#star trek series review

[boldlyexplorational]

I should make an online quiz like "what kind of Star Trek the original series woman are you?"

The options are:

Sensual "alien"

Cute Yeoman

Professional, but so very horny

Hallucination - scretly an ugly monster/Crazy/ a Robot (I think it's alla one category, like "fake")

I'm open to suggestions for other outcomes

[startrekucast]

Star Trek 2x08 - "The Changeling" Review

We’re going where NOMAD’S gone before, maman! Cause we're gonna rub nubs with Nomad, a carbon unit-nullifying nuts-and-bolts type. Be careful, maman -- the utopia-seeking, string riding robots might erase your memory for the length of an episode. And then you'll have to listen all over again!

Episode Reviewed: Star Trek 2x08 - "The Changeling"

Hosts: David C. Roberson Effie Ophelders

Note: This episode of Star Trek Universe continues young Effie's first watch of Star Trek in production order. Guiding her on this journey: Dave, a stalwart fan of almost four decades who rewatches along with her, provides trivia, insights and the occasional excitement-stoking minor spoiler. 

Join Us: Site: http://startrekucast.com Apple: http://bit.ly/StuCast Spotify: http://bit.ly/StarTrekUCast Spreaker: http://bit.ly/StuCastSpreaker

[episodicnostalgia]

Star Trek: The Next Generation, 124 (May 9, 1988) - “Conspiracy”

Teleplay by: Tracy Tormé Story by: Robert Sabaroff Directed by: Cliff Bole

The Breakdown

The Enterprise is en route to Pacifica for… it doesn’t matter, because Picard gets a top secret late-night-call from his old buddy Captain Walker Keel, of the starship Horatio.  Keel implores Picard to cancel his appointment with Pacifica, because he has some piping hot tea (earl grey, presumably) that he can only spill in person, but it’s gotta be now …and also, don’t tell anyone why. Since Picard probably hasn’t had anyone to gossip with since his hairline met his forehead, he orders the Enterprise to “fuck our meeting with Pacifica, and take me to a nearby abandoned mining outpost instead,” much to the crew’s bemusement.

Upon arriving to their new destination, the crew find three other ships have also arrived, with three designated representatives already waiting on the mining-planet’s surface, so Picard beams down before Riker can admonish him about breaching protocol. On the surface Picard is greeted by Keel and the other two ship’s Captains, who are all pointing phasers at his head, and asking him a bunch of MFA questions (which Picard obviously crushes; the dude is nothing if not savvy). Since Picard has proven he’s not an imposter, Keel proceeds to explain that he suspects a vast Conspiracy within Starfleet, that may have permeated even the highest levels of command. Apparently Starfleet has been restructured in vaguely suspicious ways, and also Keel’s first officer and doctor have been acting super-sus. Picard remains unconvinced, but agrees to keep his eyes peeled, and leaves their clandestine rendezvous so he can get back to following orders like an upstanding person.

Of course, wouldn’t you know it, just as we’re getting back on track to the Pacifica story we all came here for, an even more interesting tragedy strikes; The Horatio has been destroyed, claiming the lives of Keel and his entire crew! That alone is enough for Picard to suspect that something is amiss, but when Data pours through all of the Starfleet command files at super-android-speed and finds that things do indeed appear quite suspicious, that clinches it. After bringing his key staff up-to-speed, Picard resolves to bail on Pacifica altogether [sorry Pacifica, sucks to suck. Maybe try being part of the main plot next time], and return to starfleet command to get to the bottom of things once and for all!

Upon arriving to earth, Picard is greeted by three Admirals we’ve never met before, which historically means they can’t be trusted. Fortunately however, Admiral Quinn is amongst them (along with his snivelling-sycophant-commander Remmick, leering in the background) who, you may recall, came to Picard several episodes ago, warning of a conspiracy against Starfleet. Picard explains to the admirals that he has something urgent to tell them, and they seem pretty happy to hear him out.  In fact, they even suggest that Picard and Riker both come down away from prying eyes, for a private little dinner where they can discuss it, and nothing bad will happen. First though, Quinn wants to come up and take a quick look at the Enterprise (because who wouldn’t), and Picard reasons that the Admiral probably wants to warn them about something.

But he would be wrong.

It turns out all three of the Admirals, including Quinn (and also that fucking weasel, Remmick), are possessed by alien-bug-creatures that burrow into the back of your neck at the base of the skull.  Thankfully Picard clues in that something is wrong when Quinn back peddles hard about his previous Conspiracy woes. Since the dinner is obviously a Trap, Picard orders Riker to hang back for a bit and keep an eye on Quinn, while he heads down and hopes for the best.

Up on the Enterprise, Riker starts asking too many questions, until Quinn is forced to admit that he’s here for nefarious possession-related purposes (he brought a possession-bug onto the ship, with Dr. Crusher being the intended target in this case).  But since the jig is up, Bug-Quinn starts beating the shit out of Riker, because being possessed gives the hosts super powerful bodies. 

