Podcast appearances and mentions of James Kerwin

earl norm secret weapons sag gene roddenberry ology mission log james kerwin

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2023 57:27

So what was Gene Roddenberry's first produced piece of television science fiction? This week, Earl and Norm field-strip The Secret Weapon of 117 and find, logically enough, some very familiar concepts. Guest starring James Kerwin as Alfred Mark and Charlynn Schmeidt as Kamala Mark. Mission Log will continue its regular programming when the SAG strike has been settled. In the meantime, we will bring you special programming and encourage you to explore our complete show library at .

Gene-ology 8 - The Secret Weapon of 117

earl norm secret weapons sag gene roddenberry ology mission log james kerwin

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2023 57:27

Mission Log: A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast Gene-ology 8 - The Secret Weapon of 117

Gene-ology: A Roddenberry Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2023 57:27

Gene-ology 8 - The Secret Weapon of 117

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2023 57:27

earl norm secret weapons gene roddenberry ology james kerwin

Supplemental 76 - The Demon-Haunted Panel

live panel demon haunted supplemental roddenberry stlv mohamed noor john champion mission log james kerwin

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2023 51:11

Live from the Roddenberry stage at STLV, an assembled panel of scientists and enthusiasts look at the line between science and pseudoscience and how understanding the difference will help us achieve a better future. Join Dr. Kayla Iacovino, Dr. Mohamed Noor, Meredith Mikell, James Kerwin, and host John Champion for a spirited discussion. NOTE: Due to unforeseen technical limitations, the quality of our live audio was severely hindered. We have taken every step possible to improve the quality for your listening, and we apologize for the inconvenience. Mission Log will continue its regular programming when the SAG/WGA strike has been settled. In the meantime, we will bring you special programming and encourage you to explore our complete show library at .

Supplemental 76 - The Demon-Haunted Panel

live panel demon haunted supplemental roddenberry stlv mohamed noor john champion mission log james kerwin

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2023 51:11

Mission Log: A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast Supplemental 76 - The Demon-Haunted Panel

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2023 51:11

Supplemental 74 - The Nostalgia Factor, Live at STLV

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2023 52:01

Does nostalgia help or hinder the creative process? Are we, as viewers, swayed too easily by the comfort of familiar stories and characters? John and Norman are joined by special guest James Kerwin live onstage at Creation's 57-Year-Mission Convention in Las Vegas. NOTE: Due to unforeseen technical limitations, the quality of our live audio was severely hindered. We have taken every step possible to improve the quality for your listening, and we apologize for the inconvenience. Sponsored by - get three months FREE with our special offer!

las vegas nostalgia factor norman supplemental stlv james kerwin year mission convention

Supplemental 74 - The Nostalgia Factor, Live at STLV

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2023 52:01

las vegas nostalgia factor norman supplemental stlv james kerwin year mission convention

Mission Log: A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast Supplemental 74 - The Nostalgia Factor, Live at STLV

