Deadman Switch

DVD, Stargate SG-1 S3 (Deadman Switch)

One of the few early episodes that I caught on original transmission on Channel 4, I always recalled this as a good one, and it lived up to impressions. I had this memory of a short-haired Goa'uld type on a planet, and something like him being trapped in a room or a ship and the SG team escaping him or something. That's where I assumed the title came from - that he had to be in some place to do something or something would happen like an explosion. All very sketchy, but it was almost ten years ago! In the event I suppose the Dead Man Switch refers to the bounty hunter's control of the Stargate, or his holding the crystal which would self-destruct the cargo ship, but the idea is sketchy and doesn't come across that well.

As for the character he was great fun and one of the best they've encountered, I think. Humourous, full of cool tech, and a sympathetic villain, he's a bit like some 'Star Wars' character that wandered in by mistake. He bounces off O'Neill very well, both of them being ironic, and I only wish we'd had the chance to see Teal'c fight him! This series does love its forest landscapes, but I think this is the first time we've been on a more traditional jaunt in the woods this season, with all the action happening on location. It does look attractive, a nice picnic spot, but the important things are the humour between captives and captor, the threat of Sokar looming in the background again and the change of heart at the end. If there was one character they should have brought back it was Aris, but I don't remember him ever cropping up again.

The effects of the ship, close and far from camera, visible or cloaked were excellent and show the power of CGI was really coming into its own as the clock ticked over into the new millennium, with not a dodgy shot in sight. If I had to complain it would be about the lack of a real story as the various runarounds disguise a thin plot. But because of the charm and fun of the characters that doesn't matter. Keep it up.

***

Friendship One

DVD, Voyager S7 (Friendship One)

An abrupt opening and an abrupt ending, but thankfully more between than that implies. The big thing is that Starfleet gets to give Voyager a mission for the first time since their initial quest for the Maquis. How Starfleet would be able even to extrapolate the location of a probe that was sent in the 21st Century (which we're in now, can you believe it?!), a few years after Cochrane's warp flight and first contact with the Vulcans, and give detail of a search area to Voyager, is a little far-fetched, but even so there is something of a thrill in seeing a new series, 'Star Trek: Voyager' as it would have been had it taken place in the Alpha Quadrant, Admirals passing on instructions and all the usual Starfleet chatter the ship has lacked for much of its seven year odyssey. Maybe Janeway began to regret the regular contact as she can't be quite so independent now? Her command style has always been so strong and assured it must be strange to have to take orders after so long, but sadly that isn't touched upon in any way.

The other biggie for this episode is the crowd-pleaser of bringing back Joe Carey, an engineer who was most prominent in the first regular episode of the series as he and B'Elanna vied for the top spot of Chief Engineer. The recurring characters on the series have been rather badly used, not appearing for seasons at a time, the audience is supposed to retain affection for them though many were barely explored. Carey, like Ensign Wildman, Naomi, Vorik, Chell among others, was one of those that appeared once in a while to remind us he was still alive. And then 'boom!' they kill him off. The reason they must have told themselves was to give emotional weight to the predicament of the hostages on the planet, but because we haven't seen the guy in two years or so, and he has hardly two lines in the whole story, it becomes an irritation rather than a sad moment. The best that can be offered is the rather off-story final scene between Chakotay and Janeway where she muses that neither millions of deaths nor one is a reasonable payoff for exploration, thereby suggesting that all crews are wasting their time, and denigrating the many sacrifices to duty officers have made all this time. That's not what they intended, I'm sure, but that's how it came across to me. And so Joe passes on, just a few episodes before the end.

While the story logic and writing decisions weren't the best, the production side excelled at their work. Far from showing the same old cave set, they created a film-quality ice-scape, with great lighting and depth and realism. Even the cave set, reused as, well, a cave, was disguised quite differently with machinery and equipment all over the place. The aliens were reminiscent of the Vidiians, their clothing excellently expressive of their dark and hopeless lives and the sight of the scientist as he returns to a healthy complexion thanks to the Doctor and Seven is very satisfying.

The connection Paris makes with the mother and baby, the plea Neelix makes, citing his own grief-filled experiences with the Metreon Cascade, the joy as the small baby returns to life and the final planetwide seeding of the atmosphere to return it to a healthy, natural state are all wonderful moments and balance any inconsistencies and wrong turns very well. I thought Tuvok got captured too easily so it was pleasant to think about it and suspect it was a setup, which it was - the trained security officer would never be so indiscreet! With each passing episode the ship feels closer to home, and while I would have much preferred a multi-part ending, with a tying up of the series history I appreciated that this was a good, issue-driven story with much to enjoy. Even Captain Kirk got a mention, which can't be bad!

***

Batman Begins

DVD, Batman Begins (2005) film

To restart a franchise is both a bold move and a sensible one. Though there had been four Batman films in recent memory the character had been played by different actors and there was little to connect the individual stories, and a fresh audience was ready to be introduced to a different hero. With 'Batman Begins' they set out to change that, create a much more realistic and believeable hero with a cast of characters (Alfred, Rachel Dawes, Gordon, Lucius Fox) as well as bringing in a couple of villains that had not been tried before. This was quite brave because all the previous films had used supervillains the general public would be familiar with, but few would know Raz Al Ghul or Scarecrow. Cleverly these two were worked into the origin story that showed everything from the murder of Bruce's parents, his anger, desire for revenge and eventually his change of heart to become the noble, but feared dark knight of Gotham City.

One thing I wince at is the title. Batman Begins... what? Tying his shoelace? Looking out the window? Perhaps this should have had 'The Dark Knight' moniker, but regardless, it is one of the only things I didn't warm to. Even the Batmobile (or 'Tumbler') is growing on me each time I see the film, adding to the realism of the technology, and providing humour as police officers struggle to describe and deal with it ("it's a... a black... er, tank"). Okay, so fight scenes were too quick-cut. It wanted Matrix-like visual clarity. Though the half-seen attacks were fine for some scenes where Batman is spreading terror on crims, when he takes on ninjas I want to see every move, not a blur.

As I said, the different approach to take on a couple of lesser known villains was a bold decision. Liam Neeson is brilliant and gets to do some Jedi training like he did in Star Wars Episode 1. Scarecrow wasn't as well developed, and Arkham Asylum didn't have the gothic unpleasantness that should have made it frightening and in general the fear moments should have been taken higher but I expect the makers wanted a '12' rating. There was some swearing, some violence, but less than the second film and it came across as more noble than that one, too; more feelgood than 'The Dark Knight', with, I think, a stronger theme - throbbing, exciting, portentous that carries more depth. That may be due to the origin story, but I definitely felt more of a connection with the characters in this film.

