Chronological Trek

MetaData: For the Love of Spock

2017-01-06T12:00:00.000-05:00

So recently the loss of Carrie Fisher sort of sent me on a bit of an emotional tumult. Not because I'm taking some sort of estrogen therapy. Not because I'm a wuss. It just did. A lot of celebrities died in 2016 and Carrie Fisher's sort of seemed to be the final F-U from 2016. But I've recovered from her passing and while I'm sad she's gone she led a hard life and 60 years, while young, is probably beyond what we should have expected for her.

One thing is for sure. Her death, while impactful to me as a fan, was not as impactful of the death of Leonard Nimoy.

It's not that I sit around pining for Leonard Nimoy. I'm not crying into my cereal each morning. But when I watch an old episode of Trek or anything else he's in, there is a sadness that just won't go away.

So I knew to expect that when I watched For the Love of Spock. And it didn't disappoint in that respect. But more than a reminder of the man we lost, it's a celebration of the man he was.

The film was originally envisioned as a documentary about Spock to be put together by Leonard Nimoy and his son Adam. However, when Leonard died early in the process it became as much a celebration of Spock as it was a celebration of Leonard. Scratch that, it became more about Leonard. It was just framed around his life playing Spock.

Seeing the surviving TOS cast members reflect on Leonard Nimoy and the Spock phenomenon was amazing. Their insights into his acting ability and character are always a treat to listen to. Even William Shatner revealed a little bit of the ego of his that tainted and or ruined his friendship with the other cast members and how it affected his relationship with Nimoy.

The highlight of the movie, though, was the insights into Leonard Nimoy the offscreen man, as provided by his family and friends. Especially telling where the remembrances by his son Adam and his daughter about their relationship with him and how it changed over time.

To see the highs and lows of their relationship (especially Adam and Leonard) through interviews and letters really showed the strain that Star Trek put not only on the cast members but on those around them. And while there wasn't the discovery of Star Trek that was involved in another son's documentary about his Dad, there were some very nice interviews and tributes to Leonard from the fans in the movie.

Overall, For the Love of Spock really helped cement the idea of how good a man Leonard Nimoy was. How much he got the ideas about Star Trek, and about how that played into his relationship with the fans. He may have had a complex relationship with the franchise and the studio, but he loved the fans, and the fans loved him, And in the end, so did his coworkers and his family. And that's the legacy of Leonard Nimoy and this documentary.

MetaData: 2016

2017-01-02T12:00:00.001-05:00

2016 has been a hell of a year. I saw a post that pegged the list of famous people who passed away at over 130. And while I'm not sure if that's more or less the number we usually see, the number of beloved celebrities really made that stand out. Add in an election that seemed to drain everyone, as well as divide people more, and 2016 has really felt like a kick in the pants.

Combine all of that with the lack of updates here and I can really understand why people are so tired of 2016.

*shhhh* don't correct me and point out how much of an idiot that last line makes me sound. I like my delusions....

Deaths
The other day I posted a non-exhaustive list of celebrity deaths on Facebook. While not all of them had the same impact some of those deaths left me reeling. From the death of David Bowie, to Alan Rickman, to Gene Wilder, to Muhammad Ali, to Ron Glass, to Garry Shandling. All of those people and more were part of something my nerd brain latched onto. And while I was never bound to meet any of them, that doesn't mean they didn't have an impact on my life.

Of course in regards to deaths, none was bigger than Carrie Fisher's. Now, I will be the first to admit that her scenes in The Force Awakens were painful. She had lived a hard life, and it showed. But the thing is, she had lived a hard life and survived. So while the General Leia of TFA wasn't exactly the Princes Leia of ANH that was my first crush, she was still a big deal to me. But then to realize that the core Star Wars on screen family lost two members with the death of Kenny Baker and it feels like a cruel joke.

And then, of course, there was Anton Yelchin. He was in his ascension. He was destined for greatness. And then he was gone. And it really reminded me about the fragility of life. Most of the people who died this year were people who impacted my youth. They were older and had lived full lives. It was sad, and shocking, but not entirely unexpected. Anton was different. And so while he wasn't the old friend that the others were, his resonated in a way the others couldn't.

But even with all the sadness there was still some...

Good
Let me just be honest here. I love both Star Trek and Star Wars. I have made no apologies nor have I hidden that fact. So when I look back at 2016, of course I'm going to gravitate to what two of my favorite franchises did.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was the dark Star Wars movie I've been waiting for since ESB first came out. And I know this is a Star Trek blog, but it's my Star Trek blog and I'll discuss what I want. I do have some minor problems with Rogue One, and so to keep the spoilers quiet, please highlight the next few lines if you want to know more:
CGI Tarkin didn't just find himself in the Uncanny Valley. He built a home and raised his family there. It was excruciating and jarring to see. And while it has grown on me since the release, I was very disappointed at Michael Giacchino's score. It sounded more like he was playing at being Williams than being himself and building on Williams. Admittedly since then I've listened to the soundtrack and realized there are some very good parts to it. It was, though, a disappointment at first. But man, I can totally forgive all of those issues for Vader Unleashed. That scene of him at the end was everything I ever wanted in a Vader scene. The movie was good before them. Surprising, dark, ambiguous. But that scene made the movie great. I can't stress enough just how awesome it was.

And while CBS crapped the bed on the 50th Anniversary of Trek, at least Paramount got a movie out. Okay Star Trek Beyond wasn't the best Trek movie, but compared to Into Darkness, it was the Citizen Kane of Kelvin timeline Trek movies. There was character growth. There was a story. The twist ending was a joke, but everything else was so much fun. Especially the way it finally got Spock and Bones right.

And so as we take stock of 2016 it's not unreasonable to look forward to...

2017
2016 was rife with problems. The election was a harsh reminder of how far humanity still has to go. And the rise of hate after the election reinforced this dark observation. Star Trek celebrated its 50th anniversary and CBS/Paramount were so excited they released a 90 second trailer that barely recognized anything besides TNG and TOS.

But 2017 is a different year. And while it will have different problems it will also have some exciting moments. Star Trek: Discovery is coming. And while CBS thinks so poorly of Star Trek they are going to put it behind a paywall rather than release it to the general public on broadcast TV...at least we're getting a new Trek show. Oh right...but the man who was going to run it is off the show because CBS refused to work around his schedule...even though they've already delayed the show from January to March....May? I honestly can't remember which.

Ugh, I know I should be excited about Discovery, but the way CBS and Paramount have handled the entire 50th anniversary, this show, and where it will be available to watch I'm not feeling it these days. And even if the show keeps the style and awesomeness of that first trailer with the ship, I'm gonna need something more to get me excited for it again.

Wait, what's that they've cast several parts? Sonequa Martin-Green? Doug Jones? Michelle Yeoh? Okay. Maybe I am a little excited for this show.

And that's not all. As I have obviously spent several months away from the blog, This post marks my return. I still have my daily routine in shambles and and wouldn't have it any other way...but I'm coming back to finish this thing I started.

MetaData: Bryan Fuller Out as Discovery Show Runner

2016-10-27T12:00:00.000-04:00

Variety has reported that Bryan Fuller is stepping back from the show runner position for Star Trek Discovery. In his place Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts will take over the day to day duties.

I'm torn on this news. On the one hand, I'm glad we will get show runners who can focus on Star Trek. Fuller is a great writer and show runner, but he also has other series he's involved with (show running American Gods for Starz, and prepping a rebooted Amazing Stories for NBC), and Fuller's vision isn't being abandoned as the story outline he prepared, the two initial scripts he wrote are still in use, and he is still an executive producer on the show.

But on the other hand, this just feels like more missteps by CBS. If Fuller was spread so thin, why go with him? And while I'm excited for his story, this is a series that should have already aired to capitalize on the 50th anniversary. And, it should be broadcast, not streamed.

So yeah, this is disappointing news, but unsurprising the way CBS has been going about this series since they announced it. But of course, the final judgement has to be reserved for the series when we eventually get it.

MetaData: What happened to Chronological Trek?

2016-10-21T12:00:00.000-04:00

Guys I'm sorry. I know it's been a month since I last posted anything, but I just have gotten to a point where I had too many balls I was juggling and a couple things dropped to the ground. This blog is one of them.

I am not ending the blog. I'm not giving up on the blog. I'm just trying to get a balance back so that I can pick this particular ball back up.