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2023 52:01

Star Trek Continues ”To Boldly Go. Part 2” - Detailed Analysis & Review

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 17, 2023 33:28

Today, we're looking at the final episode of Star Trek Continues. "To Boldly Go. Part 2." So how does this episode hold up against other series finales such as "All Good Things" and "What You Leave Behind". And how well does this episode tie together Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Motion Picture. There's a lot to talk about, including some cool stories shared with me by director James Kerwin. Audio Player control at bottom of page. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars. And I am a Nerd. This is episode 107 of the podcast. Today, we're talking about the final episode of Star Trek Continues. “To Boldly Go, Part 2.” bringing our coverage of this show to a close. The description on IMDB reads The iconic mission of the U.S.S. Enterprise comes to an end, as Kirk and his crew battle the ultimate adversary. This teleplay was written by Robert J. Sawyer and James Kerwin. With story by Vic Mignogna, Robert J. Sawyer and James Kerwin. It was directed by James Kerwin And it first aired on the 13th of November 2017. We pick up in a very tense situation from last episode's great cliffhanger. Kirk is unwilling to relinquish his bridge. He, Spock, and Uhura all try to fight back. To no avail. Even the security officer's phasers are useless against Lana's powers. And then the big surprise twist happens. Smith's eyes go silver. She is uplifted as well. This was nicely foreshadowed in the last episode where they mentioned that she was holding Garry's hand when they passed through the barrier. I felt then, that she was holding something back. She uses the same lightning force powers that Lana was using. We saw Gary Mitchel and Elizabeth Denher use them in “Where No Man Has Gone Before”. She forces Lana and Sentek to retreat to the Kongo. So … it seems Smith wasn't quite so unaffected as she claimed. I think this is a very cool development. But it raises a lot of questions. Where does Smith sit in the esper scale? Has she always been affected, but has been hiding it, or have her powers only just now manifested. And if so, why? Kirk asks security to escort her to sickbay. At first, she's taken aback. After all, she's one of the good guys right. She helped them against Lana. But after a moment of thought, she relents. It's probably a good idea. She understands the potential threat she represents. She sees things from Kirk's point of view. Maybe she'd even do the same thing in his place. She voluntarily goes with security. The big question is, why are they just sitting there. Why have they not destroyed the Enterprise and her crew? McCoy has the answer. It takes time for uplifted espers to grow in their powers. Perhaps they're biding their time until they all reach full strength. Bones has a medical defence that might help with the illusions. Scotty recommends keeping their distance as the espers don't have unlimited range with their powers. The Kongo's engines are offline. The crew must have shut it off before they were overpowered. Maybe the espers don't know how to get them going again. Kirk hasn't slept for two days. McCoy doesn't argue. Usually Kirk would be wrong, but not this time. He needs to keep going. I'm not sure McCoy is right, actually. As Riker says in Best of Both Worlds, you can't fight the enemy at the same time you're fighting your own fatigue. Lack of sleep impairs human decision making. I know my mind is absolutely useless after putting in a day of work, and Kirk has been going much longer than that. Yes, the situation is critical, but for the moment, it's quiet, This might be the perfect time for Kirk to catch 30 minutes of sleep while the enemy regroups. Of course, there's a lot to accomplish while they have this time. Coming up with defences, a plan of some sort. There are no good or easy answers, which is probably why McCoy is not arguing with him. In five years, 73 people have died under Kirk's command. He remembers the exact number. Of course he would. McCoy says “we'll stop them” but that's not the point. “At what cost, Doctor?” Kirk asks. That's what's really on his mind. It's fitting for Kirk to reflect back on the cost of his five year mission as it's nearing its end. Especially at a moment like this, when it looks like that cost is about to skyrocket. But there's more to it, as we'll soon discover. McKenna goes to see Smith. Everyone is afraid of her. Understandably. Contact with Gary, at the time of his uplifting left some residual energy in her. She didn't uplift at the time, probably because she doesn't have the psi rating necessary. But her proximity to the barrier now has reactivated that residual energy enough to uplift her. Smith has developed telepathy. She can read McKenna's mind. She can feel the power flowing through her, but she claims to not be dangerous. She would never hurt anybody. But McKenna can't know that for sure. Gary shows early signs of megalomania quite quickly. Denher much less so. She still retained her humanity despite temptation to the contrary. Why? Was it that Denher was intrinsically a better person? What is because Denher had a lower psi rating than Gary? If that's the case, it looks good for Smith as she seems to have a lower rating still. So far, it's looking like Smith has a good chance of keeping her humanity long term. But there are no guarantees here. We just just don't know. Charvanek comes to see Spock. It seems she is still trying to pursue a relationship with him. A relationship he was tempted to enter into in the past, but resisted. She asks Spock to come with her when her ship departs. The mission of the Enterprise is almost over. His job is complete. It's a logical time to make a change in his life. She tempts him with the promise of unification between Romulans and Vulcans. A promise that will consume him a century from now. But