DVD, Smallville S6 (Rage)
They had done Halloween and Christmas-themed episodes, and I'm guessing this one came out at Thanksgiving. I'm not averse to themed episodes, but sometimes it can be a little forced. Thankfully, (excuse the pun), this seemed natural, the festive atmosphere only seen towards the end. I was waiting and hoping for a scene with all these friends sitting round the Kent's table and I wasn't disappointed in the least, it was a truly magnificent moment that you don't often get on the series, where everything worked in the scene, it was sensitively directed and beautifully lit, and there was a hint of sadness amid the satisfied joy. If you think about it, it's absolutely bonkers to see Lionel sitting at a table with Chloe who got him arrested and put away for murder, Oliver Queen and he had a certain level of enmity too, but it's all forgotten in the happy moment - Oliver only has eyes for Lois, Lionel for Martha and Clark is content to look round at happy faces brightening up the room again. Jonathan would have been proud. It contrasts so much with the clinically white, pristine, but empty table Lana and Lex share for their 'celebration.' It's like the stereotype of the cold rich man and the extreme distance between him and his partner, visualised by the long table and silent servants.
It's another densely plotted episode with many arcs to keep track of. It can become a bit of a strain just keeping in mind who's keeping what secret from who and who doesn't know who's. We have Clark faithfully maintaining the Green Arrow's secret identity, not telling Chloe, while Oliver does the same for Clark; and Chloe shares the knowledge of Lana's pregnancy with no one, Lana not even telling Lex (though I thought the revelation was going to be brain cancer!); Martha and Lionel are having private talks and gazing into each other's eyes, but don't want to let on to Clark; Oliver is keeping quiet about everything to Lois and it's all a den of deceit! It makes things interesting, but hard to follow unless you switch your brain on, something it can be hard to do while watching 'Smallville' on occasion.
My maxim about the Green Arrow episodes being significantly more interesting than the Phantom Zone stories is proved right again, this time demonstrating that a superhero without a bulletproof vest is not much of a hero after all. The most interesting debate was between Clark and Oliver about what should be done with their abilities and why, Queen taking out some of his drug-induced anger on Clark by saying he should be out there in Metropolis doing some good instead of selfishly living his farm life. There's also the jealousy over Clark's strength, which he doesn't need to earn through exercise, and his imperviousness to bullets. But there's a great scene at the end where they make up and Clark congratulates Oliver on being able to live a double life with Lois, something he couldn't do. Not that it's that hard because Lois seems about as keen as a brick, not realising the Green Arrow could be Queen even when he's standing in the penthouse talking to her with the same height and face shape! She's so blinded by suspicion she can't see it, but it gives the moment when Queen apologises about hurting her, more resonance as he physically smashed her into a glass table.
One of the best lines was in Queen's tribute to Clark, saying he isn't even in his league - obviously there's double meaning there with the Justice League on the horizon, but it's also really nice to hear Clark get some recognition for who he is and the choices he's made as it often seems a thankless task being a hero, such as when he finds Lana upset at the mansion and she refuses to let him in on it - Clark keeps getting told to get lost by people! There was an episode where Clark was in the same boat as Queen, almost angry enough to kill, but he had his Dad to pull him back and that goodness of morals has moved on to the next generation to stop Queen from making the mistake. Once again Clark is responsible for saving Lex' life, and he doesn't know anything about it. Even though Lex and Lana have been so cold to Clark he still goes out of his way to protect them when he thinks the Green Arrow might try to kill Lex.
The story underneath was a drugs-based tale, and though it wasn't heavy on the problems of drugs they were at least shown to be bad, and I suppose this was more geared towards performance enhancing drugs than the recreational variety as they'd covered the conventional side of that before, in other episodes. More interesting to me was the rivalry between Lex and Queen, though Oliver didn't seem quite as aware about what was going on as Lex pulled the strings, only the responsible decision of Dr. Black to curtail the drug brought an end to that avenue, though Lex had tried to bribe her, as he and his Father have done with so many questionable practitioners and scientists in the past, generally ending in their deaths. This time it was made clear it was one of the homeless people the drug had been given to, that had killed her, but it could very easily have been implemented by Lex, and now I wouldn't put it past him.
There was a bit of déjà vu as I'd seen some of the second half when the Green Arrow comes after Lex, but it was long enough ago that I didn't remember anything. It was a bit of a mixed bag, but there were strong scenes and good action sequences, the most surprising being the crook that leaps off the building because he's been given the healing drug, able to recover after a few moments, and I could have done with more of that. It could make an interesting episode in future, with all these guinea-pigs doing whatever they want to because they won't have permanent injury. These things made up for some of the more uncomfortable moments, such as those between Lionel and Martha as it's hard to reconcile the man he is now with the one that got Jonathan Kent killed and all the other schemes he's employed - I'm still waiting for him to show his true colours. And if they have another scene where Clark or Martha or someone 'good' comes in and finds him reading up about the Kryptonian signs without them noticing, it's going to stretch credibility further than Mr. Fantastic can reach. Sorry, wrong comics universe.
***
Monday, 19 September 2011
Little Green Men
DVD, DS9 S4 (Little Green Men)
There comes a time in every young Ferengi's life when he has to go out into the big wide world and make a profit. In Nog's case he's embarking on a course of making a profit in skills and experiences that only Starfleet can offer, but, we discover, far from losing his Ferengi-ness in a Federation blanket of rules and regs, you can see his tenacity and resourcefulness are going to help him fit right in. Eventually… Here we learn that a young Ferengi auctions off all his possessions in order to get the capital needed to go off on his adventures, and while Nog doesn't technically need money where he's going, he follows his people's traditions with relish. It's an opportunity to see all the characters before it becomes a purely Ferengi episode (a rare one not to feature any of the extended family of Zek, Moogie, Brunt, etc, the empty space made up for with time travel) and provides some little comedic moments to get things going in that direction - Worf being forced to attend the auction under Sisko's orders (he's heavily duty-focused, much like Tuvok on 'Voyager' and both of these characters tend to be forced by their captain's into social events!), eventually finding a worthy purchase in Nog's tooth-sharpeners.
There's also a scene featuring Dax cheekily buying a 'pleasure' holoprogram for Bashir as a little tease. Dax and Bashir keep appearing together: in 'Indiscretion' they were sitting in the bar together, counselling Sisko on his troubles with Kasidy, then in 'Starship Down' Bashir saved her life and they spent the whole story in a cupboard. If you know the rest of the series you'd think they'd be some follow up to the scene in 'The Way of The Warrior' in which she met Worf, by now, but the overt way their friendship has been displayed so far is actually beginning to make me wonder if they wanted to do something with her and Bashir. It was most likely down to O'Brien being featured less as Meaney was off doing a film, Dax probably the second most likely candidate for Bashir to hang around with.
We haven't seen Quark as top dog for a while since Rom hadn't appeared until this point in the season, so now we get back to his familiar bullying nature, telling his brother what to do. For the first time we get an idea of the depth that would be revealed in Rom, spouting technobabble as he saves their lives when cousin Gaila's booby-trapped shuttle is about to get them all killed. Quark still calls him an idiot at the end, but in that scene there's scary intelligence in Rom's thoughtful leer - as Odo leads his brother away he enjoys the thought of taking over the bar, if only for a few weeks. He's demonstrated a malicious comprehension before - he tried to kill Quark back in 'The Nagus,' but his low position still forces him to set low standards and have low goals, taking over the bar continuing to be his highest ambition. While Quark doesn't have the genius-level technical knowledge, he does have much stronger business acumen. He points out that running the bar is nothing compared with ruling the galaxy by changing the timeline, a fate we're spared thanks to the twentieth century military's suspicions and Odo's actions.
Having the Ferengi accidentally travel in time, and especially having them do it on Earth, was a genius idea in itself, but add that to the myth surrounding the Roswell incident of a supposedly crashed UFO in 1947 to tell the real story is positively Rom-like! I wouldn't say the episode is on a par with the first two episodes of the season, but the mix of great ideas displayed here certainly makes it one of the more enjoyable episodes this season and is another example of the writers beginning to try out more outlandish ideas. It's true to Ferengi nature that they would take advantage of the time travel and attempt to profit by it, whereas Starfleet operatives would do everything possible not to alter the timeline in the slightest. Well, maybe just a little, as Captain Sisko did in the last conventional (i.e., excluding 'Visionary' and 'The Visitor' which were hopping around rather than a direct visit to another era) time travel story of the series, 'Past Tense,' a fun link being shown in Nog's discovery that Gabriel Bell looks just like Sisko - it was of course him. How they got the photo I don't know, but it's one of those headaches about time travel.
In the teaser it appeared they'd omitted a scene between Nog and Jake, a criminal offence not to give some payoff to one of the great friendships of the series, especially in view of the fact that Nog may never come back. Yes, he did come back, we all know that, but at the time it seemed like the end of an era, and it was - Jake and Nog have grown up (Jake at least a foot!), and thankfully there is a scene after the credits where the two visit their old spot on the promenade where they spent many happy hours watching the DS9 world go by. It takes you back to those early episodes and we're sad with them as they walk away from it, but there's also the excitement of new adventures awaiting, and they couldn't have sat on the promenade forever. As Sisko said in 'The Visitor,' if you don't stick your head up and see life, you can miss it, and that's just what Nog isn't going to do. Jake on the other hand remains a little directionless, only his writing talent a guide for his future and that's not so easy to portray on screen.
Getting to the core of the story is very quickly achieved. I like that they created a story around Nog going to the Academy instead of just saying goodbye and leaving it to our imagination, they took advantage of the positions of the playing pieces on the board and used them to create a very good story. Nog does get his sendoff via the auction and in the scene where Bashir and O'Brien come to wish him well. They'd never have guessed what a cadet he'd make!
The harsh lighting of 1947 leaves nothing to the imagination in the Ferengi makeup, but it holds up well and they look real, as always, though the station's dimmer light is kinder. There's always a bit of slapstick in Ferengi comedies, the obvious moment being Quark twiddling his nose when he realises the humans are mimicking them as they pat their heads in an effort to kickstart the Universal Translators, but my funniest moment is Nog thumping Captain Wainwright twice in an effort to get away, then when guns are drawn he pitifully pleads it was a mistake and he tripped! Priceless. There's also a lot we discover about the Ferengi themselves - for the first time we hear their language, cleverly showing scenes from both their point of view in which the humans talk weirdly thanks to their large Ferengi ears hearing differently, to the human's hearing them as gobbledygook. Still no sign of a Ferengi Language Institute, sadly! We also hear of their version of heaven (the Divine Treasury), and hell (the Vault of Eternal Destitution) and that they keep their UT's actually inside their earlobes, rather than on combadges as I believe most races do, though it's a thorny area to explain.
There were a few nitpicks I had on the episode that I hadn't noticed before. Seen on DVD, Quark clearly leaves orange marks from his makeup when he batters on the door, and when Odo changes shape from the dog he was disguised as, how does he know there's no one watching through the two-way mirror, as he must have known it could be seen through when he'd been on the other side? I suspect he could either hear or see through, or maybe he just didn't care and took a chance. Another suspicious moment is in Quark's readiness to accept gold in payment. In the 24th Century it's known to be practically worthless, used as a container for valuable Latinum, but then you realise Quark isn't planning on returning to his time, he wants to take advantage of Earth, and since gold is valuable there, he would want it. Then again, I have a feeling that the reason gold lost its value was because it could be replicated, so Quark could be instantly wealthy, unless the replicator was damaged. One thing I noticed for the first time thanks to DVD, but wasn't a nitpick, was when the Ferengi shuttle lifts off - the front 'claws' actually create a dented rivulet as the ship lifts off and scrapes up the side. Attention to detail once again.
The lack of swearing was noticeable, something I was pleased about, as sometimes the writers take the opportunity of another time to be a bit slacker in the verbal department, or maybe that was only later episodes as TV values became eroded? It was nice to hear Nurse Garland's far-seeing vision of a time when humans would venture out into space, basically describing 'Star Trek.' She was played by Megan Gallagher who'd played another girlfriend on the series in 'Invasive Procedures,' though the most high-profile guest was Charles Napier as General Denning. You couldn't get a wider range than he played between the cigar-chomping, chin-jutting General, to Adam the space hippy in 'The Way To Eden' way back in 'TOS,' almost a thirty year gap between them! It's brilliant that they were still bringing back actors from that era, and they would do so in the very next episode.
There are so many connections and links and references, from Orion to Gaila and another Ferengi shuttle, to the Grand Nagus and Gabriel Bell, more rules of acquisition, (Nog wears the all-orange outfit used for his action figure at one point), even Morn, where the future as seen in 'The Visitor' comes partially true as he's left in charge of the bar. In fact, Morn's had greater exposure and more development than Rom so far this season! Rom's secret genius, only lacking in confidence, mention of springball (as opposed to racquetball - the two sports are easily mixed up), the game Kira used to play with Bareil. Even the 'tall ship' line from John Masefield's poem, previously referenced in 'Star Trek VI' by Kirk, is misused by Quark, something he'd later do with Picard's 'the line must be drawn here' speech from 'First Contact.' Something from this episode that would be used again was Nog's tactic of telling Wainwright exactly what he expected to hear in order to play for time. Jake was the one who pulled the same stunt on Weyoun in 'In The Cards,' against Nog's concern.
If there hadn't been enough kemacite I wonder what they would have done. It's clear they couldn't hang around on Earth as they'd have been dissected, so perhaps they would have gone off to join the Ferengi Alliance which would likely have been plying its interstellar trade at that time and Quark may well have made Grand Nagus thanks to his futuristic technology if Odo hadn't been around to stop him. He might have abandoned the Constable on Earth, but even then Odo could have blasted into space aboard one of the rockets and then gone off as a space-borne entity as seen in 'Chimera.' He might have gone to the Omarion Nebula to get into the Gamma Quadrant and reached his people to prevent them from sending out the one hundred infants. I don't think we ever knew when or how long the changelings took to send out these infants, but I imagine they didn't start four hundred years before the 24th Century.
One thing that stood out to me was the similarity between Quark and JJ Abrams and his team - not a favourable one either! Both had the same reaction to Odo's statement about preserving the original timeline: 'Who cares about that, the one we're creating will be better!' Thankfully, Odo was there to stop Quark, but where was he when we really needed him?
****
There comes a time in every young Ferengi's life when he has to go out into the big wide world and make a profit. In Nog's case he's embarking on a course of making a profit in skills and experiences that only Starfleet can offer, but, we discover, far from losing his Ferengi-ness in a Federation blanket of rules and regs, you can see his tenacity and resourcefulness are going to help him fit right in. Eventually… Here we learn that a young Ferengi auctions off all his possessions in order to get the capital needed to go off on his adventures, and while Nog doesn't technically need money where he's going, he follows his people's traditions with relish. It's an opportunity to see all the characters before it becomes a purely Ferengi episode (a rare one not to feature any of the extended family of Zek, Moogie, Brunt, etc, the empty space made up for with time travel) and provides some little comedic moments to get things going in that direction - Worf being forced to attend the auction under Sisko's orders (he's heavily duty-focused, much like Tuvok on 'Voyager' and both of these characters tend to be forced by their captain's into social events!), eventually finding a worthy purchase in Nog's tooth-sharpeners.
There's also a scene featuring Dax cheekily buying a 'pleasure' holoprogram for Bashir as a little tease. Dax and Bashir keep appearing together: in 'Indiscretion' they were sitting in the bar together, counselling Sisko on his troubles with Kasidy, then in 'Starship Down' Bashir saved her life and they spent the whole story in a cupboard. If you know the rest of the series you'd think they'd be some follow up to the scene in 'The Way of The Warrior' in which she met Worf, by now, but the overt way their friendship has been displayed so far is actually beginning to make me wonder if they wanted to do something with her and Bashir. It was most likely down to O'Brien being featured less as Meaney was off doing a film, Dax probably the second most likely candidate for Bashir to hang around with.
We haven't seen Quark as top dog for a while since Rom hadn't appeared until this point in the season, so now we get back to his familiar bullying nature, telling his brother what to do. For the first time we get an idea of the depth that would be revealed in Rom, spouting technobabble as he saves their lives when cousin Gaila's booby-trapped shuttle is about to get them all killed. Quark still calls him an idiot at the end, but in that scene there's scary intelligence in Rom's thoughtful leer - as Odo leads his brother away he enjoys the thought of taking over the bar, if only for a few weeks. He's demonstrated a malicious comprehension before - he tried to kill Quark back in 'The Nagus,' but his low position still forces him to set low standards and have low goals, taking over the bar continuing to be his highest ambition. While Quark doesn't have the genius-level technical knowledge, he does have much stronger business acumen. He points out that running the bar is nothing compared with ruling the galaxy by changing the timeline, a fate we're spared thanks to the twentieth century military's suspicions and Odo's actions.
