I'm in the process of rewatching Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and reviewing/recapping each episode in detail. Join me in my in depth look at the deepest and most complex Star Trek series to date.
A strange anomaly appears near the station and at the same time, members of the crew begin inadvertently conjuring people and objects from their imaginations. The crew must discover the link between the two phenomena and find a solution before the expanding anomaly destroys the station...and the entire Bajoran system.
This is a whimsical and mostly entertaining episode with a ton of technobabble but not much story. It’s more lighthearted and fun than your typical DS9 episode, but ultimately inconsequential and pointless.
THE GOOD
It’s fun to see the different encounters that the crew imagines. Odo fantasizing about Quark being in jail is perfect.
”Commander is there something you’d like to tell me?” “I don’t have time for games, Odo.” Sisko is the best.
Buck Bokai is strangely charismatic, even if he is the most unathletic-looking professional athlete imaginable. I’m glad they bring him back for other eps.
THE BAD
The plot is silly and pointless.
The imaginary Dax draping herself all over Bashir is...yeesh. Tough to watch.
THE UGLY
Buck Bokai is the baseball player referenced by Data in the TNG season 1 episode “The Big Goodbye.” Data says that he broke Joe DiMaggio’s streak of consecutive games with a hit, which Buck also references himself doing.
It’s a dangerous gamble that Sisko takes when he refuses to consider the deal with Rumplestiltskin. He says the system is in no danger, but everything in the ep indicates that the imagined objects became completely real. If the rift was real too, the system was actually in great danger. But if the aliens had the power to create an anomaly like that, they must be extremely powerful, almost Q-like. One would hope that they wouldn’t allow their power to be used to arbitrarily wipe out an entire system, but their enigmatic nature makes it impossible to say one way or the other.
Thoron is an isotope of the radioactive noble gas radon. It occurs naturally as part of the reaction chain of certain isotopes of thorium decaying into lead. Why the aliens would be emitting thoron I can’t even begin to guess.
Going off the above point, there is a lot of technobabble in this ep and frankly none of it makes sense. Even though I have good deal of basic knowledge in many different science disciplines, I couldn’t find much, if any, real science behind the technobabble and I’m pretty sure it was all gibberish.
The aliens tease returning “next year” but they never appear again. Probably for the best.
I'm in the process of rewatching Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and reviewing/recapping each episode in detail. Join me in my in depth look at the deepest and most complex Star Trek series to date.
The Bajoran government is planning to tap the molten core of one of its moons and transfer the energy to the planet to heat homes for the winter, but a stubborn old settler on the moon named Mullibok refuses to vacate. Kira tries and fails to convince him to leave, forcing her to choose between her duty and doing what is right.
This is classic moral dilemma Trek episode. A lot of time is spent (basically the entire episode) building a bond between Kira and Mullibok and much is made of her emotional turmoil, but essentially she is forced to choose between her duty and doing the right thing. It doesn't matter how many people the tap will help, the government has no right to forcefully relocate somebody who doesn't want to leave their home and their property. It's essentially the same thing as ethnic cleansing, even if ethnicity isn't involved. And even if it's just one person, it's still evil. As Picard asks in his legendary mini speech from Insurrection, "HOW MANY PEOPLE DOES IT TAKE, ADMIRAL?"
However, unlike Picard, Kira makes the utilitarian choice in the end. This could be an indication of DS9's more morally gray tone compared to TNG, but I think it has more to do with the way sci fi writers insist on writing women. I think they are afraid that if Kira made the right choice and refused to allow Mullibok to be forcefully relocated, that it would be seen as her being controlled by her emotions. In order to avoid being accused of sexism, the writers have her make the choice that is seen as being more rational, even though it is wrong. The same thing consistently happens on Voyager, where Janeway almost always makes the utilitarian choice rather than the one that protects individuals' rights and dignity. I believe this is due to the politically correct forces in Hollywood and it's extremely disappointing because it does a great disservice to the women on these shows. It's truly ironic that political correctness has the consequence of writers not being allowed to write good, complex female characters.
Then again, an argument can be made that the utilitarian choice is the only correct one according to Federation ethics. The Federation is essentially a socialist utopia (at least as presented by Roddenberry—DS9 ironically does a ton to subvert that notion). Socialism is a system of government for which trampling on the rights of individuals for the "common good" is a core tenant, so maybe all the times that Picard chooses to protect the rights of individuals over the collective utilitarian good is actually "wrong" by Federation ethical standards and Janeway is actually correct. That still doesn't explain Kira's choice in this ep, though, since she isn't part of the Federation. Not only is her choice wrong, but it is completely out of character for her and that is why I believe her actions were written the way they were in order to avoid accusations of sexism, rather than in service of the character and the story.
THE GOOD
Mullibok is an interesting and charismatic character. He's equal parts frustrating and endearing. I think he is selfish and his decision not to leave is completely dictated by his fear of...basically everything. He is ruled by his fear. But I also respect him standing his ground against the government and feel bad for him with the way the ep ends.
The moral dilemma is thought-provoking (obviously, considering I just wrote a mini essay on it...).
THE BAD
Kira-centric ep. She's actually not terrible here, but she's also not great.
The plot moves very slowly. It's a character-focused story and Brian Keith as Mullibok more than carries his weight, but Visitor lacks the charisma or acting chops to make such a slow story hold your interest completely.
The B plot with the kids is not interesting. Also this is the third time in four eps that Jake and Nog have been featured in the B plot. It's getting pretty old. Give Dax something to do for once instead, please.
Kira's choice at the end is very disappointing.
THE UGLY
Runabout used: Ganges. No sensor module again, so it must really be removable.
The kids not being able to figure out what a self-sealing stem bolt is is silly. I guess DS9 doesn't have the internet?
It's fascinating that Bajor has a moon capable of supporting a breathable atmosphere. For a class M planet to have a moon massive enough to also hold that kind of an atmosphere, the moon would have to be pretty close to the same size as the planet. In fact, the planet and the moon would most likely be orbiting each other, much like Pluto and its moon Charon do. Pluto and Charon are tidally locked, so it's possible Bajor and Jerrado are as well, which would eliminate the possibility of destructive tidal forces that would otherwise be a consequence of such a massive moon, and also make an energy tap much easier, since the same point on Bajor is always aligned with the same point on Jerrado.
I was planning in making a top 10 list, but decided that I only had interesting things to say about my top 5 metal albums. Plus this list is already super late in getting published, so I cut it down to the top 5 and am including a couple of non-metal album to make the list an awkward top 7, rather than 10. And so I present to you the five best metal and two best non-metal albums of 2018.
#7 Sometimes the World Ain’t Enough by The Night Flight Orchestra
While technically not metal, The Night Flight Orchestra harness plenty of metallic elements on their newest offerings, blending the bombast of 80’s arena music with the soulful power of 70’s classic rock and adding a dash of progginess. The band is composed of several metal veterans, most notably Soilwork frontman Bjorn Strid, who demonstrates range and soul not even hinted at while performing with his main band. In fact it’s safe to say Strid’s powerful and emotive voice is the highlight here, though there are many other great aspects that compete for the honor, including the highly polished songwriting and the warm organic production quality. This is an album that begs to be heard surrounded by flashing stage lights and the haze from fog machines, but absent that, try it with some brandy and a cigar. Sometimes that really is enough, even if the world ain’t.
#6 Perdition by Irish Moutarde
Breaking with my tradition, I’ve included a second non-metal album on this list. I’m just enjoying the unique blend of punk rock and Irish folk music that these Québécois have created too much to leave them out. The combination of the electric guitar, banjo, and bagpipes is flawlessly executed, and when combined with boundless punk energy it makes for a great ride, especially on the faster paced songs like “Terre Rouge” (one of my favorite songs of 2018). The highlight here is definitely the banjo, which sits very high in the mix and just sounds incredible. Banjo is a naturally high energy instrument, and it blends perfectly with the punk rock aesthetic, doubly so when supported by the power of the guitar and the primal and savage atmosphere provided by the pipes. Prepare your tapping foot for plenty of action; Perdition is guaranteed to get your jig on!
#5 Conqueror’s Oath by Visigoth
Though it shocked the metal world by being voted album of the year on Metal Archives, Conqueror's Oath is ironically a slight step down in quality from the band’s debut album. That said, it’s still a great big beast of a recording and deserves most of the praise it gets. What it lacks in consistency, it more than makes up for with extremely high points, most notably on “Traitor’s Gate,” which is not only the best song of the year, but easily one of the best songs this decade. Frontman Jake Rogers sounds like a beefier version of Zachary Stevens as he rampages and bellows across eight tracks of classic doom-influenced heavy metal glory; his apex moment coming with a monstrous and impassioned performance on the aforementioned standout track. Raise your drinking horns to Visigoth, because they are a young band showing they are here to stay and are intent on conquering the metal world by fire and the sword.
#4 Astral Necromancy by Hoth
With a perfect blend of aggression and melody, Hoth’s third full length delivers quite an icy punch. As mesmerizing and beautiful as the aurora borealis, Astral Necromancy never for a moment loses your attention thanks to an unending string of breathtaking tremolo riffs, firebreathing lead work, and some of the catchiest songwriting that black metal has ever seen. Wrap that all up in a flawless production job and you have a real wampa of an album. Forget saving Luke Skywalker; venture out past the fourth marker to experience this polar vortex in its full frostbitten glory.
