Terra Prime

DVD, Enterprise S4 (Terra Prime)

Strange, when I first saw this two-parter I preferred the second part, but now my opinion is reversed. It's not that it's a bad episode, and to its credit everyone is markedly involved in the story, this being the sort of, kind of, half-official, actual conclusion to the series' timeline (since the finale is a flashback to historical events, and is as much about saying goodbye to all of Trek on TV as it is for concluding 'Enterprise'), but… The villains are a good place to start, the evil Terra Prime terrorist group who, masterminded by John Frederick Paxton (he's got a long name and wears a tie so he must be bad!), had succeeded in taking control of the defence weapon for blasting stray comets in the system to deflect them from Earth or inhabited bodies. And they're not afraid to use it, threatening the very seed of interstellar exploration, Starfleet Command itself! But as long as all aliens leave, they won't destroy the place. Trouble is, they seem pretty stupid, or ill-informed, with Daniel, the man guarding Trip, believing the Vulcans should have stopped World War III back in the day, and thinks Vulcans want to control humans, etc, but all these things make no sense when we hear from Trip what Vulcans are really like. And wanting aliens to step in and save us from our own mistakes goes completely against Terra Prime's mandate. But that's the thing, like all evil organisations they aren't consistent: with an obvious parallel with Hitler to draw (the founder of the force to kill off all non-Aryans, wasn't), since Paxton needs alien medical treatment for a condition he has - Archer points out that Colonel Green, Paxton's hero, would have had him exterminated!

Paxton counters by saying it's now that matters, basically, and seeing the inconsistency of these villains turns them from calculating, intelligent threat, into standard bad guy bozos. I also feel the drop in quality from when the series began: when you look at the pilot, 'Broken Bow,' there's an amazing fight between Archer and Silik that was as inventive as it was exciting. Here, Paxton is defeated in his little control room, basically running out of oxygen (though that doesn't stop him wasting air to triumphantly explain that his mining days have given him greater resilience against oxygen deprivation, as Archer and he fight for the control of the weapon - this is the calibre of enemy we're dealing with!). It is a good moment when we think the weapon is about to wipe out Starfleet HQ, and then it hits the water instead of the San Francisco Bay area (in a visual strikingly reminiscent of the drill blast in 'Star Trek XI' - did they get inspiration for that from seeing this episode?), Trip having recovered enough in the next room to divert the beam. But it's such a limp defeat, and I'm not even sure if Paxton was just unconscious or dead. A far more dramatic ending for him would have seen him sucked out of the opening, or even to show him on trial for his crimes.

At least we finally got to visit Mars, a planet that's always been part of the Trek mythos, particularly well known for being the location of the Federation's foremost shipyards, Utopia Planitia, seen in holographic form when the Doctor on 'Voyager' took Denara Pel to the hills above. This time, Archer, Reed, Mayweather and Phlox get to traverse some of the actual ground there, near Utopia Colony, presumably the forebear to the shipyards, after the ingenious use of a comet to cover their entry path (though surely the point of the weapon was to blast such comets so they couldn't do any damage, yet we see it smash hard into the surface of Mars - maybe Paxton wasn't using the weapon for its intended purpose, conserving the power to attack Earth). It's good that we got to Mars, but the actual production wasn't so good, recreating an alien planet like that difficult at the best of times, especially with shrinking time and budget as the series headed for closure. They could have saved some money by not wearing those odd green and white outfits! Why didn't they just use EV suits or standard uniforms, or was it for disguise in case they were seen as Starfleet from a distance? The Shuttlepod approach looked good, battered in the debris from the comet, but why did they have to fly in on the tail of it anyway, couldn't they have used three-dimensional thinking and approach from the other side of the planet, or did Paxton have satellites and sensors to detect all approaches? While the CG sequence looked great in close-ups, the comet seen from distance had no weight or presence at all.

I do like the concept of the story, that a group of humans bitter at aliens work to reverse progress, warning all non-humans to leave, at the very time a Coalition of Planets is in its formative stages. Their opposition could almost be called the catalyst to the Federation, except that it's said the Coalition could take years to get back on track after trust is weakened by the incident, and it's recognised that humans aren't quite ready to accept the inevitable change. It would be six long years after the date of this episode (2155-2161), before the United Federation of Planets would be born, and before that we'd have had a four-year war between Earth and Romulus, beginning in 2156 (oh, how I wish we'd got Season 6!), so Paxton's group and its aims were successful, they did slow the rise of the Coalition (just witness the ire of Andorian Ambassador, Thoris, at the danger they're in - played by Joel Swetow, who had been in 'DS9' and 'TNG'), they just weren't very clever about it - take control of the biggest gun in the Solar System and point it at Earth! Not the subtlest of gestures. They should have infiltrated the echelons of power - we already saw that they had operatives all over the place, including on Enterprise herself, but they failed in the Romulan way of extreme subterfuge, unable to contain their rage and hatred at the 'other,' when they could have been an insidious insider force like Section 31, and brought down the Coalition from within. It would have been fun if we found out the Romulans were behind it Terra Prime, just as they were with the Vulcan and Andorian situations earlier in the season.

Section 31 would have been a good role model, except that by the end of this you're thinking they're not so bad after all! Harris has never had any of the menace or exuded the unknown power that Sloan did, as I've mentioned in previous reviews, but he's happy to help Reed here, even wishing him well and shaking his hand like they're old buddies! It's good that we got to see them way back in the timeline as they were on 'Enterprise,' but there's a distinction between using them and using them well, and Harris just wasn't the man for the job of selling 31 as this enigmatic, horribly dangerous insider force - nothing against Eric Pierpoint, he's just playing what's there, but if only they'd taken the opportunity for some stunt casting and got Andrew Robinson in as a much more twisted operative with whom you were kept on the back foot (in emulation of Garak - he could have been amazing). Also, you'd think this would be exactly the kind of direct threat to Earth that Section 31 would deal with, but instead it's left up to Archer and the gang to do it all. I suppose things might have been slightly complicated if we'd seen 31 operatives running around as well as Archer and his people going in under the radar, Terra Prime spies, and Starfleet Intelligence (why didn't Gannet tell Mayweather when she first came aboard that she was SI?), but the series could have done with a greater degree of complexity.

One thing I always remembered was that Kelby, in one of these episode, turned out not to be a villain. I suppose it was expected that a character who had only been in a few episodes had been put there as a spy, it had been done so often before. But although this episode was not even close to the quality of the 'DS9' Season 1 finale, 'In The Hands of The Prophets' with the assassination attempt by an insider, it did at least turn the expectation on its head, Kelby turning out not to be the enemy after all. But that gives rise to another problem, because Ensign Masaro is just another face of the week, so we don't care about him in the slightest. When he commits suicide it would have been more dramatic if he'd vaporised himself, rather than just putting a phaser to his head, as it wouldn't matter where you put the phaser if it was on kill - was it for shame he did it, as I never got any sense of the power of Terra Prime to exact vengeance on failed operatives? Actually we don't know if he was vaporised as his death happens off screen, oddly, Trek had never shied away from grisly phaser deaths before. The trouble with 'Enterprise' was the lack of recurring characters. Yes, you had Soval, Shran, Silik, Daniels, Admiral Forrest, and, to an extent, Crewman Cutler, but we didn't get to know the crew beneath Archer and his main team. Kelby was an attempt to do that, and he was obviously meant to be there for conflict with Trip, having gained command of Engineering and then to lose it again when Tucker chose not to transfer to the NX-02, but he could have done with a lot more development.

I will say this for the episode, it made sure to use all the main cast: Mayweather gets to pilot the Shuttlepod in a truly risky manoeuvre, and makes up with Gannet; Reed's there to get the intel from Harris, and along for the 'pod ride (mainly to be nauseous), and even Phlox gets an emotional scene where he talks of his crewmates as the unexpected family he discovered. That was something else that the episode did, stretching back its hand to the start of the series, reminding us how they began (one reason the fight with Paxton showed up so badly, for me, when it could have been so much more dramatic with air whistling out and a fight to the death), with the Doctor admitting he joined the mission for diversion and to escape the complications of Denobulan family life for a while. Hoshi's past, too, is broached, Archer now confident enough in her to leave her in charge when he leads the rescue mission, noting that she used to jump at the sound of the engines, or something, and now look where she is. She did well under pressure in the Big Chair, despite Samuels proving that it doesn't matter what era you're in, if you command the Enterprise you're going to have a bureaucrat breathing down your neck at the most pressurised moment, urging you to hurry up and take the big decisions! Hoshi's relief at Archer's voice over the comm is evident, the decision weighing heavily upon her - it looked like she was about to carry out her orders, sealing so many of her friends' deaths, one of the best moments of the episode. I'd have loved to see more of Hoshi in command (but is an Ensign the highest rank left aboard? It's like Harry Kim having command!).

T'Pol and Trip, as ever, get plenty of screen time, captives of Terra Prime, with T'Pol having some nice moments of Vulcan-like formalness with her genetic daughter. It was a really nice move to name her Elizabeth after Trip's dead sister, giving us reason to care for this otherwise genetically created baby that came out of the blue (we find out that the spy aboard Enterprise stole their DNA, Paxton can't help boasting at his reach and influence, as all weak baddies do). Oddly, T'Pol is at her most Vulcan-like unemotional state after the death of the baby, whereas throughout the episode she flares up or becomes excitable when her Vulcan calm should be in control, in the way that we've had to get used to over the series. It's one thing I never liked about her, she's more like an emotional Kes sometimes the way her words gush out at moments of crisis. And holding hands with Trip at the end is just one more thing that Vulcan's don't do, but I suppose the damage was already done, and any telepathic connection was already firmly established. I wanted her to wipe away one of Trip's tears, but she seemed distracted and contemplative, which did at least show the difference between humans and Vulcans in a marked way, as opposed to her usual lack of control. And sitting there in Vulcan robes with a crying human made her seem more Vulcan than I can remember before.

