Though Q had no idea what/who he had been at this point. Was a victim of Trelane corrupted by the Heart of the Universe.
Classic early 1960s hand-to-hand combat for TV (and moves). For television westerns, a 3 minute fistfight was almost mandatory to finish off an episode, especially if your hero's gun ran out of bullets. More modern (and/or futuristic) settings added the fake karate chops and other pseudo martial arts moves.
@@PeterBrown-mz4nv "Longest and most brutal..." Finnegan fight sequence is technically longer, but is less affecting as it's played strictly for laughs.
@@HerrEllsworth That's what made his performance so good. By angling his head upward, it gave him a haughty, arrogant look, thereby making his character so memorable.
Which is how Kirk defeated him when he gained his power back? Unless he was not FULLY powered up yet, otherwise, Kirk should have lost and that bolder couldn't have held him down.
Great episode. One of the best. The fight scene at the end was awesome but I personally enjoyed the torment Kirk went through when he was being advised by Spock that he needed to kill Mitchell to save his ship. He knew Spock was right but he was torn by his friendship with Mitchell. Well acted…!!!!
That was the great fight choreography of the 1960s (and very well played by Shatner, Gary Lockwood, and Sally Kellerman). Gary Mitchell was probably still "weak" from the attack from Elizabeth and Captain Kirk, which is why the large Boulder could kill him. A great pilot episode.
One of the best Captain Kirk fight scenes in the show's history. I would rate it up there with Kirk vs. Khan in the episode" Space Seed", and Kirk vs. Finnegan in "Shore Leave".
Famous Stuntman ( and later director of Smokey & the Bandit and Hooper) Hal Needham doubled Gary Lockwood in this fight. I believe it was Paul Baxley doubling Kirk. One of my favorite fights from Star Trek. Hard hitting, judo throws, Karate chops, bodies flying.... love it!
Behind the scenes Gary Lockwood had a lot more trouble with the silver contact lenses he was required to wear than Sally Kellerman did, but the man still managed to embed this scene in my head with kick butt acting. Consider this the second pilot.
I heard it was painful. The 70's contact lenses were basically horrible. Apparently, the silver contact lenses they used were essentially tinfoil if you can believe it. Gary Lockwood found them extremely unpleasant.
@Beerbottles123, What isn't on that show? That game is pretty much the series' calling card, isn't it? Easter eggs, callbacks, self-referential in-jokes, and the like, ad infinitum, from the first episode.
To paraphrase and expand upon a quote by Ann Lamotte, when God automatically approves of everything you do and disapproves of all the same people you do, that's when you ought to realize that you have refashioned God in your own image -- which means, whether you realize it or are willing to admit it or not, what you are truly worshipping is your own ego. After all, if you're convinced that there is nothing you need to change about yourself and that absolutely everything you do is justified...then you're essentially insisting that you're perfect and infallible, therefore by definition superhuman and virtually a god incarnate. The ancient Greeks had a word for this...they called it *hubris* and they regarded it as one of the very worst sins a human could possibly commit. For that matter, in the Judeo-Christian tradition, this is basically the same exact sin which caused Lucifer's fall from grace as well as being the sin which led to Adam and Eve being expelled from the Garden of Eden. Pride is regarded as the worst of the Seven Deadly Sins because it facilitates all the others.
@AAAnderson055 I disagree. the existence of anything is dependent on evidence and what is in the bible does not provide evidence that god exits only that simple minded people didn't understand the world around them and created supreme beings to help them understand/explain it. 1. The world wide flood didn't happen, there is not evidence for it, in fact there is evidence that it didn't happen. 2. There is no evidence that Moses even existed, Hebrew scholars have studied the exodus and have come to the conclusion that it didn't happen and even if it did it couldn't have happened as it is told in the bible. 3. To get striped animals have them mate in front of striped, speckled or spotted branches and you will get striped, speckled or spotted animals. 4. No way could the sun have stopped moving in the sky as the bible says, it would have meant the earth would have had to stop rotating on its axis. Should that have happened then the people on the far side of the earth would have been flung into space and the people on the sun facing side would have been crushed. That would have required the complete negation of all the physical laws of the universe.
@AAAnderson055 I find no evidence that god or God or any god exists, I haven't said that god doesn't exist only no evidence for its existence. If such a god exists than that god punishes people by what they believe/think rather than in actions. Sorry I go by what is done not by what is thought or believed.
There were two episodes which were the pinnacle of Star Trek for me as a kid. It wasn't until I was a young adult watching Star Trek reruns that I could finally put names to those episodes. One was "Where no man has gone before" and the other being "Who mourns for adonis". Even as a child beings with godlike powers stirred my imagination like nothing else. So as an adult all my favourite stories have a basis in power. Not the boring political type of our reality but abilities far beyond the norm and the further the better.
Are we sure that Gary is truly dead? It was a mere (GIANT) rock that fell on him while he had his powers. Its possible that Gary is still alive but trapped on Delta Vega. Kirk probably recommended to Starfleet to list Delta Vega as a Hostile World similar to Talos IV and prohibit any Ore Ships from flying there every 20 years.
