DVD, Enterprise S2 (The Catwalk)
Nothing to do with fashion, it's about the limits of the NX-01 almost becoming a liability in one of the best stories of the season. Combining a situation which was easy to avoid in the later series', since they could all warp away from such a phenomenon (though not always, a la 'Voyager' episode 'One' where the crew's put in stasis to survive a storm), with the opportunity of expanding our knowledge of the ship, showing us areas we've never seen before, mixing in a bit creepiness, a spot of action and finding time to marvel at the beauty of the natural force Enterprise must travel through. About the only downside is the look of the aliens, which isn't special in any way, but doesn't really detract.
Tempers do begin to fray in the close quarters and stuffiness of the catwalks, but although Reed starts moaning about everything from the lack of facilities to the food, things never kick off in the way they did in 'The Ship' on 'DS9,' though the circumstances are different. In that, the crew were besieged with few supplies and an enemy intent on their destruction, while this is more of an enforced camping trip, as Archer describes it. You get the impression, up until the complication of the alien incursion, that he was quite enjoying roughing it with his crew, while T'Pol was merely tolerating the circumstances. It's nice the way she ends up joining them for the film night, even translating the plot for those not keeping up, something she would never have done last season. It shows she is, if not warming, certainly becoming more than neutral to the crew.
Everyone has their scenes, even Porthos and Phlox' creatures aren't forgotten. It's not exactly explained whether both catwalks are filled - it would make sense with the number of crew aboard, but presumably the other catwalk didn't know what happened, unless they were in communication with Archer's side. The scale of the ship and complement, as well as the vastness of the storm field, are exceptionally well realised, with brilliant montages of the crew bustling about in the time they have to get under cover and lock everything down, and the views we get of the storm are as good as the Badlands. Travis continues his reputation for haunting expressions and space experience when he talks so forebodingly about a storm his family's ship went through, and also shows off his piloting skills once again. Hoshi is apprehensive, but no longer a worry for the Captain, and Trip gets down to his diplomatic work as best he can manage!
I'd need a notebook to keep track of the many nuggets of information that are carelessly tossed out throughout the episode, but among them, we learn there are something like 19 billion Denobulans living on the one and only continent of their home planet (perhaps confirming John Billingsley's belief that very few members of the race go off-world); the first ambassador to Earth was Solkar (Archer knows his Vulcan history!); T'Pol mentions the last time she was 'camping' was for her kahs-wan, the ritual Spock went through in 'The Animated Series'; perhaps the Edosian eels come from Edo, a planet visited in the first season of 'TNG'; the Vulcan ship destroyed by a similar spatial phenomenon was called T'Plana, very similar to the ship that made first contact with Earth, the T'Plana Hath; and most importantly, we gets to see chef in person, though not his head and shoulders (he was thickset enough to be Riker, adding to my speculation that William T. went back in time and had another career on the NX-01! - See 'These Are The Voyages…'). Chef's galley is also used again, improbably as the setting for a phaserfight, getting trashed in the process, and Archer shows that iPad's are used for watching water polo in the future (but vertically, not horizontally? Crazy!).
I love the idea of the catwalks, these walkways in the nacelles, as it's fascinating to see the nooks and crannies of the ship, as much as the regular settings we know and love. It's quite moving to see the ship all shut down and abandoned, and this adds something to the scene in which Trip descends into the dark, but not empty corridors with only minutes to spare before he succumbs to poisoning. Danny Goldring, another of the company of actors that have played many roles on the various incarnations over the years, returns to this series again after playing a Nausicaan in Season 1, and makes the cranky old leader of the Takrit soldiers a formidable presence. The music adds much, and everything works towards a different kind of episode, and more importantly, uses Enterprise's weaknesses as strengths.
***
Monday, 30 May 2011
Ensign Ro
DVD, TNG S5 (Ensign Ro)
The events of this episode have so much more resonance and weight to them thanks to the echoes that peal off into the future history of Trek, and this series too. Ensign Ro is a proud, but redeemable figure that does makes the right choice thanks to someone trying to get to know her and forcing trust her way. When she first comes aboard I was wondering why her Bajoran earring is on the left ear (later to be revealed as a Pah-Wraith symbol, but just as easily suggestive of a rebellious nature, but one which still holds her own culture dear), and why Riker comes down so heavily on her wearing it at all, since we've seen other Bajorans in Starfleet who did wear it. Riker was probably being especially strict with her to show he wasn't going to be messed about, and as a sign of his contempt for her within the bounds of acceptable discipline. I love the way she earns the right to wear it by the end, though she still chooses to wear it in the left so maybe she really was a Pah-Wraith worshipper! Or not.
