Star Trek: Apocalypse Rising

Episode: "Apocalypse Rising"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 5, Episode 1

September 30, 1996

via Memory Alpha

Season 4 ended with a cliffhanger: Odo believes Gowron, Chancellor of the Klingon Empire, is a Changeling.  As Season 5 begins, Sisko leads O'Brien, Odo and Worf on an undercover mission - all disguised as Klingons - to expose Gowron in hopes of preventing war.  

"Apocalypse Rising" is fun for many reasons.  The basic political intrigue story is excellent with plenty of insight into Klingon warrior culture provided.  Michael Dorn was delighted to watch his colleagues suffer through the Klingon makeup process (though Rene Auberjonois claimed he preferred it to the Odo makeup).  Perhaps most importantly for the long term, the story introduces Martok, yet another stellar recurring character who will bring plenty of value to the operation over the next three seasons.

Evidently, the Paramount people didn't like the Klingon War storyline and encouraged the DS9 creatives to get back to the Dominion War they preferred.  "Apocalypse Rising" provides the transition from one to the other.

There's a wonderful exchange between Kira and Bashir in which she blames him for her surrogate pregnancy with the O'Brien's baby.  It's an in-joke, you see.  Nana Visitor was, in fact, pregnant with Alexander Seddig's child.

Acting Notes

via Wikipedia

John German (J.G.) Hertzler (Martok) was born in Savannah, Georgia, March 18, 1950.  He was an Air Force brat and therefore moved a lot as a child: Missouri, Texas, Morocco and mostly the Washington, DC area.  He went to Bucknell as an undergrad where he played football and discovered theater.  Later he got a Master's at the University of Maryland in set design.  He worked for the Nixon Administration for a time in the National Environmental Policy Act.

Hertzler has extensive stage credentials in DC, San Francisco and New York.  Early films include The Redeemer: Son of Satan and And Justice for All.  Television guest appearances include Quantum Leap, Six Feet Under and Roswell.  He was a regular on the early '90s Zorro series.  

Hertzler will likely always be best remembered as Martok, who, in one guise or another, accounts for 26 of his Trek appearances.  In total, he made appearances as twelve different characters over four different series.  He has also written two Star Trek novels: The Left Hand of Destiny, Books One and Two.  

The environmental cause has proven to be a lifelong passion.  Largely on the strength of a pro-environment platform, Hertzler won election to the town council in Ulysses, New York.  In 2016, he endorsed Bernie Sanders for President.  In 2018, Hertzler ran for Congress but ultimately withdrew before the election.

Star Trek: The Swarm

Episode: "The Swarm"

Series: Star Trek: Voyager

Season 3, Episode 4

Original Air Date: September 25, 1996

via Memory Alpha

The Doctor is losing his memory.  Most alarming, he's forgetting his medical programming but he's also forgetting his more personal experiences on Voyager.  Fortunately, there's a diagnostic program for the EMH on the holodeck, including a holographic Lewis Zimmerman, the man who created the Doctor in his own image.  Meanwhile, Captain Janeway and her crew must find their way through the territory of beings who don't take kindly to the intrusion.

"The Swarm" is pretty solid, the second Voyager writing credit for Michael Sussman who penned the excellent "Meld" for Season 2.  Obviously, it's a meaningful vehicle for the Doctor.  We learn he's developed a love for opera, performing La Boheme on the holodeck.  We get to know his creator better.  We are reminded of his considerable growth since the beginning of the series.  It is also a great story for Kes, the ultimate hero of the tale.  She cares for her holographic friend deeply and she's a strong advocate for his rights and well-being throughout.  The episode was written as an Alzheimer's allegory and Kes was excellent in the caretaker role.

I'm likely to get a bit wistful regarding Kes throughout Season 3...

The ethical dilemma of whether or not to travel though another society's air space is meaningful.  As Tuvok points out, doing so is a violation of Starfleet directives.  Neither for the first time nor the last, Janeway plays the "we're a long way from Starfleet right now" card, prioritizing the long-term well-being of her ship and crew.  The dilemma presents a genuinely interesting long-term question regarding Voyager's entire premise.  Does the crew's situation exempt them from Starfleet regulations?  A purist would say no.  But goodness knows, Star Trek would be a lot less fun if the captain(s) never bent or broke the rules, right?  That's kinda the point of it all.  Weigh all of the strong arguments, then make the call.  The Starfleet brass always seem to forgive them in the end.

A note for Mulgrew: a few times in the episode, we see a slanted smile.  It happens enough that one imagines it was a conscious choice.  Unfortunately, whatever the intent, it lands as patronizing and even aloof, particularly in a tense situation.  Hopefully, the directors/producers told her it wasn't working.  I'll keep an eye out for it in future episodes. 

