Description
"Metamorphosis," Ep. 31 - Kirk and his landing party are held prisoner by an alien on a planet whose only human inhabitant had reportedly died over a century before! "Friday's Child," Ep. 32 - A heroic deed by Kirk on Capella IV proves to be his undoing when the Capellan natives and an interfering Klingon agent turn against him.
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"Metamorphosis"
Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr.McCoy (DeForest Kelley) accompany a Federation ambassador (Elinor Donahue of Father Knows Best) aboard a shuttle bound for a rendezvous with the Enterprise. The ambassador, Commissioner Nancy Hedford, needs to be treated for possible contact with an alien disease, and she haughtily insists her escorts get through this interruption in her work as quickly as possible. But a vaporous, translucent life form called "the Companion" has other ideas, traveling across space in search of humans who can ease the loneliness of a pilot (Glenn Corbett) marooned on a barren planet for more than a century. Kirk, however, offers the stranded man an alternative: a return to civilization. Whether he wants it or not is another matter--he and the Companion share an extraordinary intimacy of the mind and heart. A kind of chamber drama largely set in a single locale, "Metamorphosis" was written by series producer Gene L. Coon and directed by frequent Trek helmsman Ralph Senensky. Guest stars Corbett and Donahue are a bit monotonous in their performances, a little under par for a guest shot on the series. But Coon's story compensates with another fascinating application of one of his pet themes: empathy shared between different species. Kirk and Spock's knowing looks, as they begin to understand the Companion's true feelings for her captive man, alone make this episode worth watching. (Trivia note: An earlier incarnation of Corbett's character, warp-drive inventor Zefram Cochrane, was played by James Cromwell in Star Trek: First Contact.) --Tom Keogh "Friday's Child"
Our favorite Starfleet trio, Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) beam down to Capella IV to convince the resident warrior race to sign up with the Federation. Unfortunately, a Klingon agent named Kras (Tige Andrews) has preceded them and set enough doubt into play that the take-no-prisoners Capellans decide to give Kirk and company a hostile reception. Written by story editor D.C. (Dorothy) Fontana, "Friday's Child" has the broad outlines of a Western, with the good guys getting rebuffed by hostile Indians and a final showdown with crude weapons set up in the barren hills. Julie Newmar's guest role as Eleen, wife of a former ruler and a pawn in the barbed politics between Kirk, Kras, and the Capellans, even has something of the frightened native princess about it. Viewers hoping to catch Newmar in a Capellan catsuit, however (an extension of her iconic, sleek presence as Catwoman in the old Batman television series), will be sorely disappointed: Eleen is quite pregnant, fit to burst, and placed in McCoy's capable hands. Trek stalwart Joseph Pevney directed this action-adventure piece, which contains one of the good doctor's most memorable utterances, spoken when Eleen expects McCoy to carry her up a steep hill: "I'm a doctor, not an escalator!" --Tom Keogh
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 TOS Metamorphosis / Friday's Child, 2001-06-03
"Metamorphosis" is the best "love story" in the 2nd season of TOS. Fred Steiner's music is absolutely beautiful and enchanting. BEST SCENE: Companion/Hedford looking at Cochrane thru the upraised scarf. It's a tear-jerker. "Friday's Child" A fairly good episode even though some people disliked it. GOOF: Watch Tige Andrews when he descends the rocks,he falls down on his rear end!
The Absolute Best Trek Episode is on this Volume; the One Must-Have for Your Collection!, 2006-10-02
This volume contains my favourite and what I believe to be the best ever classic Trek episode. "Metamorphosis" is also one of the best ever sci-fi episodes as it incorporates so many themes and as a plot and storyline is one of the best that I have ever seen.
Not only do we get the great Cochrane here whose story goes on and is brought up again in the TNG movie about the Borg but we also get a very touching example of totally giving, unconditional love that is a real tear-jerker. Like the "Chronicles of Narnia" and "The Lord of the Rings", the analogy of the theme to unconditional love and self-sacrifice is as clear as day here.
The acting is also superb and this episode is consistently good from beginning to end; I struggle to find any fault with this episode as compared to any of the others. Just a briliant episode! This episode alone makes this volume a must have.
"Friday's Child" is also a very good episode as our heroes meet the Klingons again and the action takes place both on the planet below as well as in space making this among the best action classic Trek episodes ever. Again the acting here is first class and the theme of self-giving for the sake of others is present here in the selfless deed of the "tier" at the end.
If you decide you only want to get one volume of this entire series, let it be this one which represents the best of classic Trek.
Highly recommended.
