Comic Book Retro 50: June 1976

 Welcome to another edition of Comic Book Retro 50, the monthly blog post that answers the question all of America wants to know: What comic books did Dave-El buy in June 1976?

More loose change in my pocket meant a wider mix of comics.

Still solely a loyal DC guy.  It's gonna take a couple of years before I loop in some Marvels into my comic book buying habit.

First up this month is Karate Kid#4 with Mike Grell's inks redeeming the otherwise atrocious pencils of DC's go to cover artist Ernie Chan.

Ernie Chan was not a bad artist, per se. It's just DC kept shoehorning him into super hero comic book covers where his style was ill suited. 

Click here for my previous post on the Karate Kid series.

What "The Rage of Yesterdays Lost" was about, I cannot recall in the slightest.  

I will say Google's AI Overview is a complete lie:  "Karate Kid #4: The Rage of Yesterday's Lost" is a classic DC comic book published in October 1976. Written by Steve Skeates with art by Mike Grell".   

This issue was by the regular creative team of Barry Jameson, Ric Estrada and Joe Staton and was published in June 1976.  

How the hell did AI even begin to think Steve Skeates wrote this book?

Freedom Fighters #4 was my first issue I bought of this series.

"The Left Hand of Oblivion" was by Martin Pasko, Ramona Fradon & Vince Colletta.  Wonder Woman is tasked with bringing in the Freedom Fighters who are perceived as enemies due to the machinations of the sinister Silver Ghost.

In a development straight out of a Marvel comic, heroes battle heroes over a misunderstanding. 

A rampaging man-monster called King Samson runs amuck and causes problems for everyone.  

Wonder Woman is... dead? To be continued in issue #5.  

Click here for my previous post about Freedom Fighters.  

I picked up Secret Society of Super-Villains #3.

I had started reading comics after Jack Kirby's Fourth World titles (New Gods, Mister Miracle, etc) had ended so "War for Earthdeath" was my first exposure to Darkseid.

David Anthony Kraft, Pablo Marcos & Vince Colletta brings us this installment of how assembled super villians have been brought together to further the schemes of the God of Apolokips.

But those villains don't like being fucked around by Darkseid.

Some of the villains were not villians. For example, there's Manhunter who takes center stage in the above image.  Turns out he's the clone of Paul Kirk who starred in the series created by Archie Goodwin and Walt Simonson for Detective Comics back in 1973.  

There was a lot going on in this comic that appealed to young Dave-El at the time.  Sadly, shifting creative teams would undermine whatever potential I saw in this series

Flash#244  by Cary Bates, Irv Novick & Frank McLaughlin gives us a full length denouement of the death of The Top storyline.  

"The Last Day of June Is the Last Day of Central City" finds the Flash's rogues gallery in the unusual position of fighting against the Scarlet Speedster for a good cause.

Read the splash page below and let them explain it.  

The Top is dead but not not forgotten as the Flash and his enemies have a common goal to stop his last nefarious scheme.

Believe it or not, The Top will stay dead.  But his death will resonate in future issues of the Flash and the creation of a new super threat.   

Batman#279 brings us writer David V. Reed's first foray in pitting Batman against one of his costumed foes and the return of Robin. 

For Reed's time on Batman, he had focused on one and done crime mysteries pitting the Caped Crusader against non-costumed threats without the erstwhile Teen Wonder.  

Drawn by Ernie Chan & Tex Blaisdell, it's "Riddler On a Rampage".

In an era where Denny O'Neil and Frank Robbins had given us a darker, edgier Batman, Reed's tale in this issue would've felt at home in an episode of the 1960's Batman TV show.   

Over in Dectective Comics#463, Gerry Conway, Ernie Chan & Frank McLaughlin pit Batman against a new super villain, the Black Spider.

SPOILER: the Black Spider... is black! 

The Black Spider was not a lasting addition to the Caped Crusader's rogues gallery.  I think only Conway ever made use of him after this two parter.  

Of perhaps slightly more significant note is the back up featuring the Atom by Bob Rozakis, Mike Grell & Terry Austin.  

This slim 6 pager introduces the Calculator.  His schtick was that once a super hero caught him, he could never be defeated by that super hero again. 

