#anyway when his fraking die is cast.

[synth-spinner]

Superior spidey when the die is cast or whatever

[discotreque]

Disco 3.12: “There Is a Tide…”

Shoutout to whoever at CBS first realized “the Die Hard episode” was going to drop the week after Christmas, and that it would be impossible to shift up the already-rescheduled five-month slate of LwD S1 + Disco S3 to make it happen otherwise. So close…

“We are ready to ‘die for the hive,’ Captain.”

Everything was obviously going to work out. Pretty much the whole cast has been posting on social media about filming Season 4, so I knew all my faves were safe—and compared to the previous iteration of the show, S3 has been relatively gentle in the “atrocities” department, so I was never as suffused with dread as I regularly got in Seasons 1 and 2.

But this was still intense. Directed by Frakes, who predictably both blows the doors off the action scenes and gets the performers on their absolute S-game, and I especially loved the pace of the back-and-forth between the deteriorating situation on Discovery and the “negotiations” between Admiral Vance, genuinely trying to operate in good faith, and Ossyra, who’s almost literally holding a gun to his head.

A lot of people were worried Vance was going to turn out to be evil, but I was more worried he was going to end up making a heroic sacrifice for and/or inspired by the Disco crew—and he sort of does, but it’s not his life he sacrifices: it’s peace with the Emerald Chain. If the only path to “survival” is as the fraudulently legitimizing façade of benevolence over a corrupt, capitalistic criminal empire, well… that’s the destruction of everything the Federation has ever stood for anyway.

Which is, by my count, Star Trek: Discovery’s third consecutive season-ending reminder that our principles and ideals, our better natures, must inform every decision we make—every single one, in war and in peace—because a victory that costs you the ability to look at yourself in the mirror isn’t going to feel like a victory at all.

That’s not a theme that hits me the same way the interpersonal themes this season have, but it’s a valid—and extremely relevant and timely—point.

***

This show very much needs more ladies kissin’ on each other, but even I, the Biggest Lesbian, have to admit that Burnham and Book are just *chef’s kiss*.

Like, I’m not opposed to M/F pairings: give me a powerful and competent woman who prioritizes herself and her own goals + a man who provides her with emotional and logistical support and also has perfect “step aside and let her kick ass” timing, and I am fully on board: Dr. Crusher and Captain Picard; Scully and Mulder; Elisa Maza and Goliath; Lyra and Will; Parker and Hardison—if there are any Garth Nix fans in the house, Sabriel and Touchstone? All-time classic OTP, get out of here.

And god DAMN. I’ll have more to say about this later, but while Season 3 of Disco didn’t give me everything I wanted, almost every step it took was in the direction of the show I’ve always wished it could be—and one of the biggest elements was “enough emotional support for Michael Burnham that I don’t lie awake at night worrying about her going through everything she goes through alone.”

Also, idk, I was falling in love while watching them fall in love—that always makes a fictional couple hit different, you know? <3

***

I have some bad news for Ossyra (and it’s not even about how non-fatal shoving someone into a wall of programmable matter is): replicators “recycling” waste material was established in the TNG Technical Manual, and has been grossing me out since Grade 6:

In order to minimize replicator power requirements, raw stock for food replicators is stored in the form of a sterilized organic particulate suspension that has been formulated to statistically require the least quantum manipulation to replicate most finished foodstuffs….

[For a ship the size of the Enterprise-D,] the cost of maintaining a large volume of perishable supplies becomes prohibitive, especially when the cost of food preparation is included. Here, the energy cost of molecular synthesis is justified, especially when one considers the dramatic mass savings involved with extensive recycling of organic material…

Although the raw food stock is normally replaced at starbase resupply, osmotic and electrolytic fractioning of wastewater allows up to 82% of food stock to be reclaimed and reused…

That said, I have some even worse news about what all is involved in growing apples the traditional way: Where do you think dirt comes from? What do you think fertilizes it? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

***

The guest stars in this episode were pretty much all great—I loved that scary lady who takes Burnham’s boots out the airlock with her!—but a few standouts worth noting:

First, RSVP Ryn! The poor guy was obviously doomed from his first appearance, so it’s kind of impressive he lasted as long as he did, but still, that one hurt. And I’m going to miss Ryn even more after hearing Noah Averbach-Katz on a bunch of podcasts: he sounds like a sweetheart, and he’s a lifelong Star Trek nerd—from the number of time he mentions Jeffrey Combs, you know he’s one of us 💙

Next, speaking of guest stars who aren’t technically new to the Disco set, I cannot tell you how much it warmed my heart when I finally recognized Kenneth Mitchell’s exceptionally kind face out of Klingon makeup. From the way he’s hanging around on the bridge at the end of the next episode, long after Aurellio has any apparent reason to still be on Discovery at all, I’m hoping he’s going to roll that cool standup mobility apparatus—I almost said “wheelchair” but I’m not sure it can be a “chair” if it’s literally designed so you don’t sit—whatever it is, may it convey him back to our screens in Season 4!

Finally: who the fuck is “Lieutenant Ina” and what the fuck did she do to Nilsson?

***

Next week, which was actually three weeks ago, and let’s be real, actually whenever I get around to it: Discovery finishes rebooting just in time to save the day... and Discovery finishes rebooting just in time to end the season.

[tsaomengde]

Tiny Viewing Guide to Star Trek: The Next Generation

Just found out one of my oldest friends, a huge sci fi guy, has never actually seen TNG, or indeed any Trek. He asked if I wouldn't mind writing a viewing guide. Not all that tiny, but the blurb for each episode is tiny. YMMV.

S1

Encounter at Farpoint - Goofy but iconic, series premiere

The Naked Now - Bad but hilarious and a little important

Code of Honor - terrible racist horseshit

The Last Outpost - first time we meet the Ferengi, they're not impressive

Where No One Has Gone Before - interesting enough

Lonely Among Us - I have no memory of this place

Justice - terrible outfits, Wesley episode

The Battle - Picard episode, not terrible

Hide and Q - Riker-centric Q episode, not the best Q episode, not the worst

Haven - first time we meet Lwaxana, don't remember anything else

The Big Goodbye - first of many holodeck episodes, pretty good

Datalore - important!!!

Angel One - totally forgettable

11001001 - meh

Too Short a Season - weird, generally meh

When the Bough Breaks - Wesley episode, don't remember it much

Home Soil - no clue

Coming of Age - more Wesley (can you tell Gene Roddenberry liked the character?), but not bad

Heart of Glory - first time the Klingons get real character, important

The Arsenal of Freedom - automated weaponry is bad, mmkay

Symbiosis - nope, no idea

Skin of Evil - dark, nasty, generally unpleasant episode, important for character reasons

We'll Always Have Paris - genuinely do not remember this one but wiki says there's time travel and that's always fun

Conspiracy - real mixed feelings about this one, it's tense and interesting TV but not really good Trek and it has huge implications that are never revisited

The Neutral Zone - Romulans are reintroduced, pretty cool

S2

The Child - pretty decent Troi episode

Where Silence Has Lease - interesting space puzzle episode sprinkled with Picard philosophizing

Elementary, Dear Data - first Sherlock!Data holodeck episode, excellent stuff

The Outrageous Okona - weeeaaaak, but kind of funny

Loud As A Whisper - cool deaf character, cringey late-80s implementation

The Schizoid Man - Data episode, good acting, cringey dialogue

Unnatural Selection - Pulaski-centric, and I dislike Pulaski so this is a pass for me

A Matter Of Honor - Riker serves on a Klingon warship, some good stuff

The Measure of A Man - Easily a top 10 Trek episode of all time

The Dauphin - Wesley has a crush, receives terrible romantic advice from entire crew

