Fascinating? - A Star Trek Podcast

The Menagerie: Part 1 was the eleventh episode of Star Trek's debut season to air. In this episode Gerry and Iain ponder the motives behind Spock's renegade actions and consider whether a promotion would make Commodore Mendez a Badmiral.

When Spock hijacks the Enterprise from Lt. Hansen (Hagan Beggs) and kidnaps his stricken former commander, Captain Christopher Pike (Sean Kenney), Kirk and Commodore José Mendez (Malachi Throne) are, in light of a report from Mendez's assistant Piper (Julie Parrish) forced to give pursuit in one of Starbase-11's short-range shuttlecraft.

Spock interrupts his clandestine efforts when forced to rescue the senior officers as they put themselves at risk of suffocation by exceeding the shuttle's range. With the Commodore and the Captain aboard, a court-martial commences centering around a 13-year old mission and remarkable footage produced of its progress. When Starfleet Command identifies illicit communications, however, it seems Spock may have made a misjudgment that will carry critical consequences not just for himself, but for Kirk as well.

The Menagerie: Part 1 was directed by Marc Daniels. The episode was written by Gene Roddenberry, who rejected a story by John D.F. Black to 'envelope' the original pilot footage and substituted his own, leading to a Writer's Guild dispute that Black would lose.

In this episode Gerry and Iain considered Spock's true intentions and the frustrations of Captain Christopher Pike.

The discussion continues in the comments below and please keep in touch with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where we're @trekpodcast.

You can listen to the show here on the website, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Pocket Casts, TuneIn, Stitcher, Google or wherever you find your podcasts.

The Menagerie: Part 1 was released in 1966. It is 50 minutes long and originally aired on the NBC network. It can be viewed on CBS All Access in the United states, Netflix in the UK and is available on DVD and Blu Ray in other countries, including a comprehensive remastered set of all three seasons released by Paramount Home Entertainment.

The Corbomite Maneuver was the tenth episode of Star Trek's debut season to air, though the first to be produced. In this episode Gerry and Iain cower at the sight of a scary baby and question whether Kirk's tactics were effective enough to name an episode after them.

When the Enterprise is forced to destroy an unidentified space cube that bars its way, Kirk resolves to press forward with the mission, leading to an encounter with the giant spacecraft Fesarius under the control of Balok (voiced by Ted Cassidy).

After surviving a potentially deadly stand-off Kirk offers aid to his apparently stricken rival, earning his trust and respect. Visiting Balok's vessel Kirk, McCoy and Lt. Bailey (Anthony Call) are shocked to find he is not the creature they expected, but a small, child-like humanoid (Clint Howard, voiced by Walker Edmiston) with whom they can establish a connection.

The Corbomite Maneuver was directed by Joseph Sargent. The episode was written by Jerry Sohl, who would later contribute two further stories to the series. This was Sargent's only episode of Star Trek, but he is credited with creating Spock's iconic 'Fascinating' response, from which our podcast takes its name.

In this episode Gerry and Iain considered Balok's true intentions and the impact of Kirk's dietary restrictions.

The discussion continues in the comments below and please keep in touch with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where we're @trekpodcast.

You can listen to the show here on the website, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Pocket Casts, TuneIn, Stitcher, Google or wherever you find your podcasts.

The Corbomite Maneuver was released in 1966. It is 50 minutes long and originally aired on the NBC network. It can be viewed on CBS All Access in the United states, Netflix in the UK and is available on DVD and Blu Ray in other countries, including a comprehensive remastered set of all three seasons released by Paramount Home Entertainment.

Dagger of the Mind was the ninth episode of Star Trek's debut season to air, with an escaped patient from a penal colony raising questions about the ethical standards employed at the facility. In this episode Gerry and Iain take a look that awkward moment when you bump into the colleague you haven't seen since you hooked up with them at the office Christmas party.

After delivering medical supplies to the Tantalus Penal Colony, the crew of the Enterprise are surprised to find one of the inmates there has managed to sneak on board. The escapee is Dr Simon Van Gelder (Morgan Woodward) and his story takes a dramatic twist as he overcomes the trauma of his experience to report serious malpractice on the part of colony director Dr Tristan Adams (James Gregory).

