Star Trek DS9: Even More of Season One /  by Mark

We start with more of the Quark and Odo team...

  • Everyone's favorite Ferengi is creating trouble again in "Vortex". He's dealing with a Miradorn "raider", and Odo is his usual paranoid self, so he shape-shifts into a bar glass (how can he change his mass as well?) to spy on them. Bumpy-headed alien Croden (Cliff DeYoung) arrives and shoots one of the Miradorn. Croden mentions that Odo is a "changeling", and has seen others of his race in the Gamma Quadrant. Meanwhile, Sisko and Dax goes to his planet to resolve the legal issues, and they demand Croden is brought there for his "myriad" crimes. Croden continues to string Odo along about his race. Conveniently, Sisko orders Odo to return the prisoner to his planet. There's a whole "Silence of the Lambs" vibe during the trip. It turns out Croden was just trying to save his daughter, and he and Odo manage to save each other during a battle. In the end, Odo hands both Croden and his daughter off to a Vulcan ship. The "Changeling" subplot will become a major storyline over time.
  • Our heroes are dragged across "Battle Lines". Kai Opaka--the Dalai Lama of Bajor (Camille Saviola)--shows up announced on the station, and Sisko agrees to take her on a trip through the wormhole. Sisko, Kira, and Bashir stupidly investigate a signal, get Opaka killed (?!), and end up trapped on a prison moon. After an attack, Opaka returns to life--she was somehow reincarnated! It turns out their jailers have figured out how to make people immortal via technobabble. It's the punishment for the inmates--eternal imprisonment and war against other factions on the moon. It's kind of like the TOS episode "Day of the Dover", except it went on for generations. Sisko gets the chief inmate (Jonathan Banks) to talk to the leader of the opposition by agreeing to get them off the planet. Opaka councils Kira about her martial nature, telling her to move beyond it. The peace talks do not go well.. Bashir figures out the technobabble reanimating them only works on the moon--if they leave, they die. This means Opaka can't leave either. It's a moot point--she decides to listen to the "call of the prophets" and stay there to help them move toward peace. Bashir offers to "save them" by reprogramming the technobabble so they can die, but Sisko stops him despite their pleas.
  • O'Brien becomes a spiritual leader in "The Storyteller". He and Bashir are sent on a medical mission to a Bajoran village--Miles isn't happy about it. The village's high priest (Kay E. Kuter) is dying, and they need him to fight off a bizarre mythical creature. Isn't Bajor an advanced civilization? During the "battle" with what looks like an angry cloud, the elder collapses and gets O'Brien to take over the ceremony, telling him what to say. He then passes away--Miles is now his successor! Bashir enjoys the whole thing immensely until they figure out how much danger they're in. Turns out the elder's assistant was to be the real successor, and he has an artifact that controls the cloud--it concentrates the villager's thoughts, creating and then destroying the menace. It was used to unite the village. The apprentice has to step in save O'Brien in the end. Meanwhile, Sisko works with Bajoran factions to avoid a civil war (one of their leaders happens to be a 15 year old girl, played by Gina Phillips). Nog is entranced by her, but it seems she has eyes for Jake. They teach her to be a kid, and she decides Sisko can help her in the negotiations.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (and all the Trek series) is available on Netflix.

Justice League Unlimited: To the Finish Line /  by Mark

It's the final three episodes of the Justice League animated series...

