Just finished season 1 of TOS as a complete newbie.
Loved every damn minute.
Every one…except for “The Alternative Factor”. What the heck happened with the writing on that one?
The original actor set to play Lazarus, (John Barrymore) bailed at the last minute, as in he didn’t even show up the day shooting was to begin. Robert Brown was quickly brought in to replace him with no prep time. Things only continued to go downhill behind the scenes from there.
A romantic subplot between Lazarus and Lt. Masters was scrapped at the 11th hour. (A romance the “evil” Lazarus abuses to get his hands on Dilithium crystals.) The old Star Trek Compendium book from the 80’s alleges the subplot was cut because an interracial romance might have been a bridge too far for even TOS to cross in 1967.