Kirk decides to investigate and is assigned specialist Dr Helen Noel (Marianna Hill) to accompany him on a visit to the colony. The pair meet with Adams and former patient, turned therapist Lethe (Susanne Wasson) who explain the situation. Kirk's suspicions lead to further exploration and an unfortunate encounter with Brown's neural neutralizer as the plot thickens.

Dagger of the Mind was directed by Vincent McEveety. The episode was written by Shimon Wincelberg under the pen-name S. Bar-David. This was the second of McEveety's six episodes and was shot along with the previous episode, Miri, as part of an extended shoot. Wincelberg wrote one further Star Trek episode.

In this episode Gerry and Iain considered McCoy's stunning intervention on behalf of his patient and Kirk's questionable use of willpower. Gerry also asked whether listeners could identify which sitcom actor Simon Van Gelder reminded him of?

The discussion continues in the comments below and please keep in touch with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where we're @trekpodcast.

You can listen to the show here on the website, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Pocket Casts, TuneIn, Stitcher, Google or wherever you find your podcasts.

Dagger of the Mind was released in 1966. It is 50 minutes long and originally aired on the NBC network. It can be viewed on CBS All Access in the United states, Netflix in the UK and is available on DVD and Blu Ray in other countries, including a comprehensive remastered set of all three seasons released by Paramount Home Entertainment.

Miri was the eighth episode of Star Trek's debut season to air, with a duplicate earth populated by feral children leading the senior staff of the Enterprise to contract a fatal illness. In this episode Gerry and Iain take a look at creepy kids, speedy science and the level of irritation caused by a simple bunk bunk bunking.

On a planet exactly like Earth (exactly like it) the Enterprise crew follow an automated distress signal to a seemingly uninhabited town. After finding Miri (Kim Darby) hiding in a closet, they learn the local children are alive but uncared for.

As a result, the children have formed a rudimentary social order under the questionable leadership of a kid called Jahn (Michael J. Pollard) with military guidance from a child who lives to bunkbunkbunk (John Megna). McCoy and Spock work to find a cure for a terrible illness that wiped out local adult life and threatens the children and the ship's crew as well. A number of the children in this episode were played by the kids of the main cast and crew.

Miri was directed by Vincent McEveety and was written by Adrian Spies. McEveety went on to direct Dagger of the Mind - the following episode - and four further installments. Spies did not write any more Star Trek, but did later pen an episode of TJ Hooker which also featured William Shatner.

In this episode Gerry and Iain considered why the duplicate Earth was not subject to more scrutiny and examined what it was about this episode that made it unsuitable for British audiences in the 70s and 80s.

The discussion continues in the comments below and please keep in touch with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where we're @trekpodcast.

You can listen to the show here on the website, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Pocket Casts, TuneIn, Stitcher, Google or wherever you find your podcasts.

Miri was released in 1966. It is 50 minutes long and originally aired on the NBC network. It can be viewed on CBS All Access in the United states, Netflix in the UK and is available on DVD and Blu Ray in other countries, including a comprehensive remastered set of all three seasons released by Paramount Home Entertainment.

What Are Little Girls Made Of? was the seventh episode of Star Trek's debut season to air, with a dramatic rescue attempt undertaken to recover a scientist lost for half a decade. In this episode Gerry and Iain take a look at the threat of AI overthrowing its creators and how to convince people your sex robot is actually a completely innocuous android lab assistant.

Dr Roger Korby (Michael Strong) and his assistant Brown (Harry Basch) have been missing on the planet Exo-III for five years. Korby's fiancée Christine Chapel (Majel Barrett) is a nurse on board the Enterprise and joins Kirk in an away mission to recover the missing genius.

On, or rather under, the planet they encounter unexpected resistance from a large android called Ruk (Ted Cassidy) who seems to operate in Korby's interests. The doctor's other help is a beautiful young woman named Andrea (Sherry Jackson), who draws Christine's ire.

What Are Little Girls Made Of? was directed by James Goldstone and was written by Robert Bloch. Goldstone had also helmed Where No Man Has Gone Before, but this was his final Star Trek episode. Bloch, a correspondent of HP Lovecraft, wrote two further episodes, but is perhaps best known as the author of Psycho.