  • Just in time for the end of the show, we wrap up the John/Shayera storyline in "Ancient History". Hawkman/Carter Hall helps out John with Gentleman Ghost (Robin Atkin Downes) while Shadow Thief (James Remar) hides in the--uh--shadows. Meanwhile, Shayera is working out with Vixen in the League's gym. John warns her about Hawkman (he's essentially a stalker). Shadow Thief attacks John and Vixen in his apartment, and they get their butts kicked. The girls go see Hawkman in Midway City (he's an archeologist, as in the SA comics), and find John tied up by Shadow Thief--a battle ensues. Our heroes (minus Vixen) are tied up in front of the Absorbachron--a Thangarian super-computer with all knowledge.  We get the backstory on the Hawks--aliens stranded on ancient Earth, creating an Egyptian empire, a love triangle with a general (clearly John in an earlier life), advisor Hath-Set kills the lovers in Katar's name, and Katar commits suicide (rather adult for a cartoon--very Shakespearean). Turns out Shadow Thief is just a manifestation of Hawkman's dark thoughts--he gives Carter the chance to kill John, but he releases them instead, then absorbs the villain into his mind. Back at HQ, John tells Shayera about the future (he learned they have a son when he was there), but says he's staying with Vixen anyway. Shayera goes to Bruce to find out more about this son...
  • We're back with the Legion of Doom in "Alive". Lex continues to work to save Brainiac. Talia uses her magic on the Brainiac artifact, and they are psychically teleported to Brainiac's world just as it was blown up. Now Lex knows where to go--he gets the Legion to turn the HQ into a spaceship. We see the regular baddies plus Merlyn, Goldface, Count Vertigo, and several others--even I don't recognize some of them. There's a great shot of Bizarro trying to put a square object into a round hole. Tala decides enough is enough, and uses the ship's launch to free Grodd. There's a mutiny and a big fight amongst the villains. It al winds up in a duel between Grodd and Lex, and the latter uses the former's mental powers against him. It's out the airlock for the ol' gorilla. The reach the coordinates, and Tala is used to track down Brainiac's parts. Metron of the New Gods (Daniel Dae Kim) warns him, but Lex won't be stopped. He reforms--Darkseid (Michael Ironside)?? He blows up the ship (but somehow doesn't kill all the villlains?). We switch to Apolkolips, where a final battle is stopped by their ruler. The villains stop by the League's HQ and ask for help, which brings us to...
  • ...the final episode, "Destroyer".  We learn how the villains survived (Sinestro's ring plus an assist from Orion of the New Gods). Darkseid's army attacks Earth via Boom Tubes. The League and Legion begrudgingly team up. Everybody--and I mean everybody--checks in. We see battles in Washington, Paris, London, China, Rome, Toyko, and finally Metropolis. Clark, Bruce, and Lex go up against Darkseid. Lex jumps in, gets his butt kicked, and Bruce has to save him, leaving our two combatants fighting on top of the Daily Planet. The other heroes learn that huge drills are trying to create Apokolips on Earth, which have to be stopped. There's an old guy on the Great Wall kicking butt--it turns out to be Martian Manhunter, back for the finale. Clark and Darkseid trade blows--then Metron arrives. Lex gets Metron to tell him how to beat Darkseid,  Clark tells Darkseid how he always has to take care--"the world is made of cardboard" to him. Now, he can really let loose--we get the greatest hits ever seen on the series (shock waves and everything) before Darkseid pulls out the "agony matrix" to stop Clark. Meanwhile, Metron has taken Lex to the Source Wall (essentially God/Heaven in the New Gods universe), who manages to survive it. He returns to the battle (in a business suit) with the "Anti-Life Equation" (what Darkseid has always searched for). Both Lex and Darkseid are wiped out by the resulting explosion. The League gives the Legion a 5 minute head start to escape, and we get a final curtain call from the whole League (I'm not afraid to admit I watched this last part more than once).

I hoped you enjoyed these reviews--it gave me a chance to finally watch the series in order. If you would like to play along, the DVD box set is available on Amazon.

Star Trek DS9: More of Season One /  by Mark

After a holiday break, we're back to Deep Space Nine...

  • Bashir gets possessed by a dying criminal and hijinks ensue in "The Passenger". Bashir is a REALLY obnoxious character--we'll learn why later in the series--and Siddig really chews the scenery while under the criminal's control. Of course, most of the characters on the show are full of themselves--maybe it's the "younger brother" syndrome vs. TNG, so they feel they have to prove their worth. The mcguffin this week is a shipment of "deuridium". It's important enough that the Federation has brought in a security officer (James Lashly), which creates friction with Odo. Complicating things is bounty hunter Kajada (Julie Caitlin Brown), who's understandably obsessed with the dead(?) criminal. It takes a load of Dax's technobabble to save the day.
  • Quark gets into the middle of "first contact" with a new Gamma quadrant race, and our heroes become literal pawns in a deadly game in "Move Along Home". The aliens and their leader (Joel Brooks) put the senior staff through a maze of obstacles--it seems rather silly. Quark realizes he's playing a game with the crew's lives, and tries to beg his way out of it. The new security officer makes his second and last appearance on the series--he seemed rather superfluous. There's an subplot with Jake Sisko which is clearly added to extend a weak plot. In the end, they learn their peril was all simulated--"it's only a game!"
  • Had enough of Quark already?  Too bad--he's made the head of the Ferengi Empire in "The Nagus". The previous chief is played by Wallace Shawn (Inconceivable!)--he arrives on DS9 for a conference with his lieutenants, and things go south when he announces Quark's new position. The Ferengi was supposed to be a big baddie for the Federation, but they quickly turned into comic relief. There's a subplot with O'Brien (remember him?) playing substitute teacher at Keiko's school. It turns out that Nog isn't as bad an influence on Jake as everyone thinks.  

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (and all the Trek series) is available on Netflix.

Star Trek DS9: Season One Continues /  by Mark

Let's get back to DS9:

  • O'Brien is dealing with mechanical problems in "Babel". He's busy fixing systems all over the station (seems DS9 is a lemon). He fixes a replicator, but there's something strange attached to it. O'Brien starts speaking in random words (hence the episode title). Bashir can't find the cause--his brain functions seem normal. The problem spreads to Dax, and then to others. A virus turns out to be the cause--it randomly reroutes neural pathways. We learn that Quark is using a replicator outside his bar (his isn't working), so the virus is spreading even more quickly, and has become airborne. Kira finds the strange device behind the replicator--it's sabotage! Kira is convinced it's Cardassian (of course), but Bashir finds evidence the Bajorans did it--sabotage for the previous station owners. The virus gets worse--O'Brien's now close to death. (Where is Keiko during all this?) Kira tracks down a doctor involved with the original sabotage, and when he refuses to help, she beams him up so he's infected too. Finally, Odo and Quark are the only ones not affected. Dr. Deus Ex Machina finds an antidote, and everyone is saved.
  • Message coming in! "Captive Pursuit" begins with a strange ship exiting the wormhole. It's a First Contact situation with a new race. O'Brien helps save the ship, so he's given the honor. The alien (who says he's Tosk") is very nervous--guess I would be too. Miles has his hands full trying to explain everything. When Tosk is left alone, he asks the computer for info on their weapons (Starfleet seems awfully trusting in First Contacts). O'Brien is convinced Tosk is not telling the whole truth, and he's on the run from something. Odo finds Tosk tampering with security systems, and sends him to the brig. O'Brien presses him, and he asks to "die with honor". Another ship arrives, and three guards that look like they came from the 70's Buck Rogers TV series beam over. They find Tosk and capture him. It turns out the whole thing is a "hunt"--and Tosk is the fox. They are so disappointed that they plan to leave him alive. Sisko says he has to release Tosk to them--the whole Prime Directive thing. O'Brien tries to get Tosk to request asylum--but it's too big a dishonor. O'Brien decides to "change the rules" by knocking out one of the hunters and setting Tosk free. After some dicey moments, O'Brien gets Tosk back to his ship so he can escape.
  • The producers must have felt the need to goose ratings with two TNG guest stars--Picard's girlfriend Vash (Jennifer Hetrick) and good ol' Q (John de Lancie) in "Q-Less". Dax finds Vash in the Gamma quadrant, and their confused how she got there. We know she went off with Q on a TNG episode. She tired of him and he reciprocated by stranding her. There's a "mcguffin"--an artifact that keeps knocking out the station's power. Q plays with Sisko, and he decks him--"I'm not Picard".Throughout all of this, O'Brien does exposition for the rest of the cast, since he's from TNG as well. Quark is working his own angle--auctioning off the artifact. Vosh and Q continue to bicker--he does his normal threatening. He also taunts SIsko, saying the Enterprise crew would have decoded the "technobabble" and resolved the power issue hours ago. The auction is on, but Vash is getting cold feet--one of the alien bidders looks like he has a trash can on his head. Meanwhile, the station is getting dragged into the wormhole. After some of the famous technobabble, they figure out the artifact is a "space egg"--it hatches and goes back through the wormhole. Q and Vash part ways, and Bashir stops in comedy relief.
  • "Dax" is all about our favorite Trill. She's nabbed by a group of aliens, and our heroes are unable to stop them before they get off the station. They are able to get a busted tractor beam working and grab their ship. The aliens have a valid reason for the abduction--Dax is charged with treason and murder 30 years ago. (Why didn't they go through formal channels, if they had a valid warrant?)  Sisko asks what he can do, but she refuses to fight the charges. Sisko finds a delay--the station is Bajoran, and there's no extradition treaty, forcing a hearing. Odo is asked to investigate the case while the hearing commences. The case hinges on whether Jadzia Dax is a different person than the original host. Odo meets with the widow of the murder victim (Fionnula Fanagan) --her son is prosecuting the case--and she learns about the new Trill host. Back at the hearing, another Trill becomes an expert witness, and it gets a little heated. Bashir is called to the stand, and makes a mess of things as always. Sisko calls himself as a character witness, and makes a big speech. Odo determines that the previous host and the widow were "close". Dax finally opens up to Sisko, and then she's on the stand. At the final moment, the widow arrives and admits what really happened (at least the official story). Dax and the widow have a moment to run out the episode.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (and all the Trek series) is available on Netflix.

Justice League Unlimited: Into the Home Stretch /  by Mark

We've made it to the last disc of the DVD boxed set...

  • In "The Great Brain Robbery", we return to Grodd and Lex at odds with each other. Luthor wants to bring back Brianiac, while the rest of the Legion is losing confidence. Meanwhile, Dr. Fate wants to use Flash's mind to find Grodd (he once took over Wally). They end up switching Lex's mind into Flash and vice-versa. I love how Wally tries to play the bad guy--at one point "Lex" and Dr. Polaris have it out in a men's room, and when asked if he's going to wash his hands, he says no--that's how evil he is. He also has to fight off Tala's advances--they infer that that had a quick liaison. Meanwhile,"Flash" gives the League all they can handle--at one point (again in a men's room), Lex decides at least he can find out the Flash's secret ID, but when he takes off his mask, he has no idea who he is. Back with the Legion, Grodd has figured it out, but decided to watch the fun. The Legion goes on a big job, stealing a money train. In the middle of it, "Flash" calls and tells them the truth. League and Legion duke it out, but they get away. Mr. Terrific takes out "Wally" with a gravity trick, and Fate swaps them back. Back at the Legion, in the midst of a mutiny, Lex shows he can override the group's powers (of course).
  • "Grudge Match" brings back Roulette, now running a much lower rent "meta-brawl". She decides to ask Lex for better talent, and he counters with all-girl matches, getting heroes involved. Huntress finds Black Canary off her game, and confides to Question (who's busy discovering the 32rd ice cream flavor). Huntress tails her and finds Canary and Fire battling each other for a crowd--Roulette has them under mental control, using their own comlinks against them. Huntress and Canary end up fighting Shayera and Vixen. The comlinks are taken out, but all four are pitted against Wonder Woman. Their fight takes out the underground arena, and the mind control signal is shut down. I don't see how the bad guys thought they could get away with this for long, especially once Diana was involved.
  • We get another Legion in "Far From Home"--the Legion of Super-Heroes from the 31st century. It's a group of super-powered teenagers inspired by the Justice League. Brainiac 5 (Matt Czuchry)--don't worry, he's a good guy--goes back in time (via the infamous "time bubble") and abducts Supergirl during a training session, grabbing Green Arrow and GL in the bargain. The Legion has been captured by the Fatal Five with the exception of Brainiac 5 and Bouncing Boy (Googy Gress), and they need help. Kara is smitten with B5 (as she was in the comics)--unfortunately, the historical records say that she never returns to her own time, but they can't tell her. Emerald Empress (Joanne Walley) and the Persuader (Kin Shriner) pop in and quickly make work of our heroes, taking over their minds and grabbing GL. GA plays matchmaker with Kara and B5 while the Fatal Five make their plans. They track down GL, and the controlled Legion attack. B5 tells Kara her fate, but she is resolute--a quick kiss from Kara, and the battle is on. We get cameos (some just a few frames) from Ultra Boy, Saturn Girl, Timber Wolf, Colossal Boy, Phantom Girl, Blok, Wildfire, Cosmic Boy, Shadow Lass, and Lightning Lad. Yes, I know the names are goofy--it was the Silver Age of comics. Kara manages to keep up with the whole group, including GL.  Meanwhile, GA and B5 break into the bad guy's ship--GA amped up his arrows with 31st century tech--and stop the mind control. We cut back to the aftermath--GL holding Kara in a tribute to a Crisis on Infinite Earths cover. She's OK though, and she and the Legion take out the Fatal Five. Kara decides to stay in the future--she never really fit in the present anyway. We finish up with a Clark getting the news--and wondering who her new boyfriend is.

