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Star Trek: The Original Series - "The Alternative Factor" Full Reaction! (Patreon)

Published:
2023-12-01 18:00:10
Edited:
2024-09-03 04:57:50
Imported:
2026-06
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Star Trek: The Original Series - "The Alternative Factor" Full Reaction!

Comments

Derek H.

Oof. This one. It's so generous of you to assume that there is a coherent plot here, and you just couldn't quite piece it together. I think you're giving it too much credit... 😉 As you can probably tell, I don't rank this one very highly. It's probably in my bottom five for the series. 🙃

Lost Monk

One of the worst of TOS.

Greg

I have to agree with the others -- I don't HATE the episode, and it's not the worst for me, but in the lower 10 for sure. I give the writers credit for trying something really new and out there. I'm sure they drew inspiration from the 'new' TV series Doctor Who, which pre-dated Star Trek by a few years. Hence the idea of a time traveler, a ship that can travel across time and across universes, and what might happen if they meet. The actor playing Lazarus did a good job with the two sides of himself, and for the time (and the budget the show was on) the special effects were effective -- cheap without really being too far out. The overall plot and presentation is confusing as heck, though, with major plot holes and other things that just don't make sense.

SuicuneSol

Hm, I understand now why my dad never showed me this one. If you ask: "Why does Lazarus spontaneously wrestle with his counterpart throughout the episode without using his ship?" "If the Lazaruses meeting destroys the universe, why not just shoot evil Lazarus?" "Why didn't the universe already get destroyed when they started wrestling?" "Why didn't Spock use his nerve pinch on Lazarus to help Kirk?" "Why did they let Lazarus casually wander around the ship?" "What's the point of a timeship when the ship stays behind while only the rider gets transported?" The episode falls apart. Also, that rocky area is called Vasquez Rocks and has been used in hundreds of films and series, including Power Rangers and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. :P You'll be seeing it again I promise LOL.

J. Scott Phillips

I always wondered why the Enterprise couldn't have just destroyed Lazarus' ship withOUT both or either Lazurus getting trapped in the corridor? Blast the ship BEFORE they enter the corridor. Both ships would be destroyed simultaneously, but the Lazuri would remain in their own universe. Problem solved. But great analysis, as always. You always ask all the right questions. Not to mention the Starlet uniform!

Skyman's Follies

I have always loved this episode, plot holes and all. Love the quiet mystery and false leads, the measured performances of Shatner + Nimoy contrasted against Robert Brown's madman + rational counterpart and finally the back and forth calculus followed by grim realization by Kirk and Spock of the potential destruction of both universes. Agreed, Bunny: super cool.

Carlos Stevens

Very well...from now on I shall address you as "Lieutenant Bunny." (since you are wearing the Lieutenant strip on you're uniform.)

Carlos Stevens

To clarify about Dilithium Crystals. They are not a source of power. The source of power is Anti-Matter. The dilithium crystals are used to channel and contain the matter-anti-matter reaction. This gets more clarified in the TNG episodes.

Carlos Stevens
>>123506591

I think the plot was coherent, but the diction was off and the timing was also off. To be fair, the whole parallel universe concept wasn't really explored in-depth on a TV show before this. So I can't be too harsh about the holes you're seeing.

Carlos Stevens

Doctor Who was not known for it's adherence to actual science. Star Trek has always struggled to be scientifically accurate, more so especially in the cartoon and TNG+ episodes. I think the writers didn't have actual science advisers like they did in TNG, DS9, and Voyager; consequently the concepts of parallel universes/time travel/matter-anti-matter were things the writers were struggling with.

Carlos Stevens

The answer to all your questions is...because there wouldn't have been an episode. All things would have been wrapped up after the first 10 minutes. Come on, give the writers a break...they weren't scientists, yet they struggled to make something coherent out of concepts that were still coalescing in the Star Trek universe.

Carlos Stevens

I hope we will all call her "Lieutenant Bunny" from now on.

Carlos Stevens

I don't know... A lot of people apparently didn't like this episode. For me, it was one of those episodes that made me think. I mean...I remember thinking about it when I was 10 years old watching this on episode on rerun...if I were in Lazarus's shoes, would I have the courage to save the entire universe by sacrificing myself, spending an eternity in a null universe fighting an alternative universe madman of myself. Here I am, pushing 60, and I still don't have an answer to that question. Oh Lieutenant Bunny, to answer your question about the Biblical Lazarus... In the Bible Lazarus was the brother of Mary (I'm not entire sure if that was Mary Magdalene's brother or a different Mary). He died from an illness, and was buried for 4 days. Jesus was grieved by his death, entered his tomb and raised him from the dead. I completely agree with your assertion that choosing the name Lazarus was no mistake, but I do not see an equivalent to the Biblical story. Also, this won't be the first Biblical reference that you'll see in TOS Star Trek. Some will be subtle...and one in particular will be rather obvious.

Lost Monk

What makes it one of the best?

Preaching to the Horse's Mouth

When I was growing up my dad introduced me first to Star Trek TNG, which was airing new episodes at the time, and later Star Trek TOS which was in late, late night syndication. I would beg him to stay up late and record TOS for me and this was about the only episode he managed to do so. Even back then I remember thinking that it wasn't all that great. Again, not bad per se just not all that good. A lot of the same criticisms I have of Miri, I like the concept just that the execution was a little off. It feels like they kinda just kept throwing things at the wall in order to get us where we needed to be by the end. As someone else pointed out it may have been a relatively new concept for sci-fi TV and I'm absolutely understanding of that. Not dragging it by any means, just another one for the "it's just ok" pile. Lt. Bunny? Lt. Tails? Lt. B. Tails? That's it, Lt. B. Tails reporting for duty.

Lee

If you do watch this one again, Bunny, you'll see how repetitive it is: frequent trips to the planet's surface in which Kirk, Spock, Lazarus, and an assortment of security officers stroll around looking for something (and finding nothing); two different falls from a great height for Mad Lazarus; and two occasions in which a Lazarus manages to steal dilithium crystals, either through subterfuge or physical assault. I find the "walking around" sequences the most obvious evidence that there was less content to fill out the normal runtime, and so some padding was required. Adding to the lackluster story, there was a dispute with John Drew Barrymore, the actor originally cast as Lazarus. When he refused to report for work, it was necessary to find a last-minute replacement, and Shatner recommended his friend, actor Robert Brown. The production team later filed a grievance with the Screen Actors Guild and Barrymore was kept out of acting for six months as a result.

Gary Shapiro

This episode held a lot of meaning for me in the past in terms of its emphasis on personal struggle and self-sacrifice. It's sort of a Greek myth in its tragic heroism. But, in all honesty, there are more holes in the plot and the logic than in a barrel of Swiss cheese. Examples: Why wasn't the anti-matter Enterprise in the same place on their side? Why was Kirk (or Lazarus for that matter) able to just walk about in the other universe with no problem? How did the Lazarus in our universe learn about the other Lazarus without coming into contact with him? How was Lazarus' planet destroyed? What does time travel supposedly have to do with anything? What causes the one Lazarus to phase into the corridor when he is just minding his own business on the Enterprise? Is the idea that time does not pass in the corridor? Then how can there by movement in there? And if it does pass, why won't they just live a normal lifespan—not forever? And so on.