While Trip's captive he's ordered to fix the weapon, or was it just the weapons on Paxton's ship, I'm not sure? It begs the question, why didn't Paxton have someone who could do the job without Trip, another flaw in the villain's plans - he even expects Trip to try sabotage, as this confirms he's a man of principle, but it makes the whole sequence rather pointless, except for Trip to try and work on Daniel. And who finished the work if Trip didn't? At least there are reminders of Trek history, with World War III mentioned, and in Archer's speech at the end he talks of humans not knowing there were aliens before a hundred years ago. Paxton seemingly wants to go out conquering, expanding Earth's territory, regardless of other species who are there (he seemed to respect what Archer did in fighting the Xindi, but wasn't a fan of anything else), and I think he said his Father had settled Mars, so there's some parallels between the exploratory minds of both his Father and Jonathan Archer - that's another link to the opening of the series as we see contrast between how Archer and Trip used to feel about the Vulcans, the bitterness they had against the species, and how they've changed, compared to Paxton's views - who knows, perhaps at that time they might have fallen in with such a group, although they're good men at heart, not desirous of power or control, but it shows how far they've come.

The same can be said of the Vulcans (with consulates in Berlin and Canberra - I can understand the warmer climes of Australia, but not so much Germany!), embodied by Soval in his final appearance. Since finding rapprochement with Archer after the Vulcan trilogy, his purpose as a thorn in the side no longer needed - his support is evident when he starts the applause for Archer's rousing speech at the end. Soval was another Vulcan I had problems with, despite appreciating his moments of friendship with Archer, he was always too emotional, shouting out his biting resentment when he would have been so much more cutting, as Vulcans used to be portrayed in the other series', by being snooty and self-satisfied. But the Vulcans were just one problem of a troubled series, which helped to shorten the lifespan of what should have been seven years, at least. It's like the end of an era for the 22nd Century which we didn't get to know as well as we hoped, this two-parter bookended by episodes that don't take place in the series (the Mirror Universe and a future Holodeck recreation), and it does feel like an ending, with Archer's speech to all the Coalition delegates, speaking the message of Trek, just as Q taught Picard: that real exploration isn't to planets and stars, it's ourselves, how we react to threats and opportunities, what we can do, and should do within this world we find ourselves in. The cast stand together (Universal Translators clearly visible, like Starfleet combadges!), facing the future of this little corner of our tiny Galaxy in the vast Universe, faced by the aliens that in time will become allies. And finally a scene of hope between Trip and T'Pol - even though their daughter didn't make it, a human/Vulcan child is still possible, setting the stage for Spock (though I'd have been surprised if they didn't have a baby at some point), and all the history still to be written from their perspective, but that we know so well.

**

Time's Orphan

DVD, DS9 S6 (Time's Orphan) (2)

Molly stabbed the alien in its gut with a broken bottle… Not a sentence you ever expected to play out on screen, but that's the main reason this episode draws you in so effectively (not for Molly stabbing an alien in its gut with a broken bottle), because it does what science fiction does best with a 'what if…?' tale that plays on the themes of loss of childhood and innocence, and the grief that brings, and whether it's fair to take one life in exchange for another (and in the Trek realm, that life can be one and the same person). I hear a lot of negativity in podcasts about Keiko and the O'Brien family, but I've never found them annoying, quite the opposite, in fact - they helped to ground the series in the 'TNG' reality which was all about families, except that on 'DS9' they were in the midst of uncertainty and danger in a way that they were generally protected from on the classy, comfortable Enterprise-D. I also love that they continue that tradition of family, since we saw their conception (literally in Molly's case), on 'TNG,' then development and use as part of ongoing stories thanks to 'DS9.' But with the Dominion War splitting up families and breaking up even what little normality and comfort there was on the station, O'Brien's clan left for Earth back in Season 5 so the Chief wouldn't have to worry so much and could concentrate on his job. I'm sure the family's safety had something to do with it, too! This episode brings them all back together and, as with other characters in these later episodes, sows the seeds of future decisions when he makes the rather rash promise not to send them away again.

You'd think Miles had been all the way to Earth to pick them up, the number of episodes he'd been missing from lately, and who's to say he didn't! He's not above nicking a Runabout for personal use when the mood takes him, as we see here (and we see the Defiant's sickbay for once!). Of course the Chief's family has always been the most important thing to him, but Keiko knows his purpose and usefulness finds greatest outlet in Starfleet's service, and he becomes miserable if he can't do what he's good at. This is, I would say, the reason why he accepted the uncertain and risky proposition of a posting to DS9 in the first place, despite Keiko not being entirely happy with it, but the absence from his family has given him new resolve to put them ahead of his career, and he says he'll ask for a transfer if the war heats up, rather than be parted from his fledgeling clan, which would eventually happen in the final episode of the series. As much fun as it's been seeing O'Brien have fun with Julian, or go undercover for Starfleet (and get Chester the cat, who appears again here, though Keiko gives the impression of hating it - she should be glad her husband had company, but perhaps it urinated on her bonsai or something?), without having to worry about Keiko being concerned about his absence, I love seeing the O'Briens together, as they used to be, particularly in the first two seasons. Like Jake and Nog, the O'Briens were part of that community fabric of continuing drama, and so it's with some sadness that we realise this is the last O'Brien family episode, just as it's the last Worf and Dax family episode.

This realisation evokes added poignancy to what is already an across-the-board affecting episode. Even though I love the O'Briens, and always appreciate the use Trek makes of the great outdoors, I still wasn't ready for the flood of powerful impressions this episode punches you with. It's a surprisingly emotional piece that relies heavily on a guest star, but Michelle Krusiec gives not only a guest star performance, but a star performance, making you believe this really is a Molly aged ten years in a wild and lonely place, alone, having adapted and survived, with the roller-coaster of confusion and utter bewilderment at the many strange experiences she's suddenly thrust into. It says a lot about Molly that she could survive as a child on an alien world for so long - she must have her Father's genes for ingenuity and her Mother's confidence in nature for her to have done so well. One thing I never thought about until right now is where older Molly got her clothes from. I'm tempted to say a time-travelling T'Pol from 'Enterprise' stumbled upon the wild adolescent and gave her one of her castoffs (seriously, the catsuit she wears looks like the Vulcan's - they must have used the same material when they were designing T'Pol's outfit for that series), but it could point to there being some other active technology on this long-abandoned planet. If these aliens hadn't been around for a couple of millennia, yet their time portal still functioned (could it have been an Iconian gateway - it was like a cross between that and the Guardian of Forever?), it's not a stretch to suggest Molly had access to some kind of alien Replicator.

Whatever resources she used to survive her new environment in 'The Jungle Book' or Romulus and Remus manner (the Roman legend rather than the planets), though we assume she had no animal assistance, she was able to thrive and grow into a healthy, and active young woman. Then this woman, who has had years of solitude and learnt to understand the rocks, trees and grass, finds herself ripped away from all she knows like the El-Aurians from the Nexus, via a Transporter beam, the first disorienting encounter with technology, but not the last. You could even suggest the episode almost subliminally presents the idea that for all this wonderful Starfleet technology, what is really needed for health and wellbeing is grass, trees and the fresh living of a natural environment, though whether this was intentional, or just an alternative reading, I couldn't say. But if you look at all the trials and frightening new experiences they throw at Molly in an effort to accept her and try to get her to accept who she was to them, she is only truly free when frolicking in what she thinks is Golana, the world she'd lived on. This was a planet I assumed we'd heard of before, since it's said to be a Bajoran colony, and young Molly has a nice moment with baby brother Kirayoshi, telling him the last time they were there he was in Mummy's tummy, so it's obviously a place she knows well and has visited, but this is the only episode in which it's mentioned.

So the older Molly already had an affinity for the planet, which probably aided her will to survive more than if she'd found herself alone on a Planet Hell environment - if you're going to be marooned somewhere, you want it to be a place you're already accustomed to and love, so she scored on that front. Unfortunately, her parents, while eschewing the experts of Starfleet for some reason, seeing them as the big bad authorities that will eventually come to haul their bedraggled daughter off to be dissected (or you'd think so from the way they react!), aren't child psychologists and cause her untold damage. They do try, oh how they try! That Transporter beam to grab Molly from the other side of the portal was necessary, and they do go to all the trouble of setting up a Cargo Bay full of plants and rocks so Molly feels more comfortable (how did Sisko manage to get that tree in there - cut a hole into the floor below for the root system?), but it still has four walls and a ceiling, Molly can't see the stars. And when they eventually realise that Molly wants to go home, they misunderstand and take her to their home, hoping the memories will acclimatise their daughter back to her old life, but instead it frustrates her even more. After initially gazing in wonder upon the vista of space (she later indicates that her parents home is in the stars, while hers is on the planet in a touching moment of childish understanding of the concept of home, without the context of space stations and starships), her old room is too small, as are its contents - one item we'd see again is the doll's house which Sisko somehow ended up with in Season 7! Maybe he visited once, saw it, and realised that was the house he wanted to build on Bajor, O'Brien donating it to him when Molly grew too old for it?