#3 The Last Emperor by Judicator
I don’t know what exactly is going on in Utah, but somehow the land of Mormons has produced two of the five best albums this year (Visigoth are also from Utah). On the surface, The Last Emperor doesn’t offer much of interest. The galloping riffs vaguely sound like Iced Earth or Blind Guardian, but the vocals of frontman John Yelland often sound like they are straining to match the power of the guitar, unlike the beastly vocalists of those bands. And yet...there is an indescribable power to this music. Despite his shortcomings, Yelland is surprisingly charismatic and his range is undeniably impressive. But the real magic lies in the lyrics. Recounting the tale of the First Crusade, the most epic (and least depressing) of all the crusades, Judicator delve into source material that is rich with individual heroism, human suffering, triumph against all odds, divine intercession, massive military clashes, and a sense of grand and sweeping historical and geographical scale. Judicator take the essence of their inspiration and distill it down into a pure metal form. Sure, I could rave about killer riffs, high energy, catchy choruses, or Hansi Kürcsch’s spine-tingling guest spot, but the real charm of this album goes far beyond any technical musical element and deep into the realm of the holy. Take up your cross and strike out for the east because Judicator are on a crusade to bring metal to the heathens of the world, and they won’t stop until Jerusalem is safe again.
#2 Jord by Panphage
If it is possible for an album to transport you to a time and place that you’ve never been and yet feel every detail of that locality, Jord is that album. I’ve never been to a Germanic heathen ritual in the mountains of 9th century Sweden, but when listening to this album I am there and can experience everything; smell the pine, feel the crunch of snow under my fur-lined boots, see the glint of moonlight on my fellow Norseman’s axe, hear the crackle of the fire, and taste the mead on my lips. Only a very powerful piece of music can do that. A one man project by a man known only as Fjällbrandt, Panphage’s magic lies mostly in the rhythm section, where an unending, blistering stream of tremolo picked notes and blast beats hypnotize you into being transported to that alien yet familiar locale. And yet the album avoids getting lost in atmosphere completely, as the riffs are catchy, headbangable, creative, and exploding with energy; Fjällbrandt’s bark is savage and distinct; and the songs stick in your brain long after the chill of that Scandinavian winter night has subsided.
#1 Back to the Sea by Dagon
I can’t decide what is the most remarkable fact about this album being #1 of the year: A) It is a melodeath album, a genre that has been devoid of interesting ideas for well over a decade now, B) Dagon continue to find inspiration for top notch songwriting in exclusively ocean-based thematic elements, C) It’s also been nearly a decade since this band released an album, 2009’s bone-shattering Terraphobic, or D) That these guys took nine years off and came back without losing a single iota of their magic. Seriously, this is an absolute kraken of an album. Highlighted by Jordan Batterbee’s creative and high energy drum patterns, and seven seas worth of riffs, solos, tempo changes, breakdowns (ones that actually sound amazing), and catchy choruses, Dagon have captured lightning in the bottle twice now with their second masterpiece album in a row. This album is more powerful and savage than a perfect storm and more enticing than a siren’s call. Return back to the sea and surrender to the mighty power of Dagon, masters of ocean metal!
So there you have it, the best albums of 2018. But even though I didn’t write about them, there was a number of other really good album that came out. So I’ll end with giving you an honorable mention list in no particular order. Keep it metal, brothers and sisters.
I'm in the process of rewatching Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and reviewing/recapping each episode in detail. Join me in my in depth look at the deepest and most complex Star Trek series to date.
O'Brien and Bashir go to Bajor to assist a village where their spiritual leader, the Sirah, is dying. They discover that the Sirah must perform a nightly ritual to protect the village from a mystical creature called the Dal'Rok. However, when he dies, he names O'Brien as his successor, much to the engineer's dismay. Now he and Bashir have to find a way to save the village when the Dal'Rok returns. Meanwhile on the station, Sisko is mediating a border dispute between two hostile Bajoran factions, with the head of one of the factions being a young girl who is eager to prove that she is a strong leader—even if it means pushing their factions into an avoidable war.
The two plots of this episode are unrelated, despite both being about Bajoran society, and are ultimately inconsequential. The main reason to watch this episode is that it is jam packed with character development. We get tons of great O'Brien moments, and we see even more clearly than ever how much he dislikes Bashir. Considering that they go on to become inseparable friends, it's fun to watch O'Brien struggle (and fail) to contain his annoyance at every single thing Bashir says.
The real character development here, though, is for a different pair of inseparable friends, Jake and Nog. Unlike the last B plot they were involved in (in "The Nagus"), this time both young actors actually do a decent job and their story is fun and interesting. If not for the strength O'Brien as a character, I would argue that the B plot outshines the A plot in this particular episode. We get to see a lot of how Jake and Nog are developing as characters and people, which will be relevant for the entire show's run.
THE GOOD
Good character development for Jake and Nog.
Important piece in the O'Brien-Bashir friendship arc
I love how O'Brien always says "Julian" with venom in his voice throughout the whole ep. It makes Bashir so uncomfortable that he reverses his request for O'Brien to call him that. The smirk from O'Brien when his little mind game works is amazing.
O'Brien's distraught reactions to all the Sirah-related situations he finds himself in are so much fun to watch. I laughed quite a bit more in this ep than I expected to, mostly due to those moments. His trollish cackle when he realizes he's off the hook for being the Sirah is probably my favorite part of the ep.
Going off the above, Bashir's amusement at O'Brien's discomfort is also fun to watch. Even though they aren't friends yet, you can definitely see the seeds of it here. And their friendship becomes one of the best parts of DS9, so it's fun to watch its genesis.
THE BAD
Bajoran ep. Why are their outfits always so ugly?
Inconsequential plot
The girl who plays the Bajoran tetrarch isn't a very good actress
THE UGLY
Rules of Acquisition quoted: 1 (9th). 3 total for the series.
The runabout used by O'Brien and Bashir must be the Rio Grande, since the Yangtzee Kiang is gone and it lacks the Ganges' sensor module.
It takes the runabout 2 hours to get from DS9 to Bajor. If they were travelling at warp 1 (the speed of light), that would mean that Bajor is about 14 AU (2.2 billion km) away from the station. But since the station was in orbit around Bajor before being moved on thrusters to the wormhole, it seems much more likely that they are significantly closer together and the journey between is done at impulse speeds.
The Bajoran tetrarch is consistently referred to as being the same age as Jake and Nog (and the script apparently specifies her as being 15), but the actress who plays her, Gina Phillips, was 23 at the time. Jake is 14 and Nog is around 16, although Aron Eisenberg is actually a few months older than Phillips in real life.
The use of the title "tetrarch" is very interesting. The historical context of that title in Earth history is pretty complex, but the meaning of the word itself implies that she is one of four joint rulers (tetra- being the Greek prefix meaning 'four'—a tetrarchy is a 'leadership of four [people]'). If so, it makes no sense that the other three rulers would send a young girl to negotiate instead of one of them going. Perhaps the rest of tetrarchy was destroyed during the occupation and they keep the title as a matter of tradition?
I'm in the process of rewatching Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and reviewing/recapping each episode in detail. Join me in my in depth look at the deepest and most complex Star Trek series to date.
The Bajoran religious leader, Kai Opaka, makes a surprise visit to the station and Sisko decides to give her a tour of the wormhole. On the other side, they investigate a strange transmission and are attacked and crash land on an alien moon where two sides are locked in an eternal war.
We get our second and last episode featuring Kai Opaka, who is a great character and it's a shame she was "killed" off so early in the show's run. However, the upside is that it clears the way for Kai Winn, who ends up being a great villain for the show.
This episode is supposed to say something about how violence begets violence. It's a theme that Trek brings up pretty frequently, most notably in The Original Series episodes "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" and the great "Day of the Dove"—the latter in particular doing a better job of addressing the issue than "Battle Lines" does. But frankly it's a safe topic to address and not one I find very compelling. "Hatred is bad, mmkay." That said, this episode is still decent, mostly due to the performances of the guest stars.
THE GOOD
Going through the wormhole is always a positive, especially in this rather claustrophobic first season. More cowbell, please.
Camille Saviola is really good as Opaka. It's a major shame she was never brought back for any substantial roles.
Jonathan Banks' IMDB page would probably be taller than me if it was printed out. He's a highly sought after character actor for good reason and it's awesome to see him here as the alien leader.
The action sequences are actually decent, though not amazing. Since they were directed by the stunt director and not the incompetent Paul Lynch, that would explain the step up in quality from previous eps. I'm glad that Lynch doesn't direct any more eps after this one because he isn't good.
THE BAD
Nana Visitor's acting is physically painful to watch. She's so bad.
The ending is rather unsatisfying and depressing. Opaka says they are ready to begin the healing, but no indication of that is given. It seems like maybe she was putting on a brave face so the crew wouldn't feel bad about leaving her behind, damned to an eternal hell of suffering, violence, and death.
THE UGLY
Terrible response time from Sisko and Kira when the satellite system aggresses them. They should have warped out immediately, especially considering their passenger. O'Brien is much quicker on his feet and bugs out the instant the satellites start scanning.
Runabout roster: Ganges and Rio Grande. Say goodbye to the Yangtzee Kiang, as it's destroyed in the crash landing.