Geordie and Worf show up to find the Admiral hunched over Riker’s unconscious body, and do their best to help, but they also prove to be no match for Quinn’s super-bug-strength.  Thankfully Dr. Crusher has more common sense than the chief of security and pretty handily knocks Quinn flat on his ass with a phaser (seriously Worf, way to drop the ball). With Quinn secured in sick bay, Crusher is able to determine what the heck is going on, and bring Picard up to speed. Suddenly Riker makes a miraculous recovery, and sneaks up behind Crusher, implying that he got body-snatched after Quinn shit-kicked him.

Meanwhile Picard is down on the planet surface, and the Admirals pretty much confirm that they have indeed been taking over key members of Starfleet, with the intention being to use humans as slave hosts. Right around then Riker shows up claiming to, in fact, be possessed with the bug that was intended for Crusher.  But it all ends up being a ploy (yep, that whole moment in sickbay was all just a classic red-herring), and once everyone’s guard is down he starts blasting the shit out of everyone in the room. The ensuing fire fight ends with Picard and Riker following a bug into a command station where Bug-Remmick is ostensibly plotting something evil. The possessed commander espouses some obligatory villain-monologue nonsense, but Picard figures enough is enough, so he and Riker straight up phaser Remmick’s head until it explodes. But it’s not over yet, because a giant queen-bug-worm-thing emerges from Remmick’s oozing chest cavity, and you can bet this thing isn’t going down easil- oh… never mind. Yeah, so Picard just vaporizes that too.

With the mother-bug reduced to space-ash, all of the possessed peoples are released, and the reset button has formally been activated.  Data does make one salient point, and informs Picard that prior to his death, Remmick had been sending a message into the far reaches of uncharted space.  The contents of the message are unclear, since the bug-dialect is unknown, but Data hazards a guess that the message may have been a homing beacon to earth…

Anyways it’s probably nothing! The end.

The Verdict.

If you had shown me this episode when I was eight years old, I would have probably identified it as a perfect hour of television.  A physically imposing enemy, who can’t be easily detected, and who could be your most trusted friend? Check. Creature FX, hand to hand combat, phaser fights, and corridor chase scenes? Check, check, check, and motherfucking check!  It’s actually kinda fun/interesting to see a number of preliminary concepts being experimented with, that would eventually be reworked and repurposed in other (arguably stronger) stories later down the line [more on that below].

Overall I’d say there’s more good than bad here, even though quite a few moments end up being unintentionally comical by current pop-culture standards, that’s also part of the charm.  An episode like this is a perfect example of classic pulp-camp television that has always been part of Star Trek’s DNA, and you have to go in with that attitude to enjoy it.  The clunky fight scenes barely hide the obvious stunt-doubles, the stop-motion creature effects are obviously inhibited by some clear budgetary & technological restraints, and the resolution is a bit overly convenient for how dire the circumstances were supposedly meant to be. As much as those things could be considered limitations, I almost appreciate the show even more for being so unapologetically sincere, even when it doesn’t perfectly stick the landing.

Overall, I think the creature work is actually quite impressive, and the practical special-effects used for Remmick’s gaping chest cavity/mother-bug are largely effective.  The other limitations might stop me from hailing this episode as a masterpiece, but they all work to the effect of telling an entertaining, if technically-over-ambitious story.  Even where our heroes make questionable choices, I can forgive on the grounds that the villains do the same; at least there’s an internal logic (or hilarious lack thereof) that remains consistent across the board.

Although, as much fun as ‘Conspiracy’ was, it didn’t have a lot to say.  Apparently at one point, there was an earlier draft of the script that was intended as a real-world allegory to the Iran-Contra affair, with the episode centering around an ordinary coup (sans body-snatch gimmicks), but was kiboshed for being too depressing/controversial. I imagine that iteration of the story might have still likely failed to hit the mark on any meaningful commentary, mainly because Star Trek historically has (especially during this still-early stage in the franchise) a very politically-liberal-colonial bias; ie, lots of good intentions, but with clear blind spots when it comes to addressing the root corruption that our core institutions are built upon, amongst other issues.  All the same, I kind of wish that earlier draft had been allowed to pass, even if it was a disaster, if only to see what it was that TPTB found so distasteful (it’s not like the season 1 scripts were batting 1000 anyways).

Overall, a harmlessly fun hour of camp TV, and a welcome change of pace after the last episode.

