Friday, December 21, 2012

Deep Space Nine, Season 2: Melora

Deep Space Nine, Season 2
"Melora"
Airdate: October 31st, 1993
25 of 173 produced
25 of 173 aired

Introduction

Ensign Melora Pazlar has been transferred to the station. As an Elaysian, she is from a low gravity world, and standard gravity renders her unable to move without a complex suit and wheelchair. How will she adjust to life on the station? How will the station adjust to her?

"OHHHH, Meh-lohhhh-tah, I've loooost most of my vi-ooooo-lah..."


Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Deep Space Nine, Season 2: Cardassians

Deep Space Nine, Season 2
"Cardassians"
Airdate: October 24, 1993
24 of 173 produced
24 of 173 aired

Introduction

When Garak notices a Cardassian boy with a Bajoran caretaker, he senses an opportunity to reassert himself in Cardassian politics. His opportunity, though, threatens to upend several lives.



It is... blue-green.


Friday, December 14, 2012

Deep Space Nine, Season 2: Invasive Procedures

Deep Space Nine, Season 2
"Invasive Procedures"
Airdate: October 17, 1993
23 of 173 produced
23 of 173 aired

Introduction

The station is being manned by a skeleton crew to weather a passing ion storm. A ship, apparently in distress, comes to the station for help. The people aboard, however, quickly take control of the station and their leader reveals their real reason for coming to DS9. His name is Verad, and he is an unjoined Trill and wants Jadzia's symbiont, Dax. Separating them will kill Jadzia, but Verad threatens to kill everyone else if they don't comply. Will Sisko be able to save his friend?
Treknobabble: Your premium Internet source for hot interracial action.



Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Deep Space Nine, Season 2: The Siege



Deep Space Nine, Season 2
"The Siege"
Airdate: October 10, 1993
22 of 173 produced
22 of 173 aired

Introduction


As the human crew and their families rush to evacuate the station, a small group of Starfleet personnel remains in order to protect Starfleet equipment from being taken over by The Circle. Meanwhile, Kira and Dax rush to bring evidence of Cardassian complicity with the coup attempt to the council of ministers on Bajor.
You gotta shake what yo momma gave you, Jaro!

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Star Trek Into Dumbness...



Thoughts:

Since when was Star Trek set on Earth?

WTF is with all the gray jammies people wear?

So the blond is either Carol Marcus or Dr. Dehner from "Where No Man Has Gone Before"?

Oh boy, it's Star Trek: 9/11!

The black jersey on Cumberbatch strengthens the theory that he's either Gary Mitchell or Garth of Izar. His dialogue indicates that he has "returned" for his "vengeance." This could also indicate Khan or perhaps Anton Karidian. Khan would certainly fit the established Abrams/Orci/Kurtzman/Lindelof modus operandi. However, the synopsis indicates a personal grudge between Kirk and the villain. Setting aside the question of how this could possibly be, since NuKirk has had no career or experiences, perhaps the vengeance involved has some sort of tie to the previous film, or perhaps the synopsis is misleading.

Explodey! Horror movie screams! Enterprise crash lands! Will the Transformers be helping out at any point?

The Dumbening Continues...

Season 2 at the Movies

Richard, a few of our friends, and I attended the HD TNG Season 2 event last week, and I have opinions. Like the Season 1 event, a good time was had by all and it was fun watching the show with so many people. They showed Q Who and the extended cut of Measure of a Man as well as some bonus features. Some opinions in no particular order.

Q Who looked pretty good overall. The higher detail on the Borg costumes is pretty nifty. The scene in engineering still looks really dark and grainy. I'm curious how it will look on TV. The detail on the Borg cube was great obviously, but the ship as a whole doesn't look as great. They used the plastic trees in model kits for a lot of the surface of the cube and in higher def, it makes it looks like the edges aren't quite crisp, straight lines. The effect on the saucer section were really, really cool, however.