Sisko gets defensive when Bashir questions his decision to try and save the prisoners, but I think Sisko's justification for why it's not a violation of the Prime Directive, at least in spirit, is sound. The decaying nature of the defensive satellite system indicates that whoever placed the prisoners there is no longer around, so freeing them isn't a violation of that society's natural course of evolution.
Dax and O'Brien fly the Rio Grande while searching for the missing Yangtzee, but the Ganges seems better suited for a search and rescue mission with its advanced sensors. We can only assume a different crew is flying the Ganges in a different part of the sector, also looking for Sisko.
I'm in the process of rewatching Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and reviewing/recapping each episode in detail. Join me in my in depth look at the deepest and most complex Star Trek series to date.
An alien from the Gamma Quadrant named Crodan gets mixed up in one of Quark's schemes and as a result ends up killing somebody in a scuffle. While in custody, he tells Odo that he has met other shapeshifters like him in Gamma Quadrant. Odo is very eager to learn more about his people, but Crodan's government demands that he be returned to face punishment for crimes committed on their world. Now Odo is tasked to bring Crodan back, but on the way he will be faced with a conflict between his duty, sense of justice, and his desire to learn more about his people.
The plot of this episode is very complex, with lots of twists and location changes. For the first time since the pilot, we get to see members of the crew going through the wormhole not once, but twice, which is exciting. As a result of the very active plot and character movement throughout, it feels like way more happens in this episode than should even be possible for 42 minutes of TV. We have scheming, murder, revenge, diplomatic contact, political intrigue, chase scenes, and most importantly of all, a lot of important exposition that will continue to be relevant through all seven seasons of the show.
This episode is the first time we hear the phrase "changelings." Though most of what Crodan claims to know about them turns out to be lies, his story about how they used to be persecuted and that's why they don't trust humanoids is accurate. It's also curious that he knew that they don't normally retain a humanoid shape on their own planet. Overall, there's a lot of foreshadowing of future events involving the Founders and Odo's conflicting desires to be with his people but also do the right thing.
THE GOOD
Great pacing and plot movement. They fit a lot of story into the ep, but it doesn't ever feel rushed.
Nice submarine hunt sequence. Definitely hearkens back to the epic sequence from Wrath of Khan, but the tactic Odo uses to take out the Miradorn ship is almost identical to the Riker Maneuver from Insurrection (and I'm not referring to the way he sits in chairs).
A lot of good character development for Odo.
THE BAD
Guy who plays Crodan lacks charisma and is too lackadaisical about everything. It wasn't too hard to believe right up until the point where it's revealed that his daughter's life was on the line the whole time and then none of his attitude makes sense retroactively.
There's also no indication given of why Crodan was getting involved in Quark's schemes. We can guess that he wanted money to acquire passage back to get his daughter, but then we are forced to wonder why the heck he left his daughter in a stasis pod in some cave in the middle of a nebula. It makes no sense at all and no explanation is even attempted.
THE UGLY
"Maybe that's why nobody has ever seen another shapeshifter--they're all hiding!" Like Crodan with his tall tales, Quark is surprisingly close to the truth with this seemingly throwaway line.
The actor who plays the Miradorn twins, Randy Oglesby, has played seven different characters across four different ST shows over the years, most notably in eleven episodes on ENT season 3 as one of the Xindi leaders.
Odo shapeshift count: 1 in frame. Out of frame he turns into a drinking glass, and there's a very cool shot on screen where the glass gets shattered and all the pieces turn to goo and congeal back into Odo's humanoid form. 7 total on screen shifts for the series.
The effects shots of The Nexus appear to use the exact same matte painting used to show nebulae by several different ST projects over the years, including the Mutara Nebula in The Wrath of Khan and the nebula where the Enterprise-D hides from the Borg in "The Best of Both Worlds."
Runabouts used: Rio Grande taken by Sisko and Dax. The runabout that Odo takes is referred to by the Vulcan captain as the Ganges, but in the effects shots it is missing the Ganges' telltale dorsal sensor module. Either the sensor module is removable, or that was an error in either the script or effects department.
I'm in the process of rewatching Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and reviewing/recapping each episode in detail. Join me in my in depth look at the deepest and most complex Star Trek series to date.
The leader of the Ferengi, Grand Nagus Zek, shows up on DS9 and holds a conference for exploring business opportunities in the Gamma Quadrant. But at the conference he suddenly retires and names Quark his successor—much to the consternation of his son and the Ferengi merchant lords—and then shortly afterwards dies unexpectedly. Now Quark must navigate the treacherous waters of Ferengi governance while dealing with attempts on his life by those jealous of his new prestige and power.
This is technically a terrarium episode, but you almost don't notice because of the sweeping galactic implications of it. Episodes like this really fulfill the core promise of DS9 as a show; no longer do we watch a crew going from place to place exploring the unknown, having adventures, and then leaving behind the mess for somebody else to clean up. Now we follow a crew that has the unknown come to them, and the consequences of those encounters are real and must be dealt with. This is more challenging to write because it's more restrictive, but restrictions breed creativity, and while the DS9 writers don't always adequately step up to the challenge, in this episode they definitely did.
This is a fascinating episode because prior to this, Star Trek had always glossed over how Ferengi society works; this is the first in what would become a long line of Ferengi-centered eps on the show. The Ferengi are essentially the exact opposite of the Federation. The Federation has abandoned all market-based activities, including commerce, acquisition of assets, and even money itself; while Ferengi society is entirely based around those things.
If you think about it, neither society is realistic. Both are extreme to the point where it's impossible that they could function as portrayed. The Federation's system implies several dark realities, most notably a denial of people's right to self-determination. If your society needs janitors to function and nobody wants to be a janitor, what happens? Since you can't pay people to be janitors, the only other option is coercing them into being ones. In essence, the Federation's marketless system implies that they resort to nothing less than slavery.
The Ferengi, meanwhile, have no values other than the acquisition of wealth. They treat contracts with the utmost reverence, but seem to have no laws outside of strict adherence to contracts. They treat charity with disgust and view government-run social programs as the ultimate evil. Who takes care of the sick, poor, old, and/or disabled? The implication is that millions of vulnerable Ferengi must be dying in the streets every day. For that matter, according to Ferengi values, why should a parent even feed their own child? There's no profit in it. Unless they are engaging in child slave labor. Shall I go on? Needless to say, no society could function like this. It's impossible; it would be virtual anarchy and inevitably result in the collapse of their civilization.
That all said, there is a deep and rich potential for storytelling when two such opposing societies (however unrealistic they may be) come into contact with each other. TNG never delivered on that potential, but DS9 does here, and will continue to do so in a big (though occasionally disappointing) ways through seven seasons.
THE GOOD
Wallace Shawn is great as Zek. He was born to play a Ferengi. As I've noted before, the recurring guest stars are the best part of DS9, and episodes that feature them like this one are almost always very good.
O'brien is back! I missed him but didn't realize just how much I missed him until he walked into that classroom. The show is significantly weaker without him, as the run of three mediocre episodes in his absence proved.
THE BAD
The B plot is boring and has some bad acting from Cirroc Lofton and Aron Eisenberg. But they're kid actors so that's moderately understandable and expected. A better B plot or a more fleshed-out A plot and no B plot could have pushed this to a 9 or 10 rating.
THE UGLY
This episode is the first time the Rules of Acquisition are mentioned. Rules quoted count: 2 (the 1st and 6th), 2 total for the series
Rom's voice and mannerisms are much different from his first appearance and match his character for the remainder of the show's run.
Rom trying to kill Quark was shocking. I forgot he did that and it shows how much his character changed/grew over the years.
What happens to Zek's son after this? He never appears or is mentioned again, despite many more Zek-centric episodes.
Odo Shapeshift count: 1 (turns into goo to pass through a locked door), 6 total for the series
I'm in the process of rewatching Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and reviewing/recapping each episode in detail. Join me in my in depth look at the deepest and most complex Star Trek series to date.
First contact with a gaming-obsessed species from the Gamma Quadrant takes a bad turn when Quark is caught cheating them at Dabo. They get revenge on him by forcing him to play a game of theirs in which Sisko, Kira, Dax, and Bashir are the real life pawns that are forced to confront dangerous obstacles in their attempt to "move along home."
This is a frustrating and frankly quite stupid episode. It's memorable due to just how weird it is, but overall it's bad.
THE GOOD
Sisko's approach to first contact compared to Picard or even Kirk reveals a lot about his character. Picard in particular seems to relish first contact. Sisko seems to dread it. He is definitely not a diplomat and it probably makes no sense that the Federation didn't send somebody better for the job of receiving their first official visitors from the Gamma Quadrant.
The exchange when Dax wants Sisko to leave her behind and he refuses is the best part in the episode. Their interactions are always so interesting due to their long and complicated history with each other. Sisko was Curzon's mentee, and now he is Jadzia's commanding officer, and that conflicting dynamic is fascinating.
THE BAD
The whole structure of the game (or lack thereof) is frustrating. Since Quark (and by extension the audience) doesn't know the rules, everything that happens feels totally random and arbitrary.
More terrible acting from Alexander Siddig
The obstacles encountered in the game are neither clever nor interesting.
The revelation at the end that nobody was ever in danger retroactively ruins the one positive aspect of the plot, which is the tension from worrying about what will happen to the characters.
No O'Brien for the third ep in a row. Jake mentions that Keiko is still on Earth, so obviously he is with her still. Meaney is lucky he got to sit this one out.
