Fire and Water

DVD, Stargate SG-1 S1 (Fire and Water)

There's a good counterbalance between the real and the fantastic. While Jack and co. go through some sad memorial, wake and clearing Damiel's rooms, he's in some kind of Zelda Water Temple with bubbles, and rippling light, not to mention a scary alien who roars at the drop of a hat! The scientist's reaction to the demands placed upon him are in turn comical and tragic, especially as we learn the true nature of the request and how closely it mirrors his own experiences with Sharray. If the episode could be improved it's in this device - they should have made it more about Sharray and less about Omaroka, since this quest is one of the driving storylines of the season.

Otherwise, the underwater set looked alien in a good way, the breathing gills in practical costume were example of attention to detail, and the episode succeeds in the visual effects also, with moving characters through water and displaying the alien beach landscape. It even made me jump a couple of times, which is very rare in this sort of programme, although I admit I got confused and thought this was the one where they turn out to be robot doubles of themselves. But then why would he have implanted those memories? I wasn't being logical! Good implementation on all fronts (except the hokey hypnosis!), sad, sad scenes that are fascinating despite knowing they will be proved unnecessary. It shows the kind of thing they would go through if one of them were to die.

***

Home Soil

DVD, TNG S1 (Home Soil)

The title doesn't exactly inspire visions of exciting galactic exploration, does it, and sometimes it seems a little too silly, such as when Picard is telling the little blobs of light that they can go back to their wet sand, but I have a soft spot for the episode. I don't know whether it's just something to do with how safe and comfortable episodes like this make me feel, for some reason, but it's nice to emerse into the world without complicated backstory or ongoing continuity to worry about. I'm in two minds over the terraformers. Were they bad actors or were they very good actors making a realistic portrayal of a group who haven't seen anyone else for ages, which is why they talk and move so disjointedly? I'm serious, it could be either way!

There are moments when you long for modern technology - the part when Data is trapped in a room with the laser gun (reminded me of the 'BUGS' episode where Ed gets trapped in the vault!), would have been improved if we got to see him have to move physically superfast to outwit the gun, but obviously at the time they couldn't achieve that very easily (though they had a good go in the 'Datalore' episode this season). In the end the episode turns out to be pretty functional, when you think it might be a mystery, where people get picked off. Nothing so glamourous, but it does pique the interest enough to be watchable. I'm not sure they succeeded as much as the Genesis Project did in 'Star Trek II' however, which I suspect was part of the inspiration.

**

Home Soil

DVD, TNG S1 (Home Soil)

The title doesn't exactly inspire visions of exciting galactic exploration, does it, and sometimes it seems a little too silly, such as when Picard is telling the little blobs of light that they can go back to their wet sand, but I have a soft spot for the episode. I don't know whether it's just something to do with how safe and comfortable episodes like this make me feel, for some reason, but it's nice to emerse into the world without complicated backstory or ongoing continuity to worry about. I'm in two minds over the terraformers. Were they bad actors or were they very good actors making a realistic portrayal of a group who haven't seen anyone else for ages, which is why they talk and move so disjointedly? I'm serious, it could be either way!

There are moments when you long for modern technology - the part when Data is trapped in a room with the laser gun (reminded me of the 'BUGS' episode where Ed gets trapped in the vault!), would have been improved if we got to see him have to move physically superfast to outwit the gun, but obviously at the time they couldn't achieve that very easily (though they had a good go in the 'Datalore' episode this season). In the end the episode turns out to be pretty functional, when you think it might be a mystery, where people get picked off. Nothing so glamourous, but it does pique the interest enough to be watchable. I'm not sure they succeeded as much as the Genesis Project did in 'Star Trek II' however, which I suspect was part of the inspiration.