I never really intended for this to happen, but life has a way of happening. The biggest thing is that my evenings are supremely full of my grandkids. Let me make this clear, I am not complaining about this at all. I love spending as much time with them as I can. And then I have to balance out spending time with my daughter, taking care of my wife, my city council responsibilities, the near constant stream of calls from work after hours (I'm on call 24x7), and the two shows I refuse to miss on TV right now (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Ash vs. The Evil Dead...and yes it will soon be three as The Walking Dead comes back this Sunday). It may not sound like much, but it's amazing how much this cumulatively adds up to take up my spare time.

And believe me when I say that this isn't the only thing that has suffered. Did you know that Shin Godzilla was released briefly here in the U.S.? I was looking forward to it for months. My daughter was looking forward to it. It didn't happen. Tears were shed. Suicide Squad? I was supposed to go watch that opening weekend with my daughter...still haven't seen it. Tears were shed. Soon there will also be another live Rifftrax event, Doctor Strange, and the next Star Wars movie. If those are missed, tears and blood will be shed.

Can we discuss Netflix shows? I'm still only halfway through Season 2 of Daredevil. I haven't watched a lick of Luke Cage. Oh and Stranger Things that every one of my friends who watched raved about it? I watched the first episode.

Plus there's my fantasy football league. I do a weekly Smacktard of the Week article where I mock the losers each week. It's been a struggle to do that and missed last week's Smacky article. And don't think my team hasn't suffered from my lack of focus. As of this week I'm 5-1 and believe me it has nothing to do with me. I've been the luckiest SOB in the league.

Oh and November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). I do it every year and have since sometime around 2008 or 2009 when I first heard of it (though I didn't join the site until 2011). So I have to try to fit writing a 50,000 word novel into everything as well. For the record I've done it twice. Also, if you are interested in doing it I recommend it. Feel free to add me as a writing buddy too.

And so while the blog sits collecting dust, it is not far from my mind. And I have actually watched some episodes of Trek...I just haven't been able to make the time for write-ups. So bear with me...because I will be back. Until I can re-settle everything, just know that updates will be sporadic, but the quest to watch all of Star Trek in chronological order continues.

Sanctuary

2016-09-19T12:00:00.001-04:00

As I was studying the arrival of the Skrreeans to Deep Space Nine, I was struck by the enormity of what they had to go through. Their homeworld destroyed, traveling in a rag-tag armada of damaged and barely functioning transport ships, searching for a legendary homeworld that may or may not exist. And doing it in such a foreign place that universal translators initially could not decipher their language. It was a daunting task just to survive, let alone resettle somewhere.

But while their plight is epic, I couldn't help but focus less on the Skrreeans, and more on the Bajorans. After all they were still barely able to sustain themselves after the Cardassian occupation. And yet here they were stubbornly fighting to survive.

On the surface they were very similar.

Unfortunately in some ways they were too familiar.

The Bajorans balked when the Skrreeans asked for sanctuary on Bajor. To the Bajorans the Skrreeans represented a burden they could not take on. The infrastructure was barely withstanding the strain the Bajorans were putting on it with everyday use. And while the Skrreeans did not expect to be coddled, the Bajorans did not expect the Skrreeans to have to do it on their own. This was, after all their planet.

The thing is the Skrreeans just wanted a chance. They saw a planet that could use their farming prowess. They saw land that needed to be revived. And they saw a people suffering from hunger, something they could help with.

When Bajor denied them the chance the Skrreeans became angry. It was understandable. Even though the Federation had found a planet, Draylon II, that would serve their needs, the Skreeans wanted to return the kindness that Bajor had initially shown. But when the request was denied a different side of Bajor was shown to the Skrreeans. This was the side forged by the Cardassians, one of fear and anger. This is where the isolationism that cropped up periodically came from.

Worse yet, when the decision was made, the Bajorans set up sentries that would fire on Skrreean ships if they attempted to land. The shots were warning shots, but when the son of the defacto leader Haneek stole a ship and tried to land on Bajor the warning shots ignited a radiation leak and he and his friends were killed.

This chilled an already cooling relationship between the Skrreeans and the Bajorans. Major Kira tried to smooth waters, but Haneek was beyond forgiving Kira or the Bajorans. Upon their departure for Draylon II Haneek chastised Kira for the shortsighted attitude of the Bajorans. They were suffering famine, but turned away farmers who could have helped. It made no sense to Haneek or the rest of the Skrreans. And perhaps, after her harsh words, it made a difference in how Kira saw the decision.

I'm not chastising the Bajorans for their decision. I can't begin to understand what they were going through trying to rebuild after a long and torturous occupation. But I do sense that at this point they were closed off from trying to help others. Maybe they were too focused on their own struggles. Maybe their wounds were still to fresh. It is unfortunate, though, because I can't help but wonder if the healing for the Skrreeans would have also helped heal the Bajorans.

Inheritance

2016-09-16T12:00:00.001-04:00

For being an android, Lt. Cmdr. Data has some very interesting familial relationships. There is his brother who was evil, killed off most of a colony, and even manipulated Data and the Borg to his bidding. There was his father who was an eccentric genius, but was probably looked at more as a mad scientist who spent the last of his years in hiding. And then there was his Mom.

Data never knew about his Mom. His memories of her were wiped with most of his memories. And her marriage to Dr. Soong was something lost in time. So when Enterprise arrived at Altrea IV, Data was quite surprised when Juliana Trainer, one of the scientists sent to ask the Enterprise for help, announced she was...in essence...his mother.

Once Data confirmed that the Juliana Trainer was the Juliana O'Donnell who was mentioned in his memories from the colonists, then he accepted that she was his mother. It was an interesting reunion. She knew of Data and had followed his progress. He knew nothing of her. She carried guilt and heartache of leaving him behind. He had no emotions.

But then things changed. Not between Data and Juliana, but in regards to his perception of her. He began to notice things that told him she wasn't who she said she was. However it wasn't until she was injured during a cave-in that Data confirmed she was an android.

Further testing revealed a chip with instructions from Dr. Soong about how to repair Juliana. It had special sub-routines if Data were to find her, and it spelled out why he made her an android (she was injured and dying and he couldn't live without her). She eventually left him because he never told her how much he loved her. And begging Data not to tell her she was an android, as she had no clue she wasn't human.

Data struggled with this last request. On the one hand he wasn't alone in the galaxy. But on the other she had no idea she was an android, and Soong had programmed her to age, and eventually die. So was Data to tell her to let her know. Or did he let her live out her life ignorant of what she was. She knew who she was...but the what was a mystery she had no idea was there.

Data did eventually go the route of not telling her. I think to protect her. To keep her from hating Soong's legacy and memory. And possibly to protect the new relationship they had formed. It wasn't an emotional response, as he was not capable at that time of that. But it was one that he struggled with, and eventually came to a decision about.

In the end, as with his other family relationships, Data had a complex one with his Mom. There was much about her he didn't know. Much about himself she could shed light on. But also there was the fact they were more alike than she had any idea about. And while Data kept that information from her, he did so for her...and to respect the wishes of his father who loved her to the end.

MetaData: Star Trek Discovery Delayed

2016-09-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

In what should probably be the least bit surprising news about Star Trek Discovery, the show has been delayed to May 2017. With the premier date fast approaching, no casting news to speak of yet, no production having actually started yet, and a lot of post-production that will be required, CBS has pushed back the release date to May.

Now, this is a good thing because despite the fact the show is relegated to CBS All Access, by many accounts I've read online to be one of the worst streaming platforms around, it's good to know that quality is still being stressed even if ratings aren't. But I again go back to how CBS and Paramount really didn't care about the 50th anniversary of Trek and this delay is just another example of how poorly managed this property is by these two companies.

You can read about the delay here.

Rivals

2016-09-14T12:00:00.000-04:00

There is a lot about the galaxy we just don't understand. Like how life can form inside a wormhole, or how time travel hasn't completely eroded the fabric of the space-time continuum, or how a small gambling device can cause so much havoc on a space station.

The last one, of course, are the infamous gambling devices used by Martus Mazur when he was on DS9. He had gotten it off an alien who had died in the jail while Mazur was spending the night there. The alien, Cos, explained to Mazur that he used to be successful and lucky until he got that device. Then his luck ran out. But when he played the device and won his luck turned and he died (something he had wanted).