If you would like to play along, the DVD box set is available on Amazon.

Justice League Unlimited: Season 5 Continues /  by Mark

Finally getting back to JLU...

  • "Flash and Substance" begins in a dive bar for super-villains, with several of Flash's Rogues in attendance including The Top, Weather Wizard, Dr. Alchemy, and Mr. Element. Mirror Master (Alexis Denisof), Captain Cold (Lex Lang), Trickster (Mark Hamill) and Captain Boomerang (Donal Gibson) complain about the opening of the Flash Museum--sounds like the perfect time to strike. Meanwhile, Wally is leaving work early--he works as a CSI scientist for the police (as Barry did in the comics). He beams up to the Watchtower to get someone to join him at the opening--Bruce (?!?) and Orion (Ron Perlman) agree to go. On the way, Wally gets:
    • trapped in an abandoned skate palace--it's a mirrored disco death trap!
    • attacked by boomerangs, including a giant one (just like in the comics)
  • They visit the dive bar--Pied Piper, Abra Kadabra, and the Wizard make cameos. They find The Trickster drowning his sorrows (the other Rogues don't respect him). Orion plays "really bad cop", but Wally realizes the Trickster is off his meds, and after learning the plan, gets the villain to promise to turn himself in. Off to the Flash Museum, with Linda Park (Kim Mai Guest) reporting--she's got a crush on him (they got married in the comics). The Rogues attack, and Turtle Man, the Superman/Flash race  Kid Flash (was Wally Kid Flash in this continuity?) all appear in the background. Linda falls into the mirror dimension, Wally saves her, and the Rogues are taken out.
  • Deadman (Raphael Sbarge) checks in for the appropriately named "Dead Reckoning". He's former circus performer Boston Brand, murdered during a performance--now a ghost that can inhabit living bodies. We're at Nanda Parbat (mystical Himalayan site)--the Legion of Doom beams in, and a throng of young monks attack. It takes Bizarro to stop them. The "Master" of Nanda Parbat is killed, and the "heart" of the city (a mystical sphere) is nabbed, along with the souls of the monks. Boston is off to the Watchtower--he inhabits Clark and gets Bruce and Diana to help him. The Legion attacks Gorilla City to get a generator. Deadman inhabits Diana and almost kills Devil Ray before relenting. Grodd has time to set off his weapon--a wave that will rewrite human DNA to apes. It works temporarily until Super-ape rips out the weapon. Devil Ray sneaks up and almost kills Diana before Boston inhabits Bruce's body and shoots him--killing him. Boston has more work to do to balance the scales. For his duplicity, Lex shoots Grodd and takes over the Legion.
  • Shades of Captain America? "Patriot Act" introduces a "super-soldier"--except one being created for the Nazis in WW2. In a great black and white sequence, Spy Smasher (Nathan Fillion) stops the evil plan--or does he? Apparently not, since Gen. Eiling (J.K. Simmons) gets hold of the formula. He meets with Waller, determined to stop the League--but Amanda will have none of it. The big guns are working in space to stop a supernova, so it's up to Mr. Terrific (Michael Beach), Shining Knight (Chris Cox), Vigilante, Stargirl, S.T.R.I.P.E., and Green Arrow to cover another mission--a parade in Metropolis. Meanwhile, Eiling breaks into Cadmus and takes the Nazi serum (still active)? It's turns him into, well, the Hulk. He attacks the parade--none of the heroes' weapons have any effect on him (keep in mind none of them have powers). Finally, reinforcements arrive--Crimson Avenger and Speedy (Mike Erwin)? Fortunately, the latter has a "quantum arrow". Unfortunately, it doesn't work either. In the end, it takes an old lady civilian to make Eiling realize he's the monster, not the League.