Having the Ferengi accidentally travel in time, and especially having them do it on Earth, was a genius idea in itself, but add that to the myth surrounding the Roswell incident of a supposedly crashed UFO in 1947 to tell the real story is positively Rom-like! I wouldn't say the episode is on a par with the first two episodes of the season, but the mix of great ideas displayed here certainly makes it one of the more enjoyable episodes this season and is another example of the writers beginning to try out more outlandish ideas. It's true to Ferengi nature that they would take advantage of the time travel and attempt to profit by it, whereas Starfleet operatives would do everything possible not to alter the timeline in the slightest. Well, maybe just a little, as Captain Sisko did in the last conventional (i.e., excluding 'Visionary' and 'The Visitor' which were hopping around rather than a direct visit to another era) time travel story of the series, 'Past Tense,' a fun link being shown in Nog's discovery that Gabriel Bell looks just like Sisko - it was of course him. How they got the photo I don't know, but it's one of those headaches about time travel.
In the teaser it appeared they'd omitted a scene between Nog and Jake, a criminal offence not to give some payoff to one of the great friendships of the series, especially in view of the fact that Nog may never come back. Yes, he did come back, we all know that, but at the time it seemed like the end of an era, and it was - Jake and Nog have grown up (Jake at least a foot!), and thankfully there is a scene after the credits where the two visit their old spot on the promenade where they spent many happy hours watching the DS9 world go by. It takes you back to those early episodes and we're sad with them as they walk away from it, but there's also the excitement of new adventures awaiting, and they couldn't have sat on the promenade forever. As Sisko said in 'The Visitor,' if you don't stick your head up and see life, you can miss it, and that's just what Nog isn't going to do. Jake on the other hand remains a little directionless, only his writing talent a guide for his future and that's not so easy to portray on screen.
Getting to the core of the story is very quickly achieved. I like that they created a story around Nog going to the Academy instead of just saying goodbye and leaving it to our imagination, they took advantage of the positions of the playing pieces on the board and used them to create a very good story. Nog does get his sendoff via the auction and in the scene where Bashir and O'Brien come to wish him well. They'd never have guessed what a cadet he'd make!
The harsh lighting of 1947 leaves nothing to the imagination in the Ferengi makeup, but it holds up well and they look real, as always, though the station's dimmer light is kinder. There's always a bit of slapstick in Ferengi comedies, the obvious moment being Quark twiddling his nose when he realises the humans are mimicking them as they pat their heads in an effort to kickstart the Universal Translators, but my funniest moment is Nog thumping Captain Wainwright twice in an effort to get away, then when guns are drawn he pitifully pleads it was a mistake and he tripped! Priceless. There's also a lot we discover about the Ferengi themselves - for the first time we hear their language, cleverly showing scenes from both their point of view in which the humans talk weirdly thanks to their large Ferengi ears hearing differently, to the human's hearing them as gobbledygook. Still no sign of a Ferengi Language Institute, sadly! We also hear of their version of heaven (the Divine Treasury), and hell (the Vault of Eternal Destitution) and that they keep their UT's actually inside their earlobes, rather than on combadges as I believe most races do, though it's a thorny area to explain.
There were a few nitpicks I had on the episode that I hadn't noticed before. Seen on DVD, Quark clearly leaves orange marks from his makeup when he batters on the door, and when Odo changes shape from the dog he was disguised as, how does he know there's no one watching through the two-way mirror, as he must have known it could be seen through when he'd been on the other side? I suspect he could either hear or see through, or maybe he just didn't care and took a chance. Another suspicious moment is in Quark's readiness to accept gold in payment. In the 24th Century it's known to be practically worthless, used as a container for valuable Latinum, but then you realise Quark isn't planning on returning to his time, he wants to take advantage of Earth, and since gold is valuable there, he would want it. Then again, I have a feeling that the reason gold lost its value was because it could be replicated, so Quark could be instantly wealthy, unless the replicator was damaged. One thing I noticed for the first time thanks to DVD, but wasn't a nitpick, was when the Ferengi shuttle lifts off - the front 'claws' actually create a dented rivulet as the ship lifts off and scrapes up the side. Attention to detail once again.
The lack of swearing was noticeable, something I was pleased about, as sometimes the writers take the opportunity of another time to be a bit slacker in the verbal department, or maybe that was only later episodes as TV values became eroded? It was nice to hear Nurse Garland's far-seeing vision of a time when humans would venture out into space, basically describing 'Star Trek.' She was played by Megan Gallagher who'd played another girlfriend on the series in 'Invasive Procedures,' though the most high-profile guest was Charles Napier as General Denning. You couldn't get a wider range than he played between the cigar-chomping, chin-jutting General, to Adam the space hippy in 'The Way To Eden' way back in 'TOS,' almost a thirty year gap between them! It's brilliant that they were still bringing back actors from that era, and they would do so in the very next episode.
There are so many connections and links and references, from Orion to Gaila and another Ferengi shuttle, to the Grand Nagus and Gabriel Bell, more rules of acquisition, (Nog wears the all-orange outfit used for his action figure at one point), even Morn, where the future as seen in 'The Visitor' comes partially true as he's left in charge of the bar. In fact, Morn's had greater exposure and more development than Rom so far this season! Rom's secret genius, only lacking in confidence, mention of springball (as opposed to racquetball - the two sports are easily mixed up), the game Kira used to play with Bareil. Even the 'tall ship' line from John Masefield's poem, previously referenced in 'Star Trek VI' by Kirk, is misused by Quark, something he'd later do with Picard's 'the line must be drawn here' speech from 'First Contact.' Something from this episode that would be used again was Nog's tactic of telling Wainwright exactly what he expected to hear in order to play for time. Jake was the one who pulled the same stunt on Weyoun in 'In The Cards,' against Nog's concern.
If there hadn't been enough kemacite I wonder what they would have done. It's clear they couldn't hang around on Earth as they'd have been dissected, so perhaps they would have gone off to join the Ferengi Alliance which would likely have been plying its interstellar trade at that time and Quark may well have made Grand Nagus thanks to his futuristic technology if Odo hadn't been around to stop him. He might have abandoned the Constable on Earth, but even then Odo could have blasted into space aboard one of the rockets and then gone off as a space-borne entity as seen in 'Chimera.' He might have gone to the Omarion Nebula to get into the Gamma Quadrant and reached his people to prevent them from sending out the one hundred infants. I don't think we ever knew when or how long the changelings took to send out these infants, but I imagine they didn't start four hundred years before the 24th Century.
One thing that stood out to me was the similarity between Quark and JJ Abrams and his team - not a favourable one either! Both had the same reaction to Odo's statement about preserving the original timeline: 'Who cares about that, the one we're creating will be better!' Thankfully, Odo was there to stop Quark, but where was he when we really needed him?
****
Relics
DVD, TNG S6 (Relics)
Crossover episodes in which a character from one series appeared in another were always special occasions and memorable episodes, but when it was a character from 'TOS' doing the crossing it was doubly special. Following in the footsteps of Dr. McCoy, Sarek and Spock, Scotty was the next character to make it into the 24th Century in one piece, and one of four from his series which we know lived some time in that era, since Kirk also survived through the Nexus into Picard's time. It's a great thought that Scotty could, and probably would have tracked down Ambassador Spock and Dr. McCoy to catch up with them. I imagine McCoy would have been overjoyed to see Scotty, but would have been cantankerously jealous he had aged so little whereas McCoy got to that time legitimately by living.
McCoy's cameo in the pilot of 'TNG' was just that, a brief scene to send the new ship and crew on its way, and it wasn't until co-promotion of the series and 'Star Trek VI' made Leonard Nimoy's involvement in an adventure a reality, but that was purely business and the episodes reflect that. Here, for the first time, 'TNG' actually made a love letter back to 'TOS,' a real tribute with no strings attached. While the episode may not compare quite as favourably with the 'DS9' and 'Voyager' tribute episodes, and maybe even Spock's last appearance in the eleventh film, it is a beautifully-realised opportunity to see James Doohan one last time. It wasn't the last time he played the character in real-world time, but it was the last in the character's timeline. It would have been interesting to hear confirmation of Sulu, Chekov and Uhura all living into this century as it seems that old 'TOS' characters never die, except in 'Star Trek: Generations,' though sadly Doohan himself died several years ago, now.
One thing that Scotty shouldn't have expected was Captain Kirk to come to his rescue since we know he witnessed the apparent death of his captain in the opening of the first 'TNG' film, but that can easily be explained away - there was sure to be some confusion in his brain after it had been stored in a transporter buffer for seventy-five years. The most touching moment is probably his recreation of the original Enterprise's bridge, complete with Captain's chair and blinky lights, even a planet on the viewscreen. They actually only built a small portion of the bridge, the engineering station and some of the chairs, but it's very well disguised and Scotty's feelings of uselessness are strongly conveyed, only perking up after a kindly visit from Picard. Over the years this rebuilding of the original bridge became an ongoing project, more being added for 'DS9' episode 'Trials and Tribble-ations,' then the entire bridge for the 'Enterprise' Mirror Universe two-parter, so the legacy of the ambition of this episode really sent out waves right to the end of the 'TNG' spinoff era.
How many references can be spotted? One of the most prominent is Data's description of an alcoholic beverage as simply 'it is green,' a homage to 'By Any Other Name' when Scotty said the same line to an alien as he drank him under the table. It would have been a thrill to see Guinan meet Scotty and perhaps he would have realised they might have met before since they were both on the Enterprise-B (which I think was name-checked for the first time here) when Kirk died, though that hadn't yet been written. It might have been nice to have that kind of fun little scene since she lived throughout his time. That points to one of the downsides of the episode - it doesn't integrate Scotty enough with all the characters. It also doesn't really have much of a story, the first half being a much-loved character being maudlin, then the intriguing concept of the Dyson Sphere which deserved much more depth than it got. I always forget how exactly the episode ends and who was in the Sphere, but that's unsurprising because we never find out and it's really just a device to put the ship in jeopardy, though it does let us see the Enterprise doing an impression of the Millennium Falcon to get out. Could the Sphere have been built by the Borg? They're the only technologically advanced species with enough resources to construct such an experiment that we know of, and I'm sure they would need that kind of power for their nefarious plans to assimilate all.
Scotty mentions the Dohlman from 'Elaan of Troyius' when impressed with the size of his quarters, the time when the Enterprise was spiralling towards a planet in 'The Naked Time' and there are fun little moments such as his complimenting Crusher on how much better doctor's look on this ship. Even Geordi gets in on the act, recalling the episode with the space-borne organism of 'The Child.' It was wise to pair Scotty up with the engineer of the series and makes his obsolescence even harder to bear when he realises he has little to contribute to such advanced technology. He's a man out of time, and at first that seems an end to everything he ever got excited about. That sad realisation is replaced at the end by that old explorer's desire to get out and explore the galaxy when a shuttle is loaned to him by Picard. It was a sensitive touch to have all the main cast there to see him off, though it did make me wish there could have been more scenes with him and some of the others, such as Troi or Worf. He is of course rather wary of a Klingon serving in Starfleet as to him it wouldn't have been too long since peace with the Klingons was begun, but he wouldn't have forgotten all those escapades in which he was up against them.
That last scene was unnecessary to tell the story - it could easily have been Picard and Geordi there to see him off, but it was like 'TNG' was saluting its forbear through Scotty and was a truly special moment. At least Scotty would have been at home in the shuttle as it looked like the same model that was built for 'Star Trek V'! There are many details we would never have known about Scotty if not for hearing them here - he served on eleven ships, was an engineer for fifty-two years, even that the Enterprise was the first ship on which he served in the capacity of Chief Engineer. I am absolutely always in favour of bringing back old cast members, but I think the secondary plot of the Enterprise getting into trouble which Scotty helps to rectify, could have been better spent as time to show Scotty learning to adjust to the 24th Century, which is one reason I don't feel this was quite the wholehearted classic it might have been, though it is certainly better than 'Unification.'
****
Crossover episodes in which a character from one series appeared in another were always special occasions and memorable episodes, but when it was a character from 'TOS' doing the crossing it was doubly special. Following in the footsteps of Dr. McCoy, Sarek and Spock, Scotty was the next character to make it into the 24th Century in one piece, and one of four from his series which we know lived some time in that era, since Kirk also survived through the Nexus into Picard's time. It's a great thought that Scotty could, and probably would have tracked down Ambassador Spock and Dr. McCoy to catch up with them. I imagine McCoy would have been overjoyed to see Scotty, but would have been cantankerously jealous he had aged so little whereas McCoy got to that time legitimately by living.
McCoy's cameo in the pilot of 'TNG' was just that, a brief scene to send the new ship and crew on its way, and it wasn't until co-promotion of the series and 'Star Trek VI' made Leonard Nimoy's involvement in an adventure a reality, but that was purely business and the episodes reflect that. Here, for the first time, 'TNG' actually made a love letter back to 'TOS,' a real tribute with no strings attached. While the episode may not compare quite as favourably with the 'DS9' and 'Voyager' tribute episodes, and maybe even Spock's last appearance in the eleventh film, it is a beautifully-realised opportunity to see James Doohan one last time. It wasn't the last time he played the character in real-world time, but it was the last in the character's timeline. It would have been interesting to hear confirmation of Sulu, Chekov and Uhura all living into this century as it seems that old 'TOS' characters never die, except in 'Star Trek: Generations,' though sadly Doohan himself died several years ago, now.
One thing that Scotty shouldn't have expected was Captain Kirk to come to his rescue since we know he witnessed the apparent death of his captain in the opening of the first 'TNG' film, but that can easily be explained away - there was sure to be some confusion in his brain after it had been stored in a transporter buffer for seventy-five years. The most touching moment is probably his recreation of the original Enterprise's bridge, complete with Captain's chair and blinky lights, even a planet on the viewscreen. They actually only built a small portion of the bridge, the engineering station and some of the chairs, but it's very well disguised and Scotty's feelings of uselessness are strongly conveyed, only perking up after a kindly visit from Picard. Over the years this rebuilding of the original bridge became an ongoing project, more being added for 'DS9' episode 'Trials and Tribble-ations,' then the entire bridge for the 'Enterprise' Mirror Universe two-parter, so the legacy of the ambition of this episode really sent out waves right to the end of the 'TNG' spinoff era.
How many references can be spotted? One of the most prominent is Data's description of an alcoholic beverage as simply 'it is green,' a homage to 'By Any Other Name' when Scotty said the same line to an alien as he drank him under the table. It would have been a thrill to see Guinan meet Scotty and perhaps he would have realised they might have met before since they were both on the Enterprise-B (which I think was name-checked for the first time here) when Kirk died, though that hadn't yet been written. It might have been nice to have that kind of fun little scene since she lived throughout his time. That points to one of the downsides of the episode - it doesn't integrate Scotty enough with all the characters. It also doesn't really have much of a story, the first half being a much-loved character being maudlin, then the intriguing concept of the Dyson Sphere which deserved much more depth than it got. I always forget how exactly the episode ends and who was in the Sphere, but that's unsurprising because we never find out and it's really just a device to put the ship in jeopardy, though it does let us see the Enterprise doing an impression of the Millennium Falcon to get out. Could the Sphere have been built by the Borg? They're the only technologically advanced species with enough resources to construct such an experiment that we know of, and I'm sure they would need that kind of power for their nefarious plans to assimilate all.
Scotty mentions the Dohlman from 'Elaan of Troyius' when impressed with the size of his quarters, the time when the Enterprise was spiralling towards a planet in 'The Naked Time' and there are fun little moments such as his complimenting Crusher on how much better doctor's look on this ship. Even Geordi gets in on the act, recalling the episode with the space-borne organism of 'The Child.' It was wise to pair Scotty up with the engineer of the series and makes his obsolescence even harder to bear when he realises he has little to contribute to such advanced technology. He's a man out of time, and at first that seems an end to everything he ever got excited about. That sad realisation is replaced at the end by that old explorer's desire to get out and explore the galaxy when a shuttle is loaned to him by Picard. It was a sensitive touch to have all the main cast there to see him off, though it did make me wish there could have been more scenes with him and some of the others, such as Troi or Worf. He is of course rather wary of a Klingon serving in Starfleet as to him it wouldn't have been too long since peace with the Klingons was begun, but he wouldn't have forgotten all those escapades in which he was up against them.
