Category: tv reviews

Posted in Rewatch, Star Trek, Television shows, tv reviews

The Rewatch 218: Battle Lines.

Posted on by sokorra

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9)
Episode: 1:13 Battle Lines (04/26/1993)
Rating: 4/5
Redshirt Status: 1/2

Notable Guest Stars:

Jonathan Banks (Shel-la) – He is better known for his roles on Breaking Bad and Better call Saul, both of which earned him Emmy nominations. He was also in the 1995 film Flipper, which was one of my first films to see at an actual theater (other than the little mermaid).

Paul Collins (Zlangco) – He is best known as the original voice of John Darling from the 1953 film Peter Pan.  He would later appear on JAG, West Wing, and Guiding Light.

Camille Saviola (Kai Opaka) – Saviola worked in a variety of mediums, including having a record contract to sing Disco. She appeared in the 1993 Adams Family film, Addams Family Values. She appeared in 2004 on ER, another show I like to binge watch, as one of the temporary Desk Clerks.  Sadly, she died in 2021 of heart failure.

Review:

This is one of my favorite episodes of season one.  I love Kai Opaka and I really wish they had her come back for scenes later on.  Its also a very good episode for characterization for the three main characters: Kira, Sisko and Bashir.

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Posted in mythology, Rewatch, Star Trek, Television shows, tv reviews

The Rewatch 217: The Chase

Posted on by sokorra

Series: Star Trek: TNG

Episode: 6.? The Chase (04/26/1993)
Rating: 5/5
Redshirt Status: 0/19/54
Notable Guest Stars:

Salome Jens (Progenitor) – Salome Jens is probably best known in Star Trek for her role as The Female Changeling who acts as the head of the Changelings and the Dominion.  She’s an essential character to DS9 and Odo’s story arc.

John Cothran, Jr (NuDaq)– Another long term Star Trek Alum, Cothran will continue to play various guest characters in DS9 and Enterprise.

Maurice Roeves (Romulan Commander) – Roeves guest starred in several TV programs, but one of notable credits include Ulysses (1967), The Last of the Mohicans, and Beautiful Creatures (2000)

Linda Thorson (Gul Ocett) – Thorson is a well known Canadian actress, having starred in the 1960s series The Avengers.  She has a bountiful theater career as well.  More recently she played a recurring character on the Hulu series The Hardy Boys.

Norman Lloyd (Professor Galen) – Lloyd was a well known actor, director, and producer over the long span of his career.  He began as a child and continued to work up till he was past 100 years old. A notable credit is He Ran All The Way, which he performed with John Garfield, one of the more visible victims of the Hollywood Blacklist.  One of his more recent credits before his death was a 2017 appearance on Modern Family.

Review:

I really enjoyed this episode for several reasons.  The story is strong, it opens up the universe a bit by including more than one alternative species, and it ties in Original Series mythos.

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Posted in Rewatch, Star Trek, Television shows, tv reviews

The Rewatch 215: Lessons

Posted on by sokorra

Series: Star Trek: TNG
Episode: 6.19 Lessons (4/5/1993)
Rating: 4/5
Redshirt Status: 8/19/54

Notable Guest Stars:

Wendy Hughes (Lt. Commander Nella Daren) – Most of Hughes’ work was in Australia so unfortunately I have not had the chance to see much of her work. She did appear in Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries which I saw an episode of. Unfortunately she died in 2014 of cancer.

Review:

This episode is a much lighter episode then the one before, and is more about character then it is about action. Picard slowly falls in love with a new member of his crew, Lt. Commander Nella Daren, who runs the Stellar Cartography lab. The two Their romance is paired with them and their music, playing together in the Jefferies tube and generally enjoying their time together.

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Posted in Rewatch, Star Trek, Television shows, tv reviews

The Rewatch 214: Starship Mine

Posted on by sokorra

Series: Star Trek: TNG Episode: 6.18 Starship Mine (3/29/1993 Rating: 4/5 Redshirt Status: 8/11/46

Notable Guest Stars:

Tim Russ (Devor) – Tim Russ will become better known to you all when we get to Voyager. He plays one of the main characters, Tuvok. More recently he has appeared on Orville, a Star Trek homage.

