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| The Enterprise confronts Orion pirates! |
THE PLOT
The Enterprise is en route to attend the dedication of a new science academy at Deneb V when Spock is struck down by coriocytosis. This is an illness that is relatively minor In humans, roughly equivalent to a respiratory infection... but for Vulcans, it is fatal!
There is a drug available to treat it, and Kirk arranges a rendezvous with another Federation ship to obtain some. But when the rendezvous ship is raided by Orion pirates, Kirk must track the Orions down to recover the drug. The clock is ticking. Without treatment, Spock has less than twenty hours to live!
CHARACTERS
The character interplay between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy was stiff and artificial when the animated series began. By this point in the series run, their exchanges feel almost as spontaneous as they did in the live action series. The acting of the three leads seems more relaxed than in the early episodes, with some of the actors perhaps giving a bit more now that the animated series has earned some surprisingly good reviews.
This episode is particularly strong in showing the friendship/rivalry between McCoy and Spock, with McCoy's sarcastic asides about "that pointed-eared encyclopedia" clearly covering his genuine worry. A short character beat in which he fumes that, as a doctor, he's "only as good as (his) drugs and technology" also rings true for the occasionally techno-phobic McCoy.
THOUGHTS
Strong critical response earned the animated Star Trek a temporary reprieve: A six-episode second season. I do wonder why it only was picked up for six more episodes. Surely a pickup of 13 - 16 shows would have been more economical, given that more episodes means more backgrounds to recycle? But despite the series' frequently uneven quality, I'm glad of what are effectively six bonus episodes. At its best, the series has been very good Star Trek, and the average quality has largely increased as the show has progressed.
The Pirates of Orion is a solid season opener. The episode's central crisis is clear and simple: Spock's disease and the need for the drug to cure it. There is only one complication: the pirates of the title. With a couple of "Captain's Log" entries papering over transitions, this is one of the better-paced animated episodes. I find myself daring to hope that Season Two will not see a recurrence of the "rushed episode" problem that plagued so much of the first season.
The little gaffes caused by animation recycling are still evident. There's a scene in which McCoy calls Kirk from sickbay. A cutaway to Spock and back to Kirk shows McCoy in frame, even as he's talking over the speaker. Neat trick, Bones!
That's more than made up for by a solid script, one that really captures the feel of a Star Trek episode. It's no stretch at all to imagine this being made as a live-action episode, complete with an ending in which Spock and McCoy exchange barbs and then a regular bursts out laughing.
Rating: 7/10. A promising season premiere.
THOUGHTS
Strong critical response earned the animated Star Trek a temporary reprieve: A six-episode second season. I do wonder why it only was picked up for six more episodes. Surely a pickup of 13 - 16 shows would have been more economical, given that more episodes means more backgrounds to recycle? But despite the series' frequently uneven quality, I'm glad of what are effectively six bonus episodes. At its best, the series has been very good Star Trek, and the average quality has largely increased as the show has progressed.
The Pirates of Orion is a solid season opener. The episode's central crisis is clear and simple: Spock's disease and the need for the drug to cure it. There is only one complication: the pirates of the title. With a couple of "Captain's Log" entries papering over transitions, this is one of the better-paced animated episodes. I find myself daring to hope that Season Two will not see a recurrence of the "rushed episode" problem that plagued so much of the first season.
The little gaffes caused by animation recycling are still evident. There's a scene in which McCoy calls Kirk from sickbay. A cutaway to Spock and back to Kirk shows McCoy in frame, even as he's talking over the speaker. Neat trick, Bones!
That's more than made up for by a solid script, one that really captures the feel of a Star Trek episode. It's no stretch at all to imagine this being made as a live-action episode, complete with an ending in which Spock and McCoy exchange barbs and then a regular bursts out laughing.
Rating: 7/10. A promising season premiere.
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