In subsequent issues, Calculator would take on Black Canary, Elongated Man, Green Arrow and Hawkman before coming after the big man himself, Batman.    

Mike Grell kicks off the storyline but it will be finished by a newcomer who will have a signficant impact on Batman, Marshall Rogers.  

Batman Family#7 leads off with a brand new Batgirl/Robin team up by Elliot S! Maggin, Curt Swan & Vince Colletta againt the villainous duo from Earth 2, the Sportsmaster and the Huntress.

We've seen a lot of this fluidity of Earh 2 villains getting all muckity on Earth 1. The Wizard from Earth 2 in the Secret Society, Solomon Grundy toddling over from Earth 2 to cause trouble for Superman a few months back.  

The two reprints that round out Batman Family#7 are from the not so well remembered 1950's with cartoonish art and outlandish menaces like "The Amazing Dr. Double X" from Detective Comics #261.

Gerry Conway is once more trying to add his own super villain creations to the DC Universe with Thunder & Lightning in Superman#303. He even brings back another weather based villain he had created for Action Comics, the (I kid you not!) Whirlycane! 

After a couple of issues away, Curt Swan is back as penciller.

Conway has some fun with the Clark/Lois dynamic.

After being sidelined for two issues by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, I think Curt Swan upped his game for his return to Superman with some renewed dynamism.  

WHABOOM! indeed!

Action Comics#463 finally frees us from the interminable Karb-Brak storyline Cary Bates was inflicting on us.

Because it was the Bicentennial, of course Superman is present at the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Superboy#219 brings us a full length adventure of the Legion Of Super Heroes,  "The Plunder Ploy of the Fatal Five" by Jim Shooter and Mike Grell, now joined by inker Bob Wiacek. 

As if the Legion wasn't big enough, this story brings in non-Legion member Duplicate Boy.

Duplicate Boy could duplicate the super powers of other super powered beings.  

The Fatal Five are on a bit of a crime wave for unknown and presumably nefarious purposes.

Except that's not a weapon, it's a baby rattle.

Validus for all his power and size is fundementally a child.

Granted a child who once killed Legionaire Invisible Kid.

The culmination of the story reveals the Fatal Five's intent.

The Fatal Five just wanted a nice place to live and chill out.

It's more super team action with Justice League of America #134.

I gotta say I admire what Ernie Chan is going for with this cover design. I just wish it was drawn better.  

Gerry Conway pairs up with artists Dick Dillin and Frank McLaughlin to pit the JLA against the alien threat of Despero.

Love that we got some great use of Supergirl in this storyline. 

This would be Gerry Conway's last turn as JLA writer until issue #151.  What I didn't know at the time was that Conway had already ventured back to Marvel to take over writing Avengers and serve as Editor In Chief.  For one month. 

In addition to departing the Justice League, Gerry Conway was taking his leave of the Justice Society as well. 

Which brings us to All-Star Comics #62

We're dealing with the fallout of Doctor Fate's near death from last issue.  

Look at the Kirby like gear and energy crackle from Keith Giffen and Wally Wood.  Young Dave-El was really digging the art on this book.

Oh dear sweet Great Krypton!  After 50 years, I still get a thrill from this well crafted sequence with Clark Kent and Superman.

The menace to all of humankind on Earth 2: This guy! 

ZANADU! 

Not to be confused with XANADU! 

Paul Levitz scripts over Gerry Conway's plot and will become synomynous with the Justice Society going forward.  

Looking forward about 10 years, Levitz and Giffen would re-team for an extraordinary run on Legion of Super Heroes and the epic "Great Darkness Saga".   

The last book for today's post is Shazam#25 which is a significant issue.  

The issue leads off with the first comic book appearance of Isis

Isis was a TV companion series to the live action Shazam TV show on Saturday morning TV.  Denny O'Neil and Dick Giordano present her comic book debut.  

From here, Isis would get her own comic book series.  

Shazam#25 is also the first issue with new material in over a year.   Issues #21-#24 were published quarterly and with all reprints.   

Poor sales likely would have led to the book's cancelation but the success of the TV show prompted DC to keep some version of the comc going.  