why would a Romulan commander want reunification? She is as he would want her to be, not as she truly is. This is not Charvanek. When Spock resists the illusion, it disappears. Other illusions are being used against the crew. An order to Checkov to lower shields and head into the barrier. Even Kirk's preoccupation with the deaths of crew under his command. I'm glad these moments were included. The greatest weapon Lana's espers have is their mental abilities. Their ability to confuse and manipulate the crew of the Enterprise. They should be using it every change they get. Probably a lot more than we see on screen. With that many espers, and so many on board the Enterprise susceptible to them, it's actually a miracle they don't blow up their own ship. This is one weakness I see in Deep Space Nine, actually. Now DS9 is my favourite of all the Star Trek shows, and I love everything to do with the Dominion War and the changelings. But their greatest strength was not the military might of their ships, or the fighting acumen of the Jem Hadar. Their greatest weapon was the ability to infiltrate the Federation. We saw a little hint of the potential they possessed in Homefront and Paradise Lost. And that was only 4 changelings. They should have used these infiltration tactics a lot more during the war. We know the blood screenings were not entirely effective. The Federation wouldn't have stood a chance. The reason I bring all this up is just to praise this episode for including these scenes. The battle begins. The Kongo fires on the Enterprise. The starboard nacelle is damaged. The Romulans join the fight but then move off. The espers might need a minute to recharge their powers. The nacelle needs 30 minutes to repair. Kirk orders a risky cold restart. The esper's powers cannot deflect multiple simultaneous strikes. But two vectors will not be enough. Three would do the job, but they don't have a third ship….or do they? Kirk orders the crew to prepare for a risky procedure. One they have never before attempted. Scotty will re-start the engines. They will separate the saucer from the Stardrive. Spock will command the saucer. Kirk, the secondary hull. Obviously, this is something that TNG did, but TOS never did. I was already aware that Gene Roddenberry had intended that the TOS Enterprise be able to separate. They didn't really have the budget to make it a reality until Encounter at Farpoint. What I didn't realise, until it was pointed out by James Kerwin, is that Kirk referred to the process, which they called “Jettisoning”, not “Separating” in two different TOS episodes. “The Apple” and “Savage Curtain”. Spock points out that it will be very difficult to re-integrate the ship after this. But not impossible I like this approach. It shows that while yes, the original Enterprise COULD separate the two sections, it wasn't a routine operation like on the Enterprise D. It's a last resort. Not necessarily indeed to be undone. Kirk describes it as “jettisoning the stardrive section.” So it's not the same as in TNG. I like this a lot. This gives the final episode of Star Trek Continues quite an epic feel. Now they can conduct a three-pronged attack on the Kingo. And it's working. The Kongo's power is decreasing. Kirk is commanding the stardrive section from Auxilary control, which was seen from time to time in the original series. The set was built for episode 3 “Fairest of Them All”. Director James Kerwin shared a story with me. The Auxilary control set was re-assembled for the finale, not having been used in a couple of years. But the buttons and lights on the helm console had deteriorated due to humidity and dust. They no longer worked, and they had to film in two days. Kermin checked the travel manifest and realised that Grant Imahara, who played Sulu, was flying in that day. Grant was an electrical engineer by trade. Kermin called him on his mobile phone and said “Grant, I'm so sorry, I know you have a day off before you need to film, but could you please come to set now and try to repair the auxiliary control helm console? He gladly did so and made it work beautifully. So when we see Sulu pressing the aux control helm buttons, and the lights on the console flashing, that was Grant's work. The Kongo hails the Enterprise. We hear some ominous music. Music that is very reminiscent of the score from Star Trek The Motion Picture. A very nice touch. This episode was the third time Andy Farber wrote and recorded original music for the show. Starting to integrate some themes from The Motion Picture was a deliberate charge from Mignongna to Farber. This episode is, afterall, the missing gap between TOS and TMP. A handing of the torch. What he did was incredible. He weaved these different styles of music together in an impressive and wonderful way. You hear it clearly during the saucer separation. What made this extra special was the inclusion of Craig Huxley. This man has deep connections to Star Trek. He played Peter James Kirk - the nephew of James Kirk, and also appeared in the episode “and the children shall lead.” He invented a very unique musical instrument that featured heavily in the score of Star Trek The Motion Picture. The blaster beam. The longest stringed instrument ever. You probably know what I'm talking about. The score for TMP had these deep resonant sounds like nothing you've heard before or since. Those sounds came from this unique instrument. Jerry Goldsmith discovered this instrument and wanted to use it in his score. It was also used in Star Trek 2 and 3, and even Back to The future and Alien. I was surprised to hear that, because to me, those sounds are uniquely synonymous with The Motion Picture. They brought Huxley back to perform some blaster box for the score of this episode, and man does it make a difference. It impacts me on such an emotional level, because of the link to The Motion Picture. The Kongo's original crew, including their captain, are alive in the cargo bay. Lana is going to use them as leverage to