The introduction of the Bajorans (or the Bajora, or the Bajarans as various people call them through the course of the episode!), was, in some ways as important as the Borg for the amount of importance they would have for the future, giving 'DS9' a solid base and providing us with some memorable characters from the race, and continues the grounding begun last season with the Cardassians and the story of that area of space. There is a quiver of anticipation throughout the story because these are the first, tentative steps towards revealing a history that brought depth to minor races in Trek like few others before - perhaps only the Klingons were to rival them in this regard. Who would have thought at the time that these human-like people with funny creases in their noses would become so integral to not only a spinoff series, but the entire Alpha Quadrant thanks to the discovery of the Bajoran Wormhole. But that's another story!
Here, there is a little roughness round the edges of the established history. We get plenty of details, but we're told things like the Bajorans were chased off their planet and left to wander through the galaxy as refugees. This would later be proved only partially true as many Bajorans were caught up in the Cardassian Occupation, perhaps even most Bajorans. There are some fascinating little insights into the race, from the vocally damaged terrorist leader, to Keeve Falor on the colony and there is much pleasure to be had spotting or listening out for people that were used in the 'Terok Nor' books, some of which was set during this time (recommended!). The complexity of the plot is a plus point, and there's so much more to it because of the sinister puppetry in the background, though it should never be a surprise that an Admiral turned out to have ulterior motives! I wonder if they were ever brave Captains that suddenly went sour when they were stuck behind a desk, or whether they skipped that rank - maybe certain people were made to be Admirals…
I mentioned the Borg earlier, and for good reason, as there are parallels to be seen with them - Ro is almost Picard's Seven of Nine, a person that doesn't initially want to make any friends, but comes to be a trusted and valued crewmember, though those aspects of her were still to come. Guinan is the other, as her people also became refugees thanks to the Borg. Guinan's appearances here are among her finest contributions, giving Ro no choice about becoming her friend, choosing to go to her when everyone else could only see the bad history she brought with her, and taking her side despite, perhaps because of that. Magical.
Section 31 was what came to mind when we uncover the machinations of the Admiral - that shady organisation would only have been interested in the survival of the Federation, and at a time when Starfleet was relatively weak thanks to the Borg attack a year earlier, they would have wanted to appease the Cardassians and keep the borders safe. It also reminded me of 'The Drumhead,' except this time it really was a conspiracy. Initially I wondered if it could be a plan to get the Federation to intercede in the Bajoran situation against the Cardassians by provoking them to war, but that would have been too easy.
The walk and talk on the planet was nicely done, though if you watch the background you can see the same people going back and forth! In fact, in the last shot of the episode we see a long shot of the colony and one man is walking in a straight line into the middle of the screen, then stops and walks back the way he came! And as for the common cold, I'm sure Dr. Crusher once said it had been cured long ago. I know Admiral Kennelly had some Cardassian virus, but Picard says his Aunt had a remedy for a cold so it was still prevalent in her time, clearly. None of the rough edges can dent what is a fine story, and though the ramifications of what was introduced here would dwarf this little tale, it still holds up well, and on its own merits.
***
The events of this episode have so much more resonance and weight to them thanks to the echoes that peal off into the future history of Trek, and this series too. Ensign Ro is a proud, but redeemable figure that does makes the right choice thanks to someone trying to get to know her and forcing trust her way. When she first comes aboard I was wondering why her Bajoran earring is on the left ear (later to be revealed as a Pah-Wraith symbol, but just as easily suggestive of a rebellious nature, but one which still holds her own culture dear), and why Riker comes down so heavily on her wearing it at all, since we've seen other Bajorans in Starfleet who did wear it. Riker was probably being especially strict with her to show he wasn't going to be messed about, and as a sign of his contempt for her within the bounds of acceptable discipline. I love the way she earns the right to wear it by the end, though she still chooses to wear it in the left so maybe she really was a Pah-Wraith worshipper! Or not.
The introduction of the Bajorans (or the Bajora, or the Bajarans as various people call them through the course of the episode!), was, in some ways as important as the Borg for the amount of importance they would have for the future, giving 'DS9' a solid base and providing us with some memorable characters from the race, and continues the grounding begun last season with the Cardassians and the story of that area of space. There is a quiver of anticipation throughout the story because these are the first, tentative steps towards revealing a history that brought depth to minor races in Trek like few others before - perhaps only the Klingons were to rival them in this regard. Who would have thought at the time that these human-like people with funny creases in their noses would become so integral to not only a spinoff series, but the entire Alpha Quadrant thanks to the discovery of the Bajoran Wormhole. But that's another story!