Marie Marshall (Kelsey)- Marshall has guest starred in several shows over the years, including The Pretender, Babylon 5 and Silk Stockings. The latter two were ongoing roles in the production. She also worked on As the World Turns, playing Denise Darcy for two years in the mid Eighties.

David Spielberg (Commander Calvin “Hutch” Hutchinson) – To be honest, I haven’t seen much of what he has been in, but he had a big part in this episode, so it felt wrong to exclude him. I have heard of The Practice, so I’ll point that one out.

Glenn Morshower (Orton)- He has been on quite a few of my favorite TV shows over the years. He had a recurring role on CSI Miami, X-men First Class, JAG, X-files, West Wing and Criminal Minds. He also appears on Voyager and Enterprise. However his most known credit is apparently the show 24, which I have never seen.

Tom Nibley (Neil)- Nibley had a short career in acting, mostly in the late 80s and 90s. He has appeared on some shows I have seen, including Days of Our Lives and The Golden Girls. His last credited role (according to IMDB) was in 1998.

Patricia Tallman (Kiros) – She is known for her roles on Babylon 5, Night of the Living Dead (1990), and several Star Trek shows. She has appeared both as an actress and as a stunt performer. She performed Laura Dern’s stunts in Jurassic Park. She also owns her own Adventure corporation called Quest Retreats.

Tim de Zarn (Satler) – He has appeared on several TV series I have watched growing up, including Dr. Quinn, Criminal Minds, Cold Case, and of course a few episodes of Star Trek. He also appears in the 2002 film Spiderman (my first exposure to Spiderman) playing Mary Jane’s father. Recently he guested on Better Call Saul.

Review:

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Posted in Rewatch, Star Trek, Television shows, tv reviews

The Rewatch 214: The Nagus

Posted on by sokorra

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9)
Episode: 1:11 The Nagus (0215/1993)
Rating: 3/5
Redshirt Status: 0/1

Notable Guest Stars:
Max Grodenchik (Rom) – Grodenchik has played several Ferengi characters over the years, but his most lasting and most known role is that of Rom, Quark’s brother.

Aron Eisenberg (Nog) – Aron Eisenberg makes his first appearance as Rom’s son Nog in this episode.  Nog has one of the best storylines in the series, so pay attention to this character (and actor)

Wallace Shawn (Grand Nagus Zek) – Wallace Shawn of “Never fight with a Sicilian When Death is on the line!” fame has been one of my favorite guest actors.  I love him as Zek, and I also loved his roles in the aforementioned Princess Bride,  as well as Clueless and Crossing Jordan where he plays the titular character’s therapist for a few seasons.

Lee Arenberg (Gral) – Lee Arenberg more recently might recongised as Grumpy, from Once Upon a Time and as a member of Black Pearl’s crew in Pirates of the Caribbean.

Lou Wagner (Krax) – Lou Wagner has already graced our screen as Daimon Solok.

Barry Gordon (Nava)- Gordon was a actor, Talk show host, and SAG president from 1988-1995 (which would mean as this episode was made and aired).  He also did voice acting, and therefore part of my first fandom obsession:  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  He did the voice of Donatello.  He has been acting since he was three years old and continues to be active in the field.

Tiny Ron Taylor (Maihar’du) – Taylor will also appear on Star Trek Voyager.  He tends to be typecast due to his very tall height of 7 feet.  He was also a professional basketball player, even playing on the rarely known Pittsburgh Condors.  Well, that may be because they only lasted about five years.  Unfortunately, he died in 2019.

Review:

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Posted in Rewatch, Star Trek, Television shows, tv reviews

The Rewatch 213: Move Along Home

Posted on by sokorra

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9)
Episode: 1:10 Move Along Home (0215/1993)
Rating: 3/5
Redshirt Status: 0/1

Notable Guest Stars:
Joel Brooks (Farew) – Brooks is a long-time character actor. He has appeared in many series over the years in quite a variety of characters. Some shows that I have watched with him in it include Sabrina: The Teenage Witch, and M*A*S*H. He now splits his time acting with teaching acting classes.
Clara Bryant (Chandra) – Bryant was a child actress who at 24 decided to retire from acting and became a Lawyer. She did make a series of appearances on Buffy The Vampire Slayer from 2002-03. He last film was the Syfy film Bone Eater with Bruce Boxleitner as the lead.