3 stars (out of 5)

Parting Thoughts

Silly things that I find interesting: I’d honestly never heard of this episode prior to watching it, but I wasn’t as avid a fan of TNG growing up (DS9 & Voyager for me, baby), so I was left to consider the possibility that I’d somehow missed out on even hearing about a major Space-bug-bodysnatchers story arc. Because, I gotta say you guys, that is one pretty ominous cliffhanger. So yeah, I obviously felt compelled to look ahead for answers, like the slutty little gossip that I am. [My “research” primarily entailed reading subreddits and fan sites. Which means, y’know… grain of salt, subject to error, and all that.] Supposedly, the bugs were meant to return as a recurring ‘Big Bad’ for the show, but the creature effects were too costly to produce on a regular basis. Although, it seems that the borg were possibly utilized as a more cost-effective to achieving a similar hive-mind-themed existential threat.  Likewise, I’ve heard it suggested that some parts of the Changeling arc in DS9 may have been inspired by this episode, but who knows. All the same, one wonders how this story might have otherwise played out if given the chance, although it may be just as well that it didn’t; I think I still prefer the borg.

Remmick’s death is pretty violent for syndicated television. I suspect that level of gore probably wouldn’t make it past most network censors today. I realize that streaming has largely circumvented those kinds of restrictions now, but exploding brain matter still isn’t exactly a common occurrence, even on the newer (and notably more graphic) Trek shows.

So, are the events of this episode a matter of public record? Just before the climax, the bug-admirals indicate that they’re not far off from achieving total control of Starfleet, implying there were many other infected officers (which would support Keel’s suspicions). Is the invasion-attempt something that’s common knowledge across Starfleet (not to mention the general public), or was this all kept hidden somehow? A conspiracy this large could reasonably be expected to set off virtually every alarm across the entire Alpha Quadrant, rousing most governing bodies/empires to a vigilant search for a compact enemy that can turn almost any humanoid into an insurgent super-soldier. I dunno man, I don’t think I’d just let this one go, personally.

[astrodances]

It may not be Starfleet's first contact with Risa, but it is Spock's, and the only way Kirk and McCoy could get him down to the pleasure planet was with the promise of something he'd want to do - in this case, play music.

Happy Winter and Happy January to @longsleevelaceration!! I'm your person for the @startrekwintergiftexchange! I took a twist on your request for Spock playing music - I hope you enjoy, and may you live long and prosper!! 😊🖖🌴✨

Blurred-background version under the cut!

[andorianminingconsortium]

Review of The Wrath Of Khan

(as much spoiler free as I can be)

As you may know, I recently started watching all the old Star Trek movies for the first time. I started with First Contact, per friend's recommendation, then watched the Motion Picture and I'm now watching chronologically. That brings me to Wrath of Khan.

First things first, I really loved it! I think it's my favourite from the ones I've watched so far! The characters were cool! The movie-only characters were cool! They uniforms looked good! Everyone's hair looked good lol

I loved the character Saavik. The fact that this character exists in a movie made so long ago (lol) proves once again how progressive Star Trek is and is a great example of what I love about Star Trek. Also when Kirk is like "you have no problem with self expression" I screeched. That was such a line. Thank you for your support of gender expression, Admiral.

I thought Khan was very well played! (Poor Chekov, man...) Khan was so evil! Great! He had such a clear goal and mindset. Loved that they didn't water him down. Now that I saw the original movie Khan, I realised that Benedict Cumberbatch in the recent movies wasn't just putting up a "slightly weird but cool villain voice". He was mimicking the way the original Khan spoke! And he did it really well! I'm impressed. The almost whispering, drawn out sillables, teeth-clenched talking. Especially Cumberbatch' iconic "I'll walk over your cold corpses" sound so much like the original Khan in my opinion! I just thought it was really neat!

I also liked the parallels between the old and new movie such as Scotty yelling "you'll flood the whole compartment!" In both movies. Great eye for detail from the makers of the new movie!

What really stuck with me was when one of the crewmates died and Scotty came carrying him in and was like "he's the only who stayed at his post" and then the crewmate, with bloody hand, touched the one white part of Kirk's uniform and left a handprint that remained for the next few scenes. That was so good! Such a chilling detail! Beautiful!

I might have forgotten something but these were the things that stuck with me most! I enjoyed it and I might watch it again after I've watched all the other movies.

My ranking so far:

Wrath of Khan - Motion Picture - First Contact

I have also just watched Search for Spock! Will review later :)

Thank you for reading!

[goofyjelly]

Star Trek TOS : A Private Little War

I love the green blood details like obviously Bad Thing happening but I love continuity ✨

Kirk is so worried :( don't worry he's gonna be fineeee

THE WAY HES SITTING ON THE STRETCHER :((((((

Omfg they beam down and IMMEDIATELY GET MAULED 💀

Oh my god CHAPEL NO YOURE LITERALLY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF HIM DONT HOLD HIS HAND DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS-

Like, chapel, I get that you care about him and that's great but you've gotta know it's one sided, like, you're essentially KISSING HIM while he is unable to protest like w h a t

Love Chapel tho don't get me wrong

Girl, what sort of witch craft is this???

Also William Shatner's acting is so special like no one does it like him WHAT IS HE DOING

GIRL WHAT ARE YOU DOING???