If you would like to play along, the DVD box set is available on Amazon.

Star Trek TNG on the Big Screen /  by Mark

As part of the marketing effort for the TNG Blu-Ray editions, two episodes from Season Two were broadcast on movie screens across the country last night (Fathom Events). We decided to see what all the fuss was about.

They pushed the whole "HD" transfer from the original masters, and showed before and after stills that looked pretty good. We got some introductions from Denise and Michael Okuda (technical consultants and Trek gurus), a cast reunion, and some bloopers. Then the two episodes ("Q Who" and "The Measure of a Man") were presented.

I have to say I wasn't all that impressed.  Was it clean video? Yes. Did it look high-def? Not so much. Perhaps blowing it up on a huge screen made it a bit blurry, and maybe AMC skimped on projector quality. In any case, it didn't make me want to run out to buy the Blu-Rays, especially at their current absurdly high prices. For now, I'll stick with Netflix. Maybe when the Blu-Ray price drops by half over time--although we might get a holodeck version before that happens...

Star Trek DS9: The Series Begins /  by Mark

Let's get started--

  • "The Emissary" is a two-part premiere. Most of the episode introduces the characters, and I gave a synopsis last entry. Sisko comes on board to run the station with Kira as his second.  Odo catches Nog, Quark's nephew (Aron Eisenberg), in some larceny. Sisko goes to meet with Picard in the Enterprise--awkward since Locutus killed his wife. Picard's here for more exposition about the Bajorans. He also orders Sisko that he's to make sure the Bajorans are ready to join the Federation. Sisko replies that 's looking to get out of Starfleet. Back on DS9, Sisko offers Quark a role as "community leader", in order to keep the Promenade (the "strip mall" on the station) alive. Odo is impressed with Sisko's tactics. Kira's convinced civil war is inevitable unless the reclusive Bajoran religious leader calls for unity. As if on cue, Sisko is called to talk to her. We get some religi-babble, something that looks like a glowy holy grail, and then Sisko has a vision--he's on a beach, and his wife is there--it's when they first met. More religi-babble--he's told he has to find the "celestial temple" in order for her to call a truce. Back on the station--Quark's got his bar up and running. It's full of aliens with lost of make-up--welcome to Tatooine! O'Brien and Picard have a final moment on the Enterprise. Back on DS9, we meet one of the the series baddies, Cardassian Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo, introduced on--you guess it--TNG), who used to run the station. Dax figures out where the temple is, and Odo knocks out the Cardassian ship (he sneaks on board as a bag) long enough for Sisko and Dax to leave in a a shuttle without being detected. The shuttle gets pulled into a sudden wormhole that takes them to the Gamma quadrant. It turns out to be stable--they're able to go back in, but find themselves on some kind of surface within it. Another grail grabs Dax and returns her to DS9, while Sisko gets all glowy and sees his life before him. His wife, son, Picard, and that Bajoran leader all appear as entities. More technobabble on DS9, they decide to move the station to the wormhole, and we get the first hint of Odo's origin. Glowy Sisko explains the concept of time to the entities (these "advanced" entities seem to be very stupid) while O'Brien does some techno-magic to move the station. Sisko explains humanity through baseball while the Cardassians fleet arrives to attack the station (Dukat's ship went through the wormhole and it disappeared). Sisko relives the death of his wife, Kira tricks the Cardassians into thinking the station is fully armed long enough for the wormhole to reappear with Sisko. The wormhole (and the series) will be a permanent installation.
  • "A Man Alone" gives us more detail about our new cast. Bashir wants Dax (he considers the Trill shared entity to be "fascinating"). Odo and Quark hate each other, but hang out together a lot. Keiko O'Brien doesn't like life on the station--she's a botanist with no job. Sisko and Dax have a complicated relationship--Dax is hundreds of years old, but is now a beautiful woman. Jake tries to make a friend out of Nog, who turns out to be a bad influence. Odo wants to throw a murderer off the station, but Sisko stops him. The guy gets a shiv in his back during a holosuite massage--did Odo do it? Unlikely--he was in a "regeneration cycle" (in a bucket) at the time. There's a reference to the Alderaan spaceport in the dead man's records--an in joke. Meanwhile, Keiko decides to start a school for the kids, and Bashir investigates the crime. Due to a possible conflict of interest, Odo is taken off the case, and is attacked by a mob. Before it gets too ugly, Bashir comes in with the answer--the victim was actually a clone, designed to be killed in order to incriminate Odo. The real murderer is brought to justice.
  • "Past Prologue" introduces Garak (Andrew Robinson), a Cardassian still on the station who may or may not be a spy. He befriends Bashir, who acts like a little kid more than normal for the character. Meanwhile, a Bajoran ship is attacked by a Cardassian, and survivor Tahna (Jeffrey Nordling) requests asylum. He's an old friend of Kira, and apparently a terrorist. Kira goes around Sisko to a Federation adminal to make sure he gets asylum--that won't end well. The Cardassian demands the "terrorist" be returned to him, but Sisko grants temporary asylum. Lursa and B'Etor (the Klingon Patty and Selma) arrive to meet with Tahna, while Bashir and Odo listen in on a "business" transaction. Of course, Tahna tries to play Kira for a fool. She confides in Odo, and he "helps her" talk to Sisko. Meanwhile, more intrigue with Bashir and Garak--they learn through Patty and Selma that Tahna has a bomb. Sisko arranges a setup with Kira on the ship transporting the bomb. It turns out he wants to take out the wormhole. After some tense moment, Tahna surrenders--he considers Kira to be a traitor to her people.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (and all the Trek series) is available on Netflix.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Introduction /  by Mark

Before we get started with our next Trek series, some background...