If he were alive I'm sure he would have lifted the rock during his conversation with Dr. Dehner before she died. And Gary had powers but he wasn't immortal. Plus I'm sure the director filmed the grave sequence to show Gary being off balance to suggest that he simply wasn't able to focus on the rock at all to do anything about it. In each demonstrate instance of his power Gary still had to focus his attention on what he was doing. Even when he telekinetically strangled Lee Kelso he's looking off "seeing" Lee's environment and grabbing the wire cable. Now bad writers not focusing on those details could certainly bring him back to life but it would be bad writing for the sake of pushing product and further diluting the finer details of what makes characters, scenes and stories like this so genuine. Finally there's no need as Gary was basically the prototype to Charlie who in turn was the prototype to the Metrons who in turn are the prototype to Q.
I'd like to think that after being Zapped by the Doctor, his full power did not return to him instantly. But rather building like it was originally. Else he could have killed Kirk with a snap of his fingers. He was simply at the "kill me while you still can" stage when Kirk 'rocked' him.
@@marcusanderson9042 Excellent examination pertaining to this scene. I never really gave it as much thought as you did. But your theory makes very good sense. Bravo.
Or, Mitchell died within a few days at most. Notice the greying at his temples? Indicates his powers had massively accelerated his ageing, burning his body out from the inside.
If Mitchell hadn't been in a much-weakened state after fighting Dr. Dehner he likely would've killed Kirk by telekinetically strangling him. Or simply snapping his neck like a dry twig instead of what occurred before his final fate.
It was really unusual for a series to get a second pilot. Roddenberry pitched "Star Trek" to the executives as a kind of "wagon train to the stars" figuring that since Westerns were really popular at the time, the executives would be able to "get it." But the execs thought the first episode ("The Cage") was "too cerebral." "They thought I had betrayed them" Gene said. "I had written this wonderful story about where the mind went and they had wanted bare knuckles and a fistfight." So when Paramount ordered a second pilot, Gene made sure it ended with bare knuckles and a fistfight. :)
Once I had a nightly dream about being omnipotent and all-knowing. It turned out to be a nightmare as it took some time to shake the feeling off after I woke up. 😅
The Captain was never worried, because he saw the tombstone and realized who it was really for. Gary really hated the Captain's lesser known evil twin, James Rhinoceros Kirk. The Captain hated his brother too and was happy to help Gary by sparring with him for the purpose of warming up for the real fight. It really was an ingenious idea for Gary to play dead under that rock. Rhino Kirk would never see that coming...
This episode shows the first time Captain Kirk gets a ripped shirt. ( Star Trek Beyond made fun of it by having kirk's quarters having a walk in closet of new shirts.)
@@LATVERIAN1 Well, perhaps that's true. But Kirk did try to shoot him with a phaser rifle as soon as he appeared. (I don't think those rifles have a stun setting.) It just seemed odd that he would hesitate with the rock. But I hear what your saying. Bashing your former friend in the head up close and personal with a rock probably requires more emotional investment than shooting them from a distance. Plus, I was being sarcastic. ;)
@@DocMicrowave The reason was the eyes. They were brown, not silver. He was fighting Gary Mitchell, his friend. Not Zero, the thing that possessed him. It was Zero he used the rifle.
@@CuteNekoHibiki Fair. But Kirk had to know that there was the possibility of Killing Gary. But yeah, seeing those eyes turn back and hearing his normal voice as he was about the kill him did give him pause before recommitting. I guess he didn't expect that. But initially Kirk was throwing everything he had at him. As soon as he appeared, no talk, no negotiation, just fired full blast.
Those contact lenses, according to the actor himself, caused him considerable discomfort. Towards the end of the shooting schedule (six days), he could only stand them for ten minutes at a time, and they are why he seems to be "looking down" in a lot of the shots. That it gives him a superior body language was just a bonus. Lockwood did the episode as a favor to his friend Gene Roddenberry, whose previous show "The Lieutenant" was a starring role for the actor.
The power of Gary Mitchell doubles everyday, omnipotent one day but twice as omnipotent the next day, & the next day & so on. He'd literally be a god in a matter of a month at least able to create life, worlds, stars, cellular/molecular reconstruction & regeneration; unbeatable. I don't think that Thanos with his infinity gems & gauntlet would even have a chance including the Living Tribunal, The Shaper of Worlds, The In-betweener, Galactus, The Stranger, The Collector, The Grandmaster, The Gardener, The Champion, The Anti-Monitor, The Watchers, Master Order, Lord Chaos, the Celestials, maybe even the Beyonder. Given enough time, no one would ever be able to beat him, period!
@@luthermcgee7586 Yes Mr. McGee, it is. The only one that apparently and obviously seems very reminiscent of Gary Mitchell is the X MEN comics storyline is Moira McTaggert's son Kevin a.k.a Mutant X: PROTEUS the mutant who has the ability to alter reality within a certain radius around him and the more he used his powers the more stronger he got but his only weaknesses was a constant and continuous need for fresh bodies to inhabit including metal. Even Phoenix herself said that soon he'd be unbeatable. In fact there's a cross over comic book where Gary Mitchell and PROTEUS merged together and the X-Men and the crew of the Enterprise had to stop him. The interesting thing is that the body of Gary Mitchell is the one body that didn't burn out when PROTEUS possessed it. Now that's very frightening too if you think 🤔 it Mr. McGee.
@@brianpaschal7755 , certainly. I agree. But to inhabit metal, that's powerful. Have you ever heard of " the devil in iron"? It was a short story from the volume " Conan the wanderer" which speaks of a being that takes up it's habitation in iron. Can you imagine a confrontation with something like that? But Gary was far more worse because he could by force of will " make" a person do his bidding. But, the devil in iron so inspired me that I've memorized virtually the whole storyline.