Wanting the best for their 'child,' the O'Briens make the mistake of indulging her, but only for a short while, taking her to a Holosuite recreation of Golana - it's very accurate, as if they were really there! They must have made a holographic record of their favourite picnic spot as a matter of course, a bit like taking a holo-picture as the Doctor used to as a hobby on 'Voyager.' It's amazing that those rocks weren't real, and I don't mean they were holographic, but in production terms were fabricated and taken to the location, as there weren't any there - they look as if they'd always been part of the landscape. The high of Molly's absolute joy in being back in what has become her native environment is intoxicating, her happiness absolute, but this only makes calling time on the program a much harsher pulling out the rug from under her simplistic understanding. She's already been beamed away from the place once, into a cave full of half-remembered strangers, so it wouldn't seem so strange for her to be suddenly back on the planet, distance and time not something she'd likely fully comprehend. You'd think that special allowances would have been made for the family as it was such a unique and difficult situation, but although Quark is apologetic, he has to turf them out in favour of a couple of Klingons, and Sisko apparently didn't even give the Chief time off as he complains he's falling behind in his repair schedule for watching Molly, indicating he still has a repair schedule! I know we're in a time of war, but even so…

The suddenness of Molly being jerked out of her reverie sends her back to square one - anyone unpracticed in the art of the Holosuite would find it unnerving for reality to suddenly disappear and shrink to a small, dark room with lots of piercing lights. And then to be dragged through the bar, full of scary alien faces and unfamiliar noises panics her into a wild frenzy, hence the bottle stabbing incident. I liked seeing another 'fish-man' alien (as I dubbed them for their Pike-like appearance), otherwise known as a Markalian, a familiar race on the station, but he's later referred to as a Tarkalean, another well-referenced race (for Tarkalean tea), only ever seen in 'Enterprise' ('Regeneration'), although I was getting confused and thinking of Idanians, another culinary referenced race (for Idanian Spiced Pudding), seen in Season 5's 'A Simple Investigation.' Even accounting for the dim light in the bar, you couldn't mistake a Markalian for either the bumpy-foreheaded, cowl-wearing Idanians or Tarkaleans, except in the phonetic similarity, so this is either a script error, or this particular Markalian had been adopted and raised by Tarkaleans! It's not like Sisko and Odo to make a mistake about something like that, so we'll have to give them the benefit of the doubt - I wonder if they'd fix that sort of thing in a remastered 'DS9'? I hope not, because it's these ephemeral little oddities that I thrive on and enjoy spotting. The terror doesn't end for poor Molly, as she's trapped in a Holding Cell, which is even worse than the Cargo Bay, and, like others before her (Tom Paris in 'Threshold;' a Joran-possessed Sisko in 'Facets,' to name but two dramatically similar moments), she repeatedly flings herself at the forcefield, not to damage herself intentionally, but in a lack of understanding, a tragic, disturbed figure hoping to break through.

The irrational fear Miles and Keiko seem to harbour against Federation institutions seems out of kilter with what we've seen of the organisation in the 24th Century. In Kirk's time you had madmen running asylums and getting away with it (until he intervened, of course), but the very fact that 'TNG' had a counsellor on the bridge should point to mental health being much better understood and dealt with in a careful and understanding way, as part of normal life. I suppose it must be the natural desire of a parent to protect their young, even though they weren't doing a great job with her when you look at it objectively, so perhaps the best thing was for Molly to have that specialist care. There's no reason to think she'd have been studied like a lab animal, but perhaps dealing with the shadier sides of Federation life, such as Section 31, gave O'Brien cause for concern. I don't entirely see why it's any of Starfleet's business to interfere with a 'child' like that anyway, except for the fact that the 'Tarkalean' was pressing charges so there were legal hoops to be negotiated. Would the young Molly face charges when they eventually got her back to 'DS9,' as it's a pretty farfetched loophole to get out of a criminal prosecution by reverting to a younger version of yourself - the court case alone would have made compelling viewing! Then again, despite Molly having physically aged she would surely still be considered a minor, mentally, so I don't think they had anything to worry about. If only Samuel T. Cogley was still alive…

Once again O'Brien has to steal a Runabout in order to 'save' a member of his family, just like in 'The Assignment' when Keiko was possessed by a Pah-Wraith. The stakes might not be so high this time, but Odo wasn't going to get in his way twice (especially after the last time, when the Chief belted him!). Good old Jones, the stalwart member of Starfleet security who's so often there in the background, gets a line for once, although his trust in Odo probably went down a notch when he told him to go and check on Deputy Pinar (pronounced 'panar' which instantly made me think of Pa'nar Syndrome - two T'Pol references in one episode, three years before she first appeared, is this some kind of conspiracy?), the guy on duty at the Holding Cells who gets a neck-full of knockout juice from O'Brien's hypo. I'd love to know how Odo explained his complicity in allowing the Chief to walk off the station like that. If there was a hearing he should have been in the dock too! And with that they're off back to Golana with the strange plan to send Molly back through the portal to an unknown home, with unknown dangers, and seal it up so she can never get through again? All because they think she's going to be locked away. It's not the best reasoning, but it had the result of giving young Molly a chance to return, even if her parents had no idea. It was a hard decision, and slightly bonkers, to give up their child hoping she'd survive, but it's no less touching for that. Most touching of all is older Molly finding her young self shocked and alone, realises it's her, and gives her the Lupi doll (could be Ktarian, but more likely Bajoran), before sending her back through.

It's sad that this older version of Molly ceases to exist, vanishing away like a wisp before our eyes, but like the older Jake in 'The Visitor,' it's a sacrifice that the younger version will benefit from and has some beautiful connotations, even if in this case she didn't know she was going to de-exist. If they'd knowingly planned to exchange Molly two for original Molly there would have been implications: is it fair to give up someone who has ten more years of life, for the same person to live that time over again with her loving family? Didn't this older Molly have as much right to exist as the younger? And yet, if she hadn't returned (and she would have had a good chance of survival if she hadn't vanished away), young Molly would have been left scared and alone. But then she'd have turned into that older Molly, and… it starts to hurt your brain. As it was, it was pure fluke that O'Brien didn't destroy the portal before his little daughter came back through. I suspect Starfleet might have court-martialled him (if they can do that to non-commissioned officers), if he had knocked off the portal, as it's potentially important technology to be studied, but all ended happily. You could say it was a pointless experience, a waste of time, a standalone episode in the midst of far more important continuing events, but you'd be dead wrong - these are the vital ingredients of which Trek is sculpted: family, character, tough choices, and bold self-sacrifice, and if there's a happy ending it can be just as satisfying as a surprise or shock conclusion.

It's amazing the B-story of Worf's acceptance of the challenge of baby Kirayoshi, was a last-minute addition to 'pad' the episode, as it's almost as great as the A-story, especially considering the doom of impending events. It was important to have scenes between Worf and Dax while there was still time, and it shows up the couple's characters so vividly: Dax won't admit until the end that she doubted Worf's ability as a Father, and he himself, in true Klingon tradition sees it as something to be overcome. Just as all Ferengi see opportunity in everything, Klingons see challenge and battle in everything! As Worf says, in one of my favourite lines from the series, "I have stood in battle against Kelvans twice my size… If I can do these things, I can make this child go to sleep." It's one of those innocuous little references to 'TOS' that the 'DS9' writers were so good at, and opens up a whole can of worms about when and how the Kelvans returned to our galaxy (there must be a comic or non-canon novel that dealt with this, surely?), since they were from the Andromeda Galaxy and their natural form was giant squid-like creatures, which would seem to suggest they didn't bother coming back in humanoid guise this time, after their first attempt in 'By Any Other Name,' since Worf is of not inconsiderable height, which would make beings twice his size pretty gigantic. But it's his feelings he battles with most, still having guilt over his parenting of Alexander, undeserved as he turned out fine, if a little clumsy. But Worf feels he failed his son, Kirayoshi and his Dax' future children, in typical Worf fashion taking things too seriously and setting impossibly high standards to live up to.

What it really does is bring him and Dax even closer, if that were possible, and cements the tragedy to come. But future events can't detract from the charm of this B-story, and the two sides complement each other perfectly, as both sets of parents and potential parents deal with their problems. It's much harder on the O'Briens as they battle with teenager issues from a unique perspective, losing someone then getting them back, then giving her up, and getting her back again. I don't think young Molly would have felt much trauma, there's nothing to suggest she was gone too long, as older Molly was sent back to the same time period that she was, so although the story takes place over several days it could have been mere minutes for her. Even so, minutes for a scared child can be a long time, and it's nice to see young Hana Hatae coming along as an actress in the scenes she has: confidently talking to her younger brother, and looking shellshocked at the end when she's trapped alone until the other Molly appears to send her home. It may not boast space battles or sweeping drama, and for some, perhaps that made it feel like an anomaly in this season amidst such big issues and stories, but such character episodes are just as important, if not more, and for me, the episode is summed up wholly by the final words of Keiko: "it's lovely, just lovely."

*****

Evolution

DVD, Stargate SG-1 S7 (Evolution)

I'm in two minds about this one. It brings us a tough new alien foe, an unstoppable foot soldier that, in some ways, is more like this series' Borg than the Replicants, even if that older race was more similar in concept to the famous Trek villains. But it also throws so many names, planets and situations around, mainly in discussion, that I had a hard time keeping up with everything. There were also big logic problems, some, admittedly, solved during the episode: the biggest thing for me is that the warrior is too easy to defeat and capture. I should qualify this by saying that that's what it appeared to be at first, until we find out it wasn't defeated by Teal'c and Bra'tac, actually dying of heart failure, as it's an over-powered and over-gunned host to the Goa'uld, working for the insidious Anubis. That opening sequence when we see the warrior pair confronted with an enemy beyond their combined and considerable force, leaping aside like scared rabbits, was about the only truly great moment in the episode. But it still looked like Teal'c was able to shoot the creature down, even if he wasn't in fact responsible. So our initial impression of a gigantic, implacable foe becomes one of, firstly, an eminently stoppable one, and secondly, an incredibly flawed creation. Hardly Borg-level fear factor. We see another of these creatures unwisely run right through an area full of claymores, C4, and perfect cover for soldiers with projectile weapons, even waltzing right through an energy shield - so although 'unstoppable,' it's also of low intelligence. But then it doesn't need much, nor does it need to worry about tactics: it's pretty much a foot-bound drone sent to kill and destroy, it's physiological excesses counteracted by a Goa'uld symbiote inside that tries to keep it alive long enough to carry out its carnage until it wears itself out. Not a bad idea, but even so, SG-1 are still able to capture it alive and interrogate it! Like the Borg, you think projectile weapons are going to be more effective than the energy-based variety, but it's not really so.

