Archive for the ‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)’ Category
Above: “A sun, a real star”
A Screen Capture
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
EPISODE 16
Aired January 5, 1974
0:49:24
The episode is available here.
STARRING
Keir Dullea as Devon
Gay Rowan as Rachel
Robin Ward as Garth
GUEST STARRING
Ivor Barry as Rathe Mathers, Chief of the Intra-Ark Police
Nuala Fitzgerald as Reena, Chief of Planetary Police, Federation of United Planets
Richard Alden as Mike, the Pilot of I.A.P. Module Number One
Diane Dewey as “Tech,” Police Technician, Class A, Intra-Ark Police
William Osler as Computer Host and Voice
BEHIND THE CAMERAS
Series created by Cordwainer Bird (Harlan Ellison)
Episode written by Martin Lager
Story Consultant = Norman Klenman
Director = Joseph L. Scanlan
Producer = William Davidson
Executive Producers = Douglas Trumbull and Jerry Zeitman
Above: Garth, “Tech,” and Rathe
A Screen Capture
THE INTRA-ARK POLICE (I.A.P.)
Where have the Intra-Ark Police (I.A.P.) been for the previous fifteen episodes? They would have been helpful as early as the second episode, Lazarus from the Mist.
Diane Dewey’s character has no name. The end credits list the character as “Technician.” The character herself and all other characters who encounter her call her “Tech.”
Why do the Intra-Ark Police, who have long known about the impending doom of the Ark, tried to do nothing to save it?
Above: I.A.P. Module Number One
A Screen Capture
The I.A.P. modules allow for mobility on the Ark, a large vessel.
Most members of the I.A.P. are “textbook-trained graduates of the Ark Academy,” as Chief Rathe Masters refers to them dismissively.
Where is the Ark Academy?
Who controls the Ark Academy?
Does Rathe answer to the Director of Security, mentioned in Farthing’s Comet?
The I.A.P. violate the already-broken concept of The Starlost.
Members of the I.A.P., except for mini-skirted women, wear uniforms identical to those of the Astro-Medics. “Tech” dresses identically to Lethe, from And Only Man is Vile.
The I.A.P. knows much about the residents of the Ark.
The I.A.P. has been tracking Devon, Rachel, and Garth for seven months, since Voyage of Discovery. This timeframe contradicts The Alien Oro.
Chief Rathe Masters’s base of operations is I.A.P. Module Number One.
The I.A.P. has at least twelve divisions. We hear about yet never see Division 12.
Rathe has grand plans for the I.A.P.-F.U.P. police force. The result will be a force that “will be able to handle everything from a burglary to a space shootout.”
The Solar System of the Federation of United Planets
A Screen Capture
THE FEDERATION OF UNITED PLANETS (F.U.P.)
The name “Federation of United Planets” is terribly derivative of the United Federation of Planets, from Star Trek (1966-1969) and its successors.
The F.U.P., contained in one solar system of ten planets, consists of nine inhabited worlds. The habitable zone in that solar system is extremely unlikely, to understate the case. But recall, O reader, that The Starlost is the series that mentions a “solar star,” “radiation virus,” and “space senility.” Are you expecting science?
The worlds of the F.U.P. orbit what Rathe describes as “a sun, a real star.” I hope they do not orbit a “solar star”!
The F.U.P. is about to go to war over the mining rights on the uninhabited world of Apor. The two main planets, leaders of competing alliances, are Arak and Accombra. Arak passed on the opportunity to mine on Apor until Accombra staked its claim. Now Arak threatens to wage war and Accombra threatens to secede. The hijacking of Accombran ore freighters is increasing tensions.
Above: Federation Headquarters
A Screen Capture
The headquarters of the F.U.P. is an orbiting space station.
The F.U.P. and the I.A.P. have been in contact for five years. Now that the Ark is close to the solar system, a launch window is about to open. The next launch window will open in about a year.
Above: Reena
A Screen Capture
Reena, the Chief of Planetary Police, F.U.P., seeks Rathe’s help in preventing an interplanetary war. She says she needs his advanced police techniques in the F.U.P.
Reena’s uniform reminds me of clothes in Gallery of Fear and The Beehive.
Above: Chief Rathe Masters, I.A.P.
A Screen Capture
SUMMARY OF THE EPISODE
As Space Precinct opens, Rachel is consulting a sphere projector while Devon and Garth look on. The members of the trio are wearing their usual clothing from Cypress Corners, also known as M124. Rachel is gathering information about biosphere M71, a scientific, experimental, agrarian station. The last reported contact with M71 was in 2386, in the year after the Ark‘s accident. M71 was high-tech in 2386. The regular access routes are sealed, but access may be possible via service channels. The sphere projector provides directions.
Devon and Rachel are enthusiastic about going to M71, but Garth is not. He says goodbye and heads back toward Cypress Corners. Garth does not get far before Rathe Masters, Chief of the Intra-Ark Police (I.A.P.), detains him for questioning and takes him to I.A.P. Module Number One, docked in its assigned place.
Meanwhile, Rachel and Devon don spacesuits before entering a freight elevator with little air in it. They are en route to M71. The elevator gets stuck, and the supply of air in the space suits is limited.
At Module One, Rathe learns more about Garth than Garth may have known about himself. Rathe offers Garth a job as a detective in the I.A.P. Garth accepts the offer. Rathe is convinced that Garth can help him prevent a war in the Federation of United Planets (F.U.P.).