Michael Caine as Alfred was everything you'd want the character to be. He injects humour, sympathy and understanding into the film. Rachel Dawes was okay, but more of a take-her-or-leave-her character, and Falconi the mob boss wasn't bad and had more personality than the guy in the sequel. Sergeant Gordon is very well played by Gary Oldman, an English actor that has a real skill with accents (see 'Air Force One' for his Russian villain!). He becomes Lieutenant by the end - advancing the character and ending with a hint for the next film with the Joker leaving his card! Super! Lucius Fox may have been a new character to the mythos as I'd never heard of him, but again, he brought a reality to Bruce's world. There's a great setup for the standard Batman stuff - the bat signal with the crime boss on the lamp; bat sonar; armour; technology. And Bruce doesn't just turn up as Batman, but comes to it 'organically', believably, not in a contrived way.

There is an epic scope with the League of Shadows and their interference throughout history, destroying evil cities (Rome, Constantinople, Fire of London) - and the great twist is that it was actually them that turned Gotham into the mess it is now by trying to destroy it through financial means, except Wayne Sr. got in the way! Raz and Bruce's intertwining storylines improve the film hugely and make a minor villain into an excellent and worthy opponent for the new hero. And it builds anticipation for the continuation with only Rachel, Alfred and Lucius (and Raz, but he's supposed to be dead) knowing Batman's identity, Wayne Manor to be rebuilt after Bruce supposedly burns it down, beginning his reputation as an eccentric to keep people from guessing his dual role (look out for a cameo by Alexandra Bastedo of 'The Champions' - she's the woman at the party who introduces Wayne to Raz Al Ghul!). And the Manor will be rebuilt with alterations... The Batcave wasn't really used in the sequel, and many things weren't as satisfying as in this one, but after seeing 'Batman Begins' it makes me want to see more, and that is the mark of a good film.

***

The High Ground

DVD, TNG S3 (The High Ground)

I complete the set at last! This was the only episode never to be shown on BBC TV (as far as I'm aware) due to the Ireland reference, so I never saw it, and it was the only one left, until today. My impressions were quite good - it had a surprising opening, it was an episode for Beverly Crusher and it had the dimensional shifter as a concept, so combining all these positives should have made a really good episode, but it didn't work as well as it could. It doesn't quite dig deep enough into the issues or the ideas. Terrorism is rare in the Star Trek universe (leaving 'DS9' aside), because most people are above such things in the 24th Century, and its random danger was suitably apparent from the brazen attack on the Enterprise. Those dimensional shifters could have made for an even more exciting sequence, but they aren't used that much, though their sudden appearances do surprise.

Picard gets to be a bit more proactive (a sign of what the Captain's role would develop into in the films), but Beverly's connection with the leader of the terrorists didn't ring true, I didn't believe she would become sympathetic to him, but I suppose it was her desire to help and cure that influenced her. She never actually joined the cause of course, but she was willing to try to talk the Captain into aiding these people. The Rutians police uniforms were brilliant and the town set impressive, though probably a shopping complex or public building in real life. There's a small taste of the way Picard and Crusher used to get on, with her questioning his orders and him getting annoyed, and I would love to know what things she was going to tell him "in case we don't get out of here..." were! Also I wonder why the rebels base was so easy to beam into, and if it was that easy why didn't they do it earlier?

After 'DS9', seeing a more simplistic examination of terrorism doesn't work so well, but for being Dr. Crusher's first proper episode since she returned, and for the few action scenes, it's certainly worth a watch.

**

Point of View

DVD, Stargate SG-1 (Point of View)

I had a suspicion that the whole episode might turn out to be completely unrelated to the 'real' reality that we know and instead be about a very similar reality that we assume is our reality, but is in fact an alternate alternate in its own right, so that when they went to the alternate alternate it would actually be an alternate alternate alternate. I'm starting to sound like Sam here. What I mean is I thought they might kill off, say, Daniel whom we'd assumed was the real Daniel, but then it would turn out he was an alternate Daniel. But since that plot twist never came and it really was a jaunt into an alternate reality it doesn't matter!

It's really just an excuse to bring back Kowalski (Charles, Major in this version) which they've done so every season so far and suggests they should have kept him as a recurring character, and we get a wimpy, sentimental crybaby version of Carter. I want to know why whenever they show a different version she's always presented as more feminine and weak than usual? Still, it does add fuel to the fire, (or more to the point, very slight spark), between Carter and O'Neill, once again.

The mirror technology from Season 1's 'There But For The Grace of God' is used effectively and having two Carter's around the tech-speak moves up a gear. Jack makes plenty of witticisms and things look visually well shot. Apophis makes a comeback of sorts, which is what I was hoping when we learnt they were going across to a parallel Earth. It might have lessened the impact of his death last season, but it was a suitable way of bringing in those that have died. I never really enjoy the soldierly creeping around that happens sometimes (it being a military organisation...), and the believeability of being able to accurately guess which universe was the correct one by seeing a window into one hallway is much harder to accept than even the mirror itself. You chalk that down to alien technology, but how could Daniel know for sure it was the right universe if all he could see was a bare corridor? I suppose you could say it was Carter standing there waiting that gave it away, but if one tiny change (Carter's still a Captain in one version) could happen there could be many more variations where she's waiting. I wanted to see the Asgaard too. It might have been better if we could have visited Daniel's reality from Season 1, but then again I think they all died so it wouldn't work.

***

Author, Author

DVD, Voyager S7 (Author, Author)

The Doctor's struggles to be accepted as an equal member of the crew were a highlight of the early seasons and made him into the 'breakout' character who became so much more than he began as. Over the years he's become used to being part of the crew and only occasionally, in recent episodes has the subject of holographic rights come to the forefront in such stories as 'Flesh and Blood' and 'Body and Soul' in which holograms prove themselves capable of running their own lives and display the prejudices some races have against photonic life. Now Voyager has found a way to communicate with the Alpha Quadrant more consistently than before, his own buried feelings for his fellow holograms across the galaxy, left to work as menials (as revealed by Lewis Zimmerman, his creator, last season) rises to the surface and though it begins as a comedic examination of the Doctor's pomposity and inaccurate representation of his inspiration it ironically comes round to his actual rights, the very thing he was writing about.

'The Measure of A Man', the 'TNG' episode that early on ruled android Data had the right to explore his existence, is a probable source of the story's ideas, but it was something that needed to be addressed and this is the start of it. Though the Doctor's victory is only partial the episode ends with a thoughtful moment as we imagine all these EMH-Mark 1's being inspired by their brother's musings. The Alpha Quadrant seems closer than ever with the communication which brings Admiral Paris and Reg Barclay back into contact with the ship, and there are much more references to traditonal Trek than there used to be, as if the series is transitioning, preparing. Ferengi, Daystrom, the Bajoran Occupation and more come up in some way, we have a Bolian character and the crew get to talk to their relatives.