"OUR SOULS HAVE BEEN TOGETHER HE IS MINE NOW" EXCUSE ME???

McCoy is so great tho, like you're awesome, Doc

Friendship :D

Sketchy witch woman

FRIENDSHIP :D

M'Benga love you bestie thank you for being the only responsible one , Spock would be dead without you 🙏

"anything he says?" Chapel I know you're down bad but please, our boy is DYING

Witch girl wants VIOLENCE and honestly I can't blame her much. she's schemeing

Haha firesticks (I am watching this show on a fire stick)

An old custom among my people called : BE GRATEFUL , YOUD BE DEAD WITHOUT ME

Kirk subtly defending his friend, I love it. NO! I SAID I WILL NOT KILL. Kill or be killed but how about no kill? No kill at all please, I'll take that.

I'd like it if there was a normal woman in this show but oh well

OOOOOOOP THE KLINGONS!!!

"I'll make a Klingon of you yet :D" so sweet <3

Hehe Kirk is leaping around I love it he's like a doe

PFFFF ME WHEN MY PHONE GOES OFF IN CLASS 💀

SPOCK NOOOOOOO WAIT .

PFJDSLJFKDKDN WHY ARE WE ALWAYS SLAPPING HIM IN THE FACE

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, WOMAN????" Oh my fucking god, Scotty was just walking by and saw the nurse SLAPPING SPOCK IN THE FACE , HE THOUGHT SHE WENT CRAZY

Spock ✨✨✨

Yes Bones I DO think Kirk's out of his mind.

Oh shit. Okay. Oh.

Bones doesn't know what to do but he knows Kirks plan is shit 💀💀💀

Balance Of Power- KIRK YOU HAVENT EVEN TOLD STARFLEET

SPOCK IS BACK 🎉🎉🎉

Kirk please don't fall for the witchcra- ah fuck too late. DUDE NOT W YOUR FRIENDS WIFE; HES GOT A GUN NOW OH NO OH- OH?

She IS the drama

Murder is wrong™

OOOOOOOO PLEASE CAN SHE DIE?

Nope NVM just stealing

This barbie craves violence- THIS BARBIE IS A TRAITOR???

This barbie is dead 💀

"you can't kill a computer" -> Bones is happy Spock didn't die

THATS IT???? THATS FUCKING IT????

WHAT????

KIRK JUST FUCKED SHIT UP EVEN MORE AND THEN FUCKING LEFT 💀💀💀 AND NOW THEY ARENT EVEN DOING THE WHOLE BALANCE OF POWER THING!!!

they were asking how long it would take to bring more weapons, ya know, to do their whole balance of power plan, and KIRK JUST BACKTRACKED

So I guess his friend is dying, then-

I am living for the Spock Angst tho, I love that. It's so funny that Spock gets slapped in the face so much in so many different episodes.

If I do a rewatch I literally might just watch all of the Spock scenes cus that's my take away from this-

This rants pictures have been taken from this star trek website ✨✨✨

[quarkspeed]

Reading Killing Time now!!! Three chapters in and I honest to God wondered if I wasn’t just reading some juicy ass Spirk fanfic. It’s fantastic.

[mysticmayhem1337]

Dear Supporter,

I hope this message finds you and your family in good health. My name is Eman Zaqout from Gaza. I am reaching you out to seek your urgent help in spreading the word about our fundraiser. I lost both my home and my job due to the ongoing genocide in Gaza and we are facing catastrophic living conditions. 💔

I kindly ask you to visit my campaign. Your support, whether through donating or sharing, will help us reach more people who can make a difference. Thank you for your continued support for the Palestinian cause. Your dedication brings us closer to freedom. 🙏🕊

Note: Verified by several people as 90-ghost and aces-and-angels. ☑

I don't know how far my reach goes, but as my mother says, 1% is better than 0%.

This woman from Gaza is a scientist. She also has a husband and two kids, a 12-year-old son and a 10-year-old daughter. She seems like a brilliant woman to me, having already done life-saving work inside and outside of Gaza. With help, I hope she will do even more.

TV, film, books and video games have taught me many things, but the one lesson that always stands out to me is that we must look after our fellow person. My blog may be primarily film reviews, but films are political, they contain morals and they reflect the time in which they are made.

I personally, am not in a position to donate to these causes. I understand if you can't either. I ask that if you come across this post, you consider interacting in any way so that you can boost its reach. It just might find someone who can donate.

Because of recent world events, tough times are ahead. As difficult as it may seem, we have to hold onto hope. We are always stronger than we think and braver than we realise.