Contagion - interesting lethal archaeology

The Royale - love this episode, it's terrible and bad science but I love it

Time Squared - weird time-travel stuff, not one of the best

The Icarus Factor - lot of good character stuff, terrible future martial arts

Pen Pals - excellent Data episode, thoughts about the Prime Directive

Q Who - WATCH THIS ONE

Samaritan Snare - bad episode, funny moments

Up The Long Ladder - holy shit the Irish racism

Manhunt - Lwaxana Troi at her best, love it

The Emissary - Amazing Klingon stuff

Peak Performance - good episode, lots of fun character bits

Shades of Gray - TERRIBLE CLIP SHOW AVOID AVOID AVOID

S3

Evolution - Wesley episode, not bad but not great

The Ensigns of Command - Mediocre Data episode

The Survivors - space puzzle episode, OK

Who Watches the Watchers - more prime directive stuff, mildly interesting

The Bonding - interesting stuff about grief

Booby Trap - another space puzzle, high stakes, cool payoff

The Enemy - Pretty good, Romulans

The Price - fun episode

The Vengeance Factor - ehhhhhhhh

The Defector - More Romulan stuff, is good

The Hunted - will 100% make you scream at how terrible security is in the future, not a bad ep though

The High Ground - ugh, just not great

Deja Q - good Q episode

A Matter of Perspective - let's use the holodeck to prove Riker couldn't have committed this crime!

The Offspring - WATCH THIS BUT BRING TISSUES

Sins of the Father - first of many Klingon Politics episodes, I love these with a fiery passion and my wife is bored to tears by them so YMMV

Allegiance - space puzzle, not a great one but not bad

Captain's Holiday - WATCH THIS, IS AMAZING

Tin Man - literally put me to sleep once

Hollow Pursuits - First of many Barclay episodes, my beautiful autistic space boi

The Most Toys - alright, worth one watch

Sarek - SO IMPORTANT WAAAAAAAAAATCH

Menage a Troi - bad episode, worth it for the payoff

Transfigurations - Jason Ironheart called, he knows he came after this episode chronologically but he was better

The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1 - YAAAS

S4

The Best of Both Worlds, Part 2- YAAAAAAAAAAAAAS

Family - So important

Brothers - Very Important

Suddenly Human - meh

Remember Me - very interesting space puzzle, one of the Crusher episodes where she gets to be awesome

Legacy - not the most jaw-dropping ep but important

Reunion - KLINGON POLITICS YEEES

Future Imperfect - interesting enough

Final Mission - Wesley episode, not bad

The Loss - v. good Troi episode

Data's Day - fun, wholesome Data times

The Wounded - SO GOOD AND SO IMPORTANT

Devil's Due - I love this episode even if it's not that important or good

Clues - Awesome space puzzle

First Contact - eh? okay? sure?

Galaxy's Child - fine, whatever

Night Terrors - uuuuugh, no

Identity Crisis - this one scared the fuck out of me as a kid and may be responsible for my deep-seated body-transformation-horror triggers, now it's just kind of weird

The nth Degree - BARCLAY, LOVE HIM AND THIS EP

Qpid - YES SO GOOD

The Drumhead - This is Michael Dorn's favorite episode and it is worthy of the title

Half a Life - Lwaxana is great, the episode not as much

The Host - introduction of the Trill, kind of cringey almost 30 years later

The Mind's Eye - brainwashing stuff, meh

In Theory - Data tries to date, hilarities ensue

Redemption Part 1 - GIVE ME THE KLINGON POLITICS

S5

Redemption Part 2 - MOOOOOOOOOORE

Darmok - One of my top 5 episodes in the series

Ensign Ro - so important, introduces the Bajorans and Ensign Ro

Silicon Avatar - important for Data, not a terribly interesting episode otherwise

Disaster - Troi gets to shine! cool episode

The Game - by far the worst Wesley episode. everyone is seduced into acting like a brainwashed idiot by a terrible space future video game. fuck this episode and everyone who wrote it but especially Brannon Braga.