One of the biggest complaints about TNG was that the crew were all buddies--there was little or no disagreement or hostility among them. So, the suits at Paramount did what suits do--overcompensate the next time. The new series, Deep Space Nine, would have a crew that HATED each other. Roddenberry would never have allowed this--he thought that hate would be eradicated by the Trek future--but he passed way in 1991.

The series began in 1993, in the middle of TNG Season 6. The concept--just as TOS was about the US (Starfleet) vs. the Russkies (Klingons), and TNG was about Perestroika (Starfleet and Klingons are now buddies), DS9 is about the Arab/Israeli conflict in SPACE! The Bajorans (Israelis), introduced on TNG via Ro Laren, are a religious people brought to war by the Cardassians (Arabs), already established as bad guys on TNG. A tentative truce has been found, and the Federation wants to keep it (and the Bajorans) alive. Cardassian space station Terek Nor, orbiting Bajor, is renamed Deep Space Nine, run officially by the Bajorans with "assistance" by Starfleet.

New Captain (actually Commander) Benjamin Sisko, played by Avery Brooks, has his own baggage. His wife was killed during the Borg battle at Wolf 359 (TNG's The Best of Both Worlds), and has a son Jake (Cirroc Lofton) to worry about. Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) is the Bajoran attache and his "Number One". She has a chip on her shoulder the size of an asteroid, since she was a combatant in the war, and now has to work with with the Cardassians. Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney), fresh from TNG, comes over as Operations Chief, along with his wife Keiko (Rosalind Chao) and baby daughter Molly. Sisko brings in old friend Dax (Terry Farrell), a Trill (a "joined species" introduced on TNG), with old being relative--the previous host was an old man, but is now a beautiful young woman. Sisko refers to her as "old man" throughout the series. Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig--his name during the series was Siddig El Fadil, but changed it post-9/11), a young but brilliant physician, comes on as a medical officer looking for adventure. The existing security officer Odo (Rene Auberjonois) stayed aboard--a shapeshifter with a mysterious past--along with Quark (Armin Shimerman), a Ferengi bar owner and Odo's nemesis.

So, you have a lot of people with various conflicts and distrusts--the show begins and continues with a LOT of tension. 

You've also got a space station instead of a ship, so trouble generally comes to them, rather than the other way around. When this was first announced as a series, I hoped it would be an anthology series--people come onto the station, we follow their story for an episode or two, and then we move on. I still think that would be a great Trek series--you could have a medical drama one week, a love story the next, a crime procedural, a Starfleet Academy story--you name it.

We're got seven seasons to cover, so we'll start next time. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (and all the Trek series) is available on Netflix.    

Justice League Unlimited: Onto Season 5 /  by Mark

We're starting the final season of JLU with...