This is what makes the episode more enjoyable - by adding in treasured scenes with Kim conversing with his parents and Seven meeting her Aunt Irene. When she calls her Annika there's a thrill there because it's the first time someone has called her that without any other name, and knows her as that. Her background appreciation of the crew's transmissions gradually gives her insight into why she should try and make contact too.

Some of the best moments come from the Doctor's warped authorship of Voyager's adventures, with hilarious pastiches of the main cast. Tuvok wears the Mirror Universe beard, Paris (called Marseilles in this version) is a scumbag with a moustache, Torres a grumpy and violent engineer (no change there then...), Kim a hypochondriac Trill (a bit like his Taresian look from 'Favorite Son'), Seven a redheaded sympathetic, Janeway a harsh crew murderer, but best of all is Chakotay as an angry Bajoran with a huge tattoo on his cheek and an earring with a long chain - the Doc certainly isn't subtle! I would have liked to see what Neelix had been turned into.

The resolution is reminiscent of 'The Measure of A Man', but it is Voyager's own take on it that matters, and though the episode starts off with a self-satisfied, smug Doctor, long before the end I was feeling sorry for him. If only Janeway hadn't told him he could turn his hand to anything at the end there, you never know where it'll lead!

****

The Dark Knight

DVD, The Dark Knight (2008) film

Long-winded, bleak and quite brutal in parts, this is somehow one of the highest-grossing films ever, perhaps partly due to sympathy over Heath Ledger's premature demise and his unpredictable turn as the favourite nemesis of Batman: The Joker. There's plenty of spectacle, but few visually satisfying stunts. There are no real climaxes, but the story moves along apace in the Bourne mould of a constant beating heart that never really lets up, but neither does it reach a peak. The characters are likeable, from Rachel Dawes to Harvey Dent and now-Commissioner Gordon, yet there is little to no attachment to them in sympathy. A revealing case in point is Rachel's death - I was mentally suprised that she died, yet it didn't fill me with sadness as there wasn't a strong connection between me and the characters, good or bad.

These are none of them criticisms as such, merely intellectual points, which is how I feel about the film: I don't feel, I just think. The story should be congratulated in its refusal to be a stupid blockbuster with only rollercoaster thrills to engage the viewer, but it is at times confusing in its mass of facts and interconnections. Rachel's knowledge of Bruce Wayne's identity came out of the blue. It may have occurred during the last film or in between, but the point is I didn't remember (even though I saw 'Batman Begins' only a few months ago).

Dent deserved to be a character that could be deepened and explored in further films, but he's killed off rather ineffectually by falling a few floors from a building, going against the film's established logic since Batman dropped the mob boss from a similar height and he only damaged himself, or Batman hurtled onto a car when saving Rachel when the Joker chucks her off a building. Perhaps the death was for the best as the reintroduction of the Scarecrow at the beginning only caused confusion. There are moments like this which serve to illustrate a point in a rather roundabout way (Batman's out defeating criminals; the citizens have been inspired by his example to become vigilantes), but should have been cut as fat from the lean centre of the film, which was the conflict between the Joker and Batman, and the development of Dent into Two-Face.

The music served as a constant reminder of the gloom and the darkness, fading in and out, but like the visuals never reaching a climax or featuring a strong theme. Realism is strong, but pizazz is lacking from some key moments, the most important being the opening. I believe strongly in pre-credits sequences and a break or taking advantage of the credits ins ome way, but many films in recent years jump straight in leaving no anticipation to proceedings. The bank raid wasn't strong enough to pull me in, but on a par with most of the film it simply rolled along. Similarly the ending could segue directly into a sequel detracting from a definite and needed conclusion. 'Batman Begins' did better in its wrapping up of the main story, but leaving a small hint as to what was to come next.

The violence is less shocking on DVD, as is Two-Face's 'Terminator' look, but still vicious, depicting normal people goaded into acts of brutality that were uncomfortable to watch. Batman is a troubled mind himself, and quite negative for a superhero, but I felt his beating of the Joker in prison was unnecessary - the Joker was going to get to the point of telling him whatever he did. Though I don't rate the film as much as 'Begins', and am clearly going against popular opinion in finding it unfulfilling as a viewing experience, even a bit drawn out, it left me wanting to see more, eagerly anticipating what villain they might pull from the roster of crazies next. I think it's going to be the Riddler which doesn't fill me with joy as he's always seemed like a second-rate Joker and I'd be much more interested in lesser known creatures such as Clayface or Scarface or Bane. Jim Carey's performance as the Riddler made me appreciate the character even less.

The strength is in the cast of characters, with Caine great as Alfred again, and particularly Gary Oldman as Gordon, so I'd like to see this cast of regulars grow if possible. As for this film's success I put it down to a bit of the Emperor's new clothes - everyone said it was good, people enthused over Ledger's work, and the more than usually dense plot threads presented a rendering that appeared more than it was. I watch the film and have a nagging feeling that it has greatness stapled onto it, with many philosophical questions on behaviour and psyche, but not a great deal to latch onto and in that regard I feel distanced from it.

**

The Hunted

DVD, TNG S3 (The Hunted)

A rogue soldier, programmed to survive at any cost, using every trick in the book, simple solutions to difficult situations, thinking on the fly, three steps ahead of everyone else... what does it remind you of? 'Star Trek' does Jason Bourne! It doesn't quite live up to that tagline, but it's pretty close. Worf finally gets a worthy opponent, but if 'TNG' ever scoffed at The Original Series' polystyrene rocks it should recall the scene in this episode where Worf is knocked senseless by some large plastic crates - when he wakes up he pushes them off and they rock back and forth revealing their lack of weight!

The story, too, didn't make a lot of sense. Ostensibly Roga the rogue was following a plan to disrupt the Enterprise's sensors so they couldn't track him, yet they couldn't track him anyway because he could shield his lifesigns. What?! Who cares when we get to see a five man team, including Riker, Worf and O'Brien, get chucked around the set like paper dolls. I love it when, having subdued the criminal, Riker yells at the burly Klingon sitting on Roga's chest: "Get him to a holding cell!" What was he going to do, he couldn't move without the guy escaping!

James Cromwell makes his Trek debut as the Prime Minister of a world wanting in on the Federation. It was small roles like this that led him to accept the offer of playing legendary warp drive inventor Zefrem Cochrane in 'Star Trek: First Contact', even though he had reached high status thanks to his starring role in 'Babe', and it could have been seen as a backward step to go into sci-fi when he'd just become bankable star material. His role isn't as meaty in this episode, but he's suitably snooty and officious in a restrained, political way which makes Picard's refusal of Federation membership much more enjoyable!