[the-oracle-of-the-lost]

finished TAS!!!! which also means I've now finished all of Star Trek... post incoming about that. but first – my TAS review under the cut:

i honestly wasn't looking forward to TAS much. i hadn't really heard about it other than fans lovingly poking fun at the animation and a couple of references made in Lower Decks so i expected it to pretty much be nothing with the occasional funny line but i was pleasantly surprised.

don't get me wrong... it doesn't attempt any of the social commentary or unique scifi ideas that TOS did and the vibes are much more Saturday morning cartoon but once you know that, it's really fun! in some ways, i enjoyed it more than s3 of TOS (well there's less sexism & racism at least which is a pretty low standard to set).

yes, the animation is clunky for modern standards but it has good vibes & nostalgia to it and a lot of the background drawings/alien design is really good and allows for so much more flexibility than live action (yet again why there should be more animated Trek but unfortunately Paramount seems determined to keep cancelling things).

it's been said before but Yesteryear is the clear stand-out episode. most of the other episodes are fine and fun but Yesteryear goes out of its way to present a really great character study of Spock & exploration of growing up mixed race in a xenophobic society. in TOS proper it was so rare to get genuine character insights (part of the reason TOS was a frustrating watch for me) so this episode was an absolute coup and should be a must-watch for all Trekkies.

all of the other episodes were pretty okay. most of them had big "let's put those guys in Situations" energy and were well aware of it. (yeah sure Kirk & Spock got turned into water-breathers why not? of course we're going to defend the Devil on trial. sure let's send the gang on a mythical quest outside of our universe.) i did really appreciate that there was a focus put on characters other than Kirk, Spock, & McCoy. it was great to see Uhura command the Enterprise and have a whole episode of just Spock, Sulu, & Uhura together having an adventure.

and in my opinion the boring/bad episodes of TAS were much more tolerable than the bad episodes of TOS because of the half an hour run time. so often in TOS, there was a good episode concept and a great first fifteen minutes and then the story started to meander to pad out the runtime until the end. whereas in TAS, the episodes ran quick enough that either they didn't run into pacing problems or the poorer episodes were quick enough that i didn't start to resent them.

would i recommend TAS as a show in general? if you're a Trekkie and like TOS era – sure! it's a fun continuation of TOS just like the books and comics. if you're not huge on TOS but like Lower Decks – check out a few episodes because Lower Decks has a lot of alien species/gags that come from TAS. if you don't like either TOS or Lower Decks – maybe watch Yesteryear but i wouldn't be in a rush to watch the rest.

overall – fun but nothing super special.

[annafromuni]

Cosy Sci-Fi with Becky Chambers The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet

With cosy fantasy becoming more popular and sought after, I have started to label things as “cosy” within their respective genres. Becky Chambers’s The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet is one of those books that radiates good vibes and feels like a cosy sci-fi – something I find very difficult to pull off. If you’re a fan of Star Trek, Firefly, or any space-based adventure series full of…

[lostinaflashforward]

STAR TREK: DISCOVERY - Recensione 5x03 "Jinaal" e 5x04 "Face the Strange"

Fra simbionti e anomalie temporali, la stagione conclusiva di Star Trek: Discovery prosegue dando importanza tanto alla trama quanto ai suoi personaggi...

RECENSIONE 5x03/04

[infiniteepisodes]

I have conflicted feelings about "Requiem for Methuselah" (3x19) because on the one hand, we have a horrifying portrayal of a father lusting after his daughter and I want my eyes bleached and I never want to see this episode ever again but on the other hand, the last scene is a Top Tier Spirk scene, chef's kiss, 10 out of 10 would watch in a loop, write fanfic & songs about it, & cry rivers while doing all of that.

Can Spock please make a home call and make me forget the first 38 minutes of this episode please?

[startrekucast]

Star Trek 2x04 - "Who Mourns for Adonais?" Review

Maman, you were right. The time is passed. There is no room for gods, maman. Forgive me, maman. Take me...

Episode Reviewed: Star Trek 2x04 - "Who Mourns for Adonais?"

Hosts: David C. Roberson Effie Ophelders

Note: This episode of Star Trek Universe continues young Effie's first watch of Star Trek in production order. Guiding her on this journey: Dave, a stalwart fan of almost four decades who rewatches along with her, provides trivia, insights and the occasional excitement-stoking minor spoiler. 

Join Us: Site: http://startrekucast.com Apple: http://bit.ly/StuCast Spotify: http://bit.ly/StarTrekUCast Spreaker: http://bit.ly/StuCastSpreaker

[episodicnostalgia]

Star Trek: The Next Generation, 125 (May 16, 1988) - “The Neutral Zone”

Teleplay by: Maurice Hurley Story by: Deborah McIntyre & Mona Clee Directed by: James L. Conway

The Breakdown

This is one of those “multiple story lines going on at the same time” episodes, so first let’s deal with…

Plotline  #1 – After the Enterprise scanners pick up an old earth space capsule that piques Data’s interest, he and Worf decide to hop over and take a look. There they find three preserved bodies in cryonic chambers, which are beamed over to sick bay.  Turns out these three bodies have been sitting out in space since the late 20th century, y’know, from 25 years ago when people began the common practice of preserving their deceased loved ones (it was like Tamagotchi’s, everyone was doing it) in the hope of reviving them when medical science had advanced far enough.  That’s right, I said deceased.  These three people were frozen at the exact moment of their death (that’s gotta be tricky to pull off), and now revived 300 years by Dr. Beverly Crusher herself; their company is comprised of a Rich Guy who played the stock market, A mother of two, and a drug addicted musician. 