Rathe calls Reena, the Chief of Planetary Police in the F.U.P. He tells her that Module One will leave in a few minutes, when the launch window will open. Yet Module One can never leave because someone is jamming the system. “Tech,” Rathe’s trusted aide, tells him that the jamming signal comes from the F.U.P. He believes her. Yet she is lying; she keeps jamming the system. “Tech” spends most of the episode casting blame onto innocent people, mainly Reena and Garth.
Garth suspects that Reena may have a traitor on her staff. This turns out to be correct; he is Ragar, whom we never see. Ragar and “Tech” are working together. Ragar, responsible for protecting the ore ships, is orchestrating the hijacking of them and getting rich. He, planning to win the F.U.P. war and have Reena killed, has offered “Tech” Reena’s job in one year.
Poor Garth! Mike suspects him of being a traitor. Rathe suspects. Even Reena suspects him. Then she reveals that “Tech” is a traitor.
Back in the freight elevator, Devon removes his helmet then the helmet of the unconscious Rachel. The air in the elevator is all the air they have left. Reena calls in Division 12 to rescue Devon and Rachel. Then, when alone, she calls off Division 12. Next, she tells Garth that Devon and Rachel have died.
Soon, however, Garth overhears “Tech” speaking with Ragar. He knows that she is a liar and a traitor. She tries to kill him by stunning him and leaving him in an airless elevator. But one of his boots prevents the elevator door from closing completely. “Tech” tells Rathe that Garth is dead. He is alive, though.
Rathe sends Division 12 to rescue Devon and Rachel. Division 12 rescues them, off-screen, of course.
Until nearly the end of the episode, Reena suspects Garth of being a traitor. Then she tells Rathe that “Tech” is a traitor. “Tech” goes to the Ark jail. The plot ended, tensions in the F.U.P. begin to cool.
Reena says,
Garth, we’ll make a detective out of you yet.
Garth replies,
Well, I’ll let you know.
Le fin.
Above: Mike, Pilot of Intra-Ark Police Module Number One
A Screen Capture
OTHER UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
Where is the laundry in the tubes and corridors of the Earth Ship Ark?
Where are the bathrooms and showers in tubes and corridors of the Earth Ship Ark?
How does Garth maintain that early 1970s haircut while on the run in the tubes and corridors of the Earth Ship Ark?
Given that Devon, Rachel, and Garth have been to the Bridge, why do they need to find the backup Bridge?
Why are so many people on the Ark fatalistic?
Why does Devon not invoke his authority as the Ark commander? (The Return of Oro)
Why does Devon’s level of interest in saving the Ark vary from episode to episode, and sometimes within an episode?
How many zoological laboratories are on the Earth Ship Ark?
What is M71 like in 2790?
Will Devon and Rachel go to M71 after all?
Will Garth rejoin Devon and Rachel?
Is the Ark doomed to collide with the “Class-G solar star”?
Above: “Tech”
A Screen Capture
OTHER COMMENTS
For the record, Garth, Identification Number 774833-BXL-871, was born to Rebecca and Old Garth on May 22, 2767.
Space Precinct was the final episode of The Starlost filmed. However, there were scripts for episodes #17 and 18: God That Died and People in the Dark.
The full season run would have been twenty-four episodes. However, NBC chose not to order the final eight episodes. Good riddance to bad rubbish!
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 COMMON ERA
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
All images in this post are screen captures from a series that is freely available at archive.org and YouTube.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I am a geek and a pedant.
I have been a geek since early childhood. I have also been detail-oriented and pedantic for as long as I can remember. I have become more pedantic as I have aged. I have, for example, developed the nearly-irresistible urge to hurl a copy of any edition of The Elements of Style (Strunk and White) at anyone who says,
The fact that….
And don’t get me started on ‘impact” (as a verb), “impacted,” and “impacting,” in the absence of physical contact. The only people who have impacted me have punched me. That was a long time ago, fortunately. Many people have affected and influenced me, though.
Beginning a thought with, “so,” also annoys me. Properly, “so” continues a thought.
One of my grandmothers taught English for nearly four decades. She has continued to influence me beyond her grave.
I, as a geek, enjoy learning more about the topics of my geekiness. Some of these topics are science fiction-related. The Internet is replete with science fiction podcasts, most of which are not worth my time. My two major complaints are:
- The hosts swear too much, and
- The hosts do not do their homework.
I may learn that I know more about the topic of the podcast episode in question than the hosts. Then I know that continuing to listen to that podcast constitutes a waste of my time. I can easily look up when an episode or serial aired in first run, for example. I can also check to see who played which role. Yet many podcast hosts do not bother to look up such details before recording. Speaking out of one’s knowledge is superior to speaking out of one’s ignorance. Podcasts in which the hosts say,
I don’t know,
too many times do not hold my attention.
I used to listen to a certain podcast about Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. I stopped listening to one episode about a minute after it started. One host asked the other one if the main aliens were the Bajorans or the Pajorans. (The answer is the Bajorans.) Finding the answer to that question prior to recording was easy, but one of the hosts did not make the minimal effort to do so.
I do not object to an occasional, well-placed curse word. Sometimes such language is appropriate and accurate. However, when profanity becomes verbal wallpaper, the laziness of frequent cursing becomes evident. And my mother raised me better than to swear as often as many people do.