Review:

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Posted in Rewatch, Star Trek, Television shows, tv reviews

The Rewatch 212: Birthright (1 & 2)

Posted on by sokorra

Series: Star Trek: TNG
Episode: 6.16 Birthright (03/07/1993) & 6:17 Birthright Part II (3/14/1993)
Rating: 3/5
Redshirt Status: 0/3/38

Notable Guest Stars:
Siddig El Fadil/Alexander Siddig (Julian Bashir) – This episode crosses over with DS9 slightly and brings Julian on to show the interconnection of the two shows existing together. At this point in time he was still being credited with his actual name of Siddig El Fadil.

James Cromwell (Jaglom Shrek)- James Cromwell is one of my favorite actors. He’s well known in Star Trek, having appeared several times over the years in various franchise roles. His most reoccuring role is that of Zephram Cochran, which he would play in a few years. He is under heavy make-up for this episode though, but that distinctive voice carries through.

Cristine Rose (Gi’ral) – Cristine Rose is most known for her role on series Heroes, where she played Angela Petrelli. She has also appeared on Friends, NCIS, Chicago Hope, Crossing Jordan, and Gilmore Girls.

Jennifer Gatti (Ba’el)- She is known for her work in soap operas, including Guiding Light and Young and The Restless. She has appeared on several shows as a guest actor, including Voyager, ER and Cheers. In 2019 she appeared on the newer medical drama The Resident.

Richard Herd (L’Kor)- He might sound familiar because he will appear several times on Star Trek Voyager as Admiral Owen Paris – father of Lt. Tom Paris. He also appeared in Seinfeld, Quantum Leap, and JAG among many others. He has been inducted into the National Broadcast Hall of Fame for his radio work. Unfortunately, he died of cancer in 2020.

Alan Scarfe (Tokath) – Alan Scarfe has appeared on TNG before, but he has also appeared on my favorite Scifi series Stargate Atlantis, and another good series called Andromeda. He has won several awards for both film work and stage work.


Review:

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Posted in Rewatch, Star Trek, Television shows, tv reviews

The Rewatch 211: Passenger

Posted on by sokorra

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9)
Episode:  1.09 Passenger (02/22/1993)
Rating: 4/5
Redshirt Status: 0/1 (There are some dubious stunning’s but I like to think everyone lived)

Notable Guest Stars:
Caitlin Brown (Ty Kajada)- She appeared in Babylon Five, which is often compared to DS9. She also appeared in TNG, starred the horror film All about Evil.

James Lashly (Lt. George Primmin)- Lashly appears in so many of the shows I watched growing up yet I really never noticed him which I now need to fix.  He appeared on Gilmore Girls, Bones, Charmed, Judging Amy, Wild Wild West, ER, Pretender, and also TNG (3 years prior).

Christopher Colins (Durg) – Colins has a long voice acting filmography, including being the Cobra Commander on GI Joe, and the original Mr. Burns (exxxxelllant).  Unfortunately, he died from a hemorrhage in 1994, a little over a year after this episode aired.

James Harper (The Original Rao Vantika)- He was in the 1998 hit film Armageddon and has been known for being the voice of Arcturus Mengsk on StarCraft video games.  He also did a spin on General Hospital in the late 2000s.

Review:

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Posted in Rewatch, Star Trek, Television shows, tv reviews

The Rewatch 210: Tapestry

Posted on by sokorra

Series: Star Trek: TNG
Episode: 6.15 Tapestry (2/15/1993)
Rating: 3/5
Redshirt Status: 0/3/38 

Notable Guest Stars:
Ned Vaughn (Cortin Zweller) – Those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile know that Apollo 13 has been my favorite movie since it came out in 1994.  Ned Vaughn appears in the movie as CapCom 2.

J.C Brandy (Marta Batanides)- J.C. Brandy has appeared in various tv series over the years, including a couple soap operas.  She also made an appearance in the Halloween film franchise.  She was 17 years old when she filmed this episode.

Clive Church (Maurice Picard) – This appears to be his first -and only – known credit.  Which was notable enough for me to include him in this section.

