Recap: "Star Trek: The Animated Series"

In part two of our deep dive of "Star Trek III" on "Enterprise Incidents with Scott & Steve" (along with special guest John Rocha), Admiral Kirk and his loyal crew violate Starfleet orders in their efforts to save Spock and McCoy. They steal the Enterprise and return to the Genesis planet, only to find that the Klingons are already there interrogating the survivors of the U.S.S. Grissom -- Lt. Saavik and Dr. David Marcus -- about the so-called Genesis "doomsday weapon." But the Enterprise is not up for a full-on battle with the Klingons, forcing Kirk to make a huge sacrifice and once again turn death into a fighting chance to live. The second half of "The Search for Spock" features many scenes that are among the very best from any of the "Star Trek" films: the stealing of the Enterprise, the battle with the Klingons, Kirk's emotional reaction to the death of his son and, of course, the destruction of the Enterprise itself (which, for many fans, was even more traumatic than the death of Spock at the end of "The Wrath of Khan"). But rather than end with a big action scene, "Star Trek III" concludes on a more intimate note with the resurrection of Spock and his reunion with his friends. It's an emotionally satisfying conclusion that's more effective now than it was back in 1984, thanks to the benefits that come with time and perspective. To put it another way, think of it like this: If Spock died saving the Enterprise in "Star Trek II," then the Enterprise returned the favor in "Star Trek III." "The Search for Spock" may often be criticized for being a bit too somber when compared to its more vibrant and exciting predecessor, but the mood would definitely pick up after that during their voyage home. You can support Enterprise Incidents right here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/enterpriseincidents (Just think of it as a “Tip Jar”) You can follow Enterprise Incidents at: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/EnterpriseIncidents Twitter @enterincidents Instagram @enterpriseincidents Follow Scott Mantz @moviemantz on Twitter and Instagram Follow Steve Morris @srmorris on Twitter and srmorris1 on Instagram

Just in time for the 40th Anniversary of "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock," Scott & Steve are stealing "Enterprise Incidents" for a special 2-part deep dive into this underrated "Star Trek" classic. Soon after the U.S.S. Enterprise returns to earth bruised and battered after Captain Spock died saving the ship during the battle in the Mutara Nebula, Admiral James T. Kirk learns that his beloved starship is going to be decommissioned. Plus, all is not well with his friend, Dr. Leonard McCoy, who has been acting strangely. That's when he receives a visit from Spock's father, Sarek, who questions why he left Spock's body behind on the Genesis planet. It turns out that Spock's essence had been merged with McCoy's, and now both of them are in danger, unless Kirk can take matters into his own hands and bring them to Vulcan. Originally released on June 1, 1984, "Star Trek III" has always been seen as a solid, but somewhat unspectacular installment of the "Genesis Trilogy," even though it featured the directorial debut of none other than Leonard Nimoy. But upon closer inspection, "The Search for Spock" is a better movie than it was ever given credit for, and it features stellar performances from William Shatner, DeForest Kelley and Christopher Lloyd as Klingon Commander Kruge. Scott and Steve are thrilled to be joined for this conversation by Steve's partner from The Cine-Files (and fellow Star Trek fan) John Rocha.  You can support Enterprise Incidents by making a generous donation right here: ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/enterpriseincidents⁠ (Just think of it as a “Tip Jar”) You can follow Enterprise Incidents on social media at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EnterpriseIncidents Twitter: @enterincidents Follow Scott Mantz @moviemantz on Twitter and Instagram Follow Steve Morris @srmorris on Twitter and @srmorris1 on Instagram Enterprise Incidents with Scott & Steve • A podcast on Spotify for Podca...