My background as an educator informs my procedural bias for checking facts. I know the importance of speaking as accurately as possible as often as possible. I grasp why keeping one’s facts straight and one’s chronology in order is vital. I bring this mindset to my hobbies, predictably.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 20, 2021 COMMON ERA
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: The Headless Biker
All images in this post are screen captures.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Bring Me the Head of Tucker Burns
Canadian Television Rating = PG
Hyperlink to Episode
Aired August 25, 2001
Production Number = 5009-01-111
Starring
Chad Willett as Tucker Burns
Jon Polito as Donald Stern
Reno Wilson as Wes Freewald
Rena Sofer as Grace Hall
Sharon Sachs as Vera
Octavia L. Spencer as Ruby Rydell
Main Guest Cast
Paul Lane as the Headless Biker
Mark A. Shepherd as Nitro
Elaine Hendrix as Kristen Martin
Casey Biggs as Dick Blanston
Len Cordova as Detective Hector Garibaldi
Behind the Camera
Consulting Producer = Naren Shankar
Writer = Javier Grillo-Marxuach
Director = Sanford Bookstaver
Above: Tucker Burns and Kristen Martin
Brief Summary
At midnight each day, for a few days, a headless motorcyclist wearing a jack-o-lantern helmet beheads a person with an annoying job that makes the lives of ordinary people miserable. The first three victims are, in order, an employee of the state Department of Motor Vehicles, a meter maid, and a tax auditor. The episode begins with the execution of the meter maid.
Tucker encounters Kristen Martin again as both of them join the gaggle of journalists at the scene of the meter maid’s beheading. The lead detective in the case is Hector Garibaldi, who misses many vital clues and becomes a recurring character. At the crime scene, Kristen asks Tucker if he thinks alien head hunters are responsible. He jokes, “Nah! LBJ kicked all the alien head hunters off the planet once they got Jayne Mansfield. Bad scene.” Kristen replies, “Cute.” They agree to share leads. Sharing leads leads to dating during the episode as Tucker focuses on romancing Kristen, thereby allowing the investigation to fall to Wes and Grace.
Grace had been working on a story about a scientist who claimed to be cloning the Rat Pack, minus Joey Bishop. Allegedly, the cloned Rat Pack would be ready to start performing in Las Vegas by the end of the year.
In the archives, Wes and Grace uncover a plethora of legends about headless horsemen, bikers, et cetera, from all around the world. Wes explains that some of these headless spirits merely wreak the same kind of havoc they did in life. He continues, “Many people think this legend explains the Reagan era.”
Wes and Grace uncover a lead about a Hell’s Angel (Clarence, known as “Hellboy”) accidentally decapitated a few years prior. They interview Clarence’s brother, Nitro, who sells motorcycles. Nitro tells Wes and Grace that Clarence, a veteran of the U.S. invasion of Panama, got drummed out of the Army for reasons related to conduct, then became a bounty hunter. Nitro also tells our heroes from the World Chronicle that Clarence enjoyed frightening children by wearing the jack-o-lantern helmet. Nitro affectionately describes his late brother (whose skull he later admits to having kept) as “a whore-monger, a gambler, and a drunk.”
Shortly thereafter, Wes and Grace attempt to save the life of the third victim, a tax auditor. They succeed, however, in locating the Headless Biker’s lair. Then the call the police. Detective Garibaldi proves to be useless.
Wes and Grace uncover a vital clue: all the victims have sequential driver’s license numbers. They would use the Rosetta Stone to hack into the DMV’s computer, to identify the next possible victim. Why not? The Rosetta Stone does interpret extraterrestrial languages. Yet, as Wes explains, “nobody screws with the DMV.” Fortunately, Vera the sex-starved receptionist has a former boyfriend who works at the DMV. She uses phone sex to get the essential information for Wes and Grace.
The next possible victim is Dick Blanston, a cable guy. Wes and Grace get to him just in time for the Headless Biker to drive into the apartment. They take Blanston to relative safety at the offices of the World Chronicle, but the Headless Biker drives into the tabloid’s headquarters. Wes and Grace hide with Blanston in the elevator, but the Headless Biker abducts Tucker and leaves a note (written in blood) threatening to kill Tucker unless our heroes deliver Blanston by dawn. Blanston, from Hell (literally), takes the file on the case of the decapitations. Off-screen, he beats up Nitro and takes Clarence’s skull. Then Wes and Grace visit Nitro.
Clarence is the Headless Biker. He is also still a bounty hunter. Blanston and the other victims are prisoners. They are souls of discord who escaped from the eighth circle of Hell. The soul of discord who got a job at the DMV set up everyone else with new identities and with sequential driver’s license numbers. Clarence is working for Satan, I guess.
Kristen ceases to deny the existence of a biker after she and Tucker witness him exit the offices of the World Chronicle. However, Kristen denies that the Headless Biker is headless, for she saw him wear a helmet.