The episode follows the newly resurrected boomers, as they grapple with the fact that they’ve jumped 300+ years into the future, and that their loved ones are all dead, etc. The Rich dude (Ralph ) has a particularly hard time coping with the fact that his fortune is both nonexistent and (even if it weren’t) meaningless, since the pursuit of wealth and power no longer holds any sway in the post-scarcity 24th century. The mother (Clare) understandably spends most of the runtime being depressed, until Troi points out that she has a great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandson, who will undoubtedly welcome his displaced ancient ancestor with open arms. Lastly, the musician (Sonny) pretty much stays a lecherous, sexist, alcoholic, but he’s mostly having a good time enjoying the replicators and hanging out with his new guitar. At various points they inconvenience Picard (who’s dealing with more important things in the other plotline), but mostly they kind of sit around as the Enterprise crew smugly judge them for being ignorant and confused, until they’re transferred to another ship that will take them back to earth and become someone else’s problem.

Plotline #2 -  Starfleet outposts along the Neutral Zone (the established border between the Federation and the Romulan Empire) are being destroyed, and Picard has been ordered to check out if the Romulans are to blame.  Most of the Episode deals with Picard getting the bridge crew to study the Romulans so they can form a strategy, but that’s easier said than done, since it’s been decades since anyone has heard from them.

Anyways, when they finally arrive along the edge of ‘the zone’, Worf makes a shocking revelation that their outposts aren’t destroyed, but rather completely missing, since there would be some sign of debris otherwise.  Shortly thereafter a Romulan ship decloaks, and their captain explains to Picard that their outposts are also missing, and figured it was the Federation’s doing, but now realize it must have been someone-or-something else. Thankfully cooler heads prevail, and both sides agree to collaborate on solving this mystery later on, and then leave, but not before making a thinly-veiled threat that they’ll be back to cause more trouble down the road.

So, on that disconcerting note, the Enterprise optimistically heads back to its regular business because this is the finale, and we need to wrap things up until next season!

The Verdict

The thing is, both plot outlines have plenty of potential, in their own right.  A story about displaced-wealthy-20th-century-folk struggling to fit into a society that has no place for their ideologies, is a perfect theme for Star Trek. And I’ll admit, there’s every chance that the execution of such a story would come off as pretentious and out-of-touch as anything else the show put out during this season, but even a failed attempt would be interesting to watch… provided of course that it was the primary focus of the episode.  My biggest issue wasn’t how hilariously proud of itself the Hurley's script is for criticizing capitalism (while we’re at it, did you know slavery and genocide are also bad? Follow me, for more deep insights!), but rather that the story doesn’t really go anywhere, or do anything with the subject matter.

Ralph (the survivor with the most screen time) is arrogant and demeaning to the crew because he’s used to getting his own way, and we are made to understand that his love of money is directly tied to his character flaws, which is fine, but then what? At one point there’s a scene where he disregards Picard’s orders (to calm the fuck down and stay out of the way), and chooses to intrude on bridge just in time to see the Romulans being space-jerks, but there are no real consequences or thematic correlation, rendering the moment pointless. In the end Ralph seemingly resigns himself to accepting his new lot in life, but has nothing in the way of a meaningful epiphany to help him reach that point. Clare and Sonny both have similarly meandering “journeys” as well. Clare ultimately takes comfort in knowing she has living a descendant (who doesn’t know her, or share any cultural values), while Sonny just happily concludes that since everyone he knows is dead, he doesn’t need to worry about facing any accountability for his past (and seemingly hurtful) life choices.  Remember kids, the secret to finding inner peace is in outliving everyone you've ever wronged!

Meanwhile, the “Romulans-are-back” story line is conceptually more exciting, but it takes almost the entire episode for anything to happen. The most intriguing development is the revelation that some other unknown entity may pose a threat big enough to challenge both the Federation and Romulan empire simultaneously, but then it’s quickly tossed away in favour of a generalized tease about the Romulans stepping up as the show’s primary antagonist. It’s not so much that it’s bad, but like the “boomers-in-space” story, it doesn’t really go anywhere, leaving us with what is essentially a promise that more interesting episodes will continue the story “some other time.”

Now before anyone gets up in arms, yes I am aware that this episode was originally intended as the first in a multi-episode arc, before the writers strike forced them to rework their plan [more on this below].  Be that as it may, even if part 2 had both A) existed, and B) rocked hard, this is still a weakly structured episode.  That’s not to say I hated ‘the neutral zone’ altogether, but I certainly can’t say I thought it was good. 

