"Bread and Circuses" Full Reaction! - Star Trek: The Original Series Season 2

Ohh thanks! I didn't think to research what "Bread and Circuses" was referring to!

bunnytails

Ohh nice! Thanks for the trivia!

bunnytails

I really loved the Merik redemption!

bunnytails

Oh, I will! Maybe on a movie night so we can all watch together! I have not decided.

bunnytails

Haha yeah I really loved the curves line! The whole episode was a delight.

bunnytails

Oh, thanks for the explanations! I didn't even know there was a significantly different East and West side of the Roman Empire. I'd love to learn more about it.

bunnytails

Space Romans....Space Christians.... sigh

Carlos Stevens

I don’t know what your feelings are about a re-watch, but I would love to see you react again to Wrath of Khan after you finish the Original Trilogy.

Trilogian

Proconsul Claudius Marcus had only contempt for Merik. He did not see him as a man the way he saw Kirk. Seeing Kirk, Merik was reminded he had failed himself and his crew. Merik redeemed himself at the end by saving Kirk, Spock, McCoy. Also, I’ve been watching this episode since I was six years old, and I totally spaced the remaining crew of SS Beagle left behind until you mentioned it! 🤯

Trilogian

Really enjoying the comments section! You guys are great. I've always enjoyed this episode. Gene Coon once again included some excellent character interaction and development in emphasizing the mutual friendship between the senior officers. I'm happy you enjoyed it too, Bunny! Roddenberry was likely responsible for the amount of satirical commentary on the state of television. He famously had numerous problems with NBC on a variety of issues. This is probably why the episode was broadcast so late in the season - it was the 14th episode produced and the 25th to air. The only note of actor trivia I have to offer (without spoilers for season three) is this: the announcer at the studio is Bart LaRue, who provided several voice-overs for the series. First as Trelane's father (The Squire of Gothos), later as one of the Providers (The Gamesters of Triskelion). He also appeared on camera as a Nazi newscaster (Patterns of Force). But his most notable work on TOS has to be the voice of the Guardian of Forever.

Lee

Another terrific reaction to a significant TOS episode! Many great scenes, mixing dire situations with character insights and moments of humor. I remember watching TOS as kid during its first run on NBC. At the end of the episode, they would always show scenes from the following week as "The Next Voyage." One of the clips they showed for "Bread and Circuses" was McCoy confronting Spock in their cell with his line about not being afraid to die because he was more afraid of living. When I saw the clip, I could NOT WAIT until the next week to see what the hell THAT was all about! I always took Marcus's shaming Merrick's manhood not as being gay, but as being a lowly coward, therefore unworthy of respect. In the late '60s, this was a pretty common theme, especially in Westerns. But as many stories go, this episode has the bad guy coming through for the good guys in the end, but he still has to die to atone for his acknowledged sins against the his humanity. A sacrifice of redemption. Great stuff! Some references: "Bread and circuses" was a Roman political phrase that meant ways of appeasing the general population, keeping them happy with food and entertainment to distract them from thinking too much about the real affairs of the government. And then, in our 4th Century AD, Constantine was the first Roman Emperor to embrace Christianity, bringing about the Roman Cathoiic Church, ending the historic traditions of the Roman gods, and began to spread the Word of the Son across Europe and beyond. But of course, on the world of this episode, it was happening in their 20th century.