THE UGLY
Why does Sisko have a tricorder? He was sleeping in bed (in his uniform, no less), and wakes up in the game with a tricorder strapped to his hip. Utter nonsense.
Quark apparently faces no consequences for his actions.
The conversation between Brennin and Odo while scanning the alien ship provides some clues as to how the game technology works. Brennin implies that it reads like a continuous transporter beam. Most likely, the four players were locked in some sort of sustained transporter field where matter and energy is able to materialize around them and be manipulated according to the requirements of the game. The tricorders read everything in the game as real, so it's not a holosuite or virtual reality most likely, but rather some highly advanced manipulation of matter and energy, like a holosuite but where everything is fully physical rather than holographic.
I'm in the process of rewatching Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and reviewing/recapping each episode in detail. Join me in my in depth look at the deepest and most complex Star Trek series to date.
Bashir and Kira are returning to the station via runabout when they encounter a ship in distress. They rescue the lone survivor, an alien security officer, but are unable to save her prisoner, a man named Vantika whom she claims is extremely dangerous. Upon returning to the station, someone begins tampering with station security and appears to be plotting to steal an inbound shipment of rare material, and all evidence points to Vantika being the one responsible for the issues. But how can that be if he is dead?
This is another inconsequential episode, although the wormhole does at least play a small part, as the shipment of deuridium is coming from the Gamma Quadrant. The tension and pacing are both decent. Unlike the previous episode, the performances of the actors are all very good (with one very obvious and notable exception). Sisko, Quark, Odo, and Jadzia all gets chances to shine and their performances are what make this a slightly above-average ep.
THE GOOD
"If you want my opinion—" "Actually I don't." Man I love Sisko's no-BS attitude. His handling of Odo's wounded pride is also very impressive. You gain a lot of admiration for Sisko's ability to command in this episode. He is fair but doesn't tolerate any nonsense.
As mentioned above, several characters have multiple noteworthy moments. Rene Auberjonois steals the show though. Every scene with him is great, from his conflicts with Lt. Primmin, to his banter with Quark, to his no-holds-barred conversation with Sisko. And even though Odo is too hard on Primmin at first, he knows when he was wrong and gives him due credit at the end, showing he is a fair, if harsh, judge of character.
THE BAD
Oh my Prime Directive is Alexander Siddig bad here. So, so bad. Especially the scenes where he plays Vantika. I never realized what an awful actor he was in the first season until this time rewatching the show. Fortunately, he does improve as the show proceeds and has actually had a very successful acting career post-Star Trek. But boy is he bad here.
Maybe it's because I've seen the episode several times before, but it seemed painfully obvious to me that Bashir was the bad guy all along. There was no mystery that I could discern. However, in spite of knowing I still felt the tension from seeing Bashir/Vantika skulk around the station and mess everything up, so that's a positive at least.
Going off the above "bad," it's baffling to me that nobody suspected Bashir, especially Jadzia after discovering how Vantika had survived, or Kira after seeing Vantika grab Bashir right before dying. Definitely makes the crew look incompetent.
No O'Brien for the second episode in a row.
THE UGLY
PLOT HOLE: Now that Vantika has a new (human) body, he no longer has any need for the deuridium since he originally wanted it to prolong his life. None of his actions after the first scene make any sense in that light. He hangs around the station and waits to get caught for...absolutely no reason.
Runabout used: Rio Grande multiple times
The material that Vantika is trying to steal, deuridium, is apparently fictional.
The freighter carrying the deuridium has Federation LCARS control interfaces, in spite of not being crewed by Starfleet personnel. That would explain how Bashir knew exactly what button to push to lower the shields, even in his disoriented state.
Glial cells are what Vantika uses to transfer his consciousness into Bashir, but it's unclear how that would work since glial cells are non-neuronal, but are rather part of the central nervous system that surrounds and cares for the neural tissue.
I'm in the process of rewatching Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and reviewing/recapping each episode in detail. Join me in my in depth look at the deepest and most complex Star Trek series to date.
A foreign government wants to extradite Lt. Jadzia Dax to try her for treason allegedly committed by the former Dax host, Curzon, who was also Commander Sisko's close friend and mentor. Sisko is able to force an extradition hearing arbitrated by a Bajoran representative to attempt to determine whether or not Jadzia can be tried for the crimes of which her predecessor is accused.
Star Trek has a number of good courtroom drama episodes, with "The Measure of a Man" from TNG's second season leading that impressive collection. "Dax" does not unfortunately find a place among those quality stories. While the premise sounds like it could be interesting, the execution does not live up and the writers failed to make any relevant connection to contemporary social issues (at least that I could discern). The "drama" here is flat, the social commentary absent, and the acting dull and lifeless—in strong contrast to the aforementioned legendary episode from the sister show—all of which adds up to a below-average episode in this first season.
THE GOOD
It's nice to finally get an episode centered on Dax. She has been seriously neglected as a character up to this point, including the aspects of her complicated relationship to Sisko, and this episode does a bit to explore that relationship. Unfortunately, it ends up mostly being Avery Brooks' mediocre dialogue delivery versus Terry Farrell's stoic silence (which she does well, but it's just not interesting).
Does a good job of demonstrating how, even though she appears to be a young woman, Jadzia has the integrity and conviction of someone much older and wiser. That is really the only lasting takeaway from the ep.
The shot where the tractor beam chases the Klaestron ship off the screen and then a few seconds later drags it back onto frame is great. Nice blending of quality effects with creative shot design.
The cranky old Bajoran arbiter is amusing. She is the only one who isn't phoning in her performance here.
THE BAD
Ironically, in the episode that bears her name and is ostensibly all about her, Dax herself does almost nothing here.
The story is honestly boring. The ending is a rushed and anticlimactic deus ex machina.
I hate to keep comparing this episode to "The Measure of a Man," but every courtroom drama ST ep naturally is benchmarked against that great ep. What is lacking here is...literally everything. The acting is far inferior. There are no epic speeches. No thrilling dramatic moments (by contrast, Riker's "Pinocchio's strings have been cut" moment still gives me goosebumps to this day). No important social commentary. "TMoaM" had so many powerful things to say about slavery, consciousness, free will, and more. What is the relevance of this ep? Are they commenting on the importance of redemption? Something about amnesia? I have no clue. It all feels so pointless, especially with the abrupt and unsatisfying ending.
THE UGLY
First mention of the Klingon coffee, raktajino, which would become a station favorite, essentially replacing Earth coffee on the show.
Bashir's flying elbow into the Klaestron agent trying to abduct Dax looks like something Kirk would try. The whole brawl was sloppy like a TOS fight, which I found surprisingly entertaining.
Bashir retcon watch (WARNING: this section contains major spoilers for a future story arc) — With the way Bashir's physical abilities are portrayed post-genetic-engineering reveal, he should have been more coordinated during the critical fight to try and rescue Jadzia from the Klaestron abductors. Instead he looks like an adolescent who doesn't understand how human limbs work. He looks like Gumby getting electric shock therapy. The closest we've ever come to a real life version of a Bethesda game glitch was Bashir's "fight scene." It's bad, is what I'm saying.
It seems highly unlikely that the culpability of current hosts for the crimes of former hosts would not be an issue that would have previously been settled by Trill law, and thus would serve as a guide for the proceedings of this ep. And yet no such precedence is ever mentioned.
I'm in the process of rewatching Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and reviewing/recapping each episode in detail. Join me in my in depth look at the deepest and most complex Star Trek series to date.
The Ganges returns from the Gamma Quadrant with a surprise passenger aboard—Vash, Captain Picard's love interest last seen with powerful entity known only as "Q." It's not long before Q himself shows up and starts to annoy the crew of DS9 in his uniquely irritating way. But with him and Vash also arrives a new danger that threatens the station. Will Sisko's crew be able to figure out what is happening before the station is destroyed? Is Q responsible? How does Vash fit into what is happening?
So for the third time in six episodes, we get crossover characters from TNG, cementing even further that these shows are tightly linked and not afraid to build off of each other. Q is almost always a treat on TNG, and the episodes he appears in are some of the best from that show (with a couple of exceptions). This would be his only appearance on DS9 and it's not too hard to see why. The energy that John de Lancie brings to the screen with this character is incredible, but his chemistry with Sisko is...well...frankly nonexistent—a far cry from the world-class dialogue filled with Shakespeare quotes and historical allusions he exchanges with Patrick Stewart over on the sister show. Part of that is due to Brooks' far inferior acting talents, but part of it simply Sisko's personality. He does not tolerate BS and Q is pretty much the definition of BS.
The scenes with Vash and Q are good though. And with Vash and Quark. Basically Vash is always a highlight. I'm surprised Jennifer Hetrick never got more roles back in the day because she steals the show in all of her Star Trek appearances. And despite not having Picard to banter with, de Lancie is still very entertaining as the enigmatic Q.
The story is well-written here too. The suspense is maintained right up until the end and it's fun to try and guess whether or not Q is nudging things one way or another to help or simply for his own amusement. As usual, even by the end of the ep we really have no idea what his intentions were.
THE GOOD
O'Brien's face in the opening shot. His reactions to Bashir's whole Starfleet Medical finals story is amazing. We see a continuation of O'Brien's strong dislike for him from the last ep.
O'Brien describing Vash "The captain likes a good challenge, sir." Way to put it diplomatically, Miles.