Acting Notes

via Scrubs Wiki

Carole Davis played the role of Giusseppina Pentangelli, a fictitious 22nd century soprano, Mimì to the Doctor's Rodolfo in the holographic opera.  Davis doesn't get much screen time - a shame because she's a lot of fun, really playing the "diva" energy to the hilt.  I can't find any indication one way or the other as to whether they used her actual singing voice in the episode.  (They did use Picardo's.) Davis is a singer, even had a dance hit with "Serious Money" in the '80s.  However, I don't know if she has classical training.  It would seem a shame not to cast the real deal for such a small part but we've all seen stranger.

Davis was born in London, February 17, 1958.  After a successful modeling career, she hit the big screen in 1982 with Piranha II: The Spawning.  She also made appearances in The Flamingo Kid and Mannequin.  Other television credits include The A-Team, Sex and the City and Angel.  

Davis was pals with Prince and even has co-writing credit on one of his songs: "Slow Love."  She's an accomplished writer as well, boasting articles for The Jewish Journal, American Dog Magazine and Newsvine.

Star Trek: The Chute

Episode: "The Chute"

Series: Star Trek: Voyager

Season 3, Episode 3

Original Air Date: September 18, 1996

via Memory Alpha

Kim and Paris are wrongly convicted of a terrorist attack, sentenced to prison plus a neural implant that slowly drives them insane.  There are no guards.  The inmates are completely at one another's mercy.  Meanwhile, Janeway and friends hunt down the true culprits, then hatch a plan to free their crew mates.

Star Trek's fascination with criminal justice continues.  "The Chute" is a compelling jail break story.  Both Harry and Neelix (good thing someone remembered his ship was still in the cargo hold) get satisfying heroic moments.  The story's not especially memorable but overall, I'd say I prefer it to last week's.  

One point worth addressing: many slash fiction writers have been drawn to the Harry-Tom relationship as one with homoerotic undertones, pointing to "The Chute" as evidence.  First, let me be clear: I would have no problem with such a relationship developing.  Indeed, I would welcome it.  I certainly appreciate the longing for representation, however subtle, by those in the queer community.  That said, I am troubled when any affectionate, nurturing or protective relationship, no matter the sex or gender of the parties involved, is automatically perceived as sexual.  I see danger in such an attitude.  We should all be able to experience and appreciate a broader spectrum of intimacy than society generally acknowledges or allows.  Fiction - especially 1990s American televised fiction - is too limited in this area.  And it's often the consumer, rather than the creator, who is limited in their view.

Acting Notes

via WikiSein

Don McManus played the role of Zio, a temporary ally for our friends in the prison.  McManus was born November 8, 1959 in San Diego.  He graduated from Yale.  His films include The Shawshank Redemption, National Treasure and Air Force One.  Television appearances include Northern Exposure, Seinfeld and Frasier.  

Star Trek: Flashback

Episode: "Flashback"

Series: Star Trek: Voyager

Season 3, Episode 2

Original Air Date: September 11, 1996

via Memory Alpha

Tuvok has a mental breakdown on the bridge accompanied by flashbacks to letting go of a girl before she fell from a precipice, an incident he doesn't remember.  Janeway mind-melds with him in order to help probe the past.  We go back to his days on the USS Excelsior where he served under none other than Captain Hikaru Sulu.

"Flashback" pushes hard on the nostalgia button.  We get both Sulu and Janice Rand in Undiscovered Country-era uniforms.  We get Kang.  It was all in honor of Star Trek's 30th anniversary and the homage was effective.

But that's really it.  What else is there here?  "Flashback" gets a lot of love on best-of lists but I don't see it.  The memory anomaly is all explained away with technobabble.  It was just a gimmick, a device to get to Sulu with no real value of its own.  The acting's good.  The background development for Tuvok is good.  It's fun without being meaningful.  I want meaningful.

Acting Notes

via Memory Alpha

Jeremy Roberts played the role of Lt. Cmdr. Dmitri Valtane, the same character he played in Undiscovered Country.  "Flashback" was his third and final Trek appearance.  He was born Jeremy Thompson in Birmingham, Alabama, September 18, 1954.  Other television appearances include CSI: Miami, Xena: Princess Warrior and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  Other films include Sister Act and Blackout.

Star Trek: The Quickening

Episode: "The Quickening"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 4, Episode 24

Original Air Date: May 20, 1996

via Memory Alpha

During a bio-survey mission in the Gamma Quadrant, Dax, Bashir and Kira respond to a distress signal.  They discover a world in the Teplan system that has been ravaged by a plague, a blight the Jem'Hadar had infected the population with when they resisted Dominion rule.  There is no cure for the painful disease.  The only medical care is merciful euthanasia.  Obviously, our good doctor is appalled and sets about finding a cure.

Season 4 has supplied several meaningful Julian stories.  Prior to "The Quickening," we've had both "Hippocratic Oath" and "Our Man Bashir."  This week's installment challenges his arrogance.  It's a good Dax development story, too - appropriate given the importance of the relationship to both characters.  A defining exchange:

Julian: Trevean was right. There is no cure. The Dominion made sure of that. But I was so arrogant, I thought I could find one in a week!