negotiate. They want McKenna to beam aboard the Kongo, in exchange for the Kongo's captain. If she doesn't they'll decompress the hanger deck. It's a classic prisoner exchange, like in Generations. But who will it benefit most? McKenna is willing to go. Sentek gives only one minute. Spock tries to contact Kirk but Uhura can't get through the interference. McKenna is trained in mediation. She can find a way to a win-win situation. Spock is in command. He has to make a decision. This could be a deception. The Kongo crew may not even be there. McKenna urges Spock to listen to his feelings, rather than his logic. Interestingly, I would have thought that his emotions would want him to protect McKenna, his friend. But he relents and agrees to the exchange. Mckenna for Captain Azmi. This raises the important question of why they want McKenna so much. As soon as McKenna beams away, it is revealed that the lifesigns were an illusion. There are no crew to be saved. Sentek lied. When Spock confronts him about this, saying Vulcans never lie, Sentek says they both know that is not true. And I can't argue with that. They now have a valuable hostage. One for whom Spock has affection. And that may be motivation enough for the espers wanting the exchange. Lana orders Spock to stand down or McKenna will die. Spock agrees. The Kongo warps out of the system. Can things possibly get any worse? Lana brings food to McKenna, which gives her the opportunity to try to reason with her. McKenna says there is room for everyone in the Federation. She'll do all she can to help them find acceptance. Lana points out that time after time, humanity has turned its back on self-improvement. After all they've done, Lana knows there is no place for her and her people in the Federation. She may be right. I can't imagine many in the Federation would be keen to welcome these people, given the danger they possess. Lana sees her and her people as humanity's successors. She doesn't want to assimilate into the Federation. She wants to replace it. With help from the Romulans, the Enterprise has been re-attached into one piece. They're now in pursuit, but they're a long way behind. Starfleet has requested help from both the Klingons and the Romulans. Both have said no. McCoy's medical defence is ready to help them focus. This is important for the story, because otherwise, sooner or later, someone on the ship would succumb to an illusion. The good guys have to have a chance to succeed at some point. Uhura has a way to circumvent the esper's subspace disruption, so they'll be able to communicate and coordinate. The Enterprise will be working with the Exeter and the Potempkin. The only other two constitution class ships in service. Spock apologises for his recent decision. Kirk confirms he would have done the same thing in his place. Smith wants to help. Kirk isn't convinced it's a good idea. Her power is growing quickly. But is her ego growing with the power? There seems to be no evidence of that so far. Five years ago, Smith watched Kirk make impossible choices to protect his crew. That set something in motion in her. He showed her what it means to serve. Originally a yeoman, Smith left and got her commission so she could return to the Enterprise and serve her crew. This is what she's meant to do - help. Either Smith is a very good actor, or she is still herself. Still a good person. It's a great speech and a very nice character moment for Smith. If things weren't already bad enough, it seems the Exeter and Potempkin have both been destroyed. They fired on each other. The espers powers of illusion have grown significantly. Probably greater even than what Gary's were before he died. This episode is doing a fantastic job of taking the tension and ramping it up further and then further. Uhura and Spock have come up with another way to shield the Enterprise from the illusory power of the espers. It will be limited, but might buy them some time. But without the other two ships, time to do what? When they see the Kongo on screen, we hear another booming note from the blaster beam. So effective. Smith is going to try to use her powers to force her way through the Kongo's shields in order to beam over there. Kongo has started firing. Spock has located McKenna. Smith is on it. The scene where she storms into the Kongo engine room and throws the espers aside is awesome. She has become a powerful superhero and I love it. Who would have thought, looking at the character in Star Trek's second pilot, that she would end up here. But now it's two against one, and their powers have had a lot more time to grow than hers. As they zap her, her eyes seem to dim. So she starts to fire all her power into the ship's engines. The espers run. Her eyes fade to normal. Her lifesigns are gone. She used the last of her energy to burn out the Kongo's systems. And this brings the story of Smith to an end. She dies a hero. She fulfils her dreams. She is able to serve in the most powerful way, doing what nobody else could have done. When I think back on this episode, I always remember another death, that we'll talk about shortly. But after this time through, Smith's death will stick with me just as much, maybe even more. This death is just as emotionally impactful. This is the moment when the good guys win. James Kerwin really enjoyed shooting Smith's sacrifice. He and actress Kipleigh Brown had been working together on film projects for many years, and both started working on Star Trek Continues at the same time, episode 3. He was glad to give the character an honourable send-off. Not only did Kipleigh Brown write the previous episode, “What Ships are For”, she also wrote Smith's farwell speech to Kirk. The Romulans are firing killing shots at the Kongo. But they still have someone over there. The Romulans, like their Vulcan cousins, it seems, are very pragmatic in this situation. They're not willing to risk the galaxy just for McKenna. The visuals of the damages Kongo with it's decks exposed looks awesome. Reminds