81. Beyond the Farthest StarFORMULA: Wolf in the Fold + The Doomsday Device + Tomorrow Is Yesterday
WHY WE LIKE IT: Star Trek's back for all intents and purposes!
WHY WE DON'T: Animation's a bit stiff, especially when watching it today.
REVIEW: First, a few notes on The Animated Series as a whole. Though it may contradict some parts of the canon, I don't think it does so much more than the old Klingon make-ups or different warp scales or Star Trek V do. It's got it's own style, but I think it's a worthy successor to The Original Series and can be considered the rest of the 5-year mission. These are the stories that couldn't be told because of budget restrictions, though a new restriction is the 30-minute Saturday-morning format. It's all about plot, and not much about characterization. I also don't imagine the redshirt death toll will get very high in that kiddie time slot. I am VERY glad to hear the voices of the original cast, however, which is what makes this a true continuation of the Enterprise's adventures.
The animation's a little stiff by today's standards, something that is translated into the voicework of some of the cast. Spock, in particular, takes on the role of the teacher, with documentary-style delivery and a tendency to talk about educational topics (like insect honeycombs, in this episode). Scotty, McCoy and Uhura are much more emotional and better-acted characters in this first cartoon. Where the animation fails in one department, it succeeds in others, in particular with showing us things that would have been impossible with The Original Series' effects. We're gonna get some truly alien creatures and environments this time. The pod ship is particularly beautiful in Beyond the Farthest Star.
This episode does a good job of capturing the exploration aspects of the live-action show, with the old Trek clichés of the alien entity and the take-over of the ship thrown in for good measure. Standard fare made better by the "sets", I'd say. It introduces a couple of new concepts, like the bridge security system and life support belts, which are fine. Mr. Kyle gains a mustache to make him more visually distinctive, that's ok too, though it does make him look a little old. The alien gets dispatched a bit heartlessly at the end, although that depends on how many people it's killed over the centuries. One thing I really liked was that Kirk's first and last logs have identical elements, namely "Mission: star charting", which is a cool way of saying this stuff is routine for the crew of the Enterprise. Nice touch by Where No Man Has Gone Before writer, Sam Peeples.
LESSON: Where does Star Trek go now that Enterprise has ended? Could animation be the way?
WATCHABILITY - Medium: A routine runaround, but it serves as a fine introduction to The Animated Series and what it can do visually.
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