Podcast # 197

[Rico]

New show is up - # 197. Hope you all enjoy it!

http://www.treksinscifi.com/podcasts/TreksInSciFi_197_Court_Martial.mp3

[Feathers]

I've never seen this episode!

Fortunately I managed to watch it in the theatre just now. Now for the podcast!

Thanks Rico

[M-5]

Another great podcast!  Court Martial is one of my favorite first season episodes.  I love the court room dramas of Star Trek:  Measure of a Man and Drumhead.  I also dig hearing the word Vulcanian.  Ben Finney does remind me of Commodore Decker.  Excellent podcast!  Looking forward to next week's podcast.

[moyer777]

Thanks Rico,
Visit my site for your own digital download.  http://www.christrocks.com/parody

Here are the lyrics to

WE WILL SPOCK YOU

Buddy you're a Vulcan, makin' eye brow raisin' on your face gonna be in Starfleet someday
you got green on your face, pointed ear graced, spoutin' big statistics all over the place

We will, we will Spock you!

Buddy you're a tall man thin man flyin in a ship gonna take the Universe one day
You work in space with captain what's his face, wavin' tricorders all over the place

We will we will Spock you!

Buddy your smart man, science man, every seven years goin through pon far that day
you got green in your blood, Kirk's your bud, puttin' McCoy back into his place

We will we will Spock you!

Sing it

Everybody

[billybob476]

Great episode, great comments from everyone, great song as always Rick!

One thing that really jumped out at me is how Kirk's lawyer reminds me 100% of Romo Lampkin from new Galactica. I have a very strong feeling that they based Lampkin heavily on this guy.

[Feathers]

Another great podcast - good to hear a few more voices this week.

I might have contributed, but as I'd never seen this episode until I watched it on Sunday, I didn't. I do have a couple of comments now though, so:

1. It interested me that Spock checked the hardware of the computer thoughroughly but neglected to pay any attention to the software until the idea of playing chess came to mind. Unheard of today (who takes a PC apart to find out why their browser crashed?) to my mind, this is more to do with the sixties view of computers and future technology than a deliberate plot point relating to how reliable these things are.

Equally, even now, there would be an arguement for a box like a cockpit voice recorder to be primarily hardware rather than software for precisely these reasons.

2. I saw quite a few parallels with the Next Gen episode where Picard defends Data against Cdr Maddocks in his fight for full rights. The history between Picard and the JAG officer in that episode harked back a little to this (although the relationship there was different) but mainly it was because Riker was put in effectively the same position as Areal in having to prosecute a case that he wasn't personally fully behind. He didn't get to kiss the captain at the end, but there were similarities.

3. Finally, there's the whole issue of the lifesigns detector or whatever they call the equipment that they haven't got in this episode. The whole bit with the microphone & heartbeat was a pretty weak replacement for what I thought was standard technology even back in season 1.

As I say just a few points and not of any great consequence, but I'll put them down here just in case someone's ineterested.

[billybob476]

With regard to checking the hardware and not the software, that is indeed based on the computing paradigm at the time. Hardware issues were much more commonplace then software issues. Actually in the 60's the concept of software was quite different then it is today.

[Feathers]

With regard to checking the hardware and not the software, that is indeed based on the computing paradigm at the time. Hardware issues were much more commonplace then software issues. Actually in the 60's the concept of software was quite different then it is today.

Hardware also. You can hear the mechanical relays operating everytime the computer is accessed - I imagine there are rooms full of punched cards or tape taking up space on the Enterprise too.  :lamo

[Rico]

Good points guys.  I think I liked the idea I came up with on the podcast in that computers by the 23rd century just don't malfunction - hardware wise at least.  And they must just have them protected so well that the idea of tampering with the programming just is very unlikely.  It's all a bit of a stretch - the same stretch as not detecting Finney aboard.  But without this there would be no story.

[Bryancd]

I think the lifesign detector/heart beat microphone thing just made for more drama, nothing more.

[billybob476]

And honestly, yes, there are some weak plot points to get the story moving, fine. However those are very secondary to the superb acting and writing of the actual courtroom scenes.