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Star Trek Season 2 Episode 23

The Omega Glory

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AIRED: 3/1/68

The Enterprise investigates the disappearance of another starship and discovers a planet where the inhabitants are immortal...and engaged in a strange parallel of Earth's Cold War period.

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Fan Episode Reviews (6)

The third of the parallel world clunkers ...

2.0

By peck2000, May 25, 2012

As if "Piece of the Action" and "Patterns of Force" weren't bad enough, here we have an episode that asks us to believe a savage planet on the other side of the galaxy with no contact with Earth could independently evolve a Declaration of Independence ... and Kirk uses this realisation to recite the familar words (would they be as familiar to Kirk in the 23rd Century, when presumably the USA no longer exists?) and prove to the Aliens that he is One of Them ...

It really does stretch the audience's Suspension of Disbelief to the absolute limit.

Pretty terrible, really.moreless
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The worst Star Trek episode ever… "Bottom of the barrel" is probably to good a classification...

1.0

By nunomfilipe, Nov 14, 2011

If ever want to refer to a bad Star Trek episode, in all the different series (and that is well over 500 episodes), this would be the one to mention.

It is incredible how, a series that was so influential in Sci-fi history and that personally I like, can have an episode as bad as this one.

The reason it is this bad has all to do with the plot / story. As a lover of science-fiction in general, I can understand strange and unlikely stories, like time travel, parallel universes, etc.. Not that they exist or could exist (maybe they, maybe they do not), but in this type of episodes the stories are fun and we can follow it. However, now we come to ” The Omega Glory”. A history was about replicating a possible outcome to the America versus the communism fight. The Yang (=Yankees= Americans) have lost a war against the communism and have to fight back to get it back. The problem is not this concept, it is that the parts have names similar to the original and the Yang have the same constitution, declaration of independence and flag. Exactly the same… in a planet light-years way, with no previous contact. Come on. How can believe it? Can you be more egocentric? It is not possible…

Luckily, this is the worst episode and there are not any other this bad. Some better, or not quite as good, but none that is quite this bad…moreless
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The Enterprise finds the crew of the USS Exeter wiped out by an unknown plague, and its only survivor on a planet on which the inhabitants are seemingly immortal, and engaged in a Cold War-like conflict. One of my lesser favourite episodes...moreless

6.5

By Jay-Spacedust, Dec 09, 2010

As my reviews for other episodes around the period of this one probably reflect, I try to find good in even the weaker stories. But in the case of "The Omega Glory" ... this one just didn't work for me, for various reasons.

I wasn't keen that the interior of the USS Exeter looked *exactly* the same as the Enterprise (in an obvious recycling of the Enterprise set) – I would have liked to have seen a different colour scheme, or at very least a couple of details changed. Obviously this was down to budget and time restrictions, but it didn't exactly get the episode off to a good start for me.

The whole 'parallel Cold War' plot also seemed a bit lazy. Bearing in mind that this episode comes close behind "A Piece of the Action" and "Patterns of Force", both of which deal with parallels to Earth time periods, by now – and so close together – the whole concept felt very weak and over-coincidental.

There were some moments and elements that could maybe have been good – the fight sequences, for example, aren't bad, and William Shatner and Morgan Woodward seemed to do most of their own stunts – but for some reason, this whole episode just didn't go down that well with me at all.

Ordinarily I prefer planet-based episodes such as this compared to ship-bound stories, but not with this one.

Maybe I missed something (I confess to my attention wandering a bit later on, due to not really enjoying the episode), but the whole parallel-to-America, flag and Pledge of Allegiance and all, didn't seem fully explained, and far too coincidental. The final act, complete with Kirk's obligatory 'speech of the week', also seemed a bit too preachy for my liking.

Then there was Spock's telepathic thing with the woman that he did simply with his eyes – where did that come from? Did I miss something? As far as I know, this was never used again in the series, and rightly so.

This story was one of several considered as the 'second pilot' to the series. I'm glad they went with "Where No Man Has Gone Before" instead!

All-in-all... not one of my favourites. For the reasons listed above, and for some things that I just can't quite put my finger on. This one just doesn't feel right.moreless
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"My Colors Don't Run," smiled a proud Captain Kirk as he emerged from the Landry room.