Mazur then took possession of the gambling device. He couldn't lose on the device and his luck in real life mirrored his luck with the device. He was able to come into money. He successfully stole customers away from Quark's bar. However the large sized gambling devices he replicated off the small one were causing problems all over the station. People were experiencing bad luck, or good luck. And in some cases people were experiencing wild swings from bad to good or good to bad. It was affecting Ops. It was causing injuries. It was a nuisance.

At the same time Chief O'Brien had built a racquetball court. Dr. Bashir had discovered it and the two started playing. However Bashir was much better at racquetball than O'Brien and so a rivalry started to ensue. Quark, seeing this, used the two men to entice people back into his bar by setting up a match between them that people could bet on. Half the proceeds went to the Bajoran War Orphans fund, so it made for bad PR for the Starfleet officers to bow out of the game.

However it was about this time that Mazur's luck turned. As did a lot of others on the station. On the racquetball court O'Brien could do no wrong, and Bashir could do nothing right. Mazur was caught with a dabo girl. Rom quit and went back to Quark's bar (he and the dabo girl had left when Mazur offered them more money). Dax who was experiencing great luck found all of her work suddenly lost. It was discovered that the gambling devices in Mazur's bar were spinning neutrinos in a way that was affecting the luck of everyone around them. The anomalies could not be stopped and the gaming devices could not be turned off, so Sisko and Dax destroyed them.

As the luck of everyone returned to normal, it was never determined how the devices had affected the whole station. But the smaller version Mazur had based them on had turned against him and his luck failed, so one can only assume the larger devices had a larger range and thus affected the whole station whether people played on them or not.

Second Sight

2016-09-12T12:00:00.000-04:00

Love is something that has been touched on by many different captains on many different ships during many different eras of Starfleet and the Federation. Usually, the love in question is more of a physical attraction. Rarely though has it ever been as deep as the love Professor Gideon Seyetik had for his wife Nidell.

The thing is, though, it is framed against a burgeoning attraction between Commander Sisko and a mysterious woman named Fenna. So on the one hand, during this mission we see true love at its finest, something deep and abiding that had time to grow, while on the other hand we see the early stages of attraction that often stand in for love for most Starfleet officers who spend their careers and lives travelling around the galaxy.

It is unfortunate, though, that even though Sisko was holding a stationary position without a looming departure, his love for Fenna was doomed. It wasn't for anything Sisko or Fenna did, but instead was doomed because it was physically impossible for Fenna and Sisko to remain together. After all Fenna was a psychoprojected creation of Nidell. And the more she was projected, the more chance Nidell had of dying.

Fenna was a creation of Nidell's subconscious psyche as a result of her unhappy marriage to Seyetik. It wasn't that she didn't love him, but Nidell was a Halanan. Halanans mate for life, and as Seyetik's work forced him to travel to distant regions of space, her love for him was tinged with the regret of leaving her planet and her family. And no matter what Seyetik did, it didn't make her happy. As these moments of unhappiness seized her she would project Fenna who was free, happy, and able to be with more people than just Seyetik.

For Sisko, Fenna represented the first person he had wanted to be with since his wife had died at Wolf 359, and the fact that her appearance coincided with the anniversary of Jennifer's death made Fenna seem like fate. But there was also the mystery of why she kept disappearing on him that spiced up the relationship...that is until she actually disappeared in front of Sisko's eyes.

It was only when Fenna, fighting to be with Sisko, seemed to control the projection, that Sisko discovered what was happening. At this point Nidell was unconscious and dying. As much as Sisko wanted to be with Fenna, she wasn't alive in the traditional sense, and her very presence was causing physical pain to Nidell and emotional pain to Seyetik. Even had there been a way to keep her projection going if Nidell had passed, Sisko wasn't about to have her blood on his hands just to make himself happy.

And then there was poor Seyetik. He was a blowhard and braggart who loved himself and his work. But seeing Nidell on her bed dying made him realize how much he loved her too. And so in an act of sacrifice to free the woman he loved, Seyetik piloted a shuttle meant to be remotely piloted into a dead star. It was his crowning achievement as a terra-former, but it was also his crowning achievement as a husband.

And for Nidell, she was free of the marriage that made her sad. She missed Seyetik, but she also was curious about Fenna. Not because she wanted to be with Sisko, but just because the freedom Fenna had was something Nidell longed for. And even though she was free again, it was tinged with the sadness of loss she would never be able to completely escape from.

The whole mission played like a tragic, but beautiful love story. And while a star was reborn, so too was Sisko's willingness to love again and Nidell's ability to be happy again. And that was the best thing that could have come out of the tragedy of Seyetik's sacrifice.

MetaData: What Star Trek Means to Me

2016-09-09T16:05:00.000-04:00

When I started working on how I was going to celebrate Star Trek's 50th anniversary, I decided early on not to go the route of doing a tribute piece or personal testimony blog about what Star Trek meant to me. After all a lot of what I would say I have said.

I've mentioned numerous times how Star Trek represents hope to me. It is, after all, the most successful science fiction tv and/or movie series that provides a positive and optimistic look at the future. There is grim. There is gritty. But it is balanced by a belief that we can overcome the darkness within and without and strive for better.

I've mentioned numerous times that there is a family connection to Star Trek that means a lot to me. My mom was a Trekkie, and her love of the show got me into it. It's a shared connection we have, and it helps make being a Trek fan something personal.

But then I started thinking about what it is that makes me a fan. Why do I love the Original Series? Why do I suffer through the first two seasons of TNG? What is it that drove me to do this blog? Why Star Trek?

And so I decided I should go ahead and do a testimonial type article.

I grew up in a different era for nerds. We had our entertainment we loved, but science fiction, fantasy, superheroes, these were all fringe genres. If we wore our heart on our sleeve we were different. And different isn't always looked at positively. Basically when I grew up nerds were often times put upon and harassed for what we liked. Not that it was all bad, because we had this shared connection of franchises and properties we loved. And so while we might get picked on for liking something, we knew there were others who could relate. It created a tight nit community. There was no concept of fakiness to our nerd world. If somebody said they liked it we took it at face value.

So as a nerd who was bullied and picked on for liking computers, D&D, video games, Tolkein, Star Wars, and many more, I latched onto the very things that made me different. They became my escape when I felt put upon or beaten down. They were worlds where I could imagine myself as a thin and athletic hero able to save the day and the girl, versus real life where I was the fat uncoordinated kid who had no social graces and got tongue-tied at the thought of saying hi to a girl.

But Star Trek was different.

Star Trek was more rooted in reality. It wasn't about magic, or jedi, or anything like that. It was about people. People who were good at their jobs and worked together to get a job done. I mean yeah I escaped in to Star Trek, but it wasn't me thinkng "I wish I had magical powers, then I'd do this." It was more along the lines of "If I was captain of the Enterprise this is how I'd handle that situation."

And that thinking, that awareness of how Trek was different, has helped me throughout my life. Trek has, I'd like to think, made me a better person. It has made me aware of how different people can be. But how well we can work together. It has made me hope and dream of how the future can be. And it has done so while I grew up with these crews.

Last night for the 50th anniversary BBC America started playing a marathon of TOS seasons 1 and 2. I was trying to explain why I love Trek so much to my daughter and I got really emotional. The franchise means so much to me. The actors, the characters, the stories, they all mean so much to me. Even now I know my rambling thoughts have failed to really express how much Trek has affected me my whole life.

But even beyond all of the emotional stuff, at its core Star Trek told great stories. That was the draw that pulled everyone in. The hope, the humanity, the science, it was all sandwiched in stories that continue to work for us today. Look at Let That Be Your Last Battlefield. The social commentary was potent in the late 1960s, and sadly still today. But it wasn't very subtle. Yet we accept the hamfisted way some of this was presented because the story was so good. And that doesn't even begin to touch such timeless stories like The City on the Edge of Forever, The Inner Light, or The Wrath of Khan. In these stories it's the characters that matter. It's the characters that give it all meaning. Kirk choosing to let the woman he loves die still resonates today. So too does watching Picard live a life that wasn't his own but he accepted over time in one episode. And the sacrifice of Spock would mean nothing if we didn't care so much for him and Kirk.

I've weaved a lot of strands here. Bits about hope. Some about acceptance. Others about family. Some more about stories and characters. It all weaves a tapestry that is Star Trek. That is this franchise, and these shows we've all come to love. And it is because of this rich and varied impact it has had on us that it is not unreasonable to hope that 50 years from now my daughter is celebrating 100 years of Trek and remembering how her Dad loved the series which opened her up to the characters and stories, and how this impacted her and her life.

