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116: The Real Enemy Is War Itself
How The Enemy Below Influenced Balance of
Terror.
The Enemy Below tells the story of the epic "cat and mouse" game
between an American Destroyer Escort Captain and the commander of a
German U-boat. This 1957 World War Two classic
film directly influenced Star Trek writer Paul Schneider as he
crafted the narrative for what would become one of Star Trek's
greatest episodes. Balance of Terror was a ground-breaking episode
for Star Trek, as it brought a "military" essence to Starfleet and
allowed the audience to grasp the political tapestry of The United
Federation of Planets in the 23rd Century.
Balance of Terror is a fan favorite for many reasons: the
introduction of the Romulans, the humanizing of the enemy, and the
application of sound naval tactics to help drive the narrative
tensions. It was also famous for its bold decision to break yet
another convention of the time: Women serving in combat. Almost 30
years later after this episode was produced, women were finally
allowed to serve on warships. In addition, the military does not
normally allow married couples on the same vessel for fear of that
couple being killed outright in combat as almost seen with Robert
Tomlinson and Angela Martine.
Hosts
Norman C. Lao and Jeffrey Harlan
Guest
Ken Tripp
Production
C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer), Norman C. Lao (Executive
Producer), Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer), Charlynn
Schmiedt (Executive Producer), Ken Tripp (Editor and Associate
Producer), Renee Roberts (Associate Producer), Richard
Rutledge (Associate Producer), Richard Marquez (Production
Manager), Will Nguyen (Content Manager)
Chapters
Welcome to Standard Orbit (00:01:05)
Spock’s Brain Part Deux … Just Kidding! (00:02:48)
Ken’s Inspiration Behind Balance of Terror (00:03:45)
We Still Love Submarine Movies (00:08:55)
The Why of the Warrior (00:13:01)
Stiles of Bigotry in the 23rd Century (00:19:18)
Equal Opportunities in Peace and Wartime (00:28:06)
The Politics of Warriors (00:37:42)
Hailing Frequencies Open (00:47:28)
The NX-01 Trivia Challenge Winner! (00:52:45)
Did We Stump Mr. AtoZ? (00:54:36)
Our Final Thoughts and Thank You (00:57:48)
Send us your feedback!
Twitter: @trekfm
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Voicemail: http://www.speakpipe.com/trekfm
Contact Form: http://www.trek.fm/contact
Visit the Trek.fm website at http://trek.fm/
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Become a Trek.fm Patron on Patreon and help us keep our shows
coming to you every week. We have great perks for you
at http://patreon.com/trekfm
View all episodes
By TFM
4.7
7373 ratings
How The Enemy Below Influenced Balance of
Terror.
The Enemy Below tells the story of the epic "cat and mouse" game
between an American Destroyer Escort Captain and the commander of a
German U-boat. This 1957 World War Two classic
film directly influenced Star Trek writer Paul Schneider as he
crafted the narrative for what would become one of Star Trek's
greatest episodes. Balance of Terror was a ground-breaking episode
for Star Trek, as it brought a "military" essence to Starfleet and
allowed the audience to grasp the political tapestry of The United
Federation of Planets in the 23rd Century.
Balance of Terror is a fan favorite for many reasons: the
introduction of the Romulans, the humanizing of the enemy, and the
application of sound naval tactics to help drive the narrative
tensions. It was also famous for its bold decision to break yet
another convention of the time: Women serving in combat. Almost 30
years later after this episode was produced, women were finally
allowed to serve on warships. In addition, the military does not
normally allow married couples on the same vessel for fear of that
couple being killed outright in combat as almost seen with Robert
Tomlinson and Angela Martine.
Hosts
Norman C. Lao and Jeffrey Harlan
Guest
Ken Tripp
Production
C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer), Norman C. Lao (Executive
Producer), Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer), Charlynn
Schmiedt (Executive Producer), Ken Tripp (Editor and Associate
Producer), Renee Roberts (Associate Producer), Richard
Rutledge (Associate Producer), Richard Marquez (Production
Manager), Will Nguyen (Content Manager)
Chapters
Welcome to Standard Orbit (00:01:05)
Spock’s Brain Part Deux … Just Kidding! (00:02:48)
Ken’s Inspiration Behind Balance of Terror (00:03:45)
We Still Love Submarine Movies (00:08:55)
The Why of the Warrior (00:13:01)
Stiles of Bigotry in the 23rd Century (00:19:18)
Equal Opportunities in Peace and Wartime (00:28:06)
The Politics of Warriors (00:37:42)
Hailing Frequencies Open (00:47:28)
The NX-01 Trivia Challenge Winner! (00:52:45)
Did We Stump Mr. AtoZ? (00:54:36)
Our Final Thoughts and Thank You (00:57:48)
Send us your feedback!
Twitter: @trekfm
Facebook: http://facebook.com/trekfm
Voicemail: http://www.speakpipe.com/trekfm
Contact Form: http://www.trek.fm/contact
Visit the Trek.fm website at http://trek.fm/
Subscribe in iTunes: http://itunes.com/trekfm
Support the Network!
Become a Trek.fm Patron on Patreon and help us keep our shows
coming to you every week. We have great perks for you
at http://patreon.com/trekfm
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