The back up is an all new Captain Marvel story, "The Bicentennial Villain" by E. Nelson Bridwell and Kurt Schaffenberger that sets the stage for a new series of Shazam tales by bringing the comic in line with the TV show.  

Like the TV show, Billy Batson will set on a journey across America with his Uncle Dudley in the Mentor role.  

Oh yeah, that blurb at the end of the last page?

More on that when we get to Justice League of America #135.

And we'll do that with our next Comic Book Retro 50 when our journey through time brings a young Dave-El to the comic book racks of July 1976. 

________________________________________

Thanks to The Tom Breevort Experience, the Grand Comic Book Database and Mike's Amazing World of Comics.   

Thingies and Bananas

 

One of my co-workers posted this on our team chat yesterday.

I thought about announcing I was taking a blog break today using only this image of Thingies! 

But my OCD commands me to use the bananas graphic.

The blog break is just for today.

I'm back tomorrow with Comic Book Retro 50 as we dive into what comic books I bought back in June 1976.

And Your Friday Video Link the day after that is also good to go.

The Friday post will involve cats.

Until next time, remember...

You can buy 11 Thingies for the price of 10!

Yes, we have no bananas! 

And be good to one another. 

Tuesday TV Touchbase: My Adventures With Superman and The Vampire Lestat

Before I get into this week's Tuesday TV Touchbase, I need to take a moment to acknowledge the passing of James Burrows who passed away last Friday at age 85.

Burrows had a long and prolific career that spanned 6 decades as a sitcom director.   The Mary Tyler Moore Show,  Cheers , The Bob Newhart Show, Taxi, Frasier, Friends, Will & Grace,  Wings, NewsRadio, Caroline in the City and Mike Molly are just some of the shows he directed.  

Burrows directed over 1,000 episodes of television,

He was still directing as of last year with the Hulu series Mid-Century Modern

Burrows was regarded as the best in the business, known for his comic timing, expert actor blocking and use of sophisticated lighting.  

Whenever I saw the credit "Directed by James Burrows", the odds were really good I was going to experience plenty of laughs. He had a talent for making whatever he directed better.

Rest in peace, James. You will be missed

Last week brought back My Adventures With Superman for it's 3rd season, two full years since season 2. 

Holy crap! Has it really been TWO years? Yep, my post from the season 2 finale was in the summer of 2024.

The new season arrives with some new designs for Superman and Supergirl.  I haven't made up my mind how I feel about them yet.

Picking up from season 2 where Kara Zor-El extricated herself from the cold cruel control of Brainiac, Supergirl is trying to figure out life on Earth and get used to the idea that there are people who love her and she is worthy of being loved. She spent her formative years with Brainiac as her father figure so there's some work to be done.

Clark, Lois, Jimmy and Kara are on the trail of a super secret cabal known as Project Caliban.  And yeah, Lex Luthor is up to some fuckery.

I'm still enjoying the heck out of the idea that a show exists that has Jack Quaid as Superman.  That alone is enough to hold my attention to My Adventures With Superman. 

Moving from the bright and hopeful world of Superman, let's move to something completely different.

The show formerly known as Interview With a Vampire. 

Welcome to The Vampire Lestat.  

After two seasons of Daniel Malloy drawing out the confessional biography of Louis de Pointe du Lac with Louis' erstwhile lover and sometime enemy Lestat de Lioncourt as the antagonist, this new season, as you can tell from the title change, puts the focus on Lestat. 

After becoming a vampire at the end of season 2 and publishing his Interview With a Vampire book, Daniel Malloy has been enlisted to tell Lestat's side of the story.   

It may be that over two seasons, Louis was not a completely reliable narrator. Or as Lestat scrawls on his battered copy of Malloy's  book, "never fucking happened".  

Or perhaps Lestat himself is not a trustworthy teller of his own tale.  

We meet someone who did not come up during Louis' sessions with Malloy in seasons 1 and 2:  Gabriella de Lioncourt.

Lestat's mother and the first person Lestat converted into a vampire after his own conversion.

As his lover.

Yeah, you heard me.  

It's an Oedipus type of thing. 