O'Brien on seeing Q on DS9 "Bloody hell!" Colm Meaney could have a YouTube channel called "O'Brien Reacts to Things" and I'd watch the hell out of it.
Quark is so wonderfully sleazy here. It's a credit to Armin Shimerman's acting talent that he can be charismatic with a giant latex mask and fangs on.
THE BAD
Some cringy scenes with Bashir. The opening scene when he's telling about his medical finals like it's a war story is delightfully campy, but him hitting on Vash is more weird than fun.
Aside from being the link to Vash, Q really doesn't do much here story-wise. He's pretty superfluous aside from acting as a red herring. Again, it's no surprise he doesn't return to DS9. He just doesn't fit the tone of the show.
THE UGLY
How much must it enrage Sisko to get continuously compared to Picard by Q? I feel kind of bad for him because every time that name is mentioned, it must remind him of the death of his wife. No wonder he's so surly with Q.
The gas used to trace the power drains, tritium, is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. It is indeed very toxic when inhaled, but how it would make changes in the graviton field easier to detect is a mystery since gravitons are currently still only hypothetical.
It's somewhat subtle, but Q actually appears to help the crew figure out the mystery (or tries anyway). When they are blaming him, he reacts by insulting them but then says that while they are trying to figure it out, Vash is "engaged in base commerce" and says that she is the real danger. This seems to be his MO—be annoying and belittling and pretend not to care while subtly helping the crew survive a serious threat. It's strange that he can simultaneously be both childish and paternal. Of all the many great characters in the history of Trek, Q has to be one of the most enigmatic.
Bashir retcon watch (WARNING: this section contains major spoilers for a future story arc) — First mention of him mistaking a preganglionic fiber for a postganglionic nerve on his Starfleet Medical finals. We learn much later on that he missed that question on purpose so as to not draw suspicion about his genetically-enhanced nature.
Odo shapeshift count: none on screen, but it's implied that he was the wine bottle in one scene.
I just finished re-watching all six Lucas-era Star Wars films in episode order (I-VI) with the commentary and want to give my reviews of each film. Let me preface by saying that I am a lifelong Star Wars fan who grew up with the original trilogy and literally have no memory of a time in my life before SW. As such, I am not going to be totally unbiased in my reviews, but I will try to be somewhat objective.
A year after Luke's fateful confrontation with Vader, our heroes (including Lando now) are back on Luke's home planet of Tatooine to try and free Han from his carbonite prison in the clutches of Jabba the Hutt. Afterwards they reunite with the Rebel fleet, now much larger and more powerful than ever, where they plan a strike to destroy a second Death Star being constructed under the direct supervision of Emperor Palpatine. The resulting mission climaxes with a dramatic confrontation between Luke, his father, and the emperor to decide the fate of the Skywalkers, the Jedi, and that of the entire galaxy.
Coming to the end of the saga is always such a bittersweet experience for me. I know that RotS was the last one made, but watching this movie is when it really hits me that George Lucas will not be making any more movies like this. The SW saga has had such a treasured place in my heart for my entire life, and the pale imitations that Disney keeps pooping out are more of a reminder of something I can't have any more of (new SW material) than any actual consolation.
That said, this is unfortunately a rather flawed movie. I think it's the most inconsistent in quality of the six movies, with very high high points but a lot of mediocre stuff as well. Lucas really tied his hands by not resolving anything in ESB, especially by leaving the Han Solo cliffhanger, which leads to the awkward situation where the first act of this movie is not really related to the overall plot. As such, the whole story here feels disjointed and not smooth. Let's get into it.
THE GOOD
All the scenes with Vader, the Emperor, and/or Luke are really the core of this movie and what saves it from mediocrity. I'm constantly impressed by Palpatine's skill at manipulating people. Even though Luke knows he is being manipulated, he still can't control himself. And sure, part of that is the Skywalker impulsiveness, but major credit goes to Palpatine for being so good at what he does.
As a kid, the final space battle is really why I loved this movie. To see how far the ILM team came in just 6 years is very impressive, because the scale of that battle is something they could only imagine when ANH was made, and it probably pushes the limit of what can realistically be done without cgi.
It's really satisfying to see Luke finally as a fully-powered Jedi. The way he completely dismantles Jabba's private army hearkens back to Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan being utterly unstoppable against the battle droids in Episode I.
I know I've mentioned it several times before in other reviews, but Ben Burtt's sound design is just fantastic. The sounds of the speeder bikes in particular are something that has always stuck with me for how cool and unique they sound.
The choral music that comes in during the final part of the duel between Vader and Luke is amazing and gives me goosebumps every time.
There are some strong Messianic themes associated with both Luke and Anakin. Luke has come to redeem the sins of Anakin the same was Christ did for Adam. Anakin and Adam both chose themselves and their selfish and prideful desires over doing what was right. Luke, son of Anakin, and Christ, son of Adam, make the opposite choice, choosing self-sacrifice over evil, thus redeeming the sins of their fathers. But in the end it is Anakin, conceived of a virgin, who ultimately destroys death (Palpatine) and restores life (bringing balance to the Force)—sacrificing his own life to do so before being reborn in the Force. So in a way he plays both Adam and Christ in this particular Messianic tale.
I know this isn't a popular opinion, but I absolutely love that the DVD/bluray version has Force ghost Anakin played by Hayden Christensen. There's something so powerful about seeing him the way he was before he defiled his soul with evil—smiling and happy with his old friends and mentors again. It gets me in the feels every time.
THE BAD
The entire first act on Tatooine. The only benefit of it is that it establishes Luke as a full-on and very powerful Jedi now. Aside from that, it serves no real purpose for the plot.
Boba Fett's inglorious end.
The Ewoks. They bog down the story and it's not really believable to see them beating the Imperial troops. It was an interesting idea to try and parallel them with Germanic tribes beating the Roman Empire, but the execution was ruined by the fact that they are two foot tall teddy bears.
Death Star rehash. I get that this is the way Lucas originally wrote it and that the Death Star stuff was moved to ANH just in case that was the only movie made, but once it became clear that the whole trilogy was getting made, he should have come up with something different for this movie rather than just doing that again.
I don't like the special edition diegetic music at all. Give me back the Yub Yub song, please.
I also don't care for the beak they put on the Sarlacc. Overall, the special edition changes were definitely not a improvement for this film.
THE UGLY
It's a little odd that Palpatine doesn't struggle at all when Vader picks him up. He just like "Yep, this is my life now" as he gets tossed down the shaft.
The look of betrayal by Vader when Palpatine tells Luke to kill him (great job by David Prowse portraying that shocked reaction without any facial expressions or dialogue to work with). It's the exact same look Dooku gives Palpatine when he tell Anakin to kill him. I really don't know what Vader thought would happen when he brought Luke to the Emperor. He knows there can be only two Sith at a time, so either he was hoping Luke would kill Palpatine (no indication given of that in this movie) or that Palpatine would kill Luke (in which case why bother capturing him). My only conclusion can be that Anakin is just not very bright at all. Which retroactively make Vader much less cool than we used to think he was. He really does seem like a tragic Shakespearian character in the end, a fool like Othello who wasn't smart enough to see how Iago was manipulating him the whole time and his lack of perception and critical thinking was what undid him. The difference between him and Othello is that the latter is a pawn all the way to the end, while Anakin seizes some small measure of agency by killing his Iago at the end. However, much like with the Shakespeare play, I think it's possible that the SW saga can be interpreted in such a way that the villain is actually the protagonist and the supposed hero is merely a pawn in his game. Throughout the saga, it is Palpatine who always is in control and proactive in pushing forward his own goals. He has almost all the agency in these movies and thus in many ways he is the protagonist, just like Iago.
I'm in the process of rewatching Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and reviewing/recapping each episode in detail. Join me in my in depth look at the deepest and most complex Star Trek series to date.
A damaged ship comes through the wormhole, piloted by an agitated creature named Tosk. He comes aboard DS9 for repairs and O'Brien befriends him and tries to earn his trust to figure out what he is so afraid of. He gets his answer when an advanced alien ship appears from the wormhole and attacks the station, but it quickly becomes apparent that their real target is Tosk. Now the crew of DS9 is faced with a moral dilemma and O'Brien's friendship with Tosk may influence him to put his entire career on the line to help his new friend.
Finally we get an episode with the Gamma Quadrant playing a role. I don't know why they waited until the fifth episode to start unpacking this particularly dense web of storytelling potential, but I'm just glad we are here now. The wormhole/Gamma Quadrant will be the driving narrative force for the whole seven seasons of DS9 and it all starts right here, which is very exciting.
Furthermore, even though the terms "Dominion" or "Jem'Hadar" are not mentioned here, this episode definitely foreshadows both. Most obviously: Tosk is very clearly Jem'Hadar or some closely related species created by the Dominion. It seems like a reasonable inference that the Hunters are members of the Dominion and were given slightly altered Jem'Hadar for their hunt (either that or the Hunters created the Tosk and then the Founders liked them so much that they adapted them as their own footsoldiers). Either way, the Dominion connections are clear, though not explicitly stated.
This episode is jam packed with story. At one point I thought the episode was probably close to over and checked the time stamp. Nope—there was still almost a third of it remaining. Probably more happens in any one act of this episode than in the entirety of the previous episode. So obviously there is a lot going on but we'll try to get into some of the details.
