This Star Trek Episode Was Almost Completely Different

[00:00:00]Hi, this is Jim from TrekWorld. The Star Trek Special Edition were late 1990s Sci-Fi Channel presentation of the original series. Broadcast as 90-minute TV events from mid-1998 into early 1999.

[00:00:15]They were not newly produced episodes.

[00:00:17]They were repackaged airings of classic Star Trek episodes, often expanded with host segments, trivia, behind-the-scenes material, interviews, and franchise context designed to turn standard reruns into themed special presentations.

[00:00:32]In some cases, the broadcast also used episode edits that differed from earlier syndication versions.

[00:00:38]In simple terms, they were enhanced cable presentations of original Star Trek episodes built to celebrate the series and give viewers extra background around the shows they were watching.

[00:00:49]>> [music] >> The following program is brought to you in living color by TrekWorld.

[00:00:56]>> [music] >> Shatner and Nimoy split the hosting by era. William Shatner fronted the 1998 Special Edition broadcasts, introducing episodes and adding wrap-around commentary, while Leonard Nimoy took over for the 1999 run and hosted the same format for the later broadcasts.

[00:01:23]>> [music] >> Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad. It is an old Latin saying and the title of this next installment of Star Trek.

[00:01:35]We're about to land at a insane asylum on a planet called Elba II. There, we'll meet a once brilliant [music] military leader driven to lunacy, who now wants to conquer and rule the known [music] universe. If this conjures up images of Napoleon in exile, it was intentional on the parts of the writers [music] Lee Erwin and Jerry Sohl.

[00:01:56]Perhaps our fascination with insanity lies in the distorted images we see of ourselves.

[00:02:01]The evil we might do, the greatness we might strive for, the freedom [music] we might feel. In madness, we may see our other selves, the ones that live just below the surface.

[00:02:14]Now, whom gods destroy.

[00:02:21]Yvonne Craig, who plays Marta [music] in this episode, is better known as Batgirl in the classic Batman television series.

[00:02:27]And Keye Luke, who portrays Governor [music] Corey in this installment, had quite the film and television career with roles ranging from the classic The Good Earth to early Charlie Chan movies.

[00:02:39]But his most famous role was the blind Master Po who taught Grasshopper the finer points of martial arts in the television series Kung Fu. [music] If you're getting the impression that Star Trek was getting its children hand-me-down clothes, you're right. In Whom Gods Destroy, Marta's costume was a paired-down version of Vina's slave girl ensemble from The >> [music] >> Cage, and the spacesuits from The Tholian Web make their reappearance together with Dr. Adams' robe. And the neural neutralizer chair is familiar from Daggers of the Mind. Between the skimpy budgets and declining ratings, we were quickly [music] becoming aware that the end was near.

[00:03:29]Trek World is proud to announce their first-ever full-length documentary about Star Trek's Galileo shuttlecraft prop.

[00:03:36]From its earliest hangout at the 20th Century Fox Studio storage lot to rotting in the sun, to a miraculous rebirth and a tour through NASA's Houston Space Center, to the USS Intrepid aircraft carrier, to the Star Trek tour in upstate New York.

[00:03:50]Everywhere this little beauty went, it was experienced by fans.

[00:03:56]And we have their stories, photos, videos, and memories that have never been seen before now.

[00:04:02]Coming this Christmas 2026, follow Trek World on social media or visit us at trek-world.com for the latest upcoming information.

[00:04:11]The inside segments were short, inserted mini features inside the special editions. Running about 2 to 3 minutes, they cut away from the episode to let cast members reflect on characters, production stories, and the making of the series, adding fresh context around the original broadcast.

[00:04:31]I think that Star Trek is the electronic equivalent [music] of comfort food. I I just don't watch a whole lot of television.

[00:04:38]I was supposed to be loving and strict and sexy. I was not a T- T&A actress, I was just carefree and [music] efficient all in one woman. Well, I I taught him how to eat meat. That's a lot to ask. Another show that I always wanted to be on and and never got hired was Batman.

[00:05:00]I wanted to be in Batman. Who doesn't know what Star Trek is? I was always pretty resentful that I never got hired in that show. But I got, you know, it got made up for it by being in [music] Star Trek.

[00:05:12]>> Nobody is is doing anything for for humanity because of Charlie's Angels, but I think they are doing it because of Star Trek.

[00:05:27]>> [music] >> What is your reaction, Mr. Spock?

[00:05:32][music] Well, I find it uh mildly interesting and somewhat nostalgic.

[00:05:39]>> [music] >> I'm recognized for Lucera almost as much as Catwoman. I want to touch you.

[00:06:02]Beauty survives. [music] My fellow Colanders, I, Lucera, wish you well.

[00:06:14]>> [screaming] >> We're all creatures of of our time. Or we certainly are creatures of a time that strikes the loudest, strongest chord within us. By that I mean you can get older and still, you know, you there are women today wearing their hair in the quaffs of the 1930s.

[00:06:38]Elderly women whose hairstyle hasn't changed are still living in that time.

[00:06:45]I admit I'm getting a little gray, but radiation will do that to you. Star [music] Trek, frozen in its image of the of the '60s, is a product of its time and I think that I can't remember that anybody on that show had a previous history where they were stuck.

[00:07:07]It seems to me that in those turbulent years when each headlight time you woke up there was a new headline [music] that offered uh new drama and potential uh disaster.

[00:07:22]>> NO! [screaming] AND WE KIND of winded our way through those times and people writing uh a story had that rat-a-tat-tat of the times, of that rhythm of the times, beaten into their head and it had to reflect on the typewriter keys.

[00:07:53]>> [music] >> I was recently talking to a drummer whose language [music] was chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga you know that's the way he described what he does. Jim, what are you doing?

[00:08:05]Digging a grave? I do chugga chugga pop pop pop chugga pop pop. Well, in the 60s we [music] were doing pop pop pop chugga chugga chugga chugga boop boop boop and that was the the way the stories in Star Trek went.

[00:08:22]They could teach us a thing or two. I've seen very few of the other ones. I've seen a few of the of of the movies.

[00:08:30]I admire people who enjoy going out and and staying with Star Trek and staying with the adventures and such.

[00:08:38]But again, I come from the original series where we favored drama, where we favored characters over special effects.

[00:08:54]In the other Star Trek series and movies that were made, granted there was drama and there were characters but I think the special effects is is what is is what has driven [music] most OF THE EPISODES.

[00:09:14]QUITE FRANKLY, I PREFER THE ORIGINAL SERIES.

[00:09:47]>> MHM.