Jadzia: Maybe it was arrogant to think that. But it's even more arrogant to think there isn't a cure just because you couldn't find it.

My child, with whom I watch all of these episodes, offered a meaningful reflection: "it illustrates really well how much more of life Jadzia has lived and how much more of death she's died and experienced than Julian."

In the mid-'90s, the AIDS epidemic was very much on people's minds, especially in the entertainment industry, long a relatively safe space for gay men, a demographic disproportionately affected.  "The Quickening" started out as an AIDS allegory but veered off in other directions.  29 years later, while it is medically treatable, there is still no cure for AIDS, or even a vaccine like the one Dr. Bashir found in the end.  

Acting Notes

via Wikipedia

Michael Sarrazin played the role of Trevean, who administered the herbs which induced death for his fellow Teplans suffering from the blight.  He was born Jacques Michel André Sarrazin in Quebec City, May 22, 1940.  He grew up in Montreal.  His professional acting career began at age 17.  

Sarrazin's biggest role was Robert in Sydney Pollack's They Shoot Horses, Don't They?  Films include For Pete's Sake, The Reincarnation of Peter Proud and The Gumball Rally.  He hosted Saturday Night Live in 1978.

Sarrazin passed away in 2011 from mesothelioma.

Squid Flicks: La Ciénaga

Title: La Ciénaga

Director: Lucrecia Martel

Original Release Date: February 8, 2001

My Overall Rating: 3 stars out of 5

via Wikipedia

Mecha and her family are on holiday in northwestern Argentina.  She and her husband are useless, angry alcoholics.  Her children are lazy (truly, a surprising amount of the story involves people lying around in bed).  Her cousin and her family want to drive to Bolivia to buy school supplies.  Mecha thinks the indigenous maid, Isabel, is stealing linens.

Honestly, it's hard to know how to sum up the story, essentially a slice of life narrative about obnoxious upper-middle class people.  The paragraph above is as close as I can get to a synopsis.  I found it difficult to watch the film without getting anxious.  Few of the characters are especially likable and they're constantly hurting themselves and getting impatient with one another.  Evidently, audience anxiety was a genuine goal of Director Martel, so, mission accomplished.

The most interesting character is Isabel for the simple reason that her story is shrouded in mystery.  While you know way too much about most of the principals (so many scenes shot in the bedroom and the bathroom - none of it lewd, mind you), much of Isabel's tale is told in conversations with her boyfriend to which the audience is not privy.  Why does she leave the job in the end?  Because her boss is racist and cruel and the boss's daughter won't leave her alone?  Those would be the obvious and understandable reasons but is there more?  Is she pregnant?  Is her own family's need for her real and what's that all about?  So many questions in a movie where little is hidden from the audience.

Some critics have named La Ciénaga the greatest Argentine film of all time.  Not for me.  I prefer Nine Queens.  I don't think I'd ever watch this movie again but I do imagine I'd pick up on more with a second viewing.  It certainly leaves one with a lot to think about.  So call it a high 3.

Star Trek: To the Death

Episode: "To the Death"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 4, Episode 23

Original Air Date: May 13, 1996

via Memory Alpha

A renegade band of Jem'Hadar attack the station in order to steal supplies.  They leave heavy casualties and a destroyed upper pylon in their wake.  Sisko leads the Defiant in pursuit.  The crew encounter a separate, damaged Jem'Hadar ship and rescue the survivors, consisting of six soldiers and Weyoun, their Vorta commander, played by the ubiquitous Jeffrey Combs.  The combined crew must work together to find the rogue warriors and destroy the Iconian gateway (see TNG's "Contagion") they are using for quick interstellar transportation.  Tension and mistrust run high.  

The overall narrative plan for the Jem'Hadar ran counter to well-established Trek norms.  The long-standing attitude: if you get to know an antagonist culture - the Klingons, the Romulans, even the Cardassians - better, you'll learn to like them.  The idea of a story like "To the Death" was the opposite: if you get to know the Jem'Hadar better, you'll find them even more terrifying.  The lab-bred killers are ruthless towards foe and comrade alike, with no apparent path towards reform or redemption.  The Jem'Hadar are just plain bad.

With this episode, I was struck by the similarities between Trek's Jem'Hadar and Star Wars's Clone Troopers.  Both are genetically engineered as a slave army for superior beings whom they revere essentially as gods.  It's worth noting the Trek idea came first, though there must have at least been an inkling for George Lucas early on as there's a reference to The Clone Wars in the original 1977 film.  I'm always curious about the influences the two franchises have had on each other over the years.  Direct, obvious links are rare.  Perhaps this is one.

At least until Order 66, the Clone Troopers are a lot friendlier.

Acting Notes

via Wikipedia

Clarence Williams III played the role of Omet'iklan, the "First" among the Jem'Hadar soldiers who join our friends.  Williams was born in New York City, August 21, 1939.  Before pursuing an acting career, he served for two years in the Army as a paratrooper.  Before appearing on screen, he had a successful stage career in New York, including a Tony nomination for Slow Dance on the Killing Ground.

