Everyone on Perma One happily celebrates the holiday Number 11. Meanwhile, the experimental computer Vanessa (nicely voiced with sultry aplomb Marianne Bunch, who also plays Vanessa's creator Dr. Cheryl Evans) causes big problems for Quark (Richard Benjamin, the master of deadpan) and his crew by trying to take over his ship. Director Hy Averback, working from a crafty script by Robert Keats, relates the hilarious story at a brisk pace and maintains a winning tongue-in-cheek tone throughout. The cast are in tip-top form: Tim Thomerson hits it out of the ballpark as the wildly erratic Gene/Jean, Richard Kelton makes for a consummate stoic as the absurdly pragmatic and emotionless Ficus, the lovely and radiant Cyb and Tricia Barnstable are as fetching and appealing as ever as incredibly sexy pilots Betty I and Betty II, Bobby Porter is uproarious as cowardly and unreliable robot Andy, and Conrad Janis contributes a wonderfully oily turn as the ultra smarmy Otto Palindrome. The festive Christmas-style atmosphere gives this particular episode a certain joyous charm while the central story's sharp spoofing of "2001" is totally spot-on and often sidesplitting (the final shot of Vanessa singing "Born Free" while floating in space is simply priceless!). Moreover, it's a hoot to see the spineless Andy made aggressive when he's under Vanessa's control and the rinky-dink (not so) special effects possess an endearingly hokey quality. A worthy closer to this immensely enjoyable program.
3 Reviews
Sharp satire was ahead of its time
connordad21 May 2024
One of the other reviews here seems to have completely missed the point of this episode and therefore probably the entire series.
That would be the one complaining about "borrowed" or "stolen" plots from Star Trek, saying this one was heavily influenced by the Trek episode "The Ultimate Computer." It's just as heavily influenced by the film "2001: A Space Odyssey" - and yes, all of that is INTENTIONAL - because this is A PARODY.
That is the very nature of parody & satire: making fun of material THAT ALREADY EXISTS.
It wouldn't really work any other way.
A shame the reviewer didn't "get" that because this is one of the best episodes.
That would be the one complaining about "borrowed" or "stolen" plots from Star Trek, saying this one was heavily influenced by the Trek episode "The Ultimate Computer." It's just as heavily influenced by the film "2001: A Space Odyssey" - and yes, all of that is INTENTIONAL - because this is A PARODY.
That is the very nature of parody & satire: making fun of material THAT ALREADY EXISTS.
It wouldn't really work any other way.
A shame the reviewer didn't "get" that because this is one of the best episodes.
The short-lived series ends with another plot 'borrowed' from "Star Trek".
planktonrules19 April 2024
After watching the entire "Quark" series (which isn't hard considering there are only eight episodes), I have noticed that quite a few plots were influenced or 'borrowed' story ideas from Trek. To put it more bluntly...they stole the plot ideas, which is odd because there were just the eight. Couldn't they have come up with SOMETHING more original? And, in addition to stealing the plot, they also spoof "Goldfinger".
"Vanessa 38-24-36" is heavily influenced by the Trek episode "The Ultimate Computer". No, more than any of the previous ones, this one really is a rip-off.
Vanessa is a computer system designed to do the job of Quark and his crew...making their jobs obsolete. They don't like it but they agree to try out the system and at first it seems perfect. But then it develops a mind of its own and begins trying to kill the crew...sort of like in "2001".
Man, has this episode ANY new ideas of its own?? No. And because of this AND because it was a final episode, I certainly expected more...as well as more laughs.
"Vanessa 38-24-36" is heavily influenced by the Trek episode "The Ultimate Computer". No, more than any of the previous ones, this one really is a rip-off.
Vanessa is a computer system designed to do the job of Quark and his crew...making their jobs obsolete. They don't like it but they agree to try out the system and at first it seems perfect. But then it develops a mind of its own and begins trying to kill the crew...sort of like in "2001".
Man, has this episode ANY new ideas of its own?? No. And because of this AND because it was a final episode, I certainly expected more...as well as more laughs.
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