Happy Birthday Star Trek. Thank you for all you have done. All you have given us. May we continue to strive to bring this vision of the future closer to reality every day.

MetaData: In Memoriam

2016-09-09T12:00:00.000-04:00

50 years of Trek. That's a long time for a franchise to be around. And so it is no surprise that some of those who have flown in the stars on our small and big screens have passed on. And so I want to take a moment to recognize all those who have come and gone.

Now this is not an exhaustive list. There are too many actors and actresses who have been in Star Trek that have passed. So I'm just going to mention the ones that I know of who's deaths were either impactful on fans, or the role they played was important.

[Editor's Note] In my attempts to correct some formatting issues I completely deleted the first entry. I didn't even catch it for a couple days as I never made it out to the blog to see how the article looked. So anyway, please understand this list is just now complete as it was intended.

Gene Roddenberry (1921-1991): The Great Bird of the Galaxy. The father of Star Trek. We would not be here today if it wasn't for him. His passing eased the burden of the next generation of creators to take Trek where it is today, but that doesn't mean it hurt any less. For all of his foibles and imperfections, he had a vision for humanity that has inspired us for 50 years. Thank you Mr. Roddenberry.

The Original Series

DeForest Kelley (1920-1999): DeForest Kelley was the first Star Trek star to pass away. The thing is, while it wasn't surprising, it did make very real the mortality of these beloved stars. And the fact it happened to someone who was always so gracious with fans (if he ever wasn't, I haven't heard about it) made it worse.

James Doohan (1920-2005): His health had been failing, and fans had known his death was coming, but when it happened I'm not going to lie it hurt. Kelley's death made it abundantly clear that these actors were not going to be around forever, and Doohan's death just made me realize we need to cherish the time we have with them.

Leonard Nimoy (1931-2015): He had a complex relationship with Star Trek after the series ended, but I'm pretty certain his beefs were with the franchise and bosses not the fans. Lord knows that to the end he was our kindly Trek grandfather dishing out bits of wisdom, knowledge, and grace on Twitter. I knew he had COPD, but I never realized how badly until it was too late.

Majel Barrett (1932-2008): She kept the faith and kept Gene's vision alive after he passed, She was Number One (The Cage), Nurse/Doctor Chapel (TOS, TAS), the voice of the computer (TOS, TAS, TNG, DS9, Voyager, Enterprise), and Lwaxana Troi (TNG, DS9). She was the constant through all of Trek that helped make it cohesive.

Grace Lee Whitney (1930-2015): Her brief time on Star Trek left an indelible impression on fans, and it seemed fitting that she had small parts in the movies. Unfortunately she lived a hard life after she was jettisoned from Trek, and it eventually caught up with her.

Mark Lenard (1924-1996): He may be most famous for playing Sarek, but he was also one of the first Romulans we ever saw too. And his performances in TNG were beautiful and heartbreaking.

Jeffrey Hunter (1926-1969): Captain Pike. He may have only been in one episode. But I've always felt we missed something special when Pike was replaced with Kirk. Not that I'm complaining about Kirk, because I'm not. But there was less bravado and more thoughtfulness with Pike. He also seemed world weary where Kirk was full of energy and gusto. Hunter died in 1969 from complications of a fall (after a stroke) and the emergency surgery afterwards.

Guest Stars who have passed include:

Yvonne Craig (1937-2015): Marta
Roger C. Carmel (1932-1986): Harcourt "Harry" Mudd
Malachi Throne (1928-2018): Commodore Jose Mendez, the voice of The Keeper, and Romulan Senator Pardek (TNG)
William Windom (1923-2012): Commodore Matt Decker
William Campbell (1923-2011): Trelane
Susan Oliver (1932-1990): Vina
Celia Lovsky (1897-1979): T'Pau
Jane Wyatt (1910-2006): Amanda Grayson
James Gregory (1911-2002): Dr. Tristan Adams
Robert Lansing (1928-1994): Gary Seven
Glenn Corbett (1933-1993): Zefram Cochrane
Charles Napier (1936-2011): Adam
Ted Cassidy (1932-1979): Ruk and the voice of Balok
Jill Ireland (1936-1990): Leila Kalomi
Frank Gorshin (1933-2005): Bele
Arlene Martel (1936-2014): T'Pring
Joan Marshall (1931-1992): Lt. Areel Shaw

The Original Series Movies

Persis Khambatta (1948-1998): She was one of the stars of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. She only appeared in that movie, but she stuck with audiences as she was gorgeous...and hairless for the movie. It was her biggest role. She died in 1998 from a heart attack.

Ricardo Montalban (1920-2009): Look he could easily be just a part of the Guest Stars list, but while he had Khan from The Original Series as a credit, he had Khan from Star Trek II as a legacy. His chiseled abs and scenery chewing matched William Shatner's paunch and scenery chewing.

Paul Winfield (1939-2004): He could be on here for Darmok from TNG, but he was Captain Terrell first and foremost. And so I include him here. His dignified screen presence belied some very good acting chops.

Merritt Butrick (1959-1989): One of the few (along with Paul Winfield and Judson Scott) who appeared in the movies for TOS and in a spin-off (TNG). He passed away from AIDS related complications far too young.

TNG
Surprisingly the only people who have passed that were notable and that I could find were already mentioned (Majel Barrett, Merrit Butrick, Paul Winfield, and Mark Lenard).

DS9

Barry Jenner (1941-2016): Barry Jenner played Admiral Ross later in DS9. He died from acute myeloid leukemia.

Voyager
Just as with TNG, Voyager has no actors of note that I could find who had passed.

Enterprise

Kellie Waymire (1967-2003): An early romantic interest for Dr. Phlox, the story didn't have much chance to gain traction before Waymire passed away at 36 from an undiagnosed cardiac arrhythmia.

Kelvin Timeline

Anton Yelchin (1989-2016): The most recent death is one of the saddest. He was so young and so talented, and now after a freak accident has taken him from us we are all going to miss out not only on what he would bring to Star Trek, but what else he would have done.

And there we have it. ~~I know this is a depressing way to end Star Trek Week, but~~ [Editor's Note: I decided to add one more article] Let's not be sad for all who are gone, but instead cherish the ways in which they made our lives better. Especially through Star Trek.

MetaData: The History of Star Trek

2016-09-08T12:00:00.000-04:00

The history of Star Trek is long, and full of ups and downs. As today is the actual 50th anniversary of Trek I thought it best to really take some time to look at some of the highlights - and lowlights - of this beloved franchise.

1964

Behold the power of my Photoshop Skillz

Gene Roddenberry is touched by God and begins work on a science fiction show. Ironically God is not credited nor referenced in the show. While not public knowledge lawyers were involved and an out of court settlement was reached. God got the Republicans, and Gene got Trekkies and Trekkers.

1965
The Cage is completed. TV Executives watch it. They like it, but they don't LIKE like it. Ask Gene to make a new pilot.

Where No Man Has Gone Before is made. Less cerebral and more action-y, it worked well for the TV Executives and Star Trek is greenlit. Side note, TV Executives had already begun to break off from humans on an evolutionary level. They can be differentiated by their larger heads, tinier brains, and rings of crusted cocaine around their nostrils.

1966
September 8 - The Man Trap premiers on NBC. Hospitals report a surge in cases involving science fiction fans who suffered non-fatal head explosions that night.

1968
TV Executives stop flinging their own poo long enough to threaten to cancel Star Trek during it's second season. 13 TV Executives die from the deluge of letters. Another 3 are never found, their bodies swept away by the tide of fan letters. Fearing for their lives, TV Executives relent, but soon discover they can hold much hate in their shriveled black hearts

1969
TV Executives build various dikes and dams before canceling Star Trek. The fans start another letter writing campaign, but the Executives are able to withstand the flood. Fans channel the hate they want to feel for these "people" and use it for good by keeping the Star Trek flame alive.

1969 - 1979
The Dark Ages part 1. No new Trek is being made other than the Animated Series which is no longer canon anyway.

1972
The first Star Trek convention is held. Nerds gather from all over to share their love of the series. Dumb jocks from all over gather outside to give them all wedgies and steal their lunch money.Nerds win when someone passes out a flyer that promises topless football and beer in New Jersey. Not coincidentally the subset of humanity known as the Jersey Guido soon begins to appear.