Blanston goes to the Headless Biker’s lair. Wes, Grace, and Nitro meet him there. Nitro rides a motorcycle and wears a jack-o-lantern helmet. Blanston tosses the skull to that cyclist, who removes his helmet to reveal that he is Nitro. The Headless Biker returns Tucker, safe and sound. Then Clarence drives up and decapitates Blanston. Nitro tosses the skull to Clarence, who removes he helmet, puts the skull on, then puts the helmet back on. Nitro says his farewell to Clarence, who drives off and never beheads again. Next, Nitro thanks Wes and Grace for helping him find closure and offers each one a deal on a motorcycle. Then he, in a good mood, rides away.
The useless police, tipped off by Kristen, show up. Kristen is glad to see that Tucker is alive. They are now boyfriend and girlfriend.
Above: Ruby Rydell
Character Beats
Grace does not know who the Hessians were.
Donald Stern is an expert in retrofitting space stations.
Tucker decided to become a journalist because of the example of his grandfather, a reporter.
Kristen decided to become a journalist because of the example of Lois Lane. (Was Lois Lane a good reporter? How sharp were her powers of observation?)
Great Lines
Wes: “Who wouldn’t want to ice a meter maid and a DMV clerk?”
Wes: “I knew an elementary school education would come in handy.”
Wes: “Now, I know what you’re thinking: It’s impossible, you know, Germans making war and all that.”
Kristen: “Why do all men think that women want to be Lois Lane? And don’t get me started on Supergirl.”
Wes (at Dick Blanston’s door): “We know you’re in there watching reruns of Suddenly Susan, buddy. Open up now.”
Above: Detective Hector Garibaldi, N.Y.P.D.
In-Universe
This episode marks the first appearance of Detective Hector Garibaldi, a police officer yet hardly one of New York’s finest. The journalists at the World Chronicle are better detectives than he is.
Donald Stern is in Russia, helping the team retrofitting Mir. Apparently, the crash of the space station into the ocean on March 23, 2001, was a cover story. (March 23, 2001, was in the recent past in the present day of this episode.)
Wes and Grace once chased a disembodied hand down the Holland Tunnel.
On the other hand, Wes finds going to New Jersey creepier than chasing a disembodied hand.
Kristen Martin begins continues down the path of struggling with the possibility of the world be a stranger place than she assumes.
How many other escaped prisoners from the eighth circle of Hell work in annoying jobs? And which bounty hunter(s) will pursue them?
Above: Kristen Martin Sees the Biker, Whose Existence She Had Just Denied
Comments
I detect open hostility to the Department of Motor Vehicles in this episode. I understand this. In Georgia, we have the ironically-named Department of Driver Services. I have my own story about that agency, staffed with Vogons. (Yes, I have read Douglas Adams.)
This episode is worthy of watching many times, and not just for the swipes at the DMV.
Bring Me the Head of Tucker Burns is not the first episode of a television series to feature a headless motorcyclist. I know of one other, Chopper (1975), from Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974-1975).
Nothing in this episode is gratuitous. The camera cuts away (sometimes to shadows) at certain moments. Leaving some details to one’s fertile imagination suffices.
I binge-watched this series and made mental notes before I commenced this rewatch project and started making written notes in preparation for blog posts, such as this one. The Chronicle would have been a different series–whether better or worse, I cannot say for sure–had Tucker stayed with Shawna Fuchs. Take my word for that, or do not, O reader. But do watch the series, if you wish.
Casey Biggs played Damar, an intriguing character, on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Mark A. Shepherd portrayed attorney (later President, briefly) Romo Lampkin on the Ronald D. Moore reboot of Battlestar Galactica.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 26, 2020 COMMON ERA
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: George Takei as Mr. Shen
All images in this post are screen captures.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Here There Be Dragons
Canadian Television Rating = PG
Hyperlink to Episode
Aired July 21, 2001
Production Number = 5009-01-107
Starring
Chad Willett as Tucker Burns
Jon Polito as Donald Stern
Reno Wilson as Wes Freewald
Rena Sofer as Grace Hall
Main Guest Cast
George Takei as Mr. Shen
Yuki Kudo as Mina Shen
James Hong as David Lo Pan
Brian Tee as Neo
Dax Griffin as Sam
Behind the Camera
Writer and Consulting Producer = Naren Shankar
Director = Sanford Bookstaver
Above: Grace Hall and Mina Shen
Brief Summary
Donald Stern assigns Tucker Burns to investigate rumors of a fire-breathing dragon in the sewers of Chinatown. Something is down there, emitting flames; drug dealer Neo has a scarred face to prove that much. Tucker, having adjusted to having his mind blown after working at the World Chronicle for two months, accepts that a fire-breathing dragon may be loose in Chinatown, but he insists on proof. Many residents of Chinatown accept the existence of the dragon, but Don Corleone-like restauranteur (and boss of Neo, not at the restaurant) David Lo Pan remains skeptical. Lo Pan threatens Tucker and Wes with violence and a lawsuit as easily as he gives them egg rolls.
Tucker comes to believe then doubt then believe again that the story is really about destructive cultural taboos, not a fire-breathing dragon. He is correct. Mina Shen, daughter of widower Mr. Shen, is pregnant and unmarried. Mr. Shen believes that she has dishonored the family. He asks Lo Pan to arrange an honor killing of the dragon, the alleged father of the new grandson, who has a skin disease. Lo Pan insists that Mr. Shen do it himself, and sends Neo with him into the sewer to commit the deed.
