Talk:The Empath (episode)

Offsite References
Minara II Walk arround (minara2.netfirms.com)


 * This site contains some pictures of the Minara II surface and a stargate made of LEGO. I don't think that this site is useful in any way... -- Cid Highwind 10:58, 30 Aug 2004 (CEST)

Pictures
I have added some more appropriate pictures and have undertaken a comprehensive summary. I've also made some minor additions, revisions and edits throughout the article. 24 June 2006

m r lewis

Background Cleanup
I removed the following for now because I'm unsure how to rephrase it to avoid POV:
 * The scene where Kirk is transported away by the Vians is well done. The imprint of his body is left behind in the thick dust on the floor, but there are no footprints. Shatner must have been carefully lifted off the floor to make this edit so effective.

I removed the following for being commentary:
 * Spock acts callously toward McCoy by telling him that by knocking Kirk out, he has left Spock in command and that, as the one in command, the Vulcan will be the one to go with the Vians. After this exchange, Gem, concerned at McCoy's hurt feelings, approaches Spock and uses her empathic abilities.  Her look of confusion changes into an understanding smile.  She knows that Spock's mask of cold logic is just a mask and that he is taking this action to protect the others. It is an excellent unspoken moment, well-acted by Kathryn Hays.
 * The episode features costly and time consuming but excellent make-up from Fred Phillips with the large-craniumed Vians.
 * It is never explained how a race of empaths with that level of healing ability never developed compassion. Perhaps compassion for strangers or for creatures outside of her own species was meant.

I removed the following because it's not really that "curious", and is more appropriate as a note on the characters pages: – Cleanse 00:00, 10 December 2007 (UTC)
 * Curiously, both Vians remain nameless throughout the episode. They are only identified in the closing credits.


 * and...
 * A minor continuity error occurs when the landing party first encounters Gem: she is lying on the red triangular center of the dais, but in a close-up she is on the golden carpet that surrounds it.
 * McCoy's tunic goes from polyester before he's tortured to the old velour style after. This was probably done to avoid ruining the newer costume.
 * Nitpics &mdash; Morder 00:02, 19 September 2008 (UTC)
 * And:
 * * The sound stage was surrounded by black curtains to create the bizarre, stark setting of the Vians' experiment. This approach also saved on set costs. At the time, fanzine articles stated that the episode's set design and general ambiance were meant to suggest Expressionist art.
 * Uncited, but probably legit. --Alan 15:45, 15 October 2008 (UTC)

Music
The music used in this episode is very beautiful, and significantly different from the rest of the series (although it was partially used in at least one other episode that I can recall). And since so much information is communicated without dialogue (because, of course, Gem is a mute), there should be some notes about the musical score. --24.57.154.41 22:49, 3 February 2009 (UTC)B. Wall
 * If you are aware of some notes from a production source or other documentation, feel free to add them. As an encyclopedia, though, we can't have opinions about the quality of the music, no matter how good it might be, in articles.--31dot 23:02, 3 February 2009 (UTC)

First season stock footage.
Just removed this because I don't think that's true:
 * This and the shuttlecraft footage reused in  mark the only appearances of first-season view screen stock used in the third season.

What about all the galactic barrier footage, for example? Jackoverfull 23:21, 1 April 2009 (UTC)

Nitpick removed

 * When Kirk, Spock and McCoy first enter the underground station, Kirk picks up a yellow "record tape" from the desk, blows dust off of it and says it "Maybe it can tell us something about the personnel that left here." Spock eventually inserts it into the playback device and it shows a recording of the room with the two scientists in it. On the desk is the record tape, in the same position it was found by Kirk. If the tape was being recorded to, it couldn't have been on the desk for Kirk to find. If a different tape was used to record onto, no one was left to move it to the desk from the recording device and into the same position as the tape on the table.

Removed as a nitpick.--31dot 07:51, May 2, 2010 (UTC)