Troi gets to interact with a manly, roguish, stubbly guest star without any romantic interlude (mainly because he'd have been more likely to kill than kiss), but Dr. Crusher is barely seen and I can't help feeling her role hasn't been used to its potential. She shows up back on the ship at the beginning of the season, presumably they promised her some good scenes, but she's hardly been used. She used to have moments with Picard in a friendship that was unique to the pair, but it appears her absence from the ship and the series has meant that interaction has been nixed. Even so, on the whole these last couple of episodes have shown a welcome increase in action, while still displaying the intelligence and intellect of the series.

***

The Defector

DVD, TNG S3 (The Defector)

With the Romulans you expect deception, so the pleasure of this episode is in the mystery of whether to believe the defector or not. The series at this point is living up to its classy image by becoming cleverer. As well as the twists of Romulan plots we have Shakespeare performed and Data's continuing quest to understand humanity. Patrick Stewart was of course a lover of the Bard and it's worth pointing out that he was one of the men in Data's holodeck play, heavily made up but not able to disguise that fine voice, despite a commoner accent.

James Sloyan was a reliable character actor that managed to present an arrogance in the roles he took, while also inviting compassion for their plight. He does that here, and even better as the 'father' of Odo in 'DS9' and the destroyer of Neelix' world in 'Voyager'. Tomalak makes his second appearance after 'The Enemy', which this follows up in a way, referring back to the events of that episode, Dr. Crusher even giving Worf a subtle, knowing look. This time it's Picard seemingly in the wrong, but he thought to bring along some Klingons for back up, giving us reason to cheer as the warriors decloak. This kind of thing was common in the later seasons of 'DS9' during the Dominion War, but quite rare on any other series so it's quite a treat, although it would have been even better had we been able to see Picard thank the Klingons on the viewscreen instead of Worf sending a message.

There is a bit of confusion in the episode - early on, when the Romulan ship cloaks and heads back to the Neutral Zone, it is tracked, but later we hear that cloaked ships can't be tracked. Also the Klingon Birds of Prey that decloak at the end are called 'Warships' by Worf, and he should know better! We get a chance to see a different, smaller class of Romulan ship, but only the exterior - much like the crew I was disappointed the Away Team didn't get to visit. I guess the budget could only stretch so far, and we did get quite a few references to Romulan culture, and even the first ever glimpse of Romulus via the Holodeck.

It was quite an action-packed show for the series, with a starship chase at the beginning and a mexican standoff at the end, yet it retained the thoughtfulness and contemplation, the series' hallmark, in equal measure and a strong sense of danger as the threat of war with the Romulans increases. Ultimately they extricate themselves from escalation and the unsteady peace remains, but it shows that the status quo could be shaken up potentially and so creates tension. And at last: a good Romulan episode!

***

The Vengeance Factor

DVD, TNG S3 (The Vengeance Factor)

The opening reminded me of 'Star Trek: Generations' - an empty facility, immobile bodies, a dismantled mess. The Gatherers, sounding like an ancient race in the mould of The Original Series reminded me of a cross between Orions, Klingons and Borg, with the intelligence level of Nausicaans. The Acamarians were an unappealing lot with their slightly split forehead and severe hairstyles. The hair of the Gatherers wasn't any better. And a worse sin: they had swivel chairs like you'd see in an office, except draped with animal skins to hide the fact.

For a production that had such densely constructed, busy sets (in the Gatherer's settlement and their ship), the episode as a whole comes across rather bland and slow. Most of the characters get suitable tasks to perform, Riker showing off his charm, Picard his mediating skills, but anything that could have been interesting was kept to a minimum. Brull, the first Gatherer they deal with is a Han Solo-type pirate who could have been quite a personality from what we see of the way he interacted with the ship and crew, such as the scene with Wesley in Ten Forward. Likewise, the building plot of an ancient blood feud and climax of attempted murder didn't have a chance to do just that: build.

The ending, in which Riker is forced to fire on the would-be murderer, eventually vaporising her, didn't have quite the impact that it had on Riker himself. The leader who was about to die was an inconsequential guy who was rude and overbearing so we're not encouraged to care about his fate except from Riker's perspective, but the few words here and there in the space of the episode don't create the strong attachment that would make us upset at his tough decision. In the end it isn't a tough decision and he's just regretting having to do it, leading to an uncharacteristically moody final scene. I don't see why stun didn't work on her and I'm sure another alternative would have been simple to arrange: call the transporter room and have her beamed to a holding cell, or simply beam everyone else out of the room.

Warring factions trying to reconcile is a subject covered many times. 'DS9' Season 1 episode 'Battle Lines' had a much more action-packed, but no less poignant version. At first I was making comparisons with the sundering of the Vulcans and Romulans - a race divided because of wanting to live differently, but these new races didn't hold any of the richness of those well-established creations. If anything, Marouk, the leader of Acamar III reminded me of Kai Winn, and that is not a positive parallel to draw for a leader. I can see what moral stance the writers were trying to present, about finding common ground to defeat hate and mistrust, but too many threads were dangling instead of hanging together. Too many chefs kill the consumer. Or just the one in this case.

**

Learning Curve

DVD, Stargate SG-1 S3 (Learning Curve)

It began with little elf-like helpers pottering about, and I expected another dull thing about some alien children again, but it became delightful issue-driven episode that didn't allow continuity to stand in the way of a good story and what's more, has a bittersweet, but on the whole happy, ending. This is the first episode of the season I've really enjoyed all the way through. It's a bit of a blast from the past, going back to visiting an alien world and sharing with its people, getting back to what they did most every episode in Season 1, before convoluted backstories and intense alien politics took over.

The alien gate set looked lovely and there were some pretty good CGI set extensions, but effects and locales weren't as important as the issues at hand. The nanites, an established piece of background technology seen before, are important to the story, except this time O'Neill isn't rapidly aged as in 'Brief Candle', but they're the measn to an end rather than taking over (literally or figuratively!). A sinister mood begins to pervade, but again the episode surprises, as Jack again gets to show what a rapport he has with children, 'kidnapping' Maren, the alien girl to take her to a school and show her about fun.

That this turns into a better life for the children on the other world whom have been 'used up' for information, while still allowing her to do her strongly-felt duty is very good writing and a satisfying conclusion, even while the thought of children being used as information vacuums in their early years until they must give up everything they've learnt along with their life experiences and become little more than toddlers again, for the greater good, remains chilling. But the Stargate team's 'interference' pays off for once and they leave seeing that the children will now be taught and able to grow up and develop. It's definitely in the vein of a 'prime directive' episode, and it's shown once again that sometimes alien cultures are the way they are for a reason, but all the boxes are ticked and everyone pretty much comes away smelling of roses. If only more episodes had this delicate and well-developed approach, I'd be much happier!