1973

Still my favorite screen cap from the entire Animated Series

Star Trek the Animated Series premiers. 22 episodes of wooden animation and even more wooden voice acting. Seriously it's like William Shatner needs a camera on him to emote.

1975
Star Trek Phase II begins development. While it never sees the light of day, it does provide an ample storeroom of ideas that later movies and series all felt free to steal from.

1979

Star Trek: The Motion Picture is released. In a grand Hollywood tradition it is a larger than life epic adventure that is panned by critics and audiences alike. However it makes enough money that it doesn't kill the Star Trek franchise.

1982
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan premiers. Considered by many to be the greatest of the Star Trek movies, it is also the saddest. Nerds everywhere still weep like babies when the needs of the many are discussed. As a matter of fact I might need a minute....

1984
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is released. Nimoy shows his ability to direct, and the franchise continues to yank the feels out of us through our broken hearts as we watched the Enterprise destroyed.

1986
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home premiers. Leonard "Shecky" Nimoy again directs that original cast in this comedy about the extinction of all whales and then all life on Earth.

1987

Aqua Net not included

Star Trek: The Next Generation premiers. Captained by a Shakespearean thespian, the crew features a giant libido as first officer, an android sex-bot, a blind guy with a 1980s hair clip on his face, a pre-pubescent know-it-all kid who deserved to be beaten up and have his lunch money taken by the dumb jocks from 1972, a 24th century anger management client with forehead issues, a saucy empath, and Dr. MILF.

1988
William Riker grows a beard. Seriously, it's a big deal, just look.

It's the dimpled chin from hell...

1989
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier premiers. The less said the better.

1991
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is the last hoorah for the original crew. And since Star Trek has become so good at eliciting feels, their signatures in the credits are enough to make us weep like babies.

1993
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Premiers. Darker and grittier than The Next Generation (both in tone and captain) while still retaining that Star Trek Optimism^tm (Star Trek Optimism^tm, now available with blue and green tinted glasses to go along with original flavor rose) made this a much more compelling show. Also, it is way better than Babylon 5.

1994
The Next Generation ends its seven year run. On a side note I was in college and referenced it in an english paper...my professor was, shall we say, less than impressed. Man she sucked.

Star Trek Generations premiers. Kirk dies. The ending sucks. There's a sailing ship for no reason other than they had a bigger budget than the TV show did.

1995
Star Trek Voyager premiers. I don't know man. I was starting to suffer some franchise fatigue at this point with Star Trek, and Voyager just seemed m'eh.

1996
Star Trek First Contact premiered. The best of the Next Generation movies it was the best use of the Borg since The Best of Both Worlds.

1998
Star Trek Insurrection premiered. I don't remember much. It seemed like an overly long episode of TNG, and not a movie. I think the only thing I remember is we got to see Riker paw his joystick...er I mean the Enterprise's joystick...you know it doesn't matter how I say it, either way it sounds dirty...

1999
Deep Space Nine ends its seven year run. It was and still is the high point creatively of the modern Star Trek shows. And while I struggled with Season 7, the Dominion War is the best run of any Trek series.

2001
Voyager ends. I watched it but had really lost interest in the series by the end.

Star Trek Enterprise premiered. It challenged TNG for having the worst first two seasons of any Star Trek series.

2002
Star Trek Nemesis premiered. I don't know if anyone I know who was a Trek fan watched it in the theaters.

2005
Enterprise ended. Unfortunately by the time the show got good (and it did get good) it was too little too late. And it's a shame too, because the 4th season of Enterprise is still my favorite single season of any Trek series.

2005 - 2009
The Dark Ages Part 2. After having new movies and TV shows pretty consistently produced for 26 years not only is there no new Trek, but there are a lot of people lining up ready to dance on the grave of the franchise.

2009
Star Trek premiered. This alternate timeline take on the Original Series is directed by J.J. Abrams, and features the origins of the crew (well mostly just Kirk and Spock). Unfortunately it wasn't without controversy as behind the scenes tension boiled over between Christopher Pine who played Kirk and the star of the movie Lens Flare. It got so bad between the two that when Abrams left to direct Star Wars, Lens Flare left the Star Trek franchise to follow him there. He did come back and make a cameo appearance in Star Trek Beyond, but things were never the same.

2013
Star Trek Into Darkness premiered. "KAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!"

Seriously, this is the stuff of nightmares.

Chronological Trek begins. It reshapes the expectations the public has of Trek bloggers. Never has such insipid logic, banal opinions, and bad writing been combined to form one epic site of suck.

2016
Star Trek Beyond premiered showing that the new guys do get it.

Star Trek celebrates 50 years of story telling, hope, and a unique view of the future that combine to make it one of the most important science fiction franchises of all time.

MetaData: Comparing 50th Anniversaries

2016-09-07T12:00:00.000-04:00

With a blog like this it's not surprising to say I'm a nerd. You would have to be to slavishly devote this much time and energy to one franchise. The thing is, Star Trek isn't the only franchise I slavishly devote my time and energy to. I have other products I'm a huge nerd fan of. Obviously I've mentioned Star Wars before, but there is a list of things in my heart that are dear to me. On that list there happen to be two other franchises that recently celebrated 50th anniversaries: Doctor Who and the James Bond films.

At first I was going to have this be another NerDebate article, but honestly I'm not sure this is really fair. I have a buddy who's a huge Bond fan, but he's not so much a Doctor Who fan. I also have a couple friends...and a daughter...who are big Doctor Who fans, but no so much 007. So instead I'm just going to anecdotally compare the anniversaries as I saw them.

James Bond

The names Bond...James Bond.

The 50th anniversary of James Bond is in film, he has existed much longer than that. So it's a difficult anniversary to contain. Do you focus on the 50th anniversary of Ian Fleming's first book Casino Royale? That was published on April 13, 1953, so the anniversary for that was back in 2003. That was actually completely missed by the film franchise when Die Another Day came out in 2002 and then nothing again until Casino Royale in 2006.

But in 2012 Skyfall came out. It was the 3rd Bond film to feature Daniel Craig. It marked the 50th anniversary of James Bond. And while Casino Royale and (to a much much lesser extent) Quantum of Solace had deconstructed Bond, Skyfall took that deconstruction, completed it and then re-applied the trappings of Bond (Q, M with the leather padded door to his office, Moneypenny) to the leaner Bond. It was a smart move as the weight of 50 years of Bond movie making were scrubbed away, and while the product was recognizable it wasn't buried under what had come before. But while I loved Skyfall (it's my favorite of Craig's Bond movies, barely edging out Casino Royale), the nods to the fans (the classic DB5, the original Bond theme song arrangement) weren't enough to make a great 50th anniversary. But they did enhance it.

The names Bond...James...oh god, there goes my hip...
FYI: I'm keeping the joke here, but it made me really sad as I
edited this article.

There was also an incredible Blu-Ray set that included all the James Bond movies and had a spot open for Skyfall in the back. And there was a nice tie-in issue from Entertainment Weekly. All-in-all, it was a good anniversary for a franchise that had been proclaimed dead several times (and nearly was after the disastrous box office and critical reception to Timothy Dalton's outings - both of which were unfair considering how well Dalton's movies have stood up over time).

Doctor Who

ooooh weeee ooooh, ooooh ooh oooooooh
Sorry I just love the theme song so much...

For a show that was threatened to be cancelled numerous times during it's initial run. That had a 26 year hiatus, that had a failed attempt to relaunch it during that 26 year hiatus that resulted in some horrible performances (Eric Roberts as the Master) and some very questionable continuity issues (the Doctor was half human), and that had then come back triumphantly under Russel T. Davies only to begin to alienate fans under Stephen Moffatt...the BBC went all out for the anniversary.

da dun dun dun da duuuunnnnnn bum ba dum dun da dum...
Yep, still loving it....

There were documentaries about the different doctors. There were re-airs of classic Doctor Who shows. There was a made for TV movie about the creation of Doctor Who. There was a worldwide broadcast 3D 50th anniversary special that was universally loved, and celebrated the history of the Doctor and the show while setting up new adventures. There were DVD and Blu-Ray releases, and Entertainment Weekly was all over it.

The BBC threw a party for the Doctor, and the fans were able to enjoy pretty much all of it. Definitely a far cry from the way the show and its fans were treated in 1989, and the way the Doctor was treated by BBC and Fox in 1996.

Star Trek

Criticisms in the article aside,
I still like this movie a lot.