Our voyage through "The Animated Series" comes to a close, and as you will hear in our recap, "The Animated Series" was indeed worthy of the "Star Trek" name, and hopefully this otherwise underrated and overlooked series will be better appreciated as it celebrates its landmark 50th anniversary! You can support Enterprise Incidents by making a donation right here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/enterpriseincidents You can follow Enterprise Incidents on social media at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EnterpriseIncidents Twitter: @enterincidents Follow Scott Mantz @moviemantz on Twitter and Instagram Follow Steve Morris @srmorris on Twitter and @srmorris1 on Instagram

For our deep dive of the final episode of "Star Trek: The Animated Series," we're excited and honored to be joined by a very special guest: "John Culver," a.k.a. Fred Bronson, who not only wrote "The Counter-Clock Incident," but was also the studio publicist for "The Animated Series." While pursuing an alien ship traveling at high warp speed, the Enterprise passes through the remnants of the Beta Niobe supernova, only to emerge in an alternate universe where everything works in reverse -- and the crew begins to age backwards. In order to return to their own universe, they must figure out a way to replicate the conditions that got them here, but they must do so before they become too young to be able to operate their own ship. Their only hope lies with their very special passenger: 75-year-old Commodore Robert April, the first captain of the Enterprise who was en route to the planet Babel for a retirement ceremony, but must now once again assume command as the only senior officer capable of saving the ship. Even though "How Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth" was the episode that won "Star Trek" its Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program, you couldn't have asked for a better episode to close out "The Animated Series" than "The Counter-Clock Incident." In addition to being filled with suspense, excitement, humor and a lot of heart, it brings "Star Trek" full circle from its earliest origins, when Gene Roddenberry wrote his first treatment of "Star Trek" back in March of 1964. With the conclusion of "The Counter-Clock Incident," the first phase of "Star Trek" was now truly over -- but as we all know, the human adventure was just beginning. You can support "Enterprise Incidents" by making a generous donation right here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/enterpriseincidents You can follow "Enterprise Incidents" on social media at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EnterpriseIncidents Twitter @enterincidents Follow Scott Mantz @moviemantz on Twitter and Instagram Follow Steve Morris @srmorris on Twitter and @srmorris1 on Instagram

The Enterprise follows a propulsion trail left behind by an alien space probe that scanned Earth, only to become trapped by an alien ship that takes the form of a massive winged serpent. The Enterprise helmsman, Ensign Walking Bear, recognizes the form as Kukulkan, a deity whose presence on Earth traces back to ancient Aztec and Mayan civilizations. After all this time, Kukulkan has returned and demands to be worshipped by the Enterprise crew. Of course, Captain Kirk isn't going to let that happen. With "The Animated Series" winding down, it went out on a high note with its penultimate episode, "How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth," which was the first "Star Trek" episode to feature a Native American as an Enterprise crew member. It also has the distinction of being the episode that won "Star Trek" its 1975 Emmy Award for Outstanding Entertainment: Children's Program (it also won the Peabody Award). No animated TV series could go out on a higher note than that. Guest: John Rocha (Host: The Cine-Files, The Geek Buddies, The Hot Mic) You can support Enterprise Incidents by making a donation right here (think of it as a "tip jar"): ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/enterpriseincidents⁠ You can follow Enterprise Incidents on social media at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EnterpriseIncidents Twitter: @enterincidents Follow Scott Mantz @moviemantz on Twitter and Instagram Follow Steve Morris @srmorris on Twitter and @srmorris1 on Instagram

Following a successful mission to deliver medical supplies to a planet in the Dramian star system, Dr. McCoy is accused of causing a plague that wiped out the population of another planet where he performed a mass inoculation many years before. In an effort to investigate the charges, Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock take the Enterprise to Dramia II, where they meet a plague survivor who turns out to be a key witness in McCoy's defense. But soon after they beam back to the Enterprise, the entire crew falls ill, except for the immune Mr. Spock, who now has to race against time to find a cure and save the crew. While rebounding significantly from "The Practical Joker," "Albatross" still falls short of the best of "The Animated Series" due to a flawed teleplay that's ripe with contrivances. But as always, it has its merits, and in true "Star Trek" fashion, "Albatross" is redeemed by the core relationship between Kirk, Spock and McCoy, in which two of them will do anything to save the other. You can support Enterprise Incidents by making a donation right here (think of it as a "tip jar"): https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/enterpriseincidents You can follow Enterprise Incidents on social media at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EnterpriseIncidents Twitter: @enterincidents Follow Scott Mantz @moviemantz on Twitter and Instagram Follow Steve Morris @srmorris on Twitter and @srmorris1 on Instagram

