Star Trek DS9 Episode 17 - The Forsaken

Who is calling for more Lwaxana Troi episodes?? No way she has any type of fan base. It's the same plot every single time too ... she tries to get laid. This time the object of her hornyness is Odo. At first he resists, but then he becomes interested. They eventually get stuck in a turbolift together and Odo begins to turn into his natural self ... liquid. Lwaxana feels bad and offers to give him her wig for comfort. Then he turns to liquid in her lap. What a fucked up episode. The name of the episode, The Forsaken ... who is the forsaken? Is it Odo, for having to be trapped with this old scarecrow?


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Star Trek DS9 Episode 16 - If Wishes Were Horses

All of the Star Trek series seem to have that episode were imagination comes to life. So here is the DS9 version. An alien culture comes through the wormhole seeking to experience imagination ... or something like that. Anyway, Rumpelstiltskin and Buck Bokai come to life. That's basically it. It was a fun episode. And it's nice to see that MLB finally gets the steroid problem under control, because Buck Bokai is like five foot tall and 250 pounds of pure fat.


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Star Trek DS9 Episode 15 - Progress

The Federation is helping Bajor tap into the core of one of its moons. Somehow this will release much needed electricity for Bajoran use. It will also release toxic gas that will kill anyone on the moon. There are humanoid inhabitants living here and they have been ordered to leave. Kira is sent to help remove the last remaining farmer, who is determined to stay. She begins to sympathize with him, but in the end she is reminded by Sisko that she has a duty ... and she burns down the guys home! What the hell is up with this episode? Is the Federation some kind of Totalitarian Government?? Forcing people from their homes for the sake of government projects is just garbage. I am guessing that most common people typically dislike the idea of imminent domain, but it seems like this episode was trying to point out that sometimes its necessary for the government to kick you out of your home and burn it down. Also the guy just wants to die, so just let him die! Stop controlling everything. Friggin' Federation. Also the name of the episode, Progress? Literally, zero progress made in this episode.


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Star Trek DS9 Episode 14 - The Storyteller

You got two plots going on here. One on DS9 involves Nog trying to get into some girls pants. (I actually like Nog, the kid is a good actor). The second one involves Bashir and Miles. They are down on this planet, every once in a while some cloud monster shows up and kills people in the village ... in fact it's sort of like that movie The Village. The only way to stop it is by telling it a story. So the king is about to tell the story and but he dies, before he croaks he tells the story to Miles who then recites it and saves everyone. They make him king. He is highly annoyed. The episode was not great, but it did have a very TOS feel to it which I enjoyed.


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Star Trek DS9 Episode 13 - Battle Lines

"The spiritual leader of Bajor, Kai Opaka, travels with Sisko on a trip to the Gamma Quadrant but is stranded with him on a world where the dead are resurrected."


I hate looking at Kai Opaka, she is so disturbing looking. She gets stranded on this planet with Sisko and some others. They drop right in the middle of a war between two peoples. The ironic thing is that nobody on this planet can die, so the war never ends. The best part of the episode was the performance of Jonathan Banks aka Mike from Breaking Bad. The funny things was that he played the part of this alien in the same way that he played the character Mike ... a tough guy with a New York accent???


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Star Trek DS9 Episode 12 - Vortex

"Odo discovers he may not be the only one of his kind when a visitor from the Gamma Quadrant claims he can contact Odo's people."

This visitor shows up on the space station, kills a guy and steals a "shape shifting" piece of material. He convinces Odo that he knows where others like him are, so Odo ends up going with him to a planet where this visitor uses the device too free his daughter from captivity. Instead of taking the guy to space prison for murder, Odo lets him escape.

I swear that on Star Trek they have met many shape shifters throughout all of the series. Why is Odo such a mystery? I just don't get it.

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Star Trek DS9 Episode 11 - The Nagus

Yeah, another Quark episode. I love the character but I hope they don't wear him out in season one. This episode was funny funny stuff. I would watch a Ferengi spin off of this group, its like the Three Stooges but not as ugly. The only thing is that, in this episode it is horribly evident that the Ferengi are supposed to be a Jewish stereotype. It seriously seems very Anti-Semitic. Anyway, funny stuff.


Quark gets named the Grand Nagus (head of all Ferengi) and his brother Rom tries to kill him. In the end Quark wasn't really named Nagus, it was all sham and he ends up actually respecting his brother Rom.


