That Which Survives

DVD, Star Trek S3 (That Which Survives)

Here we have another episode which doesn't quite survive. On three points I found it not quite up to scratch: - most of the characters didn't seem quite themselves (and I was waiting for the twist), - there were several scenes which went on too long and were clearly filler material, and - the planet setting didn't work for this particular story.

On the characters, Mr. Spock seemed especially pedantic, Chekov was nowhere to be found (though remembered in namecheck), Kirk appeared distant, Bones was there, but not really there, and Sulu had lost his enthusiasm. Uhura didn't get much, but was nice in her part, and Scotty was his usual incredulous, but workaday brave self. It's a rare event these days to have Sulu on an away mission, but compare this to some of his early exploits, such as 'Shore Leave' or 'The Squire of Gothos' and he really seems to have changed. Perhaps it's sitting behind that desk for so long? No Chapel, but Dr. M'Benga makes a brief, but welcome reappearance.

The guest character of Lieutenant Rhada was an interesting case in point of the episode's feel (as Mr. Scott might say). She had all the lines Chekov would have got, and seemed somehow important, by continuing to be on camera whenever the bridge was featured. I was expecting her to turn out to be a member of the alien race, who was assisting Losira in some way, but it never happened. Also, did she have a mole on her forehead or was it supposed to be a Hindu thing? She had a vague Indian quality to her skin, but more like the Klingons, as if they wanted an Indian, but could only get a white woman and painted her up to look darker. The banter between Scotty and Spock was enjoyable as always, and we got to see a bit more of engineering, including a more traditional shaped crawlspace, as we've come to be used to in the modern series'.

The padding was another aspect that brought down the production a bit. While the shaking of the planet set looked amazing, and like something I'd never seen before, the place itself didn't live up to the creepiness of the story. They're supposed to be stranded in this inhospitable place, no food, no water, a vast space of deadness and rock, pursued by an alien woman that can appear at any moment, coming for one specific individual, to kill them. A personal killer, like the bullet with your name on it. Yet there is very little danger shown in the practical creation of it. The planet remains bright, and the camera never moves very far, so it feels like a small area, which it is. They could really have done with a real outdoor environment or a more extensive set, as they've done so successfully many time before. Perhaps the budget was biting at this halfway point of the series.

The scenes with Losira coming for a person was always quite good, especially when the victim was captivated by her beauty, if not entirely trusting. And I did like the moment near the end when they find three Losira's all coming for them! Effects were good, with Scotty's dangerous position to the blue energy in the crawlspace, phaser blasts, and the set shake. But another complaint is that the whole set up is not satisfyingly explained at the end. We get an explanation, but it throws up a lot of questions, and a limp ending was the result. There was a lot to like, but the core of the episode was lessened by the practical side of things. There is also the matter of warp 14.1, the highest ever recorded on the series I believe - another clear indicator of a completely different warp scale in this era. I don't remember ever seeing this episode before.

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