6.5

By GeorgeJobson, Dec 09, 2010

Captain Kirk and the crew came upona planet where people pledge to the flag. You might be shock as me as the people of the planet displayed the American flag and Pledge alligence to it. I don't know why the American flag is from another plant. It was pretty intresting, but the episode is confusing. I woul;d lkie this epsiode a lot more if the plot became more clearer. it's a mix bag. I wish the Enterprise would stop going to planets that have no sense and fight the Kingons or something. Where are the Kingons? I don't know. that's why I watch the show.moreless
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Kirk impresses everybody by pledging allegiance to the flag

5.0

By hrtonslv, Dec 09, 2010

Quite a silly plot, huh? It was hard not to roll my eyes around when the American flag came out proudly on display. With all the ridiculousness, the episode is still watchable. "There's no serum! There's no serum! All of this is for nothing!" And even though I am not an ethnocentric person by any stretch of the imagination, it was interesting and informative to hear Kirk get so emotional about what our forefathers were trying to translate to us in it's documents.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Leonard Nimoy	Mr. Spock
William Shatner	Captain James Tiberius Kirk
DeForest Kelley	Dr. Leonard Horatio "Bones" McCoy

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Morgan Woodward	Capt. Ronald Tracey	Guest Star
Roy Jenson	Cloud William	Guest Star
Irene Kelly	Sirah	Guest Star
Paul Baxley	Capt. Kirk's Stunt Double (uncredited)	Recurring Role
Eddie Paskey	Lt. Leslie (uncredited)	Recurring Role
George Takei	Lt. Hikaru Sulu	Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (7)
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- During the final meeting of the Yangs with the flag and all, people in the background are speaking Chinese although there are no Comms present.
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- Cloud William opens the Bible nowhere near the bookmark, but the bookmark is at the opened spot in the close-ups. When he closes it the bookmarks moves to a different spot again.
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- After they enter with the flag and Kirk stands, at least three subsequent close-ups still have him sitting. Finally they catch up and the close-ups show him standing.
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- When Kirk and the landing party beamed about the Exeter's engineering section, when Kirk was speaking on the ship-wide intercom, on the screen, empty rooms were showed and even the engineering section was shown empty, but Kirk and the landing party were in the engineering section.
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- Cloud William slams Kirk - really hard - with a solid iron bar. Yet the captain has nothing more then a minor headache - the whole side of his skull should be shattered!
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- Cloud William says they'll uphold the words of the Constitution. But...they don't know what it means. "E Pleb Neesta" has no meaning to them. Is the Federation going to teach them what the Constitution means, breaking the Prime Directive?
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- Just before the Yangs enter with the flag, Kirk's hair is parted on the wrong side because of the director flipping the shot.
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QUOTES (9)
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- Kirk: (remarking after Spock performs a neck pinch) Pity you can't teach me that.
  Spock: I have tried, Captain.
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- Kirk: Then anything you develop here as a result of all this is useless.
  McCoy: Who knows? It might eventually cure the common cold, but lengthen lives? Poppycock. I can do more for you if you just eat right and exercise regularly.
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- Dr. McCoy: Spock, I've found that evil usually triumphs, unless good is very, very careful.
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- Kirk: Liberty and freedom have to be more than just words.
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- Kirk: Look at these three words written larger than all the rest, and with special pride never written before or since -- tall words, proudly saying "We the people" .. these words and the words that follow ... must apply to everyone or they mean nothing.
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- Sirah: Yes, it is written. Good shall always destroy evil.
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- Cloud William: ... freedom ... is a worship word...
  Kirk: It is our worship word too.
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- Kirk: A star captain's most solemn oath is that he will give his life, even his entire crew, rather than violate the Prime Directive.
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- Kirk: I don't think we have the right or the wisdom to interfere, however a planet is evolving.
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NOTES (5)
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- Morgan Woodward (Capt. Ronald Tracey) previously appeared in a season 1 episode "Dagger of the Mind" as a different character.
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- According to Roy Jenson (Cloud William), while filming this episode, his young son had accidentally swallowed a key to one of his toys. The boy was hospitalized to allow the doctors to determine whether he could pass the key naturally or would require surgery to have it removed. So when not on the set shooting his scenes, Jenson was at the hospital rehearsing his lines with his wife and monitoring his son's condition.
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- This episode was one of three (including "Mudd's Women" and "Where No Man Has Gone Before") considered for use as the show's "2nd pilot". "Where No Man Has Gone Before" was eventually selected as the one to go into production and "Mudd's Women" soon followed. The script for "The Omega Glory" was shelved and later resurrected, rewritten, and rejected twice more before it was finally filmed and aired.
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- Desilu No: 5149-54.
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- An announcement by NBC that Star Trek has been renewed for a third season by the network was transmitted over the end credits of this episode.
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ALLUSIONS (0)
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