In this episode Gerry and Iain considered whether it was worth Korby's efforts trying to convince Christine why he 'really' created Andrea; and the possibility of a naturally occurring phallic stalactite (phallictite?).

The discussion continues in the comments below and please keep in touch with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where we're @trekpodcast.

You can listen to the show here on the website, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Pocket Casts, TuneIn, Stitcher, Google or wherever you find your podcasts.

What Are Little Girls Made Of? was released in 1966. It is 50 minutes long and originally aired on the NBC network. It can be viewed on CBS All Access in the United states, Netflix in the UK and is available on DVD and Blu Ray in other countries, including a comprehensive remastered set of all three seasons released by Paramount Home Entertainment.

Mudd's Women was the sixth episode of Star Trek's debut season to air, as an intergalactic rogue leverages a unique situation in an effort to secure his freedom. In this episode Gerry and Iain take a look at unambitious women and the social calendar of Rigel XII.

Harry Mudd (Roger C. Carmel) and his 'cargo', Ruth (Maggie Thrett), Magda (Susan Denberg) and Eve (Karen Steele) arrive on the Enterprise with a secret to keep, but soon find themselves in a position to influence Kirk's decision-making.

On Rigel XII the miners, Ben (Gene Dynarski), Herm (Jon Kowal) and Benton (Seamon Glass), look forward to the arrival of their promised wives, knowing they control a resource the Enterprise can't manage without.

Mudd's Women was directed by Harvey Hart and was written by Stephen Kandel (from a Gene Roddenberry story idea). Hart was not invited back to the series after concerns about 'camera cutting', but Kandel became the go-to writer for all things Harry Mudd.

In this episode Gerry and Iain considered whether Mudd's motivations were in any way honourable; and lamented the missed opportunity to create female characters with a bit more depth than this trio.

The discussion continues in the comments below and please keep in touch with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where we're @trekpodcast.

You can listen to the show here on the website, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Pocket Casts, TuneIn, Stitcher, Google or wherever you find your podcasts.

Mudd's Women was released in 1966. It is 50 minutes long and originally aired on the NBC network. It can be viewed on CBS All Access in the United states, Netflix in the UK and is available on DVD and Blu Ray in other countries, including a comprehensive remastered set of all three seasons released by Paramount Home Entertainment.

The Enemy Within was the fifth episode of Star Trek's debut season to air, with Kirk split in two by a transporter accident and crewmen trapped on a planet below. In this episode Gerry and Iain take a look at a skilled animal actor and a deeply questionable piece of Vulcan logic.

There's a smaller cast than usual for this episode as Bill Shatner faces off against himself for much of the duration. Jim Goodwin does make his first of three appearances as Farrell.

The real star of the show was, of course, the dog who played the part of the Alpha-177 creature, together with both parts of its split self after the transporter malfunction. Phenomenal range.

The Enemy Within was directed by Leo Penn and was written by Richard Matheson. For both men this would be their only work for the show which, given the quality of the episode, is a shame.

In this episode Gerry and Iain considered whether one half of a man's personality can ever be truly considered an 'imposter'; the treatment of Janice Rand and Spock's shocking final comment to her; and the fate of the crew left stranded on Alpha-177.

The discussion continues in the comments below and please keep in touch with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where we're @trekpodcast.

You can listen to the show here on the website, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Pocket Casts, TuneIn, Stitcher, Google or wherever you find your podcasts.

The Enemy Within was released in 1966. It is 50 minutes long and originally aired on the NBC network. It can be viewed on CBS All Access in the United states, Netflix in the UK and is available on DVD and Blu Ray in other countries, including a comprehensive remastered set of all three seasons released by Paramount Home Entertainment.

The Naked Time was the fourth episode of Star Trek's debut season to air, as a virus rapidly spreads through the crew causing inhibitions and good sense to evaporate. In this episode Gerry and Iain take a look at a swashbuckling Sulu and Kirk's one true love.

The illness dominates this episode, with first Tormolen (Stewart Moss), then Riley (Bruce Hyde) acting irrationally. The senior staff are not immune, as Sulu and ultimately Kirk and Spock (among others) fall victim and begin to display troubling behaviour.