J. Scott Phillips

First off, you resetting the episode and the count about 2:30 in threw me off! I guess something happened on your end that caused you to have to reset, but I had to scramble to re-set the episode on my end and then sync it back up to you starting over again. LOL I totally agree with the comments made above, and I'll add some more -- putting my history degree to some good use here again. :) I've always considered this to be a 'meh' episode for me, but hearing your detailed and insightful take on it has caused me to reconsider and I rank this one a bit higher now for me. It's on several people's lists of 'underrated episodes' and I can understand why, even if some of the things and ideas this episode uses are kind of forced and rub me the wrong way. First off -- another 'cheap' episode to make with another 'Earth like world'. I don't think they were running out of ideas, just money! Star Trek was always done on such a tiny budget. I do love the idea though of a 'modern Rome' where the Empire did not collapse but survived to the present day, and what might have happened to it. "Bread and Circuses" was a term invented by the Roman poet Juvenal in a poem he wrote called Satire. It made reference to the fact that the Roman elite did not really do anything for their people but were just concerned about staying in power. Hence to keep the people happy they were given food and entertainment -- less they realize how bad their lot in life actually was and would rise up and overthrow the government. The term still is used in the modern day to mean the same thing (what some people argue the US is doing to it's people, etc.) The government of this 'modern Rome' didn't make any sense to me and I don't blame you for being confused. Clearly the Proconsul Claudius Marcus wields a lot of power, but I don't know why the writers used that position. In the days of the Roman Republic, a Proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. (and just like 'Bread and Circuses' the term is also used in recent history, this time for officials with delegated authority.). Two counsels were elected by the Senate every year to rule and govern the Republic for a term of one year, and their proconsuls acted for them, and just under them. The position lasted into the Empire, but lost a lot of it's power. I have to assume there's a Emperor here -- perhaps Marcus was just the one assigned to 'deal' with these people cause they were part of the same 'Barbarian' culture that Merik came from. And in regards to Merik, the impression I always had was that he couldn't find the materials here on the world to repair his ship, and decided to take Marcus's offer to join him in power -- Merik would be well treated and wield some power, and Marcus got to learn a lot such as about the Prime Directive and used that knowledge to help elevate his own power. Merik tricked his crew to come down and they were given a choice -- join Roman society peacefully as he did, or be sentenced to the games and be killed. But Merik always knew that he wasn't seen as a equal, that he was being 'used' by Marcus, and things came to a head when during the matters with Kirk he realized all of that fully and decided he had to help, at the cost of his life. I agree with you totally about that scene with McCoy and Spock in the jail cell, and LOT at the edit cut you made at the end. About the rise of Christianity -- the Romans didn't have a problem with the faith itself. Romans allowed you to worship pretty much anyone or anything you wanted (there were numerous cults and religions across the Empire). However, they DID insist that you also worship the Emperor as the head of the Empire and pay homage to him as well as tribute, and that was something early Christians refused to do, so they were persecuted due to that. I don't think the rise of Christianity was a major reason why the Roman Empire fell, IMHO. I also question the fact that slavery is even still going on in a Empire with about mid 20th century technology. Slavery existed partly cause of the need for cheap labor to work the fields and such. As societies got more advanced and industrialized, the need for that decreased, so the system was finally done away with. It is mentioned how the slaves have a lot of rights now, but I feel like they would have become fully Roman Citizens by now. Homosexuality was common in the Empire (and hoodwinked at) so I would not be surprised if the writers decided to include hints of that with how the characters were written. All in all, as always, thanks for a detailed and thoughtful reaction and you've caused me to look at this episode in a new light now. BTW the guns used in this episode were Danish Madsen M-50 submachine guns -- popular guns of the time. This episode is ALSO the source of one the more famous (and in my opinion, funniest) bloopers that happened on the show. In the part where Kirk, McCoy, and Spock escape their cell, you see three guards run in from the hallway across from them. Apparently someone either polished the floor too well or their shoes, cause the poor men couldn't stop on a dime as they needed to and ended up crashing into the wall and on the floor -- causing Shatner and the others to just crack up laughing.

Greg Polander

An amazing penultimate episode for Season 2 (though shot mid-season as Gene Coon is "back" as producer along with Kirk's green v-neck). Excellent writing (the 2 Genes), excellent direction (Ralph Senensky) and, for those watching the updated FX, outstanding shots of the Enterprise orbits. Perhaps this episode is the best of the group of "interfered-with" planets for Season 2, or maybe the entire series. Proconsul Claudius, Septimus, Flavius and Merikus all portrayed with tight command of the fine dialogue and we get, perhaps, one of the best scenes yet with Spock and McCoy. A truly intimate examination of emotions. Oh yeah, and then there's those curves, (great line, isn't it Bunny? ; ) Lastly, that ending before they beam up— those last three or four minutes, for me, go down as one of the most exciting endings of the series. I know I said it last week, but, damn, those editors were on fire. Still inspiring all these years later.

Skyman's Follies

William Terry