Leaving aside the illogic of showing us this terrible new force for evil, and then taking it down too many pegs well before the episode's got going, the creature looks pretty good - the hulking form, stomping through the dusty wasteland is a striking image, the sense of size and weight well represented through slowing the camera down. But it's the internal design that most fascinates: like Darth Vader, its helmet can be levered off to reveal the organic creature below, and an ugly, and strangely vacant visage it has. This would be because it's not an actor, but a puppet, or so I would think, the mouth moving more mechanically, and the skin translucent and rubbery as if its exertions have begun to pull it apart. But it remains somewhat disappointing that it has 'none of the Goa'uld personality' as someone says, meaning (fortunately), none of the cartoon arrogance or over the top moustache-twirling villainy, but also none of the hatred and malevolence. It may as well have been a robot for all the terror it induces, especially after it's such an easy capture. Not to say it wasn't an ingenious solution: 'beam it up' into a ship and then vent the atmosphere from the cargo bay until it slips into unconsciousness. But if such strategies can work, it shows it's just a grunt, not something to be taken too seriously except in respect of the exceptional mobile firepower it features.

The creature itself wasn't the only problem I had with the story's structure: it was far too easy for O'Neill to convince the prison guard to let them go free. Would he really be swayed by people saying his 'god' and master will sacrifice all his servants' lives to save his own, and that this creature is a threat to all his people? And with that this guard lets them all out! You'd think he'd either have more respect for his own way of life, and ignore them, show his loyalty and end up getting killed with the rest, or display doubts about his master and run off to save himself, ignoring the prisoners he has no reason to care about. It's not like they apply blinding logic or deep, emotive verbal pressure on him: O'Neill does his usual half-comedic routine (I enjoyed the Vulcan hand gesture when talking to Ramius, though), Teal'c snarls out insults about his master, and Bra'tac says he'll be hiding in a corner, or something. But the worst crime of the episode is in Doctors Jackson and Lee Indiana Jones-ing it up in Honduras to locate a fabled fountain of youth at an unknown temple because… why? It just sort of came up in conversation that there was once this super version of a Sarcophagus that could be used to animate matter, since this 'super soldier' wasn't alive until it was formed. Daniel remembers some legend his Grandfather had about the fountain of youth, he puts two and two together and within a short time they've found a temple no one else knew existed, popped down inside and found the exact flagstone under which this mythical device resides!

There's suspension of disbelief, and there's suspension of disbelief - this requires super soldier energy levels of suspension of disbelief (even if Dr. Lee is amusing, out-Jackson-ing Jackson with his uncertainty and minor irritations). What I can give the episode credit for is showing its presumably expanded budget - this is a two-parter, and it shows. There are more extras, plenty of sets, and an especially good sequence where Jackson literally becomes Indiana Jones, pulling the device out and activating a massive cave-in of gushing water - he should have had a little bag of pebbles handy to replace it with… We also get Bra'tac, and Jacob, but, and this may be in preparation for part two, there's just so much detail and backstory to keep track of. I got the main things: Anubis built these creatures, likely to mop up resistance of the System Lords; they were flawed, but deadly; Daniel knows where a weapon to fight them is; he goes off and gets it. But how did they know one of the warriors was going to go to that planet where they laid an ambush? And why does real life intrude, with the docs getting kidnapped by mercenaries, which is a bizarre side story, seemingly there to keep Jackson out of it for a bit, and add to the cliffhanger. I'm not surprised he had a role to play as the story was co-credited to Michael Shanks, emulating Christopher Judge. It's just farfetched they need a particular device to fight this new menace, and Jackson has a sudden memory of this legend, and finds it without difficulty. Why was the temple never found before, why didn't he look for it before, and why wasn't it plundered? I'm glad that I finally got to the start of these mighty warriors, as they did stick in my head from first viewing, but I hope part two improves on the story sense.

**

Birthright

DVD, Stargate SG-1 S7 (Birthright)

A clan full of warrior women led by Jolene Blalock who becomes Teal'c's new girlfriend - yes, that sounds like something Christopher Judge would write! Except that, to be fair to his writing, he also fitted in some gender role issues and an ethical dilemma, so I can give him some credit. What is missing for me is more about Teal'c himself. It's clear he's not proud of being symbiote-free, in fact I often forget he doesn't have one now, but I was expecting him to weight his argument by revealing that he is the perfect example of a freed Jaffa. Is it that he still has doubts about it, or does he feel some shame, or was he simply being careful not to sway them with his personal experience. Except that's exactly what he should have been doing to ensure that these stubborn women realised the truth. But the notion that strength comes from the symbiote is ingrained in the culture, and if anything, Teal'c demonstrates how deeply by not immediately coming clean about it. This, unsurprisingly, doesn't help his cause. The nub of the matter rests on whether it's okay for Ishta's mob to go out and kill Goa'uld for the purposes of stealing symbionts for girls that come of age. Or, like Teal'c's wife, should they just accept that it's wrong to kill in that way and allow themselves to die as she did. Or they could take the Tretonin and possibly be saved.

The best parts of this episode are in the pleasant character conversations that take place, whether it be Teal'c revealing his history and family to Ishta, speaking proudly of both his son and wife; or Daniel turning on the charm and getting the young girl to open her mouth and talk to him; and even the combative battle of the sexes when Ishta challenges Teal'c to a stick fight. That last was quite impressive, with fast, fluid moves and no obvious cutting between stunt players. I liked the way he initially uses one hand to comfortably fend off her attacks, being not simply a male warrior, but being a great warrior full stop. Of course he was going to beat her, and it had nothing (or very little), to do with physical strength. The female warriors prove themselves several times in the episode, but they don't all show wisdom until the girl convinces Neith, her older sister, to go for the Tretonin which should cure them of their need for symbiotes. And Ishta got to fling Teal'c over her shoulders, just for good measure!

Although the fight was good, I could have watched more of that, but we come late to the power struggle between Ishta and subordinate, Neith. I also couldn't help feeling that not a lot happened in the grand scheme of things. Not to say it was a small matter to convince enemies of this Moloc to curb their activities (the other reason, aside from ethics, being that he was going to notice them sooner or later and come down hard on Hak'tyl, meaning liberation, the planet they were using as base). Fine, it was a chance for Teal'c to relax in female company a little, finding someone on his level, who understood his people and ways, which is very rare for him, but it also felt like getting him a girlfriend was the main point of the episode. It wasn't quite on a par with some of the other Judge-inspired or written story lines we've seen. And at the same time I did find the struggle between preservation and enmity, military reasoning and killing for the sake of it, to be interesting. O'Neill rather got lost in the shuffle, but that's okay, he doesn't need to be the centre of every episode, and I felt that the cast were all worked in sufficiently. The grandiloquence of Jaffa speech can sometimes feel over the top, but you just have to go with that, it's usually the way, same as the baddies invariably are represented by clipped British accents. They're just cultural touchstones that are recognised.

Unlike John Billingsley in the previous episode not finding time away from 'Enterprise' to reprise his 'SG-1' role (I don't know that is the reason, it may be that he just wasn't asked back on that particular occasion, although that's hard to believe), Jolene Blalock throws off the ears (or does she? We don't really see beneath that big blonde wig of hers!), to add another Trek name to the 'Stargate' universe. Could this have been a sign of the future of her series, only lasting one more season? I don't doubt she'll be back on this series again, especially if Judge had his way. While I never felt she was a great actress, she was okay, and it is fun to see her doing something different, even if it's not that different from T'Pol - both look pained and raise their voices when emotion rises to the surface. In Ishta's case that was perfectly fine, in the Vulcan's, not so much! Still, the scenery was as green and lush as ever, with even the odd horse thrown in to give some scope, and I did think pretty well of it, even if the issues addressed weren't approached as deeply as they might have been. It makes me want to hear more about the views of Goa'uld on their symbiotes, and how Teal'c has adjusted to life without it.

***

Avenger 2.0

DVD, Stargate SG-1 (Avenger 2.0)

A return of one half of one of the best double-acts we'd seen on the series, Dr. Jay Felger, though sadly missing Simon Coombs, the other half, played by John Billingsley (though he is mentioned). This came out in 2003 when he was still part of 'Star Trek: Enterprise,' so it may have been he was busy, although that didn't stop him last season when he appeared in 'The Other Guys.' After the disappointment of no Billingsley, the first thing you begin to feel is irritation at Felger, the most childish, hyperactive, inappropriate scientist to ever grace Stargate Command. This time he has a different sidekick, his unnoticed, diminutive sidekick, Chloe, always there to encourage and support. But Felger only has eyes for the 'perfect' Major Carter, so the comedy potential is there when, having been threatened with dismissal after an experimental plasma weapon (O'Neill asks if it's a phaser, Chloe says it's more like a photon torpedo!), shuts down the base's generator (looked like the General was working on an important computer document at the time, accounting for his displeasure), he recklessly admits to another experimental project in development, and is allowed twenty-four hours before he must present it. Carter, remembering how he saved the team's life in the previous episode, tries to help him, surprising him by joining the project. It struck me that painting soldiers for a diorama of a Stargate and surrounding environs, might not be the best use of his time, but he's already submitted the proposal at that point, just awaiting the go ahead, so it does make sense.