Here, there is a little roughness round the edges of the established history. We get plenty of details, but we're told things like the Bajorans were chased off their planet and left to wander through the galaxy as refugees. This would later be proved only partially true as many Bajorans were caught up in the Cardassian Occupation, perhaps even most Bajorans. There are some fascinating little insights into the race, from the vocally damaged terrorist leader, to Keeve Falor on the colony and there is much pleasure to be had spotting or listening out for people that were used in the 'Terok Nor' books, some of which was set during this time (recommended!). The complexity of the plot is a plus point, and there's so much more to it because of the sinister puppetry in the background, though it should never be a surprise that an Admiral turned out to have ulterior motives! I wonder if they were ever brave Captains that suddenly went sour when they were stuck behind a desk, or whether they skipped that rank - maybe certain people were made to be Admirals…
I mentioned the Borg earlier, and for good reason, as there are parallels to be seen with them - Ro is almost Picard's Seven of Nine, a person that doesn't initially want to make any friends, but comes to be a trusted and valued crewmember, though those aspects of her were still to come. Guinan is the other, as her people also became refugees thanks to the Borg. Guinan's appearances here are among her finest contributions, giving Ro no choice about becoming her friend, choosing to go to her when everyone else could only see the bad history she brought with her, and taking her side despite, perhaps because of that. Magical.
Section 31 was what came to mind when we uncover the machinations of the Admiral - that shady organisation would only have been interested in the survival of the Federation, and at a time when Starfleet was relatively weak thanks to the Borg attack a year earlier, they would have wanted to appease the Cardassians and keep the borders safe. It also reminded me of 'The Drumhead,' except this time it really was a conspiracy. Initially I wondered if it could be a plan to get the Federation to intercede in the Bajoran situation against the Cardassians by provoking them to war, but that would have been too easy.
The walk and talk on the planet was nicely done, though if you watch the background you can see the same people going back and forth! In fact, in the last shot of the episode we see a long shot of the colony and one man is walking in a straight line into the middle of the screen, then stops and walks back the way he came! And as for the common cold, I'm sure Dr. Crusher once said it had been cured long ago. I know Admiral Kennelly had some Cardassian virus, but Picard says his Aunt had a remedy for a cold so it was still prevalent in her time, clearly. None of the rough edges can dent what is a fine story, and though the ramifications of what was introduced here would dwarf this little tale, it still holds up well, and on its own merits.
***
Point of No Return
DVD, Stargate SG-1 S4 (Point of No Return)
I was beginning to watch the series regularly with these episodes and I certainly remembered this episode fondly. Sometimes you can have just as much fun in the confines of our planet Earth as you can gate-ing off to other worlds. This time the aliens have come to us, with the introduction of Martin Lloyd, who is both a jab at extreme fandom ("I have to go through the gate") and conspiracy theories, something some viewers will probably identify with. There's even the slight nudge at the programme itself, something that would be taken to new and extreme levels when Martin made his inevitable comeback.
While this outing isn't as funny as the later appearance, it keeps us guessing about whether this odd character with his paranoid tendencies is a 'nut job' to coin an O'Neill phrase, or truly alien. The gag is, of course, that what he says is true. I wanted to find out more about his fellow soldiers, and why they had decided to hide out permanently on Earth by self-destructing their ship, as well as how they were able to thrive and get their hands on all that technology. 'Murray' also makes his debut, the alter ego of Teal'c with the hat - not sure why he quickly hides his tattoo from the soldier after showing Martin, though. The soldier is part of a team trying to uncover the alien craft, so he must have been part of the Stargate programme.
The story is a little slow, with the only excitement generated by the SG-1 team hightailing it out of a building thinking it's about to explode, diving for cover, then finding Martin was mistaken! It has plenty of funny moments, whether it's Carter and Daniel pleading ignorance of Teal'c's symbiont ("Did you draw that yourself? Is that a duck?"), or Murray and Jack's babysitting of Martin, the series' strength is in its irony and under-acting, mixed with traditional sci-fi, and this is one of the best examples of an Earth-based episode.
