The Tholian Web.

The third season of TOS is a divisive one for many Star Trek fans. The fight for survival behind the scenes led to shoestring budgets, sparse sets, unbalanced scripts, and—in eyes of many—questionable directions for Spock. But before this feeling really set in, Judy Burns and Chet Richards delivered a bottle show that put Spock in the command chair, at odds with Bones, and in search of Captain Kirk. What’s more, they delivered one of the franchise’s most intriguing attempts at a truly different alien in the Tholians.

In this episode of The Ready Room we’re joined by Larry Nemecek and Norm Lao to discuss “The Tholian Web,” the mysterious disappearance or the USS Defiant (not that one), Captain Kirk (yes that one), spacesuit design, the poor track record of Constitution-class starships not named Enterprise, Scotty’s love of drinking, and why nerve gas can sometimes save your life.

In our news segment we discuss Simon Pegg and the next Star Trek film script, and the possibility of a TNG reunion on screen.

Running Time: 1 hour 46 minutes 58 seconds

Hosts

Christopher Jones and Larry Nemecek

Guest

Norman C. Lao

Editor and Producer

Christopher Jones

Associate Producer

Renee Roberts

Production Manager

Richard Marquez

Content Coordinator

Will Nguyen

News

Simon Pegg co-writing Star Trek 3 (00:03:07)
Could the TNG crew come back to the screen? (00:15:34)

Feature: The Tholian Web

Intro and Synopsis (00:26:53)
The Original Defiant (00:37:30)
The Roots of the Tholian Web (00:39:27)
An Enterprising Follow-up (00:49:18)
Spock In Command (00:58:41)
Super Spacesuits and Chaos (01:04:42)
Watch with Scotch (01:13:08)
Final Thoughts (01:26:39)
Closing (01:33:38)