RetroFedTHE STAR TREK FRANCHISE REWATCH PARTY #54: "The Omega Glory"
WARNING: This thread WILL contain unhidden spoilers for this entry. Because this re-watch is in a slightly-subjective chronological order and not in production order, please refrain from talking about the content of other episodes or movies in this thread. If you do, please put that content inside spoiler tags. Some people here may be watching Star Trek for the first time.
#54: Star Trek: The Original Series, season 2, episode 23 “The Omega Glory”
Written by Gene Roddenberry, directed by Vincent McEveety.
Stardate unknown (August 2268)
“Liberty and Freedom have to be more than just words.” - Captain Kirk
The Enterprise finds the USS Exeter unresponsive in orbit of a planet it was suppose to be surveying. When Captain Kirk and a team beam aboard, they find no signs of life… but they do find the uniforms of every single crewmember surrounded by a crystalline substance. Doctor McCoy discovers, to everyone’s horror, those crystals are human remains. After replaying the final log of the Exeter’s Chief Medical Officer, which informs them that a pathogen was brought back to the ship, they beam to the surface of the planet in search for answers. The moment they arrive, they encounter an execution in progress and are almost swept up in it until the Exeter’s Captain Ronald Tracey (Morgan Woodward) steps in and orders the locals to leave them alone. Tracey explains that the primitive people of this planet are divided into two group; the civilized Kohms and the animalistic Yangs. In addition to violating the Prime Directive by siding with the Kohms against the Yangs, Tracey informs everyone that he knows his crew is dead. Landing on the planet exposed them all to a virus with no cure. Returning to the Enterprise would cause them and everyone aboard the ship to suffer the same fate.
Originally released: 1 March 1968
"The Omega Glory" on Memory Alpha (mirror)
THE STAR TREK FRANCHISE REWATCH PARTY MASTER LIST
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the “Inglorious Treksperts” podcast just reviewed this episode last week.
one of them recited the whole “these words” monologue from memory - it is the highlight of a patchy episode.
Visual effects comparison of the original broadcast & the Remastered versions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTI9BgZn0S4
This was one of the very first scripts written for the show, written by Gene Roddenberry… and it shows. Both NBC and Robert Justman tried to talk Gene out of making this episode.
The Omega Glory is widely regarded as one of the worst episodes of Star Trek ever.
Im surprised at this. The whole because its natural for them to be is a pretty good general plot to me. obsession with ends justify the means going into it all being mistaken information and then doubling down.