***
I was beginning to watch the series regularly with these episodes and I certainly remembered this episode fondly. Sometimes you can have just as much fun in the confines of our planet Earth as you can gate-ing off to other worlds. This time the aliens have come to us, with the introduction of Martin Lloyd, who is both a jab at extreme fandom ("I have to go through the gate") and conspiracy theories, something some viewers will probably identify with. There's even the slight nudge at the programme itself, something that would be taken to new and extreme levels when Martin made his inevitable comeback.
While this outing isn't as funny as the later appearance, it keeps us guessing about whether this odd character with his paranoid tendencies is a 'nut job' to coin an O'Neill phrase, or truly alien. The gag is, of course, that what he says is true. I wanted to find out more about his fellow soldiers, and why they had decided to hide out permanently on Earth by self-destructing their ship, as well as how they were able to thrive and get their hands on all that technology. 'Murray' also makes his debut, the alter ego of Teal'c with the hat - not sure why he quickly hides his tattoo from the soldier after showing Martin, though. The soldier is part of a team trying to uncover the alien craft, so he must have been part of the Stargate programme.
The story is a little slow, with the only excitement generated by the SG-1 team hightailing it out of a building thinking it's about to explode, diving for cover, then finding Martin was mistaken! It has plenty of funny moments, whether it's Carter and Daniel pleading ignorance of Teal'c's symbiont ("Did you draw that yourself? Is that a duck?"), or Murray and Jack's babysitting of Martin, the series' strength is in its irony and under-acting, mixed with traditional sci-fi, and this is one of the best examples of an Earth-based episode.
***
Beneath The Surface
DVD, Stargate SG-1 S4 (Beneath The Surface)
For once 'Stargate' does something before 'Star Trek', but where 'Star Trek: Voyager' turned the idea of the main characters forgetting who they are and working for an alien workforce into epic two-parter territory, this sticks to one episode, and I think the idea was more suited to that, because where can you take the story? We're just waiting for them to remember things that will make them question this existence they're living, and eventually find a way out. There's nowhere else to really go with such a story.
This was actually one of the episodes I'd already seen, and I didn't think much of it then, and I don't think much of it now. It's okay, it works fine, it looks good - all hot, red, sweaty lighting, smoke and sparks and grimy clothing, rather like the real world in 'The Matrix'. There's a bit of nice music, some nice production values with the administrator's grand office a strong contrast to the dingy depths below, and the CGI set extension of the city was accomplished. But there were problems with the story - why have such thin windows covering the working area? If someone had thrown something hard at them from below, or if something had dropped out of one of the buildings above, they would have shattered as they did when O'Neill shot them. I didn't get the overload sequence either: Teal'c collapses after turning a wheel on a steam pipe, so why didn't someone simply turn the wheel back instead of messing around with an evacuation, leaving it up to Jack and Daniel to smash a lever off and save the day?
'The Simpsons' gag was amusing, and there was plenty of the usual banter, and we even get a little scene between Hammond and Dr. Frasier, which was nice, but there's a strong feeling of a story that isn't going anywhere, or more precisely is extremely obvious about where it's going. I made me question what would happen to the whole society when the workers were removed, surely they would just find more? I have to remind myself that this isn't 'Star Trek' so there's less likely to be moralising and fretting over consequences, but then again, neither is there a great deal of action. Although the Carter/O'Neill thing is touched on it makes the idea seem less appropriate since it wouldn't be good for Jack to be leading a team without impartiality as it could put them all at risk. Not that that really matters as it's not the real military, but it just struck me.
**
For once 'Stargate' does something before 'Star Trek', but where 'Star Trek: Voyager' turned the idea of the main characters forgetting who they are and working for an alien workforce into epic two-parter territory, this sticks to one episode, and I think the idea was more suited to that, because where can you take the story? We're just waiting for them to remember things that will make them question this existence they're living, and eventually find a way out. There's nowhere else to really go with such a story.
This was actually one of the episodes I'd already seen, and I didn't think much of it then, and I don't think much of it now. It's okay, it works fine, it looks good - all hot, red, sweaty lighting, smoke and sparks and grimy clothing, rather like the real world in 'The Matrix'. There's a bit of nice music, some nice production values with the administrator's grand office a strong contrast to the dingy depths below, and the CGI set extension of the city was accomplished. But there were problems with the story - why have such thin windows covering the working area? If someone had thrown something hard at them from below, or if something had dropped out of one of the buildings above, they would have shattered as they did when O'Neill shot them. I didn't get the overload sequence either: Teal'c collapses after turning a wheel on a steam pipe, so why didn't someone simply turn the wheel back instead of messing around with an evacuation, leaving it up to Jack and Daniel to smash a lever off and save the day?