As Lestat explains, "it's different for vampires".  

The vampire community is still in a tizzy of a snit over Louis talking to a reporter who in turn published a book detailing the existence of vampires. Apparently there are some rules against that?

Vampires are not happy with Lestat who has taken up the career of a rock musician fronting a band called... The Vampire Lestat.

Lestat is channelling centuries of love, lust, pain, longing, despair and angst into power ballads and hard rock anthems. 

Imagine your most gloomy pretencious poetry you may have written alone in your bedroom when you were 14 years old, desperately trying to give voice to your anger and your yearning for love.  Yeah, that's what we're dealing with here.  

The Vampire Lestat takes the aesthetic of Interview With a Vampire and cranks it up to 11 with an adrenaline boost.  

This show is off on a wild ride.

That is that for this week's Tuesday TV Touchbase.

Coming up on the Touchbase:

• I finally (FINALLY!) finish the most recent season of Invincible.
• The return of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune. 

Until next time, remember to be good to one another and try to keep it down in there, would ya? I'm trying to watch TV over here.   

 

He Can Only Make Worse Happen

First some blog bidness: last week was INSANE! 

4 out of 5 posts over a two day period were political themed entries about Trump fuckery. 

You don't deserve that. Even though statistically you're likely to be a Russian bot.  

I don't deserve that.

So today's poltical themed entry about Trump fuckery is ONE post on ONE day.  Yeah, it might go on a bit (there is SO MUCH fuckery!) but it will be contained into ONE singular sensation of a blog post.

So let's get busy! 

By starting with the G7 economic summit for 2026.  Here's a photo of the gathered world leaders standing together to convince us they are one big happy family.

What was remarkable to me was this next photo taken after the gang broke out of formation to talk among themselves.

Except for one person.

Poor Li'l Donnie, unloved and friendless.  Nobody wants to talk to this motherfucker, do they? 

Well, years of insulting and berating allies will have the effect of making those allies not want to talk to an ignorant, fear mongering sociopath. 

Also, there is the smell.  Donald Trump does kind of look like he just filled his Depends. 

Main thing, did der Führer have a good time?  Trump said, “It’s been a very successful trip.  A lot of things have happened that have been very good.”

Then Trump also thought the boos he got at the 3rd Nicks/Spurs NBA Finals game were cheers so who can tell with this guy?

If Trump's assessment of his G7 experience seems vague and noncommital, that's pretty much Trump's "strategy".

He wanted to brag about how the United States kicked Iran's ass and how we got everything he wanted out of the deal to end the war he started. Without actually explaining the deal.  

He was vague on the details but insistent to cast the deal as Iran's surrender to America's awesome overwhelming might.

Once deets on the deal started coming out, it looked like a surrender all right. Just not Iran's. 

The Strait of Hormuz will eventually be opened by Iran which concedes that yes, it is Iran who has control over the Strait of Hormuz, a condition that did NOT exist before Trump started his war.

Which as of Saturday morning, Iran had closed the Strait again.

Among the line items of this "deal" (formally known as a "memorandum of understanding" or MOU) is $300 billion (yep, that is with a "B") to help Iran rebuild the shit we blew up.  

Ostensibly this fund will be contributed to by the United States AND our gulf state allies. But since our gulf state allies did NOT blow up Iran's shit and did in fact have their shit blown up by Iran, one has to wonder how much the American takepayers will be on the hook for damage caused by Trump's li'l excursion into Iran.   

While Trump was giving our erstwhile enemy a real sweetheart deal, he was pissing off an ally and potential friend.

During an interview Trump claimed that Italy's Premier Giorgia Meloni had “begged” for a photo with him during the G7 summit and that he conceded to the photo op because he felt sorry for her.

Wow! He showed restraint because the usual narrative of the "someone begged him for something and he gave in because he's a nice guy" lie that he loves to tell frequently includes the detail of "with tears in their eyes".   

SInce Italy's premier is a woman, maybe he just assumed we would know she had tears in her eyes. 

While we in America have grown bored with this overused "someone begged him for something" tall tale, Giorgia Meloni was NOT putting up with his bullshit and had this to say on the matter:

 

“Donald Trump’s statements are completely fabricated. I am frankly stunned....   But there’s one thing he must remember: Italy and I do not beg.”