Rae Norman (Penny Muroc)- Rae Norman was appearing on Guiding Light around the same time she was on Star Trek.

Review:

I have to admit this is not one of my favorite episodes of TNG.  Every show has their “It’s a Wonderful Life” episode, it seems, and this was TNG’s.  Picard, having received a near-fatal wound, finds himself in a space with Q.  Q uses his powers to show Picard what might have happened if he hadn’t been stabbed by the Nausiccaans, a story mentioned earlier in the show.

My problem was most IAWL like episodes show the effect someone has on other people, not just their own life. And Picard had a deep impact on the other characters.  For example, there is a scene where Altered Picard talks with Will Riker.  Will is still the executive officer even though its been pretty much implied that the main reason he hasn’t taken a ship of his own is because he wanted ot learn more from Picard. I find it hard to believe that Will would still be on Enterprise and not on his own ship.  And, what does this mean for Jack Crusher? 

Of course, this could all be explained away as being part of Q’s made-up world.

There is also the weirdness of the Marta romance.  For one, they never really made Picard out to have been a lothario till this episode.  And the actress for Marta was 17 years old. While neither actor seemed to find anything amiss, the fact that the crew thought she needed to be aged up by make-up makes me wonder why they didn’t hire an older actress.

This episode did launch a thousand memes of Picard waking up to Q in his bed. 

This episode is usually critically accepted as good, and while I may not particularly feel driven to watch it, I don’t think it’s the worst episode ever. (You have seen me skip episodes so you know that). 

Interesting Notes:

  • Written by Ronald D. Moore
  • Directed by Les Landau
  • This episode was inspired by “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens.
  • The brainstorming team liked this episode as a comparison to Picard’s wild child youth and studious adulthood while Kirk was a studious young man and only earned his reputation as a risk taker as an adult (and as a Captain).
  • First appearance of the Nausicaans

Pros

  • I wonder if they realize that they made Q appear pansexual at this point. I mean it would make sense for an energy being such as the Q continuum not to limit their interests by gender.

Cons:

  • I feel the story seems a little farfetched as far as it not effecting other people that where Jean-Luc was in life was different.  Our lives are ripples, not stagnant dots no matter what Q believes.

Screencap via CygnusX1.net

Posted in American History, book reviews, bookit, general, history, movie reviews, Original Writing, Rewatch, tv reviews, writing

State of the Blog 2022

Posted on by sokorra

Happy New Years Everyone!

I figured I would map out what I have planned for this blog in the coming year today.  Many of you have stopped to read for many different reasons.

If you like my rewatch series, that will continue (I’m far from finished!).  The Rewatch project started as a project to keep me focused during a lockdown where I was actually sent home from work for a whole month back in 2020.  There was no clue when they would reopen but they did after 3 or 4 weeks (depending on your status).  So, it ended up taking a lot longer than anticipated.  Its still called Rewatch 2020 even though its 2022 and I’m only 4 series in (For context there is…10 I think).   However, I am in the process of moving and redoing my budget as I am contributing to two sets of bills so it may be slower as my access to the show is behind a paywall.  I plan on trying to get ahead and post 2-3 rewatches a week but there may be delays.  I hope to be on Enterprise by the end of the Year and then I can start watching the *new* Star Trek content.

For those you who came for the book and/or movie reviews, they will be making a comeback.  I plan on trying to restart my bookit goals (50 books in a year) and getting some new movies in.  Honestly part of the reason I do my reviews is to keep writing when my fiction writing brain takes a vacation, but I find them fun to write.  You can expect a movie review in the next coming days.  These won’t all be new to everyone movies, but something new to me.  So, expect classic film movies as well as theatrical releases.

History posts will also continue, although I am currently moving them to their own blog, so they are easy to access and sort for those who want specific information.  When I get it, all set up, I’ll make an update post here to direct those of you here for that to the new blog.  I feel they got mogged down by the Reviews and rewatches, which are considerably easier to write then an essay I need to research.

Thank you all for sticking with me these last couple of years.  I hope you enjoy the content of this blog, both previous and new entries.

I hope everyone’s 2022 is uplifting, inspiring and happy.

EDIT: Just editing to add that apparently this is the 600th post on this blog.