In an effort to evade an attack by three Romulan warships, the Enterprise passes through a mysterious energy cloud that causes ship's computer to develop a sentient consciousness and start playing practical jokes on it's crew. At first, the jokes seem harmless enough, but as the frequency increases, so does the danger to the crew, unless Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock can reverse the process. There's nothing like a good comedic episode of "Star Trek" to shake up the formula, like "The Trouble with Tribbles" and "A Piece of the Action" did with "The Original Series." Unfortunately, "The Animated Series" deserved better than "The Practical Joker," which falls short of its potential due to a weak teleplay that's full of plot contrivances. But the episode does have one redeeming grace: The first appearance of what later came to be known as the Holodeck, which would go on to be featured in many popular episodes of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," including the series premiere. You can support Enterprise Incidents by making a donation right here (think of it as a "tip jar"): https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/enterpriseincidents You can follow Enterprise Incidents on social media at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EnterpriseIncidents Twitter: @enterincidents Follow Scott Mantz @moviemantz on Twitter and Instagram Follow Steve Morris @srmorris on Twitter and @srmorris1 on Instagram

For our deep dive of "Bem," we're honored to welcome our very special guest Bill Reed, who directed all six episodes from the second season of "Star Trek: The Animated Series." While on an exploratory mission of the newly discovered planet Delta Theta III, the Enterprise crew is joined by honorary commander Ari Bn Bem, a Pandorian observer whose questionable actions while on board the Enterprise have made Captain Kirk suspicious about his motives. His suspicions are quickly proven correct when Bem sabotages the landing party, leading to their capture by the primitive reptilian beings that inhabit the planet. Kirk and Spock attempt to escape, only to discover the presence of a powerful non-corporeal alien entity that is protecting the natives in an effort to guide them towards intelligence. Written by David Gerrold, who wrote the classic original series episode "The Trouble with Tribbles," "Bem" is a terrific, ambitious and cerebral episode that -- like many of the best episodes of "The Original Series" -- finds the Enterprise crew being humbled by the presence of a very powerful race. You can support Enterprise Incidents by making a donation right here (think of it as a "tip jar"): https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/enterpriseincidents You can follow Enterprise Incidents on social media at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EnterpriseIncidents Twitter: @enterincidents Follow Scott Mantz @moviemantz on Twitter and Instagram Follow Steve Morris @srmorris on Twitter and @srmorris1 on Instagram

We're excited to be joined on "Enterprise Incidents" by New York Times-bestselling author Howard Weinstein, who wrote "The Pirates of Orion" for "Star Trek: The Animated Series" when he was 19-year-old! While en route to the planet Deneb V to attend a Federation conference, the Enterprise alters course to rendezvous with the S.S. Huron after Mr. Spock falls ill from a rare disease. The Huron is carrying the only known cure, but it is also carrying a sizable shipment of precious dilithuim. When an Orion ship attacks to seize both shipments, Captain Kirk must race against time to secure the counteragent for the disease, or Mr. Spock will die. "The Pirates of Orion" was the first episode of the otherwise brief second season of "The Animated Series" (running only six episodes), but it started the season on a strong note with an exciting story about the close relationship between Kirk, Spock and McCoy, making it feel like a vintage episode of "Star Trek." Be sure to check out Howard Weinstein's latest book "Galloway's Gamble 2," as well as many of his "Star Trek" novels, through his website at http://www.howardweinsteinbooks.com You can support Enterprise Incidents by making a donation right here (think of it as a "tip jar"): https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/enterpriseincidents You can follow Enterprise Incidents on social media at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EnterpriseIncidents Twitter: @enterincidents Follow Scott Mantz @moviemantz on Twitter and Instagram Follow Steve Morris @srmorris on Twitter and @srmorris1 on Instagram

In case you missed it theaters on April 19, 2023, here’s the full IMAX Live Q&A for the series finale of "Star Trek: Picard" moderated by "Enterprise Incidents" co-host Scott Mantz -- Listen to the entire conversation with Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner, Michael Dorn, Jeri Ryan, showrunner Terry Matalas and executive producer Alex Kurtzman! You can support Enterprise Incidents by making a donation right here (think of it as a "tip jar"): https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/enterpriseincidents You can follow Enterprise Incidents on social media at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EnterpriseIncidents Twitter: @enterincidents Follow Scott Mantz @moviemantz on Twitter and Instagram Follow Steve Morris @srmorris on Twitter and @srmorris1 on Instagram