It should be noted that Giorgia Meloni is far from being any kind of progressive liberal.  As a member of Italy's right wing political party, she is a conservative whose policies would fall in line with Trump's.  

Meloni was the lone European head of state to attend his 2025 inauguration.

Why would she need to ask for a photo with Li'l Donnie? She already had one from October of last year.  

"Why are his hands so crusty?"
"Is this woman here to take my lunch order?"

Italy is taking this shit seriously.   Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani abruptly cancelled a planned trip to the United States this weekend, calling Trump’s claims “serious and offensive” toward Meloni and all of Italy.

Why would Trump insult an ally with such an egregious and unneccessary lie? Because he's gotten away with it for so long. 

He's claimed repeatedly that various politicians have begged for his endorsement (and often with tears in their eyes) which he granted magnaminously out of the goodness of his heart.

Typically  der Führer goes with the "someone begged" lie when someone he supported doesn't capitulate to his whims. In the case of Premier Giorgia Meloni, she was on Team Trump until she failed to roll over when Trump asked... No, I'm going to say "begged"--- NATO leaders to help with his war with Iran. 

A war HE started with NO input from or consultation with those same leaders.  

Meloni made it clear (as did other NATO leaders) that Italy did not start the war and was not part of the war and would not join that effort.

Of course Trump would not miss a chance to diminish and demean her. And the fact that the leader of Italy is a woman, well, that's just gravy.  (Hmmmm! Gravy....)  

There's never been a woman Trump wasn't eager to diminish and demean.

And he's still at it.

Instead of leaving bad enough alone, Trump of course doubled down on this lie on his decaying moth eaten Truth Social that Meloni (who's name he misspelled) asked him over and over and over again for a photo op and he only relented because he felt sorry for her as she is not doing well in Italy.  

Here's what Meloni said in her pushback in response to Trump's pushback: "As for my popularity, being your friend has certainly not helped it, nor does it depend on my relationship with you. My popularity is none of your concern. I suggest you focus on yours."  

I really do not know what Meloni's poll numbers look like in Italy and neither does Donald Trump.  The accusation of governmental leaders sucking at their job is SOP for anyone who dares to challenge Grump Trump.  

Meanwhile (and I swear I am going to wrap this up), there is the matter of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

As I posted last week,  Trump's big plan to make the pool "American Flag Blue" ... oh, how can I put this?

Has not met the high expectations set out in Donald Trump's fever deam delusions.

Or...

Is royally fucked up!

Or maybe he's redefining the color blue as a pea soup or puke green?  

As I wrote before, the reflecting pool which was built in 1922 has been a pain in the ass to maintain since 1922.  

It is a shallow body of water in a hot and humid climate. Algae was always going to be a problem and has always been a problem as much as Li'l Donnie wants to petulantly blame Obama and Biden.  

Painting the pool dark blue only exacerbates the problem. 

Darker colors absorbs heat which makes the shallow water of the reflecting pool even hotter which exponentially increases the growth of algae.   

Trump awarded a supporter named Eddie Wood with a no bid contract that cost the American taxpayers nearly $14 billion. Trump insisted the contractor had done good work for him on swimming pools at his resorts.

• It's a reflecting pool, not a swimming pool.
• A review of Eddie Wood's businesses finds NO reference to working on pools, swimming, reflecting or limpid.
• Which may explain why the work that was done is breaking apart.

Sheets of blue paint are bubbling up to the surface of the emerald hued murk. 

The answer to this disaster is.... sabatoge! 

A MAGA supporter posted online that clearly his lord and savior did a GOOD job fixing the pool and the only explanation for the algae infestation is sabatoge by liberals who wanna make der Führer look bad.

Li'l Donnie likes that idea and ran with it on his decaying rat infested Truth Social that his good work on the pool is being undone by his enemies and even claims law enforcement will be looking into this.   

The National Parks Service is addressing the algae problem with:

1) manual labor.  Workers in hip waders and nets are scooping up large clumps of algae blooms. 

2) chemicals.  Bottles of hyrogen peroxide are being dumped into the pool.