The extended cut of Measure of a Man had some good and some bad in it. There was an extended scene of Picard wrestling with the issues and talking about them with Data. The additional dialogue also fleshes out more clearly that Maddox was only forcing Data to transfer off the Enterprise if he refused the refit. If the refit proceeded, he could have stayed on the Enterprise, and some of the dialogue seems a little more clear as a result. There was a scene of Picard in Data's quarters preparing his testimony that was interesting but not vital. We got some additional dialogue with Nakamura about Picard's early career, which was nice, but dispensable. My favorite parts were an additional scene between Geordi and Data where he gives Geordi his Holmes pipes as a goodbye gift, and some additional dialogue in the party scenes, including the party being crashed by Maddox.

On the downside of the additions is a fencing scene with Picard and Riker where it appears Riker is gunning for Picard or something. It adds an odd emotional component to what's going on and is bizarre in light of the fact an actual friend is at stake, so good cut there. Overall, the additions didn't make the episode feel too long, though the cuts they made were largely good ones. There was also an additional lines of dialogue in Louvois' summation, where she starts her speech with the now cut line "I don't know boys." It was a good cut.

The snippets of the cast reunion were awesome and sweet and funny and the blooper real was great since it had more than people cracking up at themselves, though there was plenty of that. According some review I read, the features include the Reading Rainbow episode where LeVar Burton goes on a backstage tour of the show. Like last season, as a longtime viewer, the most exciting part for me is the special features. Matt has already started reviewing the episodes themselves for the blog. I'm most excited for Contagion as between the Romulans and the Yamato, it should be a hoot.

The best part of the evening, hands down, is the promo for season 3 on Bluray. They were showing snippets of Yesterday's Enterprise and Best of Both Worlds, so that makes me think that will be the movie event, which AWESOME! The Borg cube looked much better and I cannot wait for a season in high definition that has a very high number of episodes I actually want to see again.

Deep Space Nine, Season 2: The Circle

Deep Space Nine, Season 2
"The Circle"
Airdate: October 3, 1993
21 of 173 produced
21 of 173 aired

Introduction

Kira has been arbitrarily reassigned. The Circle grows in power with no seeming way to stop them. How can Sisko keep Bajor from tumbling into civil war without violating the Prime Directive? Stayed tuned for the ongoing story of Deep Space Nine, Season 2.

We can't let him into the War Room... he'll see the big board!


Monday, December 3, 2012

The line must be drawn here.

This far and no farther.

I was sitting down to write my review of the Season 2 TNG movie event, when I stumbled across something that demanded my immediate attention. Here is the new poster for Star Trek Into Darkness. (I am never going to not dislike typing that.)


A couple of things here...

First, it is a total ripoff of the Dark Knight posters that are essentially the same idea, i.e. a burned out piece wreckage silhouetting a trademark image of the franchise.

Second, the only two colors in this poster are shades of blue-ish gray and orange, which makes me fear this will be even more like every other action movie made in the last ten years. There's a great article floating around the internet about how movies are increasingly being colored or tinted in shades of blue and orange as they appeal to people in a certain way, particularly in an action film. If I find it, I'll update with the link, but it's worth a read for any movie buffs out there.

Lastly, what does this tell us about the plot? Not much except that there will likely be big, dramatic sequences of buildings being destroyed. The twist I guess is it's London and not New York, LA, or Tokyo or any of the other cities that usually bite it in disaster flicks.

This is not to say I don't enjoy those genre of films, Dark Knight in particular is a sparkling example of what that kind of visual, high-octane story-telling is capable of. That being said, Dark Knight was anchored around two extremely well-acted and well-developed characters whose conflict made sense as a result of their positions, and the movie managed to be high-quality popcorn fare while also executing an above-average explanation of the nature of heroes and villains and good and evil and the tiny differences between them. Based on the last film, I don't think that level of detailed story craft will be in evidence here.

And again, even if they do it well, as well or better than the Nolan Batman films, it's still not a Star Trek story. I have in the past and continue to defend DS9's look at Star Trek's dark side, but as I have also previously stated, it works as part of the larger franchise because the Federation and its ideals are so well developed in TOS, TNG, and their respective films and the show absolutely needs to have that background or the moral quandaries lose their punch. Even if DS9 got away with doing things Rodenberry would not have approved, personal conflicts, a war story, multi-episiode arcs, etc., Rodenberry's vision is a vital part of DS9. It has be in order for the characters' struggle to exist. Nothing even close to that seems to be anywhere near the current film franchise. Take, for example, what many understandably consider to be one of the best DS9 episodes, The Siege of AR-558. That story focused on characters and their choices and their consequences. In the hands of Moore and Behr, we got a tight 42 minutes about the horrors of war and their effect on good people. With Abrams, I think we would have gotten 42 minutes of the Houdinis exploding.