The big break came in 1968 when Williams was cast as one of the three leads in The Mod Squad, a show daring for its topical content, its interracial cast and its embrace of late '60s counterculture.  Films included Purple Rain, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka and Half-Baked.  

Williams died of colon cancer in 2021.

Star Trek: Resolutions

Episode: "Resolutions"

Series: Star Trek: Voyager

Season 2, Episode 25

Original Air Date: May 13, 1996

via Memory Alpha

Janeway and Chakotay have been infected with a terrible disease when insects bite them during an away mission.  The Doctor fails to find a cure.  On the bright side, as long as the two stay on the planet, the effects of the disease are kept in check.  On the down side, that means they must be abandoned as Voyager carries on without them.  

From this point, two separate but equally interesting narratives play out.  On the planet, the castaways build a new life.  Well, Chakotay, at least, is determined to do everything possible to make the situation comfortable but Janeway is equally determined to find a cure for the disease so they can leave.  Inevitably, they also need to sort out the realities of their quickly evolving relationship under new circumstances.

Meanwhile, back on the ship, Tuvok is left in charge.  Making a deal with the dreaded Vidiians for a possible cure seems a logical move, at least to most of the crew.  Tuvok, however, loyally follows Janeway's parting orders to stay away from the Vidiians and continue the journey homeward.  Tensions mount.  Kim openly challenges the acting captain on the bridge.  Later, he appeals to him in his quarters.  Tuvok doesn't budge.  Finally, Kes convinces Tuvok that while he may be unwilling to let emotions cloud his own judgment, he still has a responsibility to the emotional well-being of his crew. 

Go, Kes!

Long term, the episode is probably best remembered for the will-they-won't-they question posed regarding Janeway and Chakotay.  It was 1996, deep in the age of Ross and Rachel.  Will-they-won't-they was seemingly all anyone wanted out of television.  NextGen deftly avoided it for the most part but there's plenty of it in both DS9 and Voyager.  With "Resolutions," the writers left it to the viewers to decide what happened between the two while stranded on the planet.  I think Kate Mulgrew was right to fight against the over-sexualization of her character and this story respects that.

Plus, the brief return of Danara, the doctor's former sweetheart, is a welcome treat.  She clearly still loves him.  He's predictably officious.

Acting Notes

via Criminal Minds Wiki

Bahni Turpin played the role of Ensign Swinn.  "Resolutions" was the second of two appearances in the part.  Turpin was born June 4, 1962 in Pontiac, Michigan.  Films include Daughters of the Dust, Rain Without Thunder and Malcolm X.  Other television guest appearances include Seinfeld, ER and Criminal Minds.

A lot of actors do audiobook narrations as a side gig.  Bahni Turpin, on the other hand, is one of the best in the business and she has the accolades to prove it.  Her industry awards include 9 Aubie Awards, 14 Earphone Awards, 2 Odyssey Awards and induction into Audible's Narrator Hall of Fame.  Her narrations include The Help by Kathryn Stockett, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi.  

Star Trek: For the Cause

Episode: "For the Cause"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 4, Episode 22

Original Air Date: May 6, 1996

via Memory Alpha

Garak episode!

Suspicion falls on Kasidy Yates.  Odo and Commander Eddington believe she may be smuggling on behalf of the Maquis.  Personal and professional loyalties pull Benjamin in opposite directions.  Meanwhile, Garak and Ziyal become friends, and it's a bit awkward in the early going.

This is a big character development episode and mostly for secondary cast.  I'll keep saying this until the series finale:  one of the major strengths of Deep Space Nine is the depth and quality of its bench.  As repeated ad nauseam, Garak is the gem and he gets excellent material here.  More importantly, "For the Cause" represents a transitional moment for both Yates and Eddington and in both cases, the impact on the broader story is significant.  Trust is broken on multiple fronts.  Reality is not what it seemed.  Emotional recovery will not be easy.

The Garak/Ziyal relationship will be an interesting one to follow moving forward.  It's a new actress this time, the second of three to perform as Ziyal.  Tracy Middendorf makes her only Trek appearance.

Acting Notes

via Krull Wiki

Kenneth Marshall (Eddington) was born in New York City, June 27, 1950.  He went to the University of Michigan for undergrad, then Julliard for grad school where he crossed paths with both Robin Williams and Kelsey Grammer.  He worked as a professional stage actor in New York for 14 years, including a run as Tony in a West Side Story revival.  Films include Tilt, Krull and Feds.

On the Coffee Table: Moomin

Title: Moomin Adventures 1

Writers and Artists: Tove Jansson and Lars Jansson

The Moomins were invented by Tove Jansson, a Finnish writer and artist who found success in a number of media.  She first introduced the Moomins and their world in a 1945 novel, The Moomins and the Great Flood, initially in Swedish, her own first language.  She started the comic strip in 1947.  The charming hippo-like trolls have since found their way into television, film, theatre, video games and even theme parks, including one in Japan.  Moomin Adventures 1 collects seven of the comic strip serials.  While Tove produced all of the stories for many years, eventually her brother Lars took over the comics.