3) lies. Posting pics on line taken at certain angles, the department declared the pool was crystal clear as the good lord Trump intended. Even though people can still go right up to the pool or see shots taken from above the pool and inequivicably see the pool is as green as fuck. And filled with floating pieces of blue paint.

You know, the thing is algae in the Reflecting Pool has always been a thing and we quite frankly wouldn't have cared. For over a century, the government has taken care of it and we moved on with our lives.

But with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence approaching and Donald Trump's own obsessive need to make everything about himself and his own delusional belief in his supposed abilities as an alleged builder, Li'l Donnie turned a minor but manageable irritation into a bigger problem.  And a national embarrassment.

The debacle of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pools epitomizes everything that is wrong with this motherfucking moron: the corruption, the narcissism, the delusions, the stupidity, the incompetence.   

Trump once said "Nothing bad can happen, it can only good happen."  But Trump embodies the exact opposite of his badly mangled syntax.

He can only make worse happen.

Don't forget why his idiot moron followers voted for his sorry ass in 2024.  Because shit cost too much.

Don't forget inflation is now at 4.2% which is higher than what it was when Trump was sworn in on January 2025.

And don't forget he said THIS! 

OK, that's a lot of typing and I'm tired.  

Are we done?

Oh dear God, no we're not.  What can I say? Hell has no limits.

But your patience and mine does. 

Let's call it a day!

We're back tomorrow for the Tuesday TV Touchbase.

I like television. It makes life simple somehow.  When I'm watching TV, it's as if nothing bad can happen, it can only good happen.

Or something. 

'Bye, y'all! 

Star Trekking: Star Trek - The Original Series - Season One - Part Two

 

Welcome back to Star Trekking, my regular blog berth for my Star Trek fandom.  

Celebrating the 60th anniversary of Star Trek, this is my 2nd week of looking back at the first season of the original series.

I'm not posting about every episode, just the ones that interest me in particular.

We're going to start with the first episode of 1967 and the second half of season 1, "The Galileo Seven".

Spock leads a survey mission aboard the shuttlecraft Galileo which goes horribly awry as the crew of seven gets whittled down to six then five.  

Spock runs up against the limits of logic as he struggles to figure out how to keep the remaining five alive and get back to the Enterprise.  

We also get that Star Trek staple, a high status official who tries to pull rank on the captain. In this case, it's Galactic High Commissioner Ferris.

Not "Federation" or "Starfleet".  Star Trek writers still haven't nailed down the show's nomenclature.  

FERRIS: I remind you, Captain, I'm entirely opposed to this delay. Your mission is to get those emergency medical supplies to Makus Three in time for their transfer to the New Paris colonies.

KIRK: No problem, Commissioner. Besides, it's three days to Makus. And the rendezvous doesn't take place for five.

FERRIS: I don't like to take chances. The plague is out of control on New Paris. 

Man, being a colonist is really a hard life in the world of Star Trek. On the original series and on TNG, there was always some colony somewhere with a god awful medical crisis and the Enterprise is on a time crunch to get supplies there less everyone dies.

Most of the time on Trek, these high minded officials were jerks who weren't as all that as they though of themselves. In this case, though, Ferris ain't wrong.

The crisis on the Galileo is resolved when Spock does a decidedly not Spock like thing and makes an impulsive decision that will save everybody or kill everybody.

Spoiler: it saves everybody. 

The episode ends with an original series routine of a post mortem of the plot where we have a wee bit o' fun with Spock.

KIRK: There's really something I don't understand about all of this. Maybe you can explain it to me. Logically, of course. When you jettisoned the fuel and ignited it, you knew there was virtually no chance of it being seen, yet you did it anyhow. That would seem to me to be an act of desperation.

SPOCK: Quite correct, Captain.

KIRK: Now we all know, and I'm sure the doctor will agree with me, that desperation is a highly emotional state of mind. How does your well-known logic explain that?

SPOCK: Quite simply, Captain. I examined the problem from all angles, and it was plainly hopeless. Logic informed me that under the circumstances, the only possible action would have to be one of desperation. Logical decision, logically arrived at.