Wes, Tucker, and Grace, having learned the truth, stage the “slaying” of the dragon (actually mechanical) and the death of Mina. Mr. Shen, thinking his daughter is dead, weeps. The father is Sam, a homeless Caucasian man with a skin disease living in the sewer. He is as kind as Neo, who has designs on Mina also, is not. Our three heroes send Mina, Sam, and the newborn son upstate, to Mina’s aunt, who has not spoken to Mr. Shen in years. (Why not? Mr. Shen, having met his grandson, insists that he has no grandson.) The two reporters and the photographer permit Donald to think that there was actually a dragon in Chinatown, and to print that story. The new family gets a fresh start, after all. And it will be safe from Mr. Shen, who uses morality to justify his immorality.
Character Beats
Donald Stern keeps his promises.
Mina uses the story of the dragon to protect Sam’s identity.
Great Lines
Grace, to Tucker: “Well, if a sewer is your idea of a romantic getaway, that might explain your success with women.”
Wes, to Tucker: “I’m sorry about that, man. After all those Jet Li movies, I should have seen that coming.”
Above: The Mechanical Dragon
In-Universe
This episode is a sequel to Big Trouble in Little China (1986), in which James Hong originated the character of David Lo Pan. Lo Pan, no longer a ghost, has moved from Chinatown in San Francisco to Chinatown in New York City.
About two months have passed since the end of the previous episode. During that time, Tucker has encountered “a Whitman sampler of demons.”
The medical insurance policy for employees of the World Chronicle does not cover “immolation by reptiles.”
Donald Stern is objectively wrong about the causes of many of the incidents about which the World Chronicle reports.
The internal chronology of this series in inconsistent yet mostly consistent. The date on the issue of the World Chronicle at the end of the episode (the eighth one produced and third one aired) is August 20, 2001. Yet, Baby Got Back, the third episode produced and fourth one aired, is set in August 2000. When did Tucker start working for the World Chronicle? And when had he been working for there for two months? The March 2001 dates referenced in Bring Me the Head of Tucker Burns (the twelfth episode produced and the eighth one aired) and Let Sleeping Dogs Fry (the second episode produced and the ninth one aired) point toward Tucker going to work for the World Chronicle in the summer of 2000.
Comments
This episode, with a heart, is easily rewatchable.
Naren Shankar is a veteran of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager. One of his better episodes is The First Duty (1992), in which Captain Jean-Luc Picard tells Cadet Wesley Crusher that the first duty is to the truth. Tucker Burns begins Here There Be Dragons with that attitude then decides that the first duty is act compassionately.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 18, 2020 COMMON ERA
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I despise all new Star Trek programming since the first episode of Star Trek: Discovery. The story-telling is awful, designers have no idea how vessels, sets, and uniforms should work, and show runners have no idea what the level of technology should be. Star Trek: Picard is another disappointment that, visually, continues from Discovery and not from The Next Generation. Recent news of the third series, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, leaves me unimpressed. I know how the uniforms and the interiors and exterior of the Enterprise should look, for I have watched The Cage (1964). I have that pilot on blu-ray. These recent series occur in a universe parallel to that of the original series (1966-1969), the animated series (1973-1975), The Next Generation (1987-1994), Deep Space Nine (1993-1999), and Voyager (1995-2001). These recent series also occur in a universe parallel to Star Trek: Enterprise (2001-2005), itself parallel to the original series-Voyager. (How many of the writers of Star Trek: Enterprise watched Star Trek: The Motion Picture?)
Above: The Previous Enterprises in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
A Cropped Screen Capture
I do not see the NX-01.
I have actual, proper Star Trek on physical media. I choose to watch that and refrain from watching this new content, a big ball of no.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 15, 2020 COMMON ERA
- One must have a warped sense of humor to crack a joke about a starship’s nacelles.
- Is a man who brawls while wearing a cravat a tie fighter? Did I force this pun?
- Was Percy Montana predestined to be on the Tulip?
- It would behoove you to watch more Doctor Who and therefore be more enterprising. You might even decide to embark on a great trek. That would certainly be the logical decision.
- A Jedi knight who conducts music is Obi-Wand Kenobi.
- Every seven years a Vulcan must travel a great distance to tell double entendres. This is the pun farr.
- Watching old episodes of Doctor Who makes me crave cereals.
- Is a picture of Mira Furlan a Mira image?
- Is a drink favored by a Ferengi junior officer in Starfleet egg nog?
- If H. G. Wells had written a novel about herbs, might he have called it The Thyme Machine?
Above: The DVD Cover for Series Eleven of Doctor Who
Scan by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Never underestimate the human capability to ignore one’s faults yet recognize them in others. All of us need to be vigilant in efforts to be honest with ourselves about ourselves.
Recently I spent much of a Saturday participating in Dismantling Racism Training at church. The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta offered the training, required for those who lead in their congregations. The training was valuable and has remained thought-provoking.
My society influences me, of course. It influences me for better and for worse. One cannot grow up without learning preferences and biases. In my case, the better angels of my nature affirm that any human being who has both a pulse and brain waves also has unalienable rights. Nevertheless, I admit that I learned certain sinful biases from my culture. I thank my parents for raising me not to be a racist and acknowledge gratefully that their lessons dominate my thinking. However, I am not immune to other influences, which I resist in my mind. I, as a heterosexual Caucasian male, have a different set of experiences than many other people do. I, as a decent human being, can learn from the experiences of others and question many of my seemingly innocent assumptions, rooted in ignorance. I do so and seek to continue to do so.