The Enterprise travels back in time at the end of the episode, raising the question of whether any of this happened at all...

The Naked Time was directed by Marc Daniels and was written by John D.F. Black. This was the only story for which Black received a writing credit, but he was story editor for the show's first season. This was the second of Daniels' fifteen episodes behind the camera.

In this episode Gerry and Iain considered the differences between this crew and the established group; the corrupting influence of power; and whether misogyny will live on into the 23rd century.

The discussion continues in the comments below and please keep in touch with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where we're @trekpodcast.

You can listen to the show here on the website, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Pocket Casts, TuneIn, Stitcher, Google or wherever you find your podcasts.

The Naked Time was released in 1966. It is 50 minutes long and originally aired on the NBC network. It can be viewed on CBS All Access in the United states, Netflix in the UK and is available on DVD and Blu Ray in other countries, including a comprehensive remastered set of all three seasons released by Paramount Home Entertainment.

Where No Man Has Gone Before was the second pilot and the third episode of Star Trek's debut season to air, with a silvery-eyed man-god putting megalomania before maintaining friendships. In this episode Gerry and Iain take a look at a trigger-happy Vulcan and some snazzy sweaters.

The star of this show is Gary Mitchell (Gary Lockwood), a long-term friend of Captain Kirk's, whose high ESP sensitivity causes him to be significantly affected by an invisible barrier at the galaxy's edge. His treatment is managed by Dr Elizabeth Dehner (Sally Kellerman) who has her own part to play when Mitchell's powers and ambitions begin to grow beyond anything the Enterprise can accommodate.

For the brief moment in time occupied by this episode, the ship's medical matters are under the management of Dr Piper (Paul Fix) while Lee Kelso (Paul Carr) looks like a reliable officer, at least while he lasts.

Where No Man Has Gone Before was directed by James Goldstone and was written by Samuel A. Peeples. Goldstone would return later in the season to helm What Are Little Girls Made Of? but this was Peeples only contribution to Star Trek's original series.

In this episode Gerry and Iain considered the differences between this crew and the established group; the corrupting influence of power; and whether misogyny will live on into the 23rd century.

The discussion continues in the comments below and please keep in touch with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where we're @trekpodcast.

You can listen to the show here on the website, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Pocket Casts, TuneIn, Stitcher, Google or wherever you find your podcasts.

Where No Man Has Gone Before was released in 1966. It is 50 minutes long and originally aired on the NBC network. It can be viewed on CBS All Access in the United states, Netflix in the UK and is available on DVD and Blu Ray in other countries, including a comprehensive remastered set of all three seasons released by Paramount Home Entertainment.

Charlie X was the second episode of Star Trek's debut season to air, bringing a wildcard aboard the Enterprise in the shape of orphan Charlie Evans. In this episode Gerry and Iain take a look at problems that come up when you don't make new people feel welcome and also they have the power to vanish you.

Along with Charlie (Robert Walker Jr), we are introduced to Captain Ramert (Charles Stewart) of the ill-fated Antares, a young Yeoman named Tina (Pat McNulty) and an eerie representation of an ancient Thasian (Abraham Sofaer)

For the only time there is a role for series creator Gene Roddenberry in the episode, appearing (in audio if not in vision) as the voice of the ship's chef as he struggles with Charlie's intervention in Thanksgiving dinner.

Charlie X was directed by Lawrence Dobkin and was written by Gene Roddenberry and D.C. Fontana, both legendary figures in the history of Star Trek. Dobkin did not direct any further episodes, but as an actor went on to appear in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

In this episode Gerry and Iain considered how Kirk and the crew handled Charlie's immaturity and lack of control as well as looking at the resolution and whether it was fair to allow the Thasians to take the boy back.

The discussion continues in the comments below and please keep in touch with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where we're @trekpodcast.

You can listen to the show here on the website, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Pocket Casts, TuneIn, Stitcher, Google or wherever you find your podcasts.

Charlie X was released in 1966. It is 50 minutes long and originally aired on the NBC network. It can be viewed on CBS All Access in the United states, Netflix in the UK and is available on DVD and Blu Ray in other countries, including a comprehensive remastered set of all three seasons released by Paramount Home Entertainment.