KIRK: I see. You mean you reasoned that it was time for an emotional outburst.

SPOCK: Well, I wouldn't put it in exactly those terms, Captain, but those are essentially the facts.

KIRK: You're not going to admit that for the first time in your life, you committed a purely human emotional act?

SPOCK: No, sir.

KIRK: Mister Spock, you're a stubborn man.

SPOCK: Yes, sir.

And we all laughed and laughed. 

One week later, NBC aired "The Squire of Gothos".

This introduces that classic Star Trek staple, the antagonist of nearly unlimited god-like power that cannot be out fought or overpowered.  What will win the day is intelligence, wit and wisdom.

What really sells this episode is William Campbell as General Trelane (Retired), the erstwhile Squire who can control matter and minds as if by magic.  

Campbell will return in season 2 as Star Trek's first "gay" Klingon, Koloth, in "The Trouble With Tribbles".

Hey, was Trelane part of the Q Continuum?

Peter David wrote a TNG novel that connected the Q to Trelane.

A Q/Trelane connection was made in the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 3rd season episode "Wedding Bell Blues".

Star Trek was on something of a roll as the very next week in January 1967 was the episode "Arena".   

The episode repeats the premise of "Balance of Terror" with an alien threat, the Gorn, striking Earth colonies with overwhelming force and the Enterprise in pursuit.  

The crux of the story involves an intervention by the all powerful Metrons to settle this conflict with a one on one battle, between Captain Kirk and the Gorn captain.  The two combatants are consigned to a harsh and barren planet.  

Yeah, the Gorn is slow and lumbering and perhaps a bit silly looking in that hard plastic lizard head.

When I was a kid, the Gorn scared me. He kinda still does.

C'mon! Don't laugh at me like that.  THAT is scary! 

The Gorn may be slow but he's stronger and more resilient than humans so Kirk needs to outsmart him.  Kirk MacGyver's a weapon, a makeshift bazooka, from surrounding mineral deposits. 

Mythbusters tried to replicate Kirk's weapon and... it didn't work. Well, Captain Kirk had better writers.

The battle between Kirk and the Gorn is supposed to be to the death per the Metron's rules but once he defeats the Gorn, Kirk refuses to kill him.  

As I wrote last week, "A lot of people like to cast Captain James Kirk as a swaggering action hero who fought his way out of trouble. But more often than not, Kirk was thoughtful and inquisitive, more explorer than conqueror."

Yeah, "Arena" does have Kirk fighting his way out of trouble but in the end, he is guided by wisdom, compassion and even empathy.  This episode has Kirk representing humanity at it's most primal and at it's best.  

The Metron takes on a human form to discuss what was just witnessed between Kirkand the Gorn.

The Metron is a twink, I think?

METRON: By sparing your helpless enemy who surely would have destroyed you, you demonstrated the advanced trait of mercy, something we hardly expected. We feel there may be hope for your kind. Therefore, you will not be destroyed. It would not be civilised.

KIRK: What happened to the Gorn?

METRON: I sent him back to his ship. If you like, I shall destroy him for you.

KIRK: No. That won't be necessary. We can talk. Maybe reach an agreement.

Or a memorandum of understanding, maybe?

Anyway, there's been some consternation among Trekkers about retconning the Gorn as the big bad in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. And how to explain how Kirk's Enterprise crew are unfamiliar with them.  

In the ST:SNW 3rd season episode "Terrarium", the Metron show up to provide a deux ex machina solution by providing a literal retcon of everyone's memories of the Gorn.  

Well, that's a solution.  Not saying it's a good solution.  

The best solution was for ST:SNW not to have used the Gorn in the first place.   

Here is a clip where William Shatner fights the Gorn... again.

This post has gone on a bit and I'm pushing my luck but I'm a gonna sneek in a 4th episde and bring today's post in for a landing with "Space Seed".  

I'm including this episode among my selection for it's noteriety as the impetus for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn.  

I understand the appeal of this episode to the fandom but it's not one of my personal favorites.  

The Enterprise comes across a derilict ship named the Botany Bay. It's from the late 20th century, from the time of the Eugenics Wars.  