Unification 1 - WATCH

Unification 2- THESE

A Matter of Time - So good, waaatch

New Ground - I am not a fan of Alexander but he is so important to Worf's growth, so... yeah

Hero Worship - more stuff about grief, eh

Violations - I don't remember this one that much but I do not think I enjoyed it

The Masterpiece Society - read the above description

Conundrum - amazing space puzzle episode. easily one of my favorites in the series

Power Play - meh

Ethics - very important, good Trek

The Outcast - THIS EPISODE COULD HAVE BEEN SO MUCH BETTER IF THE LOVE INTEREST WAS MALE. JONATHAN FRAKES PUSHED FOR A MALE ACTOR. watch it anyway

Cause and Effect - fun space puzzle, a little repetitive but totally solid

The First Duty - one of the best Picard Speeches ever, watch

Cost of Living - fun Lwaxana episode

The Perfect Mate - pretty meh but Famke Janssen is fun as Kamala

Imaginary Friend - so bored

I, Borg - INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT

The Next Phase - interesting episode about the afterlife

The Inner Light - THIS IS MY FAVORITE EPISODE OF THE ENTIRE SERIES AND I CRY EVERY TIME

Time's Arrow 1 - Such good time travel

S6

Time's Arrow 2 - Such great Mark Twain

Realm of Fear - Yay more Barclay!

Man of the People - bad Troi episode

Relics - WAAAAAAAAAATCH

Schisms - space puzzle, kind of lame payoff due to effects limitations but the journey is worth it

True Q - By far the worst fucking Q episode ever written

Rascals - uuuuuuuugh. half the crew is regressed into children. Ferengi are involved. you are missing nothing.

A Fistful of Datas - amazing dumb holodeck episode, watch

The Quality of Life - boring episode, good message

Chain of Command 1 - So dark, so difficult, so totally riveting and important

Chain of Command 2 - See above

Ship in a Bottle - Sequel to Sherlock!Data, amazing

Aquiel - could have been written much better

Face of the Enemy - by far the best Troi episode, Marina Sirtis was incredibly happy when I told her it was one of my favorites

Tapestry - fantastic Q/Picard episode

Birthright 1 - Basically exists to set up DS9 but is pretty good and has important bits

Birthright 2 - See above

Starship Mine - DIE HARD ON THE ENTERPRISE

Lessons - Very important Picard episode

The Chase - amazing space puzzle episode, has one of my favorite one-off Klingon characters

Frame of Mind - is Riker's entire life a delusion he has created to mentally escape his imprisonment in a mental asylum? spoilers: no

Suspicions - Good mystery episode, Crusher gets to do stuff

Rightful Heir - Very important Worf episode, good Klingon stuff

Second Chances - uh, kind of bad, but it gets referenced later in DS9

Timescape - super interesting space puzzle, amazing character bits

Descent 1 - WAAATCH

S7

Descent 2 - as above

Liaisons - okay. not great. not bad.

Interface - OK Geordi episode

Gambit 1 - Amazing stuff

Gambit 2 - More amazing stuff

Phantasms - Psychological horror? in my Data? it's more likely than you think. watch

Dark Page - one of the few Lwaxana episodes I don't love

Attached - great Picard/Crusher episode

Force of Nature - environmentalism! is! good!

Inheritance - important Data episode

Parallels - SUCH A GOOD WORF EPISODE

The Pegasus - very important Riker episode

Homeward - Interesting Worf and Prime Directive episode

Sub Rosa - so cringey and terrible, oh my God

Lower Decks - a fun change of pace from the main cast

Thine Own Self - I don't love it, but it is good character stuff

Masks - weird space puzzle episode, I love it but I wouldn't call it Great

Eye of the Beholder - space mystery, it's not fantastic

Genesis - look. this episode is not good. but it has amazing costumework by Michael Westmore. and has some great Picard/Data stuff. watch it.

Journey's End - super important stuff. sets up a lot of stuff for DS9 and VOY

Firstborn - Good Worf/Alexander episode

Bloodlines - More Ferengi stuff, kind of lame

Emergence - space puzzle, weird but interesting

Preemptive Strike - So so so so important

All Good Things... - it's the series finale. and some of the best Trek ever. obviously you're going to watch.