me of the remastered effects in The Doomsday Machine. Even Charvanek,who is still aboard the Enterprise, doesn't approve of Tal's actions. Now the Romulan ship is firing at the Enterprise too. The Enterprise takes some very significant damage. Casualty reports coming from all over the ship. As the saucer is mangled, and sparks flare all over the bridge, we get an epic sense of disaster you wouldn't see in any other episode of TOS. This is the finale. It all ends here. This nicely gives an added reason for the ship to undergo a major refit prior to TMP. Charvanek disables the weapons on her ship, relieving Tal of his position. The Kongo hails. They're in bad shape. Even Lana has lost the silver from her eyes. “Well fought, Kirk,” she says. “For a moment we knew the freedom of infinity.” Their reactor is building up. Scotty needs a minute to beam McKenna out. He doesn't get it. He's half got her, but having trouble re materialising her. It looks like Spock has done it, but it still doesn't work. Spock's emotions come out as he hits the console. McKenna is still standing there, shimmering, allowing them to have a tearful goodbye. Kirk apologises and thanks her. Spock approaches. It's a painful moment for him. She says something to him, although it isn't overly apparent to me in this scene. We get hints of music from Star Trek 2. Fitting. This scene really tears me apart. McKenna herself seems to have a quiet acceptance of her death. She has a smile that seems to say “Thanks for trying.” She is remarkably brave in the face of her imminent death. Were I in her situation. I'd probably be horrified. McKenna fades away. Dead. It makes narrative sense that McKenna would die in this episode. Over the course of this fourth season, she has become an important part of the show. Part of this family. It makes no sense that she wouldn't be around in the movies. It's logical that she would die. I guess the same is true for Smith. And in a story of this magnitude, there needs to be loss. There has to be a price for victory. In the end, McKennma's death was kind of senseless. She wasn't able to make a difference, although it does serve an important story purpose as we'll see in a minute. But Smith's death was critical to their victory. They never would have won without her. In a very real sense, she is the hero of this story. The Enterprise crawls home on its hands and knees. She has come home. But it's not the triumphant moment they had anticipated. Their recent losses, how close they came to disaster, it all weighs heavily on them. Kirk's log is spoken with a very sombre voice. We see the spacedock in orbit, where she'll stay until her refit is complete and Kirk takes her out to confront V'ger. We see a TOS shuttle fly over the golden Gate Bridge in a scene that otherwise could have come from the motion picture. Admiral Nogura, who we hear about in the motion picture, but never see, congratulates Kirk on completing his five year mission, and on saving the galaxy. It's cool to have that character appear in this episode. In the show, we didn't see the Enterprise crew saving the entire galaxy. They tended to deal with smaller scale issues most of the time. But it's very fitting that they have faced and overcome such a threat in their final story. Kirk still feels the cost acutely. Based on Kirk's experiences with McKenna, Kirk calls the experimental counsellor program a success. It should continue. Starfleet ships from now on will have counsellors on board. Kirk looks at a series of models, from Cochrane's Phoenix, to the NX-01, We see the USS Discovery, the constitution class, and finally, the constitution refit, as the TMP theme starts to play. I get goosebumps. Now, potentially, Discovery shouldn't be seen here, as that ship was classified when it travelled into the future. Of course, Discovery season 1 was brand new when this episode was made, so that canon hadn't been established yet. Personally, I think it's not out of the question for an admiral to still have a crossfield class model in his office. It was still a part of Starfleet history. Nogura would have been active in Starfleet during the time of Discovery. And I think it's worth it for the emotional resonance of seeing it in the lineup. It's nicely ties old and new Trek together. The Enterprise will be refit from the keel up. The crew will be given promotions. And the Federation council has voted to reinstate the enterprise Delta as the official insignia of Starfleet. Kirk says Scotty always thought it reminded him of the port and starboard warp signatures of Cochrane deceleration. I can't help but wonder if this is a nod to the novel Star Trek Federation. To Kirk, it's an arrow. Rising upward and outward. I was never a fan of the alternate insignias for other ships, and I believe, neither was Rodennberry. I remember reading somewhere, and I don't remember where, so take this with a grain of salt, but I seem to remember Roddenberry wanted the crew of other ships to have the familiar delta, but the costume designer kept making new insignias, probably because he wanted to express his creativity. For me, this is a part of canon I tend to try to ignore. It's clear that in most of Star Trek, the delta is intended to be the logo for all of Starfleet, and always has been. But, those alternate insignias are part of canon. And they were further canonised by both Enterprise and Strange New Worlds. Later Star Trek established the delta was used as the general Starfleet logo both prior to Kirk's five year mission, and again afterwards. James Kerwin resolved this by having Nogura say that in honour of the Enterprise, they were RE-establishing the delta as the official starfleet logo. This episode makes it all work here in a fitting way. Kirk is questioning whether his time has ended. He is not the same person he was. He's suffered a lot of loss. His preoccupation with the loss of people under his command may have been brought on by the espers, but these feelings are real. He expects more of