@@luthermcgee7586 No disrespectful intentions or offensive reply sir but I believe that you misunderstood me because one of PROTEUS's weaknesses was metal of any kind and sort. Something else I'd forgotten to mention was that also if he possessed another mutant or superpowered being he could add their abilities to his own as well. Either way, the X Men had to defeat him fast or else it'd be too late because he'd be way too powerful to stop.
This performance is surely one of the very BEST in the Star Trek universe. Also the performance of Celia Lovsky in "Amok Time", and William Windom in "The Doomsday Machine." Leonard Nimoy seemed to improve the most among the regular cast. I believe it took him a while, and also the powers that be, to figure out exactly what a Vulcan was.
The first "official" star trek episode that also happens to be the best episode. There was one before this with captain pike but apparently wasnt used and converted into a later episode in bits.
I like the story about why he'd raise his head up to look imperious...it was more he couldn't see thru those damn contact lenses, and had to raise his head up to catch a glimpse of whatever was in front of him.
Tombstone: "James R. Kirk."
Captain Kirk: "Phew, that's not me. "
According to D.C. Fontana in the introduction for Star Trek: The Classic Episodes 1, when the mistake over the middle initial was discovered, Gene Roddenberry decided that if pressed for an answer on the discrepancy, the response was to be "Gary Mitchell had godlike powers, but at base he was Human. He made a mistake."
The text on the tombstone appears to be "JAMES R KIRK", followed by "C 1277.1 to 1818.7"; the second number is probably supposed to be 1313.7, which fits with the stardates in Kirk's log entries.. Assuming the "C" stands for "circa", this could be another indication of Gary's fallibility -- he didn't know when Kirk was born and had to guess. The range is 36.6 stardates, close to Kirk's age of 33 we know he was 34 in The Deadly Years. The idea of 1 stardate = 1 year was obviously thrown out the airlock in later episodes
@@zerocool1ist hahahaha I'll buy that.
Good one!
James 'Riberious' Kirk.
"He couldn't even remember my middle name."
"Gary, forgive me". Kirk lost the moment to terminate Gary because of his compassion for his friend. Profound moment.
He lost his moment because he wasted time beating him up instead of picking the gun up and shooting him.
very touching scene
If you'll notice though, in tv shows & movies they never have the protagonist directly kill the antagonist, it's always indirectly, like shooting below the rock Gary put there that kills him in the grave Gary dug there.
Spock said Kirk had one of two choices: (1) maroon Gary on the planet; (2) kill Gary. Obviously Kirk wanted both choices!!!
Star Trek Continues has a good two part finale about “espers “.
This episode really freaked me out as a kid. Was a very new and dark character to witness. As I grew older I came to enjoy more and more. A truly great episode this was.
It was the episode that saved the show.. being the second pilot, the one that sold the show, after all
Yea, seeing those silver eyes and the telekinetic strangulation of kelso along with things like the throughton era dr who cybermen gave the sixties an electrifying edge for me as a kid.
The episode would have been even darker if Dr. Dehner had survived after the death of Mitchell...
Same here. Really freaked me as a kid. Simpler times.
It's one of my favorites.
I complain about how they use too much comic relief in movies nowadays, but this episode has none (the chess game at the beginning doesn't count, because there's nothing to provide relief from, yet). It almost rips your guts out after only an hour. Great science fiction with some of the most quotable lines in all Star Trek.
My favorite episode of the entire series!! "Morals are for men not gods." "A god but still driven by human frailty." I was ten years old when the series premiered and watched avidly every week. I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen in my life!
Kirk, " What makes you right and a trained psychiatrist wrong?" Spock, "Because she feels. I don't. All I know is logic."
One of my favorites.
My favorite also, Thomas.
You're not alone, Thomas. It's the one episode I revisit again and again.
I met Gary Lockwood at Toronto Fan Fest last Thursday. He is 81 now but was at table with Keir Dullea. He was in 2 seminal sci-fi entries: 2001 and initial Star Trek episodes. Nice to chat with both.
Being on Star Trek makes you live a long time. Shatner is 91, Takei is 84, Koenig is 85, Nichelle Nichols is 89, Nimoy lived to 85 and he was a heavy smoker.
that been talkin bout that episode with him
@Brian Van Horn In Toronto, did you notice whether any female fans seemed to react emotionally to Gary’s handsomeness? I find him very attractive, even in his middle age.
@@kathrynfauble9053 honestly he was with an attendant and he seemed rather frail. Keir Dullea was much more youthful and vigorous. I was able to chat directly with the both of them as they and I were there out front very early so no crowds or lines. I had a very interesting and enjoyable chat. I thanked Keir for his acting roles but pointed out Gary’s luck to have been in two seminal roles with sci-if: 2001 and initial episode of Star Trek TOS “where no man has gone before”. Puts him in the actors pantheon for critical role placement.
Those eyes have been freaking me out since I was a child. Really good effect, especially for that time. Lockwood said in interviews that the hard contact lenses they used back then hurt too much to wear for more than a few minutes at a time and that he couldn't really see when shooting his scenes so they had to rehearse and block out where he would walk and look beforehand. And Gary Mitchell was doing the finger lightning thing almost 20 years before the Emperor
You know why they hurt? Because the silver contact lenses were basically tinfoil lol.
"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." --Lord Acton. Oh so true, so many old Star Treks were based on that theme.
so true power corrupts absolute power
Bunk. That is a truism, not a proven fact.