To Touch the hand of man, 2006-12-23
Captain Kirk and Spock are transporting Commissioner Nancy Hedford, to the Enterprise, for treatment of Sakuro's disease, a disease that attacks the immunity system leaving the victim fevered and weak. The disease is rare with only one in a billion chance of acquiring the disease. Commissioner Hedford is a key negotiator in the war faction talks of Epsilon Caneris III. Enroute, the shuttle Gallieo detects a cloud of ionized hydrogen moving at warp speed and capable to changing direction with the shuttle. The ionized cloud surrounds the shuttle and forces lands them on a asteriod/planet Gamma Canaris N with life sustaining temperature of 75 degrees and an atmosphere similar to earth. The atmosphere is suitable to human life. Spocks discovers that not is wrong with the shuttle, but nothing works. Communications are also nonfunctional or seemingly blocked. A man name Cochrane approaches the landing party and asks, "Are you real?" It is immediately acknowledgable that Cochrane is federation, when he observes that Spock is Vulcan. Cochrane is the inventor of Warp drive. First contact by the Federation was with the Vulcans. Cochrane has been alive for 150 year without dieing, in fact, the aging process has been reverse bringing him into his prime. Cochrane tells Spock that a dampening field surrounds the planet and power won't work. Kirk observes that Cochrane talks a lot but does not say much. Cochrane tells the grew that when he arrived on the planet 150 years previous that he was an old man but the companion rejuvenated him, saying, "I'm a young man. I can communicate with it". Commissioner Hedford fever is climbing and death will occur in a few hours. The companion sought to save Cochrane by bringing the enterprise crew to the planet because Cochrane told the companion, he was dieing of lonliness. Cochrane tells Kirk, "immortality consists largely of boredom". Cochrane can communicate nonverbally with the companion. Kirk observes the joining is more like lovers than animal and host. Kirk tells Cochrane about advances in space travel and uncharted worlds to discover and asks if Cochrane is interested; Kirk tells Cochrane, "the companion is keeping you a prisoner", "we are getting you out of here". Cochrane was to explore the universe. Cochrane agrees to participate in neuralizing the companion and journey to the stars with the enterprise but feels guilty calling himself a "Judas Goat". Kirk says to Spock, "How do you fight a thing like that?". In a previous scene, Spock is confront by the companion at the shuttle craft while he attempts to bring the power online; Spock attempts to probe the Companions but Companion response with a severe electric shock directed at Spock; Spocks learns from the experience that the companion is electrical and designs an electric disruptor, to injure the companion. Spocks electric disruptor only infuriates the companion, who nearly suffocates Kirk and Spock. Spocks logic fails. Is underestimation/arrogance of an opponent a logic behavior or a human behavior? I call his actions arrogant. Spocks arrogance nearly kills himself and the captain. Cochrane final calms the companion enough to spare them. Spock modifies the universal translator to translate the companions brains in English. The companion provides for Cochranes comfort; Kirk perceives the companion thinks the man, Cochrane is a toy; the companion says, "I care for him"; Kirk tells the companion that Cochrane and her are different, they can't join, they can't love, they will always be separate and apart, the companion must be human to love, the companion will not have the power to create life. Kirk tells Spock that sometimes love expresses itself as sacrifice; if the companion loves Cochrane, she may be willing to sacrifice herself for Cochranes happiness. The companion saves Commissioner Hedford, "both are here in one body" saving the commissioner from death. Apparently Hedford is not a prisoner in her own body. Kirk tells the companion, now that she has combined with the human there is nothing to stop her from experiencing death. The companion says the sacrifice was worth it, to touch the hand of man. Cochrane tells the companion she is beautiful. Cochrane decides to stay with the companion and ask Kirk a favor; the favor of silence about them; they plan on growing old and dieing together.
 TOUCHING TREK!!!, 2002-08-20
Star Trek Volume 16 has 2 different episodes dealing with different issues: love and conflict. The first episode here deals with love and companionship. While the other deals with hate and conflict.METAMORPHOSIS is one of Trek's better love tales. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy accompany an ill Assistant Federation Commissioner Nancy Hedford on the Galileo shuttle to the Enterprise. However the shuttle is pulled off course by a mysterious cloud entity and sent safely to the planet Gamma Carnaris N. There Kirk and his party meet Zephram Cochrane, the man whom discovered warp drive 100 years before. He appears young and vital and Cochrane explains that the cloud like entity called 'the companion' has kept him young all these years. However when the crew tries to leave with Cochrane the companion refuses to allow them to leave. Kirk discovers that the companion has a female personality and after realizing that Cochrane has fallen in love with Nancy Hedford it decides to bond with the Assistant Commissioner to save her life from the deadly Sakuro's disease she suffers from. This is truly one of Trek's most touching stories. Simply wonderful. The other episode features Julie Newmar as a guest star in FRIDAY'S CHILD. This episode definetly has more action than the previous episode on this DVD but it doesn't necessarily make it a better episode. The crew lands down on Capella IV in order to have a mining treaty signed. However a Klingon negotiator named Kras has also arrived on the planet trying to get the same treaty signed. If the Starfleet/Klingon Empire conflict isn't enough The Capellans are in a sort of bizarre civil war. And when Capellan rebels murder the Teer Akaar, Kirk fears that Eleen his pregnant widow is going to be killed next and therefore Kirk, Eleen and the others are on the run from the Capellans and Kras.
