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"The Magicks of Megas-Tu" Full Reaction! - Star Trek: The Animated Series Season 1 (Patreon)

Published:
2025-02-17 19:00:05
Imported:
2026-06
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Follow along with me using your own copy of the episode!

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"The Magicks of Megas-Tu" Full Reaction! - Star Trek: The Animated Series Season 1

Comments

Skyman's Follies

Firstly, hats off to the animators… this was a gorgeous episode to look at and an almost unthinkable achievement to get done on a weekly timeline. Wow. As to the story… seems soooo much to cram into 25 minutes… not that there are not great ideas and themes in there, but… it was a lot. Yeah, maybe an acid trip without the drugs, Bunny.

Greg

Agree totally with what Skyman said -- beautiful episode to look at, VERY trippy and hard to follow on one watch, but some great ideas being used. I don't hate this episode, but I don't love it either. I'm used to Star Trek going really 'out there' with it's episodes, but this just goes a little TOO FAR out there for me. Still, I admire what they were aiming for in this episode. Writer Larry Brody submitted several ideas for episodes during the third season of Star Trek, this one being one of them. (So this was the second TAS episode that originally was a TOS idea, the other being the Tribbles episode). Invited to re-submit the script by D.C. Fontana for the animated series, the script -- again -- went through numerous rewrites by Roddenberry, to the extent that when the episode finally aired Brody didn't recognize any of the dialogue. Still, overall he felt it was a good episode, and a lot of people seem to agree despite how trippy and out there the episode is. Once again we have yet ANOTHER example though of Roddenberry getting involved in the creation process and really changing things up, and not always for the better. (Brody would eventually write another Star Trek episode, this one for Voyager, which is also considered a really 'out there' one -- he just liked that stuff!) Going to the center of the Galaxy is something that shows up a lot in Star Trek, so it's a interesting idea, along with the idea of a hidden civilization there. Also the idea of magic working due to the different laws of nature, and that an advanced alien race had been on the Earth in the past, tried to help, and been punished for it in some way, and the crew of the Enterprise is able to use their computer banks and their mercy to get themselves out of trouble -- we've seen all of this in TOS already, but it all works pretty well here. The Megans remind me of another powerful alien race which we will encounter later on -- I'm sure folks know which one I'm talking about, LOL The original idea for this script was for the crew to meet God, but the execs at NBC rejected the idea as being too controversial for TV so it was changed to the Devil instead. Honestly I'm even surprised they allowed THAT. Finally, some closing questions, if anyone reading this knows the answer -- I'm unsure as to where the title comes from -- who or are what are the Megans and Megas-tu? And does anyone know who did the guest voices in this episode? I suspect James Doohan did at least one of them, but they were really good, and the Wikipedia article doesn't list any credits.

William Terry

It's a good episode. Not trippy, more colorful with enough light and explosion effects to get Jill and Jack to look up from their sugar pops. I don't quite get what they discovered. They said the creation of new matter but it came from energy, hence Einstein's saying that matter is frozen energy; energy is thawed matter. Pretty much what they find. What they were talking about with Lucifer was him being a satyr. Not satire, which I guess isn't related. It's pronunciation is satyr/sat-er. Love the dagger pendant bunny had on.

Matthew Graves (Graviton)

OK, lots to unpack with this one. First of all, I’ll just say I enjoy it a lot. But to say that this one’s kinda weird is like saying that the Pacific Ocean is a tad moist. It pushes the boundaries of calling this “science“ fiction Totally bonkers. You’re a correct to compare it to the Apollo episode. In fact i if someone wanted to, you could pretty much have it as head canon that Lucian is the same race as Apollo taking the form of the god Pan. Also a Greek god who is usually depicted as the chief of the satyrs and from which the instrument pan-flute gets its name. Also, in addition to death bird it obviously has similarities to the Arthur C Clark book that you read childhood’s end. Of course. People who have ever played dungeons and dragons will recognize the name Asmodeus right away as being the chief of the devils basically DND’s Satan (obviously also taken from real world mythology) The fact that you got a “trippy “ vibe is no doubt intentional. psychedelia was very much at the forefront of culture when this came out. All in all, it’s a fun one to just look at and think “OK that happened and that was nuts” and enjoy it for what it is. If anything, I think it could’ve benefited from a longer run time as there are a lot of weird concepts packed to a very short time

Trilogian

Megas-Tu and Infinite Vulcan are very ambitious episodes for 20 minute cartoons. More crazy ahead, but the spirit of the show never falters! Also, I was on a terrible deadline last week, and I put Bunnytails’ TOS YouTube playlist on. Saved my sanity! 🖖

Dave Riley

Like most episodes if they need a male character voice, James Doohan became the “guest” Lucien is voiced by Doohan using a John Lithgow style big overacting voice. Takei was the voice used by the Megans when they first discovered the Enterprise. There was one true guest voice actor uncredited, Ed Bishop as Asmodeus. Gerry Anderson fans will know him as Commander Ed Straker on “UFO”

Trilogian

Hell yeah, Gerry Anderson!!

Mark Gosine

Good. Fun. I can image a live action treatment with today's special effects, could render a very cool episode for a 50-minute jaunt. A parallel universe would be a better plot line than the center of the galaxy. maybe they touched on this this episode, and my mind wandered.

Stephen Marino

Hi, regarding books and such, I don't know if anyone has mentioned it, but Ringworld by Larry Niven. It is a short focused book that went on to influence science fiction of the remainder of the 20th and 21st Centuries. Niven was also one of the Star Trek Animated Series writers. They incorporated much of his books into the series.

bunnytails

I can't imagine how frustrating it must be to write a script for an episode only for it to be changed so drastically, then have your name credited. I can see why Fontana went under a different name once or twice.

bunnytails

Thanks, I've never heard that word said out loud.

bunnytails

Ah, so it was Doohan once again hehe

bunnytails

Thanks, several people have suggested it. I've made a note to pick it up!

Carlos Stevens

"The Center Of The Universe..." sigh... If you understand the theory, then you understand that EVERY point in the universe IS the center of the universe.

Carlos Stevens

Bunny... Do you remember the episode Catspaw??? This episode was a call back to that episode (Catspaw), not Who Mourns For Adonis. This was where the "creatures" in Catspaw came from (confirmed from the Star Trek Log book series).

bunnytails

Oh really? Interesting! I was not thinking of Catspaw when watching this one at all. Though to be fair, I don't often think about Catspaw.. :P