The trouble with Felger is he's so annoying in speech and manner, and so slapdash at his work, that even though he has a brilliant mind (the stereotypical mad genius scientist), it's very hard to sympathise with him. And yet, you do find yourself, at least on the level of Carter, finding some common ground and understanding. She's able to use her diplomatic ability to persuade him to return to the SGC after the project goes as wrong as it could possibly go: Avenger is the name of the virus they use to scramble a 'gate's dialling codes, effectively rendering it unusable, as a defence against the enemy, but it appears to spread outward from the test 'gate throughout the galaxy. So Felger is apparently responsible for destroying the entire network of Stargates! As he says himself, it took the Ancients a thousand years to build the 'gate system, and it only took him one day to destroy it. That's the kind of wacky personality we're dealing with. Except, in a warm conclusion, we learn that the virus was actually modified and sent out from the first 'gate, meaning Baal must have been aware of the attempt to disable it, and used the same tactic himself, allowing his forces, with the advantage of greater numbers of ships, to alter the balance of power even further against the other System Lords.

It's a nice vindication of Felger's work, and stops him from being the complete 'screw-up' as he calls himself, and that he thinks he is. He's just so enthusiastic about SG-1 and the whole ongoing mission they're on, knowing how important it is, so it was actually quite good to get to know him a little better. Not that he stops being irritating, grating in his lack of judgement, but at least you understand him a little better. It even ends, in tribute to the first episode, with him having a daydream in which his assistant and Major Carter fight over him, as he and O'Neill watch, which wasn't a bad way to leave the episode. The experience gives me the wish to see the character again, as his crush on Carter is amusing, even if it wasn't played up so much, the comedy more attuned to Felger's ineptness, such as getting lost on the base, or standing around unhelpfully next to Hammond. I would hope to see his partner, Coombs again, next time, if they did do another episode, and I wouldn't be averse to his Chloe being part of the ensemble too, as it's quite fun to see the 'lower decks' behind the scenes of Stargate Command, when we so often see the frontline troops.

In some ways Felger's right about Carter being perfect, at least in how she seems: as he noted, she's modest and even her mistakes are useful mistakes, and there has been a tendency for her to be seen as the everyday technical solution to any problem, but as she admits herself, of course she makes mistakes, too. It's an insight into the view of professional people in some ways: they work hard, do a good job, and the SG-1 team are also heroes, but they're heroes that don't put on lycra or have special powers, they're just ordinary people with skill and dedication, and that's what makes the series uplifting in episodes like these, especially when the story is a commentary on the characters, and we're reminded that even people that feel useless can be productive in society if they have a little understanding and guidance. Plus, it's always fun to see Carter have to deal with people, as although she's a perfectly capable diplomat, she's more comfortable operating computers, and she's even more endearing because she does help Felger in this one, standing up for him, supporting him, getting through any doubts she has about him. I especially liked the moment she bravely fends off a whole troop of Goa'uld as Felger tries to do his work on the DHD, as although the odds are stacked against her, she keeps going, eventually saved by O'Neill and Teal'c swooping in on a stolen ship. We even see Siler at one point in a corridor, pointing to his eye as if telling the guy he's talking to of another injury he'd sustained! A pleasant viewing, even if the comedy is a little teeth-grinding at times, and not the episode about a new Earth-built starship that I thought it was.

***

Banjo-Tooie

N64, Banjo-Tooie (2000) game

I first played this in 2008, eight years after it had been originally released. I'm not sure exactly why I waited so long, since 'Banjo-Kazooie' was, and still is, one of my Top 10 games of all time. It probably had something to do with the relatively negative review given to it in 'N64 Magazine' as they were usually right about these things, and I'd likely tired of playing platform games. There's also the cost factor - as I remember, it was a game that stayed at its £40 release price and couldn't be found secondhand, at least not easily. In those days I still relied on games shops to find old titles, I hadn't progressed to the stage of buying online. So price, coupled with worse than expected reviews, and boredom with the genre all contributed to me staying away for so long. When I eventually got hold of it I remember the feeling of disappointment that permeated the experience, though until I played it again recently I couldn't quite recall why. After playing 'BK' last year and really enjoying it, I was primed to get into the sequel. Something that had been a disappointment back in the time of release was that the long-awaited connectivity with the original Banjo game had been abandoned, as if Rare didn't really care any more. I suspect it was more to do with cost and technical feasibility, but it was just one more thing about 'Banjo-Kazooie' that had excited and made it seem ahead of its time: you could collect certain secret items in the game that would be used in 'Banjo-Tooie,' but this was revised to them being found in 'BT,' making them largely redundant, and they turned out not to be that special after all, but more on that later.

Starting the game I was quickly reminded of one of the things wrong with it, or to be precise, slowly reminded. Very, very slowly. In fact it took around an hour to actually get to the first level! Now fair enough, if you'd waited two years for this title, with building anticipation, you'd have wanted the story to pay off events at the end of 'BK,' but it was such a long opening, and mostly slow cutscenes that took up the time. What was once a technical achievement was now an irritation as I just wanted to get on with playing the game, not watching it, but even if you could skip it, you wouldn't want to for fear of missing something important. It wasn't just the ponderous opening that got me down, but the depressing, dark landscape that prevailed, the story being that Grunty's sisters had rescued her and gone off in a mole machine having destroyed Banjo's house and killed Bottles (his guide and helper in 'BK'). There's no mention of what happened to Tooty, Banjo's sister, she remains absent from the game for some reason (though amusingly, there's a missing persons advert on a carton of milk in the rubbish bin on 'Cloud Cuckooland'!). If you wanted to recall the first game's moves, or you'd never played 'BK,' you could take up the training around 'Spiral Mountain,' but it was dark, rainy and dismal, far from the bright, upbeat opening of 'BK,' with its ripe corn, green, green grass and clear blue water, smiled down upon by eternal sunshine.

It may be a bit unfair to keep comparing the two games, but it's inevitable, especially as 'BT' was supposed to be bigger and better. It may also be churlish to complain about the mood of the opening, as it's all part of the story, but one of the things that made 'BK' great was being such an enjoyable place to visit. It's not just a plodding story and depressing start that are the problems, there was also the first glimpse of technical issues: even on 'Spiral Mountain,' a reuse of a level in 'BK,' the framerate is noticeably jerky, and for a company like Rare to release a game without their expected level of technical perfection had at one time been unheard of. The counter argument would be that they'd reached the limits of the N64's capabilities (I'm not sure if the Expansion Pak was utilised, but it certainly wasn't required, unlike some of their last N64 games, such as 'Donkey Kong 64' and 'Perfect Dark'), but it doesn't explain why a level from a 1998 game had developed flaws in 2000! Jerky framerates weren't a major problem in the game, just an occasional annoyance in large areas, but when you're used to polish that rivalled Nintendo's own brand games, it's a worry. And we were right to be worried: the once unstoppable Rare, like Pixar, became a shadow of their former selves, so that when they were snapped up by Microsoft in the early days of the N64's successor, the GameCube, it wasn't really a loss, which was hard to believe considering they crafted many of the best games on the N64. But I'm not here to judge Rare's business relationships or company history, except where it relates to 'Banjo-Tooie.'

While I'm being mostly negative, I will say it was impressive to see the excellent config selection, with a widescreen option and the ability to adjust even the position of the output on your screen - more options for adjustment are always appreciated for the best sound and vision experience. It was also brilliant that the game was geared to the level of someone who'd completed 'Banjo-Kazooie,' so you didn't have to go through relearning well-rehearsed moves, and the difficulty was immediately up there as a tougher experience, so you didn't feel like the training wheels had been reattached. At the same time, everything was clear for those that needed a refresher, so it catered for all. But what it's all about is getting to the collecting and puzzle-solving, something which on 'BK' you were quickly thrust into, learning some moves on 'Spiral Mountain,' then making you're way up to the first level. This time you find yourself wading through dull, muddy landscapes, and I lost track of how many cutscenes there are to advance the daft plot, which is silly rather than funny, before you get to 'Mayahem Temple,' meaning you're itching to get started properly. My disappointment in the style also stretched to Bottles' brother, Jamjars, whose metal hatches signal a change to a more artificial, industrial look, rather than the more suitable natural theme of the first game. The same can be said of Jamjars' Silos, replacing the much more characterful Warp Cauldrons. Such things are subjective, but they added to the unattractiveness of a game that was somewhat ugly when compared to the freshness of 'BK.'

That game still had machines and metal (look at Clanker in 'Clanker's Cavern'), but the environments tended to be more appealing. Not to say there weren't beautiful levels: 'Jolly Roger's Lagoon' was very much in the previous style; 'Terrydactyland' brought a nice orangey-pink colour palette to proceedings (though it was a little bare), 'Hailfire Peaks' carried on the platformer tradition of slippy-slidey ice worlds and boiling hot fiery worlds, with 'Cloud Cuckooland' the most colourful (rivalled a little by the patchy 'Witchyworld'). So there was no shortage of colourful landscapes to get lost in, it's just that the palette often seemed more muted than before, 'Mayahem Temple' an example with its dull green main colour. Such things may not be that important, and certainly don't affect gameplay, but they do affect the mood and, to me at least, made the game less welcoming. As contrary as it might seem to laud a game for bringing us familiarity in world styles and in the same paragraph mark it down for doing the same kind of thing again, I must - 'Glitter Gulch Mine' was a remake of 'Crystal Caverns' on 'Donkey Kong 64,' with the underwater majority that made up 'Jolly Roger's Lagoon' having very similar music to that of 'Gloomy Galleon' and 'Grunty Industries' easy to link with 'Frantic Factory.' I appreciate there may be only a certain number of workable themes for this kind of game, but 'BK' did some things with traditional themes, like the giant snowman for example, which made 'Freezeezy Peak' so much more than an ice world.