So now we get to Star Trek. The gold standard of television science fiction. Doctor Who has been around longer, but Star Trek is Star Trek. It traded camp for social commentary, and like Doctor Who made the fans think. It was beloved by fans everywhere, and was treated pretty badly by network executives (this time NBC instead of BBC) during it's classic run.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, and let's see how things have progressed, shall we?

Paramount released Star Trek Beyond. It was a far cry better than Star Trek Into Darkness, but it did suffer some faults that could very easily be tied to the behind the scenes issues and the rush to get it to the screen this year. Paramount also came under fire earlier this year for not really marketing the movie.

NBC isn't going to do anything for Star Trek, but that's not their fault. Paramount bought Desilu and along with it the Star Trek rights. And since Viacom had bought both CBS and Paramount, CBS gets to celebrate Star Trek (which is ironic considering that CBS passed on Star Trek initially

I really am looking forward to how this show celebrates
Star Trek's 51st anniversary

which is how it ended up at NBC). CBS is making a new series, Star Trek: Discovery, that will air next year. During Star Trek's 51st anniversary.

In the Blu-Ray market there is a gorgeous boxed set of the The Original Series that I want. I want it so bad. It's also $209 at Amazon. But not only did Entertainment Weekly do a really nice collectors edition for Star Trek's anniversary, but so too did Time Magazine.

So where does that leave the anniversary of Star Trek? Well I can't count Star Trek: Discovery. That should have premiered this year to get credit. That said I honestly believe people behind it are trying to make a great show and they have done so by bringing in some incredible talent with healthy if not great Star Trek pedigrees. Bryan Fuller who cut his teeth on DS9 and Voyager is running the show, and Nicholas Meyer of Wrath of Khan and Undiscovered Country fame is on board as a writer. But it's coming out too late to get credit, in my mind.

The movie was good, but unlike Skyfall which was my favorite Craig movie for Bond, the first Star Trek is still my favorite movie for Kelvin timeline Trek. Beyond is so, sooooo, soooooo much better than Into Darkness, and it really gets the message and product of Trek reviving things like the Bones/Spock love/hate relationship fans have always loved, but the first movie told a better story.

So in the end I have to give credit where it's due. The BBC outshone everyone in handling a beloved franchise's 50th anniversary. And the creative team did a bang up job really creating a movie that was (and still is) loved by the fans. For James Bond, Skyfall was great and so too was the Blu-Ray set, but it was enough only to beat out Star Trek.

Unfortunately it has felt like celebrating Star Trek isn't what's on Paramount's or CBS' mind with this anniversary. They feel more like exploiting it for profit. And I understand wanting to make money, but the slipshod treatment of the franchise in film and television with no real urgency to celebrate the actual franchise has felt like a slap in the face and a money grab more than anything else. Look I am super excited for Discovery, but let's be honest if CBS had wanted this show to come out during the anniversary celebration they could have. Instead the announcement felt more like "Oh hey isn't that Star thingy show having some kind of birthday this year? Let's make a new show and stream it instead of broadcast it so we can make more money because those nerds will pay for anything." So yeah I am excited about Star Trek's 50th anniversary, and fans and sites around the internet are excited about Star Trek's 50th anniversary, I just wish CBS and Paramount had been too.

MetaData: The Lyrics of Star Trek

2016-09-06T12:00:00.000-04:00

When Enterprise premiered fans went ballistic over the theme song. It was a pop song. It had lyrics. It sucked.

While I can definitely agree that a sucky pop song had no place in Star Trek, the existence of lyrics for the theme song actually dates back to the original series.

The story goes that Gene Roddenberry was, among his other foibles, incredibly greedy. When Alexander Courage wrote the theme song, Roddenberry wanted in on the royalties that Courage was going to get. By writing lyrics (that were never going to be used) Roddenberry was able to be listed as a co-writer and the royalties were split 50/50 between him and Courage. While they were never intended to be used, they really show how far Star Trek has come in philosophy, and execution.

The lryics are:

Beyond
The rim of the star-light
My love
Is wand'ring in star-flight
I know
He'll find in star-clustered reaches
Love,
Strange love a star woman teaches.
I know
His journey ends never
His star trek
Will go on forever.
But tell him
While he wanders his starry sea
Remember, remember me.

Now these lyrics might seem cheesy and dated, but that's because they are. However they are still way more true to the tone and style of The Original Series than the lyrics to the song Enterprise used. Because let's face it, Kirk found a lot of love that star women taught.

Compare those simple lines to the lyrics for the theme from Enterprise:

It's been a long road

Gettin from there to here
It's been a long time
But my time is finally here

And I will see my dreams come alive at night
I will touch the sky
And they're not gonna hold me down no more
No they're not gonna change my mind

(Chorus)
'Cause I've got faith of the heart
I'm going where my heart will take me
I've got faith to believe
I can do anything
I've got strength of the soul
No one's going to bend nor break me
I can reach any star
I've got faith
I've got faith
Faith of the heart

The first thing that strikes me is how generic the Enterprise lyrics are. The song is originally from the movie Patch Adams. You know the movie starring Robin Williams as a doctor with heart and a clown nose. Second, what does this have to do with space flight? Okay there's a line about touching the sky, but beyond that nothing here really connects with the series. Maybe the early Human/Vulcan relations...but that very quickly became a background story, not a main story. And then there are the "Faith of the heart" lines. The story of Star Trek is not about faith...it's about reason and humanity. Faith has its place in the Star Trek universe, but it is usually part of the DNA of an alien species (Klingons, Bajorans). And Enterprise was really about humans going into deep space for the first time. It's like the people who picked that song had no concept of the show or audience they were picking it for.

And so as Star Trek celebrates its 50th anniversary, let's look back fondly on when even lyrics done as a shady side deal to make a quick buck and never used in the show were better than those actually used for the theme decades later.

The other reason I want to highlight the lyrics is because I actually like them. I was singing them to my 2 month old granddaughter the other day (she must have liked it because she didn't complain). But also this article gave me the only excuse I could think of to combine my love of Trek and my love of Tenacious D. The D have performed the song a few times, I have a recording of them on my computer where Jack Black flubs the lyrics and adds some profanity, but this version here is the best as far as clean (for the sake of this blog), and the lyrics are all correct. So yeah, let's let Tenacious D close this article out.

MetaData: Star Trek Week!

2016-09-05T12:00:00.000-04:00

I know what you're thinking: Happy Star Trek Week? On a Star Trek blog? Isn't that a bit redundant? Well yes, every week is Star Trek, but not every week is Star Trek Week. This week is special. This week deserves to be recognized, set aside, and cherished. This week, this Thursday to be specific, marks the 50th anniversary of Star Trek.

It's an important milestone. A really important milestone. I mean, it's a show that struggled to make it on the air (passed up by CBS and then requiring a new pilot by NBC). Now, 6 series, 13 feature films, countless novelizations, innumerable comic books, ungodly amounts of (and ungodly bad) fan fiction stories later, and it's still going strong.

So I'm setting aside this week to celebrate Star Trek's 50th anniversary. Today is just this since today is also Labor Day. But the rest of the week is scheduled to go like this:

Tuesday: The Lyrics of Star Trek
Wednesday: Comparing 50th Anniversaries
Thursday: A Star Trek Timeline
Friday: Trek Actors Who Are Gone

So Happy Anniversary Star Trek, may the franchise Live Long and Prosper

Force of Nature

2016-09-02T12:00:00.000-04:00

What is it like to believe in something so strongly you are willing to die for it? It's a valid question, I think, since a) I'm not sure I'd be willing to die for anything outside of my family, and b) it's the mindset of Serova, the Hekaran scientist who's research showed that warp drive was damaging the fabric of space in their sector.

After all, her findings had enough merit that Captain Picard was willing to have the Federation Science Council review her results. But they were just not complete enough to persuade people like Lt. Cmdr. La Forge to see the potential danger of warp speed. So as the debate raged, Serova lost patience and caused a warp breach with her own ship. The resulting explosion killed her, but it also opened a rift that validated her findings.

It was a sudden and shocking turn of events, especially for her brother Rabal. But it also created more problems. Serova wasn't around to deal with the damage her demonstration created. The USS Fleming, the missing ship that prompted the Enterprise go to this sector in the first place, was trapped inside the rift. So not only did the Enterprise have to contend with newly discovered problems in space around them, but they had to find a way to save a crew without using warp engines.