Rom is another good character, he is such a friggin dope. They do a really cool scene where they mimic the opening to The Godfather.


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Star Trek DS9 Episode 10 - Move Along Home

"Quark is forced to play a game by the Wadi, a newly encountered species, and the lives of the crew depend on the outcome. "


This episode was awesome. Only because I love the movie Jumanji and this episode was basically Jumanji in space. So Quark is stuck playing this game and the crew are trapped as pawns. One bad move and it could be death for Sisko and the others. Quark begins to crack under the pressure and finally has a nervous breakdown, which is pretty funny. In the end he loses the game and his players all "die", but not really because it was only a game. Anyway, I thought this episode was a lot of fun.


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Star Trek DS9 Episode 9 - The Passenger

A criminal entity hides in the body of Dr. Bashir. There is a Guard that is tracking this criminal and she follows him to DS9, but loses track when he hides within the Doctors mind. Quark is dealing with this criminal trying to help him escape...not because Quark is malicious but because he is greedy. Just when you think Quark is on the side of the good guys, he always shows his true colors. Anyway, in the end the extract the criminals consciousness from Bashir and destroy it.

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Star Trek DS9 Episode 8 - Dax

This episode got me thinking about Dax. How does this Dax symbiant thing work? Do they jump into new hosts, or they create their own new bodies? Like was Jadzia Dax just some woman named Jadzia at one point ... like a cleaning lady at a space motel or something?

So in this episode, Dax is accused of a murder that happened back when she was a man Curzon Dax (who was best friends with Sisko at the time). Curzon had an affair with a military generals wife and suddenly the man ends up dead. A group of aliens try to take Dax into custody, but Sisko orders a hearing first. He argues that Dax cannot be charged with the crime because THIS Dax is not that DAX, they are two different beings. I'm not sure I agree. It's still the same symbiant, just with a different skin right? I mean if this is true then Dax could commit a million crimes in this body and then just change hosts and she would be immune from the law.

It's a moot point anyway because the general guy basically ended up killing himself.

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Star Trek DS9 Episode 7 - Q-Less

Is Q Less a pun? If it is, I can't figure it out. Anyway, this episode is a bit weird but it's entertaining. It involves Picard's former girlfriend Vash (who appeared in a few TNG episodes) ... it seems that Q is in love with her or something. So he follows her onto the ship and causes trouble. Meanwhile Quark teams up with Vash to sell some crystals. Then Q boxes with Sisko. It's just crazy, but Q is fun and Quark is hilarious in this episode. Also, it's so weird to see Sisko this skinny and with hair.


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Star Trek DS9 Episode 6 - Captive Pursuit

I do no recall seeing this episode before, but it may now be one of my favorites. It was excellent.


DS9 gets their first contact through the wormhole with a being from the Gamma Quadrant. His ship is in distress and they take him in for repairs. He is only to be known as Tosk and Miles quickly befriends him. They did a really good job on the Tosk character, for once an alien actually looks cool. Also the actor played the part perfectly, the character was mysterious but likable. Finally! Miles O'Brien gets to show some range, he is not just the boring transporter guy from TNG any longer. He is gruff and irritable, but can also be a caring dude.


When another ship shows up seeking Tosk, the real plot becomes evident. Tosk is the prey in an intergalactic hunt and now the hunters have caught him. They are very disappointed with the outcome because it wasn't very entertaining. They are supposed to catch and kill him, not retrieve him from a space station. Miles tries to save Tosk by granting him asylum, but Tosk refuses. Their culture is very different than us humans. Tosk has been bred to be the hunted in this game, and in fact, that is the highest honor in his society. He was basically born to die. Tosk is actually ashamed that the hunt would end this way ... so, Miles helps him escape and the hunt continues.


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Star Trek DS9 Episode 5 - Babel

Miles O'Brien accidentally unleashes an old booby-trap while fixing a replicator. The Bajoran terrorists placed this virus in the system 18 years prior, now it is infecting everyone on the station. They start speaking in Shakespearean nonsense...and eventually die. Bashir, Sisko and Kira work together to solve the problem. Meanwhile a visiting ship is about to explode and destroy the station...Quark and Odo work together to stop the destruction of DS9. The episode was a bit crazy and seemed rather forced, but let me just say that the dynamic between Odo and Quark was excellent. Watching these two interact with each other will be lots of fun going forward.