The fact that the only levels I recollected before playing were Mayan, ice, lava, circus and dinosaur themed show that it was a far less memorable experience, as you'd think I'd have remembered the game more clearly having first played it only a few years ago, whereas I never forgot the structure of 'BK,' from twice as long ago. I have to wonder why games insist on putting one of the final levels set in the sky, or with deep drops and no barriers! It can only be to raise the difficulty or impression of raising it, but I never liked such open, empty spaces - even 'Super Mario 64' did it, though that was far trickier as there was much more actual platforming to do. So although 'Cloud Cuckooland' was a breath of fresh air, literally allowing you rise above the dark, depressing influence of the witch, it was a bit frustrating trying to work out how to get to each floating island. I will grant that the view down to the worlds below was a beautiful one, and it was most certainly the most colourful in the game. And there were areas of the lair that stood out as beautiful: the Beehive, the temple of Master Jiggywiggy (with its innovative jigsaw puzzles done while the image is in motion - a great idea, but I think it was nicked from a secret extra in Banjo's house in the first game), and the sandy cliff top all had their appeal.

One of the big flaws of the levels was simply that they were so big. At one time, size seemed the most important thing, you wanted to be wowed by the scale of the next game (even going back to the 2D days, how many screens a game had, and how long it would take to complete were important buying decisions for cash-strapped young gamesplayers!), but eventually you realise that most games are full of empty space, and the extent of the horizon has less to do with how enjoyable a game is than how much interaction you have with your environment. 'The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess' was not as involving an experience as 'Ocarina of Time,' despite its scale, and the same is true between the two Banjo games, 'Tooie' too big for its own good. This is because the scope of the levels makes them far less focused, and leaving aside the occasional technical flaws, you soon see that though they are huge, they're made up of multiple, smaller areas that you have to scurry between, interconnected locations that can become a bit maze-like when you're trying to remember where to go, or how. This, in turn, adds drudgery as you often find yourself traversing the expanse back and forth, which feels like a cynical attempt to extend the playing time. It works, the game does take a long time, but it's not due to the inventiveness of the puzzles or the joy of exploring. Also, the compartmentalised nature of the levels takes away the awe that you sometimes feel on seeing a vast land stretching out before you (such as 'Treasure Trove Cove,' or 'Clanker's Cavern').

Some are worse than others, with 'Jolly Roger's Lagoon' and 'Witchyworld' being among the worst contenders, and factory level, 'Grunty Industries,' being one entire internal experience of rooms and corridors. That was one of my least favourite, being another dark, grimy, brown puddle of industrial revolution, but I can see why they might want to make a completely different experience to the outdoor, open spaces of others. It's just less appealing, once again proving to me that naturalistic, organic environments are more fun. At least that level didn't have any swimming, which was the bane of 'Jolly Roger's Lagoon.' It was nice to find, on returning to 'Spiral Mountain' that you could rescue Banjo's goldfish from under a boulder, who then gives you more air, and faster swimming ability, which I didn't discover until well into the game! Once Mumbo's magically filtered the lagoon water with air, you can stay under indefinitely, and thing are easier, but it doesn't stop the experience of underwater exploration being a real drag. Some might love gliding around in the depths, and at least in this game, unlike the previous one, you can switch to first-person view, making it easier to see things, but it doesn't stop the camera from being particularly annoying in third-person view, and so much of the sights look similar that it can be difficult to orient yourself, which is essential to keep track of where you've been and where you're going. Underwater swimming irritation isn't unique to this game, it's just that there was less of it in 'BK' and you were usually on a tight time limit which added tension and meant you didn't have long to do it.

What really irks about the levels, in the same vein as cynically expanding game time, is how much pointlessness there is. In 'BK' things were done with intent and purpose, there for a reason. And you could chart your progress by it, gain satisfaction from it. Take the musical notes: in 'BK' they were an essential part of progressing through the game as you needed a certain note score to pass doors in Grunty's lair. They were also a reason to replay levels as you had to collect them all in one go as they were replaced once you exited a level. This gave the game an added dimension, rather like a time trial in a racing game, or headshot count in a shooting game, not to mention they were one of those immediate, continuing rewards that increased your feeling of wellbeing - even if you weren't playing to collect the notes they made a pleasing sound when picked up! No such feeling of reward in 'BT,' the notes are there almost as an afterthought, and I can't even remember why they needed to be collected, which is telling. They were no longer individual items, but bunched into 'nests' of five, making them slightly harder to spot and much less frequent, and could no longer be used to guide you around a level as they often were in 'BK.' They were there because the first game had notes, but weren't really needed. I can understand why this game didn't have the same replayable level totals as before, because they were so big it would get quite irritating if you had to spend hours tracking down all the notes in one go, I just wish they'd played a worthwhile role.

I think they were something to do with Jamjars teaching you the next move, but it was obviously vague enough that I never needed to keep track. Another pointless collectable was the Glowbo. Like the Mumbo Tokens in 'BK,' these were required before Mumbo or Humba Wumba could do anything for you. Thing is, they were always near the wigwam or skull, so why even bother with them? Again, at least with the Tokens you felt an achievement at finding them, this was just insulting, especially in a game that was more geared to an experienced platformer who'd played 'BK.' One improvement in 'Tooie' was that you got to change into something in every level this time, so there was a greater variety of changes, one of the things to look forward to. They could be quite big, too, as was the case with the full-sized T-Rex you could stomp around as in 'Terrydactyland.' Naturally, not every creature was a good one, 'Glitter Gulch Mine' had you as a detonator which could blow up kegs of TNT, but each time you detonated, a honey piece was lost from your health so you had to keep returning to Humba to change back so you could replenish health. The back and forth mechanics were possibly the worst thing about the game: on 'Terrydactyland' you could become either an adult T-Rex, or a juvenile, but to do this you first had to change into Mumbo, walk him to his pad in front of Humba's wigwam so he could make it bigger or smaller, return to the Skull, back into Banjo, back to the wigwam to change into the T-Rex… and then you realise it was the wrong size for what you'd planned to do, and have to do it all over again! Arrggh!

I had forgotten you could play as Mumbo, which was a nice surprise, though it usually consisted of him travelling to a pad with his face on so he could perform his magic and activate something, and for a supposedly powerful shaman that was the limit of his ability. He could jump, he could zap with his stick, and that was it. So it was hardly a pleasure to be a different character when it meant actually reducing your capabilities, when you should have had more freedom. There was a bit more fun to be had with the creatures Humba Wumba transformed you into, especially that frustrating T-Rex. I'd once played a trick on a family member back in the day when I used a cheat in 'Banjo-Kazooie' to become a washing machine and pretended I'd got 'Banjo-Tooie' before it was supposed to come out! This time you get to be the washing machine for real, freshly laundered pants, your projectile attack! The submarine made the lagoon's underwater section a little more palatable, and although the bee in 'Cloud Cuckooland' was another repeat, it made life easier. Except, when you realise how many times you have to go here and change into this, it got to be too much: change into Wumba's creature, play as Mumbo Jumbo, one move even had you splitting up into Banjo or Kazooie. At first that seems like a great idea, and the logical next step for the series, but it was usually just an excuse to make a puzzle where you had to use one character to pull this switch or stand on that pad, then the other one to do the same, so rather than being used in an inventive way, it was too often a chore.

Other unnecessary changes, just for the sake of it, included Minjos, evil versions of the Jinjos you had to collect (I grant that the more detailed exploration of Jinjo culture in the story was interesting, to an extent), which would stand innocently around as bait to lure you in, then attack. You could usually tell them apart by their location: if a Jinjo was in an easy to reach area it was probably a Minjo. They also added different honeycombs to the usual life replenishment variety, sometimes making them Skill Honeycombs where you had to press the button to stop it on your health bar and it would fill up to there, or Mystery ones which would stop randomly, so you may have just as well not picked these variations up at all! The scarce Cheato pages of the first game became another collectable, giving you some useful cheats, though I'm not sure they can be called cheats if they're openly available to collect (though I did turn them all off for the final battle, so as to feel a greater sense of achievement). The repetition of time and effort in the game also stretched to the empty Honeycomb pieces. As before, if you collected enough you'd get another piece permanently added to your health bar, but this time you had to actually visit a shop to exchange the collected pieces for what you were given automatically in 'BK'! These unnecessary additions for the sake of extension made the experience galling, and gave the impression of an elaborate plot to disguise the lack of innovation and good game design that had oozed naturally from the earlier game.