THE GOOD
This story hits all the notes of a classic Trek episode. Moral dilemmas, touching human moments, conflict between Federation and alien value systems, tension and suspense, sci-fi technology, exploring the unknown, and of course, Prime Directive invocations. If you were to design a prototypical good ST episode, this is exactly what it would look like.
Colm Freaking Meaney. This is why they brought him over to DS9; as a starring actor he can do the same thing Patrick Stewart does on TNG by taking an already very good script and making it great with his acting abilities. There is not a warmer or more relatable character in all of ST than Miles Edward O'Brien, and much of that is due to Meaney's talents.
I like the interior design of Tosk's ship. The narrow crawl space to get to the inner workings of the ship feels realistic for a 1-man craft.
THE BAD
The action sequences are very primitive and poorly done. Why do Star Trek directors think that combat is two groups of people standing in the open taking turns firing at each other? This isn't 1776.
As good of an actor as he is, Meaney doesn't always sound like he believes his own lines when he has to speak technobabble. The lines in this ep about reversing polarity and bypassing phase inducers sound like an actor reading lines, not an engineer talking about his job.
The episode focuses almost completely on O'Brien, which is nice, but the bad part is that the other characters don't get to do much, including Jadzia and Bashir, who have now played minimal roles in three out of the last four eps.
THE UGLY
Miles cutting Bashir off sharply during the scene in Ops. This is the first indication of his dislike for Julian.
Odo Shapeshift count: 1 (picture), 5 total for the series. It seems like my memory of Odo not shifting a lot was faulty, at least so far.
I just finished re-watching all six Lucas-era Star Wars films in episode order (I-VI) with the commentary and want to give my reviews of each film. Let me preface by saying that I am a lifelong Star Wars fan who grew up with the original trilogy and literally have no memory of a time in my life before SW. As such, I am not going to be totally unbiased in my reviews, but I will try to be somewhat objective.
Three years after the destruction of the Death Star, Han, Luke, and Leia are now all important leaders and heroes in the Rebel Alliance, which is hiding on the barely-habitable ice planet of Hoth. The Empire eventually finds their base and attacks it, scattering the rebels around the galaxy, with Luke going to Dagobah to be trained by Yoda, and Han, Leia, Chewie, and the droids playing cat-and-mouse across the sector with Vader and the Imperial fleet before finally being captured at Cloud City on Bespin. There, Han is frozen in carbonite to be sent to Jabba the Hutt, and Luke, attempting to rescue his friends, is forced into a confrontation with Vader for which he is not ready and which will forever change his life.
This is the most critically-praised of the SW movies, for reasons I only partially understand. As a kid this was always my least favorite of the movies, probably because it's very talk-y and there are no big space battles. As an adult, I've come to appreciate it a lot more due to the character development and its slightly more mature take on SW, but it's still definitely not my favorite of the saga.
THE GOOD
This is the first movie (both in my viewing order and in the order made) not directed by George Lucas, and because of that, this is also the best movie by far for dialogue. Irving Kershner and the actors rewrote a lot of the lines on the set, and as a result the banter between Han and Leia and Lando is generally good and for once the characters talking is a highlight rather than a lowlight.
Assisted by the above point, this movie is great in the character development realm. Not only in terms of Han, Leia, and Luke, but also the supporting characters like Chewie and the droids.
Boba Fett and the Slave I
"Apology accepted, Captain Needa." You can almost see Hayden Christensen's malicious sneer as Vader says that line.
I gained a lot of respect for Kershner while listening to the commentary. He had his own spin that he wanted to do on SW, but he also had great reverence for what Lucas had done in ANH and he made sure to be faithful to the spirit of that movie in every way possible.
THE BAD
Hate, hate, HATE that they replaced Boba Fett's voice with the actor who plays Jango in AotC. The original Fett voice actor had an awesome menacing, gravelly voice and the new voice sounds pathetic by comparison.
I'm not a big fan of stop motion animation and there is a lot of it in this film. The AT-ATs look fine, but the tauntauns do not. However, the closeups of the animatronic tauntauns look incredible, so it evens out a bit.
THE UGLY
Apparently the Falcon is able to reach a different planetary system without hyperdrive. No indication is given of distance or how long that took, but we know that that Hoth is on the outer rim where stars are far apart, so most likely any trip that took less than decades would require near-lightspeed velocity that would have some severe relativistic repercussions. Considering Luke seemed to do quite a lot of training during that time, it's possible there is an unacknowledged time lapse of several months, but certainly not years.
I am forced to wonder what Vader's real plan was. We know he wants to overthrow Palpatine and that he wants to use Luke to do so, but he repeatedly says that he is planning on bringing Luke to the emperor. Was he just saying that for show, all the while planning on smuggling Luke away somewhere secret until he could convince him to join hist plot against Palpatine? Anakin already saw how Palpatine would gladly cast aside an old, less powerful apprentice (Dooku) for a younger and more powerful one (himself), so there's no way he would be stupid enough to actually deliver Luke to him. Doing so would be signing his own death sentence. Yet he inexplicably does that exact thing in the next movie and then looks shocked when Palpatine does to him exactly what he did to Dooku. So maybe Anakin is really just that stupid? Who knows.
I'm in the process of rewatching Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and reviewing/recapping each episode in detail. Join me in my in depth look at the deepest and most complex Star Trek series to date.
A virus that causes people to talk gibberish starts spreading through the station. It’s a race against time to find a cure before everyone is incapacitated...or worse.
Like the previous episode, this is another inconsequential “terrarium” ep. The “virus that makes people act weird and it’s kind of humorous but then we find out it’s actually killing them” trope has been done a lot (and a lot better) in ST and it really has worn thin by now. Aside from some very minor character development for Quark and some great early scenes with O’Brien, this is a very forgettable episode.
THE GOOD
The O’Brien scenes at the start are great. I love his sarcastic comments, and Colm Meaney is such a great actor (with an awesome accent) that I would be entertained watching him read lines from a quarterly earnings report.
The shot where it pans through the inner workings of the replicator and then focuses on the sabotage device right as it turns on is a cool one.
Some good Quark scenes. It’s interesting how he fluctuates between bravado and cowardice seemingly at random, a trend that holds throughout the show’s run.
Nice continuity mentioning Keiko’s school established in the previous ep. It’s easy to take for granted since all shows do it nowadays, but at the time DS9’s serial storytelling was brand new for ST (and relatively uncommon on TV in general), and the fact that I don’t even notice it most of the time is probably a testament to how well it is done.
THE BAD
Another claustrophobic episode that takes place essentially all on DS9 (aside from one scene on a runabout).
*Sisko takes sip of coffee* “O’Brien!” I cringed. They may as well have used a laugh track and a womp womp trombone to go along with that dumb gag.
A lot of really bad acting from Avery Brooks.
Jadzia gets nothing to do for the second time in three eps.
THE UGLY
Odo shapeshift count: 1 (a metal cart...and also the handheld device on top of the cart, oddly enough), 4 total for the series
Not sure which runabout Kira takes. It’s either the Yangtzee Kiang or the Rio Grande because it doesn’t have the Ganges’ extra module on it.
The ship that is trying to escape DS9 isn’t visible during the exterior shots of the station and the runabout.
I just finished re-watching all six Lucas-era Star Wars films in episode order (I-VI) with the commentary and want to give my reviews of each film. Let me preface by saying that I am a lifelong Star Wars fan who grew up with the original trilogy and literally have no memory of a time in my life before SW. As such, I am not going to be totally unbiased in my reviews, but I will try to be somewhat objective.
Nineteen years after Palpatine reformed the Republic into the new Galactic Empire and destroyed the Jedi Order, we find ourselves following the story of some young rebels fighting against that Empire as they go on a mission to destroy the Empire's new planet-destroying battlestation, the Death Star.
Going back to where the whole saga got its start, especially immediately after watching the prequels, is always a very special experience for me. Seeing how everything plays out in Episode III gives this movie so much more meaning and emotional resonance. When Luke whines and daydreams, one can't help but remember seeing his father do the same thing in the same settings in the prequels. When we see what a strong and confident leader Leia has become at age of only 19, we can't help but remember her mother, who became queen of Naboo at age 14. And then there's Anakin, now fully immersed in the persona of Darth Vader and embracing his evil choices, while still not quite being able to let go of his childish petulance we saw so much of in the prequels. Every character, setting, and passing reference to the galactic political scene has much more significance when viewed in the context of the prequels.
THE GOOD
In many ways, this movie looks much better than the prequels. Even though they were extremely limited in what they could do technologically in 1976, the fact that every set and every prop and every person is fully and totally physical gives the movie a much more "real" feel to it than the often cartoonish previous three movies. I think the practical effects age much better too. Even though I've seen this movie probably over a hundred times, I still let out a small gasp at the opening shot of the Tantive IV being pursued by the star destroyer. The models used are amazingly detailed and real-looking and in many ways just look better than the cgi fests in the newer movies.
In a similar vein as above, I love how dirty and grimy everything is in this movie. And the props also are amazing looking. It probably helps that they were modified real life guns, but Han's German Mauser-based blaster pistol and the stormtroopers' Sterling submachine gun-based carbines in particular are absolutely gorgeous props. Everything in the movie has such a tangible quality that is lacking in the prequels.
