Wednesday, September 30, 2009

ENT: First Flight

Archer and Trip learn that an old colleague, the first man to break the Warp 2 barrier, had died in a mountain climbing accident. Whilst Archer and T'Pol do in the shuttlepod to investigate some suspected dark matter, Archer tells her in flashbacks about hid friend A.G.'s flight.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

ENT: Regeneration

An episode which attempts to explain the disposition of the Borg Sphere that crashed in First Contact, and bring the ever popular Borg into Enterprise, whilst not stepping all over canon? Just don't say the word Borg and it will all be alright.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Star Trek: Early Voyages Omnibus by IDW

This fantastic graphic collection showcases the voyages of Pike's Enterprise: before, during, and after The Cage. The 17 issues in the volume were written by Ian Edgington and Dave Abnett, with pencils by Patrick Zircher and inks by Greg Adams. The story starts with Chris Pike taking over the Enterprise from Robert April, choosing his crew, and ends before his tragic accident.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

ENT: Cogenitor

An episode that looks at non-interference and tolerance for other's mating practices. The Enterprise is studying a super-gas giant planet, and discover a more advanced race is doing the same. They find themselves sharing technology, information, and culture...until Trip discovers that he cannot sanction their mating practices. The Vissians are tri gendered, but the third gender is treated like an animal. When Trip interferes, the repercussions are harsh.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

IDW: Star Trek TNG: The Last Generation

The Myriad Universes storyline crosses over into the graphic world in this offering from IDW. Featuring characters that in our universe would be the crew of the Enterprise D, it weaves in Captain Sulu of the Excelsior and Rachel Garret. A mysterious ship, the Excelsior, has been harrying the Alliance like a ghost. A single man has tried, over and over, to change the timeline. But Picard and his faithful prove to be the stronger in the struggle for temporal control of the MU.

Book: DS9: Soul Key by Olivia Woods

Following on the events of Fearful Symmetry, Soul Key takes place in both ours and the mirror universes. Illiana Ghemor, who had her life and identity taken from her as a surgically altered operative of The Obsidian Order, is mad and bent on revenge. Her vengeance is not confined to her own universe, but to all universe in which Kira Nerys still exists. Like all MU stories, one of the most enjoyable aspects of this story is seeing dead characters brought back to life and familiar characters react to a different life and environment.

Sar Trek Phase 2: The Lost Series

This book by Judith and Garfield Reese- Stevens looks at the Star Trek that never was-the failed 1970's series that eventually became Star Trek: The Motion Picture. From a failed networks, failed scripts, and failed working relationships came a movie and many ideas and characters that found their way into the genesis of Star Trek The Next Generation. Points of interest in this book are the script writing bible and scripts from episodes of Phase 2. An interesting read for anyone who wants to know everything there is to know about Star Trek.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

ENT: The Breach

The Denobulan Science Directorate asks the Enterprise to fetch three of their geologists from a planet that is no longer friendly to outsiders. Trip, Reed, and Mayweather are sent to rescue the geologists, and while Enterprise waits a freighter that is leaving the planet experiences core containment issues. When they injured are brought into sickbay, we discover that one of the species represented is an Antaran- the Denobulan's long time enemies. Much healing will have to occur before the healer can heal.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

ENT: Horizon

Admiral Forrest orders to Enterprise to turn back to take sensor readings of a planetary cataclysm. The trip will take them within 10 lightyears of Mayweather's family cargo ship, The Horizon, and he asks for leave to go visit his family. His last conversations with his family told him his father was ill, but it was nothing to worry about. En route to the Horizon, he gets a communication telling him his father had died six weeks prior. When he reaches the ship Travis finds his younger brother, now captain of the Horizon, resentful of his attempts to upgrade the ship. An encounter with pirates forces his brother to appreciate what Travis's Starfleet experience has to offer.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

ENT: Justice and TOS: Court Martial

Funny how our nightly viewing pairs up sometimes.
In Justice, we open with Archer in a Klingon courtroom, where he is on trial for being a threat to the Klingon Empire. We are told the story in flashbacks, both his, and a Captain Duras's. The Enterprise had rendered aid to a ship full of starving subjects of the Empire. Archer's Advocate, brilliantly played by JG Hertzler, manages to get Archer's death sentence commuted- then gets thrown into Rura Penthe with him. When the Enterprise makes it's predictable rescue, he elects to stay behind to try and remind Klingons of their former honor.
Court Martial starts with the Enterprise at Starbase 11, in for repairs after an ion storm. Kirk has the unhappy task of writing a report on the death of his old friend, Ben Finney. Things take a bad turn when the computer record shows a different story than the one in Kirk's report- and that Kirk had caused Finney' death. As the court martial progresses, Spock discovers a computer anomaly that allows him to prove Kirk's innocence. Wacky tech note- a "microphone" that produces white noise that cancels out people's heartbeats, even when it's no longer in front of them? Riiiight.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

ENT: The Crossing

The Enterprise is pursued by a craft many time larger than it is. The craft opens a large cargo door and essentially swallows Enterprise. Archer, Trip and Reed leave the ship to explore the alien ship, and discover strange wispy life forms that do not register on their tricorders. One of the wisps enters Trips head, and he recounts re-experiencing a moment on Earth. Back on the Enterprise, the wisp re-enters him and tries some Earth cuisine. The being informs Archer that they used to be corporeal too, but having evolved beyond that eons ago, they wanted to re-experience it. At ho9s request, the being leaves Trip and sets Enterprise free. However, it soon becomes apparent that the beings were not all they seem, and extreme measures will be taken to save the crew from alien possession.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

ENT: Future Tense, Canamar

Future Tense- a story about the Suliban, theTholians, and a mysterious ship. The Enterprise finds the wreckage of a mysterious ship and transport it into their cargo bay. before their investigations get very far, they are hailed by a Suliban ship claiming they have a previous salvage claim on the ship. As the Enterprise tries to evade the Suliban on their way to a rendezvous point with the Vulcans, they continue their investigations of the wreckage. Phlox discovers that the pilot is not just human, as first thought, but a combination of several species, including Vulcan. T'Pol is not amused. Trip and Reed discover that the mysterious ship is bigger on the inside. The Suliban are joined in their pursuit of the Enterprise by the Tholians. A battle ensues, and as the Tholians make good their escape with the timeship in their tractor beam, it dematerialises. A very original concept.
Canamar is another "mistaken identity results in unjust incarceration" stories. Which means there is not much for me to say, because you can imagine how much I loved that one.

TOS: Tomorrow is Yesterday

En route to Starbase 9, the Enterprise is caught in the gravitational pull of a "black star"; when they run the warp engines in full reverse it slingshots them around a star and back in time- to the late 1960's. Air Force Pilot John Christopher is sent to investigate the "UFO" and when the Enterprise attempts to hold him in their tractor beam, it breaks his ship apart, forcing them to beam him aboard. At first Kirk tells him they can't return him to Earth, due to the risk of contamination of the timeline. But Spock's investigations show that one of Christopher's children will make important contributions to the future- and Captain Christopher does not have a son ( yet!) Several beam downs and potential condemnations occur before they devise a way to return everyone to their won time and space- with the future still unknown.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

ENT: Cease Fire

The conflict between the Vulcans and Andorians continues in this episode. Once again the Vulcans are shown as the violent, rapacious race, proving that they have a long way to go until they are the logical race of the TOS era. This episode has a great guest cast- Susie Plakson, Jeffrey Combs, and Gary Graham. The story ends with the hope that the Vulcans and Andorians are on their way to resolving their conflicts.