To counter the negativity in the game's design I should point to the interesting development of various 'rabbit holes' to connect levels. On one hand, they do create more back and forth options, a symptom of the game's flaws, but on the other, it was quite useful to have shortcuts between levels, and to be able to bring certain things through to solve the odd puzzle, making the greater world seem more cohesive. The biggest connection (between levels which you'd normally see as completely enclosed in games of the time), was the train, which allowed travel between stations in each level, once they'd been opened. The train was an important part of solving certain problems and was an impressive sight at the time. It was also at the heart of my biggest failure in the game: when I originally played it I thought, and always had done until recently, that it wasn't possible to get every Jiggy in the game due to the Gobi the Camel glitch. Put simply, I could never get Gobi to spit out his water into the train's funnel to cool it, despite bouncing on top of him, spitting eggs, and slamming as hard as I could on his hump. This was the only time I had to look up a solution on the internet, because first time round I'd just accepted it must be a glitch as there was no other way. Except there was: I hadn't realised that you could still do the same moves from 'BK,' and that they hadn't been superceded by your new moves. All you had to do was perform a simple Beak Bash (jumping up, then tapping Z once), instead of the Bill Drill (jumping up, then holding Z), which I'd assumed had replaced it!

It was inconsistencies like this that put another dent in my appreciation of the game. Some crates would blow up, others wouldn't; some rocks could be smashed, others couldn't. I can understand that it was technically impossible to make the environment fully interactive, and that inconsistencies like these were par for the course (and may still be?), but I like games to have internal logic, and to be tied to that, so you can work things out in a way that makes sense. Sometimes you get completely stuck in a game, and you want that to be because of a fiendish puzzle, not inconsistency. That said, the value of taking a break from a game and coming back with fresh eyes should not be underrated as I found with the last few items I needed in the game. I had three levels left in which I hadn't collected everything, and after a break of a few days with plenty of thinking time expended upon it, I was able to conquer them all in an hour's play. The Jinjo behind the boiling waterfall on 'Hailfire Peaks' was all I needed there, and I'd thought up a convoluted plan of changing into a statue in 'Mayahem Temple,' before returning and jumping through, but it didn't work! It suddenly clicked: it was as simple as using the golden invincibility feathers. Sometimes the simplest solution…

On 'Grunty Industries,' finding the rear exit to reach the last worker to clean his overalls was a matter of noticing the back room through the glass which had an unused button within, on Floor 1, so I just had to go up a floor, find the clearly marked exit to Floor 1 on Floor 2, and voila, went down as the washing machine and exited nicely! Finally, how to get the beans to grow in 'Cloud Cuckooland'? I wondered if I could get to them as Mumbo, in order to zap them, but in searching for a route I came across his old pad from where he was able to work his magic anyway, even though I'd already emptied the water from the pool, making it rain, watering the beans and providing the beanstalks to success. Phew, what a relief! Even the last Notes Nest which I was missing from my tally in Grunty's lair, was accidentally discovered over by one of the pillars holding up the Beehive, so it was a relief not to have to spend hours fruitlessly searching for those last nagging collectables.

It was these kinds of experiences that brought me back around to the game's side, as the satisfaction of completion could be almost as strong as 'BK.' This acceptance of the flaws and enjoyment regardless made me realise that, yes, it was a good game after all, just not a great one. So many ideas hadn't made a good impression, and so much of the early part of the game gave me a feeling of filling out a form: go here, do this, tick this box. But eventually the goodness was released, it just needed some squeezing. Moody, muted colours, bloated levels and so much padding had hidden the fun core of the game, and no amount of light effects or good music could fully rescue it, but to be able to return to that world of funny-voiced characters with the solid feel to the lands (unlike the plasticky or rubbery textures I have in my memories of 'DK64'), with a number of creatures populating it from 'Banjo-Kazooie' was attractive. So much so, in fact, that I even bought what I believe is the only other Banjo game in existence: the Game Boy Advance's 'Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge,' and it's been a long, long time indeed since I bought a GBA game!

With the danger of ending my review on a high, I'd better say one last thing about the secrets and special items out there, because this was a botch after the promises from 'BK.' The great ice key was used to open a giant safe, which contains the giant Glowbo, which can then be taken to Humba. She then transforms Kazooie into a green, fire-breathing dragon, which although novel, has apparently no effect on the game whatsoever. The eggs, which were the other 'BK' artefacts, found in little N64 cartridges hidden in the lair (in areas devoid of the grand, portentous music from the first game, showing of how little import they really are), which you can eventually hatch, give you mostly minor cheats, such as homing eggs (useful, but not the essential item you might have expected), the Breegull Bash Beak Bomb (I think, but I can't actually remember, that's how exciting the secrets were), and the option to play as a Jinjo in the multiplayer game. I necessarily haven't touched on the multiplayer option because we never played them - experiencing some of the minigames with human opponents might have been a draw, just as 'Super Monkey Ball' on the GameCube was enormous fun in small doses, but the possibility of first-person shooter levels based on the empty and dull FPS sections where Banjo uses Kazooie as an egg-firing gun, never appealed. If you were going to play an FPS on N64 it would be 'Goldeneye' or 'Perfect Dark' - the 'Mayahem Temple' inauguration of this new mode heavily reminiscent of the Temple in 'Goldeneye,' down to the music. It's not what you play a platformer for, and was a bit dark, bland, and tiresome after a while, a maze of mostly emptiness.

One cheat (the final one from Cheato, I think), usefully fixed the Jukebox in 'Jolly Roger's Lagoon.' It was annoying that this was how you did it, as you assume there's a way to fix it yourself, so you exhaust all possibilities before moving on, only to find it was impossible until Cheato fixed it for you! But it was great to be able to play most of the tunes from the game on tap (I say most, as the Beehive isn't included, for example), even if it serves as a reminder that few of them carry a candle to those jaunty tunes of 'Banjo-Kazooie.' Ultimately, that's how I feel about the game as a whole, even the ending rather underwhelming. There's little incentive to get all notes and Jiggies as all that you're rewarded by is a character parade on the cinema options screen. It's a nice touch to be able to replay the cutscenes, or minigames and bosses, one area this game improved on its predecessor, with truly huge opponents to fight, though they rather overshadowed the final battle with Gruntilda as she stays inside her grey mole machine on top of her grey fortress. The party takes place in the revived Bottles' house, underground, and it would have been nice to see the sun shine down upon Banjo's world once more, and revisit the characters now free from the witch's power across the land. But you can't have everything, and you tend to find there's less playability and enjoyment in later parts of games, partly perhaps because less people are going to see them, and also production staff must be getting tired and fed up by the time they approach the finishing line, with deadlines looming after long hours of toil. Sadly, this game can sometimes feel like long hours of toil, too, but if you played the first one, you'll want to play this one as well, as long as you keep your expectations lowered.

***

Demons

DVD, Enterprise S4 (Demons)

I have to say my expectations for this episode were low. I remembered this final two-parter as one of the weaker stories, especially in comparison to the generally strong Season 4, and although some controversially consider this the feature-length finale for the series (wanting to wipe out the true finale, 'These Are The Voyages…'), I think it would have been a poor final curtain on a troubled series, if it were. That said, I did enjoy it a bit more on this viewing, simply because there's so much to take in. For a start, it's terribly exciting to see a conference for a proposed coalition of planets, attended by delegations of multiple species, some known, some not, a real thrill, especially when you notice the wonderful attention to detail in the logo on the floor of the building: United Earth Space Probe Agency. This neatly clears up one or two questions about the fluctuating name of the organisation Captain Kirk and his crew worked for, as it had different names depending on the episode in those early days. Now we know there really were multiple organisations and a mistake is retconned into a fascinating complication of history. That's what this episode is all about: history. Whether it be John Frederick Paxton's interest in the past (still our future), with his following of the infamous mass murderer, genocidal Colonel Green (shown in his post-WWIII, pre-beard days, actually giving a speech out of history on a monitor!), to recent incidents such as the Xindi attack on Earth, to the gathering alliance of various species, we feel we are at an important time in Earth's existence.

One reason I enjoyed the episode more this time was because it felt like such a relief to get back to our universe, and the characters we know, after the unsettling Mirror Universe, and shouty Captain Archer (I now expect that vessel in the opening credits just before the Enterprise appears to fire on the colony below!). Strangely, Archer isn't centre stage this time, the ensemble given its dues (though, frustratingly, probably due to time, Hoshi remains underused again), but I'm not going to complain when a genuine group dynamic comes through for the team as they each go about their various contributions to what is, essentially, a mystery tale. We begin with a teasing teaser that reveals a hybrid baby with Vulcan ears (good work on getting it to turn its little head on cue, to reveal them!), which we later find out is from Trip and T'Pol's DNA. Here's where things take a turn for the worse, and I start to see why I wasn't thrilled about the story on first viewing as it gets a bit soapy, T'Pol actually saying "I've never been pregnant, Trip." It sounds like the tag line for one of those daytime chat shows where people argue about relationships. It was also a bit much to see Travis fling himself at this woman, Gannet, that suddenly appears back on his radar (or allow her to fling herself at him). I don't know whether Anthony Montgomery was out of practice, given that he was hardly ever allowed to act in the last couple of seasons, or whether it was fatigue at coming to the end, knowing the series was cancelled, or just that I'm not used to Travis do anything other than stare, brow furrowed, at the viewscreen, like an extra from 'The Motion Picture,' but he seemed a bit rusty. I know he can act, he did some good stuff in the first couple of seasons, but this just came across as unreal.

I feel bad calling him out when it's one of those few times he got something to do, but it was so out of the blue, and his reaction was so different to the optimistic, upbeat Travis we used to know - and we haven't seen the development for him to get there, as we have with others: Trip went through a lot after his sister died in the Xindi attack; Reed's feud with the MACOs gave him some personal conflict. It didn't help that his costar was so natural that I felt like she was someone we'd seen before, though she hadn't previously appeared, even saying that they'd last met four years ago, when she'd tried to dissuade Travis from joining the Enterprise mission. She was also instantly interesting, as how often have we seen a news reporter on Trek? I can remember the flurry of coverage Kirk's appearance at the Enterprise-B's maiden voyage garnered, and I loved the parallel of the same head-mounted recording device, making the conference seem more important. Another device that excited my historical senses was the newest incarnation of the Universal Translator, now developed into a palm-sized device that sits comfortably on the chest. To the left. Like where a combadge would later be found… It's all so exciting to witness the development of these technologies that would become so integral to Trek, and it's been long enough by now that we should be seeing things happen. Unlike 'Smallville,' where they tended to deal with almost all the Superman powers in the first couple of seasons, Enterprise hasn't shown a lot of intentions to advance the tech, perhaps wisely as they could only go so far.