Harrison Ford. What a massive stroke of luck for George Lucas to find him and cast him for this role and this movie. He is perfect in every way, both as an actor and specifically as Han Solo. He is one of the very few people who can speak Lucas-written dialogue and make it sound great. And really, there is no better compliment I can think of for an actor.
Alec Guinness adds a lot of legitimacy to what could have potentially been a very silly movie. He is the another rare actor who delivers his dialogue so well that you never notice if it is poorly-written or not.
The third great actor in this movie is Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin. He posses a calm confidence and air of supreme authority that the petulant Vader does not provide. He is the real villain of this movie and without him the Empire would probably seem cartoonish and not seriously threatening. His cold, calculating menace really adds to the sense of danger for Leia and the rest of the Rebels.
I really like that the special edition added in the scene with Jabba and Han in the docking bay. Han's actions make a lot more sense with that context added.
Aurally, this movie is stunning. Between John Williams' legendary score and Ben Burtt's genius sound design the whole movie is a treat on the ears. This is true of all the SW movies, but since this was the first one made and set the tone (literally) for the others, it gets the mention.
THE BAD
Luke is kind of whiny and annoying. Not nearly as bad as his dad was, but he's a little hard to like, especially when next to charismatic figures like Obi-Wan and Han.
All of the added cgi for the special edition sticks out like a sore thumb and just plain looks bad. The only exception is maybe some of the stuff from the space battle, which looks ok but not great.
THE UGLY
The security on the Death Star is atrocious. Why, on a station with millions of Imperial troops, do only a handful stormtroopers at a time ever go after the heroes? And why, in the face of a fighter attack, do you scramble only 6 TIEs for defense when you have thousands on the station? The movie's budget could explain the latter, but it's all extremely silly if you think about it.
It also makes no sense for the Rebel fighters to enter the trench so far away from the thermal exhaust port, where they are sitting ducks for the TIEs. And why do the fighters who aren't participating in the trench run not cover the ones in the trench?
I'm in the process of rewatching Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and reviewing/recapping each episode in detail. Join me in my in depth look at the deepest and most complex Star Trek series to date.
A Bajoran that Odo put away for murder years earlier appears on the station and has a confrontation with the constable. Shortly after that he is found dead, and all the evidence points to Odo having done it. A search for truth ensues.
This is episode is very much whatever the station equivalent of a ship-in-a-bottle episode would be (stationary terrarium? I got nothing). The entire episode takes place on DS9, and as a result it feels rather low stakes and unexciting. That is unfortunately a trend of the early seasons. The wormhole is a gold mine for fascinating and creative storytelling, but for whatever reason (probably budgetary), much of the first few seasons are spent solely in the Bajoran system and the setting gets extremely claustrophobic as a result.
That said, this isn't a bad episode, just an inconsequential one. The mystery and its resolution are cleverly done, and the plot threads all weave together in a very tidy way that I appreciate as a writer. But the conflict between Odo's sense of justice and Starfleet rules will be done much better in later episodes, and the suspense is very minimal because nobody will really believe that Odo is the murderer. Overall, a mediocre episode by DS9 and ST standards.
THE GOOD
Cleverly-written mystery with a neat resolution
Some interesting glimpses of Odo's philosophy and into Dax's history and her Trill nature.
All of the main characters get involved and play an active role in the story (well, O'Brien is active in the B plot). When you only have 42 minutes to work with, it's impressive that they are able to do that.
Jadzia is really the highlight of this ep. Terry Farrell has said in interviews that she felt lost and overwhelmed as a 28 year old woman trying to portray a 300 year old being who has lived eight lives, and some of her unease does show through a bit, but overall I think she does a wonderful job. It helps that she is built like a legit Amazonian, because her attempts to project nobility are enhanced by the fact that she towers over many of the other actors.
THE BAD
Nothing is overly bad, but the episode lacks suspense and doesn't explore much in the way of interesting sci-fi, and the story in inconsequential. It is essentially a cop procedural set on a space station, and that is of little interest to me.
THE UGLY
Bashir retcon watch (WARNING: this section contains major spoilers for a future story arc) — Does he allow the bubble in the holosuite to burst on purpose? I think that with the way his mental abilities are portrayed post-genetic-engineering reveal, he definitely could have controlled it better than that if he wanted.
Rom is totally different from future eps. He talks different, is way too confident, and doesn't have that awkward bent-over shuffling walk.
Hulk Kira count: 1 — This is the first of many times we see Kira beat up a much larger dude (during the riot scene). It looks utterly ridiculous for a tiny woman like Nana Visitor to be literally tossing around dudes twice her size and yet we are forcefed it throughout the entire series. When Jadzia beats people up it's believable because she is built like a warrior, but Visitor is so petite that it's impossible to buy when she does it.
I just finished re-watching all six Lucas-era Star Wars films in episode order (I-VI) with the commentary and want to give my reviews of each film. Let me preface by saying that I am a lifelong Star Wars fan who grew up with the original trilogy and literally have no memory of a time in my life before SW. As such, I am not going to be totally unbiased in my reviews, but I will try to be somewhat objective.
The Clone Wars have been raging for three years now. Obi-Wan and Anakin have become great war heroes, and Padme is now secretly pregnant with her first child (well, twins but she and Anakin don’t know that). Meanwhile, Palpatine’s plans are nearly at fruition, as he begins to actively tutor Anakin on the Dark Side, leading to a final confrontation between him and the Jedi council, with Anakin stuck in the middle. Anakin believes Padme will die in childbirth, and Palpatine has promised he can save her, so in order to keep Palpatine (and thus Padme) alive, Anakin betrays the Jedi and becomes Darth Vader. The rest is history.
The movie is really the payoff of the first two prequels. Everything come together here, as the fatal flaws in the Jedi, the Republic, Anakin, and corrupt humanity are all exploited by Palpatine to execute his brilliant and carefully-laid plan to become the supreme ruler of the galaxy. Even if you were one of those people who thought the politics of Episodes I and II were tedious and unnecessary, you can’t possibly argue that the way it comes together in this movie is anything short of genius.
There are very few flaws and many, many high points, which is why overall this is my favorite of all the SW films. The way it ties the two trilogies together in terms of everything—aesthetics, storyline, characters, settings, etc.—is amazing and spine-tingling. So many scene just give me the chills, from Anakin burning in the lava, to seeing Alderaan and Bail and his wife cradling the infant Leia, to Beru and Lars holding the infant Luke watching the twin suns set. The last third of the movie is probably the best forty minutes of cinema I have ever experienced. Thank you, George Lucas, for sharing your artistic vision with the world. There have been some bumps along the way, but as a fan I really appreciate what you have done. Bravo.
THE GOOD
There are too many good parts in this movie for me to note them all, but I’ll try to hit some of the absolute best points
The opening shot with the space battle might be the best space battle shot of all time. You think it’s just one Republic cruiser in frame and then the camera follows the two Jedi fighters around and on the other side--holy mackerel. What a great shot to start the movie on. That entire space battle is exactly what I had in my imagination reading Michael Stackpole’s X-wing novels as a kid and it was a real treat to see it for real.
In ANH, Obi-Wan describes Anakin as having been “seduced” by the Dark Side of the Force. Well in this movie we see how incredibly apt of a verb that was. What Palpatine does to Anakin is really a masterful seduction--not a sexual one, but one of power. He knows Anakin’s weakness and exploits it, promising him the power ostensibly to save the one he loves, but really knowing that the power, once tasted, will become and end in and of itself and Anakin will be seduced down a path he can’t retrace (and ironically lose the one he loves as a result). The scene in the zero gravity opera is particularly great in this respect.
”So this is how liberty dies—to thunderous applause.” Goosebumps. Every. Time. Padme is kind of an incidental character in this film but at least she gets the best line by far in the whole trilogy.
Seeing Anakin burn in the lava. And I’m saying that only half-jokingly. Yes, Anakin is a frustrating character and he deserved it for what he does, but also as a kid growing up I always read references in the EU to Anakin being burned in the lavas of Mustafar and that’s why he needed the suit. To finally see it happen and see him become Vader was something I never thought I’d get to experience. It really was the payoff moment for the entire prequel trilogy.
Vader taking his first breath.
The entire ending montage, with Alderaan, Tatooine, and Vader, Palpatine, and Tarkin standing on the bridge of the star destroyer as the Imperial March plays. Amazing.
THE BAD
"ANAKIN...YOU’RE BREAKING MY HEART."
Really most of the dialogue is bad, unfortunately, but the above line is probably the one that makes me cringe the most.
The cgi isn’t as bad as in AotC, but some moments are still very fake looking, like the flip Dooku does off the railings before the fight with Anakin and Obi-Wan.
THE UGLY
I have never been able to decide if Mace Windu actually beats Palpatine, or if Palpatine fakes getting beat in order to force Anakin to save him. He looks legit terrified after Mace beats him and it’s hard to believe he knew Anakin would arrive right in the nick of time and save him. Mace deciding that Palpatine should be summarily executed is also extremely un-Jedi-like and I’ve never totally bought it. That whole sequence is rather confusing, probably due to the numerous re-edit Lucas did in post-production (originally it was very different, apparently).
In the commentary, Lucas says that there was a whole subplot filmed of Padme helping to form the beginnings of the Rebel Alliance (along with Bail Organa and Mon Mothma), but that storyline was sadly cut from the final version. Someday I hope we get extended versions of the prequels like Lord of the Rings did so we can see stuff like that (as well as the rumored epic 7-hour cut of TPM that has never been released publicly). Unfortunately, since Lucas has given up the franchise to the soulless Disney corporation, I’m pretty sure that will never happen.