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Star Trek DS9 Episode 4 - A Man Alone

At this point, there are many new faces on DS9 due to the wormhole. A Bajoran outlaw named Ibudan shows and up and immediately Odo tries to arrest him. Sisko puts an end to it stating that Ibudan has not broken any laws here. Soon Ibudan is found dead and Odo is blamed for the death. The next scene is fantastic ... the civilian population turns against Odo and chase him into a room where Odo locks the door. The entire crowd is chanting insults at the shape shifter (basically they are just saying "shifter" over and over again) and the look of panic on Odo's face is frightening. I actually started to feel really bad for him.

Dr. Bashir figures out that Ibudan created a clone of himself and it was the clone that was dead. It was just a big plan to frame Odo. So eventually Odo arrests the Bajoran outlaw for clone murder.

Side plot: Keiko and O'Brien are arguing over Keiko's unhappiness of living on the space station.

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Star Trek DS9 Episode 3 - Past Prologue

The big thing about this episode is that it introduces the character of Garak. He is a former Cardassian spy that had worked for one of the most feared groups in the Cardassian intelligence community ... and now he owns a clothing store. That is sort of dumb, but it doesn't matter because Andrew Robinson does such a good job. Garak is a fun and mysterious character and it adds a well needed element to the somewhat drab crew.

The rest of this episode revolves around Kira questioning her allegiance when a Bajoran defector (and fellow former terrorist) seeks asylum on DS9. The Cardassians are hot on his trail. Meanwhile the Duras Sisters arrive on the station and Garak (along with a little help from Dr. Bashir) uncover a plot for the two Klingons to sell a bomb to the Bajoran defector. His plan is to destroy the wormhole, but Sisko and O'Brien set up a sting operation and capture him. It was like Miami Vice except with a darker Tubbs and a human troll doll instead of Crockett.

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Star Trek DS9 Episode 2 - Emissary Pt. 2

So after Sisko gets that weird orb from that old lady, he has Odo check it out and they find that it came from an anomalous area of space close by. Sisko and Dax take a shuttlecraft to this area. Now here is where the bread and butter of this show comes into existence. They discover the first ever stable worm hole. Inside the worm hole are these life forms. They take Sisko and probe his memory in an effort to understand humans. He is subjected to relive memories of his wife, and although painful he realizes that it is time to let go.

Meanwhile all of this activity has peeked the interest of the evil Cardassian (and ousted commander of DS9) Gul Dukat. He decides to enter the wormhole as well. When he fails to come back out, the Cardassians fear that he has been killed by the Federation and they proceed to attack the shit out of DS9. This was a great scene. Usually during these attack scenes the ship will shake and some sparks will fly. Not in this episode, there was literally giant firey holes getting blown into the station. It was awesome.

Basically in the end Sisko works out a deal with the life forms to allow ships to pass through unopposed. He also decides to accept the Commander position.
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Star Trek DS9 Episode 1 - Emissary Pt. 1

"A new crew is assigned to a former Cardassian space station: Deep Space Nine. It is a joint Federation/Bajoran force, with Commander Sisko in charge, but his life is dramatically changed when he is declared the Emissary to the Prophets by a Bajoran priest. "

Here we go, the start of Star Trek Deep Space Nine. As far as first episodes go, this one was pretty good. Its basically just about Sisko getting his assignment to run the defunct (and run down) Deep Space Nine Space station. We slowly get to meet the crew and some painful memories from Sisko's past start to creep up.

It starts off with Ben Sisko as Captain of the USS Saratoga during the Borg attack at Wolf 359. His ship is destroyed and he is able to save his son Jake, but his wife dies. For this he blames Captain Picard (and rightfully so), he also is considering not taking this new post and leaving Starfleet.


Like I said, we start to meet the main characters at this point and here are my first impressions.

Benjamin Sisko - I love this guy. Not only is he probably the toughest of the Star Trek captains but Avery Brooks may be one of the best actors to star in a Trek series. It's weird to see him smiling so much in this first episode though.

Jake Sisko - Typically Star Trek has a terrible track record with child actors. They mostly suck and are annoying. But, I actually find Cirroc Lofton to be a solid actor ... and he is the nephew of baseball great Kenny Lofton.

