Walk, Don't Run (episode)

Real world article

(written from a production point of view)

When the old guard meets the new, sensitivities flare!

Summary[]

On the bridge of the USS Enterprise, an Orion woman breaks the fourth wall, talking to the people at home watching the show. She introduces herself as D'Vana Tendi from Star Trek: Lower Decks, and goes on to state that today, they are honoring the fiftieth anniversary of Star Trek: The Animated Series.

As she continues, we are treated to a montage sequence of a variety of scenes from the 1973 Star Trek series. We see an aerial shot of the bridge, and then James T. Kirk employing a karate chop to knock a hand phaser out of a female officer's hand. Then we see Arex the Edosian playing a double guitar, Scotty getting blasted with food by a malfunctioning food synthesizer, and finally a scene with Spock and Kirk. While all of this was being shown, Tendi was saying how the show came out in 1973, ran for two seasons, and featured the actors from Star Trek: The Original Series.

She goes on to state that it paved the way for future Star Trek cartoons like Lower Decks. She then turns to three of the stars of the old animated series and tells them that today they celebrate them, saying "you walked so that we may run." Scotty thanks her, but then he suddenly realizes that what she said made no sense, and so he asked her what she meant by that, and she told him that she meant he set the stage for modern Star Trek cartoons. Scotty is then very offended by this comment, because he believed she was trying to say that they were merely stage hands, not actors as the Lower Decks crew is. He told her it sounded like an insult, rather than a compliment as she said it was. Arex then cuts in, saying that he has three legs, and therefore he is great at running. M'Ress then asks her what she is trying to say. Tendi told them that their show suffered from technological and budgetary limitations, and as such, their animation was a little stiff.

M'Ress is angered by this comment. Scotty told her it was a stylistic choice and M'Ress told Tendi that it's more likely that she moved around too much. Scotty then said that their show invented the holodeck. Tendi argued that it was a rec room, not a holodeck, and it was far more limited by comparison, since it could only create snowstorms and the like, whereas the holodeck could simulate a Cardassian prison escape, fighting the Borg. Then Scotty mentioned the orgy scene. Tendi then had a look of embarrassment on her face, as she thinks back to the old Naked Time simulation. Scotty then unfastens his belt, removes his pants and says: "I got your orgy scene, right here!" Tendi tells him it was just a short gag, not a scene.

Then Arex and M'Ress join Scotty in taking their clothing off; M'Ress removed her bra while Arex took off his pants too. They run around the bridge. Tendi then tells them that maybe her choice of words was bad. She then says that she meant to say that the characters from her show were standing on the shoulders of giants. This offends M'Ress, saying that she must think they are pack mules. Scotty assumed that since she called them giants she must have thought they were fat. He told her her that her big cartoon eyes were fat. Tendi tells them that she at least has whites in her eyes, not like the black dots on the skin where their eyeballs should be.

Just then, the turbolift door opens up. William T. Riker, carrying a trombone, and Hikaru Sulu, holding an electronic keyboard, enter the bridge. Sulu asks if they are having a party. Tendi immediately welcomes both of them, but admits they aren't having a party, but an argument. Sulu expresses his disappointment, and then takes his shirt off, showing them his abs. Scotty tells Sulu not to talk to them, since they look down on them for being an old cartoon. Tendi told him that wasn't true. She said they're jealous because she's a new cartoon. Sulu then tells them they need to embrace their differences and love each other.

Riker then cuts in, telling them that Sulu's right. He goes on to say that it doesn't matter what species you are, if you're part of the old generation or the new, or if you're animated on twos or sixes: love is the answer. Tendi then asks, "What're doing here, Commander Riker, jazz practice?" Riker tells her that their music mostly falls into the genre of Post Mainframe Acid-Cardassian Ten Forwardcore. Sulu then says "Hit it, Scotty!" Scotty then immediately begins playing the drum set, and a song begins.

The band plays the song. Riker plays the trombone and provides lead vocals, Sulu plays his keyboard and also sings, Arex plays his double guitar, M'Ress plays the tambourine, and Tendi provides backup vocals. Scotty then apologizes to Tendi and tells her he loves her and her co-stars from her show. He goes on to tell her that she's so cool and she gets to use all of the modern tech. Tendi apologizes too, telling him that she and her co-stars love him as well, saying that they are icons, the originals. She then looks away for a moment, clearly feeling shy about what she's about to say. But she then tells him that he's really hot. Sulu then says "Oh, my!"

Just then, outside the starship, a large fleet of Klingon D7 class battle cruisers are surrounding them, and one of them opens fire. The red alert begins to sound. Tendi then tells the other officers that the alert wasn't part of the song, and that they were actually under attack. The other officers continue playing their musical instruments, apparently not very alarmed by the situation. Once again, Sulu says: "Oh, my!" just as there is an explosion on the bridge.

Background information[]

Production timeline[]

5 September 2023: Title revealed on StarTrek.com [1]
4 October 2023: Premieres on StarTrek.com and the Star Trek YouTube channel

Production[]

Tendi, from Star Trek: Lower Decks, breaks the fourth wall to discuss the 50th anniversary of Star Trek: The Animated Series
Tendi describes the animation in TAS as being still, but Scott contends that it was an artistic choice, and M'Ress suggests that maybe LD characters move too much.
Scott mentions how TAS invented the holodeck, but Tendi points out that it wasn't exactly called that at the time.
- Tendi compares the simulated "boring" snowstorm in TAS: "The Practical Joker" to Beckett Mariner's simulated Cardassian prison break in LD: "Strange Energies" and Brad Boimler's experience fighting the Borg in LD: "I, Excretus".
- Scott points out the lack of class the simulated orgy scene, also from "I, Excretus", before he and Arex remove their pants, and M'Ress removes her bra.
Footage of the Enterprise falling under Klingon attack was reused from the earlier very Short Treks episode "Skin a Cat".

Links and references[]

Voice actors[]

Noël Wells as D'Vana
Carlos Alazraqui as
- Scotty
- Arex (uncredited)
Cristina Milizia as M'Ress
George Takei as Sulu
Jonathan Frakes as Riker

Stock footage background characters[]

TAS

LD

DIS

References[]

1973; 50th anniversary; abdomen; actors; addict; Andorian; animation; blue; Borg; Borg drone; bra; Caitian; Cardassian; Cardassian uniform; cartoon; clone; commander; communicator; Constitution-class; D7-class (unnamed); double guitar; drum set; duty roster; Edosian; electronic keyboard; ensign; Enterprise, USS; eye; fat; Ferengi; gag; giant; green; Haliian; holodeck; hybrid; jazz; Kelpien; key chain; Klingon; "lassie"; le-matya; lieutenant; lieutenant commander; life support belt; love; magenta; Merp's species; orgy; Orion; pack mule; pants; party; pie; Post-Mainframe Acid-Cardassian Ten Forwardcore; rec room; sehlat; shy; skin; snowstorm; stage; stage hand; Star Trek: Lower Decks; Star Trek: The Animated Series; Star Trek: The Original Series; Starfleet delta; Starfleet uniform (2250s-early 2270s); Starfleet uniform (2350s-2370s); Starfleet uniform (32nd century); Starfleet uniform (early 2380s); Starfleet uniform (late 2230s-2250s); tambourine; Trill; trombone; Vulcan; Vulcan salute

External link[]

Watch "Walk, Don't Run" at YouTube

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Star Trek: very Short Treks
Season 1

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