***

Q2

DVD, Voyager S7 (Q2)

We come to the last episode to date to feature Q, that annoying pest who spanned the beginning of the 24th Century with the first season of 'The Next Generation' to this, the final season set in the 24th Century. We always thought he'd pop up in some form on 'Star Trek: Enterprise', but it was not to be. Q's last episode really isn't about Q: it's all about his son, played conveniently and appropriately by John DeLancie's son, Keegan. Q episodes have a difficult line to tread thanks to the race's omni-omni - they can know/do/go anywhere/thing/time so there is great challenge in creating a worthwhile situation that stretches any character or gives us reason to invest in what's happening because we know it can all be unravelled with the snap of a finger. With nonexistent stakes there's no reason to care so many Q episodes have dealt with meaningful subjects such as suicide, death, or the trial of humanity as a species. Either that or they've been knockabout comedies with a chance for a superior power to mock our limited heroes and show no respect or obey any conventions that we're used to.

This episode is not quite a moral tale with depth, or straight comedy though it doesn't stint on small flourishes, but there's not much substance behind them. We get to see Alpha quadrant aliens (Nausicaan, Bolian (the only episode where Chell is mentioned and not seen while another Bolian is seen), Cardassian, Bajoran, Romulan, Ferengi). We get mentions of Captain's Kirk and Picard, we get the Warp Core turned into a disco core (was that a Boslic female dancing behind Chakotay?), we get the computer being rude, and all the quick-change japes we're used to from Q, even a Borg attack. But it doesn't mean anything, there's no real danger, even though Icheb's injury is supposed to be life-threatening. The Chokuzan looked great, as did their ship, a kind of smoother version of a Romulan Warbird. But were they a real race or something Q made up?

The story of the Q Continuum's civil war and the birth of Q junior presented some continuity, even though it was four years later, and though it wasn't exactly logical progression (are the Q still at war? How will/has Q2 affect/ed things?) you can't expect much logic in a Q episode. It was a mild thrill to see the old Q robes from 'Encounter At Farpoint' (three of 'em!), but you don't tune into Voyager for a mild thrill. Q needs a stronger hook to bring him into a story and keep some integrity to proceedings, and while his son's transformation to human was a suitably bold angle to take, it didn't transpire as particularly riveting.

It's hard to criticise omnipotence (though I've never believed the Q are really omni-everything - they're too petty and happy to converse with lowly humans, and I think, simply much more advanced than any other species and enjoy rubbbing it in everyone's faces), but the writers clearly aren't. It's an okay story, with the occasional snort of mild amusement or smirk at visual references (the Bajoran and Cardassian hugging was inspired!), Q2 is fine, Q is fine, but the regulars aren't in it that much and don't get juicy scenes. And where does Chakotay get the idea the Q are there to keep order in the universe. In the past they've mainly been the cause of chaos. Not the Q swansong we were hoping for, but neither is it bad. Just a bit average.

**

Commencement

DVD, Smallville S4 (Commencement)

Where to start is the biggest challenge. As with all end of season cliffhangers in the series so much is crammed into the running time (with an extra five minutes in this case), that it's difficult to pick out individual moments to laud or bemoan. I have to come down on one or other side of the line and say that it is a good episode in the sense that it has big, cinematic moments, leaves you wanting to see what's going on, and uses all the characters. It doesn't use all the characters well, coherently and in a way that's true to them or their development, but nobody is left out. Visually it is a good episode, with plenty of boom per dollar, as they desperately try once again to evoke the danger and physicality of that first cliffhanger and the tornado. It must be said that generally the atmosphere doesn't come close, but it is a faster, engaging story than Season 2's end, but doesn't have the same surprises and dangling plot threads of the last moments of Season 3.

I must point out that all season I was expecting the Superman enemy Doomsday to appear thanks to the back of the DVD sporting the legend: 'Lois Lane. Football. The prom. Graduation. Doomsday.' All of those came true except for, obviously, a big grey superhuman-killing monster. I can see that they were actually referring to the devastating meteor shower which potentially has changed everyone's lives, but I couldn't help my disappointment. In my defence they must have realised that certain words have connotations when used with the Superman legend, and 'Doomsday' is one of them.

It was a surprise to see Jason Teague back, blood-stained, gun-toting, roaring red murder at the Kent's, but I doubt if he was a survivor of the meteor that blasts apart the Kent's house as I know he was in another sci-fi series around this time. Will that destruction be the cause of J. Kent's death? Is Clark permanently stranded in the snowy wastes? Did Lex see Clark in the white-out? What is the shield-shaped, black object that conveniently landed under Lana's nose? Will the series ever become what it once was? I can't answer these questions, and you can't watch a 'Smallville' season ender without expecting some compelling confusion and tantalising times.

I think it's obvious that the crystal/stone/whatever will become the Fortress of Solitude, seeing as it happens somewhat like that in the film. It really has been a poor arc through the season, rarely used well, rarely making sense except as a complete maguffin, almost enough to make me wonder if they even started with a plan and knew where they were going to end up, or if it was written as they went along. Few episodes have done justice to the little town of Smallville as a place, or the characters, on the whole, but somehow I still come away from the season grateful that it didn't become as depressing, darkly framed or unexciting as Season 3. It was brighter, it was happier, it had its moments of goodness, and the previous episode even attained some level of the emotional attachment to the group of friends as people that was so strong in the early episodes. But so much has been lost that I can't see being regained.

The scope is bigger, sometimes more than the budget can handle (the helicopter flying through the meteor storm didn't look quite right), but the leaps of logic (or lack thereof), the bizarre coincidences or motives, the discontinuity of character behaviours has been all over the shop. Lex we know has a great fondness for Lana, but is it that or the stones that draws him to her? Lionel has been far less in control (unless you count waiting around in Lana's apartment in the dark until Lex got there - these megalomaniac's love sitting in the dark!), and has alternated between controlling prison inmate, to changed benevolent, to pretty much his old self, without any rhyme or reason. The Kent's have been used intermittently, barely balking at having a permanent house guest in Lois Lane, and only towards the end getting some good scenes. Chloe has been the best used of all, mainly due to her inside knowledge on Clark, shutting up the Torch, or covering for Clark whenever she could and generally growing up in a positive way.

The catfight between Lana and Genevieve Teague made for a good opening, vicious as it was, but the story becomes a blur of people running here to do this, or there for something else. Lex loses his cool too often, the graduation ceremony doesn't have that many parents and friends for the number of students, in my eyes, and the principal may or may not be there. That's one of the biggest mistakes in the series as it stands: getting rid of recurring characters that live around the town. This would have been a much more momentous scene if we had seen a principal that we know, had been there throughout the season, now handing the scrolls out or reading the names. And did the Kent's need to pack a grandfather clock on the back of their truck? Not long before, Mr. Kent had emphasised the need to bring essentials to Clark! There were several moments of dialogue in other parts of the episode that suffered from this 'lack of concentration', as I would call it.