So we get some historical background on Star Trek mythology.  And in the 1960's, something to look forward to

KIRK: Oh, I'll need somebody familiar with the late 20th-Century Earth. Here's a chance for that historian to do something for a change. What's her name? McIvers?

SPOCK: Lieutenant McGivers.

Consider Lt. Marla McGivers, a 20th century Earth historian on a deep space mission on the USS Enterprise. Why? 

Because the plot needs her to be?

The crew have revived Khan Noonien Singh, played by RIcardo Montabahn.  After years, centuries in suspended animation, Khan immediately adopts a superior attitude towards Kirk and his crew. He may be from the 20th century but he is quickly assessing life in the 23rd century including it's advanced technology and the men and women of this time.

Especially the women. 

Poor Marla is not well served by this story, an alleged professional person and Starfleet officer who goes weak and wobbly in the knees at the sight of a genetically enhanced 20th century slab of a mucular masculine manly man-man.

Follow this encounter between Marla and Khan in his quarters.

MARLA:  I don't know if you're going to like living in our time.

KHAN: Then I'll have to remold it to my liking.

(Embraces her)

MARLA: Please don't.

(Pushes her away.)

KHAN: Go. Or stay. But do it because it is what you wish to do. Well?

MARLA: I'll stay a little longer.

KHAN: How many minutes do you graciously offer?

MARLA: I only meant

KHAN: This grows tiresome. You must now ask to stay.

MARLA: I'd like to stay. Please.

(He takes her hand, then forces her down onto her knees.)

KHAN: Open your heart. Will you open your heart?

MARLA: Yes.

KHAN: I intend to take this ship. Do you agree?

MARLA: Oh, please don't ask me

KHAN: I need your help.

MARLA: You won't harm anyone?

KHAN: Now you question me?

MARLA: No.

KHAN: Will you assist me?

MARLA: Oh, please, Khan, don't ask me

KHAN: Leave me then. Go, I say.

MARLA: No. I promise. I'll do anything you ask.

Well, that didn't take long for Lt. Marla McGivers, professional person and Starfleet officer, to submit to a BDSM relationship with this guy she just met.

I would like to say that Marla is an outlier in the Star Trek world but over the course of it's 3 seasons on the air, women were frequently objectified and diminished.  

There was a 3rd season episode ("The Lights Of Zetar") where the men keep referring to the guest female character as "the girl". 

Anyway, back to this episode, the Enterprise crew helpfully carry a variety of idiot balls while Khan and his crew (along with Marla) take over the ship.

When it looks like Khan is about to kill Kirk, Marla has a change of heart and helps Kirk take back the ship.

The episoode ends with a tribunal to decide the fate of Khan and his followers as well as Lt. Marla McGivers.

KIRK: Mister Spock, our heading takes us near the Ceti Alpha star system.

SPOCK: Quite correct, Captain. Planet number five there is habitable, although a bit savage, somewhat inhospitable.

KIRK: But no more than Australia's Botany Bay colony was at the beginning. Those men went on to tame a continent, Mister Khan. Can you tame a world?

KHAN: Have you ever read Milton, Captain?

KIRK: Yes. I understand. Lieutenant Marla McGivers. Given a choice of court martial or accompanying them there.

KHAN: (gazing into her eyes) It will be difficult. A struggle at first even to stay alive, to find food.

(Take the hint, girlfriend! He's trying to tell you that if you go with him, you're gonna die.)  

MARLA: I'll go with him, sir.

(As we will find out in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn, yep, she died.)  

KHAN: A superior woman. I will take her. 

("I will take her"?  Geez, this guy! C'mon, Marla, take the goddam hint!)  

KHAN: And I've gotten something else I wanted. A world to win, an empire to build.

KIRK: This hearing is closed.

(Khan and McGivers are escorted out.)

SCOTT: It's a shame for a good Scotsman to admit it, but I'm not up on Milton.

KIRK: The statement Lucifer made when he fell into the pit. 'It is better to rule in hell than serve in heaven.'

All in all, "Space Seed" is a memorable episode but not necesarily for good reasons.

Lt. Marla McGivers deserved better.  

So that is that for this week.

Next week I will finish out my look back at season one of Star Trek.