That last scene was unnecessary to tell the story - it could easily have been Picard and Geordi there to see him off, but it was like 'TNG' was saluting its forbear through Scotty and was a truly special moment. At least Scotty would have been at home in the shuttle as it looked like the same model that was built for 'Star Trek V'! There are many details we would never have known about Scotty if not for hearing them here - he served on eleven ships, was an engineer for fifty-two years, even that the Enterprise was the first ship on which he served in the capacity of Chief Engineer. I am absolutely always in favour of bringing back old cast members, but I think the secondary plot of the Enterprise getting into trouble which Scotty helps to rectify, could have been better spent as time to show Scotty learning to adjust to the 24th Century, which is one reason I don't feel this was quite the wholehearted classic it might have been, though it is certainly better than 'Unification.'
****
Starship Down
DVD, DS9 S4 (Starship Down)
This was considered one of the least successful stories of this season by its makers, but I think it was probably more to do with the vision they had from the original pitch - that of a tense, underwater submarine drama set on the Defiant. I can understand their disappointment with the final creation when budgets and business decisions forced a change to the atmosphere of a gas giant, but that is to overlook the most important side to the episode: the character interaction. 'Voyager' went on to do a real underwater episode and while the effects wouldn't compare favourably with that, when watching this compared to the last two episodes I find this the closest to being a classic. Not quite there, but close. And the effects work, the first on the series to use extensive computer graphics, was pretty good, giving us something we rarely see on the TV series', though a little more in the films with their bigger budgets: CGI ships and a dense atmosphere to play cat and mouse in.
The most obvious comparison in Trek is to the famous nebula battle in 'Star Trek II' with two ships hunting each other in 3D space without proper sensors. It's a situation that bears much repeating, and this has the added complication of another ship to protect from two enemy vessels. If the tension level in the episode isn't up to what it should be I guess Director Alexander Singer would have to take much of the blame as he was probably unfamiliar with the 'DS9' sets, this being his first time on the series after 'TNG.' For once, that modern day trope of shaky, handheld cameras would have found its perfect medium and would likely have improved some of the scenes on the bridge or when Bashir has to close the hatch. I would also suggest that when the line about cutting all non-essential power was said, all those bright white lights on the bridge should have dimmed as it seems slightly ridiculous that all this power can be used when they're 'running silent' as it were. Usually in red alert sequences lights are dimmed, so I don't know why that didn't happen in that scene, unless it was to make the lower lighting after the ship's been damaged, more dramatic.
The only improvements I could think of was for a better sense of the ship being cut off from itself internally. Worf says he'll go and take control in Engineering, and next we see him, he ambles in down there as if he'd just strolled down a corridor. Having Worf struggle through conduits and damaged corridors would have shown his Klingon coolness and added some visual confirmation of the difficulty of getting around in the ship as well as providing a bit of action. The same goes for the moment Bashir must evacuate his patients and seal the corridor. A fixed camera shows him and some other crewmembers leaving a room and walking down a corridor with little of the urgency of a last second dash to safety in the midst of confusion, hurting the scene. Only when Dax and Muniz get blown to the ground as they hurry to get out in time does the gas present a threat. It was done better in a 'Voyager' episode (something you won't find me saying often in 'DS9' reviews), when the Doctor is forced to shut a hatch on straggling crewmembers before the ship will be affected, but shockingly I can't remember which episode it was.
Going to the Gamma Quadrant is rightly shown to be a risky business, even in the heavy warship Defiant. It's good that they reintroduced the Karemma and their trade agreement through the Ferengi and reinforced the presence of the Jem'Hadar when two of their ships arrive to break up the trade meeting. It says something about Sisko that he'd much rather risk a confrontation with them than play his role as the Emissary in a Bajoran festival, something that would be addressed more directly in 'Accession.' This was an episode full of the addressing of things that had either been forgotten or underplayed. Kira's personal awe of serving with her Emissary had never really been known before this as she'd kept her personal feelings hidden using her military training and her day to day work to submerge those thoughts. Nana Visitor's performance is the best of the episode as she gets worked up trying to keep Sisko from dying after a meeting between his head and a console. Actually, she seemed to get a harder knock in the attack than Sisko did, but then she's always been hard-headed and he must have hit the corner in just the right place.
Other things that get some airing are the situation between Bashir and Dax after he rescues her. Cleverly he obeys orders (shutting the hatch), yet doesn't undermine his values as a physician in one of the most heroic moments of the episode (rivalled only by Quark!), going into the gas-filled corridor, while everyone on the bridge assumes the worst. The playful teasing of Season 1 is recalled and the fact that Bashir was always chasing after Dax is talked about, another example of his growth and maturity as a character from the puppy-like greenhorn of the early episodes, while Dax has lost her aloof assuredness for a twinkling in the eye and a playful attitude. They're on the same level now and good friends because of it.
Another part of the ship and another part of the story has Worf being taught people skills by O'Brien, reviving their connection from the Enterprise days. This was the storyline I enjoyed most, partly thanks to the very good supporting cast which included the first appearance of Muniz, an occasional foil for O'Brien. He's got none of the smart-aleck comments he would display in 'The Ship' and seems quite nervous, but it's good to see him. I also noticed Tom Morga, a regular stuntman, for the first time, but only because I'd read he played Ensign Janklow and the unusual name stuck in my mind and leapt out at me when O'Brien says it. Stevens, the guy who shows a bit of insubordination to a surprised Worf was another good character, creating something for the Klingon to overcome in his rocky road to learning command.
Worf's led security on the Enterprise, but that was different to dealing with non-commissioned crewmembers that, as O'Brien points out, haven't been to the Academy. Worf has to learn to have some feeling for his men instead of barking out orders and expecting absolute loyalty. Being on a starship, in his element was an easier position in which to hone his skills as it's familiar territory - he'd even experienced ship-wide failure in 'Disaster' on 'TNG' which was a slightly better story of a starship down in some ways. One question I had as I watched, and answered for myself, was why Kira doesn't take command. She's the First Officer on the station, but this is a Federation starship so it seems right that Worf should take over, leaving Kira free to support the injured Sisko.
The fourth storyline is one of the better ones, featuring Quark as it does. The Ferengi's deal-brokering is shown to be as crooked as expected, the Federation only ever accepted them as middleman because they were the first to discover about the Dominion. James Cromwell, extremely lanky and continuing the bird-like look of the Karemma was on the verge of his career takeoff having just done 'Babe,' so it's great that he got a 'DS9' episode in before going off to become famous, though it does seem a shame his face wasn't seen as it could have been good publicity for the series in subsequent years. No matter, he'd already been in some 'TNG' and would go on to his most high profile Trek role in 'First Contact' shortly after, though he never forgot his Trek roots, agreeing to an uncredited appearance in the 'Enterprise' pilot. He was a good choice to be the next Karemman after the equally gangly John Fleck had originated the species in Season 3's 'The Search,' his best moments being when he and Quark find imminent destruction hilarious, and at the end when he proves he's not such a mug as he seemed, by winning at Dabo.
Quark gets to save the Defiant just as he once saved DS9 (in 'Babel'), his gambling instincts preventing the Jem'Hadar torpedo, wedged in the Mess Hall bulkhead, from going off. It's important to note that if it wasn't for that instinct everyone else's efforts would have been for naught. Quark is on wily top form, clearly relishing getting away from his small-time bar business and black market plots to something bigger, making me think he really should have packed up the bar (or handed it over to Rom) and pursued a career setting up deals for the Nagus. First he has to explain away his cheating practices that took advantage of the Karemman's good faith (just as his people planned to do to all the Gamma Quadrant races in 'The Nagus'), blaming Rom for the 'misunderstanding.' Then he takes a different tack, flattering Hanok for seeing through his schemes.
Usually he faces more violent opponents and in that case he knows when to cringe and wail, but the Karemma are the opposite of the Ferengi, a reputable, fair-minded race of traders that work out values and stand by them, so Quark knows the best way is to get across the excitement of risk in business to win Hanok back. The Karemma's spotless reputation is called into question a little when Hanok admits they make the torpedoes for the Jem'Hadar, the same as the one that failed to go off, but generally they seem honest, so it's a shame Quark's twisted Ferengi values and lyrical description of gambling rub off on Hanok, possibly contaminating his people's ethical trading, though it's probably through fear of the Dominion that the Karemma are the way they are, and it was interesting to note that Ferengi ships hadn't been stopped by them. Since the Dominion don't do 'oversight' could this be one of the ways they smuggled changelings into the Alpha Quadrant, aboard unsuspecting Ferengi ships?
I always thought of this as a bit of a weak episode, but it successfully weaves the four stories and gives them all tag scenes at the end, brilliantly put together in the bar scene where it goes from Quark seeing Hanok win at Dabo, much to Odo's satisfaction, to Bashir listening to Morn babble on about his 17 siblings, and being rescued by Dax ("now we're even"), then finishes up at Worf and O'Brien who shows his Klingon friend that while it's good to slacken the reins sometimes, you don't let go of them and make it too easy on the men, as shown by his cutting off four hours from Stevens' repair estimate. That theme of engineers pushing time limits a bit has been a running joke since Scotty. Earlier in the episode O'Brien's estimate is halved by Sisko and he just has to get on with it because he's part of that 'miracle-worker' society. That engineers need a problem to solve is worked into Worf's story perfectly when he gives them a project to make a weapon and they go off chattering excitedly about what they can do. It's one of the best scenes portraying the department as being occupied by boys who love toys. O'Brien rightly keeps his own profile down, allowing Worf space to command, but their history allows him to offer advice which all shows his experience. It should show after all those times he melted into the background as Transporter Chief on the Enterprise!
Although it isn't quite a classic it was a lot better than I expected and the submarine style of battle came across well with torpedoes slicing through the gas and the Defiant having to list to one side to avoid impact. It was the first episode of the season in which the crew all go off on the Defiant together (apart from Odo), and the first mission aboard for Worf which all added up to quite a thrill. Would it truly have been better underwater? I'm not sure, it may have just been a novelty to see the Defiant submerged, and after the headache they experienced in creating the rainstorm for 'The Visitor' which flooded the stage, I'm not surprised they opted out of water-based fun. Though I mention the director may have been a flaw, there were shots that stood out: looking up at the terrified faces of Quark and Hanok during the attack; seeing a crewman blasted right towards camera in a massive explosion; and best of all the tag scenes in Ops where the camera roams around the bar. One shot that confused me was when Bashir pulls Dax into the room to escape the gas. It looks like a small room, but later, a shot from above reveals it to be a tiny cupboard! When telling Dax about their problems Bashir never mentioned the walls were closing in…
***
This was considered one of the least successful stories of this season by its makers, but I think it was probably more to do with the vision they had from the original pitch - that of a tense, underwater submarine drama set on the Defiant. I can understand their disappointment with the final creation when budgets and business decisions forced a change to the atmosphere of a gas giant, but that is to overlook the most important side to the episode: the character interaction. 'Voyager' went on to do a real underwater episode and while the effects wouldn't compare favourably with that, when watching this compared to the last two episodes I find this the closest to being a classic. Not quite there, but close. And the effects work, the first on the series to use extensive computer graphics, was pretty good, giving us something we rarely see on the TV series', though a little more in the films with their bigger budgets: CGI ships and a dense atmosphere to play cat and mouse in.
The most obvious comparison in Trek is to the famous nebula battle in 'Star Trek II' with two ships hunting each other in 3D space without proper sensors. It's a situation that bears much repeating, and this has the added complication of another ship to protect from two enemy vessels. If the tension level in the episode isn't up to what it should be I guess Director Alexander Singer would have to take much of the blame as he was probably unfamiliar with the 'DS9' sets, this being his first time on the series after 'TNG.' For once, that modern day trope of shaky, handheld cameras would have found its perfect medium and would likely have improved some of the scenes on the bridge or when Bashir has to close the hatch. I would also suggest that when the line about cutting all non-essential power was said, all those bright white lights on the bridge should have dimmed as it seems slightly ridiculous that all this power can be used when they're 'running silent' as it were. Usually in red alert sequences lights are dimmed, so I don't know why that didn't happen in that scene, unless it was to make the lower lighting after the ship's been damaged, more dramatic.
The only improvements I could think of was for a better sense of the ship being cut off from itself internally. Worf says he'll go and take control in Engineering, and next we see him, he ambles in down there as if he'd just strolled down a corridor. Having Worf struggle through conduits and damaged corridors would have shown his Klingon coolness and added some visual confirmation of the difficulty of getting around in the ship as well as providing a bit of action. The same goes for the moment Bashir must evacuate his patients and seal the corridor. A fixed camera shows him and some other crewmembers leaving a room and walking down a corridor with little of the urgency of a last second dash to safety in the midst of confusion, hurting the scene. Only when Dax and Muniz get blown to the ground as they hurry to get out in time does the gas present a threat. It was done better in a 'Voyager' episode (something you won't find me saying often in 'DS9' reviews), when the Doctor is forced to shut a hatch on straggling crewmembers before the ship will be affected, but shockingly I can't remember which episode it was.
Going to the Gamma Quadrant is rightly shown to be a risky business, even in the heavy warship Defiant. It's good that they reintroduced the Karemma and their trade agreement through the Ferengi and reinforced the presence of the Jem'Hadar when two of their ships arrive to break up the trade meeting. It says something about Sisko that he'd much rather risk a confrontation with them than play his role as the Emissary in a Bajoran festival, something that would be addressed more directly in 'Accession.' This was an episode full of the addressing of things that had either been forgotten or underplayed. Kira's personal awe of serving with her Emissary had never really been known before this as she'd kept her personal feelings hidden using her military training and her day to day work to submerge those thoughts. Nana Visitor's performance is the best of the episode as she gets worked up trying to keep Sisko from dying after a meeting between his head and a console. Actually, she seemed to get a harder knock in the attack than Sisko did, but then she's always been hard-headed and he must have hit the corner in just the right place.
Other things that get some airing are the situation between Bashir and Dax after he rescues her. Cleverly he obeys orders (shutting the hatch), yet doesn't undermine his values as a physician in one of the most heroic moments of the episode (rivalled only by Quark!), going into the gas-filled corridor, while everyone on the bridge assumes the worst. The playful teasing of Season 1 is recalled and the fact that Bashir was always chasing after Dax is talked about, another example of his growth and maturity as a character from the puppy-like greenhorn of the early episodes, while Dax has lost her aloof assuredness for a twinkling in the eye and a playful attitude. They're on the same level now and good friends because of it.
Another part of the ship and another part of the story has Worf being taught people skills by O'Brien, reviving their connection from the Enterprise days. This was the storyline I enjoyed most, partly thanks to the very good supporting cast which included the first appearance of Muniz, an occasional foil for O'Brien. He's got none of the smart-aleck comments he would display in 'The Ship' and seems quite nervous, but it's good to see him. I also noticed Tom Morga, a regular stuntman, for the first time, but only because I'd read he played Ensign Janklow and the unusual name stuck in my mind and leapt out at me when O'Brien says it. Stevens, the guy who shows a bit of insubordination to a surprised Worf was another good character, creating something for the Klingon to overcome in his rocky road to learning command.
Worf's led security on the Enterprise, but that was different to dealing with non-commissioned crewmembers that, as O'Brien points out, haven't been to the Academy. Worf has to learn to have some feeling for his men instead of barking out orders and expecting absolute loyalty. Being on a starship, in his element was an easier position in which to hone his skills as it's familiar territory - he'd even experienced ship-wide failure in 'Disaster' on 'TNG' which was a slightly better story of a starship down in some ways. One question I had as I watched, and answered for myself, was why Kira doesn't take command. She's the First Officer on the station, but this is a Federation starship so it seems right that Worf should take over, leaving Kira free to support the injured Sisko.
The fourth storyline is one of the better ones, featuring Quark as it does. The Ferengi's deal-brokering is shown to be as crooked as expected, the Federation only ever accepted them as middleman because they were the first to discover about the Dominion. James Cromwell, extremely lanky and continuing the bird-like look of the Karemma was on the verge of his career takeoff having just done 'Babe,' so it's great that he got a 'DS9' episode in before going off to become famous, though it does seem a shame his face wasn't seen as it could have been good publicity for the series in subsequent years. No matter, he'd already been in some 'TNG' and would go on to his most high profile Trek role in 'First Contact' shortly after, though he never forgot his Trek roots, agreeing to an uncredited appearance in the 'Enterprise' pilot. He was a good choice to be the next Karemman after the equally gangly John Fleck had originated the species in Season 3's 'The Search,' his best moments being when he and Quark find imminent destruction hilarious, and at the end when he proves he's not such a mug as he seemed, by winning at Dabo.