Nonetheless, all the flaws and all the positives swirl around in a kinetic story that is very 'comic book' in style, with the limitations and epic nature of that genre. Having already bought the fifth season I'll certainly be flying alongside to see what becomes of these people, no matter how outlandish and crazy things become. Will I be buying Season 6? For now, akin to the cliffhanger endings, I'll just have to leave that as a big question mark.

***

Legacy

DVD, Stargate SG-1 S3 (Legacy)

From the teaser, a dark, foreboding creep around what is discovered to be the tomb of some 'minor league' Goa'uld who were opposition for the System Lords, becomes more of a classic horror with Daniel admitted to a mental hospital after showing signs of schizophrenia and seeing the dead who try and pull him through a stargate in his own cupboard. A good first half then becomes a long-winded science experiment as Sam, Jack and Dr. Fraiser try to find an antidote to the same madness that's infecting them - all from a device left by Ma'chello from Season 2's 'Holiday' who was trying to kill off Goa'uld.

After the last episode, set exclusively on the base I felt we needed an off-world mission so it was disappointing when events force a relocation back to base instead of the dark tunnels of the opening. The Orc-like visions added a bit of menace and for a short while things were quite satisfyingly uneasy and dangerous, but the story falls back on explaining the scientific progress of a cure (with help from Dr.'s Fraiser and Warner) instead of the human side of it. It's also hard to believe Daniel would be so easily sectioned and it's him again who is disbelieved just like when he was sucked into a parallel universe. You've got to feel for the guy. There was a bit of humour as ever, from Jack, and some good direction, especially in the padded cell, but what could have been great was only partially entertaining. Encouragingly, I do feel things are on an upward curve.

**

Human Error

DVD, Voyager S7 (Human Error)

With this I complete the set of 'Voyager' episodes, as this was the last one I never saw on transmission or video. Usually episodes like this (new old ones) don't quite live up to their reputation, and this is not one of the best of the season. Neither is it a bad episode, featuring Jeri Ryan looking her best in a contemplative tale that is almost a subconscious preparation for returning home to Earth in its portrayal of Seven trying to get closer to being human, both mentally and physically. I confess I have no idea why she chose Chakotay as her experimental boyfriend, but knowing her it was probably for purely logical reasons, taking into account the Commander's many good points, service record, etc!

I was pleased 'DS9' wasn't copied by having the real Chakotay come into the holoprogram without Seven's knowledge and surprise her as it had been done so well already, but there was a reference to that series, most likely unintentionally. Neelix talks of Talaxian tulaberries, so the Dosi of the Gamma Quadrant must have very far-reaching trade if those berries are well known in the Delta Quadrant! I admit to being unobservant during the teaser and wondering why it was so short after a simple scene of Seven playing the piano. I should have noticed her implants were missing as that was the point.

The attacking warheads B-story could have been so exciting as they're chased by an unerring bomb, but it doesn't come to much and the effects of the shockwaves just don't look very real which I can't understand considering the excellent effect of Borg attacks and other such visually compelling moments served up in the past. I also felt there should have been more humour in Seven's discomfort around the real Chakotay and more scenes like the small talk with Torres or more encouragement to elicit sympathy from the viewer for Seven's condition, and as it is there is little emotional involvement. The issue of recreating fellow crewmembers for recreation is surely against regulations, but isn't touched upon - Barclay on the Enterprise went through a similar situation, but Seven gets away with it, only the Doctor learning of her 'experiments'.

Seven certainly hasn't been overused this season so an episode solidly based around her development, even if it was a bit back to square one by the end, was appreciated. The episode does suffer from reset button syndrome in that Seven has all these experiences then finds she must give it up and prefers to return to normal it seems. I know certain things were to progress in the last few episodes of this season, but there's a strong sense of the heavy hand of producers not wishing to shake things up too much.

***

Superman III

DVD, Superman III (1983) film

As I understand it the Superman films are supposed to go: first one good, second one better, third one not good (and don't even mention the fourth one), but I feel I must challenge conventional wisdom (not about the fourth one) by saying first one good, second one not good, third one good again.

Though 'Superman III' doesn't start with the famous John Williams score, as much a part of the character since it was created as the big 'S' on his chest, it does start with a humourous, busy and wholly enjoyable sequence that looks really good - kind of a mini review of the whole film there. The blurred edges gave it a special look, and things get off to a pacy and amusing start. In previous viewings I have a vague sense that I found Richard Pryor's character rather annoying, but after seeing Otis in the first two films recently he was a positive asset to the production. The change of cast, with Lois Lane only there for a couple of cameo bookend scenes, along with Perry White and Jimmy, and Lex Luthor's complete absence actually helped the film. It gave room for Pryor's Gus Gorman to expand a bit, and introduced the excellent Annette O'Toole, latterly of 'Smallville', as Clark Kent's childhood sweetheart Lana Lang. There was also room for more ideas, and less of the inconsistent or ridiculous moments of the second film, in particular.

While there were moments of stupidity, they were less frequent or memorable - little things such as the 'walk/don't walk' men in the traffic light having a scrap, or Lana not finding it strange that Clark's vanished, yet Superman, the same height, hair colour, etc, just happened to be in the neighbourhood to save her son Ricky. Or that Supes can go at super speeds when he's flying around in the canyons, but takes a long time to fly a few hundred metres to get to Ricky in the field. Or that he takes the time to change into his outfit when he could simply run over there before the combines get close. But even in those moments, this time I could find things to applaud. In film two I found it very irritating that Clark turns into Superman as he's running along and his clothes just vanish, but here they show the same scene through a fence which looks a lot better. Dropping a lake's worth of ice on a building would probably flatten the building, but perhaps Superman used his heat vision to melt it, and suspension of disbelief becomes easier than it was watching the previous film.

The money is on screen, for sure. The second film in my eyes seemed a bit cheaper, with less impressive sets some of the time, but in this one the locales are varied, colourful and impressive, whether it's the villain's penthouse ski-slope, or the evil computer cave. It helped that the visuals looked cleaner, sharper and brighter, and the audio was better. Technical issues had been worked out and things looked more real, if not perfect. The first film had the Krypton sequences and Clark's growing up, and this film has a return to Smallville, which gives us a better picture of Clark as a person. We hear Mrs. Kent died, see the high school he went to, and most importantly Lana is part of events. For those of us that have enjoyed 'Smallville' the TV series, it's funny to imagine Brad is what Whitney might have turned into!