My issues with basic design and movie-making aside, my concerns go deeper than just my original annoyance at the idea of a reboot. I liked the show's history; it was one of my favorite aspects of the shows. It's that it seems clear that Abrams and company's view of what Star Trek is limited to its trappings, which they seem to think by "modernizing" satisfy the requirement of honoring the original work. There's really nothing in the last movie, the buzz about this movie, and certainly not in this poster that indicates that any of the stories they have or will tell are about people, on either a large or small scale. More than anything, Rodenberry's original vision of the show was one where humanity was better to each other. Not only is any exploration of the nature of humanity absent here, there's no humanity period.

Just lens flares.

Deep Space Nine, Season 2: The Homecoming


Deep Space Nine, Season 2
"The Homecoming"
Airdate: September 26, 1993
20 of 173 produced
20 of 173 aired

Introduction

Kira is compelled to go on a dangerous, unsanctioned mission when she discovers that a Bajoran hero of the occupation, Li Nalas, as still alive in a Cardassian prison camp. His rescue will prove to have lasting repercussions on the powder-keg Bajoran political situation, both on the station and on the planet surface.


Maria! I'll never stop saying Maria!



Wednesday, November 28, 2012

DS9 Season One Recap


Introduction

With Deep Space Nine, the Star Trek franchise has boldly shifted tone and setting, creating a world quite unlike the previous Roddenberry-helmed television shows. The results in season one of said show are... mixed.
Maybe it's the acoustics in here. Did everyone not hear "Smile!?"

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Would that constitute a "joke"?

So, the official synopsis for the forthcoming reboot sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness, is out.

First, let me get this out of they way. I hate the title with the absence of colon. "Into Darkness" is obviously a subtitle, and grammatically should be treated as such. If it's not, it's just stupid. Read that phrase as a whole. It just doesn't make any sense. What does it mean to trek in a star-related manner, into darkness? Nothing. It can't just be going into space. It's already dark. If it's a reference to a metaphysical darkness, the subtitle becomes even more necessary. It's Star Trek, and the story is about going into some form of darkness. Title:subtitle. It's not hard. What it's really about is further trying separate this iteration of the franchise from it's predecessors. The "Star Trek n: Subtitle" where is the movie we're on is how the old Trek did it, so we have to do it a new way. It's the hipster version of a movie title. Why not just put some superfluous umlauts on some of the vowels. "Stär Trëk" looks pretty awesome, I have to say. Quite metal, really.

Moving on. Here's the synopsis:
In Summer 2013, pioneering director J.J. Abrams will deliver an explosive action thriller that takes Star Trek Into Darkness.
When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis.
With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction.
As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.
So another action film then? I mean I assume the use of the words "explosive" and "detonated" are meant literally and not figuratively, so expect the first twenty minutes to be loud and full of explosions (and lens flares if history is any guide).

"Personal score," "manhunt," "war-zone," and "weapon of mass destruction" all in the same sentence give me pause. I have no reason to think this won't be, again, a monolithic, crazy-person villain with crudely drawn motivations.

Now, that's not to say that a single, monolithic bad guy can't work, TWOK is pretty good, and Khan and his pecs are nothing if not monolithic, but nothing in this blurb makes me think the story will be grounded in themes other than "explosions are cool" or "credible character motivations are boring." TWOK is anchored by a familiar, well-developed set of characters really questioning their futures and an interesting twist on the "weapon of mass destruction" in the Genesis device. The use of a nemesis to Kirk served to explore and expand on the personal problems he was having at the start of the film. Rather than serve in lieu of a plot, the action and the villain served to advance the plot.  I have (and will again) argued that movies do require a slightly more focused villain to work given the particular constraints of movies, but you still need to do the work to tell a good character and/or idea driven story. 