Moomintroll (often referred to simply as "Moomin") and his family live a simple life in Moominvalley.  Every once in a while on a whim, they'll set off on an adventure.  This book includes trips to the Riviera and a desert island.  Sometimes, the adventures find them such as when gold prospectors or artists come to the valley.  The atmosphere is light but there is plenty of playful satire along the way - occasional nuggets of wisdom, too.  

Tove Jansson's story is one of many real-life bios featured in Be Gay, Do Comics.  Jansson was with her partner Tuulikki Pietilä for the last 45 years of her life.  Unfortunately, they were not able to be open about their relationship for decades.  Eventually, they became important symbolic figures in Finland as one of the first same-sex couples to attend prominent public events together.

Star Trek: Tuvix

Episode: "Tuvix"

Series: Star Trek: Voyager

Season 2, Episode 24

Original Air Date: May 6, 1996

via Memory Alpha

Tuvok and Neelix are merged into a single being through a transporter malfunction.  What follows is one of the most interesting moral quandaries in all of Star Trek.  That's saying something.  "Tuvix" may be the most polarizing episode in the franchise.  It's the make-or-break story determining how many fans, including my own child, feel about Captain Janeway as a character.

The merged being is his own man.  Tuvix is the best of both, the worst of both.  He shares the memories of each but the experiences from the point of merger are all his own.  He deserves to live.  There's really no question of that, is there?  His existence also means the end of the independent lives of two others.  There's no denying that either.  Thus the dilemma.

Spock: Logic clearly dictates that the needs of many outweigh the needs of the few.

Kirk: Or the one.

If there's one exchange that defines - and haunts - Trek, it's that one from the climactic scene of The Wrath of Khan.  By this argument, the needs of two outweigh the needs of one.  Tuvok's and Neelix's separate rights to exist trump Tuvix's.  

But real life is more complicated than that, isn't it?  Those we might cast as "the few" suffer needlessly all the time.  The benefits to "the many" from such suffering are often nebulous to non-existent.  There's a term for it: the tyranny of the majority.  It's not theoretical.  It's largely how the world works.

Tuvix's pleas for his own survival are both chilling and heartbreaking.  Plenty of viewers hate Janeway for the choice she makes.  Would any of those critics have chosen differently in her place?  I think it's too easy to say yes.  Either way, she's choosing death.  Either path means pain and regret.

It certainly makes for good television.  However one feels about the choice made - and a deep, emotional reaction is absolutely understandable - the question itself is exactly the sort of dilemma that has made Star Trek so compelling to watch for nearly 60 years.  If the answers were always obvious, who would care?

Acting Notes

via Criminal Minds Wiki

Tom Wright (Tuvix) was born in Englewood, New Jersey, November 29, 1952.  This episode is his first of two Trek appearances.  Films include The Brother from Another Planet, Barbershop and Barbershop 2: Back in Business.  In television, he had principal roles on Extreme, Martial Law and Granite Flats.  His other high-profile guest role was the recurring character Mr. Morgan, a Yankees front office colleague of George's on Seinfeld.

Squid Flicks: Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Title: Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Director: John Cameron Mitchell

Original Release Date: January 2001

My Overall Rating: 5 stars out of 5

via Wikipedia

John Cameron wrote, directed and starred in what I consider to be one of the most under-appreciated films around.  In my mind, I maintain a list of movies I wish more people would see.  Hedwig resides comfortably on that list.

Hedwig Robinson grew up in East Berlin, assigned male at birth.  She fell in love with Luther, an American soldier, who convinced her to get a sex change and marry him as part of a scheme to leave the country.  The operation was botched, leaving Hedwig with... unsatisfactory genitalia, thus the title of the film.

We first join the story as Hedwig, now living in Kansas, is trying to make a living as a rock musician.  Luther is long gone.  Tommy, a more recent lover, has become a star, propped up by songs we all know Hedwig co-wrote with him.  

Those are the basics of a whirlwind story.

We saw the movie at the Vermont International Film Festival's screening room.  I would be remiss if I did not point out what our child helped clarify for me: Hedwig is not a drag queen movie.  While it shares thematic material with Priscilla (last week's movie) and To Wong Foo, it is not of the same genre because Hedwig is not a drag queen.  Botched operation or not, Hedwig is a trans woman and living as such.  The wigs and the boas add to her performance. They are camp but they are not drag.

It's also better than either of those more commercially successful films.  Hedwig is adapted from Mitchell's off-Broadway musical of the same name, music by Stephen Trask.  Mitchell's on-screen performance is fearless and relentless.  The vast majority of the material - the lines, the songs, the camera shots - focuses on the one leading character, far more so than one typically sees in a movie.  The music is wonderful.  I've written about the showstopper, "Wig in a Box," before.  Hedwig was a huge hit at Sundance but disappointed in its mainstream run.  