Quark gets to save the Defiant just as he once saved DS9 (in 'Babel'), his gambling instincts preventing the Jem'Hadar torpedo, wedged in the Mess Hall bulkhead, from going off. It's important to note that if it wasn't for that instinct everyone else's efforts would have been for naught. Quark is on wily top form, clearly relishing getting away from his small-time bar business and black market plots to something bigger, making me think he really should have packed up the bar (or handed it over to Rom) and pursued a career setting up deals for the Nagus. First he has to explain away his cheating practices that took advantage of the Karemman's good faith (just as his people planned to do to all the Gamma Quadrant races in 'The Nagus'), blaming Rom for the 'misunderstanding.' Then he takes a different tack, flattering Hanok for seeing through his schemes.
Usually he faces more violent opponents and in that case he knows when to cringe and wail, but the Karemma are the opposite of the Ferengi, a reputable, fair-minded race of traders that work out values and stand by them, so Quark knows the best way is to get across the excitement of risk in business to win Hanok back. The Karemma's spotless reputation is called into question a little when Hanok admits they make the torpedoes for the Jem'Hadar, the same as the one that failed to go off, but generally they seem honest, so it's a shame Quark's twisted Ferengi values and lyrical description of gambling rub off on Hanok, possibly contaminating his people's ethical trading, though it's probably through fear of the Dominion that the Karemma are the way they are, and it was interesting to note that Ferengi ships hadn't been stopped by them. Since the Dominion don't do 'oversight' could this be one of the ways they smuggled changelings into the Alpha Quadrant, aboard unsuspecting Ferengi ships?
I always thought of this as a bit of a weak episode, but it successfully weaves the four stories and gives them all tag scenes at the end, brilliantly put together in the bar scene where it goes from Quark seeing Hanok win at Dabo, much to Odo's satisfaction, to Bashir listening to Morn babble on about his 17 siblings, and being rescued by Dax ("now we're even"), then finishes up at Worf and O'Brien who shows his Klingon friend that while it's good to slacken the reins sometimes, you don't let go of them and make it too easy on the men, as shown by his cutting off four hours from Stevens' repair estimate. That theme of engineers pushing time limits a bit has been a running joke since Scotty. Earlier in the episode O'Brien's estimate is halved by Sisko and he just has to get on with it because he's part of that 'miracle-worker' society. That engineers need a problem to solve is worked into Worf's story perfectly when he gives them a project to make a weapon and they go off chattering excitedly about what they can do. It's one of the best scenes portraying the department as being occupied by boys who love toys. O'Brien rightly keeps his own profile down, allowing Worf space to command, but their history allows him to offer advice which all shows his experience. It should show after all those times he melted into the background as Transporter Chief on the Enterprise!
Although it isn't quite a classic it was a lot better than I expected and the submarine style of battle came across well with torpedoes slicing through the gas and the Defiant having to list to one side to avoid impact. It was the first episode of the season in which the crew all go off on the Defiant together (apart from Odo), and the first mission aboard for Worf which all added up to quite a thrill. Would it truly have been better underwater? I'm not sure, it may have just been a novelty to see the Defiant submerged, and after the headache they experienced in creating the rainstorm for 'The Visitor' which flooded the stage, I'm not surprised they opted out of water-based fun. Though I mention the director may have been a flaw, there were shots that stood out: looking up at the terrified faces of Quark and Hanok during the attack; seeing a crewman blasted right towards camera in a massive explosion; and best of all the tag scenes in Ops where the camera roams around the bar. One shot that confused me was when Bashir pulls Dax into the room to escape the gas. It looks like a small room, but later, a shot from above reveals it to be a tiny cupboard! When telling Dax about their problems Bashir never mentioned the walls were closing in…
***
Fallout
DVD, Smallville S6 (Fallout)
It took a while, but the storyline that was begun in the opener has begun to heat up. Not something I'm thrilled about as it's another one of those 'collect them all' arcs where Clark or someone has to perform certain tasks, or find all the stones, or in this case, catch or destroy all the 'Zoners.' Even the name sounds rubbish. As usual they crammed in so much that it almost makes you forget that this isn't a story, but an anthology of plots that vaguely connect. It's probably no coincidence that there was no Green Arrow or Lois to brighten up the story, but we did have another failed reporter failing to report on a juicy story - Jimmy Olsen gets the idea that he can just waltz in and, using verbal ballet, get Lex to confess to some heinous crime he has no idea even exists. He's definitely fulfilling the role that Lois has recently taken on, making him something of a redundant part. But he's Chloe's redundant part, so maybe that makes a difference? Either way, he and Lois are likely to be stepping on the toes of each other's arcs if things carry on like this.
The opening was suitably 'yoofy' with a couple of cool, black teens slammin' some b-ball, if you know what I mean. The question is, why should we care? For a while I was thinking it might be the Cyborg guy from last season as I'm expecting him to appear again, but it was just someone who looked similar. I assume this guy (known as 'Baern' when he's taken over?), was the Bow Wow of the opening credits, and I also assume he's some kind of rapper or something as they usually have funny names like that. It seemed to be stunt casting of some kind, but it was lost on me. The actor was fine as this ordinary guy taken over by a crash-landed Zoner, but it was all a bit 'so what?' The same was true of Raya's reappearance. I was waiting for her to reveal herself as Clark's cousin, who would become Supergirl, but instead she whined on constantly about Clark's destiny and how great Earth is and how humans will annihilate themselves as the Kryptonians did. The only moment that had something was when Clark confides he feels alone as the only member of his race.
Another person convinced Earth will destroy itself appeared to be Lex, in conversation with Lana. Wonder of wonders, she's found some reasons why she shouldn't trust him - first Doctor Groll (as I at last realised - there was a lot of mumbling in this episode), warning her to get away from the Luthors, then promptly vanishing, and the incident with the Kryptonian thing Groll gave her in the box. It was only a few episodes ago but already I've forgotten what the point of that object was, some kind of weapon Zod was going to use - it really doesn't matter when we've had so many Kryptonian symbols and technology clogging up the stories, right back to the little ship's key. At least that was interesting. This was definitively an exposition episode, clogged up with backstory and references to the Brain interactive Construct, Brainiac; Clark having to face his destiny and train up like Jor-El wanted; and the Zoners. Somehow the Fortress gets rebooted, at least I think it does, it's all rather vague.
At least there was a scene in which Lana and Clark talk without baring their teeth, Lana learning to distrust Lex perhaps sees that for all Clark's faults he is good at heart? By the title of the episode you might wonder if it was referring to another argument between the two, but Clark actually shows her the info that was found by Jimmy (an illustration of the 'Zod box' as I'm going to call it from now on, which just happened to be on Lex' desk for all to see). The friendship of Chloe and Lana is mentioned by Lex, but I can't remember the last time we actually saw them together. Lana's scenes tend to take place either in the gloomy recesses of the Luthor mansion or in the Smallville Medical Centre. It's amazing she stays so tanned since she never sees real sunlight! It's all fake, I bet.
There is the odd moment that looks quite good, such as when the Zoner blasts Clark out of the barn, or when he throws Lex through a glass table. If he's so violent and unconcerned about walls and such-like, it seems very considerate of him to leave the Kent house by the door when he hears Clark's signal (apparently each one is unique to a Kryptonian family - the signal, not the door). I expected him to blast through a wall, but he even goes slow enough to close the door gently behind him, so Martha must have been pleased.
Lex' desire to take control is obviously spreading into world domination territory now as it's not enough to keep hold of his loved ones (if he's really got any), he thinks the whole planet is in danger and that only his intervention can do anything about it. Typically megalomaniacal, but it's not something the character arrived at logically, he's just been messed around with so much by the writers that he's been forced to be bad, when the semi-good Lex that wanted to walk the right path was so much more compelling. Corners were cut with the Zoner too. They saved money by having it take over a human rather than whizz around as a flappy thing. Not that it matters as the Zoner arc doesn't interest me. Let's get back to the Green Arrow and the formation of the Justice League, that's a far bigger draw!
The episode leaves Jimmy demoted to Chloe's basement after Lex almost gets him fired, she now has to keep the guy on a leash to stop him poking into the alien symbols (which he believes are Egyptian, the only funny moment in the episode), that could risk Clark's identity becoming known; Lana and Lex don't trust each other; and Clark must tick off a list of all the Phantom Zone escapees before they tick him off, and then maybe he can start preparing to rule the world? Not the most coherent episode, and I didn't have the slightest hint of sadness that Raya was killed off - she was slightly annoying, always going on about how great Jor-El was like she was his biggest fan. I didn't even get why she died. She took a blast from Baern, then that was all it took. Okay.
**
It took a while, but the storyline that was begun in the opener has begun to heat up. Not something I'm thrilled about as it's another one of those 'collect them all' arcs where Clark or someone has to perform certain tasks, or find all the stones, or in this case, catch or destroy all the 'Zoners.' Even the name sounds rubbish. As usual they crammed in so much that it almost makes you forget that this isn't a story, but an anthology of plots that vaguely connect. It's probably no coincidence that there was no Green Arrow or Lois to brighten up the story, but we did have another failed reporter failing to report on a juicy story - Jimmy Olsen gets the idea that he can just waltz in and, using verbal ballet, get Lex to confess to some heinous crime he has no idea even exists. He's definitely fulfilling the role that Lois has recently taken on, making him something of a redundant part. But he's Chloe's redundant part, so maybe that makes a difference? Either way, he and Lois are likely to be stepping on the toes of each other's arcs if things carry on like this.
The opening was suitably 'yoofy' with a couple of cool, black teens slammin' some b-ball, if you know what I mean. The question is, why should we care? For a while I was thinking it might be the Cyborg guy from last season as I'm expecting him to appear again, but it was just someone who looked similar. I assume this guy (known as 'Baern' when he's taken over?), was the Bow Wow of the opening credits, and I also assume he's some kind of rapper or something as they usually have funny names like that. It seemed to be stunt casting of some kind, but it was lost on me. The actor was fine as this ordinary guy taken over by a crash-landed Zoner, but it was all a bit 'so what?' The same was true of Raya's reappearance. I was waiting for her to reveal herself as Clark's cousin, who would become Supergirl, but instead she whined on constantly about Clark's destiny and how great Earth is and how humans will annihilate themselves as the Kryptonians did. The only moment that had something was when Clark confides he feels alone as the only member of his race.
Another person convinced Earth will destroy itself appeared to be Lex, in conversation with Lana. Wonder of wonders, she's found some reasons why she shouldn't trust him - first Doctor Groll (as I at last realised - there was a lot of mumbling in this episode), warning her to get away from the Luthors, then promptly vanishing, and the incident with the Kryptonian thing Groll gave her in the box. It was only a few episodes ago but already I've forgotten what the point of that object was, some kind of weapon Zod was going to use - it really doesn't matter when we've had so many Kryptonian symbols and technology clogging up the stories, right back to the little ship's key. At least that was interesting. This was definitively an exposition episode, clogged up with backstory and references to the Brain interactive Construct, Brainiac; Clark having to face his destiny and train up like Jor-El wanted; and the Zoners. Somehow the Fortress gets rebooted, at least I think it does, it's all rather vague.
At least there was a scene in which Lana and Clark talk without baring their teeth, Lana learning to distrust Lex perhaps sees that for all Clark's faults he is good at heart? By the title of the episode you might wonder if it was referring to another argument between the two, but Clark actually shows her the info that was found by Jimmy (an illustration of the 'Zod box' as I'm going to call it from now on, which just happened to be on Lex' desk for all to see). The friendship of Chloe and Lana is mentioned by Lex, but I can't remember the last time we actually saw them together. Lana's scenes tend to take place either in the gloomy recesses of the Luthor mansion or in the Smallville Medical Centre. It's amazing she stays so tanned since she never sees real sunlight! It's all fake, I bet.
There is the odd moment that looks quite good, such as when the Zoner blasts Clark out of the barn, or when he throws Lex through a glass table. If he's so violent and unconcerned about walls and such-like, it seems very considerate of him to leave the Kent house by the door when he hears Clark's signal (apparently each one is unique to a Kryptonian family - the signal, not the door). I expected him to blast through a wall, but he even goes slow enough to close the door gently behind him, so Martha must have been pleased.
Lex' desire to take control is obviously spreading into world domination territory now as it's not enough to keep hold of his loved ones (if he's really got any), he thinks the whole planet is in danger and that only his intervention can do anything about it. Typically megalomaniacal, but it's not something the character arrived at logically, he's just been messed around with so much by the writers that he's been forced to be bad, when the semi-good Lex that wanted to walk the right path was so much more compelling. Corners were cut with the Zoner too. They saved money by having it take over a human rather than whizz around as a flappy thing. Not that it matters as the Zoner arc doesn't interest me. Let's get back to the Green Arrow and the formation of the Justice League, that's a far bigger draw!
The episode leaves Jimmy demoted to Chloe's basement after Lex almost gets him fired, she now has to keep the guy on a leash to stop him poking into the alien symbols (which he believes are Egyptian, the only funny moment in the episode), that could risk Clark's identity becoming known; Lana and Lex don't trust each other; and Clark must tick off a list of all the Phantom Zone escapees before they tick him off, and then maybe he can start preparing to rule the world? Not the most coherent episode, and I didn't have the slightest hint of sadness that Raya was killed off - she was slightly annoying, always going on about how great Jor-El was like she was his biggest fan. I didn't even get why she died. She took a blast from Baern, then that was all it took. Okay.
**
Indiscretion
DVD, DS9 S4 (Indiscretion)
Two episodes, both directed by 'Star Trek' actors and both featuring scenes on an alien world. I like the two episodes about the same, but with 'Hippocratic Oath' it's despite shooting soundstages for an external location, whereas the actual location shots in this one enhance it greatly. There's time for a beautiful evening sky to be seen, the illusion of a full-size crashed ship merged into a mountain of sand, and some proper desert scenes of Kira and Dukat stomping through the wilderness. The hook comes early: things start out as a one-woman mission to discover the whereabouts of a vanished ship containing a friend of Kira's, never explained who this guy was and what he meant to her, even though she was willing to drop everything and go looking for him. An oversight, or were they leaving things vague for a reason? The story soon takes a dramatic turn when Gul Dukat is introduced as the partner Kira's forced to take along, then changes again later, when we learn his personal reasons for embarking on this journey.
Books could be written about Dukat. He's very possibly the most complex character in all of Trek. Starting out as a simplistic villain, we gradually learned how this man who was in charge of the Bajoran Occupation didn't hate the people, but actually felt it was good for them as he declares to Kira here. Beginning with his rescue by Sisko in 'The Maquis' he started to appreciate Sisko and maybe even delude himself that one day he and the DS9 crew would see each other as friends and equals. This episode was the one to really turn a corner and show that there could be a heroic side of good in him, but with later developments that can easily be explained away. It's not so much that he was a hero for taking on a mission, we already know he's more than capable of handling himself and is a strong soldier. No, it's for the fact that he seems to go against the nature of his people and the strong duty he feels, to spare the outcast daughter rather than kill her.
Even in his most positive acts a selfish motive can be found. In 'The Way of The Warrior' he rescues the members of the new civilian government, but it's just so that he can remain powerful. In this he had Kira's weapon pointed at his back, so the cynically minded may cite this as a good reason not to carry out his mission, yet he seems to disregard Kira and it is Ziyal's puppy-like devotion to him that changes his mind. Even in this act of 'mercy' he's showing a deeper character trait than we may not understand at this point in the series: that his own desires will always, ultimately rule him. It's against Cardassian society to allow an illegitimate child, or a half-breed, to live in the family, but she is his child and the only connection to Tora Naprem, whom he claimed to love. Yes, he takes her back to Cardassia with him, and when she's with him in the future he does behave differently, but the darkness of his own mind always wins out in the end.
The episode itself isn't this dark whirlpool of emotion and evil waiting to be unleashed, it's a standard adventure story, but I'm seeing it with the eyes of later episodes to colour my view. I love it when someone goes off in a Runabout, and pairing Kira with her archenemy seems obvious, so why hadn't they done this before? Dukat always had a liking for Kira, she always had a disliking for him, but what once could have been described as hatred, has cooled so that she's even capable of having a laugh with Dukat. The thorn incident is hilarious and natural, but like Razka Khan, the old friend they meet in the Badlands to confirm the location of the Ravinok, says, it 'almost' makes you forget his crimes, but not quite. The meeting with Razka (played by the guy who was good as the Zakdorn Kolrami in 'TNG' Season 2's 'Peak Performance,' and is even better here) brings another side of Dukat to the surface. With Kira he's all jokey and pleasant, but as soon as Razka suggests he should have informed the Maquis so they could have captured him, his Cardassian strength comes to the fore and he takes over the conversation, referring to the arrest warrants for Razka. His eyes narrow and the steel in his voice makes it clear he's someone to be reckoned with, something that Kira doesn't completely realise until he refuses her order down on the planet. Then it hits home she has no real power over him.