'The Simpsons' gag was amusing, and there was plenty of the usual banter, and we even get a little scene between Hammond and Dr. Frasier, which was nice, but there's a strong feeling of a story that isn't going anywhere, or more precisely is extremely obvious about where it's going. I made me question what would happen to the whole society when the workers were removed, surely they would just find more? I have to remind myself that this isn't 'Star Trek' so there's less likely to be moralising and fretting over consequences, but then again, neither is there a great deal of action. Although the Carter/O'Neill thing is touched on it makes the idea seem less appropriate since it wouldn't be good for Jack to be leading a team without impartiality as it could put them all at risk. Not that that really matters as it's not the real military, but it just struck me.
**
Precious Cargo
DVD, Enterprise S2 (Precious Cargo)
I've always considered this down there with the worst of 'Enterprise' episodes, and watching it again hasn't changed my mind, but when you have such low expectations you sometimes appreciate the good parts a little more. As such, I quite enjoyed it to begin with, it was more exciting than I remembered and the villains of the piece had a leathery depth to them that made them better than the average guest appearance. Whether it was the lead villain's false pleasantry (reminding me somewhat of Gul Dukat), or his partner's duping by Archer and T'Pol (very Kirk and Spock, I thought), the scenes with these aliens were the highlights, and we were even treated to a bit of fistfight in which the alien Captain shows that his race don't just look bony, as his face absorbs several blows from Trip.
With highlights inevitably come lowlights, and Trip's rescue of the ungrateful and annoying plank that was the Princess of Krios Prime, was definitely that. There was a feeling of 'The Original Series' story 'Elaan of Troyius' about it, even down to Trip teaching her a bit about good manners. That wasn't a great episode either, so it's no surprise that having a spoiled brat along for the ride didn't make for gripping TV, especially as Trip is so laid back - he even likes playing the mouth organ in his quarters when he's off-duty!
There are some early signs of the ruthlessness later shown by Archer in his treatment of the prisoner. He keeps him in the airlock (don't they have a brig yet?), and then performs an elaborate charade in which T'Pol (arriving in her regal robe, the attire we first meet her in during the pilot episode), is supposedly a harsh law-giver for the area that will kill crewmembers for minor infractions! Okay, so this is all a joke on the hapless alien, but it shows that Archer isn't above a bit of deception or threats to get what he wants, something that would be played out more and more with the Xindi arc next season.
Though the escape pod Trip and 'Her Majesty' escape in looks rather like a dustbin, the descent onto a 'Dagobah'-type planet had a believable feeling of dropping like a stone, and the planet set looked very real. Some nice camera angles throughout the episode use the widescreen well thanks to some wide-angle lenses, whether it's in the pod or the 'interrogation' room, and the camera spins round the bridge in the early action sequence - I especially like the moment the deputy alien tries to leave Enterprise and Reed shows up with a redshirt to cut him off diplomatically. I knew I recognised one of the aliens, and the name Leland Crooke rang a bell - he was a Vorta in a late 'DS9'. We also see the Universal Translator, this time in the form of a hand pad device with a communicator attached. The only real mystery of the episode is why the Princess looks so much like a Trill, with those spots going down her temples and neck, because there's no mystery in the story itself, and no depth - Trip isn't too anxious to prove himself a 'perfect gentleman' this time, which is all rather unrealistic given the circumstances. It all makes for an underwhelming experience, but not perhaps the absolute worst it could be.
**
I've always considered this down there with the worst of 'Enterprise' episodes, and watching it again hasn't changed my mind, but when you have such low expectations you sometimes appreciate the good parts a little more. As such, I quite enjoyed it to begin with, it was more exciting than I remembered and the villains of the piece had a leathery depth to them that made them better than the average guest appearance. Whether it was the lead villain's false pleasantry (reminding me somewhat of Gul Dukat), or his partner's duping by Archer and T'Pol (very Kirk and Spock, I thought), the scenes with these aliens were the highlights, and we were even treated to a bit of fistfight in which the alien Captain shows that his race don't just look bony, as his face absorbs several blows from Trip.
With highlights inevitably come lowlights, and Trip's rescue of the ungrateful and annoying plank that was the Princess of Krios Prime, was definitely that. There was a feeling of 'The Original Series' story 'Elaan of Troyius' about it, even down to Trip teaching her a bit about good manners. That wasn't a great episode either, so it's no surprise that having a spoiled brat along for the ride didn't make for gripping TV, especially as Trip is so laid back - he even likes playing the mouth organ in his quarters when he's off-duty!