**

Chimera

DVD, DS9 S7 (Chimera)

Divided loyalties have often plagued Odo, ever since the discovery of who and what his people are, but over the seasons it often got pushed to the back of our minds, but not, it seems, to the back of Odo's. The reintroduction of the concept of the one hundred little changelings sent out to explore the universe, and the fact Laas is over 200 years old brings Odo back into the light as a mythical creature we haven't learned the depths of. He will outlive all these people, and has abilities he doesn't even understand, but his job and the day to day life of the solids, or monoforms, as Laas coins them, has let him forget, and us along with him, that he isn't one of them, and that his life can be so much more.

It sends a huge signpost to the eventual fate of the character, that his inner desire is still to be with his own kind, and that it is only Kira who has kept him on the station. This realisation is both sad and happy - and I must say the scoring of this episode was especially sensitive and fine - that one day he must surely leave his friends and Kira, to begin a new life, a life more fitting to his needs.

There was one thing I noticed. Since Odo links with Laas, and don't read any further if you don't want a massive plot point ruined - doesn't Odo provide the means to pass on the virus? So doesn't that mean Laas will die in the near future? A sobering thought. It's strange that it's taken the writers so many years to focus on the limits of the changelings - so often we get the political, ideological, cultural information, and it becomes overload when compared with as simple an outsider perspective as Laas brings. Not a founder, but one of Odo's people, and this, aligned with his centuries of simply living as different forms brings us back to the origins and the first revelations of the shapeshifters. It's another example of the series drawing to a natural close, and tying up, or at least bringing back notions that have been forgotten.

Quark is the character that brings the intriguing viewpoint that basically says racism is genetic - we fear what we don't know, or that which is different. It's right the Ferengi should be the one to say something which has truth to it, but is also distasteful as it brings up the idea that everyone has to conform or they will be reviled. But Odo doesn't quite accept it, and neither does Kira, by showing how deep her real love is for him. That she would let him go for his own happiness at the expense of hers. It adds layers to what might have been a simplistic story, and for the first time I totally believed in them as a couple, where before I never felt completely comfortable. The end scene as Odo shows he can, to some extent, live in both worlds is a beautiful conclusion and the episode has treated the issues very well.

I should make special mention of J.G. Hertzler's deceptively quiet performance as Laas. Once or twice a Martok growl escaped, but in 'general' he did a fantastic job of being a different character! It makes Martok being behind Laas' troubles all the more twisted when you realise they are played by the same actor, although Martok doesn't actually appear, unfortunately. Odo returns to the classic Trekkian mould in the episode. An outsider that experiences division of loyalty and questions about his rights goes all the way back to Spock, but could also be seen in Data, Seven of Nine and the EMH. 'Enterprise' never really had a proper character like that and suffered for it. You could also put these characters on a list of everyone's favourites, which is telling. Odo is up there with the best!

***

Field of Fire

DVD, DS9 S7 (Field of Fire)

This one has a portentous ending as if they thought they might follow up on it one day, should the series have continued. The long overdue comeback of Joran raises the episode, but they didn't play with the comedy potential of Ezri talking to herself. Then again this was no comedy, with Starfleet officers murdering other Starfleet officers. It's the cool tech that gives the episode it's killer app - the superb TR-116 rifle with a modified miniature transporter to literally beam the bullet within centimetres of a victim from across the station. The stylish eyepiece sells it too, as does the visionary first-person view that allows us to pass through walls! The episode was ahead of its time visually with that effect. Nowadays it would be much easier to do elaborate wall-travelling in CGI, but then they did it for real, with clever camera work.

Maybe the season has focused a little too much on the new Dax at the expense of the others, but she's certainly brought the series extra stories. Joran hasn't been 'seen' since Season Three's 'Facets', and once before that in the same season's 'Equilibrium', but he's always a powerful, but definitely evil character. His compelling, wily nature almost makes Ezri forget herself and kill someone, but thankfully she wasn't under his skewed tutelage long enough to turn to the dark side.