himself than he's able to give any longer. He could never be happy with that. This makes him more receptive to what Nogura is about to offer him. We see the Enterprise crew assembled in the same room where Kirk briefs them in TMP. It's fascinating seeing those colourful TOS uniforms in a background plate that looks like it's taken directly from TMP. I do love the transitional moments like this. Kirk emerges in his motion picture admiral uniform. Like most people, I'm not a big fan of the TMP uniforms, but the one exception is Kirk's admiral uniform. I like that a lot. I kinda wish the movie had just used that uniform for everyone. Kirks makes a speech. He has been promoted to admiral and chief of Starfleet operations. That's the bad news. The good news is that they will continue to reach deeper into the stars. Explore more new worlds. Venturing further into the final frontier. Our greatest adversaries, he says, are ourselves. We have much to learn about what's out there, but also about what's in here. The experience with the espers has cemented that lesson. Now the music goes full TMP. The next thing the episode needs to do is set up where McCoy and Spock will be at the start of the movie. McCoy says he's done. He's seen enough death. What he hasn't seen is his daughter in five years. He's leaving Starfleet and going home. I feel that McCoy's departure hasn't been as well set up as Spocks, which we'll get to in a minute. But his reasons are sound. Particularly the family thing 5 years is a very long time to not see your child. We don't know the exact details of his family in the prime universe canon, but it has been established through the years, particularly in books, that McCoy had a family. The Kelvin movies made his marriage and divorce canon. I can't begin to imagine not seeing your child for five years, but I applaud him for doing something about it now. This works really quite well for me, but I think it would work even better had there been a little more foreshadowing through the season. Seeing McCoy start to lament the lost time with his daughter. Realising how great that cost had become. Of course, this isn't the end of their friendship. And there's a nice little nod to Drake. There's an acknowledgement of the awkward but strong friendship that exists between Spock and Bones when he invites Spock to join them. Spock tells Jim what McKenna said to him before she was lost in the transporter beam. “Forgive yourself.” A difficult thing. McKenna encouraged Spock to pay attention to his emotions. He did so. He made an emotional decision, ignored his logic and allowed her to beam over. That decision cost many lives, including hers. Spock doesn't know how to deal with the guilt and regret he's feeling. All he knows how to do with emotions is suppress them. And that leads him to make the decision to undergo the Kholinar. He will purge all his remaining emotions. This whole Kholinar thing seemed to come from nowhere in The Motion Picture. So Spock's arc in this episode makes a whole lot of sense. It retroactively makes Spock's arc in TMP even better. I absolutely love what the episode does here. It's brilliant character work. Kirk will see his two friends at dinner. But there's one last thing he has to do. He goes to the bridge of the Enterprise. Now shut down and empty. And he looks at it. Says goodbye. While Kirk says goodbye to his command, we say goodbye to a bridge that we will never see again - not in this form. It's a powerful scene. It holds similar emotional resonance as the poker scene at the end of “All Good Things.” The episode hangs there. Gives Vic the time just to look and react. We finish with a captain's log. Kirk's last. At least for now. Then we pull back on a shot of the Enterprise in spacedock, as the music becomes very TMP sounding. There is no music over the ending credits, just the ambient sound of the bridge. This episode does everything a series finale should do, and it does it in style. We had a huge story with epic stakes. Powerful impacts for our characters. A sense of full-circle as we link back to the beginning, and a setting up for what will come after. I'd put this one right up there with the best of the Star Trek Finales, “All Good Things” and “What you Leave Behind.” This is certainly orders of magnitude better than “Endgame.” I've loved Star Trek Continues as a whole, but this final two-parter epitomises the reasons I love this show so much. I have to give a huge congratulations to the cast and crew. To everyone who made this labour of love a reality. This show has a special place in my heart, and I'm deeply grateful to those who created it. I would like to acknowledge the tragic passing of actor Grant Imahara who played Sulu. He passed away on the 13th of July 2020 at just 49 years of age I'd like to say a huge thankyou once again, to James Kerwin for reaching out to me, and generously answering my questions and sharing some cool stories. Thanks, James. Here ends my coverage of Star Trek Continues. So what next? Well it seems crazy not to jump right into Star Trek The Motion Picture after this. I've covered all the TNG movies on the podcast, but I haven't covered the TOS movies. So I'll make my way through them. I also have some ideas of things I can do along the way. I've been thinking of revisiting the original Transformers cartoon from the 80s, which I have powerful childhood memories of. See if there's anything in them worthy to discuss as an adult. I'd likely cover more than one episode in a podcast, and probably not go into as much recap detail as I've been doing with Star Trek. The idea is something I can do a little more off-the-cuff. Something that will take less time as I try to focus more on the fiction writing. I'm also thinking of giving periodic updates on my reading of DC Comics, using the DC Universe Infinite app. Anyway, there's plenty more to come, so I hope you'll find something of interest in the future of Nerd Heaven. Until next time, Live Long and Prosper. Make it so.