There's a lot of energy, though it doesn't sustain itself all the way through and I can imagine it would be better if edited slightly tighter, since some scenes are unnecessary to the plot, such as it is. The Superman films have never had strong storylines, partly because the nature of the character is that he goes around saving people, moving from one stunt sequence to the next, and the villains didn't have a particularly inspired plan or two. I can understand Lois Lane's involvement, or Lex Luthor's, in the Superman mythos, but one archetype completely pointless is the ditzy gum-chewing girl (whether she actually chewed gum or not), which seems to have accidentally become a staple of these films. Over all the villains weren't too bad (though I always think Lex is going to be in it!), and even now I find the moment when that woman gets pulled into the machine and robotized rather creepy. I didn't remember she survived, that must have been one for the children.

The part with the supercomputer could be a separate film, in that it's not really related to the rest of the story, but these things didn't bother me as much for some reason. It may have been because I had low expectations before watching it, yet had higher expectations while watching the second film, as it can have an effect on perception of enjoyment. But I have to say the humour mostly worked, the brightness and quality of the widescreen picture helped smooth some edges and a break from the normal characters gave it its own something. I haven't even mentioned the good Superman, bad Superman. This might have been a problem for me, but I felt this fight, as good as it was, actually happened inside Superman's mind, representing the inner turmoil he was experiencing. Reeve's turn as evil Superman, flicking nuts and smashing glass bottles or lurching around with a surly sneer was great - even his suit was a few shades darker. Reeve looked on top form in this film and it worked better as a result. There was even room for in-jokes, when Gus notes he can't believe a man can fly, the inverse of the first film's tagline: 'You will believe a man can fly.'

It was an unexpected surprise, and though not a great film, it was a good, enjoyable installment, trying different things, mostly satisfying in the action department, not too many slow and boring moments, and worth watching. Even the end credits were better with the novelty of seeing how many there were as they streamed toward the screen!

***

Forever

DVD, Smallville S4 (Forever)

"The big question mark hanging out there," Clark says, referring to the big wide world and their future in it. 'Smallville' has changed, not exactly beyond all recognition, but certainly a long way from its origins, and it seems nearing the end of Season Four that the series was about to change more potently than the steady growth (or decline depending on which seasons you prefer) to this point. Not having seen the end of the season or anything beyond this point, I wonder what's to come, just as the characters do in the startling ending to this episode. Startling in that they haven't always got this kind of thing right, but the mood of the end of the school/college life is so well achieved and Chloe, Lana and Clark are so right, walking along together away from Smallville High, wondering what life has in store for them and I wish they could have done it this well more often.

The episode started well, with a creepiness that left expectations of a different story than it turned out to be. That's not a bad thing, as it wasn't all about another crazy guy, but his delusion presented an excuse to examine leaving the past behind and moving onto a new stage in life, which is relevant for most people. The theme carries through beyond leaving friends and somewhere you've spent years at, but spills into Jonathan Kent's worries about tying Clark down, Martha's dismay at Jonathan's willingness to let Clark go - if ever there was a sign of impending doom it's the mention of Mr. Kent's heart problems, especially knowing he was to leave the series.

Not everything was worked so well, as the bothersome plot of the 'stones' is once again forced in, mainly because the Luthors and Jason wouldn't have anything to do otherwise. I kept waiting for Jason to wake up, but it seems he hasn't been drugged, hypnotised or any other form of control, but really was working for his Mother all along. This doesn't tally with his character and behaviour in the early episodes, because I don't believe Jason was that good an actor. It also repeats what happened to Lana last season with Adam, like they couldn't come up with something new. That's true of the old chestnut of Lex... wait for it... being kidnapped! He really should do something about his personal security because it got ridiculous a long time ago. I could imagine the red hot poker scene done much better - Lionel should have refused to tell until an interruption occurs so the Teague's stop their torture. Lionel's capitulation makes him appear weaker, when in earlier seasons he would have apologised to Lex and refused to tell at any cost. Are we meant to think he really has changed to an extent?

There was something quite fantastic about seeing the two Luthors on the run together, and parents are again a strong theme for the episode. Whether it be Jason reluctantly obeying his Mother's plans, to Lionel and Lex' experiences as captives, but most importantly Jonathan Kent with Clark or Martha. John Schneider finally gets some scenes he deserves!

In places I was quite surprised at how grisly it became, with frozen bodies smashing to pieces, particularly the heads. It's been a long while since the series has had regular shocks that push the envelope of what you'd expect, so perhaps that was why it seemed so surprising. The effect of the ice or porcelain was very good however, and especially disturbing to see the eyes move inside the encasing freeze.

It was brave in a way that they decided to do the series within the school life and have now come to its end, whereas they could have made the series like the guy in this episode longed for where they're forever at school and nothing much changes. Of all that happened it was seeing Chloe shut up the Torch and take down her Wall of Weird that hit me hard as it's been such a hub over the years and represented the series in some ways. There's a strong feeling of coming to an end, and of what was familiar reaching its natural conclusion, although Chloe does tantalisingly wonder to herself if things might not be so different after all... I have to wonder myself whether they should have ended the series here, called it a day and admitted they lost their edge a bit, but success means continuation and it seems 'Smallville' still appealed.

***

Fair Game

DVD, Stargate SG-1 S3 (Fair Game)

An episode of talk. The Asgaard talk, the System Lords talk, the Stargate team talk... for the continuity-lovers there are many titbits, building up a picture of the enemies and allies to an extent rarely seen before. In truth it's all a little too much amid too little happening. There are so many mentions of Sokar, Apophis, and new representatives of the Goa'uld, that you'd need to write it all down to keep up. I usually enjoy all that, but this episode doesn't have much else beyond dispassionate detail, presenting a short whodunnit over an attack on Chronos and the revealing that the traitor was Nierte.

For me, the series begins to look as I remember it from the early- to mid-seasons that I first saw consistently, with characters such as Yew coming in, intervention from the Asgaard, and of course Captain Carter becoming the Major Carter I knew her as. I always liked Yew for being a more reasonable variant of his people (and vaguely remember him getting killed somewhere down the line by his own henchman), but I'm not sure if all that is discussed is true to how the System Lords were portrayed previously. I got the impression they were all fighting over territories, at war with each other as equals, but now we learn they have treaties and agreed policies and rules they stick to. Why do they work together, and why allow the Asgaard to tell them what to do?

One piece of information that succeeded in achieving an epic scope was Thor's mention that his people are at war with an enemy greater than the Goa'uld in their own galaxy, and so their interest is divided. It broadens the canvas and provides acceptable excuses why the Asgaard don't just intervene in all the problems of this galaxy, and has the added advantage of keeping a certain level of threat to Earth, which could be lost if things became too simple with humans under protection all the time and the Goa'uld lost their bite. Hopefully the set up of all these ideas and characters will pay off through the season.