Just as I like seeing an adventure off on an alien planet, something the other Trek series' could do, I also like to see life on the station, and the B-story fulfils this wish. It gets a little overly soapy with Sisko having said something wrong to Kasidy and not showing the necessary enthusiasm when she tells him about a Bajoran job offer meaning she'll be able to stay in the area. It's hardly the fate of the Alpha Quadrant hanging in the balance, but the advice from various people ("At least you didn't say it's a very big step"), and the general humour of his situation (he listens to the advice then leaves them all hanging), makes it palatable, but once we get down to the real reason he lacked joy at the prospect, we find a deeper meaning to his reticence - he doesn't want the same the same thing for Kasidy that happened to Jennifer. It makes the storyline worthwhile. That, and Jake reprising his manly advice from last season when the subject of girlfriends came up - he and Nog sort out all Sisko's problems, it's so simple, why can't he see that!
The subplot is just something to keep us waiting for developments in the real story. What should have been the most defining part of the episode, the revealing of the Breen for the first time, is actually quite minor. They are portrayed as merely aliens-of-the-week, not the culmination of years of references in 'TNG,' 'DS9' and even 'Voyager.' It's easy to forget how small a part they play in this story, basically a few soldiers guarding the prisoners. Their unknown nature is at least cultivated by the refrigeration suits they wear so we still don't know what they look like. The comparison with Princess Leia's bounty hunter disguise in 'Return of The Jedi' is valid as they do share similarities, but they look interesting and I think are the only Trek race to be constantly masked. The main thing was there was still enough about them to leave threads hanging, and if there were to be another TV series the Breen could easily be a race that to be developed - despite many references to them they remain a mystery. It can be pointed out that Kira and Dukat might have seen the contents of a Breen suit as they wear the outfit, but these were most likely extra garments in a locker or left in a corner.
The Breen voices didn't even get heard, just the grunts as they get whacked to the ground, and they actually seem quite ineffectual. My theory is that these were soldiers in disgrace, the reason they had to do duty on a hot planet when they prefer cold, overseeing a dilithium mine of forgotten prisoners. There didn't need to be many of them as it had been six years since the Cardassian ship had been shot down, and I imagine the Breen simply took advantage of the fact they found slaves to use, when they were probably surveying the planet to mine themselves. There was nowhere for the prisoners to escape to on the barren world, the prisoners would have given up hope of rescue after such a long time, and no doubt a ship would have arrived now and again to take the dilithium and perhaps change soldiers.
I'd be fascinated to know the story of Kira's friend, what Tora Naprem was like and how the Cardassians and Bajorans learned to coexist. It's clear they thought the Occupation was still ongoing, yet the Cardassians definitely spoke to the Bajorans since Ziyal was told she'd be killed rather than be accepted into society. They may have said it harshly, but I got the impression they were all equals and after such a long time probably had bonded into a group - they might have an easier time settling into the new societies of their respective worlds. It would be great to have a book written, like the Terok Nor series or 'The Never-Ending Sacrifice,' to tell the Ravinok's story. My theory about the Breen is that the main body is full of food items, like a fridge, and in the helmet is a little Tribble pulling levers to operate the body, with a long tube down to the food section. It's as credible as any other explanation!
The episode could have been improved with an injection of action. It doesn't have the same thrill as Kira and O'Brien's rescue of Bajoran prisoners from the Cardassian labour camp in 'The Homecoming,' although both episodes were filmed at the same place. The revelations about Dukat are what hold it all together. I actually thought this version of Ziyal was very good, and though it was a short scene, the best of the episode - Dukat sees his own flesh and blood and can't kill her. It was played as real love and shown to be so in his taking of the girl back to face the music. Perhaps in some long game in his mind it was all to show Kira what a good man he is so that she'll learn to respect, even love him in the future? At the end of the episode he enjoys telling her he'll be in contact when she asks about what will happen, and Kira doesn't quite know what to make of it. She's seen a different Dukat, someone with greater depth than she realised. She still doesn't like him, but she's surprised herself by actually gaining a measure of respect for him.
Unlike most Trek episodes in other series, which were capable of such a story as this, 'DS9' has the luxury of a continuing story. There are links back to previous episodes (the Klingon restaurant is still going on the Promenade; the Assay Office is mentioned; the Badlands visited; the Maquis are still around; the Dissident movement that created the new government), yet also lays groundwork for subsequent episodes that can run with the material begun here. That has always made this series unique and this episode showed how recurring characters can be picked up when needed, villains made sympathetic (now Dukat has eight children!), traditional planet-hopping can be done, and normal, day-to-day life could also be played with.
***
Man of The People
DVD, TNG S6 (Man of The People)
Cheerfulness is good medicine, and in this episode the reverse is true, bad feelings cause premature ageing and extreme behaviour. Stress being the cause of an early death isn't that radical a notion, but the rate at which Deanna Troi ages certainly is. At one point she's looking fairly normal except for her grey hair, she scratches Riker who then heads to sickbay, and after treating him, he and Crusher go to find her. In that short time she's aged radically. Unless Riker had a little wander of the ship before he stopped by sickbay it seems a little too rapid. On the other side the de-ageing sequence for Deanna as she lies on the biobed looked convincing, except for one minor point: when she returns to her youthful self her hair has apparently permed itself! Now that's an achievement far greater than the ability to cast off one's unwanted emotions: self-styling hair.
The trouble with this episode was that it was too derivative and the aliens were too generic. Every season there's a story where some uninteresting alien delegation visits the ship and does something untoward. This is almost a remake of last seasons 'Violations,' but not as atmospheric. There was an attempt at creepiness, such as the martial arts class mirrors, but it doesn't go anywhere. By the time of the only enjoyable moment in which Troi attacks Picard with a massive knife, the story had lost me. Alkar was a rather bland person thanks to his secret ability to dump all his negative thoughts and feelings into a chosen 'receptacle,' killing off these unknowing followers for the greater good of his diplomatic missions. His first impression was dishonest and unlikely - why would you take your aged mother with you on a dangerous mission into space? So it turned out it wasn't his mother, but it wasn't a terribly plausible excuse. The only character with any drive was the old lady posing as Mum. She had a strong presence and added a lot to the scenes she was in, namely a real mad malevolence. Alkar was merely psychopathic, she was violent, just as Troi became.
It's funny how Troi seems to be the one these crazy people always attract or are attracted by. She got a chance to be crazy herself this time, with some pretty good ageing makeup, the best moment being when she storms into her quarters and screams with blind rage right up against the camera. This is probably the episode in which she's closest to her own mother what with an overactive emotional drive and wacky hair and costumes, her Mum would have been proud. Or horrified. Either way it would have been interesting to see her reaction. Riker talks about them being old and grey one day, like that woman, and sadly, that time has practically arrived now. It was nice that he reassured Troi he'd be around for her even when she was old and grey, and he was right. Could the mentioned Ensign Janeway be a relation of Captain Kathryn?
The ending wasn't bad, but a little obvious, with Alkar's own power aimed back at himself, though his old-age look was nowhere near as effective as Troi's. He staggered out of the story in an uneven way, befitting such an uneven episode. I thought I recognised the old woman from another role, but it doesn't appear to be 'Star Trek.' Watching this episode possibly wasn't the best way to celebrate the 45th Anniversary of 'Star Trek,' but 'Happy Birthday' anyway, and let's hope for a new TV series this side of 50!
**
Cheerfulness is good medicine, and in this episode the reverse is true, bad feelings cause premature ageing and extreme behaviour. Stress being the cause of an early death isn't that radical a notion, but the rate at which Deanna Troi ages certainly is. At one point she's looking fairly normal except for her grey hair, she scratches Riker who then heads to sickbay, and after treating him, he and Crusher go to find her. In that short time she's aged radically. Unless Riker had a little wander of the ship before he stopped by sickbay it seems a little too rapid. On the other side the de-ageing sequence for Deanna as she lies on the biobed looked convincing, except for one minor point: when she returns to her youthful self her hair has apparently permed itself! Now that's an achievement far greater than the ability to cast off one's unwanted emotions: self-styling hair.
The trouble with this episode was that it was too derivative and the aliens were too generic. Every season there's a story where some uninteresting alien delegation visits the ship and does something untoward. This is almost a remake of last seasons 'Violations,' but not as atmospheric. There was an attempt at creepiness, such as the martial arts class mirrors, but it doesn't go anywhere. By the time of the only enjoyable moment in which Troi attacks Picard with a massive knife, the story had lost me. Alkar was a rather bland person thanks to his secret ability to dump all his negative thoughts and feelings into a chosen 'receptacle,' killing off these unknowing followers for the greater good of his diplomatic missions. His first impression was dishonest and unlikely - why would you take your aged mother with you on a dangerous mission into space? So it turned out it wasn't his mother, but it wasn't a terribly plausible excuse. The only character with any drive was the old lady posing as Mum. She had a strong presence and added a lot to the scenes she was in, namely a real mad malevolence. Alkar was merely psychopathic, she was violent, just as Troi became.
It's funny how Troi seems to be the one these crazy people always attract or are attracted by. She got a chance to be crazy herself this time, with some pretty good ageing makeup, the best moment being when she storms into her quarters and screams with blind rage right up against the camera. This is probably the episode in which she's closest to her own mother what with an overactive emotional drive and wacky hair and costumes, her Mum would have been proud. Or horrified. Either way it would have been interesting to see her reaction. Riker talks about them being old and grey one day, like that woman, and sadly, that time has practically arrived now. It was nice that he reassured Troi he'd be around for her even when she was old and grey, and he was right. Could the mentioned Ensign Janeway be a relation of Captain Kathryn?
The ending wasn't bad, but a little obvious, with Alkar's own power aimed back at himself, though his old-age look was nowhere near as effective as Troi's. He staggered out of the story in an uneven way, befitting such an uneven episode. I thought I recognised the old woman from another role, but it doesn't appear to be 'Star Trek.' Watching this episode possibly wasn't the best way to celebrate the 45th Anniversary of 'Star Trek,' but 'Happy Birthday' anyway, and let's hope for a new TV series this side of 50!
**
Hippocratic Oath
DVD, DS9 S4 (Hippocratic Oath)
Worf was never going to get one over on Odo, not in an episode that was directed by the man behind the shapeshifter, Rene Auberjonois! While the B-story of Worf's difficult integration into station life couldn't be called compelling, it was a necessary and useful first step in defining his role on the series. For viewers that might have been too lazy to watch the series from the beginning, this season provided an ideal opportunity to jump in, often through Worf's own unfamiliarity with the station and its inhabitants, and the way he learned about the unique setup he had entered, very different to life on a starship.
Quark's grotesque advances on his new customer, already getting under Worf's skin, brought to mind the 'Voyager' episode in which Tuvok loses control and kills an annoying holographic version of Neelix. Thankfully for Quark, Worf is about as restrained as a Vulcan, and as friendly. Kira tries to break the hard outer shell, and it seems that so far, only his superior, Captain Sisko gets the respect from Worf that enables him to talk as candidly as he ever would. Worf also learns to respect Odo after messing up his investigation into a smuggling ring, Quark actually helping the constable for once. I'd love to know what he was getting out of it, usually he's reticent to assist his nemesis as it's bad for business.
There's a throwback to the pilot episode, with Odo as a bag of latinum, hoping to be brought aboard the criminal's ship (Regana Tosh is the name, one of those typically shady aliens seen mainly in the early seasons, and a nice reference back to those times: in 'Emissary' one chucks a mace at Odo; in 'The Passenger' one was a hired thug, and no doubt they appeared in other stories too - I don't believe they've ever been given a name, but I think of them as the 'fish men' because of their pike-like head). This time Odo's plan is foiled, and Worf realises his strict protocols as a security officer on the Enterprise may be a hindrance. Another throwback is the spiky attitude Odo displays to anyone questioning his methods. Everyone else learnt to trust his judgement, but Worf is new to this game, and Odo has always jumped down the throat of anyone interfering, particularly Starfleet with George Primmin or Eddington, though that last has shown himself to be quite a shrewd fellow, barely showing up in episodes and keeping to his side of the security line, a position to keep Starfleet happy when Sisko's support of Odo isn't enough.
The key part of the episode is in our first introduction to a sympathetic Jem'Hadar character. There was the adolescent one last season, but he soon developed his race's need for violence and wanted to kill everyone. Goran'Agar is different. He shows the nobility that was heretofore an unknown facet of the soldier race. Scott MacDonald is one of the semi-regular faces of 90s Trek, playing a Romulan on 'TNG,' a bridge officer in the 'Voyager' pilot, and most memorably the alien Tosk, the first creature to come through the Wormhole. The makeup was similar in both roles, full headpieces and outfit, and both sympathetic characters. The difference is that O'Brien was all matey-matey with Tosk and hates Goran'Agar's guts, or at least, doesn't trust him.
Back in the first season when Tosk appeared, Miles was still quite similar to his 'TNG' character, a workman happy to do his job, doffing his cap to authority to some degree, even if he did go against Starfleet's wishes in helping Tosk escape. Generally he kept his opinions to himself, rolled up his sleeves and accepted whatever happened. In the intervening years he's grown to be much more experienced and open to expressing himself, perhaps a little grumpier from all the repairs he's had to carry out on DS9 and the troubles with Keiko (who apparently visits the station for a few days at a time between her job on Bajor). He's also become pretty close to Bashir, so when he disobeys a direct order because he feels it's against the Federation's interest, it's not against his character, but it is more surprising because the two friends are experiencing that difference in their rank and professions.
Bashir, as a doctor wants to help, even the Jem'Hadar, but at first he plays for time, getting the measure of Goran'Agar. The Jem'Hadar leader wins him over by showing him he's changed. He no longer wants the compulsory slavery enforced by the Dominion, shows compassion by not executing his injured soldier and Bashir listens to his new perceptions of life free of addiction with growing wonder. A merciful Jem'Hadar, who'd have thought! The race had become a bit like the Borg on 'TNG' and 'Voyager,' an unstoppable threat that had been used sparingly - the Dominion wasn't all revealed in one or two episodes, just the tip of the iceberg, and that tip was mainly to do with the soldier force that was incredibly loyal, bred for control. As always happens with Trek villains, they showed a balance by introducing at least one character that we can sympathise with. Goran'Agar was that character and he was great, played with suitable gravity by MacDonald.
The combination of those far-seeing eyes, staring into a future he dreams of for the men that have followed him, and the rasping, intensity of his voice that also retains the measured, warning tones of a leader, combined to create a believable man that could be both Jem'Hadar, yet also restrained. He shows that they can be reasonable beings once off the addictive drug ketracel-white, named for the first time in this episode. We never saw him die, and his story is left with the commander assuming the role of hunting down his remaining men, to give them a better death than they'll get from the effects of drug withdrawal. It shows that Jem'Hadar have as strongly defined a sense of honour as the Klingons. We also find out they revere the shapeshifters as almost mythical beings high above them, yet despise the Vorta, the race that works for the Founders, keeping them on a leash. He would have made a brilliant addition to the DS9 cast, but a new character had just arrived and his story would probably have been too similar to Odo's - isolated from his people, an outcast. They should at least have brought him back for an honourable death, but, like Kor in Season 7 there is something legendary about a character going off to his doom, never to be heard from again.
Rene Auberjonois did a good job with what he had. The downside was something that often happens in Trek episodes, which is filming outside locations on a soundstage. The jungle planet looked pretty good, especially the shots of the Runabout flying in, but one or two scenes felt smaller than they could have been: O'Brien's escape into the jungle doesn't show a lot of movement and could have done with shots of pursuit and running, though I did like the way he melts into the undergrowth. Likewise with the Jem'Hadar chasing him, we only really get an impression of a hunt, rather than seeing it. Good work with the branch contraption, though I don't know how he worked out exactly where the soldier was going to stand when it was activated! O'Brien's background as a soldier doesn't often come into play, but this episode makes me look forward to 'Empok Nor,' his definitive combat story, but as with the Tricorder, branch trap and transporter activation, he shows he's as much, if not more, an engineer.
One sequence I felt could have done with a greater impact, literally, was the crash-landing of the Runabout. O'Brien had control of the craft so I can see why there wasn't a big jolt when they landed, but the physical action didn't translate so well as other times when we've seen a small ship really crash. Otherwise it was fine, and I was very happy to hear the Runabout's name given (Rubicon) as we don't always hear which of the three it is. Since the Defiant's arrival the Runabouts have taken a back seat, so I always enjoy when they get an outing. Other links were the Jem'Hadar using the same forcefield circle seen in use previously in 'The Jem'Hadar,' and O'Brien's firing on Bashir's research in order to get him to go with him. Kira did the same thing to Mullibok's kiln in 'Progress' and both moments are affecting and provoke discussions about whether it was the right choice.