Ultimately, though, even if they make this a good movie, there's nothing here to make me think it will be a good Star Trek movie, and that, more than even lens flares, makes me really sad. I don't want to pre-judge the film (a lot), and I will go see it and give it a fair shake, but still...it would be nice to be excited rather than dreading what the film has in store.

Also...."pioneering director"... really? Did he invent complex set-ups that eventually over-rely on flashbacks and never resolve into a cohesive conclusion? cough....Alias...cough...Lost...cough...Heroes...cough 

Oh, maybe he did.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Oh my....

So in case you haven't heard, there's a kickstarter campaign to fund reconstructing the bridge set of the Enterprise-D. And to be clear, this is not some mere recreation of the set, but the actual set pieces which were on the verge of being scrapped for parts by CBS. The set pieces are now in private hands and being lovingly restored to their former glory, with the addition of actual working touchscreen videos and panels, to serve forever as a shrine and pilgrimage site for Trekkies everywhere.

I'll be honest. I would seriously consider getting married there. I'd marry a woman if I had to, to make that happen.

At the suggestion of a friend, I looked at the various packages for what you get based on your donation, the Trek equivalent of the PBS tote bag, if you will. At the $3,000 level, you get, in part, the following:
You and a guest will be given a private evening for 2 on the bridge. This includes a 3 course dinner, with your choice of food, drink, flowers and movies of choice. 
Now that sounds lovely, doesn't it? I would almost prefer to eat in the ready room where it would feel a little more intimate, and have an actual table, but that's nitpicking. What concerns me is the next sentence in the description:
Complete privacy until the next morning.
This concerns me. A lot. I'm not a prude by any stretch, but even I, with my hedonistic Risian values, am concerned about the consequences of someone being given carte blanche to have sex in the Captain's chair or over the tactical console. Thoughts? Comments?

Deep Space Nine, Season 1: In the Hands of the Prophets

Deep Space Nine, Season 1
"In the Hands of the Prophets"
Airdate: June 20, 1993
19 of 173 produced
19 of 173 aired

Introduction

A religious leader and potential new Kai comes to the station and objects to Keiko O'Brien teaching her students about the wormhole as a scientific phenomenon and not a religious one. An increasingly heated debate ensues that eventually threatens to erupt in outright violence and to undo the progress that DS9 has made over the last year.
Sometimes the Prophets ask us to sacrifice otherwise interesting characters for no good reason, my child.



Friday, November 16, 2012

Deep Space Nine, Season 1: Duet



Deep Space Nine, Season 1
"Duet"
Airdate: June 13, 1993
18 of 173 produced
18 of 173 aired

Introduction

Kira is forced to reevaluate her reflexive hatred against Cardassians when an apparent Cardassian war criminal turns out to be more than he first appears.

Sooner or later, Coach will put me in for real.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Deep Space Nine, Season 1: Dramatis Personae

Deep Space Nine, Season 1
"Dramatis Personae"
Airdate: May 30, 1993
17 of 173 produced
17 of 173 aired

Introduction

A Klingon ship mysteriously returns early from its Gamma Quadrant mission. Shortly after clearing the wormhole, it explodes, and one survivor beams aboard. The senior staff begin to act very strangely. Sisko appears bored at the idea of running the station. and Kira, while butting heads with Sisko is a normal day, has begun openly plotting his overthrow. The only crew member unaffected is Odo. Can he figure out what is going on? Will he be able to stop them?
When you demand satisfaction, call Samuel T. Cogley & Associates, Attorneys at Law.


Friday, November 9, 2012

Deep Space Nine, Season 1: The Forsaken

Deep Space Nine, Season 1
"The Forsaken"
Airdate: May 23, 1993
17 of 173 produced
17 of 173 aired

Introduction

An alien probe threatens to overrun the station's computer system. Meanwhile, Dr. Bashir escorts some annoying visiting dignitaries on a visit to the station. Lwaxana Troi, one of the dignitaries, gets trapped in an elevator with Odo.



Never let them see you sweat when you're being sexually harassed.


Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Deep Space Nine, Season 1: If Wishes Were Horses

Deep Space Nine, Season 1
"If Wishes Were Horses"
Airdate: May 16, 1993
16 of 173 produced
16 of 173 aired

Introduction

Crewmembers' fantasies and imaginary characters start appearing on the station. A famous baseball player walks off the holosuite, and a Dax suddenly very interested in Bashir's advances walks into sickbay. Rumplestilskin appears in the O'Brien's quarters as he is reading Molly the bedtime story. Meanwhile, a spacial anomaly is growing nearby and threatens the station. Are these incidents related? (Spoiler alert: Yes.)

Does it say something weird about me that my first thought during this scene was "Is that a real tattoo?" and my second was "What woman in 1993 has a tattoo like that?"




Friday, November 2, 2012

Deep Space Nine, Season One: Progress

Deep Space Nine, Season 1
"Progress"
Airdate: May 9, 1993
14 of 173 produced
14 of 173 aired

Introduction

When Kira is tasked with relocating a colony's residents whose home will be transformed into a power station, she is forced to weigh her duty to her government against her duty to a people who have suffered similar fates at the hands of their former occupiers.


Kira flashes Mullibok a bit of her Bajoran undies. Mullibok is unimpressed.



Monday, October 29, 2012

Deep Space Nine, Season 1: The Storyteller

Deep Space Nine, Season 1
"The Storyteller"
Airdate: May 2, 1993
13 of 173 produced
13 of 173 aired

Introduction

O'Brien and Bashir are summoned by a local Bajoran leader who says his village is in grave peril. Sisko must mediate a dispute between two different local governments to prevent war from breaking out between them. Will the crew get through this episode without being bored, literally, to death?
The specter of horrible green-screen loomed over our village once more!



Thursday, October 25, 2012

Deep Space Nine, Season One: Battle Lines


Deep Space Nine, Season 1
"Battle Lines"
Airdate: April 25, 1993
12 of 173 produced
12 of 173 aired


Introduction

Introduction

On a tour through the wormhole to please Kai Opaka, Sisko and crew become mired in a strange situation on a Gamma Quadrant prison moon. The Kai dies in a shuttle crash, but is resurrected by the prison planet's strange properties. Now, they are all caught in a never-ending war between the immortal prisoners of this world, and must find a way to escape before they die themselves.


Why, why, WHY can't this show be consistently good?!


Monday, October 22, 2012

Deep Space Nine, Season 1: Vortex

Deep Space Nine, Season 1
"Vortex"
Airdate: April 18, 1993
11 of 173 produced
11 of 173 aired


Introduction

After a robbery attempt goes tragically goes wrong, Odo finds himself with a visitor from the Gamma Quadrant in his holding cell. Returning him to his people becomes more complicated when he offers Odo information about his origin.

Are you the keymaster? I am the gatekeeper.



Friday, October 19, 2012

Deep Space Nine, Season One: The Nagus


Deep Space Nine, Season 1
"The Nagus"
Airdate: March 21, 1993
10 of 173 produced
10 of 173 aired


Inroduction

Quark's world is overturned when he receives a surprise visit from Grand Nagus Zek, the biggest mover and shaker in all of Ferengi society.

Oddly, Odo kissing Quark's scepter makes loads more sense than whatever the hell he did later with Kira...


Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Deep Space Nine, Season 1: Move Along Home

Deep Space Nine, Season 1
"Move Along Home"
Airdate: March 14, 1993
9 of 173 produced
9 of 173 aired

Introduction

The station receives its first formal visit from a species from the Gamma Quadrant. Rather than being interested in diplomacy, they head straight to Quark's to play games...you know what? I just can't. I won't dignify this episode with a summary. It implies there's a cohesive story that can be summarized, and that's simply not the case. If you want to know what happens, you'll just have to watch it like we did.

They have many uses... like gouging out your eyes and puncturing your eardrums, to prevent you from experiencing this episode.