[colp76-blog]

This week I am going to look at one of my favourite TV shows and because of that, one of my favourite podcasts also. Star Trek the Next Generation was released in 1987 and against the odds managed to become as popular as the TV show that come before it, Star Trek The Original Series. In 2018 I personally think it’s the most important show in Star Trek history because it helped bridge the gap (no pun intended) between The Original Series and Deep Space Nine and everything that will come after it. Aesthetically this show is very pleasing and I will say it has aged very well. I was a fan of 80s décor though myself and would happily move into the Enterprise living quarters today. Anyway, the show managed to run for seven seasons, totalling 178 episodes which is pretty outstanding as some die-hard fans of the original show thought it would not survive any. It was and will always be my Star Trek so that brings me to the podcast! Mission Log is a Roddenberry Entertainment podcast with the sole purpose of exploring the Star Trek universe, one episode at a time. For the last seven years just like the show itself, Ken Ray and John Champion have released a podcast for each episode. I did listen when they covered The Original Series, The Animated Series and the films starring the original cast but it was their visit to the Next Generation that I have enjoyed the most and learnt so much. It really is a big undertaking and I am glad I found this podcast. As well as giving you information about how the show was made, it gives you the messages morals and meanings of the show and also if the episode holds up today. I thought I would celebrate the end of The Next Generation on Mission Log and pick an episode I like from each season and discuss why, which is a little similar to what Ken and John do. If like me you like The Next Generation and would like to learn more about it, I would definitely go back and have a listen to them. Right let’s have a look the episodes I have chosen and to be honest this has been pretty difficult because I enjoy them all. Let’s just say the ones I have chosen really stood out to me today.

Skin of Evil. First US Airdate: 25/4/88

Tragedy strikes the Enterprise as Tasha Yar is killed rescuing Deanna Troi from a crashed shuttle craft. This may not be everyone’s favourite episode but I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the practical effects used when Commander Riker is dragged into the tar like puddle that is Armus, it still impresses me how they managed to get Jonathan Frakes to agree to do it and how they managed to pull it off! Its iconic in the fact we lose Denise Crosby in the first season of the show. Gene Roddenberry wanted to show the dangers of a security officer in Starfleet is real. The main thing I enjoy about this episode is that Armus is just evil, sometimes in life we will come across that and have to deal with it. I  also did wonder sometimes what it would be like to trapped on a shuttle on an unknown planet, you all did right?

The Measure of a Man. Season Two First US Airdate: 13/2/89

The right of Data as a sentient are decided in a passionate tribunal hearing. This episode is probably more significant now than it was in 1989. What is life and who gets to decide that? Artificial Intelligence is all around us now and when it becomes more advanced we will we have to ask the very same questions! I think this was The Next Generation at its very best, making you question your own views on what is life? Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner both gave great performances but it was Brian Brophy as Commander Bruce Maddox what made me believe in that episode. The way he treated Data as a machine throughout the episode right up until the very end was very realistic. You also can’t forget how Riker had to go up against Data in the hearing and felt nothing but guilt, well until Data tells him that his action was an act of self-sacrifice that gave Data the chance to win his freedom.

The Defector. Season Three First US Airdate: 1/1/90

A Romulan Admiral defects with the information that his Empire are looking to start another war with the Federation. This makes it on here, because I think the story is so unique to see the character Admiral Jarok actually becoming the hero in this episode. Romulan’s are not be trusted or so it seemed, it takes Picard a very long time to trust him only to find out that Jarok has been used simply as a pawn. I really felt for Jarok at this point and is one of my favorite characters from the show. Later the crew finds that Jarok has committed suicide leaving behind a note for his family, and Picard comments on Jarok’s strength of conviction for change to end the Federation-Romulan conflict as the episode closes. No matter if he was used a pawn if people hear of his bravery and inspires others, his mission had been a success. I really do love the Romulan shoulder pads also, we all do, right?