There are plenty of nods to past Trek, with Saurian brandy mentioned again, a Bolian who gets killed, and didn't Lieutenant Ilario look like Harry Kim! If we didn't know already we learn Bolians live in marriages of more than two, which I have a feeling Andorians also do (must be the blue skin). There are some great sequences, and not just the zooming in on the killer bit at the end - the dream sequence with its speeded up picture and shocking moment of Joran 'killing' himself and Ezri was a spine-tingling scene, especially the refrain of the music Jadzia had going around her head in the earlier episode - Joran's composition.

I thought the characterisation was strong, but I wished they could have got the original actor back even if he wasn't particularly an actor. As usual DS9 continues its subversion of everbody's favourite good guy race; the Vulcans. We've seen Vulcan terrorists (Sakonna in Season Two), and Vulcans who seem to bear a grudge (Solok, this season), and now we get a sniper Vulcan that picks off people "because logic demanded it." Vulcans do make very effective villains, but it would have been nice to see the counselling sessions Ezri would probably have led for Chu'lak (and was that a veiled tribute to 'Stargate SG-1'?). So quite the spooky episode, especially the bit where she creeps around on the side of the promenade we almost never see.

****

When The Bough Breaks

DVD, TNG S1 (When The Bough Breaks)

Kind of the opposite of the original series episode 'And The Children Shall Lead'. They found a suitable tale to use the family side of the Enterprise, which is something that has been touched on since the beginning with Wesley, but here we see a wider effect of having children aboard. As ever, having the good Captain interact with children makes for high comedic potential, but at the same time the little girl is sweet! There are some quite touching little moments as the children get over the initial interest of new things and realise they aren't happy.

Jerry Hardin makes his first Trek appearance as the leader of the planet, and does an effective job of being impossibly horrible in a sympathetic, weary way. I never liked Riker's boyish enthusiam for this mythical planet of Aldea, and it seems a bit easy that they bump into it, but the idea is a good one, and the power source seen at the end is quite striking. I'm not sure what the message is for this story, however. Beyond the anti-child theft I suppose it would be something along the lines of technology not being the be-all and end-all and it shouldn't rule over people, but should be used in a beneficial way. Something like that?

***

Too Short A Season

DVD, TNG S1 (Too Short A Season)

The strength of this episode is the brilliant performance added to the impressive makeup work of the guy who played Admiral Jameson. I had forgotten how it ended, so that was a surprise, and capped a strong story of revenge, false careers, guilt and age. The addition of Jameson's wife humanised the story, making you care more about the man and the events he precipitated. Karnas too, was a good role, although he wasn't on screen much. Perhaps his softening at the end was a little too pat to finish the story in the allotted time, but his seeing the pain his rival was going through somehow must have impacted on him. After all no one's getting any younger.

They even manage to fit in an explosive little phaser battle, even if they do insist on using the same 'tunnel' set over and over again this season! The main characters are only there as back up, as the story revolves around the Admiral, but Picard gets to influence the important moments and both Crusher and Troi are necessary. I did think Crusher's rueful half-smile seemed a little unsympathetic when she tells Mrs. Jameson of the danger her husband is in, but we cut away at that point so perhaps she and Troi comforted her afterwards. Tasha doesn't get much, apart from attending the away mission, and I don't think Wesley even made it on screen, but it isn't necessarily a bad thing to have a break from characters when they aren't integral to a plot or you're left feeling they were forced in for the sake of it.

Questions of youth, age and death, as well as shame, honour and war are all covered to varying degrees to make a fully rounded, intelligent sci-fi tale, not dissimilar to the kind of thing you might expect from an original series episode. Most of the elements are there: a guest on the Enterprise who has veto power; alien civil wars (and Kirk did something similar to Jameson, in fact!), even a spot of battling. I wonder if it was taken from a script for Phase II? Either that or it was just written intelligently with a good idea at the centre. (In fact it was co-written by DC Fontana of the original series writers!).

***