Friday, October 12, 2012

Deep Space Nine, Season 1: The Passenger

Deep Space Nine, Season 1
"The Passenger"
Airdate: February 21, 1993
8 of 174 produced
8 of 174 aired

Introduction

A distress call from a fatally damaged ship introduces a difficult problem to the station. Rao Vantika, a mass murderer with a desire to survive that goes well beyond the norm, intends to transfer his mind into the body of someone else before he dies of his injuries. The only question is: who has been mentally hijacked, and can it be discovered before the rogue consciousness selfishly causes the deaths of untold millions?


You're saying this sort of... stiffness... is normal for corpses, Doctor?



Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Deep Space Nine, Season 1: Dax

Deep Space Nine, Season 1
"Dax"
Airdate: February 14, 1993
7 of 174 produced
7 of 174 aired

Introduction

A group of aliens attempt to kidnap Dax, claiming that her previous host Curzon was guilty of treason on their world. The host, Curzon, has obviously died, but the symbiont Dax lives on. There is no way to separate Jadzia from Dax now, so executing Dax as they intend to do will kill her too. Sisko, relying on the jurisdictional gray area the station sits in, stalls for time to try to help Dax, but for reasons she won't reveal even to him, she refuses to act in her own defense.
Pictured: Lt. Dax, frozen in a script-induced torpor.



Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Deep Space Nine, Season 1: Q-Less

Deep Space Nine, Season 1
"Q-Less"
Airdate: February 7, 1993
6 of 173 produced
6 of 173 aired

Introduction


An unexpected human visitor from the Gamma Quadrant arrives on the station - Vash. As usual, she trails trouble in her wake, not just from the artifacts she has brought with her, but from the unpredictable Q, as well.
Even his moustache is omnipotent.




Friday, September 28, 2012

Deep Space Nine, Season 1: Captive Pursuit

Deep Space Nine, Season 1
"Captive Pursuit"
Airdate: January 31, 1993
5 of 173 produced
5 of 173 aired

Introduction

The station receives its first visitor from the Gamma Quadrant, an alien that only identifies himself as "Tosk." His ship was damaged, but he won't tell them why. He won't tell them much of anything in fact. Chief O'Brien discovers Tosk's ship was damaged by weapons fire, but Tosk refuses to tell them more. Chief O'Brien has been introducing Tosk to life around the station, and has grown to like him, and wants to give him the benefit of the doubt. Matters are complicated are when aliens calling themselves Hunters follow Tosk through the wormhole. They say Tosk is hunted for sport on their world, and they will not stop at violence to get him back. The Prime Directive seems to bind Sisko's hands, but what about Chief O'Brien's?

Thanks for your offer, friend, but I'm just not into that sort of thing.



Monday, September 24, 2012

Deep Space Nine, Season One: Babel


Deep Space Nine, Season 1
"Babel"
Airdate: January 24, 1993
4 of 173 produced
4 of 173 aired


Introduction

After a long week of repairs on the station, Chief O'Brien inadvertently trips a long forgotten sabotage device which releases a deadly virus on the station. Now, he and his crew mates must race to cure it before they become completely incoherent, and then die.

You want me to put this WHERE?

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Deep Space Nine, Season 1: A Man Alone

Deep Space Nine, Season 1
"A Man Alone"
Airdate: January 17, 1993
2 of 173 produced
3 of 173 aired

Introduction

Odo spots a criminal he arrested during the Occupation back on the station. He attempts to remove him, but without evidence of some new crime, Sisko will not allow it. That man is found dead in a holosuite shortly thereafter. The computer records that no one else entered or exited the room, leaving the only suspect the one person on the station who could get in and out undetected: Odo himself.

Looks like Miles lost the "compromise."



Monday, September 17, 2012

Deep Space Nine, Season 1: Past Prologue

Deep Space Nine, Season 1
"Past Prologue"
Airdate: January 10, 1993
3 of 173 produced
2 of 173 aired


Introduction

Major Kira is visited by Tahna Los, a man from her past in the Bajoran resistance. He plays upon her trust in him to arrange a deadly plot to destroy the wormhole that has opened up so many opportunities for Bajor. Now, her loyalties are tested as she must decide between her own past and the future of all Bajorans.


Pop. Six. Squish. Uh-Uh. Cicero. LIPSCHITZ!