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From: thornton@kcl-cs.UUCP (ZNAC468)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers,net.tv
Subject: Archetypal episodes
Message-ID: <206@argon.kcl-cs.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 24-Oct-85 11:35:24 EDT
Article-I.D.: argon.206
Posted: Thu Oct 24 11:35:24 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 26-Oct-85 19:27:43 EDT
Reply-To: thornton@argon.UUCP (znac468)
Organization: Department of Computing, Kings College, University of London.
Lines: 44
Xref: watmath net.sf-lovers:10816 net.tv:3422

References:
Xpath: kcl-cs argon neon
Xref: ukc net.sf-lovers:5555 net.tv:225


	Isn't it funny how the same old themes keep rearing their heads
(ugly or otherwise) in popular sf tv shows. It occured to me that one could
probably "distil" the most typical of these to form a resulting "gestalt"
episode from the essence.
	Take, for example, the following gestalt "Star Trek":

	A mysterious thingie made of energy of a type never before encountered
snares the Enterprise (which of course is made helpless) and takes it off to
a nearby planet. All the command crew beam/are beamed down and discover a race
of child-like innocents who compel them to stay against their will.
	One of the not-quite-so-young innocents falls in love with Kirk 
(as they have a habit of doing) and tells Kirk all she knows about her race.
Spock raises an eyebrow and says "interesting". Kirk does some theorizing
(which Spock should be doing) and convinces himself that the entire planet
is a computer and the only way to free his ship (which has by now almost
freed itself anyway) is to talk to it and hopefully make it explode as  
most of them do whenever Kirk tries to confound them with his logic.
Spock raises an eyebrow and says "logical captain". Kirk then goes to a likely
spot and starts to talk to the computer which isn't interested.
	Kirk asks the computer a question ,"WHY?",the computer responds
 "WHY NOT?".(Sorry ,wrong series). 
	After a few minutes of related waffle the computer is convinced that
Kirk is its creator and gives a thirty second countdown to its own destruction.
All the crew is beamed up except for Kirk because a transporter malfunction has
occured.(20). Kirk turns to jelly.(15)...The transporter is made "partially"
functional...(10). Kirks stomach (most of him) is beamed aboard and split
into two identical gut buckets except that they have different temperaments.
One can't digest too much science..(5). Realising that having two stomachs in
command of a Starship was a non-functional idea, Spock puts the transporter
right and repatterns the whole of Kirk (1)..(0)..(-1)..Just in time Kirk is
beamed aboard with stomach. The whole planet explodes. 
	Kirk is hungry. Spock reminds him of the non-intervention policy.
Kirk finds a good reason why he interfered and caused so many megadeaths.
He then makes a witty comment about Spocks ears. The bridge explodes
with laughter. Spock retorts with some logic and raises an eyebrow quizically.
End Titles.
	The episode wins a HUGO award.

	Lets have some more.....

					Andy T.

("Excess,my lord...Excess!")