Nice try guys, maybe next time.

1.5 stars (out of 5)

Parting Thoughts

Apathetic utopia: One thing that doesn’t sit right with me is the sheer disregard that Picard and many of his crew show for the space-boomer’s safety and well being. For starters, Riker was barely willing to let Data check out the capsule to begin with (even after Data points out that it could have historical value, if nothing else), but even after Data and Worf discover the bodies, Riker seems put out by Data’s insistence that they be preserved.  Then, to make matters worse, when Picard hears that the SB’s have been revived he’s downright irritable with Data, arguing that he should have left the survivors behind because “they WERE dead at the time.”  But like… here’s the thing, Dr. Crusher examined their bodies and discovered that all of them could be revived with relative ease, which suggests they were only clinically dead, and it’s commonly accepted that the window of revival in the Trek universe is significantly larger than our present day reality.  So yeah, they were technically dead, I suppose, but not irretrievably, which I would argue comes with a clear moral responsibility. The context for Picard’s ambivalence toward the situation is that he’s stressed about the upcoming Romulan mission, but that’s still an oddly callous stance for a man who professes the sanctity of life.

Silly things I find interesting: Introducing, the Borg! …kinda.  I can’t remember if the missing outposts are ever mentioned again in the show, but the intended continuation of this story was originally meant to serve as an introduction to the Borg, who would have been revealed as the true culprits. Obviously that didn’t pan out, but it’s interesting to think what might have been.

In fairness to the writers, a big part of why the script was so lacklustre is, once again, due to the strike. Basically, once a writers strike is underway, productions aren’t allowed to make any changes to a script until the union signs an agreement. Knowing the strike was imminent, it seems Maurice Hurley had no choice but to whip up a completed script based on the first draft, in only a couple days time.  Needless to say, the results speak for themselves.  Ultimately, I think it would have made more sense for the studio to keep the script for the following season; ‘Conspiracy’ was already a much more exciting episode, and would have served as a stronger season finale.

Did you know that... in Canada (where I'm from) our "Universal health coverage" still doesn't cover cryogenic suspension. So reach out to your MP and let them know we demand better comprehensive coverage before the next federal election! [All kidding aside, we should be doing that anyway. Seriously, how is dental not inherently included in that?]

[seconddoubt]

hi how's your summer going? read any good books? had delicious ice cream? some craft project you're working on? have you sat round a campfire with friends? do you have any juicy gossip or a new celebrity you're obsessed with?

[thegreaterlink]

Reviewing Star Trek TNG - S4E8 "Future Imperfect"

My last review was posted like... nine months ago.

Time flies when you're lazy.

THE PREMISE

Commander Riker’s birthday celebrations are interrupted by reports of strange sensor readings from Alpha Onias 3. He beams down with Geordi and Worf to investigate but they’re quickly knocked out by toxic gases. Upon awakening in sickbay, Riker discovers that sixteen years have passed (though he can't remember any of it) and he is now the captain of the Enterprise.

MY REVIEW

Sixteen years in the future. Assuming that Riker is roughly the same age as Jonathan Frakes, that would put him in his mid-fifties. And if we compare this "middle-aged" Riker to Jonathan Frakes circa mid-2000s...

Not bad. Still, anything beats that weird adult Wesley from Hide and Q.

Then again, if we use Riker's birthday slab as an indicator, then he just turned...

...six.

I guess he was born on a leap year.

Anyway, here we are in the future, where Dr Crusher chalks up Riker's sudden amnesia to a side effect of a dormant infection which he picked up on that away mission all those years ago. An infection which Klingons just so happen to be immune to... and I guess Geordi is just built different.

Dr Crusher recommends associational therapy, with the idea being that surrounding Riker with familiar people and things will help to jog his memory, starting with a trip to the bridge. Because a man fresh out of a coma with a massive gap in his memory is clearly fit to resume command of a starship. Good call.

Riker arrives on the bridge and finds it looking… exactly the same, since new sets ain’t cheap, but there are at least changes among the crew. My boi Data is now First officer, Geordi now has ocular implants so LeVar Burton gets to act without a hunk of plastic on his face, and more species like Klingons and Ferengi are among the crew.

But what concerns Riker is the most is Admiral Picard and Troi arriving on a Romulan Warbird.

That last one is explained by ongoing peace treaty negotiations with the Romulans, which Riker has apparently been leading ever since he rescued the crew of a damaged Warbird which wound up in Federation space. Evidently random acts of kindness go a long way towards stopping wars in this universe. The Enterprise is currently escorting the Romulan ambassador to Outpost 23 to wrap things up and get the treaty signed.

Yep. Here we are in the future, and it's bright. Nothing to fear, no one to fight... I can't believe we've come so far.

Then Tomalak beams aboard.

