Matthew: Elinor Donahue is good as Nancy Hedford. Rather than try to fit their relationship into human molds, try to develop a new framework for a unique relationship. I think it could have also been more interestingly to explore non-romantic concepts of love. It's really no less a convenient plot device than finding aliens who speak perfect English, but it shows that the writers are aware of the problems and take steps, to solve them. Kevin: I appreciate naming the Universal Translator as a thing. Can a human love a non-human romantically and erotically? This is much more interesting than "can a human male love a non-human female?" Why would it then be "female," other than simply to make the story more comfortable for us? It would be a better story, I think, if the Companion were completely alien. Here, it is modified to work with non-corporeal life, giving voice to the Companion - which bring me to one of my story problems: why would a non-corporeal life form have a feminine aspect? If this life form is some sort of manifestation of the planet (as implied in dialogue), there would seem to be no sexual reproduction in its evolutionary path. Although not discussed in this episode, it apparently also alters the brainwaves of humans, allowing them to see alien lips moving in time with English pronunciation. Its basic concept is described in this episode, somehow interpreting brain waves and matching them to similar concepts in humans. Is it a sci-fi idea? Certainly, big-time.
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Matthew: We are introduced to the Universal Translator, a device that was in the original Trek series proposal, Star Trek Is., but was never seen or mentioned until this episode. My one complaint is that for a diplomat, she's pretty non-diplomatic, but I suppose they can't all be serene. I'm just saying it's nice that there are no perishable vaccines on board. I also appreciate that while we again have a high ranking Federation bureaucrat demanding to be taken places to do their job, this one doesn't have to mindlessly ignore some other obligation of Kirk's command to do so. Kevin: I agree it was nice to see the strong female character played with a little more depth than other attempts in the series.
But at least she's a working woman with real hopes, ambitions, and competence, not just some old maid.
We are given the contrast with Hedford, who apparently because she is a working woman is lonely in a different but analogous way.
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I would have liked it to go a little further in terms of the effects on Cochrane - wouldn't he have gone just a little nuts, or forgotten how to talk, or something? Does he have literature? Entertainment? Sexual release? I admit there are things they couldn't do on sixties television - but I would have liked to see more development in areas they could explore. The setup works well, and really makes the viewer think about what it would be like, cut off and alone, with only a strange creature for companionship. Matthew: At its core, this story is about loneliness, and I think in that respect it works.