Something we learn from Travis is that the Shuttlepods are being used less and less as the Transporter becomes vehicle of choice. I'd have liked to have seen a bit more going wrong with it in the early days (like 'Vanishing Point'), and limitations, like they could only transport one person at a time, which would have meant difficult tactical decisions had to be made. Instead, they routinely transport multiple bodies on the pad at once, all getting swirled out together, which strikes me as something less feasible for this generation of the technology - we should have seen how this use of the device led to a terrible outcome (perhaps fusing several people together, permanently), which influenced later designs towards separate pads for individuals' safety. I couldn't help but feel slightly nostalgic as Travis gave his tour of the NX-01 to Gannet, as it felt like a farewell tour: here are the sets, enjoy them, use them, they won't be around for much longer. Considering this is such a planet-based story we do see a fair bit of the ship, with various quarters, Bridge and Shuttlebay, to name but a few. Even though the cast are being used, I still had slight problems with some of the logic or presentation: I mentioned Travis not quite seeming himself, Hoshi's moment comes with the new Universal Translator and pretty much nothing else, and Phlox has a few moments. But it was Reed and his contribution that caused the most reaction.

After all that Archer said to him about letting the side down with his loyalties to the shadowy spy organisation that remained unnamed (Section 31), in the Klingon two-parter, and not working for them any more, he decides it's time for Reed to get back in with them as they need some intel. This worked fine in 'DS9' because Sloan was such a determined recruiter, and Sisko wanting Bashir to stay open to him made sense, as it was for the fate of the Alpha Quadrant, or for taking down the organisation from within. Reed was loyal to 31, embarrassed when the truth of his complicity was revealed, and it would seem dangerous to reopen that wound again, especially so soon after he'd announced his resignation to Harris. It would seem to go against Archer's ethics, merely to get some information on a child that has apparently been created from Trip and T'Pol's DNA, it's not an Earth-shattering mission (despite the wellbeing and safety of the child being important). When Reed does meet up with Harris the guy just tells him to find the child, then all will be revealed. How helpful can you be? It just smacks of the writers thinking Section 31 is a cool idea so let's get it in there again (the same level of intelligent use of the organisation employed in 'Star Trek Into Darkness'). If they wanted to use them, fine, but at least come up with a better way to bring them in, give us some buildup, don't just say out of the blue that Reed needs to get back in contact, and then fail to give us any information of real value!

It could be that the idea of Reed being "back in the game," as Harris puts it, would have been expanded upon in future seasons as Reed was asked to do things he didn't agree with, once again finding himself in the moral quandary that is the whole point of Section 31, but they must have known during the writing there were to be no more seasons forthcoming. It also makes Section 31 look weak and a little powerless when Reed can opt in and out so easily, Harris never having an ounce of the personality that Sloan displayed, just a straight up spy handler dressed in black. I feel it was a fundamental misreading of how compelling the concept could be, and like a lot of concepts 'Enterprise' tried to use, it was used in a simple, surface kind of way that made the 'DS9' writers look like Shakespeare. Not to point to the actor, Eric Pierpoint, for the fault, he was just giving us what was written, and it was good to have a character return from an earlier episode since it wasn't as common in this series as others. It's also nice to have familiar faces in the guest cast as we come to the conclusion of, not only the series, but Trek's eighteen year unbroken run on TV. Harry Groener, the Tin Man himself from the 'TNG' episode of the same name (technically he wasn't Tin Man, that was the organic spacecraft in the episode, but he did a Commander Decker and practically became one with it by the end of the story, so I think it's fair!), one of those recognisable figures from the franchise's history (he also appeared as The Magistrate in 'Sacred Ground' on 'Voyager'). Colonel Green was played by Steve Rankin, which could be the same guy who played roles in 'TNG' and 'DS9' under the name Steven Rankin, or not. And Tom Bergeron, previously in 'Enterprise' Season 1 ('Oasis'), as the Coridanite Ambassador.

That was one of the great things about this episode: seeing all these weird and wonderful aliens, some of which we can place, others which are less well known. The Coridanites had never been seen on screen, despite being part of the galactic-political scene dating back to 'TOS,' with the occasional mention on other series', so it was a wonderful easter egg to finally see what one looked like. It's just one more of those things in this final season that makes you wish we'd had time to explore it more, as this is a race with a fascinating design: like the Orions it appears to have facial implants, but in this case it was so much more drastic, covering the entire face. What are the purpose of such things, medical reasons, a breathing apparatus for Earth's air, or merely decoration? We want to know more about Coridan's history, and it's so sad that we never get these details coloured in. It's like Michael Westmore and his team realised their long association with Trek was up and decided to try and have some fun, and give us some last great designs in these episodes, but it does make it frustrating, too, as I want to know what species these varied attendees are, and details about them.

The episode isn't really about the aliens, as upsetting as that might be, it's about the anti-aliens, those humans that have allowed their fear of outsiders to grow into violent action. The xenophobic strain of thought had been growing ever since the Xindi's vicious and apparently unprovoked attack at the end of Season 2, with Phlox notably getting attacked. We have to remember that humans of the 22nd Century were still a mixed bunch, not having come to terms with space and the interplanetary scene upon which they found themselves having a say. It seems hard to believe that there would be people there who were opposed to the NX-01's mission in the first place, although not so much that there are those resentful at aliens - even Jonathan Archer himself displayed such tendencies toward the Vulcans, who were unsupportive of his Father's efforts to get humanity out into the stars in warp ships. I wish that parallel had been highlighted when he spoke to Samuels, who himself admitted to xenophobia in his younger days, blaming his Father's death on a Denobulan pilot. This is where the episode's title comes from, as he admits that he exorcized those feelings eventually, it's about the people that haven't been able to get past such personal demons. It seems racism is a thing of the past - I wonder if the multicultural representation in Paxton's group was intentional, to emphasise the hypocrisy of different races of humans having learnt to come together, but not seeing the parallel with aliens, still needing an outlet for pent-up resentment.

The trouble is, although I could believe in such a terrorist group as Terra Prime, its leader, John Frederick Paxton, was less believable. He very much appeared to be a two-dimensional Bond villain, complete with secret lair and massive gun to threaten the world with (or, in this instance, the Solar System - where was this weapon during the Xindi attack, I have to ask?). I'm still a bit sore over Peter Weller returning to Trek in 'Into Darkness,' but not reprising this same character as I so hoped he would, as that would have tied 'Enterprise' into the canon even more strongly than seeing a model of the NX-01 on Admiral Marcus' desk. He could have been a clone, or have used time travel, any number of devices instead of just being there to be cast as someone else. Weller is known for being a very intelligent actor, which makes it so strange that the two characters he's played have both been so simplistic as bad guys, nothing to recommend them as complex characters in a franchise known for its intelligence and complexity - it's a cruel twist that he should only be in the two weakest-written arms of the franchise (plus he would have made an excellent Cardassian in 'DS9,' I might add!).

They were walking a fine line by having a half-human, half-Vulcan hybrid baby, as Spock was so unique, and although I'm not sure if he was ever stated to be the only example of the joining of the two races, that's the way it always seemed to me. Technically, this child wasn't the same, as it was a test tube baby, but still, they were treading on toes here to get a shock, and this may have been another reason I wasn't keen on the episode, coupled with the clunky, soapy aspects and one-note villain. Somehow, I was able to get past all these things this time, and enjoy seeing the characters doing their thing, and there were a lot of little references to the series and its history, used by Paxton as reasoning for his actions: Vulcans bombed an embassy, killing so many humans; the Xindi attack; Enterprise going out to other planets and letting potentially hostile species know where we are; not even being able to walk down the street without aliens scaring your children; and no reparations for the families of those who died in the Xindi attack. I like it when real, in-world events can be used as justification for a point of view, even though the actual sentiments were warped (no pun intended). It was also of interest that the story was all happening so close to home, and this may have been meant metaphorically as well as physically, racism still prevalent today, with many of the same fears and concerns that Paxton's group expressed.

So close to home was it that we actually visit the Moon, something you almost see on Trek (and here they're still calling it The Moon - we find out in 'Valiant' on 'DS9' its name is generally known as Luna, except to those that actually live there), and Mars, too. The CG effects were generally very good, especially the headquarters of UESPA by the Golden Gate Bridge, and Paxton's mining ship that blasts off the face of the Moon. The landing on Mars wasn't so good, the impression of weight really lacking, but the CG environments were starting to be fully believable, after so many years to get them to that state. I had a couple of minor quibbles with the story, but these were soon ironed out within it: I was thinking T'Pol would stand out like a sore ear on a mining colony that had so many Terra Prime members, but then I saw that there were other aliens here and there, so they obviously weren't as uncommon as I thought. But still, she's T'Pol - she and Tucker should be well known as heroes to Earth people, right? And yet no one spots them, and Trip is able to gain the trust of a guy he's just met with one conversation in which he gives the impression of being anti-alien. Except that it's revealed that Josiah did indeed recognise him and it was all a trick to get him where they wanted him, so it did make sense. In all, I did rather enjoy it and look forward to part two, which I remember nothing about.

***