Review of DS9 Episode 1.08 "The Passenger"

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.

RATING: 6/10

Review of DS9 Episode 1.07 "Dax"

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.

RATING: 5/10

Review of DS9 Episode 1.06 "Q-Less"

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.

RATING: 7/10

The Saga Concludes: Episode VI Return of the Jedi

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.

RATING: 9/10

Review of DS9 Episode 1.05 "Captive Pursuit"

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.

RATING: 8/10

Critical Favorite: Star Wars Episode V The Empire Strikes Back

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.

RATING: 10/10

Review of DS9 Episode 1.04 “Babel”

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.

RATING: 6/10

Back to Where it All Started: Episode IV A New Hope

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?

RATING: 10/10

Review of DS9 Episode 1.03 "A Man Alone"

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.

RATING: 6/10

The Best of the Best: Episode III Revenge of the Sith

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.

RATING: 10/10

Review of Deep Space 9 Episode 1.02 "Past Prologue"

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.

RATING: 8/10

The Saga Continues: Episode II Attack of the Clones

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.

RATING: 6/10

Best Pilot for a Trek 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.

1.01 “Emissary”

Newly reassigned Commander Benjamin Sisko and his hodgepodge crew attempt to restore a former Cardassian space station into something resembling a Federation outpost, far on the outskirts of Federation space and crewed by a combination of Starfleet and Bajoran personnel. They get way more than they bargained for when a the first stable wormhole in the galaxy is discovered in their backyard, and a showdown ensues with the Cardassians, who are bitter about having to abandon Bajor and eager to claim the new discovery for themselves. But the inhabitants and creators of the wormhole are far more than they seem, and their role in the Bajor-Cardassia conflict will have consequences that stretch for years in the future and indeed beyond the bounds of time itself.

Star Trek: The Next Generation had so much success that Paramount decided not to even wait until it was off the air to begin a spinoff, with season 1 of DS9 more or less coinciding with TNG season 6. Gene Roddenberry having recently passed on, the new series would not be guided by his unrealistically optimistic vision of the future, but rather be a far more human and gritty view of the future. Deep Space Nine is really the most relatable and emotion-infused of the Star Trek shows by far. Building off of what was established in TOS and TNG, DS9 was able to create the deepest and most complex of all the many ST series without being bound by Roddenberry’s overly-restrictive mandates that everyone always get along and Federation society being portrayed as perfectly utopian. What we get instead is a refreshingly honest and wholly human (ironic considering the most human characters are often aliens) depiction of life in the 24th century.

As for the episode’s story, it was brilliantly set up by TNG in episodes like “The Wounded” and “Ensign Ro.” Long before “Emissary” ever saw the airwaves, we were already quite familiar with the worlds of Bajor, Cardassia, and the conflict that has raged between them for generations. This is very fortunate, because the plot of “Emissary” is quite complex, and not having to engage in an excessive amount of world-building allowed the writers to spend more time setting up the characters and their specific conflicts, which are equally as complex as the plot (even more so, actually).

Due to this prior exposition, “Emissary” is able to concentrate so purely on its plot and characters that it ends up being the best ST pilot to date (granted, the bar was not high). The story is not only engaging, but it sets up a conflict that will persist without tiring for seven seasons (and beyond), while also introducing some of the deepest and most layered characters to ever exist in the ST universe. Although its highest points never match those of TNG and TOS, its consistency across seven season makes DS9 equal to those shows in terms of overall quality and it all starts with a pilot that far surpasses “Farpoint” or the various TOS pilots.

THE GOOD

• Using Picard to launch the show was brilliant. The scenes he is in a great, but DS9 takes things to the next level by having Picard be in many ways the bad guy. This is a man we have spent five seasons growing in admiration for, and suddenly our new protagonist despises him to the core. What genius way to simultaneously link these shows together and also distance them from each other. The tone is set immediately: this is definitely Trek, but very different from TNG. The undisguised contempt Sisko shows for Picard, combined with the deep pain seen in Picard’s eyes at the mention of Wolf 359 is just an incredible interaction between two great characters. A million points to the writers (and Patrick Stewart) for these scenes.
• It’s honestly amazing to me how the story threads that are started in this episode are carried through so seamlessly for seven seasons. You’d think that the Cardassian-Bajoran conflict would run its course within a few seasons, but the incredibly complex dynamics of the wormholes, the Prophets, and especially the Dominion allow that conflict to persist for the entire series run without ever drying up narratively. This episode becomes truly brilliant when viewed through the lens of all seven seasons.
• Colm Meaney. He was criminally underutilized on TNG and moving him to DS9 was a great decision to let an all time great actor have a starring role that was long overdue.

THE BAD

• Odo’s makeup isn’t great in this ep. He looks skeletal.
• Nana Visitor is a bad actress and her character mostly annoys me. She’s not as bad as, say, Troi or Neelix, but she definitely is a weak spot in an otherwise pretty good cast.
• I’ve never been a fan of the DS9 uniforms. I think the TNG ones look much better and I wish they had just used those.
• The sequence with Sisko talking to the Prophets in the wormhole drags on for way too long. The episode is great until this point and then it really bogs down with frustrating dialogue and no plot movement. If this sequence had been edited down we might be looking at a 10/10 episode.
• I’ll get into it more as I review more eps, but Avery Brooks is such an awkward actor. He overacts and his delivery of lines is often sharply at odds with the emotion he is supposed to be conveying (like when he seems to be smiling while chewing out a subordinate). From watching interviews and other extra content of him, it’s clear to me that he is simply a weird dude, and that has made it slightly easier for me to swallow his unusual acting style...but only slightly. I think that Sisko is the most well-written of the ST captains by far, but Brooks’ weirdness as a person and an actor makes me rank him slightly below Picard and probably equal to Kirk on the all-time captain rankings.