There are some early signs of the ruthlessness later shown by Archer in his treatment of the prisoner. He keeps him in the airlock (don't they have a brig yet?), and then performs an elaborate charade in which T'Pol (arriving in her regal robe, the attire we first meet her in during the pilot episode), is supposedly a harsh law-giver for the area that will kill crewmembers for minor infractions! Okay, so this is all a joke on the hapless alien, but it shows that Archer isn't above a bit of deception or threats to get what he wants, something that would be played out more and more with the Xindi arc next season.
Though the escape pod Trip and 'Her Majesty' escape in looks rather like a dustbin, the descent onto a 'Dagobah'-type planet had a believable feeling of dropping like a stone, and the planet set looked very real. Some nice camera angles throughout the episode use the widescreen well thanks to some wide-angle lenses, whether it's in the pod or the 'interrogation' room, and the camera spins round the bridge in the early action sequence - I especially like the moment the deputy alien tries to leave Enterprise and Reed shows up with a redshirt to cut him off diplomatically. I knew I recognised one of the aliens, and the name Leland Crooke rang a bell - he was a Vorta in a late 'DS9'. We also see the Universal Translator, this time in the form of a hand pad device with a communicator attached. The only real mystery of the episode is why the Princess looks so much like a Trill, with those spots going down her temples and neck, because there's no mystery in the story itself, and no depth - Trip isn't too anxious to prove himself a 'perfect gentleman' this time, which is all rather unrealistic given the circumstances. It all makes for an underwhelming experience, but not perhaps the absolute worst it could be.
**
Monday, 16 May 2011
Darmok
DVD, TNG S5 (Darmok)
A starship Captain transported against his will to a planet where an alien Captain is also stranded; a lack of communication at first, and an understanding reached before the death of the alien... this must have taken strong inspiration from 'Arena' in 'TOS' in which Kirk battles the Gorn, before refusing to kill him, only this is the story told in a more cerebral way to suit this series, just as the action adventure suited 'TOS'. The circumstances and resolution are, for the most part the only similarities, indeed, the Gorn Captain had the complete opposite intention to the Tamarian - the first wanted to kill the human Captain, while the second was willing to die to get his message across and begin the road to understanding between their peoples. And a good job is done by Paul Winfield in the role - he had also played Captain Terrell in 'Star Trek II'.
There are problems with the concept. What kind of alien race could survive with a language of examples, of metaphor? No wonder they had never made much sense when they stumbled across other Federation ships (seven times in a hundred years, was it?), and makes you think they were an isolationist race, and one that had no wish or need for interaction with others. Why did this change, and why was the Tamarian Captain (I keep wanting to call him Darmok!), prepared to risk so much to change this state of affairs? Perhaps there were internal troubles with his people, just as the Klingons only resorted to calling on the Federation when their moon blew up.
It all makes you wonder about the state of the Tamarians and how they might have gone on to form relations with the Federation. Maybe they saw the Federation as an obvious target to begin friendly talks with in the quadrant because it would mean access to so many races within it. I do question why no other starship crew had managed to make the leap to metaphor, but the previous encounters may have been brief and not advocated by such a staunch supporter as this Captain was. I would have liked to know what the result of his death was, and whether an alliance was successfully formed, but the episode was really just a showcase for one idea, though a good one, and I imagine they could have become irritating if seen in other stories.
The main idea wasn't the only thing to like, there were plenty of little things, and one big thing in the ugly shape of the invisible creature, an Excalbian-like being, that was very well realised, its brief appearances and attacks, bringing real danger to bear on the Captains. Its savage blows unfortunately didn't make material damage to the Tamarian, I imagine they were more like energy attacks than a beast's claws, but he could have done with a bit of roughing up in the makeup department. Not that the Tamarians looked particularly good, it was only the intelligence and bravery of their Captain that makes them believable and sympathetic so that when he dies it is a sad moment. But it's Picard's excitement at deducing their way of speaking and his connection with the alien that makes the story come alive, and his translation that saves the ship from destruction and ends the episode on a high - we understand as well as the Captain and the Tamarians, and the words take on new meaning and leave a warm feeling.