Kira Nerys - Hate this character, such a bitch. But then again maybe we are supposed to hate her. She is kind of cute though.

Odo - Love Odo, one of my absolute favorites. Rene Auberjonois is a great actor.

Dax - Hard to not like Dax, she is smart and sexy. Too bad they eventually ruin the character by making her attracted to Worf.

Dr. Bashir - First impression, he annoys the shit out of me. But, maybe the character gets better.

Miles O'Brien - It's funny because Miles is always just a bland character, yet he managed to span two entire series. On the hand, Colm Meaney is one of my favorite actors and everything that he has done outside of Star Trek is amazing.

Quark - Quark is awesome. He is one of my top five favorite Trek characters ... even though his face looks like the inside of a dogs ear.

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Star Trek Into Darkness

The problem with most movies these days, is that it is all action and not much plot. Plus the dialogue is so low and the action is so loud that I spend half the movie messing with the volume. Anyway, this movie at least had an okay plot. It involves Klingons and Khan, that's enough right there to get me watching. The visuals were extraordinary, the cast was great and the entertainment factor was high.


After watching TNG and seeing how many times the series used the premise of "alternate universes", I was able to buy into this concept a little bit more this time around. I did enjoy the first movie, but I was able to get into the second one much more. It's not the best movie and it pales in comparison to all of the other Star Trek films (just because for a Star Trek movie...it is not very "Star Trek"), but it's a fun watch.


The premise was not very complicated. It just boils down to Kirk stopping Khan from causing havoc. Still, the scene at the end with Khan crashing the Enterprise into San Francisco was pretty damn cool. So anyway, that's it, a decent film but not Earth shattering ... well maybe a little.


Interesting note: Bill Hader, Chris Hemsworth and Jennifer Morrison all have small voice over spots in the film.

Star Trek: The Next Generation Wrap-Up

I can't believe I actually finished watching all seven seasons of TNG. I started watching on May 12 2012 so it almost took me two years to do this. There were a few times that I almost gave up, many times that I had gotten worn out, but each time I pushed on. Now I know what it feels like to complete a triathlon or finish the Tour de France or survive multiple tours in Vietnam. I can completely sympathize with Vietnam Vets.


Overall, Next Generation is an amazing show. Great actors, interesting plots and solid directing. Sometimes I can get down on the show, but don't listen to me, I'm just a miserable creature....in reality Next Gen is possibly one of the ten greatest TV series of all time.


I did learn a few things along the way. For one, I hate Worf and for two, Q is annoying. This was a revelation because for many years I assumed that I had loved both characters. Not so much. Picard, Geordi and Data are still three of my favorite characters in all of Star Trek. Also, Troi really is as hot as I remembered her and Riker is still one cool cat. One of the best moves that Star Trek could have ever made was taking the idea that the Ferengi were some kind of evil villain and completely transforming them into a civilization of scam artists. This was a brilliant move. It is such an original "bad guy" character and they make me laugh every time.


Seeing the Enterprise D always gives me a nostalgic feeling, I remember being a teen and having the toy of it hanging from my bedroom ceiling. It reminds me of being in High School and reading the Star Trek Encyclopedia during class, a book that I had stolen from one of my friends. One day we were hanging out in his bedroom and I stuffed the book under my shirt and left.....seriously I am the worst friend ever.


Anyway, that was an interesting experience. I must admit that I am nervous about Deep Space 9 because I had only watched that show sparingly when it came out. I know many people love it, so I am hoping that it can keep my attention. We shall see.

Star Trek TNG: Episode 179 - All Good Things... Pt. 2

....so, in the future there seems to be a "getting the band back together" scenario going on. Picard and Geordi go and pickup Data (a college professor??), then they go on Crusher's starship, then they pick up Worf (a Klingon governor) and finally hook up with Captain William Riker .... btw Troi is dead.


Anyway, Picard guides all three ships into a similar scenario...two ships survive but the future Enterprise is destroyed. Picard fails. In the end Q is impressed that Picard could simultaneously troubleshoot in the three different timelines so he decides to let humanity live.


Listen, is it the best plot? No. Is it the best finale ever? No. Is it even the best TNG episode? No. Was I happy that the entire series ended with a Q episode? Not at all. But damn it was fun and very very interesting. I will miss some of these characters; mainly Picard, Data, Riker and Geordi. Makes me a bit sad. Oh well, on to DS9.


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