Clues. Season Four First US Airdate: 11/2/91

A whole day has been lost by the crew of the Enterprise and Data appears to be hiding something from them. I said earlier I don’t think these episodes are the greatest from The Next Generation but they are episodes I still enjoying watching. I remember watching this for the first time and thought it was a really good plot twist that Data know something but Picard had ordered him not to tell them. Starting with Dr Crusher’s moss samples growing fully all the way to Worf’s damaged wrist this is a very satisfying episode for me. So it turns out a race called the Paxans which have now taken over the body of Counselor Troi came up with the plan with the Enterprise because they don’t want any interference with other species. Picard makes a plea for a second deal saying that a good mystery is what people love and if they are to take away all the previous clues they would be fine. after the second attempt is succesful the crew are completely unaware of the previous encounters and you seen Data really pleased with himself as they leave the area.

Darmok. Season Five First US Airdate: 30/9/91

Picard is kidnapped by the Children of Tama, a bizarre alien race who communicate through metaphor. I think this episode is so amazingly clever. It kind of shows people’s fears when they don’t understand each other. The episode finds Captain Picard on a strange planet with a Tamarian Captain heading towards him with two knives. On the Enterprise, Riker finds himself in a battle with the Tamarian ship as they have block all ways of transporting Picard back. If you’re watching this for the first time then your first instinct is that they are ready to attack both the Enterprise and Captain Picard. On the surface Picard slowly starts to realise that Dathon is not a threat. Dathon speaks about Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra and later Picard realises that by facing a common enemy, the two sides could learn to understand one another and bring the two species closer together. Unfortunately, it comes at a cost as Dathon is killed, I will be honest it still upsets me today. It’s also extremely touching when Picard offers Dathon’s knife to the Tamarian officer once Picard is back on the Enterprise, but the Tamarian insists that Picard keep it. Brilliant episode.

Tapestry. Season Six First US Airdate: 13/12/93 

Captain Picard is killed in a gunfight and finds himself in the afterlife. Instead of St. Peter at the gates of heaven, he meets Q. The character Q was only written into The Next Generation because they wanted the first episode of season one to be a two-hour show, created by Gene Roddenberry himself. Q played by John de Lancie is a great addition to the Star Trek universe and the relationship between him and Picard is very special viewing. Picard has been given a special chance by Q to go back in his life and put right any wrong decisions he thinks he has made. Throughout the episode Picard starts to meddle with the timeline of his life only to find himself as an ensign after all those changes. Realising the error of his ways he pleads with Q to take him back to the start, which sees Picard laughing as he is stabbed through the heart in a bar fight. The main message I get from this show is to try to learn from your mistakes, not try to change them which is impossible. Experience in life will always make you the person that you are today. 

All Good Things. Season Seven First US Airdate: 21/5/94 

Captain Picard is inexplicably jumping through time. Sometimes he is in the past and sometimes the future. In all cases, he is drawn to the Devron system, where something mysterious is taking place. Again, an episode featuring Q and the last time we get to see the crew of the Enterprise on television forever. This two-hour episode was shot just before the filming of Star Trek Generations and I would have preferred to see this story on the big screen to be honest, it has everything. We get to see Picard return to the start of season one and have also look how his crew are doing in the future. Eventually it all comes down to Picard proving that humanity still has something to offer after facing Q in the courtroom as seen in Encounter at Farpoint. I think this show explains the value of friendship and the trust Picard has with his crew when it comes to them putting their own lives in jeopardy, very emotional episode.  Extra emotional when Picard joins the rest of the crew to play Poker expressing his regret that he had not done so before. 

Well if you are still reading this then thank you, also I’m guessing you must be a Star Trek fan? Well Mission Log are starting to look at Star Trek Deep Space Nine for another seven years, the link to their website is below and they are on itunes. I find it’s a good way for me to view episodes now because I watch the show then listen to the podcast, you learn so much.

http://www.missionlogpodcast.com

Thank you for reading, it really is appreciated as I’m quite new to the blogging world, if you did enjoy this blog do leave me a like or comment, if you decide you would like to follow me, I will follow you right back, enjoy your time people.

Tea, Earl Grey, Hot. This week I am going to look at one of my favourite TV shows and because of that, one of my favourite podcasts also.