  • "I Am Legion". Lex is broken out of prison by Grodd (Powers Boothe) and the new Legion of Doom (shades of the Super-Friends!). We get cameos from The Key  Starro, Atomic Skull, Parasite, Cheetah, Black Manta, Shark,  Blockbuster  Doctor Polaris, Gentleman Ghost, Bane, Metallo, Copperhead, Volcana, Doctor Destiny, Toyman, Killer Frost, Bizarro, Giganta, Sonar, Heat Wave  Silver Banshee, Sinestro, Star Sapphire, and a few others even I didn't recognize. The League calls in Aztek (obscure 90's JLA member played by Corey Burton), and they meet their new "liaison" from the feds, King Faraday (Scott Patterson). They are on a short leash after the events of last season. Back to Lex--Grodd offers him a role in the new group, but he refuses. He's also talking to himself--or someone else? Grodd offers a piece of Brianiac in exchange--that's who Lex is talking to. We switch over to an old man, who turns out to be the last remaining member of the Blackhawks. Looks like the Legion is breaking into their secret weapons stash, including a big old robot. Flash, Ice, Fire, and Shayera (Maria Canals-Barrera in a dual role) join the old man to check it out, and get attacked by robot birds. They work their way through Blackhawk Island security (flying robot sharks, robot octopi, warwheels), then find Key, Polaris, and Lex inside. The bad guys kidnap the old man, but he gets away and saves the island. The whole thing was just a test run for Lex.
  • "Shadow of the Hawk" finally introduces Hawkman to the continuity--maybe DC didn't want the character used until now? In any case, the League is mopping up the Extremists (villain team from 90's comics), when archeologist Carter Hall (James Remar) strides in. He immediately starts hitting on Shayera, and amazingly, she reciprocates. Batman confirms that the artifact Cater brought with him from Egypt is Thanagarian. Back at League HQ (apparently, the Watchtower wasn't taken out of commission, as stated at the end of last season), GL is shocked when Shayera shows up in a slinky dress. Batman did some research on Carter--he looks to be a Shayera stalker. She ignores their concerns and goes with Carter to Egypt. Bats tags along in secret. Carter reveals that he is Hawkman, and they are reincarnated lovers. Shayera is incredulous. He explains that he touched another artifact--the Absorbichron (SA Hawkman concept) that apparently generates exposition. They both lived multiple lives together. He also found their ship in the crypt. Suddenly, they are attacked by--their own shadows? It's the Shadow Thief (SA villain associated with Hawkman) who can create and control solid shadows. After the bad guy threatens Shayera, Hawkman agrees to help him loot the crypt. Batman arrives (he was attacked by a shadow as well) and uses light to knock out Shadow Thief. There's a fight with mystic warriors, then Shayera uses her mace to light up the place--they corner the bad buy, but he escapes, taking out the crypt. In the end, Hawkman has waited thousands of years for Shayera, so he's willing to wait a little longer.
  • In "Chaos at the Earth's Core", we start with Stargirl (Giselle Loren), S.T.R.I.P.E., and GL (Phil LeMarr on double duty) fight what looks like Gamera, the Giant Turtle in Tokyo. Unfortunately for Stargirl, Supergir (Nicholle Tom) gets all the glory. On the way back, their Javelin gets pulled into--the Earth's Core aka Skataris (mystical world in the comics). They fight some dinos and lizardmen--everything there is magic-based, which greatly hinders Supergirl. They run into Warlord aka Travis Morgan (Paul Guilfoyle)--his people need the heroes help in fighting prerequisite bad guy Deimos (Douglas Dunning). He brought in his own assistants--Metallo (Malcolm McDowell) and Silver Banshee (Kim Mai Guest). The good guys have to protect "The Great Stone" (a big piece of kryptonite). It's swords vs. lasers, with a superhero/villain battle thrown in. It ends with  an epic sword fight between Warlord and Deimos while Kara (sans powers) and Metallo duke it out. Stargirl steps in to save her. GL scares Metallo into giving up his benefactor, but is brain is zapped before he can speak. They all return to Earth, sealing up the doorway to Skataris (and the huge supply of kryptonite) behind them.
  • A ship is forced "To Another Shore" where there's a huge Viking statue and ship--what's the deal? Back on the Watchtower, Diana is in her civvies, going to a global warming conference. She asks J'onn to go with her, but he wants to stay at the HQ. He's apparently tired of humanity. Meanwhile, at the Legion of Doom (said in Ted Knight's voice), Luthor gives the team a progress report--he's amping up their powers with tech. Grodd gives the team an exposition on the Viking Prince, a classic DC historical character. We get some great artwork ala' Joe Kubert, who did the original comic series. The Prince was given invulnerability by the Gods, and the team is tasked to go get the body. Back to Diana, she's proving to be a lousy diplomat, threatening war to global warming naysayers at the conference that just happens to be near where the Viking ship was found. There's an explosion, and we get the classic spin-transformation sequence (created for the Lynda Carter WW show). She finds Heat Wave (Lex Lang), Giganta, Killer Frost (Jennifer Hale doing double duty), and Devil Ray (Michael Beach)--although he clearly looks like Black Manta. Was this a DC directive not to use the name? He shoots Diana with a poison dart, but King Faraday swoops in (he has a jet pack!). Diana calls J'onn, and insists he come help out--he brings GA with him. A Legion of Doom sub drags the ship out of the ice. GA flies down onto the sub with a rope arrow (singing a fanfare as he does) and gets inside before it submerges. (How does the Viking ship, still encased in ice, submerge as well?) GA is like Batman with bravado. Diana fights Devil Ray/Black Manta underwater. J'onn grabs Killer Frost and forces her to stop the avalanche caused by the bad guys. Faraday brings in 3 US subs to end the whole thing. The League is starting to put the pieces together about the bad guys. J'onn realizes he needs to reconnect to humanity. The Viking ship is hauled in space and left to drift into the Sun. This was a great episode.

If you would like to play along, the DVD box set is available on Amazon.

Star Trek TNG: To the Finish Line! /  by Mark

We've made it to the final four episodes of Next Generation...