Lt. Cmdr. Data came up with a pretty inspired plan to save them. He postulated that if they saturated the nacelles and propelled themselves with a warp burst they would be able to enter the rift, beam the survivors off the Fleming, and coast out of the rift. What they didn't account for was the attempt by the Fleming to start their warp engines. The resulting warp field inside the rift nearly destroyed the Fleming, and increased the size of the rift by more than 2% which was enough to make the escape of the Enterprise impossible.

That was when La Forge made his own life saving contribution. He determined that if the shields could match the frequency of distortion waves that were emanating from the center of the rift, they could ride the wave like an ancient Earth surfer and let the wave carry Enterprise out of the rift.

In theory it was great, but the first wave nearly destroyed the Enterprise causing massive pressure on the hull. To survive the second wave, Data used impulse engines to build up speed to lessen the blow of suddenly being grabbed by the wave.

After the rescue Enterprise received a copy of new directives from the Federation to all space traveling ships (both Starfleet and civilian). Effective at that point there was a Warp 5 speed limit placed on all ships unless there was an emergency. Of course there was no indication that races like the Cardassians or Romulans would heed such a limit, but the Federation and in turn the Klingons both recognized the dangers facing space itself and were willing to do what they needed.

Attached

2016-08-31T12:00:00.000-04:00

If the crew of the Enterprise NCC-1701-D were a family (which in many respects crews on deep space missions tend to feel that way), then I think it would be safe to say that the paternal and maternal figures on the ship would be Captain Picard and Dr. Crusher.

And really that should come as no surprise. As elder officers of the senior staff, they seem to carry themselves in ways that one can't help but be reminded of traditional parental roles. Captain Picard was the stern figurehead who overseas everything. Dr. Crusher was the nurturing caregiver. But also, I think it helps the analogy that they had the kind of relationship that fed that imagery. They had known each other for years before the Enterprise mission. They had an almost intimate rapport. Picard was looked at as a father figure by Crusher's son Wesley. It just sort of all worked to create this image, cultivated or not, that they were the parents of the Enterprise family.

That's what makes the mission to Kesprytt so interesting. Because the implants placed by the Prytt created a psychic bond where they could read each other's thoughts. And so even though they knew each other better than anyone else in the galaxy, there were things about each other they didn't know. Until this mission.

Crusher didn't know how Picard felt about her when they were younger. Nor did Picard know that Crusher herself was attracted to him. Of course the spectre of her late husband hung over it all, but that would be expected. After all Picard had supressed his feelings for Crusher based soley on the fact she was married to his best friend. And then continued out of guilt for feeling that way about her after Jack passed away.

By all accounts this sudden knowledge was a surprise to them. I'm not sure if they were uncomfortable, but it was a lot to process. So much so, that when they were eventually saved and returned to the ship Picard attempted to pursue something with Crusher. However Crusher, while not ready to jump into anything, didn't flat out say no, she just cautioned it might not be the best move before leaving his quarters that night.

Still, for all the could have been with them, what they had was a beautiful friendship. It had an undercurrent of attraction, and they enjoyed that, but in the end I have to wonder if the friendship was more important. Enough so that the risk of romance destroying it was enough to cool their jets. Had they been younger, I'm not sure they could have, or would have, stopped themselves. But they weren't. And even though this all happened behind closed doors, it showed why they were such good parents to the crew of the Enterprise.

MetaData: More Star Trek Discovery News

2016-08-29T12:00:00.000-04:00

Guys. I can't tell you how excited I am for this show. And the more Bryan Fuller talks about it the more excited for it I am. And talk about it he did.

Fuller promised us a lot more details in October, and that is still tentatively the plan. What Fuller did do was not really give details so much as hints about where things are going and why they made certain decisions and how that has played into the process of creating a new Trek series.

There is a lot of information here, and I recommend that everyone take an opportunity to read the entire article, because these are just some snippets I found interesting.

On why they chose the Prime Universe:

Really, when we developed this story, it could take place in either Prime or the Kelvin [timeline] – the timeline was relatively inconsequential, but there was the cleanliness of keeping our series independent of the [Abrams] films. That way, we don’t have to track anything they’re doing; they don’t have to track anything we’re doing – and you can have two distinct universes.

On why they chose to set the series 10 years before The Original Series:

[The time period we chose] came pretty organically, because we are going to try to achieve a new look for ‘Star Trek’ that is very much ‘Star Trek,’ but also our interpretation of ‘Star Trek.’ I love each of the shows I work on to have a distinct aesthetic […] so it seemed like a good place to start our signature look for the ‘Star Trek’ universe and work our way forward as we tell the stories.

On revisiting alien designs in Star Trek:

We were looking at a specific species’ costume on Friday, and Jesse Alexander, who is one of the writers, was commenting on the cosplay aspects of it, and how [the design] has gone a kind of quantum leap forward – and what were the people who do cosplay going to do?
Another one of our writers was like, “They are going to rise to the occasion!” So for all of us who have fetishized the look of all of the various species over the years of watching ‘Star Trek,’ it’s fun for us to put a new spin on old favorites.

On the music for Discovery:

We’ve talked about the musical approach to this show, because music is so important to ‘Star Trek,’ and it’s the voice in many ways. We all remember the Spock vs. Kirk fight [in ‘Amok Time’] and the score for that – it would be great to pay homage to some of those things.
I don’t think we’d use [the same tracks] specifically, but it’s certainly something that we’ve had discussions about and I don’t yet know if we’re going to commit to that. [The title theme song] is still in discussion.

On whether the female protagonist would be the character Majel Barrett played in The Cage:

Our character, when we introduce the protagonist, she is called ‘Number One’ in honor of Majel Barrett’s character in the original pilot.

On casting and season length:

We’ll probably have some [casting] announcements in October. As of right now, we’ve met with fantastic actors, and of course there’s people that I’ve worked with before that I would love to have on ‘Star Trek,’ and we’re trying to figure out everybody’s schedules – but we’re very early on in the process.
Right now, they’ve ordered thirteen episodes, and that’s all we’re working on. I would strongly recommend that we never do twenty-six episodes; I think it would fatigue the show. Ideally, I would love to do ten episodes – I think that’s a tighter story – to really make it great.

So yeah. I really like all the things Fuller is saying, and I can't wait to see what they have in store for us. You know what? It's really nice being excited about something Trek again. It really is.

Necessary Evil

2016-08-24T12:00:00.000-04:00

The history of Terok Nor is fascinating. However most of the history is focused around the Cardassian forces stationed there and the occupation force on the planet they supported. However it is easy to forget that people like Major Kira, Constable Odo, and Quark had a history on the station prior to the Federation forces stationed there under the name Deep Space Nine.

It's easy to forget considering how integral to the station during the Federation time that they pre-dated them. But occasionally something would occur that would be a reminder. In this case it was when Vaatrick Pallra hired Quark to find a hidden case. She had lived on the station during the Cardassian occupation with her husband who owned a shop on the station. Her husband's murder was the first criminal case Odo investigated on the base.

During the initial murder investigation Vaatrick accused Kira of being her husband's mistress and killing him. However investigation by Odo proved unfruitful. However the history became relevant because after Quark recovered the case he opened it and found a list of names 8 Bajoran names in the box. At this point an associate of Vaatrick arrived to get the case. Finding Quark looking at it he shot and nearly killed Quark.

As Dr. Bashir treated and saved Quark the connection between Vaatrick's husband's murder and Quark's near murder were established. The list were known collaborators that Vaatrick's husband worked with as a collaborator himself. When a name from the list was asked about the individual in question was killed.

Kira, who never had an affair with Vaatrick's husband, actually murdered him in an attempt to get the list of collaborators from him. And in dealing with him realized he too was a collaborator and killed him too. Vaatrick wanted the names because she had no money and wanted to extort them to pay her substantial debts and extravagant lifestyle.

In the end, Vaatrick and her associate where jailed. However Odo never closed the case on Vaatrick's husband because he did not want to see anything happen to Kira. And for once his care for his friends superseded his need to uphold the law. Rather than risk her, he kept the case open, Kira's guilt known only to her and him.

The history of the individuals who served with the Federation on DS9 when it was Terok Nor is interesting, but it almost has a feel to it similar to the ancient Earth soap operas that entertained so many people. Still, any insight into that time is a welcome insight into Bajor's darkest, but most triumphant hours.