**

Workforce, part II

DVD, Voyager S7 (Workforce, part II)

As often happens the second part of a two-parter doesn't quite live up to the first part. The margin is close this time and there are plenty of suitably affecting scenes between characters as the crew begin to come together and realise they aren't who they thought they were. They could have made a twist in the tale by having Jaffen revealed as a traitor who informed the authorities about Chakotay's whereabouts or Janeway's sabotage at the plant, giving her an easy excuse for dumping him and moving on, but instead they go for a more wrenching resolution that suits what was her best connection with someone probably since her fiancee, Mark.

The story suffers a bit in that there is too much of the populace of the planet unravelling a conspiracy and helping the Voyager crew instead of them working it all out themselves and pulling off a 'Mission: Impossible' style rescue of their fellow crewmates. There's still some excitement with Janeway performing a daring drop to the floor from an upper level, or the ship-based danger the ECH, Kim and a growing crew experience, but things are less well pulled together and chopped about a bit so the story appears less organised. The resolution to the cliffhanger wasn't quite worthy, and how does Chakotay whip off his disguise with a mere wave of a dermal regenerator? You'd think it would be more involved.

There has to be a lot of back and forth, cutting to the various protaganists, which doesn't help the flow, making it consist of lots of little meetings between people, and there were some unsatisfactory moments - what happened to Tuvok? He's almost forgotten by the end. I think Janeway should have been given some new crewmembers as a recompense for what they were put through, I'm sure some workers would have liked to leave for a new life. But it is a relief to see the status quo as everyone takes their station again. Could Chakotay's reaction to Janeway's newfound happiness have been worked in a bit more? I think so, but it's not a bad resolution to a more outlandish start and was good to see something so different tried out.

***

The Price

DVD, TNG S3 (The Price)

Last season it was Okona, this season it's Devinoni Ral. Do we have to have a slimy rogue every year? But really: so much for the 'perfect' humans of the 24th Century. Ral is a slimeball, cheating gangster who will use any trick in the book, be it emotional blackmail, trickery or inverse logic. Just look at how he makes Deanna's position sound like an underhanded advantage over opposing ships, yet she's doing it to protect her ship and crew. Actually, maybe it is underhanded. Starfleet doesn't use cloaking devices because they don't like sneaking around, but they use empaths to score against other races? For that matter, maybe they should get a Betazoid on every ship. Chained in a cupboard on the bridge and only let out to reveal startling insights on the emotional states of anyone the ship encounters. Troi was in a right state herself, and in just the right mood for the 'attentions' of some wandering vagabond. It must have been that mood that resulted in her choice of exercise attire. I don't know what excuse the Doctor had...

Wormhole? Stable? Gamma Quadrant... I'm sensing some DS9 origins here. And then we get the Delta Quadrant and 70,000 lightyears. I'm now looking for a reference to 'Star Trek: Enterprise' as part of some long term conspiracy! The wormhole didn't look anywhere near as good as DS9's, and it helps you realise how great a visual that is when you take it for granted. I appreciated some small references to the one in 'The Motion Picture' - Data and La Forge's voices sound stretched as they go through, and there's a similar twangy visual as in the first Trek film. Fortuitously the rest of the episode wasn't spent gazing in muted wonder at what was on the viewscreen.

This is one case in which the sequel, for 'Voyager', about eight years later was better than the story that instigated it as we get to see how the Ferengi coped in their new quadrant. I wonder if this is the first instance of the Gamma and Delta quadrants being mentioned? Steadily more and more of Trek lore is being laid out and established as a kind of solid base for future spinoffs to run with. That's what makes 'TNG' both a lesser series and one that intrigues. It has the problems of its time, but slowly fills in our knowledge and smooths a path upon which others were to build, and the characters tend to stand out. Such as Riker who is very much up to the task when it comes to dealing with Ral. Troi is very clear on the point that she and Riker are good friends, but it had to change at some point. I'm sure most people watching demanded it.

The set up of an alien conference for whatever reason, is another common sci-fi and Trek staple. This time it's not about weird and wonderful aliens, but much more about Troi and her decision to eventually do the right thing, which is expected, so we're not led anywhere particularly surprising or inventive. The Ferengi are still ineffectual as a true threat, and the best you can do is be sorry for their pug-ugly rantings. So apart from Riker's victory and the build-up for the 'Voyager' episode this isn't really worth bothering with.

**

The Enemy

DVD, TNG S3 (The Enemy)

Tales which feature the Romulans have the deserved reputation of being consistently of a high standard of story and execution, but it wasn't always the case. In the early seasons of 'TNG' they often appeared in less impressive stories, this being one of them. I'm not sure what the lack of appeal is down to, except that things are slow and laborious to get to the point and we don't learn much about the race, perhaps a reason why they've remained a mysterious foe.

Though I'd seen the episode before I still expected Worf to relent and save the 'enemy' with his transfusion, but if I'd thought about it I'd have seen the get-out clause that had been worked in with Bochra and Geordi learning to trust each other. Geordi was the perfect selection to be left behind - he shows his engineering ingenuity to get out of the pit, he cobbles together a tracking device to rescue them as all Starfleet engineers should, but most of all he's a peaceful man, not given to violence. He could easily have knocked his Romulan captor's disruptor away, or paid him back for the thump he received, but instead he chooses to try and talk to the guy and get to know him in the easygoing La Forge way, eventually engendering trust and common sense to reach a rescue plan. If it had been Riker or Worf, both of whom are necessarily belligerent toward the Romulans they'd have avoided any attempt at common ground and simply fought back.

I thought in some ways that the episode is saying that Klingons are less honourable than humans or have stiffer necks, but Riker's fierceness shows him up too. With good reason, but at least there has been some small understanding between a human and at least one Romulan, and that may lead to that one Centurion thinking more favourably of humanity in the future. La Forge's approach may have changed perceptions in a small way.

Dr. Crusher's assertion (and she isn't having a good day - she also notes that the patient doesn't have any sign of blunt trauma to the head, but Worf smacked him in the face hard enough to knock him out!), that Vulcans wouldn't be suitable to help the Romulan patient seem at odds with their common biology and suggesting Klingon genes (or whatever) were better is a bit of a cop-out to manoeuvre the story round to Worf. It does make for some strong drama even so, although the episode as a whole is lacking.

The Galorndon Core planet set looked fine, and I'm sure Levar Burton had a tough time wading through mud and slime, but it all falls a bit flat, except for Worf's intransigence, Bochra wasn't a well played character and things peter out a bit. The Romulans have yet to be fully featured in their strength, but this was the first of several appearances from Tomalak from (now deceased) Andreas Katsulas. So much for humans being truthful however: Picard states he will escort the Warbird to the Neutral Zone, but instead the two ships warp off in opposite directions!

**