music starting apple doctors stars explore powerful dead rising lack alien discovery forgive nerds star trek bones delta back to the future encounter endgame generations enterprise personally transformers tal dc comics trek federation scotty prosper separating fitting detailed mccoy garry spock exeter reminds vulcans motion pictures paradise lost captain kirk venturing realising deep space nine tos homefront casualty cochrane leave behind strange new worlds kongo tng starfleet understandably gene roddenberry klingons nx go part live long farber jerry goldsmith star trek the motion picture fairest sulu uhura boldly go both worlds romulan romulans star trek the original series roddenberry farpoint all good things doomsday machine tmp kingo enterprise d vic mignogna star trek continues audio player grant imahara uss discovery where no man has gone before dc universe infinite robert j. sawyer dominion war checkov spocks jem'hadar to boldly go what you leave behind james kerwin gary mitchel stardrive kipleigh brown andy farber

Star Trek Continues ”To Boldly Go Part 1” - Detailed Analysis & Review

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2023 27:50

Today, we're looking at "To Boldly Go Part 1", the first half of the Star Trek Continues grant finale. See how this episode ties back to the Star Trek pilot "Where No Man Has Gone Before", how it sets up everything for the exciting conclusion, and hear some fascinating new insights into the episode from director James Kerwin. Player at bottom of page http://AdamDavidCollings.com/books ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars. And I am a nerd This is episode 106 of the podcast. Today, we're talking about the first part of the Star Trek Continues grand finale, “To Boldly Go, Part 1”. I got an email a few weeks ago. It was from James Kerwin. Yes, that James Kerin. Writer, producer and director for Star Trek Continues, including director of today's episode. He reached out to me to say he'd been listening to the podcast and enjoying it. This was a huge thrill. It's very humbling to find that one of the creators of the show has been listening to the podcast, so I want to give a big shout out and thank you to him, not only for his work on the show, but for his encouragement. And he pointed out a few fascinating things that I'd missed. Remember in episode three, I talked about how good the shuttlecraft exterior looked. It turns out, they didn't build that from scratch that was the real shuttlecraft Galileo from Star Trek The Original Series. How awesome is that? I've made mention of Nurse Chapel a couple of times, but that wasn't actually Chapel. They made a conscious decision not to have Chapel appear on screen in this show because she should be off at Starfleet Medical getting her doctorate at this point in time, which makes a lot of sense. So it was always Nurse Burke, a character who had appeared in Star Trek comics and novels. And Lieutenant Smith has not actually been on the Enterprise the whole time. But we'll learn more about that in the next episode. But here's a big one I missed. The actress who plays her, Kipleigh Brown, was the writer of episode 9 “What Ships are For” I didn't put that together, but I think that's really cool. The description on IMDB for today's episode reads To solve the utmost mystery, the Enterprise must return to where Kirk's five-year mission began. The teleplay was by Roberty J. Sawyer based on a story by Vic Mignongna, James Kerwin, and Robert J. Sawyer. It was directed by James Kerwin, And it first aired on the 18th of October 2017. Robert J. Sawyer was the primary writer of this two-parter. He is a very famous Canadian author who wrote FlashForward, which was adapted for TV by Star Trek's Branon Braga, and Man of Steel's David S. Goyer. When Star Trek The Next Generation was preparing to wrap and move to the big screen, they gave it a two-hour finale. This idea was pretty unheard of at the time. Lots of shows in the 90s had movie-length pilots, but not finales. TV shows tended to pitter out and end with a bit of a whimper. TNG changed all that. But the original Star Trek never got a proper finale, like TNG, DS9, and Voyager. Even Enterprise got a finale of sorts, which I will partially defend, though not the feature length extravaganza that others got. But things were different in the 60s. TOS had no ending. It was cancelled. Turnabout Intruder wasn't intended to be the end of the story, it was just an episode. One of the greatest things about Star Trek Continues is that it rectifies this. It gives TOS the ending it always deserved. And it's done so well. Much like “All Good Things”, it calls back to a lot of things from the past, but it specifically links us back to the very first episode, “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” Even the titles relate, each is part of Kirk's iconic phrase. The symmetry is beautiful. But hold on, I hear you say. “What about the Cage? Isn't that the pilot of TOS?” Well, yes it is. Star Trek had an unprecedented two pilots. But The Cage never actually aired in its original form during the run of the show. These days, I tend to think of The Cage as the pilot for Strange New Worlds. So in my mind, it makes a lot of sense for this episode to tie in with “Where No Man has Gone Before.” Director James Kerwin gave me some interesting insight into the production of these episodes. They actually filmed this two-parter before they filmed the last episode “What Ships are For.” CBS/Paramount had implemented their fan-film guidelines, guidelines. Now a show like this would have needed some substantial changes to fit with these guidelines. They were required to be less than 15 minutes or no more than 2 30 minute parts in total with no additional seasons, episodes or sequels. CBS didn't require the show to shut down, but with these guidelines in place, and Discovery about to release, out of respect, they decided to wind down Star Trek Continues. They did a final fundraiser to complete episodes 8, 10 and 11, but there was no money to make episode 9. But at the last minute, a generous donor gave them the money for episode 9. They shot the finale first to get it out of the way, and went back several months later to film “What Ships are For.” I'm glad that generous donor made it possible, because that last episode was pretty amazing. The episode opens with Spock & McKenna meditating together. This is normally a very private affair, but Spock considers it an honour to teach a willing student. Meditation is the one time that Vulcans truly acknowledge their emotions. You can see why it's so private. McKenna's inclusion in this moment shows the level of intimacy that has grown between these two. They will both miss these sessions when the mission is over. We learn here about a vulcan discipline, the Dulhutnar, an alternative to the Kolinahr. Rather than the purging of emotions, the Dulhutna is about accepting the wisdom of vestigial emotions. Spock considers there to be No chance of him pursuing either. Of course, we know that shortly after this finale, he will return to Vulcan and pursue the Kolinahr. Spock and McKenna's relationship is special. They share