tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post2531513825348397844..comments2024-03-28T14:49:36.133-04:00Comments on John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Cult Movies and Classic TV: Star Trek 50th Anniversary Blogging: "Is There in Truth No Beauty?" (October 18, 1968)John Kenneth Muirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-21817260174982362132017-04-27T18:18:13.635-04:002017-04-27T18:18:13.635-04:00Great review of this criminally neglected (and one...Great review of this criminally neglected (and one of my personal top five) Star Trek episode. You are spot on in how this emotionally meaty episode touches upon so many of the cornerstones of the Star Trek philosophy, and just how astoundingly ahead of its time the show was. One could argue that TOS was the most progressive series ever to air on network television.<br /><br />Besides the incredible and complex performance by the sensational Diana Muldaur, I would also like to point out the gorgeous work of composer George Duning, whose score (as it did in "Metamorphosis" and "The Empath") enhances the episode immeasurably. James J. Caterinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01457868136494514710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-47384177894603435832017-04-26T01:27:24.033-04:002017-04-26T01:27:24.033-04:00John,
This is a really great examination of "...John,<br />This is a really great examination of "Is There In Truth No Beauty." Kollos, speaking through Spock, is one of the high points, not just for the Third Season but the entire series as well.<br />Miranda, as presented here, is somewhat similar to her literary antecedent from Shakespeare's The Tempest: a woman on an island (or, in this case, the Enterprise) whose beauty is striking to those who look upon her. Since Jean Lisette Aroeste, the writer of the episode, has already invoked the mythical Medusa, might Miranda be likened to the Sirens of legend, whose beauty caused destruction to men who came too close to them?<br />Marvick's love is passion carried to its extremes, leading to doom. Kirk's love is intrigue and fascination, giving way to anger when betrayed. McCoy's love is almost a form of pity. Miranda invokes strong emotions in all of these men, and even Spock falls prey to Miranda's presence in a roundabout way.<br />The story's beauty is that, as we learn more about Miranda, we learn more about the others around her. She is presented as superficially beautiful and Kollos is externally ugly. Then, the script is flipped, and we find that Miranda's beauty masks a hidden ugliness, while Kollos is one of the most beautiful creatures we've ever encountered. Yet they can be both - in the end, Miranda has learned to give more freely of herself, that her beauty, like a rose, has thorns, but that's who she is, and she accepts it.<br />The photography and wide angle lenses used in this episode are striking. The music and visual effects really elevate "Is There In Truth No Beauty" into a wondrous hour of television. As a kid, this episode kind of freaked me out, but it has grown into one of my favorite Star Trek episodes. Like anything that is truly beautiful, you find things to admire with each viewing. It stands the test of time.<br />SteveAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13101722769411384962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-71932571910173436322017-04-25T19:30:10.713-04:002017-04-25T19:30:10.713-04:00I have a soft spot for this episode and regard it ...I have a soft spot for this episode and regard it as a little gem on the order of "Metamorphosis" in that it causes reflection on adult relationships and the things people will not admit to themselves. <br /><br />Rather than especially sexist, I regard Kirk and McCoy's admiration of Miranda's beauty as part of their admiration of Miranda. They admire her expertise as well, but the dialog drawing attention to her beauty and self-possession is how we realize she's successfully made them unaware of her blindness. But they notice she's overcompensating, that she's erected a shield against compassionate feeling for anyone but Kollos. They understand romantic love whereas she's afraid of it, thinking it a weakness to which she cannot admit. Yet she flings her relationship with Kollos in Marvick's face despite knowing how he feels about her and how it pains him. <br /><br />Nor will she admit she's using her position as Kollos' interlocutor as much to keep others away from Kollos as to assist him. Everyone's trying to tell her she's already an admirable achiever who can afford balance in her life, yet Miranda is so afraid of being diminished that she does not see she is still blind. It's when she can admit that her possessiveness is driven by fear--fear of losing her purpose if Kollos isn't dependent on her, fear of finding out whether Kollos might return her feelings for him, fear that letting anyone into her life will somehow destroy her independence--that she finds her true weakness was fear, not love. And then she is able to truly overcome her blindness. Miranda has learned that truth and beauty are not mutually exclusive. <br /><br />"Is There in Truth No Beauty" is an episode title that might have been written by Stirling Silliphant for Naked City or Route 66, for which he wrote suggestively poetic or ironic titles like "Kiss the Maiden All Forlorn", "How Much a Pound is Albatross?", "To Dream Without Sleep", "And if Any Are Frozen, Warm Them", "Torment Him Much and Hold Him Long", etc. Sherinoreply@blogger.com