Social media have done much to unleash the ids of many people, unfortunately. Entertainment franchises have become targets for many online expressions of bigotry. For example, before Jodie Whittaker filmed her first scene as the Doctor, many people on social media complained about her because she was a she. Later, many of these individuals complained about socially progressive messages in the new episodes. How many of these people watched serials (Yes, I understand the difference between serials and episodes. A serial consists of episodes. Inferno, from 1970, is a serial consisting of seven episodes. Please do not refer to Inferno as an episode.) from the classic series (1963-1989)? (I covered some of that ground in a recent post.)
Sometimes I listen to people discuss a series I have watched then wonder if they have watched the same series I did. Consider Star Trek (1966-1969), for example. I hear people contrast it with the contemporary substandard shows, such as Discovery and Picard. Some points of criticism of Discovery and Picard are legitimate. I even agree with many of them. Dropping F-bombs in Star Trek makes me want not to watch a Star Trek series guilty of that. Nevertheless, the condemnations of socially and politically progressive messages, as if they are unusually preachy for Star Trek, contradict objective reality. As I consult my copy of The Star Trek Compendium (1986), part of my library since 1988, I notice many “bonk, bonk, over the head” episodes. I know that Gene Roddenberry designed the series to consist of morality plays. Cold War allegories pervade the series, as in Errand of Mercy (1967). The name “Vietnam” is absent from A Private Little War (1968), but the allegory is obvious, and dialogue hints at Vietnam. Let That Be Your Last Battlefield (1969), with the black-and-white inhabitants of Cheron fighting each other until all are dead, is hardly subtle. The Mark of Gideon (1969) addresses overpopulation, one of the major concerns of the time. The Cloudminders (1969) has to do with social stratification. Patterns of Force (1968) is a story about a recreation of the Third Reich, down to the uniforms, on another planet. I could continue, but why belabor the point? Who can legitimately claim that the original Star Trek series was not preachy?
The space Nazis in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine are the Cardassians.
My theory, not original to me, is that many of these vocal critics of socially progressive messages in media feel threatened. Why else would they be so vocal? A basic grasp of human psychology points toward this conclusion. I also factor in an unfortunate social reality that is either worse that it used to be or seems to be worse that it used to be; offending people across the spectrum of opinions is easier to do these days. Too much is needlessly partisan. Objective reality is objective reality. The preponderance of scientific evidence points to certain conclusions. Not liking objective reality does not negate it. Finding scientific evidence offensive does not change it.
Other “offending” series full of socially progressive messages include The Twilight Zone (1959-1964) and The Outer Limits (1963-1965), two of my favorite classic series. They are full of “bonk, bonk, over the head” moments.
We should be less defensive and more self-critical, individually and collectively.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 13, 2020 COMMON ERA
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Q in True Q (1992)
A Screen Capture
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Mustering excitement about recent developments in Star Trek has been difficult for me. Stories of an upcoming movie with Quentin Tarentino directing have not inspired me to want to watch that film. The parallel universe of Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), and Star Trek Beyond (2016) has proven less interesting than the Prime Universe. And Star Trek: Discovery (STD, for short, appropriately) has proven to be a shameful mess devoid of continuity in every respect, an unforgivable sin in what is officially a prequel yet really not one.
One piece of news does excite me, though. Patrick Stewart is on track to return to the role of Jean-Luc Picard in a new series, a continuation of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994). We will apparently see Picard about 20 years after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis (2002). If I can believe the early news, the new series will actually respect canon–a miracle, considering the fiasco of STD.
For years I have thought that Star Trek on screen should move forward in time from Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999), and even the woeful Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001), where continuity and character development went to die by neglect. Star Trek: Enterprise (2001-2005), a prequel series, was, like STD, a major error replete with discontinuity. It was the series that proved to be a bridge too far for me; after suffering through the first two seasons, I stopped watching early in the third season. This recent announcement from Patrick Stewart has restored a degree of my enthusiasm for some of new Star Trek. I have decided to reserve judgment for later, when the series will be available for viewing, though. CBS/Paramount has disappointed me too many times.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 7, 2018 COMMON ERA
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: The Parallel Terok Nor in Through the Looking Glass (1995), an Episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
A Screen Capture
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
With Kvetching about Star Trek: Discovery
The multiverse internal to Star Trek has been an established fact since the original series (1966-1969). Aside from the Prime Timeline, in which the series and movies (except perhaps Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, 1989) existed through Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001) and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002), visual Star Trek has offered parallel universes also. In the original series viewers saw an antimatter universe in The Alternative Factor (1967) and an evil universe in Mirror, Mirror (1967). Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999) included occasional sequels to Mirror, Mirror. The multiverse was essential to the plot of Parallels (1993), an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994). Star Trek: Enterprise (2001-2005) must have played out in a parallel universe, given the problems of reckless discontinuity with all the Star Trek series produced prior to it. And all the Star Trek movies since 2009 have occurred in a parallel universe, probably the same one that includes Star Trek: Enterprise. Beyond that, there is no way the opening minute or so of Star Trek (2009) played out in the Prime Timeline.