The episode doesn't have quite the level of action you'd expect from one featuring a posse of Jem'Hadar, but that would be rectified later in the season with 'To The Death.' Neither is there quite the level of engagement that the previous two episodes of the season had. Bashir and O'Brien's banter or their serious disagreement was certainly involving, but this wasn't an absolute classic like the first two episodes were. Rene Auberjonois mentioned in a recent interview that this was the episode of the eight he directed that stood out most to him, but he didn't say whether it was for good reasons or bad. The last minute swapping of directors didn't help, but I think it was better that an experienced director like David Livingston took on 'The Visitor' as Auberjonois may still have needed time to blossom in the role, though his first two I believe, are superior to this.
One thing stood out to me was how good the series looked at this point. The dark interiors of the station and deep blacks and blues of the planet at night gave every little light source even more contrast and attention. When O'Brien's mending the Runabout's innards, or Quark trains his red light over the illicit crystal, everything glows. There were also some specific shots that I liked - after Bashir orders the Chief to help against his will they turn away from each other and are framed in the centre, both looking in opposite directions. Also, when Goran'Agar tells the Doctor his story, the camera has them side on, but as he talks, it turns like a door as the Jem'Hadar also turns so that his face fills the screen as we get to the personal side of his story.
***
Monday, 5 September 2011
Reunion
DVD, Smallville S6 (Reunion)
From the title I was running through a list of people that it might refer to. Could it be Aquaman or Helen, or someone that had supposedly died, or an old enemy? It turned out to be unrelated to the series lore, but was one of those stories that cleverly integrated the early life of Lex into the present day. The episode starts off with a flashback to his schooldays, indicated by the special visual style of higher contrast with an almost washed-out colour palette that sells the age clearly and looks good. It comes into even more focus when we see the same place in the present when Lex attends a reunion at his school, ending in the death of an associate. It sets it up as a standard 'Smallville' whodunnit with superpower connotations, but takes it in a different direction. The actors playing the younger versions of Lex, Oliver Queen, the unfortunate Duncan and Queen's two friends looked similar to their older counterparts, Lex pretty good, but Queen was incredibly close to the actor's voice and face. If they ever do another flashback to Queen's earlier life they should use that guy again, though it's unlikely.
Giving Queen a skeleton in the cupboard and having him show remorse for his actions even to his enemy, Lex, adds more depth to his character and makes me like him even more, if I didn't already from his cool gadgetry and growing acquaintance with Clark. I wouldn't quite say they were bona fide mates just yet, but Clark feels comfortable just walking in to Queen's rooftop apartment, whereas Lex' door is firmly shut in his face, physically shutting the Medical Centre door in this episode when Lex stops him from seeing if Lana is okay after she and Lex are almost killed. The stuff going on between Lex and Queen is another part of the episode that really makes it work. Lex goes to see him and they get into a fight, Lex not realising, of course, who he's taking on, but then Queen saves his life when Duncan's mental powers cause glass doors to explode at them - one thing that often doesn't work for me is when they show glass shattering over people. It looks like the safety glass it is, all rounded edges and small pebbles rather than nasty-looking shards, which dents the reality a little.
Later, Queen is invited to Lex' place simply so Lex can thank him for saving his life. The whole incident the episode centres around let off some steam between the pair and allowed them a lull in their hostilities, admittedly a battle that has been waged quietly, behind the scenes. Lex mentions Queen's home is Star City as this is where he tells him to go back to. I assume this is a 'real' location that exists in the comics world, so I wonder if we'll ever see it. Probably not, as Metropolis is an expensive enough proposition, I imagine. One city I do know a bit about is Gotham, mentioned by one of Queen's friends just before his car gets blown up. It's weird, but I think it was only my last review when I was speculating about whether Batman and Gotham could ever be touched on in this series, so that was quite a thrill!
A deep, dark secret shared by Lex and Queen was a great idea for a story and the flashback sequences worked very well, as if they were a reality rather than some overly stylised dream sequence type scenes which have been done on the series many times. The secret was hardly difficult to work out: that the group of friends had caused the death of Duncan. But it had more resonance because Queen has been shown as this good guy, and it also makes us feel horror at the way Lex treats Duncan, his only friend, battering him for making him feel bad and for being a loser. Actions more in keeping with his current persona than the guy who was trying to put these kinds of things behind him, as in the early seasons.
Duncan Elemire might have been just the kind of positive influence that could have changed Lex if they had remained friends, wanting to become a lawyer to help the poor. But it's Lex' own ambitions and desire to be on the inside of anything that's going which destroys the boy, and ultimately adds to the evil path Lex was set on. I'm sure Duncan wasn't really evil, but had been turned that way through experimentation. Much of the damage to Lex was done by Lionel and we see a bit of the old Father come through for a change - since last season he's become a self-styled good guy, helping Clark and Martha and generally renouncing his previous actions. Yet here we find out that even to this day he's continued the meteor experiments that have ruined so many of his employee's lives. Everyone thinks Duncan died after Lex' beating and he staggered into the road to be run over, but he was actually kept on life support while the finest minds were employed to mend his brain. Queen and others assumed Lionel stepped in as an act of kindness, later realising it was just an act and that it was to cover up any stain on the Luthor name. The truth, that Lionel was actually using Duncan as another of his guinea-pigs is even worse and a throwback to his previous actions. How many of these experiments are still going on, bankrolled by the 'changed' Luthor, Sr.?
The directing was worthy of note. As well as the stylishly directed flashbacks, I noticed the use of low-down views used several times, which gave a different, more threatening look to scenes. The freak-of-the-week was intelligently done, as was the story, not something the series can often be praised for. It seems that whenever they focus on Oliver Queen they come up with better ideas. We'd seen telekinetic meteor powers before, as early as Season 1, and I wasn't keen on the supposed 'astral projection' which is going into territory I don't think the series should, and has done several times with witches and vampires and stuff, instead of the more established Kryptonian effects. Of course it was still explained away as being meteor juice, and the effect worked, as did Queen's newest high-tech arrow, packing an EMP blast! Handy that an enemy came long who could be defeated by it just at the time of its invention. I love the interaction between Clark and Queen, such as Clark arriving unannounced and catching the arrow in mid-air, showing he's happy to be around someone who he trusts with his secret.
There's also the fun scene when Chloe first meets Queen, and I thought the B-story of the 'Zoners' as she coins them, causing trouble in spots around the world was organically arrived at, using the fact that Queen's satellites were the only ones to capture data on Dark Thursday to connect him to the story. I haven't been a fan of Dark Thursday and its repercussions as it sounds so cliched, but this did at least set up Clark for further adventures with dangerous beings for him to fight, ending the episode with the fact that Rya, the friend/enemy who went back and forth with Clark in the Phantom Zone, is on Earth. One of the most amusing scenes is Lois' way of disregarding everything Clark's been through in the series and his life - he states that sometimes people keep secrets from those close to them to protect them, and she comes right back saying simply that 'it's retarded.' A simple mind, I'm sure she wasn't quite such a dumb person when she first joined the series, though she was always blunt.
***
From the title I was running through a list of people that it might refer to. Could it be Aquaman or Helen, or someone that had supposedly died, or an old enemy? It turned out to be unrelated to the series lore, but was one of those stories that cleverly integrated the early life of Lex into the present day. The episode starts off with a flashback to his schooldays, indicated by the special visual style of higher contrast with an almost washed-out colour palette that sells the age clearly and looks good. It comes into even more focus when we see the same place in the present when Lex attends a reunion at his school, ending in the death of an associate. It sets it up as a standard 'Smallville' whodunnit with superpower connotations, but takes it in a different direction. The actors playing the younger versions of Lex, Oliver Queen, the unfortunate Duncan and Queen's two friends looked similar to their older counterparts, Lex pretty good, but Queen was incredibly close to the actor's voice and face. If they ever do another flashback to Queen's earlier life they should use that guy again, though it's unlikely.
Giving Queen a skeleton in the cupboard and having him show remorse for his actions even to his enemy, Lex, adds more depth to his character and makes me like him even more, if I didn't already from his cool gadgetry and growing acquaintance with Clark. I wouldn't quite say they were bona fide mates just yet, but Clark feels comfortable just walking in to Queen's rooftop apartment, whereas Lex' door is firmly shut in his face, physically shutting the Medical Centre door in this episode when Lex stops him from seeing if Lana is okay after she and Lex are almost killed. The stuff going on between Lex and Queen is another part of the episode that really makes it work. Lex goes to see him and they get into a fight, Lex not realising, of course, who he's taking on, but then Queen saves his life when Duncan's mental powers cause glass doors to explode at them - one thing that often doesn't work for me is when they show glass shattering over people. It looks like the safety glass it is, all rounded edges and small pebbles rather than nasty-looking shards, which dents the reality a little.
Later, Queen is invited to Lex' place simply so Lex can thank him for saving his life. The whole incident the episode centres around let off some steam between the pair and allowed them a lull in their hostilities, admittedly a battle that has been waged quietly, behind the scenes. Lex mentions Queen's home is Star City as this is where he tells him to go back to. I assume this is a 'real' location that exists in the comics world, so I wonder if we'll ever see it. Probably not, as Metropolis is an expensive enough proposition, I imagine. One city I do know a bit about is Gotham, mentioned by one of Queen's friends just before his car gets blown up. It's weird, but I think it was only my last review when I was speculating about whether Batman and Gotham could ever be touched on in this series, so that was quite a thrill!
A deep, dark secret shared by Lex and Queen was a great idea for a story and the flashback sequences worked very well, as if they were a reality rather than some overly stylised dream sequence type scenes which have been done on the series many times. The secret was hardly difficult to work out: that the group of friends had caused the death of Duncan. But it had more resonance because Queen has been shown as this good guy, and it also makes us feel horror at the way Lex treats Duncan, his only friend, battering him for making him feel bad and for being a loser. Actions more in keeping with his current persona than the guy who was trying to put these kinds of things behind him, as in the early seasons.
Duncan Elemire might have been just the kind of positive influence that could have changed Lex if they had remained friends, wanting to become a lawyer to help the poor. But it's Lex' own ambitions and desire to be on the inside of anything that's going which destroys the boy, and ultimately adds to the evil path Lex was set on. I'm sure Duncan wasn't really evil, but had been turned that way through experimentation. Much of the damage to Lex was done by Lionel and we see a bit of the old Father come through for a change - since last season he's become a self-styled good guy, helping Clark and Martha and generally renouncing his previous actions. Yet here we find out that even to this day he's continued the meteor experiments that have ruined so many of his employee's lives. Everyone thinks Duncan died after Lex' beating and he staggered into the road to be run over, but he was actually kept on life support while the finest minds were employed to mend his brain. Queen and others assumed Lionel stepped in as an act of kindness, later realising it was just an act and that it was to cover up any stain on the Luthor name. The truth, that Lionel was actually using Duncan as another of his guinea-pigs is even worse and a throwback to his previous actions. How many of these experiments are still going on, bankrolled by the 'changed' Luthor, Sr.?
The directing was worthy of note. As well as the stylishly directed flashbacks, I noticed the use of low-down views used several times, which gave a different, more threatening look to scenes. The freak-of-the-week was intelligently done, as was the story, not something the series can often be praised for. It seems that whenever they focus on Oliver Queen they come up with better ideas. We'd seen telekinetic meteor powers before, as early as Season 1, and I wasn't keen on the supposed 'astral projection' which is going into territory I don't think the series should, and has done several times with witches and vampires and stuff, instead of the more established Kryptonian effects. Of course it was still explained away as being meteor juice, and the effect worked, as did Queen's newest high-tech arrow, packing an EMP blast! Handy that an enemy came long who could be defeated by it just at the time of its invention. I love the interaction between Clark and Queen, such as Clark arriving unannounced and catching the arrow in mid-air, showing he's happy to be around someone who he trusts with his secret.
There's also the fun scene when Chloe first meets Queen, and I thought the B-story of the 'Zoners' as she coins them, causing trouble in spots around the world was organically arrived at, using the fact that Queen's satellites were the only ones to capture data on Dark Thursday to connect him to the story. I haven't been a fan of Dark Thursday and its repercussions as it sounds so cliched, but this did at least set up Clark for further adventures with dangerous beings for him to fight, ending the episode with the fact that Rya, the friend/enemy who went back and forth with Clark in the Phantom Zone, is on Earth. One of the most amusing scenes is Lois' way of disregarding everything Clark's been through in the series and his life - he states that sometimes people keep secrets from those close to them to protect them, and she comes right back saying simply that 'it's retarded.' A simple mind, I'm sure she wasn't quite such a dumb person when she first joined the series, though she was always blunt.
***
Exodus
DVD, Stargate SG-1 S4 (Exodus)
Heavy on talk, light on much else, this follows the established pattern of being a bit of a damp squib to end the season, like they're treading water until they force the pieces into place for a cliffhanger ending, no bad thing in itself, but wasting the majority of the episode. The continuity hangs over it like a weight, with lists of dead Goa'uld, reminders of all the Tok'ra/Apophis stories and a general waffle about the situation things have come to. The colour palette, something which shouldn't make any difference to the enjoyment of an episode if the story is good enough, stuck in my mind, proving I wasn't engaged. The first half everything was beige: the sandy planet the Tok'ra base was on, the desert combat uniforms, the Tok'ra's wardrobe, it was all porridge, the story feeling like it was sat in a bowl of the stuff, not going anywhere. Then the second half was all black, the ship they travel on, space, and not even some good effects work (for ten years ago) could pull me out of apathy.
There were a lot of 'Star Wars' ideas in there, only they were scaled on a TV budget, and one that had reached the bottom of the purse, or so it seemed to me - the desert location looks like they made an effort, but what happened there was mostly dull. The Tok'ra base that has to be abandoned because Apophis and his fleet of ships are on the way is 'The Empire Strikes Back,' we get the huge round thing that has to be blown up - this time it's a star rather than the Death Star, but the idea's the same. We even have all the decoy death gliders flying off like that bit at the end of 'A New Hope' just before the Trench run. There's Teal'c and O'Neill going off on a separate tangent to everyone else, a bit like Luke going off in his X-Wing alone, there's even the scene where the two of them are walking in the desert that made me think of C-3PO and R2-D2. I'm not suggesting they shouldn't use 'Star Wars' for inspiration or even that they did all this intentionally, but even with all the stuff talked - the Tok'ra and the Goa'uld and Tanith the spy they were feeding false information, it feels quite generic space sci-fi.
Whenever they go off in these spaceships it always comes off feeling like a second-rate 'Star Trek,' and I find it works better when the series is playing to its strengths, which tend to be missions on planets and weird stuff happening with the 'gate. I also felt there was a danger that Stargates could lose their lustre if they're shown to be disposable items that are easy come, easy go, such as when they loose the one aboard the ship so it can fly into the star, tying into the established address of the black hole planet. The visuals were good, the concept cheapens the 'gate a little.
Apophis is the guy who keeps coming back. They've done a lot with him over the four years, at his best when he died. I have the idea people were getting a bit tired of him by this point, a symptom of not really learning much about him or deepening his character with each appearance. He's become a mere menace, and a personal enemy for the team. I can almost begin to see why they moved away from the character in other seasons and I sense he ain't going to last much longer. Plus, how many times can they play Teal'c captured by one of these enemies who wants him dead and yet they always take ages to get around to killing him and he escapes! Not that I want to see Teal'c dead. One of the few things that hinted at being compelling was his conversation with Daniel about vengeance, and it would be interesting to see that developed, because Teal'c is a warrior so he would be more inclined towards such violent reprisal, but you also hope that being with humans might have made him question some of those things.
There isn't an awful lot of character to the story, and Tanith was just as Jack described him, a walking cliche. The sinister, villainous way he spoke was unnecessary and shines a harsh light on the lack of dimension that is often inherent in the series. What keeps me coming back is the interplay between the main four, and I felt even that was lacking this time as mainly it was technobabble or political comment between them. The cliffhanger succeeds in leaving me wondering, but I wish it had been arrived at logically or that a more enjoyable story could have built to it. Both Apophis' ship (with the captured Teal'c aboard), and the team's ship (with Jacob aboard), are knocked out of hyperspace when escaping the star's shockwave leaving them stranded over a hundred years from home space and in another galaxy. Radical. Not remembering what happens next I sincerely hope the opening to Season 5 makes the most with that scenario.