Riker comes across as a less Starfleet Captain than expected, resorting to violence and precipitating such a conflict that his ship is almost destroyed, though the Tamarian ship didn't look like it was ever going to trouble the Enterprise - in fact it was a rather well-used model having been seen before and after the episode on this and other series', back when models were physical items that had to be built at great expense. The scenes on the Enterprise are actually what let the side down to some degree, as they are just treading water, waiting for Picard's breakthrough, seeing the character's go through their various motions (and why couldn't Data reach Picard's conclusion?) that they must do to ensure their Captain's safety, but do we need to see that? Maybe if Picard's beaming to the planet had been part of the plan, then a B-story could have occurred on the ship, where they would have had no knowledge of his difficulties, but it would have been a hard task to do that and keep the jeopardy, thus losing the strong ending.
Picard's fancy new uniform jacket makes its debut here, and a good job too, or he'd have been even colder down on the planet. Good timing for Starfleet Wardrobe (if such a department exists). The jacket may have been the inspiration for the film/late-'DS9' era uniforms, the best ever made, so maybe we have more to thank the episode for than expected? Jacket on Picard in 'Darmok', you might say.
***
A starship Captain transported against his will to a planet where an alien Captain is also stranded; a lack of communication at first, and an understanding reached before the death of the alien... this must have taken strong inspiration from 'Arena' in 'TOS' in which Kirk battles the Gorn, before refusing to kill him, only this is the story told in a more cerebral way to suit this series, just as the action adventure suited 'TOS'. The circumstances and resolution are, for the most part the only similarities, indeed, the Gorn Captain had the complete opposite intention to the Tamarian - the first wanted to kill the human Captain, while the second was willing to die to get his message across and begin the road to understanding between their peoples. And a good job is done by Paul Winfield in the role - he had also played Captain Terrell in 'Star Trek II'.
There are problems with the concept. What kind of alien race could survive with a language of examples, of metaphor? No wonder they had never made much sense when they stumbled across other Federation ships (seven times in a hundred years, was it?), and makes you think they were an isolationist race, and one that had no wish or need for interaction with others. Why did this change, and why was the Tamarian Captain (I keep wanting to call him Darmok!), prepared to risk so much to change this state of affairs? Perhaps there were internal troubles with his people, just as the Klingons only resorted to calling on the Federation when their moon blew up.
It all makes you wonder about the state of the Tamarians and how they might have gone on to form relations with the Federation. Maybe they saw the Federation as an obvious target to begin friendly talks with in the quadrant because it would mean access to so many races within it. I do question why no other starship crew had managed to make the leap to metaphor, but the previous encounters may have been brief and not advocated by such a staunch supporter as this Captain was. I would have liked to know what the result of his death was, and whether an alliance was successfully formed, but the episode was really just a showcase for one idea, though a good one, and I imagine they could have become irritating if seen in other stories.
The main idea wasn't the only thing to like, there were plenty of little things, and one big thing in the ugly shape of the invisible creature, an Excalbian-like being, that was very well realised, its brief appearances and attacks, bringing real danger to bear on the Captains. Its savage blows unfortunately didn't make material damage to the Tamarian, I imagine they were more like energy attacks than a beast's claws, but he could have done with a bit of roughing up in the makeup department. Not that the Tamarians looked particularly good, it was only the intelligence and bravery of their Captain that makes them believable and sympathetic so that when he dies it is a sad moment. But it's Picard's excitement at deducing their way of speaking and his connection with the alien that makes the story come alive, and his translation that saves the ship from destruction and ends the episode on a high - we understand as well as the Captain and the Tamarians, and the words take on new meaning and leave a warm feeling.
Riker comes across as a less Starfleet Captain than expected, resorting to violence and precipitating such a conflict that his ship is almost destroyed, though the Tamarian ship didn't look like it was ever going to trouble the Enterprise - in fact it was a rather well-used model having been seen before and after the episode on this and other series', back when models were physical items that had to be built at great expense. The scenes on the Enterprise are actually what let the side down to some degree, as they are just treading water, waiting for Picard's breakthrough, seeing the character's go through their various motions (and why couldn't Data reach Picard's conclusion?) that they must do to ensure their Captain's safety, but do we need to see that? Maybe if Picard's beaming to the planet had been part of the plan, then a B-story could have occurred on the ship, where they would have had no knowledge of his difficulties, but it would have been a hard task to do that and keep the jeopardy, thus losing the strong ending.