Star Trek: Discovery (2017-) allegedly occurs in the Prime Timeline–to be precise, between The Cage (1964) and Where No Man Has Gone Before (1965), the two pilot episodes of the original series. That official claim is malarkey. The starships in Star Trek: Discovery (STD is an appropriate abbreviation.) are too large. The technology is inconsistent with the original series. The uniforms are wrong. The U.S.S. Enterprise in STD is much too big, as well as visually inconsistent with the original series.
As Doug Drexler argues, Star Trek is a period piece. One can respect the look of the original series, as Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Enterprise did. One need not reinvent the wheel, as STD does.
There is a simple way to avoid pretending that discontinuity between STD and the rest of Star Trek does not exist: acknowledge the obvious, which is that STD occurs in a parallel universe, perhaps its own.
I despise STD for its own demerits. I would despise STD for its own demerits, even if pretending to be in the Prime Timeline were not one of them. The sturn und drang behind the scenes creates an identity crisis for the series. The political progressiveness is fine; I am a liberal, and toleration is an inherent element of Star Trek. Nevertheless, is STD about exploration or war? I ponder the trailer for the second season and wonder if STD is trying to ape The Orville while becoming about exploration and continuing to make a mockery of the Prime Timeline. STD reminds me of SeaQuest, a series NBC aired under two titles for three seasons in the 1990s. I remember the identity crisis of that series, each season of which might as well as have been a separate series.
At least The Orville respects Star Trek.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 26, 2018 COMMON ERA
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: The U.S.S. Enterprise, NCC-1701-E, from Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
A Screen Capture
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Preliminary Statements
A few preliminary statements will prove helpful before I get into the meat of this post:
- I have been a fan of Star Trek for a long time. I used to watch the original series in reruns–sometimes on weekends and, when possible, weekdays–and record episodes. I remember stumbling upon an occasional episode of the animated series (1973-1975) on cable television in the early 1990s. I recall when I could count the number of movies on one hand and have fingers left over. I remember watching The Next Generation (1987-1994) in first run. I have watched every Star Trek movie and most episodes. I watched every episode all the way through Voyager (1995-2001). I abandoned Star Trek: Enterprise (2001-2005) early in the third season, for I was tired of subjecting myself to that series after two years.
- Certain Star Trek fans are fanatical to the point of leaving vicious comments online. I have no use for such behavior. This is entertainment, not a matter of life and death. William Shatner’s “Get a life” sketch from Saturday Night Live (1986) rings true for many people.
- One can find many podcasts and videos regarding Star Trek episodes and movies. Unfortunately, many of the creators of these media (A) swear enough to embarrass even the most profane sailors, (B) are hyper-critical, to the point of pettiness, and/or (C) speak out of their ignorance. All of this irritates me. I respond by ceasing to watch such videos and listen to such podcasts.
- On the other hand, many reviewers, working in written, audio, and audio-visual media, do speak and write out of their knowledge. I am especially fond of the reviews at tor.com, for example.
- My intention in this post is neither to write all that I know regarding four Star Trek: The Next Generation movies nor to replicate the work of others. (I know far more about these movies than I have written here.) No, I plan to be concise and to contextualize these films according to each other. My most basic standard regarding any of the Star Trek movies is whether I want to place the disc in my Blu-ray player, press the “play” button on the remote control, and watch the movie from beginning to end without skipping any scenes.
- No work of human beings is perfect, of course, but it can be enjoyable and well-crafted. I seek to find the good and praise it, imperfect as it might be.
Star Trek: Generations (1994)
A screen capture
I recall reading Federation (1994), a novel by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, in which two Enterprises–those of Kirk and Picard–encounter each other. I acknowledge that this was years ago, so my memories of the plot are sketchy, but I assert without a shadow of a doubt that a movie closer to that novel would have been superior to Star Trek: Generations.
Next Generation writers Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga wrote the screenplay for Generations over a period of a year and a half. Toward the end of that time they also wrote All Good Things… (1994), the series finale of The Next Generation, in a handful of weeks. The latter work, they have admitted on their commentary track for Generations, was superior to the former. Moore and Braga had a difficult assignment, one which came with a studio-issued list of plot elements to include. Paramount Pictures contributed to the lackluster nature of this movie. The Nexus, for example, never worked well. Neither did the death of Captain Kirk. Furthermore, Kirk and Picard scrambling eggs was an anticlimax.
My main complaint, however, pertains to the destruction of the U.S.S. Enterprise, NCC-1701-D, a capital ship. The Enterprise-D being vulnerable to an antiquated Klingon Bird of Prey is beyond ridiculous. But at least we have the scene in which Data, with his emotion chip installed, swears once as the saucer section falls toward Veridian III. That is entertaining, but the previous scene in which he sings a ditty about scanning for lifeforms is better.
In Dr. Soran we have a villain whose plans do not make sense. What is to stop him from flying a ship into the Nexus? Instead he destroys stars and, by extension, solar systems, to alter the course of the Nexus. I do not emphasize the irrationality of Dr. Soran too much, for I know from history and current events that people are frequently irrational. I know what has happened, but cannot make logical sense of those events because they are illogical.
All things considered, I have no desire to watch this movie from beginning to end, without skipping scenes.
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
A screen capture
Star Trek: First Contact, the best of the Next Generation movies, according to conventional wisdom, is a film I have difficulty watching. The movie is too intense for my comfort, due to the Borg, in their silver screen budget incarnation. They creep me out. I tend to skip scenes in First Contact, therefore.