Hedwig can be difficult to watch.  It's funny, visually dazzling and musically charming.  It's also continually heart wrenching.  What's more, Hedwig is not always a likable person, guilty of mistreating others as she has been mistreated.  Parts of the story can be uncomfortable for a cis man, that healthy kind of uncomfortable we've talked about before (here, for instance).  Lean into that discomfort and it will broaden your world concept.  

Star Trek: The Muse

Episode: "The Muse"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 4, Episode 21

Original Air Date: April 29, 1996

via Memory Alpha

Onaya, a beautiful and mysterious woman, arrives at the station.  She and Jake are drawn to one another instantly.  Evidently, Onaya has a thing for creative men.  She inspires them in their work, then draws on their energy like a vampire.  Meanwhile, Lwaxana Troi turns up, too, and she's pregnant.  She enlists Odo to help her escape from her current husband.  Our dear compassionate constable even goes so far as to marry his friend in order to help her out of her predicament.

This is a much-maligned episode by critics and internal creative staff alike.  I don't hate it.  Admittedly, the Onaya story is weak - though everyone praises Meg Foster for her performance in the titular role.  On the other hand, I like the Lwaxana/Odo tale.  As I have written before (here), Lwaxana is more likable with a bit of vulnerability - most people are, fictional or otherwise.  It also helps to have one in-story character who genuinely appreciates her.  We all know - Lwaxana included - that Odo's affection for her does not extend beyond platonic.  That said, his speech in her praise at the wedding is both earnest and touching.  She made his world a larger, less lonely place.  Truly, what more can any of us ask of a friend?

And even the Onaya story has its merits.  As I have for this entire run, I watched the episode with our child.  In the midst of a tender scene between Ben and Jake, they declared Ben Sisko "the best fictional dad."

"Better than Atticus Finch?" I asked.  

"Yes, in my opinion."

I'm not quite ready to make that claim myself yet but I acknowledge the strong claim.  As I've written in previous posts (such as this one), the affection between the Sisko men is unusual for men of color on American television.  I'll take it a step beyond that.  A man lovingly and reflexively kissing his adult son on the forehead is something you just don't see on screen, no matter the race of the characters involved.  In the 2020s, Ted Lasso has gotten a lot of credit for promoting healthy, non-toxic masculinity (see this article).  DS9 was setting its own fine example 30 years earlier.

In one scene, Jake is reading a Horatio Hornblower novel.  Once again, Star Trek piques my curiosity about nautical literature.

Oyana can't help but remind me of Alma Mahler.  Here's a musical tribute by the inimitable Tom Lehrer who just passed away this summer:

Acting Notes

via The Vampire Diaries Wiki

Meg Foster was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, May 10, 1948.  She trained at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre in New York.  

Her big break came when she won the role of Christine Cagney in the TV series Cagney & Lacey.  Unfortunately for Foster, the part was re-cast for the second season.  Evidently, it was a crushing blow for the actress and her career prospects.  She was still able to find guest appearances, including turns on The Cosby Show, Quantum Leap and ER.  She had a recurring role as Hera in both Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Princess Warrior.  Earlier in her career, she played Hester Prynne in a miniseries adaptation of The Scarlett Letter.  Films include Ticket to Heaven, The Osterman Weekend and They Live.

The light blue eyes one sees in "The Muse" are, in fact, natural.  Mademoiselle magazine once called Meg Foster's "the eyes of 1979."  Many producers made her wear colored contacts.  Fortunately, they were perfect for Star Trek.  

Squid Flicks: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

Title: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

Director: Stephan Elliott

Original Release Date: May 15, 1994

My Overall Rating: 4 stars out of 5

via Wikipedia

Not long ago, our child watched To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, a 1995 Hollywood hit film about drag queens starring Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze and John Leguizamo. They loved it. I told them yes, that one's good but the movie you really need to see is The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, an Australian smash released the year before.

I'd watched both decades earlier, I think even before my wife and I were married.  I saw Priscilla first and was absolutely blown away.  Thanks largely to RuPaul, social acceptance of drag queens was on the rise in the mid-'90s but a major film production like Priscilla was still daring.  While it's technically a comedy, it hit the sensitive spots just hard enough to bring poignancy.  The queens' dresses were plenty fabulous.  The queens' actual lives?  Not so much.

Tick (Hugo Weaving in his international breakout role), a drag queen in Sydney, is offered a job in far away Alice Springs.  He invites transgender Bernadette (Terence Stamp, RIP) and the beautiful but obnoxious Adam (Guy Pearce).  They buy a converted bus, which Adam names Priscilla, and they hit the road.  They face hardships - mechanical difficulties, hostility, abuse and even assault (thankfully averted just in time) - but also joys.  An friendly indigenous tribe takes them under wing for an evening.  They meet their savior, the amazing Bob (Bill Hunter, who was in the midst of a string of Australian international hits).  They find love.  