Future Picard and Troi try to reassure Riker – yeah, he did threaten to take the Enterprise's hull as a trophy last season, but that was one time – but he's still concerned, both by the massive gap in his memory and that he might have to reveal sensitive Starfleet intel to someone he probably can't trust.

With the briefing over and Riker’s memories still thoroughly gone, Troi takes him back to his quarters, where a mysterious child is playing his trombone.

"Hi, Dad!"

Ah. He has his father's... hair?

This is Riker's son, Jean-Luc (Chris Demetral). I remember being surprised that Troi wasn't the mother... but their romance is barely more than subtext at this point, so it's not that shocking. Jean-Luc's mother was actually a woman only known as Min, who Troi explains died two years prior. Even though they have zero evidence of her existing – aside from the child she supposedly birthed, I mean – and Riker can't find any trace of her in the ship's records. They don't even have any photos of her. I guess they had to make room for their... modern art?

I think I saw the Threads logo in there.

Christ, the last time I posted a review Threads didn't even exist it's been so fucking long

The computer's been acting up for a while now, come to think of it. I'm sure Geordi will be done with that diagnostic soon.

Still, I can at least appreciate the script's efforts to make us care about this kid. Riker adjusts pretty well to being a father, though that probably has more to do with Jonathan Frakes' natural daddy– I mean dad energy.

"I guess there's only one thing we can do. We've got to build some new memories!"

But Riker is still bothered that he can't find any trace of his late wife, though Jean-Luc says he's just not being precise enough, and pulls up some old home movies. It's here that we discover that "Min" is actually Minuet (again played by Carolyn McCormick for a single shot – that's dedication for you), that hologram lady he tried to bone way back in his babyface era.

Suddenly everything starts falling into place. And speaking of hologram romantics (or holosexuals, as I like to call them), Geordi calls Riker back up to the bridge.

It's here that the attempts to keep Riker gaslit, gatekept and girlbossed completely fall apart, as he calls out all sorts of holes in the facade, like Geordi taking more than a day to run a simple diagnostic, nobody being able to properly recall past events and even Data using a contraction.

Ha! I knew Lore was going to come back eventually! AND THEY CALLED ME A MADMAN!

...No? It's not Lore? Aight. Maybe next season.

"Would anyone else like to speak up? Or shall we end this charade?"

With the wool thoroughly pulled back from Riker's eyes, Tomalak reveals that the whole thing has actually been a hologram simulation designed to trick him into revealing Federation intel like, say, the location of Outpost 23.

You win this time, Lore.

Turns out that after the away team was hit with the gas, the Romulans intercepted Riker while he was being beamed up. They used their neural scanners to create a perfect replica of the Enterprise and its crew. Add a bit of ageing makeup and some bullshit about amnesia and badda bing badda bang, you’ve got yourself a pretty convincing future AU.

As for Tomalak’s OC, Jean-Luc, he was actually some random kid named Ethan who they had taken prisoner after raiding a research outpost on the edge of the Neutral Zone.

They throw Riker in a cell with him for a lil bit — just long enough for Ethan to tell him about a secret hiding spot elsewhere on the ship — so when the Romulans come back with the intention of taking the intel by force, Riker seizes the opportunity. One distraction and a few punches in the face later, and they’re on the run.

Ethan leads Riker through a convenient crawl space to a convenient forgotten room where some convenient blueprints conveniently tell them the location of the ship’s communication centre where they could send a message to the Enterprise. But there's a catch.

Ethan: The transmitter's on a voice-activated security system only.

Riker: Do you know whose voice activates it?

Ethan: Only Ambassador Tomalak.

...The fuck you say?

Yeah, the plot be thickening. Turns out the original simulation was just crammed inside of another one. So the Romulan ship fades away... as do the Romulans... and Tomalak... until Riker is left standing back in the cave on Alpha Onias 3... with only the boy remaining.

Credit where it's due, decent plot twist.

The boy, whose real name is Barash, reveals that his mother left him in the cave — which essentially functions as Holodeck+ by manifesting anything he wants — to keep him safe. But with his mother long dead and the Enterprise being the planet's first visitors in ages, he baited the away team down to the surface and intercepted Riker mid-transport while Geordi and Worf were safely beamed back up.

But with the game up, Barash drops the facade, allowing the Enterprise to finally get a proper lock on him. Fortunately Riker realises that the kid meant nothing by it and even offers him asylum on the Enterprise, prompting Barash to finally reveal his true form.

Ah... I think you've got the wrong set, my dude. This is Star Trek. Doctor Who is on Stage 4B.

Riker: To me, you'll always be Jean-Luc.

And so Riker has himself and the kid beamed up. Da end.

We're going to see a lot of these "waking up in a different reality" plots going forward, and while I'm usually not really a fan — you're mostly just waiting for the character in question to realise something ain't right and expose whatever tomfuckery is causing it — this one ain't half bad, since it was a bit more subtle about it and had some third act twists to spice things up. So yeah.

7/10 - The first of many.

We are so fucking back.

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