Talk:Bread and Circuses (Star Trek: The Original Series)

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Redirect[edit]

Added this heading, because I think the redirect goes to the wrong page. My reasoning is below.-RomeW 22:19, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I also want to add that if the issue with the redirect is because of the link in the Star Trek page, then we should change the link there.-RomeW 19:55, 22 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hi this is not about Roman civilization!

Uh... who said it was Mr Anonymouse? Cyberia23 07:23, 21 Apr 2005 (UTC)

I would've expected "Bread and Circuses" to describe the Roman concept, with this at Bread and Circuses (Star Trek). There's not even a disambiguation here. - Nik42 06:37, 23 May 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Never mind. On further investigation, it doesn't look like there even is an article on the Roman bread and circuses - Nik42 07:05, 23 May 2005 (UTC)[reply]

There is at Bread and circuses. You're not hitting it because of the capitalization. I personally believe that "Bread and Circuses" should redirect to Bread and circuses, not this page, because that page contains both this episode and the Roman concept.-RomeW 03:13, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Gladiators and Christianity[edit]

Did the episode explain why gladiatorial combats were taking place (I have not seen the episode in question)? It's clear that they've taken the Roman Empire past the point where it became a Christian empire, but Constantine I, the first "Christian" emperor, banned gladiatorial combats in 325, with the last gladiator combats in the City of Rome during the reign of Honorius. Simply put, the Christianized Roman Empire didn't have gladiatorial combats and I'm curious if the episode explained that. -RomeW 22:46, 20 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Been a while since I seen this episode, but it seems some form of Christianity existed (as characters mentioned "hearing the words of the Son"), however, those who pursued the belief were enslaved and forced to fight in gladitorial combat, probably in hopes that they would be killed off. Magna Roma seems to have developed along similar lines to Earth, however the Roman Empire existed well into its version of the 20th Century. Believers said the "words of the Son" were ancient, (as old as the empire itself) but it seems the Empire never accepted it as Earth's Romans had done, and kept it quelled under a secular police state. Cyberia23 00:32, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ah! So this is a 20th century version of pre-Christian Rome! That makes a lot more sense. Thanks. -RomeW 03:11, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah, they had televised gladitorial games and the Centurion soldiers had machine guns and were dressed like riot control cops. Cyberia23 16:09, 21 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Christianity[edit]

This conclusion seems a bit off "...and goes on to imply that Christianity is necessary for the advancement of a society into a modern, space dwelling people, something with which Spock does not contend with a typical "illogical, captain," hence acknowledging the statement as true." Wasn't it more like Kirk wished he could stick around to watch the growth and achieving of dominance of Christianity all over again, not that it was "necessary" to achieve spaceflight? 68.124.177.7 08:18, 4 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The episode was on last night and that was my interpretation too. Ellsworth 00:42, 16 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Quo Vadis?[edit]

The story is clearly based on the book "Quo Vadis?". I think the article should mention that. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ystad (talk • contribs) 00:45, 3 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I think that if it is so "clearly based" then it should be easily cited. Alastairward (talk) 10:38, 3 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Evangelical Christian appeal?[edit]

Is it true that this particular ST-TOS episode is quite popular amongst evangelical Christians? 203.114.146.141 (talk) 03:57, 19 August 2014 (UTC)Calibanu[reply]

Probably, but it would be difficult to find an authoritative source that speaks for all evangelical Christians on this matter. Or to put this the other way around, there are way too many sources that _purport_ to speak for evangelical Christians in general.137.205.183.31 (talk) 09:58, 11 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Firearms Used[edit]

I removed the erroneous speculation about why the Roman guards were using Danish Madsen M50 submachine guns. The original post had an unsourced statement that they would appear "alien" to American audiences. The Star Trek production budgets didn't allow the prop department to go buy M50s just because they fit in with a theme. More likely they were just available in say, Paramount Studio's prop department. Evidence for this is in the baptismal scene at the end of the first Godfather movie where one of the hits is done using Madsens. They were also carried by the Soviet paratroopers in Ice Station Zebra and by the apes in Beneath The Planet of the Apes.John Simpson54 (talk) 14:22, 28 June 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Satire of television[edit]

I've always seen this episode as making fun of the world of television. Example: when the gladiator is threatened with a "special" if he hurts the network's ratings. 174.253.195.57 (talk) 03:51, 18 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]