**
Heavy on talk, light on much else, this follows the established pattern of being a bit of a damp squib to end the season, like they're treading water until they force the pieces into place for a cliffhanger ending, no bad thing in itself, but wasting the majority of the episode. The continuity hangs over it like a weight, with lists of dead Goa'uld, reminders of all the Tok'ra/Apophis stories and a general waffle about the situation things have come to. The colour palette, something which shouldn't make any difference to the enjoyment of an episode if the story is good enough, stuck in my mind, proving I wasn't engaged. The first half everything was beige: the sandy planet the Tok'ra base was on, the desert combat uniforms, the Tok'ra's wardrobe, it was all porridge, the story feeling like it was sat in a bowl of the stuff, not going anywhere. Then the second half was all black, the ship they travel on, space, and not even some good effects work (for ten years ago) could pull me out of apathy.
There were a lot of 'Star Wars' ideas in there, only they were scaled on a TV budget, and one that had reached the bottom of the purse, or so it seemed to me - the desert location looks like they made an effort, but what happened there was mostly dull. The Tok'ra base that has to be abandoned because Apophis and his fleet of ships are on the way is 'The Empire Strikes Back,' we get the huge round thing that has to be blown up - this time it's a star rather than the Death Star, but the idea's the same. We even have all the decoy death gliders flying off like that bit at the end of 'A New Hope' just before the Trench run. There's Teal'c and O'Neill going off on a separate tangent to everyone else, a bit like Luke going off in his X-Wing alone, there's even the scene where the two of them are walking in the desert that made me think of C-3PO and R2-D2. I'm not suggesting they shouldn't use 'Star Wars' for inspiration or even that they did all this intentionally, but even with all the stuff talked - the Tok'ra and the Goa'uld and Tanith the spy they were feeding false information, it feels quite generic space sci-fi.
Whenever they go off in these spaceships it always comes off feeling like a second-rate 'Star Trek,' and I find it works better when the series is playing to its strengths, which tend to be missions on planets and weird stuff happening with the 'gate. I also felt there was a danger that Stargates could lose their lustre if they're shown to be disposable items that are easy come, easy go, such as when they loose the one aboard the ship so it can fly into the star, tying into the established address of the black hole planet. The visuals were good, the concept cheapens the 'gate a little.
Apophis is the guy who keeps coming back. They've done a lot with him over the four years, at his best when he died. I have the idea people were getting a bit tired of him by this point, a symptom of not really learning much about him or deepening his character with each appearance. He's become a mere menace, and a personal enemy for the team. I can almost begin to see why they moved away from the character in other seasons and I sense he ain't going to last much longer. Plus, how many times can they play Teal'c captured by one of these enemies who wants him dead and yet they always take ages to get around to killing him and he escapes! Not that I want to see Teal'c dead. One of the few things that hinted at being compelling was his conversation with Daniel about vengeance, and it would be interesting to see that developed, because Teal'c is a warrior so he would be more inclined towards such violent reprisal, but you also hope that being with humans might have made him question some of those things.
There isn't an awful lot of character to the story, and Tanith was just as Jack described him, a walking cliche. The sinister, villainous way he spoke was unnecessary and shines a harsh light on the lack of dimension that is often inherent in the series. What keeps me coming back is the interplay between the main four, and I felt even that was lacking this time as mainly it was technobabble or political comment between them. The cliffhanger succeeds in leaving me wondering, but I wish it had been arrived at logically or that a more enjoyable story could have built to it. Both Apophis' ship (with the captured Teal'c aboard), and the team's ship (with Jacob aboard), are knocked out of hyperspace when escaping the star's shockwave leaving them stranded over a hundred years from home space and in another galaxy. Radical. Not remembering what happens next I sincerely hope the opening to Season 5 makes the most with that scenario.
**
The Visitor
DVD, DS9 S4 (The Visitor)
Nothing to do with Nana Visitor or any of her relatives, sometimes a simple title says everything that needs to be said. It's about both Melanie visiting old Jake, and more importantly, Sisko visiting his son throughout the course of his life. But it's just plain wrong: a season has no right to start off as strongly as this season did. They pulled out all the stops for the feature-length opener and then, instead of resting on their laurels or doing the obvious and centring on new arrival Worf, they topped it with this one, widely regarded as one of the best 'DS9' and even best 'Star Trek' episodes full stop. It's so very different to the style of the previous story, which is what you want, but some viewers coming to it the first time may have been surprised that all the setup with the Klingons, and Worf coming to the station didn't drive this episode. It does link in to the story with an insight into what could happen - the Dominion keeps quiet, the Klingons take over Bajoran space, eventually the Federation withdraws from the station, turning it over to the Klingons, and the Bajorans abandon it soon after Sisko's death as a sign from the Prophets, and make a pact with the Cardassians. There are distant echoes of truth in some of these eventualities, but not all.
The Dominion were never going to sit idly by on their side of the Wormhole, but the Bajorans did make a pact to protect themselves from war, and technically it was with the Cardassians as they joined the Dominion. Jadzia's ripe old age was one future which would not come true, but Nog becoming a Starfleet officer did come to pass. It's a joy to see him rise up the ranks, and no one would have predicted that we would have seen him as Captain Nog (they really should have released an action figure!), before we even saw him go off to the Academy. One little niggle is that he seems to be ranked higher than Dax and Bashir on the Defiant in the future, but they may have retired from Starfleet and returned solely to help Nog and Jake. The episode allows us a glimpse into a possible future far beyond the length and scope of the series, well into the character's lifespans, something that could never have been done in real time. I still want a new TV series set in the 25th Century with the successive Dax host to Ezri in the cast! I want to see those three-dimensional displays that Bashir's used to working on when he points out how quaint the 2D Defiant computer panels are.
The future of the Trek universe never ceases to be mind-blowing, as full of potential and fascination as the gaps in the 21st-24th centuries. Even in this setting there was already a precedent with 'TNG' final episode 'All Good Things…' and the makers kept to that, cementing the look of that future period just as 'Voyager' would continue it. It's a treat to be able to see so many decades ahead even if we don't get a good idea of the technology of the time or see any ships, with only the uniforms and combadges, as well as the character's ages, to create the impression of the future. Alexander Siddig had already appeared at that great age in last season's 'Distant Voices.' I like the fact the Defiant is still around and operational even if it had to be 'taken out of mothballs' which makes me think it was in a starship museum somewhere. Mothballs are a better fate than destruction by the Jem'Hadar as actually happened in the final episodes of the series.
There are many references to enjoy - the old joke about Morn talking the ears off people gets a new spin when we find out he's taken over the bar after Quark leaves to purchase the moon he's always wanted. But Rom is still helping him out and there's not a mention of Leeta or his approaching change of heart, but even if they knew about that then, would they have told us? It could have ruined the surprise. There's another mention of Grandad Sisko, this time something to prime us for what we'd actually see - Sisko's Creole Restaurant. The book his Grandfather was so proud of would actually be started this season. One of the most fun details is that Melanie, the girl who wants to be a writer, was played by Andrew Robinson's son Rachel. She brings a warmth to the role, careful not to overstep her welcome, but completely enthralled by Jake, her favourite author.
I wonder if Melanie's timeline would have continued even though Sisko goes back to his 'proper' time? Even if it didn't she might still become an avid reader of Jake's work as he continued to write, and she'd probably have a lot more to read as he'd likely write many more books without his Father's predicament to occupy his mind. But what am I saying? Just such a predicament happened at the end of the series, so perhaps Jake was always destined to have a lonely life without both parents. At least in that scenario Sisko promised to return, and he wasn't going to be popping up every few years without warning.
The rest of the cast don't feature much as this is definitely a Jake episode (ironic then that Cirroc Lofton plays his character less than Tony Todd), but their scenes live up to the rest of the story. One of my favourite shots is on the promenade: we see the place packed full of people from so many races that have come far and wide for Sisko's memorial. Kira speaks about him and we pan over the faces of the crew; O'Brien, Bashir, Quark, Morn, and as we move round we come to someone more personally affected, Dax, and then continue on, to end on the most affected person there: Jake. Powerful filmmaking. Although I'm happy they got a more experienced actor to portray Jake in the future scenes, Lofton proves he is a very good actor in the moments he's given. He shows great sadness in the scenes with the others, such as Dax comforting him or when he's gazing out of some isolated viewport on the station. Kira comes to urge him to leave the station and it's all shot in silhouette as if we are hidden in the shadows watching this moment. Though we can't clearly see the expressions on their faces everything comes through in the voices and body language. The distress is most keen when Sisko is literally snatched out of Jake's hands in the infirmary and he breaks down completely.
Even Quark gives Jake an easier time of it, generously allowing Nog and him to use the holosuite though he'd wanted Nog to do some chores. Worf is one person we see very little. He'd only just arrived in the previous episode and yet he's hardly used. It should have quelled any fears people had that it would become The Worf Show. Presumably Michael Dorn would have understood that he was part of an ensemble and although he'd been promised juicy stories he wasn't going to get them all the time. After the first episode he was probably glad of a break, this was actually the third episode filmed - 'Hippocratic Oath' went before the cameras first. The big change for Kira is her new uniform. Whether it was snuck in on an episode in which she wasn't the focus I don't know, as it's odd she wasn't wearing it in the season opener, but it suits her new, less militaristic hairstyle much better than the standard shoulder pad Bajoran suit she'd worn in the first three seasons.
The one actor that deserves maximum credit on this episode is without doubt Tony Todd. Tony Todd is one of the greats. I've only seen him in episodes of 'TNG,' 'DS9,' 'Voyager' and 'Smallville' but he never fails to leave an impression, just like Jeffrey Combs. Actually, after those two names it's difficult to come up with one that crosses into so many series' with such ability and impact in the characters they played. His eyes are so expressive as both the middle-aged and old versions of Jake. When he sees his Father they light up with great joy, but shine with deep sadness when he tells his story to Melanie the mixed emotions telling their own story. He knows it will all be over soon, glad his younger self won't live the life he lived, yet there's also the melancholy of old age and coming to the end of life, the reflection on all that has happened and even some happiness in the devotion Melanie expresses towards him. One of the best moments is when he passes on his Father's words to her about poking your head up every once in a while to notice life going on around you, because you can miss it if you don't.
One of the saddest things about Jake's life are the wrenching moments when Sisko reappears. At first it's full of confusion, but gradually the situation is understood. Jake can't move on with his life because his Father isn't truly dead, living for the next moment he'll see him because the reappearances are so infrequent. He has to keep going and at first he thrives, writing, getting married, settling into life. But in his later years he becomes so obsessed with saving his Father he loses everything, and even in the short moments he shares with him he's too concerned with finding a solution he can't savour those times. It's hard on Sisko too, but so little time passed for him that he doesn't have such strong reactions. He's bemused by it all, becomes satisfied Jake is living a good life. Though he doesn't have time to think too deeply about it all, he points out that his son is now older than he is. But Jake does learn. He does what he can to rebuild his life because he knows his Father will come one last time and that will be the moment he can save him. Only in science fiction could you have a Father visit his son in old age. It must have been an unforgettable experience for him - it's not made clear whether he remembers everything that happened, but from the way he's so protective of Jake I think he did.
The old makeup is some of the best I've ever seen. The ancient Jake looks quite sprightly, but then you have to remember that eighty isn't as old in that time as it is nowadays. In the 24th (or 25th century as it is then), living well over a hundred is expected, making Jake's death more of a sacrifice - as his Father says, he could have many years left. The episode was nominated for an Emmy (beaten by 'Voyager' episode 'Threshold' of all things - a wilder injustice would be hard to imagine!). It was also nominated for a Hugo. It didn't win either, and in my opinion was snubbed. The modern equivalent of 'The City on The Edge of Forever,' I like to think there are certain episodes that personify a 'Star Trek' episode type: 'Conspiracy' was the goriest, 'The Thaw' may have been the scariest, and 'The Visitor' was the most affecting. You really empathise with the characters; Jake's lifelong endeavour to find a way to rescue his Father; Sisko's horror that Jake has wasted his life in this pursuit, or his great pride and pleasure in his son's achievements. Season 4's one-two punch of opening episodes satisfied both action and character, ensemble and personal, and for so many reasons I will always remember this episode as one of the best.
*****
Nothing to do with Nana Visitor or any of her relatives, sometimes a simple title says everything that needs to be said. It's about both Melanie visiting old Jake, and more importantly, Sisko visiting his son throughout the course of his life. But it's just plain wrong: a season has no right to start off as strongly as this season did. They pulled out all the stops for the feature-length opener and then, instead of resting on their laurels or doing the obvious and centring on new arrival Worf, they topped it with this one, widely regarded as one of the best 'DS9' and even best 'Star Trek' episodes full stop. It's so very different to the style of the previous story, which is what you want, but some viewers coming to it the first time may have been surprised that all the setup with the Klingons, and Worf coming to the station didn't drive this episode. It does link in to the story with an insight into what could happen - the Dominion keeps quiet, the Klingons take over Bajoran space, eventually the Federation withdraws from the station, turning it over to the Klingons, and the Bajorans abandon it soon after Sisko's death as a sign from the Prophets, and make a pact with the Cardassians. There are distant echoes of truth in some of these eventualities, but not all.
The Dominion were never going to sit idly by on their side of the Wormhole, but the Bajorans did make a pact to protect themselves from war, and technically it was with the Cardassians as they joined the Dominion. Jadzia's ripe old age was one future which would not come true, but Nog becoming a Starfleet officer did come to pass. It's a joy to see him rise up the ranks, and no one would have predicted that we would have seen him as Captain Nog (they really should have released an action figure!), before we even saw him go off to the Academy. One little niggle is that he seems to be ranked higher than Dax and Bashir on the Defiant in the future, but they may have retired from Starfleet and returned solely to help Nog and Jake. The episode allows us a glimpse into a possible future far beyond the length and scope of the series, well into the character's lifespans, something that could never have been done in real time. I still want a new TV series set in the 25th Century with the successive Dax host to Ezri in the cast! I want to see those three-dimensional displays that Bashir's used to working on when he points out how quaint the 2D Defiant computer panels are.
The future of the Trek universe never ceases to be mind-blowing, as full of potential and fascination as the gaps in the 21st-24th centuries. Even in this setting there was already a precedent with 'TNG' final episode 'All Good Things…' and the makers kept to that, cementing the look of that future period just as 'Voyager' would continue it. It's a treat to be able to see so many decades ahead even if we don't get a good idea of the technology of the time or see any ships, with only the uniforms and combadges, as well as the character's ages, to create the impression of the future. Alexander Siddig had already appeared at that great age in last season's 'Distant Voices.' I like the fact the Defiant is still around and operational even if it had to be 'taken out of mothballs' which makes me think it was in a starship museum somewhere. Mothballs are a better fate than destruction by the Jem'Hadar as actually happened in the final episodes of the series.
There are many references to enjoy - the old joke about Morn talking the ears off people gets a new spin when we find out he's taken over the bar after Quark leaves to purchase the moon he's always wanted. But Rom is still helping him out and there's not a mention of Leeta or his approaching change of heart, but even if they knew about that then, would they have told us? It could have ruined the surprise. There's another mention of Grandad Sisko, this time something to prime us for what we'd actually see - Sisko's Creole Restaurant. The book his Grandfather was so proud of would actually be started this season. One of the most fun details is that Melanie, the girl who wants to be a writer, was played by Andrew Robinson's son Rachel. She brings a warmth to the role, careful not to overstep her welcome, but completely enthralled by Jake, her favourite author.
I wonder if Melanie's timeline would have continued even though Sisko goes back to his 'proper' time? Even if it didn't she might still become an avid reader of Jake's work as he continued to write, and she'd probably have a lot more to read as he'd likely write many more books without his Father's predicament to occupy his mind. But what am I saying? Just such a predicament happened at the end of the series, so perhaps Jake was always destined to have a lonely life without both parents. At least in that scenario Sisko promised to return, and he wasn't going to be popping up every few years without warning.
The rest of the cast don't feature much as this is definitely a Jake episode (ironic then that Cirroc Lofton plays his character less than Tony Todd), but their scenes live up to the rest of the story. One of my favourite shots is on the promenade: we see the place packed full of people from so many races that have come far and wide for Sisko's memorial. Kira speaks about him and we pan over the faces of the crew; O'Brien, Bashir, Quark, Morn, and as we move round we come to someone more personally affected, Dax, and then continue on, to end on the most affected person there: Jake. Powerful filmmaking. Although I'm happy they got a more experienced actor to portray Jake in the future scenes, Lofton proves he is a very good actor in the moments he's given. He shows great sadness in the scenes with the others, such as Dax comforting him or when he's gazing out of some isolated viewport on the station. Kira comes to urge him to leave the station and it's all shot in silhouette as if we are hidden in the shadows watching this moment. Though we can't clearly see the expressions on their faces everything comes through in the voices and body language. The distress is most keen when Sisko is literally snatched out of Jake's hands in the infirmary and he breaks down completely.
