Festival! Festival! You know, as a kid this was my favorite TOS episode. I had it taped on VHS and watched it all of the time. Now, I wouldn’t say that it is still my favorite but I still really like it. The basic plot is this: The Enterprise is in the area of where the USS Archon disappeared years earlier. Sulu and some dude beam down to the planet and are attacked by druid looking guys that shoot them with confetti from a tube. This turns them into stoned-out hippies (by the way, this is one of Takei’s best performances). Kirk, Spock, McCoy and some guy beam down and notice that the whole town is full of stoned-out weirdos. Suddenly it’s time for FESTIVAL! And everyone turns into murdering, raping, rioting crazies … picture the LA Riots but if it was referred to as the LA Festival.
Come to find out that the entire population is controlled by a computerized version of a spiritual teacher named Landru. Everybody on the planet is happy, peaceful and tranquil … except for this one hour festival in which they can go nuts. They try to assimilate Kirk and crew, but soon they wonder whether they are the Archons (a prophecy told by the Landru computer). McCoy ends up getting hit and turns into a weirdo. Kirk discovers the computer and tricks it into destroying itself by making it realize that it is indeed a computer and not Landru.
I love this episode for a few reasons. One of them is Festival! It’s just so crazy, I used have nightmares about the first stoned guy that Kirk meets (very Clockwork Orange-esque), so creepy. But, the most peculiar part that I love is the fact that Kirk just totally meddles in this planets culture and religion. And he’s a total dick about it! I mean this is a place that has absolute peace for 23 hours a day. How is this so bad? And even so, this is their way of life and so what if they worship a computer?! Why does Kirk care!! The ending is so great. After Kirk destroys the computer, the people are just completely stunned. They now have no direction, after all Kirk just killed their God!! One of the druid guys comments to Kirk “what do we do now?” and the Captain replays “I suggest you lose the robes and get new jobs”. What?? What an asshole!
This one also has some of the best production screw-ups. At one point a crewman is beaned in the head with a rather large rock, he just keeps running as if nothing happened. Or as if the rock had been made out of Styrofoam. Also, at some point McCoy shoots his phaser; it makes the sound but they failed to put the glowing laser effect on it. It just looks so stupid. FESTIVAL!
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1 comment:
Kirk was a real douche here.
Seems the planet could have had a real cool tourism industry.
go there for an hour and rape and murder anyone you want.
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