For the mind that hath wisdom: Power only corrupts when the multi-level understanding of the mind of man is no longer commensurate with the power.
@@adamson5779
Thank you,
domenicsandri2740 should take notes instead of spreading his book-burning approach to Christianity.
cornball
One of Star Treks best episodes
"Hurry! You haven't much time!"
-Kirk proceeds to punch him instead of going for the phaser rifle.
That would have been pointless because it would have ended up being a struggle to seize control of the phaser. Kirk did the right thing.
@@ricardocantoral7672 Both points well-taken.
Plus they would not have able to play that cool 1st season fight music.
@@williamhaynes4800 Definitely season 1 had the best music. Season 2's music was a laughingstock with the score for "Amok Time." And Season 3 was bad, too, with the fight music in "Spock's Brain."
@@clauderobotham6261
Exactly the same in Batman. 1st season fight music was the best, 2nd season was OK. 3rd season was terrible. They even gave Batgirl her own music for the to fight to.
This episode had a Twilight Zone feel to it. It still holds up very well, especially the glowing eyes.
You are most likely comparing the LCDR Gary Mitchell character to the Anthony Freemont character from, "It's A Good Life".
The Gary Mitchell actor would have totally taken over the show if he'd become a regular. You can see the charisma as he steals scenes from Kirk.
Gary Lockwood...
Gary Lockwood was the name of the Actor
@@xadam2dudex It still is his name!
I think you have a good point that I never thought of. There has always been something very...charismatic and alluring about Gary Lockwood and his portrayal as Mitchell had a hint of danger even before his character changed. He would've created a lot of tension (in a good way) on the show and a lot of UST (unresolved sexual tension) with any female characters.
Shatner's ego would never have been able to handle the amount of fanmail Gary Lockwood would've gotten.
Love everything about this episode. The music. The storyline. Gary Mitchell's character. Dr. Dehner looked pretty cute too, lol.
Well she was also the original Hotlips Houlihan in the movie M*A*S*H.
R.I.P. Sally Kellerman. Loved you in this and the movie MASH.
She also appeared in "Back To School" with Rodney Dangerfield. Whatta woman!
One of the Better Star Trek Episodes.
The scene where kirk rolls and shoots and it has no effect on Gary is still to this day one of the best scenes of original star trek ever in my eyes.
"Morals are for men, not Gods." Think about that for a moment. Has that ever been written before by anyone in history? Great stuff....
verisimilidude1
It seems like there was something written about that by Greek playwrights/philosophers, but I can't remember the quote. I find it amusing enever a fictional character has a great deal of power, he is labeled (or labels himself) a god. From Gary Mitchell to people (in story) worshiping Superman to the Asgardians being worshipped as gods by ancient man and falling for their own hype. The trope says a lot about human nature.
I'll bet that if we are ever openly visited by advanced alien life, not only will there be people whose religious beliefs are thrown into chaos, but there will be fools who actually start worshiping them.
The Jabar ideology advocated by the Hambalis and Ibn Taymiyya advocated exactly that.
EXCELLENT 👍
If u notice at the very end GARY MITCHELL'S CHARACTER. HAS ANGRY IST THAT PART OF OUR EMOTIONS BUT I THOUGHT HE SAID ITS NOT FOR GODS
IN ANOTHER UNIVERSE, I AM A GOD AND WILL MAKE SURE IN THT UNIVERSE, KIRK IS DEFEATED
I admire how this episode ended, Kirk listed their service records as having died in the line of duty. I always thought that was a fitting & just end for an otherwise tragic story (he lost his best friend).
Right. And he ends that by saying, "He never asked for this to happen to him." Then Spock says, "I felt for him too." Then Kirk says, "I do believe there's hope for you after all Mr. Spock." My fav episode followed by the Gamesters of Triskelion, which deals with slavery. But there's also the Captain Pike episodes, great series.
@@parrsnipps4495 If you promise not to laugh, my favorite episode is The Squire of Gothos. The idea of a young yet extremely powerful alien being scolded by his parents for not properly taking care of the entire crew of the Enterprise as his newfound pets is GREAT writing to me, not to mention the actor was GREAT in his role.
Why did Gary hate his guts?is it because the aluminum foil eyes that caused him to hate kirk?
One of the best of the original series episodes!
Do I dare say; one of the greatest Captain Kirk battles ever! Wow!
This 1 & Kirk vs Khan.
The episode features the first time Kirk rips a shirt in a fight.
All that was missing is the sound effect of Kirk's shirt tearing.
This is the first Kirk episode filmed.
The one with Finnegan in Shore Leave was really good, but this is my favorite.
the very first time i seen this episode somewhere back in the eighties i was instantly impressed the friendship Kirk & Mitchell had before he turned evil the part that really makes me feel bad is Kirk had to kill his own best friend to save themselves from the peril Gary had in mind for the human race however where an old friendship ended started a new one with Kirk & Spock.
This episode has a great production design for a tv budget.
As a child, I really thought that they were real gods! Wow! Splendid acting for their time!
they were Gods in the movie him n her
Unfortunate, mutated humans with ever-growing telekinetic powers, NOT 'Gods'. The episode clearly pointed that fact out.
As a kid, I actually thought that they were gods, of a sort. Great choreography!!