I'm in the process of rewatching Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and reviewing/recapping each episode in detail. Join me in my in depth look at the deepest and most complex Star Trek series to date.
A Bajoran terrorist named Tahna Los barely escapes pursuing Cardassians and requests asylum aboard DS9. He turns out to have a history with Major Kira, who advocates for him. He insists that his days of violence are over, but with the help of Plain Simple Garak, who uses the naive Bashir as his unwitting accomplice, the crew of DS9 discover that Tahna may not be sincere about his intentions on the station, and the tense confrontation that results will influence the future of Bajor.
The is the first “normal” episode of the show and it continues the high quality storytelling and character development from the pilot. The plot here is pretty complicated, but the writing is sharp and the directing and editing is tight, which gives the whole episode a polish that is rare for a show so early in its run, particularly by ST standards. TNG is great, but there is no doubt that is stumbled a lot in its first two seasons. While season 1 is probably my least favorite from DS9, that is mainly just because the show continually got better as it went, and not due to any real flaws with the season, aside from perhaps some claustrophobia setting-wise.
In general, Bajoran episodes are among my least favorite ones on DS9 (probably mainly because they always feature Kira, who is my least favorite character on the show), but the excellent use of suspense and tension and some really great pacing (not to mention a lot of great moments with Garak and/or the Duras sisters) makes this episode highly enjoyable in spite of poorly-acted Kira tantrums and those awful drab Bajoran uniforms.
THE GOOD
Garak!! I think arguably the best part about DS9 is the deep roster of great recurring characters like Garak, Dukat, Weyoun, Damar, Martok, etc. The overall acting talent of the main cast is pretty average at best, but the recurring characters are almost always a highlight of any episode they appear in. And of all the best recurring characters, Garak is my favorite (well, he and Damar are tied as my favs). Andrew Robinson’s acting is incredible and he absolutely oozes a serpentine quality that is perfect for the enigmatic Cardassian tailor. Watching him toy with Bashir in this episode is like seeing an apex predator play with its food. You really never know what Garak is going to do next, and every scene with him is just a joy to watch.
I love seeing the Duras sisters here. They are cartoonishly evil but immensely amusing. For better or worse, they capture your full attention every time they are on screen. And having another TNG cameo effectively reinforces what Picard’s presence in the pilot was showing--that these two series are taking place at the same time in the same basic setting.
“Go over my head again, and I’ll have yours...on a platter.” One thing I love about Sisko is his ‘no BS’ attitude. Even the ever-petulant Kira was cowed by that dressing-down.
The Odo and Kira scene in the security office is good. Even though I don’t care for Kira very much, their friendship is nice and Rene Auberjonois is a really great actor who gets to shine here.
THE BAD
The Bajoran clothes and uniforms are ugly and I hate them. Every Bajoran-centric episode is 10% less enjoyable due to that alone.
Some mediocre acting from the guy who plays Tahna, as well as by Nana Visitor, drags the scenes down a bit where it’s just the two of them.
THE UGLY
Runabout roster: Ganges, Yangtzee Kiang, Rio Grande
Odo shapeshift count: 1 (rat), 3 total for series
If Gul Danar looks familiar, that’s because he is played by Vaughn Armstrong, who has played a total of eleven different ST characters to date. This is his second appearance, with his role as a renegade Klingon in the TNG season 1 episode “Heart of Glory” being his first, and Admiral Maxwell Forest on ENT being his most numerous and recognizable.
I was curious why the Ganges has a extra module on its dorsal side that the Yangtzee Kiang doesn’t have. Turns out that is an advanced sensor module, which explains why the Ganges can monitor the Yangtzee around the moon but not vice-versa.
It’s unclear why Tahna said he needed a warp-capable ship for his mission. Everything seems to take place within the Bajoran system, so a sublight ship would work just fine. However, the top speed of a Danube-class runabout is Warp 5, which about 200 times the speed of light. Since it takes them about 2.5 minutes to get to DS9, that implies that DS9 is 9 billion kilometers away, or about 60 AU. For reference, Neptune is about 30 AU from the sun, which means that DS9 and the wormhole are probably very far out on edge the Bajoran solar system and would make a sublight journey possibly take a very long time, increasing the chances his plan would be detected and stopped.
The Cardassian ship takes about 4 minutes to reach DS9 from the Cardassian border. The top speed of a Galor-class cruiser is around warp 8 (about 1000 times the speed of light), which means the Cardassian border is only .008 light years away, or about 493 AU. This implies that a large part of the Bajoran system’s Oort cloud (if it has one) isn’t even in Bajoran space, as the Oort cloud is believed to be able to extend more than a lightyear from its parent star.
Dax and someone else should have been piloting the Ganges, not Sisko and O’Brien. It makes no sense for the CO and chief engineer to be doing that job. It would have been nice for Dax to actually have something to do in the episode, too.
I just finished re-watching all six Lucas-era Star Wars films in episode order (I-VI) with the commentary and want to give my reviews of each film. Let me preface by saying that I am a lifelong Star Wars fan who grew up with the original trilogy and literally have no memory of a time in my life before SW. As such, I am not going to be totally unbiased in my reviews, but I will try to be somewhat objective.
Attack of the Clones begins ten years after The Phantom Menace. After an assassination attempt on (now) Senator Amidala's life, Obi-Wan and Anakin are called in to protect her—Anakin as her bodyguard and Obi-Wan as a detective following an intergalactic trail of evidence to discover who is trying to kill her and why. The investigation leads him to discover many dark secrets about the Jedi, the Republic, and who has been pulling the strings this whole time. As a result, a war erupts between the Republic and the Separatists under the control of the mysterious Sith lord, Darth Sidious. Begun, the Clone Wars have.
Let me start by saying that this is definitely my least favorite of the six Lucas films. The love story is tedious, there's no exceptional actors to make up for the absence of Liam Neeson, the cgi is too much, and Anakin is so unlikable that you almost stop caring that he will eventually turn evil. George Lucas loves to describe Anakin's story as a tragedy in the vein of a classic Greek play, but a tragedy where the tragic figure is not sympathetic is not a very good tragedy at all.
All that said, I still enjoy this film a bit. The politics are probably the saving grace of this one.
THE GOOD
Christopher Lee is the one great actor but unfortunately he doesn't even appear until halfway through the movie. Still, every scene he is in is a treat.
The way Palpatine has manipulated everything is absolutely masterful to see. It can be lost in the mess of cgi and Anakin's temper tantrums, but in this movie it's established that Palpatine (possibly through Dooku) created a clone army with the intention of starting a civil war eventually and giving that clone army to the Republic as massive Trojan Horse. He then orchestrated the assassination attempts on Padme, in order to lead the Jedi to Kamino where they would discover the clone army created for them (and also made sure Padme and Anakin were placed together so he would develop a forbidden attachment to her--the fatal weakness he would eventually exploit to turn Anakin to the Dark Side). Meanwhile, he continued to play the Separatists from both sides to artificially create this conflict to keep him in office and allow him to accumulate more executive power. Finally, the whole time he was grooming Anakin and pushing him to explore his dark side so that he could eventually make him his new apprentice. All around it's a brilliant work of art to see in action, and really he deserved to become emperor because he was way smarter and more competent than the Jedi or anyone else in these movies.
Love seeing the Slave I. It might be my favorite ship in the SW universe.
THE BAD
Anakin is a petulant, unlikable, self-centered brat. I almost couldn't wait for him to fall into the lava in the next movie because then I wouldn't have to look at his stupid whiny face anymore. However, if you think about it, Vader was occasionally petulant in the original trilogy too, so I guess it's in character (strangling people for disagreeing with him, for example).
The cgi is just...way too much. The alien that Obi-Wan meets in the diner in particular just looks so fake. And it really makes me angry (probably irrationally so) when they tell us repeatedly in the commentary that not a single clone trooper suit was built and they were all 100% cgi. The whole movie feels inconsequential and fake because of how overboard they went on the cgi.
The love story is hard to watch. It's not believable that a brilliant, mature, and successful woman with a good head on her shoulders would fall in love with a petulant, emotionally unstable child. And Anakin is straight up creepy towards her in the scenes on Coruscant and Naboo. The scenes on Tatooine where he finally quits creeping on her and they talk like friends are actually very good and with more interactions like that, the love story might have been more believable.
The dialogue, as always.
THE UGLY
The fact that the Jedi don't seem concerned about the origins of the clone army and just decide to use it without asking any questions is pretty massive incompetence on their part. In fact, throughout these prequels their complacency and incompetence makes me think they deserved to get wiped out. Yoda is the worst offender here, as he is supposed to be extremely wise and powerful and yet throughout the movies he repeatedly makes critical mistakes that lead to the fall of the Jedi (allowing Anakin to be trained, using and trusting the clone army, not figuring out who was pulling the strings, etc.).
I know the Expanded Universe is not canon and now isn't even part of SW anymore thanks to Disney, but the EU background for Boba Fett was that he was from a race of elite warriors called the Mandalorians and he has fought against the Jedi in the Clone Wars. This movie establishing him as a stormtrooper clone and a kid instead is just...infinitely less interesting.