Rules of Acquisition

2016-08-22T12:00:00.000-04:00

I know the mission to the Gamma Quadrant by Quark under orders from Grand Nagus Zek is the first hints of the Dominion. And obviously this should be a major point of this mission. Yet I am much more fascinated with Pel.

After all the concept of female Ferengi is a unique one. We know they exist, but we also know they have few rights. They are forced to be unclothed, and based on the reaction both Quark and Zek had they apparently are not allowed to do business.

Yet Pel was driven to do it. She hid her gender under prosthetics (male Ferengi have larger ears), and became Quark's right hand "man". She helped him become more than Zek's tool to find out more about the Dominion, and her knowledge of the Rules of Acquisition were beyond flawless. Not only did she know them, but her grasp of them allowed her to apply them to more situations than even Quark was willing to do.

Yet, the Ferengi forbade her from doing business. It was such a shame that both Zek and Quark had to hide thier connection to her. And she was forced to go to the Gamma Quadrant after she was discovered by Nog. She could have returned to the Ferengi, but her taste of freedom, power, and greed had become enough that she refused to be subservient.

Which is such an odd thing for the Ferengi. Of course their culture is steeped in mystery, and beyond their greediness and business dealings, not much is known. But the women exist. And by what Pel was able to do, could do a lot more if given the opportunity. Which, perhaps, maybe that's why the male Ferengi keep them subservient.

And yes the Dominion would become major players, but Pel is such a fascinating character that in this misison she gets the focus, not them.

MetaData: What a Great Week

2016-08-19T12:37:00.002-04:00

So on Wednesday I was super ecstatic because John Trimble saw my thank you letter and responded. Today I opened my browser and saw a response from Bjo Trimble.

I am floored. Floored by their kindness in responding. In gracing my pathetic little blog with their presence. It is stunning and awesome. And I just don't what to do, other than smile. I just can't stop smiling.

MetaData: My Day Just Got Made

2016-08-17T12:00:00.001-04:00

Guys. Guys. Just. Guys. I just. I want to cry. And that's in a good way.

Back in 2014 I wrote an open letter to John and Bjo Trimble. They were the fans who spearheaded the letter writing campaign to save Star Trek. They are two of the most important fans in the history of Star Trek. I wanted to thank them for what they did, but never, EVER, imagined they would read it. Seriously I was just throwing my voice out into a void. I had no idea that John Trimble himself would read my letter and respond. But he did. He wrote a comment. I just. I'm dumbfounded. I'm speechless. I'm totally nerding out right now.

I just feel so good.

Melora

2016-08-15T12:00:00.001-04:00

With the advances in medical technology, and technology in general that have occurred, the concept of a physical handicap has been all but erased. There are still the occasional individuals whom science cannot remove the handicap, but in those cases science can provide the technology to overcome the handicap. So the concept of a physical handicap in the time of Commander Sisko and the crew of Deep Space Nine is more in terms of alien species who are unable to perform optimally in environments that are designed for human or most humanoid existence, Such was the case of Ensign Melora Pazlar.

Melora was an Elaysian, a species from a planet with a substantially lower level of gravity. As such, the Elaysians struggle mightily when off world. Especially dangerous to them is the level of gravity humans are used to. Exposure can weaken and exhaust them, and they are mostly unable to function without wheelchairs among other technological assistance.

Melora, though, was different. She was the first Elaysian to attend, let alone graduate from, Starfleet Academy. And her assignment to Deep Space Nine was an exciting chance to be exposed to a new alien physiology for Dr. Bashir. However there were plenty of challenges for the crew to prepare for her. The Cardassian design of DS9 was less than helpful to someone who was handicapped. Doors had lips that had to be retro-fitted with ramps, and with so many areas to make ready not everything was completed by Chief O'Brien and his staff before her arrival. However Melora's main areas of activity were ready, as was a chair for her, and gravity controls for her quarters.

When Melora arrived, her brusque and abrasive attitude rubbed everyone the wrong way, except Bashir. Oh he struggled with it too, but he was so taken with her and the chance to treat her that he persevered until he was through her rough exterior and a special relationship started to form.

Back to the mission at hand, Bashir eventually convinced Melora to undergo some modified treatments based on earlier work done by Nathaniel Teros. Teros' intial work was not successful, but Bashir believed he was close and that the modifications he had made could help Melora function better in human level gravity. Unfortunately the cost of the treatment would be she could never go home again. Initially she agreed to the treatments, and she was functioning better, but the idea of losing her home distressed her enough she eventually abandoned the treatments.

I think now would be a good time to take a side-note on Dr. Bashir. His interest in Melora seemed genuine, however when she stopped his treatment he felt spurned. I can't help but wonder if he was suffering from some sort of Florence Nightingale Syndrome, or if he was using his charms not to get close to Melora but to get her to agree to his experimental treatments. Either way I was a bit disappointed in how he withdrew from her after this mission.

At the same time all of this was happening, a former colleague of Quark's, Kot, had just gotten out of prison and was on DS9 threatening to kill Quark. His threats had enough weight that Quark actually went to Odo for help. However before anything could happen he kidnapped Quark and drug him onto the USS Orinoco with Lt. Dax and Melora aboard. When Sisko does not comply with Kot fast enough he shoots Melora. What he didn't realize was that her treatments made her somewhat resistant to that phaser shot. She was able to subdue Kot and save the day.

Melora was an interesting officer. Her bullheadedness served her well in her ability to function where Elaysians usually couldn't. But her bullheadedness also pushed people away and made her a prickly person to deal with. When she eventually let someone in he used that as a way to convince her to be treated to function in higher gravity levels, at the cost of her home and family. That was a sacrifice she could not make. However much of her career has been lost over time and this mission aboard DS9 appears to be her lasting legacy.

MetaData: Star Trek Discovery Details

2016-08-12T12:00:00.001-04:00

Earlier this week Bryan Fuller met with the press and gave a plethora of details regarding Star Trek Discovery. There was a lot of information dumped on us that I wanted to poor through.

The main character will be a female officer, but not a captain.
The show will be set 10 years before TOS
There will be a gay character.
The season will be serialized and each of the 13 episodes will be a chapter in the overall story.
The ship design is still underway. It will feature some elements of Ralph McQuarrie's designs as well as some 1970s-esque James Bond style elements.
Amanda Grayson (Spock's mom) and Section 31 may be involved in the story somehow.

So let's go through these things:

I honestly am ambivalent about the gender of the main character. It doesn't really affect me as long as the character is written and acted well. However I do like the idea of the main focus being from the non-captain perspective.
I will touch on the 10 years in more detail, but I like the fact that it is touching on some eras that haven't been detailed too much.
It's about time there was representation for LGBT people on Trek. I liked the fact that Sulu was gay in the Kelvin Timeline, but we needed it in the original timeline too.
I was expecting a serialized series as that worked really well in Enterprise Season 3. Plus so many shows do it now.
I love the effects reel we had previously of the USS Discovery, so all I hope is that it won't be too different.
And now back to 10 years before with Amanda Grayson and Section 31. So in fleshing out his 10 years before TOS comment, Fuller explained there is an incident that has been mentioned that Discovery relates to. Kirk took command of the Enterprise around 2265. 10 years before that was the Treaty of Armens that ended the Federation-Sheliak conflict. My thoughts (and these are just some wild speculations) is that the Discovery will be tasked with protecting the finalizing of the treaty, something Section 31 does not want. And somehow Amanda Grayson will be involved in the negotiations...or Sarek will be and Amanda will be nearby.

MetaData: Where are the posts?

2016-08-10T12:00:00.000-04:00

For anyone keeping score, both Friday and Monday were post free.

Ladies and gentlemen, real life has finally caught up with me.

For the past few weeks I've been trying to get our house re-arranged to move some family in with us. I was doing okay, but I found Star Trek was being watched at midnight when I should have been sleeping. Updates were being written at lunch, because my home PC has been disconnected as I rearrange rooms and move people around to different areas to make space.

Then work went to hell. I was really busy and when things settled down we started rearranging our office to make room for some new hires.

Also, the lack of sleep finally caught up to me.

So needless to say episodes have been watched, but write-ups have not been done. Not because I was ignoring the site, but because the lack of a cushion I've been running with since TNG season 3 finally burned me when real life intruded to the point that something had to give and it was this site.

Basically I'm sorry. Not that my poorly written recaps are must-see internet, but I do feel like I've dropped the ball on this re-watch project. So I will get back on track. Just please be patient.