I remember reading a non canon TNG novel many years ago, about Q - & in this story, it was revealed Trelane was a 'Q' & is being mentored by Q & at one point in the story the rebellious Trelane, who is using the power of the Q to mix up different universes, gets into a kind of battle of 'powers' in which Q is apparently destroyed by Trelane, he does however survive, barely, his consciousness drifting through time & space & into the other realities...until he drifts into the barrier & encounters the Enterprise - in _this_ episode - but, it's a slightly different universe, in which Kirk is 'James R. Kirk', hence the tombstone 0:52
Q at this point is just pure energy & is so weak, he can't quite communicate with any of the ships crew or manifest to them, so in desperation, he 'scans' them for anyone with any kind of psychic connection or latent ability that he can possess temporarily in order to build up his strength again & restore himself to full power & so partly takes over both Gary & Dr. Dana causing the god-like side effects with the silver eyes. interestingly, when he's searching the personas of each of the enterprise crew, he briefly reaches out to scan Kirk, but finds his mind unsuitable & just too erratic & *intense!!*
"Gary" is Gary Lockwood best known from Sci-fi classic 2001: A Space Odyssey as deputy commander Dr. Frank Poole. Sally Kellerman is the original "Hot Lips" from the film version of MASH.
+Mark Hom What do we name this Character? Lets just change the last name
he is Facebook he is into science fiction and football
She's not the one on MASH.
They are talking about the MASH movie, not the TV show. Sally Kellerman was Hotlips in the movie.
Gary Lockwood also played a marine in the 1962-1963 TV series, "The Lieutenant" that was created by Gene Rodenberry. Lockwood played Lieutenant William T. Rice. The T for his middle name stood for Tiberius which was also James T. Kirk's middle name. The Lieutenant has several Star Trek actors in. A good show you can purchase on DVD from Amazon. It has a lot of similar story lines from a morality point of view like TOS.
My favorite episode, even over "City on the Edge of Forever". Yes I said it.
Spectre of the Gun is my fave.
It's hard to argue with you about this. The battle, alone, between Kirk & Gary is simply incredible.
A good introduction to the series but the best ? Nah. You can't beat the emotional roller coaster of City on the Edge of Forever.
Balance of Terror.
Definitely one of the best up there with city and the doomsday machine
For a moment James but your moment is fading.
"Star Trek Continues" episode "To Boldly Go" part1 has Kirk snarking that Gary Mitchell couldn't even remember Kirk's middle name.
That would explain why the gravestone said James R Kirk instead of James T Kirk.
@@girlgarde James Rong Kirk
@@MarkyBillsonIV rhino....a joke..head buried in his books. Kirk is to stubborn to quit. It was a cruel joke from Gary. Corrupted by the power of Q. Though Q had no idea what/who he had been at this point. Was a victim of Trelane corrupted by the Heart of the Universe.
@@Ozzy_2014 That's one way to look at it.
James Racquetball Kirk
If I were Kirk, I would have opened with the rock. Then took it from there.
Still loved this episode. Had me spellbound as a kid and still love it.
Easily the longest and most brutal fight scene of the entire series. The karate chop sound effects make you wince; they really look like they hurt.
Classic early 1960s hand-to-hand combat for TV (and moves). For television westerns, a 3 minute fistfight was almost mandatory to finish off an episode, especially if your hero's gun ran out of bullets. More modern (and/or futuristic) settings added the fake karate chops and other pseudo martial arts moves.
Not quite. See the fight scene with Finnegan.
The one with Finnegan was longer.
@@PeterBrown-mz4nv "Longest and most brutal..." Finnegan fight sequence is technically longer, but is less affecting as it's played strictly for laughs.
@@Rayoscope The fight with Gary is my favorite, too. It is the most affecting.
One of the best all-time favorite Trek shows!!
Sally Kellerman...from being the consort of a god to being groped by Rodney Dangerfield in Back To School. What a career.
I would have groped her too! She was a cutie!
and the outer limits for a ll 4
And the original Hit Lips Houlihan!
That rodney dangerfield was crazy, hilariously so.😆😆
The original Hot lips Houlihan.
Now that couple there are true classic movie stars!
Those silver contact lenses must have been painful.
Gary Lockwood couldn't stand the lenses. He could barely see out of them so he had to angle his face upwards so he could see through the bottom.
Bender IsGreat Funny enough though Sally Kellerman has no problem with them.
Bender IsGreat Thereby cementing the badass gestures that types like Darth Vader would have.
@@Trollamollex Hate to break it to you. Those weren't contact lenses. (fade up spooky music).
@@HerrEllsworth That's what made his performance so good. By angling his head upward, it gave him a haughty, arrogant look, thereby making his character so memorable.
In all of science fiction this is one of the most terrifying stories I've ever seen.
Before The Emperor and Darth Vader there was Gary Mitchell.
Yes and he became more powerful than a Sith lord or a Jedi. Captain Kirk defeated him without the force.
Richard Langdon , YAY!!!
and the Force was strong with him.
Which is how Kirk defeated him when he gained his power back? Unless he was not FULLY powered up yet, otherwise, Kirk should have lost and that bolder couldn't have held him down.
@@pf8951 *Most Sith Lords are far more powerful than Gary Mitchell.*
Great episode. One of the best. The fight scene at the end was awesome but I personally enjoyed the torment Kirk went through when he was being advised by Spock that he needed to kill Mitchell to save his ship. He knew Spock was right but he was torn by his friendship with Mitchell. Well acted…!!!!
Phenomenal episode among many great episodes.
Great episode. They don't make them like that anymore, and THAT episode was one of the best of the series.