  • "Emergence" starts with another example of the crew having apparently unlimited free time--in this case, more acting lessons for Data. It's also another chance for the cast to show what great ACTORS they are. In another retread from previous episodes, the holodeck screws up and almost runs a train over Picard and Data. The whole ship is going crazy--warping to another system with no one "making it so", and brand new components showing up in Jeffries Tubes. After some technobablle, a return to the holodeck leads them onto the aforementioned train--"The Orient Express" with additions from other programs. It's clear the holodeck has taken over the Enterprise--which is also becoming sentient. Now Picard is worried about "hurting the emerging lifeform". More metaphorical mumbo-jumbo, a mysterious "brick", and what looks like a glowing art project in a cargo hold follow. In the end, the art project in the cargo hold becomes a new life form and leaves the ship. Picard is very smug about the whole thing.
  • Recurring character Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes) manages to sneak in one final appearance in "Preemptive Strike". She's back on the ship after "advanced tactical training". Maquis ships ("terrorists" we'll see later in Voyager) attack a Cardassian ship, forcing the Enterprise to intervene. Big brass at Starfleet get involved, and Picard suggests an undercover operative--Laren. She accepts, so she's off to the Cantina--er, an alien bar to infiltrate the Maquis. After some dicey action, she gains their trust. Word comes that the Cardassians are about to arm their people with bio-technobabble, so they decide to move on the proverbial "strike". Laren and a Maquis use a shuttle to "steal" some medical supplies from the Enterprise. She later returns by herself and briefs Picard--he is ready with a Maquis trap. Laren goes through with it, but is clearly torn--one of the Maquis has become a father figure to her. After an "audition scene for young Bajorans", Cardassians attack, killing the elder Maquis. She meets Picard at the bar and tells him she can't go through with it--Picard counters by sending Riker back with her. She doublecrosses him, betraying the Federation hidden position in a nebula, and the Maquis escape. Laren goes off with them--Picard is, to say the least, disappointed. Picard's attitude and actions during the whole episode seemed strange--perhaps this was another script from the slush pile?
  • It's time for the two-part finale, "All Good Things...". Worf and Troi discuss whether they should tell Riker about their relationship, then Picard shows up very agitated--he thinks he's moving back and forth in time. Suddenly, he's tending the vineyards in France, with a beard. Geordi arrives with new technobabble eyes replacing his visor. He married Leah Brahms, and has three kids. Picard has a degenerative disease, and is seeing things. Suddenly, he's with Tasha Yar on a shuttle, about to board the Enterprise for the first time--then he's back with Troi. Crusher runs tests and finds evidence he could someday get the disease. To make things worse, there's evidence that Romulans are about to attack, so the Enterprise is set to investigate. Oops--he's back in the vineyard, scaring Geordi with his visions. They go see Data--now a professor at Cambridge, with a shock of grey hair (which he added himself, of course). There's a bunch of cats around (Spot's descendants). Oops--he's back boarding the Enterprise for the first time. Troi's in the short skirt, O'Brien is there as well. He keeps seeing visions of people laughing at him. There's more warnings about the Romulans in this time as well. Back to the present--he explains what he saw, but the others have no memories of it. There's a awkward scene with Worf, Troi, and Riker--he learns about the relationship. Picard and Crusher have a tender moment and they kiss. Oops--back to the future. Picard insists that they have to go to the Romulan neutral zone--but there is no such thing (the Klingons took it over). They call up Admiral Riker (now with grey hair), but he's no help. They go to the USS Pasteur, Captain Crusher-Picard commanding. They also need help from the Klingons--what about Worf? Back to the past--Picard is waiting for Q--this is when they are supposed to meet. Another shift--we're back to the trial from "Encounter at Farpoint"--and Q is there. Picard demands answers, but Q is cagey as always. The trial never ended--until now. Q judges humanity guilty, and will be destroyed--by Picard. Back to the future--they talk to Worf, but he refuses to help, until Picard shames him into it. Back to the past--Troi is concerned about Picard's erratic behavior. There's a shot of Riker sans beard--they cleverly use a stock shot from Season 1 and have him speak off camera. Back to the present--they get the Romulans to agree to allow the Enterprise in the neutral zone and a time anomaly--this also happens in the past. However, it's not in the future? Picard and his ex-wife quarrel. She tells him he might be imagining all of this. Q shows up and taunts him again--then tells him he needs to use his knowledge form time. Back to the present--he tells Data about some technobabble future Data told him. Use of the technobabble starts regenerating Geordi's eyes, and starts repairing other's injuries. Back to the past--Picard continues to use his time knowledge. Back to the future--Klingon ships attack. We noticed that McFadden is talking strangely--maybe the age prosthetics? The Enterprise-E (with three nacelles and a cloak) arrives and takes out the Klingons. They beam off Crusher's ship before her ship blows up. Worf and Riker fight (obviously, something happened to Troi at some point). Picard insists they stay, and Crusher drugs him. Back to the present--Nurse Ogawa lost her baby due to time anomaly. Q's back again--more taunts. He blinks them back to Earth--3.5 billion years ago. The anomaly is there too--it's growing as you go back in time. The anomaly stops the beginnings of life. Picard is switching through times very quickly now. In the future, we learn of Troi's funeral, and the others suggest Riker and Worf bury the hatchet. Picard rushes in--the tachyon beam from the three periods caused the anomaly! Data believes him, and technobabble ensues. Riker agrees, and asks Worf to join them on the bridge. Picard goes back to the present and past, and shuts off the tachyon beam in both cases. No good--it doesn't help. Future Data says they have to go into the anomaly--in all three times. Past Yar demands an explanation, and Picard gives a speech. Present Data figures it out as well. Past, present, and future Enterprises meet. Past Enterprise doesn't survive, then the present ship is out, then--Picard is back at the trial with Q. It worked--humanity is saved. Q did give him a hand--but the trial never ends. Picard is back at the beginning of the episode, and all is well. We end the series at the poker table, and Picard joins them...whew!

That's it for TNG (although we will cover the movies soon). We will move onto Deep Space Nine next time.  Star Trek: The Next Generation (and all the Trek series) is available on Netflix.