And running throughout is an undercurrent love letter to the Australian Outback.  Costumes and makeup are amazing, as one would hope.  But just as stunning is the scenery.  Acting is wonderful and the writing pitch-perfect.  The soundtrack is stellar.  The ABBA show is definitely worth the wait.

One blemish costs Priscilla a star in my rating.  The character Cynthia, Bob's Filipina wife, plays on ugly Asian stereotypes.

Apart from that misstep, it's a wonderful movie, and definitely better than To Wong Foo.  Perhaps I'll cover that one another time.

State of the Blog 2025

Blogging Year 17, here we go!  

I don't have any big changes planned for the coming blogging year.  The schedule will be the same...

Tuesdays: Family Adventures

Fridays: Star Trek

Occasional book posts

For Star Trek, it's onward with both Deep Space Nine and Voyager.  I should be well into Season 5 for the former and Season 3 for the latter by this time next year.  We have a movie coming up before long, too.

Family adventures will likely continue with the same themes: travel, food, film and games, more or less in that order of priority.  No big travel plans for this year but Spain/Morocco was far from a certainty twelve months ago so who knows?  I can virtually guarantee trips to Massachusetts, DC and Pennsylvania.  Beyond that, we'll see.

I am eternally grateful to those of you who stop by to read and engage.  As always, if any of you enjoys reading The Squid half as much as I enjoy writing it, we're all doing fine.  

Star Trek: The Thaw

Episode: "The Thaw"

Series: Star Trek: Voyager

Season 2, Episode 23

Original Air Date: April 29, 1996

via Memory Alpha

Voyager happens upon what is initially presumed to be an abandoned planet.  Neelix identifies it as a former important trading colony and scans reveal evidence of an advanced civilization, but no life forms.  And then, they receive a hail.  Miraculously, a very small group survived 2.3 km below the surface in artificial hibernation.  The hail was an automated response (we've seen those before) as they are still asleep.  Our friends beam the hibernation pods to the ship in hopes of reviving the occupants.  Then the real fun begins.

In order to learn more, Kim and Torres enter the same hibernation state where the survivors have generated a shared dream scape to keep their minds active.  Unfortunately, the dream has turned to nightmare.  A tyrannical clown (Michael McKean) embodies all of the inhabitants' anxieties and he uses them to manipulate, terrorize and even kill.  Obviously, all must be rescued.

The set up is complicated for what evolves into a fairly straightforward hostage narrative.  Of course, it's Star Trek so the philosophical exploration behind it all makes the basic a lot more interesting.  Plus, Michael McKean is predictably outstanding.  It's difficult to imagine anyone else playing an evil clown so expertly.  With the zany characters, simple set and melange of striking colors, "The Thaw" has the look and feel of an original series installment.  Overall, it's strong, one of Season 2's best.

Acting Notes

via Disney Wiki

Michael McKean was born in New York City, October 17, 1947.  He holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon and an MFA from NYU.  

McKean is one of the most recognizable television actors of his generation.  Never exactly an A-lister, he built his career as a top-notch comic character actor.  In 1976, he and his comedy partner David Lander were cast together in the Happy Days spin-off series Laverne & Shirley.  In fact, McKean and Lander had created their characters of Lenny and Squiggy while they were still in college.  Later, McKean was a company regular in several of Christopher Guest's mockumentaries, including This Is Spinal Tap, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind (for which he won a Grammy for the song of the same name) and For Your Consideration.  Over the years, he's made numerous appearances in highly regarded shows, including Better Call Saul, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Veep and The Good Place.  

McKean is the last surviving member of the Laverne & Shirley original principal cast.

via Wikipedia (McKean/Lenny bottom left)

Star Trek: Shattered Mirror

Episode: "Shattered Mirror"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 4, Episode 20

Original Air Date: April 22, 1996

via Memory Beta

Garak episode!

Mirror Universe (MU) Jennifer comes to visit Real World (RW) Benjamin in his dimension.  RW Jake meets her for the first time and is naturally eager to get to know her.  Unfortunately, Jennifer's motives are not 100% pure.  The plan is to lure Jake back to the MU so RW Ben will follow and help the Terran rebels - now in control of Terok Nor - put the finishing touches on their own Defiant.

As previously discussed (here), I'm not a huge fan of the Mirror Universe.  The original series episode is amazing but the use of the MU in DS9 feels mostly unnecessary.  That said, following up on the "what if Jennifer had lived" angle from Jake's perspective is genuinely meaningful.  

"Shattered Mirror" also brings MU Worf into the story for the first time.  He's is a Regent for the Cardassian-Klingon Alliance and he arrives on the scene determined to take back the station.  He captures MU Garak, the only Alliance official to escape the rebellion alive.  The chemistry between the two characters is wonderful, reminding me the actors hadn't had much previous opportunity to play off of one another.  MU Worf, while clearly a bad guy, is just as obviously a happier Klingon than his RW counterpart.  No conflicted identity baggage.  Just a warrior.  It suits him.