That was the great fight choreography of the 1960s (and very well played by Shatner, Gary Lockwood, and Sally Kellerman). Gary Mitchell was probably still "weak" from the attack from Elizabeth and Captain Kirk, which is why the large Boulder could kill him. A great pilot episode.
One of the best Captain Kirk fight scenes in the show's history. I would rate it up there with Kirk vs. Khan in the episode" Space Seed", and Kirk vs. Finnegan in "Shore Leave".
Khan had 5 times the strength of Kirk but couldn't hold up against a PVC pipe
@@ulphil08thank you so much for saying that. Always wondered about that pipe.🤣
Kirk V The Gorn?
Famous Stuntman ( and later director of Smokey & the Bandit and Hooper) Hal Needham doubled Gary Lockwood in this fight. I believe it was Paul Baxley doubling Kirk. One of my favorite fights from Star Trek. Hard hitting, judo throws, Karate chops, bodies flying.... love it!
Behind the scenes Gary Lockwood had a lot more trouble with the silver contact lenses he was required to wear than Sally Kellerman did, but the man still managed to embed this scene in my head with kick butt acting. Consider this the second pilot.
I heard it was painful. The 70's contact lenses were basically horrible. Apparently, the silver contact lenses they used were essentially tinfoil if you can believe it. Gary Lockwood found them extremely unpleasant.
A Crushing Defeat.......
Things did get a big rocky for Gary at the end. Kirk won in a landslide.
HAR-HAR-HAR NOT!
I love how this was referenced on Lower Decks
@Beerbottles123, What isn't on that show? That game is pretty much the series' calling card, isn't it? Easter eggs, callbacks, self-referential in-jokes, and the like, ad infinitum, from the first episode.
This episode really scared me!😮 when is saw it long time ago! those eyes 👁️! great action! music 🎶!
one of my favourite scenes. .
“Men rarely if ever dream up a god superior to themselves. Most gods have the manners and morals of a spoiled child. ”
-Robert A. Heinlein
The Doctor is a superior god. Mostly.
To paraphrase and expand upon a quote by Ann Lamotte, when God automatically approves of everything you do and disapproves of all the same people you do, that's when you ought to realize that you have refashioned God in your own image -- which means, whether you realize it or are willing to admit it or not, what you are truly worshipping is your own ego. After all, if you're convinced that there is nothing you need to change about yourself and that absolutely everything you do is justified...then you're essentially insisting that you're perfect and infallible, therefore by definition superhuman and virtually a god incarnate.
The ancient Greeks had a word for this...they called it *hubris* and they regarded it as one of the very worst sins a human could possibly commit. For that matter, in the Judeo-Christian tradition, this is basically the same exact sin which caused Lucifer's fall from grace as well as being the sin which led to Adam and Eve being expelled from the Garden of Eden. Pride is regarded as the worst of the Seven Deadly Sins because it facilitates all the others.
@AAAnderson055 There is no evidence to show that. The god of the bible is not one I would have anything to do with.
@AAAnderson055 I disagree. the existence of anything is dependent on evidence and what is in the bible does not provide evidence that god exits only that simple minded people didn't understand the world around them and created supreme beings to help them understand/explain it.
1. The world wide flood didn't happen, there is not evidence for it, in fact there is evidence that it didn't happen.
2. There is no evidence that Moses even existed, Hebrew scholars have studied the exodus and have come to the conclusion that it didn't happen and even if it did it couldn't have happened as it is told in the bible.
3. To get striped animals have them mate in front of striped, speckled or spotted branches and you will get striped, speckled or spotted animals.
4. No way could the sun have stopped moving in the sky as the bible says, it would have meant the earth would have had to stop rotating on its axis. Should that have happened then the people on the far side of the earth would have been flung into space and the people on the sun facing side would have been crushed. That would have required the complete negation of all the physical laws of the universe.
@AAAnderson055 I find no evidence that god or God or any god exists, I haven't said that god doesn't exist only no evidence for its existence. If such a god exists than that god punishes people by what they believe/think rather than in actions. Sorry I go by what is done not by what is thought or believed.
The Phaser Rifle is one of the many reasons people never forget this episode. Same the cannon used in the Cage
"Where no man has gone before ..."
My favorite episode in the series.
There were two episodes which were the pinnacle of Star Trek for me as a kid. It wasn't until I was a young adult watching Star Trek reruns that I could finally put names to those episodes. One was "Where no man has gone before" and the other being "Who mourns for adonis". Even as a child beings with godlike powers stirred my imagination like nothing else. So as an adult all my favourite stories have a basis in power. Not the boring political type of our reality but abilities far beyond the norm and the further the better.
You would probably like a film titled "Chronicle."
Now you can see where Star Wars got the Force Lightning from.
Are we sure that Gary is truly dead? It was a mere (GIANT) rock that fell on him while he had his powers. Its possible that Gary is still alive but trapped on Delta Vega. Kirk probably recommended to Starfleet to list Delta Vega as a Hostile World similar to Talos IV and prohibit any Ore Ships from flying there every 20 years.
If he were alive I'm sure he would have lifted the rock during his conversation with Dr. Dehner before she died. And Gary had powers but he wasn't immortal. Plus I'm sure the director filmed the grave sequence to show Gary being off balance to suggest that he simply wasn't able to focus on the rock at all to do anything about it. In each demonstrate instance of his power Gary still had to focus his attention on what he was doing. Even when he telekinetically strangled Lee Kelso he's looking off "seeing" Lee's environment and grabbing the wire cable.