THE UGLY

• "Never trust an ale from a god-fearing people.” Quark needs to try a Belgian abbey ale!
• Why are the Bajorans allowing Cardassian warships back into their space? I get that Bajor can’t really do much about it, but it seems like a glossed-over point that should have been a major diplomatic issue. There’s no way that, after almost a century of planety occupation and rape, the Bajorans would be cool with Cardassian soldiers taking shore leave on one of their stations.
• There is a lot of effects shots of Odo shapeshifting in this ep. I guess the effects budget must have been slashed for future eps because Odo’s shifting is seen very rarely for the next few seasons.
• Interestingly, in Sisko’s flashbacks to Wolf 359, his Vulcan captain is played by J.G. Hetzler, who would go on to play a starring role much later in the show as General Martok.

RATING: 8/10

The Saga Begins: Episode I The Phantom Menace

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.

So we begin at the beginning of the story, rather than the order in which the movie are made. In my opinion this is the best way to view the saga, because things in Episodes I-III do a great job setting up IV-VI and those latter movies will have even more emotional resonance in the context given by the prequels. Lucas likes to say that the saga is really the story of Anakin's rise, fall, and redemption, and keeping that in mind gives greater weight to the originals, especially any scene with Vader in it.

The Phantom Menace's plot is incredibly complex and when I think about trying to synopsize it, I am utterly overwhelmed by how much actually happens in two hours. There's so many characters and so many plot lines going simultaneously that I can really only summarize the plot in the most general of terms. Essentially there is a peaceful planet occupied by a militaristic corporate alliance called the Trade Federation, and the movie is about the planet's elected queen's struggle to free her people from this oppressive occupation. But also there the story of Anakin and how he is discovered by the Jedi. And also there's the beginning of the political story of Palpatine's rise to power. And there's also a huge amount of worldbuilding going on. It probably goes without saying that this movie is EPIC. Let's get into some details.

THE GOOD 

• This movie is gorgeous. The ships, the matte painting, the costumes, the sets. Everything looks amazing. Even after seeing the movie dozens of times over the last 19 years, shots like the aerials of Naboo or the Jedi starship flying towards the Trade Federation ship still take my breath away. 
• The podrace. Though it's a total ripoff of the Ben-Hur chariot race, that sequence is one of the most legendary and film history, and this ripoff is exceptionally well done. Sebulba makes a great Massala and the sounds of the pods are so well done. Ben Burtt is a genius. 
• Liam Neeson. George Lucas is terrible at writing dialogue--let's get that out of the way right now. Most actors can't speak Lucas' lines without sounding silly, wooden, melodramatic, or some combination of those. The original trilogy was blessed with two amazing actors in Alec Guinness and Harrison Ford, both of whom could make the dialogue sound good. This movie is blessed with Liam Neeson, who gives lines about midichlorians and Nubian hyperdrives enough gravitas that you almost don't question them. Almost. 
• The older I get, the more I love the politics in these prequels. Seeing Palpatine's rise from a senator on a backwater planet, to chancellor, and finally to emperor is fascinating and I think something Lucas portrayed extremely well. 
• Darth Maul is definitely an awesome bad guy. I read that the actor who played him was pissed that most of his lines got edited out of the movie, but I think the fact that he only has a couple of lines the whole time makes him that much more menacing and cool. Everything about him is great, from the makeup and costume, to his unique and wicked double-bladed lightsaber (still the coolest lightsaber design in a SW movie). 
• The final lightsaber battle. The fight between Obi-Wan and Darth Maul is the most ferocious, well-choreographed, and well-shot lightsaber battle in all 6 movies by far. The musical score by John Williams pushes it over the top into truly heart-stopping territory. It's worth all of Jar Jar's scenes just for this one fight.

THE BAD

• Do I really need to say it? Jar Jar. I don't think I hate him the way a lot of people do, but he is admittedly very annoying and distracting. And to be honest, he doesn't look good. He looks cartoonish and I think having a main character be 100% cgi was a bad idea. I also dislike that on the BluRay they redid Yoda to be cgi because he has less character and tangibility than the Frank Oz puppet.
• I mentioned it before, but Lucas sucks at writing and directing dialogue. Most of the lines vary between cringe-worthy and just plain wooden. In some cases this is appropriate, like the uptight and dispassionate way people speak in the politics scenes, but when it comes to personal stuff it makes the movie feel sterile.

THE UGLY

• There's an implication that Naboo's planetary core has water, but that isn't possible. At the immense pressures that exist in planetary cores (or even most of the mantle), water can't exist in a liquid form. Not to mention no vessel could withstand the crushing weight of an entire planetary mass pressing in on it from all sides.
• As awesome as Qui-Gon is as a character, we see how his stubbornness and arrogance leads to the fall of the Jedi and the Republic, and the rise of the Empire. Jedi's rules on training only very young children clearly exists for good reasons--reason that will be seen better in the next two movies.
• I don't get what Maul is doing after he pushes Obi-Wan down the shaft. It annoys me that such an awesome and dangerous character suddenly starts screwing around with making sparks rather than killing Obi-Wan, and then just stands there like a moron while Obi-Wan flies up and cuts him in half. Pretty disappointing ending to an incredible fight.
• I can't figure out the reasoning for setting this movie only 32 years before A New Hope. Obi-Wan's portrayed age is impossible to reconcile as a result, as he is clearly at least 65 or 70 in ANH, not the 50-ish he should be.

RATING: 9/10