Fascinating Facts From the Spookiest ‘Star Trek’ Episode

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Spock, Kirk, and BONES

Yearly that passes, an growing variety of Individuals take part in Halloween. In step with analysis carried out by the Nationwide Retail Alliance, 148 million residents plan to participate throughout the spooky pleasurable this yr. The report moreover states that households will spend $94 (on widespread) each on decorations, costumes, candy, and completely different Halloween-related paraphernalia.

As all of that’s occurring, there usually are not any shortage of “Star Trek” costumes out there, and the franchise is trendy with kids, adults, and pets. Even New York Mayor Invoice de Blasio dressed up this 12 months as Captain Kirk (whereas sporting a blue Spock uniform). 

This time of yr usually pushes television displays to create distinctive trip theme episodes — “The Workplace” and “The Simpsons” have achieved this pretty a few situations. “Star Trek” followers debate the necessity of getting holiday-themed episodes on Trek, which is supposed to be previous religion. 

In a Trek bulletin board, one fan summarized this opinion by saying: “maybe throughout the supposed secular future, individuals have achieved away with non secular festivals.” Others disagreed, stating that many Bajoran and Klingon festivals had been celebrated. The Hindu Competitors of Lights (Diwali) moreover acquired a degree out.

Whereas the controversy was energetic, all appeared to agree that it was an excellent issue that Roddenberry’s creation prevented the universally disliked “Star Wars Vacation Particular.” Even “Star Wars” creator George Lucas admitted that TV particular was a mistake. 

Nevertheless, many followers won’t be aware, there’s a Halloween episode. “Catspaw” aired by way of the second season of “The Distinctive Season” and is about as spooky as a Trek episode is perhaps. It featured thick fog, floating our our bodies, skeletons, castles, black cats, and additional. Kirk (William Shatner) even knowledgeable Spock (Leonard Nimoy) that he’d slot in successfully at an Earth celebration of Halloween. It even aired the week of Halloween in 1967.

Trek’s Halloween Episode

“Catspaw” centered spherical two alien beings who took the kind of individuals (and a cat). These characters lured Kirk and quite a few the completely different crew to a planet. They encountered a citadel stuffed with skeletons, dungeons, and completely different points meant to scare the Enterprise crew. Lastly, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy (DeForest Kelley) had been able to outwit these beings, destroy the illusion and escape the planet. By the use of this, Kirk wanted to seduce a beautiful woman (carried out by actress Antoinette Bower) named Sylvia and flee from her as she reworked into an unlimited housecat. 

So, for a lot of who’ve seen and by no means seen “Catspaw,” listed below are 5 fascinating behind the scenes particulars about Trek’s solely trip episode:

“Catspaw” Was Written by the Creator of “Psycho”

Creator Robert Bloch is well-known for penning many memorable science fiction, fantasy, and horror fashion tales, along with pretty a few duties which grew to turn into television episodes and movie plots. For “Star Trek,” he was answerable for 3 tales which had been reworked into episodes. “Catspaw,” “What Are Little Women Made Of,” and “Wolf In The Fold.” Each of these tales had been tailor-made from an earlier written work. 

Bloch wrote “Psycho” in 1959, and director Alfred Hitchcock turned it proper right into a blockbuster film in 1960. 

“Catspaw” Marked the First Look of Chekov

Walter Koenig, solid throughout the place of Ensign Pavel Chekov, made his first look on the Enterprise in “Catspaw.” Koenig made the workforce on account of he resembled The Monkees’ Davy Jones. He knowledgeable TV Insider that he wore a “girl’s wig for my first six or seven episodes” until his hair grew out. 

The Current Used a Prop From “Gilligan’s Island”

CBSThe prop from two well-known Nineteen Sixties TV displays.

Dressing the characters for an alien world was not low-cost. And the cloak worn by actor Theo Marcuse (Korob) was a hand-me-down from “Gilligan’s Island.” As reported by MeTV, actor Bob Denver wore the similar wizard’s cloak throughout the episode “Lovey’s Secret Admirer.” 

A couple of years later, Trek would reference the campy sitcom as soon as extra. This time, it was on “Star Trek: Voyager,” the place the lyrics from the well-known “Gilligan’s Island” theme had been displayed on a laptop show display. 

Had been the Three Witches a Nod to “Macbeth?”

Whereas not talked about throughout the story or script as a reference to the essential play by William Shakespeare, on the ground, evidently the three witches in “Catspaw” is prone to be a nod to the Three Witches in “Macbeth.” The witches in “Catspaw” moaned and warned Kirk, Spock, and McCoy to depart the planet; their voices had been moreover paying homage to the vocals in “2001,” when the early people encountered the Monolith. 

Bloch Referenced H.P. Lovecraft

The well-known horror creator, H.P. Lovecraft, took a youthful Robert Bloch beneath his wing. Attributable to this, Bloch is alleged to have been a devotee of Lovecraft and made references to Lovecraft’s mythos in his private work. These can be taught additional about their relationship by way of their collected letters.

For people who couldn’t know, Lovecraft created the Cthulhu monster and mythos in his 1928 work, “The Name of Cthulhu.” The Cthulhu, typically often called the “Nice Inexperienced Historical One,” was an alien that terrorized individuals shut by with its tentacled look and mind-bending powers. Lovecraft’s writings have impressed video video games, board video games, and a number of movies.  

Bloch referenced the “Historic Ones” in every “Catspaw” and in “What Are Little Women Made Of.” Might this suggest that ultimately, a “Star Trek” story may perform the Cthulhu?

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