Picard's fancy new uniform jacket makes its debut here, and a good job too, or he'd have been even colder down on the planet. Good timing for Starfleet Wardrobe (if such a department exists). The jacket may have been the inspiration for the film/late-'DS9' era uniforms, the best ever made, so maybe we have more to thank the episode for than expected? Jacket on Picard in 'Darmok', you might say.
***
Scorched Earth
DVD, Stargate SG-1 S4 (Scorched Earth)
At first I thought this was going to be another 'away mission' to one of those slightly boring human-like races they like to use once in a while - rustic, low levels of technology, the Stargate team help them or get into trouble with them, and eventually a way is found to either get away or part amicably. The first season had a lot of these and, thankfully, there have been less over the seasons, but I wasn't far wrong from my initial impressions. Everything seemed to be moving like treacle and I just wanted them to get on with whatever plan they were going to come up with to stop the advance of the alien ship from terraforming the Ankaran's adoptive planet.
Things pick up a little when the team visit the mysterious vessel, and the set design was very nice indeed, all sparkling white futuristic decor, spare, but exuding great advancement. Brian Markinson adds 'Stargate' to his 'DS9' and 'Voyager' sci-fi roster, and though he played Lotan as a bland character, it was fitting for the fact he was a 'robot' in the form of the Ankarans (with their unique golden eyes). I was expecting some kind of compromise to be reached, but it wasn't a very intellectually stimulating episode so I just let the current drag me along. There were some scenes to enjoy, as Daniel introduces the 'newborn' to the way of life of the people in whose image he was made.
While Lotan doesn't exactly gain sympathy for the victims of his programmers plan, he does gain understanding thanks to Daniel pulling a Captain Kirk and getting him to see the logic of finding a better solution. The only dramatic entanglements come from O'Neill's plan to use a Naquita generator to try and blow up the ship, even while Jackson is trying to give him another alternative. If Jack was going to listen to anyone it would be Samantha Carter, but she doesn't really try too hard to convince him, so I felt she could have pushed a bit more, though it goes against the grain to question a superior officer, and a friend, like that. I shouldn't think Jack's decision to carry on with the plan even though Daniel was still aboard is going to cement their 'friendship' either, though things like this have happened before.
It makes a change to have a strong moral dilemma in the series, but it didn't make for strong storytelling, and even the lovely scenery can't make up for the lack of pace and the brightness of the weather with Ankarans wandering around as if everything was fine, continuing their daily tasks, did nothing to create a feeling of impending doom. Still, it ends happily, so no harm done.
**
At first I thought this was going to be another 'away mission' to one of those slightly boring human-like races they like to use once in a while - rustic, low levels of technology, the Stargate team help them or get into trouble with them, and eventually a way is found to either get away or part amicably. The first season had a lot of these and, thankfully, there have been less over the seasons, but I wasn't far wrong from my initial impressions. Everything seemed to be moving like treacle and I just wanted them to get on with whatever plan they were going to come up with to stop the advance of the alien ship from terraforming the Ankaran's adoptive planet.
Things pick up a little when the team visit the mysterious vessel, and the set design was very nice indeed, all sparkling white futuristic decor, spare, but exuding great advancement. Brian Markinson adds 'Stargate' to his 'DS9' and 'Voyager' sci-fi roster, and though he played Lotan as a bland character, it was fitting for the fact he was a 'robot' in the form of the Ankarans (with their unique golden eyes). I was expecting some kind of compromise to be reached, but it wasn't a very intellectually stimulating episode so I just let the current drag me along. There were some scenes to enjoy, as Daniel introduces the 'newborn' to the way of life of the people in whose image he was made.
While Lotan doesn't exactly gain sympathy for the victims of his programmers plan, he does gain understanding thanks to Daniel pulling a Captain Kirk and getting him to see the logic of finding a better solution. The only dramatic entanglements come from O'Neill's plan to use a Naquita generator to try and blow up the ship, even while Jackson is trying to give him another alternative. If Jack was going to listen to anyone it would be Samantha Carter, but she doesn't really try too hard to convince him, so I felt she could have pushed a bit more, though it goes against the grain to question a superior officer, and a friend, like that. I shouldn't think Jack's decision to carry on with the plan even though Daniel was still aboard is going to cement their 'friendship' either, though things like this have happened before.
It makes a change to have a strong moral dilemma in the series, but it didn't make for strong storytelling, and even the lovely scenery can't make up for the lack of pace and the brightness of the weather with Ankarans wandering around as if everything was fine, continuing their daily tasks, did nothing to create a feeling of impending doom. Still, it ends happily, so no harm done.
**
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