Now bad writers not focusing on those details could certainly bring him back to life but it would be bad writing for the sake of pushing product and further diluting the finer details of what makes characters, scenes and stories like this so genuine.
Finally there's no need as Gary was basically the prototype to Charlie who in turn was the prototype to the Metrons who in turn are the prototype to Q.
I'd like to think that after being Zapped by the Doctor, his full power did not return to him instantly. But rather building like it was originally. Else he could have killed Kirk with a snap of his fingers. He was simply at the "kill me while you still can" stage when Kirk 'rocked' him.
@@marcusanderson9042 Excellent examination pertaining to this scene. I never really gave it as much thought as you did. But your theory makes
very good sense. Bravo.
Or, Mitchell died within a few days at most. Notice the greying at his temples? Indicates his powers had massively accelerated his ageing, burning his body out from the inside.
If Mitchell hadn't been in a much-weakened state after fighting Dr. Dehner he likely would've killed Kirk by telekinetically strangling him. Or simply snapping his neck like a dry twig instead of what occurred before his final fate.
A classic example for defining "Absolute power corrupts absolutely."
It was really unusual for a series to get a second pilot. Roddenberry pitched "Star Trek" to the executives as a kind of "wagon train to the stars" figuring that since Westerns were really popular at the time, the executives would be able to "get it." But the execs thought the first episode ("The Cage") was "too cerebral."
"They thought I had betrayed them" Gene said. "I had written this wonderful story about where the mind went and they had wanted bare knuckles and a fistfight." So when Paramount ordered a second pilot, Gene made sure it ended with bare knuckles and a fistfight. :)
Once I had a nightly dream about being omnipotent and all-knowing. It turned out to be a nightmare as it took some time to shake the feeling off after I woke up. 😅
One of the best Episodes out many...it was probably my favorite. I wish they made a remake of this episode as a movie.
"Ever heard of Gary Mithcell? Got Weird real fast."- T'Ana
Great acting by Shatner when Gary is forcing him to kneel and pray.
I've met and chatted with Gary Lockwood twice at recent Star Trek Las Vegas conventions. He's charming, friendly, down to earth and a hoot to talk to.
did he discuss his parts in Banacek or Wonder Woman?(both pretty good)
@@orgonkothewildlyuntamed6301 Or 2001: A Space Odyssey
I always loved this scene.
Sally Kellerman was smoking hot in her day RIP Sally and thank you.
RIP Sally Kellerman (Dr Elizabeth Dehner)
The Captain was never worried, because he saw the tombstone and realized who it was really for. Gary really hated the Captain's lesser known evil twin, James Rhinoceros Kirk. The Captain hated his brother too and was happy to help Gary by sparring with him for the purpose of warming up for the real fight. It really was an ingenious idea for Gary to play dead under that rock. Rhino Kirk would never see that coming...
Oh man. That would be a good explanation for the "death caused by a falling rock" , although being a godlike entity. XD
You read "My Brother's Keeper"
Gary must have the same genes as Reed Richards. Goes gray as soon as he gets his powers.
Actually, Reed had his grey "before" receiving his powers. The slight grey is symbolized as a mark of intelligence; at least in comic book terms.
This episode shows the first time Captain Kirk gets a ripped shirt.
( Star Trek Beyond made fun of it by having kirk's quarters having a walk in closet of new shirts.)
I believe this was the first Star Trek episode to be broadcast. It was also one of the very best.
It was the pilot episode but NBC aired it 3rd.
The Cage and ManTrap aired first, but this is the first one filmed with Kirk.
great acting from Gary Lockwood.
I just love the moment where Gary just *flips* Kirk away at 4:06
It is amazing and the moves were executed with such realism.
Gary looked very scary with new eyes and it was so shocking how he was able to read everybody's minds like damn
Great episode because it teaches us that absolute power corrupts absolutely, which we often see in world leaders past & present.
On the tombstone , it read James R. Kirk!
I love this episode.Gary Lockwood survived this encounter with Kirk but was killed by H.A.L 9000 :)
I think this video clip would serve Adam as an excellent example of 'think and grow rich'.
3:42 "for a moment, James... but your moment is fading* #JustGotReal
I would have opened with a rock to the head and then take it from there. Instead of trying to finish with it.
@@DocMicrowave Subconsciously, I believe Kirk was holding back. This was still his best friend. So to simply kill him couldn't have been easy.
@@LATVERIAN1 Well, perhaps that's true. But Kirk did try to shoot him with a phaser rifle as soon as he appeared. (I don't think those rifles have a stun setting.)
It just seemed odd that he would hesitate with the rock.
But I hear what your saying.
Bashing your former friend in the head up close and personal with a rock probably requires more emotional investment than shooting them from a distance.
Plus, I was being sarcastic. ;)
@@DocMicrowave The reason was the eyes. They were brown, not silver. He was fighting Gary Mitchell, his friend. Not Zero, the thing that possessed him. It was Zero he used the rifle.
@@CuteNekoHibiki Fair. But Kirk had to know that there was the possibility of Killing Gary.
But yeah, seeing those eyes turn back and hearing his normal voice as he was about the kill him did give him pause before recommitting. I guess he didn't expect that.
But initially Kirk was throwing everything he had at him. As soon as he appeared, no talk, no negotiation, just fired full blast.
Great episode and fight sequence!!
It is a great episode, just watched it tonight. Gary's eyes are so intense, they seem to stare right through you.....
