Star Trek: The Counter-Clock Incident

My friends and I have completed our journey, watching all 22 episodes of Star Trek's animated series. 

Episode: "The Counter-Clock Incident"
Series: Star Trek: The Animated Series
Season 2, Episode 6
Original Air Date: October 12, 1974

via Memory Alpha

Star Trek's animated series wraps up with a mind bender.   The Enterprise is unwillingly pulled into a negative universe: black stars against white space, movement, language and aging all running in reverse.  In a further time bending I don't entirely understand, the crew all revert to their childhood selves and very rapidly at that on their way back to their own dimension.  While the suspenseful tension was genuine, it's just the sort of Trek episode that drives me nuts.  The negative universe elements are fun to ponder but they stretch the narrative integrity to troubling limits.  I get anxious for all the wrong reasons.

That said, as a series finale, it has some nice elements.  The moral of the story pertains to the usefulness of the aged, a theme Trek has explored before in TOS's "The Deadly Years."  It provides a metaphor for the show itself essentially being put out to pasture.  "The Counter-Clock Incident" is certainly stronger than the finale for the original series, "Turnabout Intruder."

*****

Thoughts on Season 2

General Impressions

I expected a drop in quality for the second season.  After all, the original series started strong and finished weak.  It seemed reasonable to expect the same with the animated series.  But if there was a decline, it was negligible.  As I wrote regarding the first season, the best episodes don't measure up to the best of TOS but the worst are nowhere near as poor as the weakest originals, either.


Favorite Episode: "Albatross"

Six episodes don't leave much for picking.  "Albatross," I'm certain, would not be the choice of most critics but I liked it.  In any Trek series, I enjoy the episodes in which I am amazed by the complex problems the crew can solve in the last ten minutes.  "Albatross" resides comfortably in that fine tradition with two brutal crises pressing in on our heroes simultaneously: a plague aboard the ship and Dr. McCoy facing what is sure to be an unfair trial on an alien planet.  Plus, one of the characters looks like a six-foot-three Yoda.


Least Favorite Episode: "The Practical Joker"

I'm not opposed to a goofy episode.  We need one from time to time.  In fact, I want a "KIRK IS A JERK" shirt like the one the captain wears at one point.  The story also introduces the predecessor to TNG's holodeck.  But there is a scene with everyone on the bridge giggling for far too long.  It feels like an uncomfortable dinner party.  Again, as clunkers go, it's not bad.  But for the sake of the exercise, I had to pick one.


Favorite New Character: Bem

Bem is the cause of great mischief in the episode that bears his name.  He is a colony creature, meaning he is a cooperative organism composed of multiple composite organisms.  As such, he is able to separate parts of his body from one another.  He also has a most amusing way of referring to himself as "this one."  For example, he might say "this one has a hankering for some Saurian brandy" or "this one must excuse himself to use the loo."


Onward?

At some point, I may tackle more Trek, likely the movies, TNG or perhaps both.  But for now, it's back to regularly scheduled programming.  I'll have one more wrap-up post for the entire series next week.  Family adventure posts shall return, now on Fridays, beginning August 21st.

Please visit the other participants on the list below.  Next week: Series Wrap-Up.

Spacerguy
Maurice Mitchell