Even Quark gives Jake an easier time of it, generously allowing Nog and him to use the holosuite though he'd wanted Nog to do some chores. Worf is one person we see very little. He'd only just arrived in the previous episode and yet he's hardly used. It should have quelled any fears people had that it would become The Worf Show. Presumably Michael Dorn would have understood that he was part of an ensemble and although he'd been promised juicy stories he wasn't going to get them all the time. After the first episode he was probably glad of a break, this was actually the third episode filmed - 'Hippocratic Oath' went before the cameras first. The big change for Kira is her new uniform. Whether it was snuck in on an episode in which she wasn't the focus I don't know, as it's odd she wasn't wearing it in the season opener, but it suits her new, less militaristic hairstyle much better than the standard shoulder pad Bajoran suit she'd worn in the first three seasons.
The one actor that deserves maximum credit on this episode is without doubt Tony Todd. Tony Todd is one of the greats. I've only seen him in episodes of 'TNG,' 'DS9,' 'Voyager' and 'Smallville' but he never fails to leave an impression, just like Jeffrey Combs. Actually, after those two names it's difficult to come up with one that crosses into so many series' with such ability and impact in the characters they played. His eyes are so expressive as both the middle-aged and old versions of Jake. When he sees his Father they light up with great joy, but shine with deep sadness when he tells his story to Melanie the mixed emotions telling their own story. He knows it will all be over soon, glad his younger self won't live the life he lived, yet there's also the melancholy of old age and coming to the end of life, the reflection on all that has happened and even some happiness in the devotion Melanie expresses towards him. One of the best moments is when he passes on his Father's words to her about poking your head up every once in a while to notice life going on around you, because you can miss it if you don't.
One of the saddest things about Jake's life are the wrenching moments when Sisko reappears. At first it's full of confusion, but gradually the situation is understood. Jake can't move on with his life because his Father isn't truly dead, living for the next moment he'll see him because the reappearances are so infrequent. He has to keep going and at first he thrives, writing, getting married, settling into life. But in his later years he becomes so obsessed with saving his Father he loses everything, and even in the short moments he shares with him he's too concerned with finding a solution he can't savour those times. It's hard on Sisko too, but so little time passed for him that he doesn't have such strong reactions. He's bemused by it all, becomes satisfied Jake is living a good life. Though he doesn't have time to think too deeply about it all, he points out that his son is now older than he is. But Jake does learn. He does what he can to rebuild his life because he knows his Father will come one last time and that will be the moment he can save him. Only in science fiction could you have a Father visit his son in old age. It must have been an unforgettable experience for him - it's not made clear whether he remembers everything that happened, but from the way he's so protective of Jake I think he did.
The old makeup is some of the best I've ever seen. The ancient Jake looks quite sprightly, but then you have to remember that eighty isn't as old in that time as it is nowadays. In the 24th (or 25th century as it is then), living well over a hundred is expected, making Jake's death more of a sacrifice - as his Father says, he could have many years left. The episode was nominated for an Emmy (beaten by 'Voyager' episode 'Threshold' of all things - a wilder injustice would be hard to imagine!). It was also nominated for a Hugo. It didn't win either, and in my opinion was snubbed. The modern equivalent of 'The City on The Edge of Forever,' I like to think there are certain episodes that personify a 'Star Trek' episode type: 'Conspiracy' was the goriest, 'The Thaw' may have been the scariest, and 'The Visitor' was the most affecting. You really empathise with the characters; Jake's lifelong endeavour to find a way to rescue his Father; Sisko's horror that Jake has wasted his life in this pursuit, or his great pride and pleasure in his son's achievements. Season 4's one-two punch of opening episodes satisfied both action and character, ensemble and personal, and for so many reasons I will always remember this episode as one of the best.
*****
Realm of Fear
DVD, TNG S6 (Realm of Fear)
I had a frustrating time with this episode, not because of anything wrong with the story, but thanks to a fault in technology: my DVD disc had something wrong with it, perhaps from a scratch, and so two or three times it skipped over the damaged area meaning I lost three or four minutes - just before Reg, O'Brien and Geordi have a look at the transporter pad, then during the autopsy of Kelly, skipping ahead until Reg leaves Ten Forward. Such annoyances can really colour the perception of an episode and I suppose I should feel fortunate that on my many DVDs I haven't had a problem like this for years.
In spite of problems with the medium I did enjoy the episode, Reg Barclay's third appearance on the series. As always, his nervous problems cause him to feel as though no one will take him seriously, and for once his phobia is understandable. Just think about what being transported actually means and then consider if you would be willing to hop on the pad. The episode is notable for being the first, perhaps even the only one to feature being transported from the transportees eye view. It's actually beautiful to behold, like a shimmering crystalline snowfall all around. One thing I never liked was that people were seen to move within the beam. To me it would make more sense that a person who was having their molecules disassembled and then reassembled would be frozen because you couldn't move your arm if there were molecules missing from it. The argument may be that all the hard work has been pretty much done when we see people phasing in so maybe that's why they can move, but I always preferred it when people kept stock still.
Sometimes background knowledge can very slightly detract from an episode. Usually it's not a problem, but knowing the grey, worm-like entities in the beam were really Dan Curry waving a sock puppet around did lose some of the impact. It may not have helped they were one of the less successful designs. Still, that moment when Barclay is justified by reaching out and grasping his fear only for it to be revealed as a person caught in the matter stream was a brilliant ending. Barclay's a hero and it's such a surprising conclusion. I also like the moment he wakes the senior staff and though they have reservations they do believe him whereas in the past they might have been a bit dismissive.
I did think the dangerous experiment Geordi, Data and Reg carry out in engineering would have been better suited to a science lab rather than a few metres away from the warp core! They did know there was a likelihood of explosion as that was what had happened on the other ship, and what if the containment field had failed? There's a lot of O'Brien in the episode, he and Barclay finding some common ground, which is really nice, but I don't remember Christina the tarantula ever being mentioned on 'DS9,' so maybe Keiko was partial to spider lasagne? We also hear O'Brien's been a transporter operator for twenty-two years and never lost someone in the job which was reassuring. Of course Reg is in distinguished company over his fear of transporters - Dr. McCoy felt the same way about the 'contraption' as he would probably have called it. It's fun hearing Reg point out stellar cartography as he walks the decks. One set that wouldn't be seen until 'Generations.'
***
I had a frustrating time with this episode, not because of anything wrong with the story, but thanks to a fault in technology: my DVD disc had something wrong with it, perhaps from a scratch, and so two or three times it skipped over the damaged area meaning I lost three or four minutes - just before Reg, O'Brien and Geordi have a look at the transporter pad, then during the autopsy of Kelly, skipping ahead until Reg leaves Ten Forward. Such annoyances can really colour the perception of an episode and I suppose I should feel fortunate that on my many DVDs I haven't had a problem like this for years.
In spite of problems with the medium I did enjoy the episode, Reg Barclay's third appearance on the series. As always, his nervous problems cause him to feel as though no one will take him seriously, and for once his phobia is understandable. Just think about what being transported actually means and then consider if you would be willing to hop on the pad. The episode is notable for being the first, perhaps even the only one to feature being transported from the transportees eye view. It's actually beautiful to behold, like a shimmering crystalline snowfall all around. One thing I never liked was that people were seen to move within the beam. To me it would make more sense that a person who was having their molecules disassembled and then reassembled would be frozen because you couldn't move your arm if there were molecules missing from it. The argument may be that all the hard work has been pretty much done when we see people phasing in so maybe that's why they can move, but I always preferred it when people kept stock still.
Sometimes background knowledge can very slightly detract from an episode. Usually it's not a problem, but knowing the grey, worm-like entities in the beam were really Dan Curry waving a sock puppet around did lose some of the impact. It may not have helped they were one of the less successful designs. Still, that moment when Barclay is justified by reaching out and grasping his fear only for it to be revealed as a person caught in the matter stream was a brilliant ending. Barclay's a hero and it's such a surprising conclusion. I also like the moment he wakes the senior staff and though they have reservations they do believe him whereas in the past they might have been a bit dismissive.
I did think the dangerous experiment Geordi, Data and Reg carry out in engineering would have been better suited to a science lab rather than a few metres away from the warp core! They did know there was a likelihood of explosion as that was what had happened on the other ship, and what if the containment field had failed? There's a lot of O'Brien in the episode, he and Barclay finding some common ground, which is really nice, but I don't remember Christina the tarantula ever being mentioned on 'DS9,' so maybe Keiko was partial to spider lasagne? We also hear O'Brien's been a transporter operator for twenty-two years and never lost someone in the job which was reassuring. Of course Reg is in distinguished company over his fear of transporters - Dr. McCoy felt the same way about the 'contraption' as he would probably have called it. It's fun hearing Reg point out stellar cartography as he walks the decks. One set that wouldn't be seen until 'Generations.'
***
The Breach
DVD, Enterprise S2 (The Breach)
It must have been like coming home for Robert Duncan McNeill to direct in the old cave set! It may not have been the exact same construction he acted in on 'Voyager,' but I bet it brought back memories ('Blood Fever' or something?). The episode was significantly better than my first impression of it had been when I saw it years ago. It was actually one that gave Phlox a strong episode more for the character than quirkiness or medical capability, but something that made an impact on him. It was also a good episode for Archer who shows some confidence in his situation and stands up against the regime to keep them to their agreement of allowing the rescue mission a certain amount of time, as well as standing up to his Doctor to make sure things ran smoothly.
Phlox' story of extreme inherited prejudice between the Denobulans and a race they were at war with three hundred years previously, the Antarans, had more impact than the action-oriented rescue mission for the three boys, Travis, Tucker and Reed. Travis has suddenly been given actual importance to stories, beginning with last episode, and it makes me question why he's been tied up on the conn so much for the majority of the series? On the other side of the coin, T'Pol and Hoshi don't have important roles, but they do at least get a scene or two, whether it was Hoshi's distaste at Phlox introducing her to a cute li'l' Tribble which he proceeds to feed to some reptile (apparently the natural predator that keeps the population in check on their homeworld - no mention of Glommers!), or T'Pol providing a shapely ear or two for the doc to confide in. It was nice to see that, I'd like to have the 'two aliens on a ship of humans' scenes played more often. It's come up occasionally, but there hasn't really been built into anything.
Back to Travis being the linchpin of the climbing team: I applaud new skills coming to the fore, but I don't remember him ever discussing his love of potholing before. It's good to see him in a position of control though, as he's the expert over his superior officers. The cave set often looked a little too neat and smooth as is the way with artificially created 'natural' rock, and I would have liked the time limit and 'do or die' nature of the mission to make things more intense. I love that all these ships and people are leaving because of the coup on Xantaras, and only the Enterprise is going the opposite way, straight for the planet, but I felt more establishing of the stakes was necessary. The claustrophobia of the caverns came across well and the moment when Travis has to keep his superiors from falling, braced on a broken leg, was tense. The Denobulans lack of concern was also fun, but perhaps they should have been terrified or one should have gone back for a precious case just as the ceiling collapses to make the danger more real?
I had thought this was an episode that rather put me off Phlox' race. Not because of the supposedly horrific things his people had done to the Antarans, but because I remembered the geologists as being boring, but really they were fine, just undeveloped. I also wasn't crazy about the CGI guy scurrying up the rockface as it didn't look real, but this time I wasn't sure whether it was CGI or a real person being pulled up by rope (either way it still didn't look very real). What held my attention far more than the rescue mission was Phlox' personal rescue mission for his Antaran patient. I was under the impression there had already been an episode where he either refused to treat a patient or the patient refused treatment from him, but it may be I'm confusing this with 'TNG' episode 'The Enemy' in which Worf refuses to assist an injured Romulan against Dr. Crusher's wishes. Or 'Jetrel' on 'Voyager.'
I may have thought this episode wasn't 'brave' enough in following through with the hatred, after all, three hundred years of prejudice wasn't going to be resolved in one encounter, but it was so affecting the things Phlox tells the Antaran about how he hasn't spoken to his son, the only one of five children who continued to hate the race, which drove a ten year rift between them. It was a relief that some reconciliation came through and was encouraging in its moral message to get to know your enemies, Phlox almost taking it as far 'love your enemies' by his dedication to his profession of healing. It points out that a race or group can remain alien if children are brought up to hate them, and was inspiring to think that perhaps the experience will plant a seed between those peoples, and that it might grow into something good. If only it could have been developed as the series went on. Maybe in Season 5 or 6 it would have been? Importantly, it initiated a change in Phlox - to write a letter to his son in an effort to break the silence, and that was very affecting.
***
It must have been like coming home for Robert Duncan McNeill to direct in the old cave set! It may not have been the exact same construction he acted in on 'Voyager,' but I bet it brought back memories ('Blood Fever' or something?). The episode was significantly better than my first impression of it had been when I saw it years ago. It was actually one that gave Phlox a strong episode more for the character than quirkiness or medical capability, but something that made an impact on him. It was also a good episode for Archer who shows some confidence in his situation and stands up against the regime to keep them to their agreement of allowing the rescue mission a certain amount of time, as well as standing up to his Doctor to make sure things ran smoothly.
Phlox' story of extreme inherited prejudice between the Denobulans and a race they were at war with three hundred years previously, the Antarans, had more impact than the action-oriented rescue mission for the three boys, Travis, Tucker and Reed. Travis has suddenly been given actual importance to stories, beginning with last episode, and it makes me question why he's been tied up on the conn so much for the majority of the series? On the other side of the coin, T'Pol and Hoshi don't have important roles, but they do at least get a scene or two, whether it was Hoshi's distaste at Phlox introducing her to a cute li'l' Tribble which he proceeds to feed to some reptile (apparently the natural predator that keeps the population in check on their homeworld - no mention of Glommers!), or T'Pol providing a shapely ear or two for the doc to confide in. It was nice to see that, I'd like to have the 'two aliens on a ship of humans' scenes played more often. It's come up occasionally, but there hasn't really been built into anything.
Back to Travis being the linchpin of the climbing team: I applaud new skills coming to the fore, but I don't remember him ever discussing his love of potholing before. It's good to see him in a position of control though, as he's the expert over his superior officers. The cave set often looked a little too neat and smooth as is the way with artificially created 'natural' rock, and I would have liked the time limit and 'do or die' nature of the mission to make things more intense. I love that all these ships and people are leaving because of the coup on Xantaras, and only the Enterprise is going the opposite way, straight for the planet, but I felt more establishing of the stakes was necessary. The claustrophobia of the caverns came across well and the moment when Travis has to keep his superiors from falling, braced on a broken leg, was tense. The Denobulans lack of concern was also fun, but perhaps they should have been terrified or one should have gone back for a precious case just as the ceiling collapses to make the danger more real?
I had thought this was an episode that rather put me off Phlox' race. Not because of the supposedly horrific things his people had done to the Antarans, but because I remembered the geologists as being boring, but really they were fine, just undeveloped. I also wasn't crazy about the CGI guy scurrying up the rockface as it didn't look real, but this time I wasn't sure whether it was CGI or a real person being pulled up by rope (either way it still didn't look very real). What held my attention far more than the rescue mission was Phlox' personal rescue mission for his Antaran patient. I was under the impression there had already been an episode where he either refused to treat a patient or the patient refused treatment from him, but it may be I'm confusing this with 'TNG' episode 'The Enemy' in which Worf refuses to assist an injured Romulan against Dr. Crusher's wishes. Or 'Jetrel' on 'Voyager.'
I may have thought this episode wasn't 'brave' enough in following through with the hatred, after all, three hundred years of prejudice wasn't going to be resolved in one encounter, but it was so affecting the things Phlox tells the Antaran about how he hasn't spoken to his son, the only one of five children who continued to hate the race, which drove a ten year rift between them. It was a relief that some reconciliation came through and was encouraging in its moral message to get to know your enemies, Phlox almost taking it as far 'love your enemies' by his dedication to his profession of healing. It points out that a race or group can remain alien if children are brought up to hate them, and was inspiring to think that perhaps the experience will plant a seed between those peoples, and that it might grow into something good. If only it could have been developed as the series went on. Maybe in Season 5 or 6 it would have been? Importantly, it initiated a change in Phlox - to write a letter to his son in an effort to break the silence, and that was very affecting.
***
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