Those contact lenses, according to the actor himself, caused him considerable discomfort. Towards the end of the shooting schedule (six days), he could only stand them for ten minutes at a time, and they are why he seems to be "looking down" in a lot of the shots. That it gives him a superior body language was just a bonus. Lockwood did the episode as a favor to his friend Gene Roddenberry, whose previous show "The Lieutenant" was a starring role for the actor.
Thanks for the info. What a shame he had to go through that discomfort. It sure had a great effect though, and he really did a great job.
Music was on point too.
Love this episode. When Gary obtains his powers, he gets the distinguished gray. Looks like an evil Ralph Lauren.
one of my favorites scenes from the original series
I LOVED LIVED LOVED this episode to the point of boredom...over 100 times
Gary had to tilt his head back to see out of his contacts. A lucky effect, it gave the impression he was being arrogant.
That stunt at 4:06 is still one of the most outstanding stunts of all time.
Great fight scene and music!
The power of Gary Mitchell doubles everyday, omnipotent one day but twice as omnipotent the next day, & the next day & so on. He'd literally be a god in a matter of a month at least able to create life, worlds, stars, cellular/molecular reconstruction & regeneration; unbeatable. I don't think that Thanos with his infinity gems & gauntlet would even have a chance including the Living Tribunal, The Shaper of Worlds, The In-betweener, Galactus, The Stranger, The Collector, The Grandmaster, The Gardener, The Champion, The Anti-Monitor, The Watchers, Master Order, Lord Chaos, the Celestials, maybe even the Beyonder. Given enough time, no one would ever be able to beat him, period!
Wow, even Galactus- now that's power!
@@luthermcgee7586 Yes Mr. McGee, it is. The only one that apparently and obviously seems very reminiscent of Gary Mitchell is the X MEN comics storyline is Moira McTaggert's son Kevin a.k.a Mutant X: PROTEUS the mutant who has the ability to alter reality within a certain radius around him and the more he used his powers the more stronger he got but his only weaknesses was a constant and continuous need for fresh bodies to inhabit including metal. Even Phoenix herself said that soon he'd be unbeatable. In fact there's a cross over comic book where Gary Mitchell and PROTEUS merged together and the X-Men and the crew of the Enterprise had to stop him. The interesting thing is that the body of Gary Mitchell is the one body that didn't burn out when PROTEUS possessed it. Now that's very frightening too if you think 🤔 it Mr. McGee.
@@brianpaschal7755 , certainly. I agree. But to inhabit metal, that's powerful. Have you ever heard of " the devil in iron"? It was a short story from the volume " Conan the wanderer" which speaks of a being that takes up it's habitation in iron. Can you imagine a confrontation with something like that? But Gary was far more worse because he could by force of will " make" a person do his bidding. But, the devil in iron so inspired me that I've memorized virtually the whole storyline.
@@luthermcgee7586 No disrespectful intentions or offensive reply sir but I believe that you misunderstood me because one of PROTEUS's weaknesses was metal of any kind and sort. Something else I'd forgotten to mention was that also if he possessed another mutant or superpowered being he could add their abilities to his own as well. Either way, the X Men had to defeat him fast or else it'd be too late because he'd be way too powerful to stop.
@@brianpaschal7755 , no disrespectful intentions perceived. Rather I apologise for my misinterpretation.
The laser rifle sound Fx was the same in " Arena" when the Enterprise fired their phasers at the Gorn ship.
THAT PHASER RIFLE SEALED GARY'S TOMB SHUT !
EVERY FIGHT IN STAR TREK WAS TO THE DEATH !
People who never watched star trek watch this episode and u immediately become a star trek fan.
Yeah you’re right. This episode got me into the show. My favorite Trek episode (of any series) of all time.
Wow. Aged so well. Just saw Gary Mitchell in "Unification" and rememberd the tombstone. Such a cool connection to Kirk's death. ❤
"Hot Lips" learned her lesson in the Belloros Shield on the original Outer Limits. We are all so happy that she was released.(It's a miracle.)
Amazing picture quality I Couldn’t believe my 👀 s or his 😂
Such drama I love it.😃
I love the ray gun! Also Lockwood was fabulous in the Lieutenant!
Jim always got his uniform shirts torn!
This performance is surely one of the very BEST in the Star Trek universe.
Also the performance of Celia Lovsky in "Amok Time", and William Windom in
"The Doomsday Machine." Leonard Nimoy seemed to improve the most among the regular cast. I believe it took him a while, and also the powers that be, to figure out exactly what a Vulcan was.
Star Trek before the invasion of rubber masks
And the forehead of the week...
A great, great episode. Something so Bradburian about it.
The first "official" star trek episode that also happens to be the best episode. There was one before this with captain pike but apparently wasnt used and converted into a later episode in bits.
The best ? Nah. This episode is a great introduction to the series but it's rather basic.
@@ricardocantoral7672 The Babel Conference Episode is honestly one of the best. Or the M5 Computer one.
When gary mentions "that little blond lab technician" most people dont get that it has to be carol marcus.
"I almost married her!"
WHEN MAN GET'S GREAT POWER. HE'S BELIEVE HIMSELF 2 B GOD OVER ALL... IT'S A FACT!!!
Love this episode!!!!!
I like the story about why he'd raise his head up to look imperious...it was more he couldn't see thru those damn contact lenses, and had to raise his head up to catch a glimpse of whatever was in front of him.