Our child and I watched together virtually.  We were most amused by MU Dax and Bashir's '80s new wave hairstyles,

via Memory Beta

via Star Trek Expanded Universe

bringing this to mind:

Acting Notes

via Memory Alpha

Carlos Carrasco (a Klingon officer) was born in Panama City, April 5, 1948.  He attended Canal Zone Junior College where he discovered acting.  An instructor helped him get an acting scholarship to Stephens College in Missouri where he was one of eight male students at a predominantly women's college.  

Films include Crocodile Dundee II, The Return of Superfly and Speed.  Television credits include Hunter, Angel and Parks and Recreation.  "Shattered Mirror" was his second of four Trek appearances.

Star Trek: Hard Time

Episode: "Hard Time"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 4, Episode 19

Original Air Date: April 15, 1996

via Memory Alpha

During a mission to Argathra, Chief O'Brien is falsely accused of espionage.  Unfortunately, Argathri justice is swift.  Before Starfleet can intervene, 20 years of prison memories are imbedded in O'Brien's brain and Doctor Bashir is unable to remove them.  Obviously, returning to "real life" after such an experience is brutally challenging.  

Star Trek's fascination with criminal procedures on other planets continues.  The closest precedent is Voyager's "Ex Post Facto" in which Tom Paris is forced to continually relive his supposed victim's final moments.  However, while the previous story focuses mostly on proving Tom's innocence, all of that is beside the point in O'Brien's situation.  Guilty or innocent, for the Chief, the damage is done - just like in the real world.  The difference makes for a far more poignant and compelling tale.

Worth noting: this episode came out only a year-and-a-half after Shawshank Redemption, a film which delves much deeper into the question of what prolonged prison life does to the human psyche.

Acting Notes

via Elm Street Wiki

Craig Wasson played the role of Ee'char, O'Brien's ill-fated cellmate.  Wasson was born in Ontario, Oregon, March 15, 1954.  He graduated from the University of Oregon.  His films include Body Double, Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and Four Friends, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination.  Television credits include The Bob Newhart Show, M*A*S*H and Murder, She Wrote.  He's musically talented, too.  In The Boys in Company C, he wrote and performed "Here I Am (in Vietnam)" which became the movie's theme song.

Star Trek: Rules of Engagement

Episode: "Rules of Engagement"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 4, Episode 18

Original Air Date: April 8, 1996

via Memory Alpha

Worf is in big trouble.  When the Defiant is attacked by Klingon Birds of Prey, Worf accidentally fires upon a civilian transport just as it decloaks, apparently killing all on board.  The Klingon wants him extradited to Qo'noS to stand trial.  The episode revolves around the extradition hearing with Sisko serving as defense counsel.

Some have been critical of plot holes but I'm always up for Worf development.  While Worf is on the witness stand, Ch'Pok torments him with the predictable "Are you truly Klingon?" taunts and just as predictably, they work in provoking our man.  The interesting, though unstated, revelation for this particular installment is that Worf, despite his outcast status within the Empire, is still symbolically important to the Klingons in power.  Obviously (to the viewer), they framed him in this particular instance.  They did so for broader strategic reasons but also because they still see Worf as a threat.

"Rules of Engagment" is a good O'Brien episode.  We learn a little bit more about his military record - 22 years of service, 235 combat encounters, decorated 15 times - and also about his regard for Worf, his longtime colleague aboard the Enterprise.

Acting Notes

via Wikipedia

Ron Canada (Ch'Pok) was born in New York City, May 3, 1949.  He graduated from Columbia University.  His path to acting was unusual.  He started in broadcast journalism, first in Baltimore, then in Washington, DC.  He won both a local Emmy and an AP award for his work in DC.  In 1985, he moved to New York to pursue a stage career.  Films include Cinderella Man, Wedding Crashers and Lone Star.  TV credits include One on One, The Shield and The West Wing.

Squid Flicks: Fantastic Planet

Title: Fantastic Planet

Director: René Laloux

Original Release Date: May 11, 1973

My Overall Rating: 4 stars out of 5

via Wikipedia

Humans, known as Oms, live as pets and pests for the much larger Draags on a strange planet.  In our tale, based on the novel Oms en série by Stefan Wul, Terr (based on the French word terre - translation: Earth) is young Tiwa's pet.  Tiwa dearly loves Terr but her parents insist she put a controlling collar on him.  Terr eventually manages to escape and join a band of untamed Oms.  The story that unfolds is an allegory for the relationship between the powerful and the powerless in our own world.  

Fantastic Planet was the Grand Prix jury prize winner at Cannes in 1973.  It generally does well on best animated films lists.  It's also widely considered one of the trippiest movies ever made.  With the psychedelic visuals and the invented vocabulary, it's unlikely to disappoint you if you're looking for an accompaniment to a chemically-induced experience.  Not that I condone such things...