FRIDAY'S CHILD is a decent episode but it's standard Trek at best and in comparison to METAMORPHOSIS it's nothing special. Except the 'oochie woochie koo' bit at the end of FRIDAY'S CHILD: thats priceless! Overall a decent collection but not necessarily the most essential DVD in this series. Still METAMORPHOSIS is a definite must see. Recommended!
The Fun Continues..., 2002-10-15
REVIEWED ITEM: Star Trek® Original Series DVD Volume 16: Metamorphosis© / Friday's Child© METAMORPHOSIS© PRELIMINARY BRIEFS: Moral, Ethical, and/or Philosophical Subject(s) Driven Into The Ground: Love & Companionship / Mortality / Freedom & Captivity Historical Milestone: The first appearance of warp-drive inventor Zephram Cochrane Expendable Enterprise Crewmember (`Red Shirt') Confirmed Casualty List: None REVIEW/COMMENTARY: This particular outing in the classic Trek mythos is one of a handful of eppies that have been used as a weapon in the war between the old-school Trekkies and the NextGen crowd. The big deal is as follows: How can Zephram Cochrane go from a rather large-framed, tall and handsome man with a somewhat cheerful demeanor (as played by Glenn Corbett in this episode) to a gaunt, haggard, somewhat pessimistic alcoholic with dreams of avarice (as played by James Cromwell in Star Trek™: First Contact©)? Then the old-schoolers gripe about how the new Cochrane isn't heroic enough, and the NextGen guys counter with the notion that the old Zef was too idealized, and didn't have enough faults and human weaknesses. But in my opinion the most important question in this debate is: why would anybody care one way or another? I mean, c'mon, guys, it's a freakin' TV show! Okay, so it is one of the greatest cult shows ever made, and consistently conveys an optimistic look at humanity's future, but still! You know, Shatner was right on the money when he told those Trekkies in that SNL sketch to "get a life!" Yeah, yeah-like I'm one to talk, right? And just where was I going with this, anyway? Nowhere it seems, which means it's time for me to move on... FRIDAY'S CHILD© PRELIMINARY BRIEFS: Moral, Ethical, and/or Philosophical Subject(s) Driven Into The Ground: Strength & Weakness / Compassion & Mercy Notable Gaffe / Special DE-fect: Remember Star Trek IV, where Chekov was inquiring where the 'nuclear wessels' were? Well, in this episode, he has no trouble pronouncing the word "vessel" with a V instead of a W! Expendable Enterprise Crewmember (`Red Shirt') Confirmed Casualty List: 1 dead REVIEW/COMMENTARY: If you've been looking for a classic Trek eppie that has more action than usual, 'Friday's Child' ain't too likely to disappoint. Sure, it still has that element of melodrama along with the usual morality play that's the staple of every Star Trek™ show, but at least you get to see the kinda funky hand-to-hand battle sequences that helped make this show the goofy cheese-fest it is today and forever more! Then there's Kirk & Spocks' on-the-fly production of bows & arrows, as well as their unbelievably accurate marksmanship with the weapons! Throw in a devious Klingon agent and a guest shot by an alumnus from the Batman™ TV show (Julie Newmar), and you've got... um... well, sortuva connection between the two classic 60s cult TV faves. Kinda like that game where you try to connect another actor with Kevin Bacon in six steps or less, you know? Anyhoo, I'm pretty sure the anti-spousal-abuse activists will cringe at the scene where McCoy and his expectant patient (Ele'en, played by the aforementioned Newmar) exchange a couple of slaps to each others' faces. But despite their somewhat tumultuous start, she eventually warms up to him-- well, except for that time where she belts him in the back of the head with a rock-- and finally honors his assistance by naming her kid after him and the captain. It's such a (sniff) beautiful thing, you know? It (sob) gets me right here... 'Late
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