First Contact does have its great merits, however. The black-and-gray uniforms are superior to the immediately preceding uniforms. Also, the Sovereign Class Enterprise-E is gorgeous. The characters are in fine form, with Picard having his Captain Ahab phase and Worf being a full Klingon, as when he tells Picard,
If you were any other man, I would kill you where you stand.
I do, however, have a quibble regarding the Borg Queen. She exists because of a directive from someone at Paramount Pictures. The Borg are better without a queen, for putting a face on the Collective raises certain difficult questions in universe. Does she follow the will of the Collective or does she direct it? And how is it possible that she was on the Borg cube that blew up in The Best of Both Worlds, Part II?
Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
A screen capture
I have listened to podcasts and watched video reviews about Star Trek: Insurrection. The creators of some of these media have erupted in frustration and frequent profanity. These have been overreactions. I have never objected to the fact that some people do not like the film, but I have always insisted that one should express oneself in the style of an adult whose vocabulary is considerably larger than a collection of curse words.
This is my favorite Next Generation movie. Yes, it feels like a two-parter from the Next Generation series, but it feels like a good two-parter, specifically what Journey’s End (1994), in which Picard presides over the forced relocation of Native Americans, should have been. In Insurrection Picard occupies what screen writer Michael Piller called “the moral center of the universe.” Besides, why is the Federation in league with the Son’a, allies of the Dominion (which is trying to conquer the Federation) in the Dominion War? The answer comes from an earlier draft of the script: Admiral Dougherty is affiliated with Section 31.
Of all the Next Generation movies, this is the only one I choose to watch from beginning to end, without skipping scenes.
Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
A screen capture
Star Trek: Nemesis, to quote Marina Sirtis, “sucks.” The best Star Trek stories are character-focused. In this movie, however, the best character moments are absent from the theatrical cut and are available in the deleted scenes section of the second disc of the set. Those facts contribute to the poor critical reception of the movie at the time and the disappointing box office results. This is the movie that, along with Star Trek: Enterprise, killed the prime universe of Star Trek on screen.
Above: The Enterprise-E and the Scimitar, after the Enterprise-E rammed the Scimitar
A screen capture
This was, according to the trailer, the final voyage of the Next Generation crew. Data died, Riker and Troi married and transferred to the U.S.S. Titan, and Crusher left to lead Starfleet Medical. However, the downloaded memories of Data began to surface in the primitive android B-4 by the end of the movie. According to Countdown, the comic book prequel to Star Trek (2009), B-4 became Data (Mark II) and the Captain of the Enterprise-E in time. There might have been subsequent prime universe movies with characters from various series (The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager), but the failure of Nemesis prevented that.
The plot of the movie depends too much on coincidence. What is the probability that Romulan agents would plot to clone Picard? What are the odds that the Enterprise-E would detect the disassembled B-4? And what is the likelihood that Starfleet would send the Enterprise-E to Romulus?
The script of Nemesis, like that of Generations, tackles ponderous themes ambitiously and fails. The fault does not reside in the purview of the main Next Generation cast. Patrick Stewart, for example, is so great an actor that he elevates subpar material. The fault falls upon the writer, John Logan, whose script does not give the characters a proper send off. Maybe he should take lessons from Nicholas Meyer, co-author of The Undiscovered Country (1991).
I choose not to dwell too much on the illogical plans of Shinzon, the clone of Picard. Shinzon, for a man who is dying, wastes plenty of time. Furthermore, why would the destruction of Earth cripple the Federation? For an explanation of why I am not making more of the irrationality of Shinzon, consult my remarks about Dr. Soran in Generations.
Above: The Enterprise-E, Undergoing Repairs
A screen capture
Nemesis gives me no satisfaction; I watch only parts of the movie.
Rankings
Ranking these four movies is relatively easy for me:
- Star Trek: Insurrection
- Star Trek: First Contact
- Star Trek: Generations
- Star Trek: Nemesis
The original series movies, taken together, are superior to the Next Generation movies, taken together.
My overall rankings of movies I-X are here.
Special Note: Abramsverse Movies and Contemporary Star Trek
Nevertheless, the Next Generation movies, taken together, are superior to the Abramsverse reboot movies #1-3, taken together. (Movie #4 is in development as I write this.) Of the three Abramsverse films so far, Star Trek Beyond (2016) is the best and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) is the worst.
Furthermore, the U.S.S. Enterprise, NCC-1701-A, from the end of Star Trek Beyond, is ugly. I like the Constitution Class refit from the first six Star Trek movies.
I agree with Simon Pegg that prime Spock and Nero entered the past of another parallel universe, not that of the prime universe. This is obvious to me due to the technology and uniforms. Besides, the existence of a multiverse in Star Trek has been part of canon since Mirror, Mirror, in the original series. One might even argue convincingly that Star Trek: Enterprise occurs in a parallel universe.
Regardless of what CBS/Paramount says, the trailer for Star Trek: Discovery (2017-) makes the setting of that series look like the Abramsverse. As Doug Drexler, who knows more about Star Trek than most people, says, Star Trek is a period drama. A particular era of Star Trek has a certain look. Why not, therefore, just state plainly that this is an Abramsverse series?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 20, 2017 COMMON ERA
SUNDRY THOUGHTS 
You must be logged in to post a comment.