private things they wouldn't share with others. Time with humans has taught Spock to value his human side. And then they hold hands. That's a huge deal. Vulcans are not comfortable with physical contact. And even for humans, holding hands is a sign of affection and physical intimacy. The Enterprise is scheduled to return home soon. Their 5 year mission is coming to an end. The loss of The Hood crew still weighs on him. You'll remember that back in “Embracing the Winds” a mysterious life support failure cost the lives of the entire crew. A failure that Scotty was unable to explain. I remember commenting at the time that I hoped the show would follow up on that. I couldn't remember if it did. We'll see in this episode that it is definitely followed up. The Yorktown and the Republic were both damaged while investigating The Hood's loss. The Enterprise is being sent to the Federation colony on Aldebran III which went completely silent shortly afterward. Admiral Thesp, a very cool looking Andorian, admits that the Federation had a secret laboratory on the planet. A supply vessel sent to investigate never returned. They detected anti-proton residue. That means Romulans. The colony has been destroyed. The central reactor suffered a containment failure. Scotty thinks that should be impossible. He installed the safeguards himself 5 years ago, which, I suppose, gives us a glimpse of what Scotty's job was before the Enterprise's 5 year mission began. Interestingly, Vic pronounces the word Sabotage the same way Shatner does. Sabotage. I don't know how common that is in America, or Canada for that matter, but here in Australia, we definitely say Sabotage. Anyway, I love these little bits of attention to detail. It's really cool. The underground pandora research lab is intact but it has a scattering field so Scotty will have to beam them down outside. The set for the planet looks very reminiscent of what we might have seen on The Original Series, and yet, kind of better, in my opinion. It's a real work of art. I like the little elevator shaft to gain entrance to the lab. The only sign of habitation nearby. Presumably, the colony was elsewhere on the planet. A drone appears and attacks them. The effects here are a good match for the original series. Again, better quality, but recognisable. There's a good sense of danger to this action scene. After they've dealt with it, a human woman, Lana, appears out of the turbolift. She's surprised to see a Vulcan. The sensors detected him as Romulan. Lana is played by actress Nichola Bryant who famously portrayed the Doctor Who companion Peri, a character I've been known to refer to as “the whinging yank”. But in fairness to her, Colin Baker's Sixth Doctor was a bit of a prickly guy to be around. James Kerwin was a big Doctor Who fan growing up. Colin Baker and Nichola Bryant were the doctor/companion pairing that he most remembered as a child. It was a big honour for him to work with both of them on Star Trek Continues. Colin Baker appeared in Episode 4, The White Iris, as Amphidamas. And Nichola Bryant appeared in this two-parter. How cool is it that he got to work with them both on this show? Lana is wearing a visor. To me, it looks similar to the one that Spock and Miranda Jones had to wear when viewing the Medusans back in “Is There No Truth in Beauty.” But as she removes the visor, we see her eyes. The same metallic colour we saw in Gary Mitchell after he was uplifted by passage through the galactic barrier, back in the pilot episode. Ever since this phenomenon was discovered, after “Where No Man Has Gone Before”, Starfleet have been gathering people with high psi-quotients and experimenting with them. Trying to uplift them. There are 25 of them. This sounds like a REALLY BAD IDEA My first thought is, are section 31 involved? This woman is part of a first trial. They have already gone through the barrier. They are weaponised humans - to serve as a last resort in case the Federation is invaded by a superior force. When Kirk questions the legitimacy of such an action, she refers to the starfleet charter. Article 14 Section 31. And there it is. Lana makes the statement “Absolute power does not corrupt absolutely. It corrupts selectively.” I don't believe that all power will always corrupt. I don't buy into the old adage. Lana makes a fair point - of the two espers that were uplifted in the pilot, one became a megalomaniac. The other retained her humanity. We don't really know why. Did Gary already have elements of megalomania in his personality? Was he somehow more susceptible to it than Denher was? There could have been all sorts of factors. And that uncertainty makes this whole thing a very risky endeavour. Lana claims that psychologically unstable espers were excluded from the operation. But they can't know for certain what might cause another Gary Mitchell. That, in my opinion, makes what they're doing too dangerous. Kirk asks which she is, and she answers by saying she follows “Sas-tar-po-harn” This is a human spiritual movement that follows the pacifict teachings of Surak and T'Mord of Vulcan. I think this is a very interesting idea. And a logical one. In Babylon 5, when humans made first contact, there was a growing interest in alien religions among humans, the theory being that races that are more technologically advanced than we are, must be closer to God. I can see some people thinking that way. It seems a similar thing may have happened in the Star Trek universe. After first contact with Vulcans, it's only logical that some humans may have chosen to adopt Vulcan philosophy. So this is a nice touch. Lana explains that a cloaked ship came here and attacked the lab. It destroyed the Hallifax. The other espers have been kidnapped by the Romulans. Lana played dead with her powers so they didn't find her. Spock surmises that Vulcans cannot be uplifted, based on his prior experience at the barrier. He was not uplifted despite his psi-abilities. If Vulcans cannot be uplifted, then neither can Romulans. But this raises a question. Do Romulans have the same telepathic abilities as Vulcans? I've never heard of a Romulan conducting a mind meld. The Romulan ancestors left Vulcan during a time of barbarism. The TNG episode “Gambit” suggests that ancient Vulcans had telepathic abilities because they constructed a telepathic weapon called The Stone of Gol. That suggests the Romulans may indeed have similar telepathic abilities to Vulcans, even though we've never really seen it. Unless there's some example I'm forgetting. The Romulans want to use the kidnapped human espers because they can't create their own. Seems logical. The interesting thing is, they don't want to use the force against the Federation, but to overthrow their own Praetor. Apparently, the Romulan Klingon alliance has ended, and this group of Romulans oppose the end of the alliance. Spock raises concern over taking Lana with them. Better to leave her here. Stranded. As they had intended for Mitchell. A Romulan appears. Sentek. He is played by Cas Anvar, who played Alex Kamal on The Expanse. The Expanse had already aired a season or two by this point. I continue to be impressed with the actors that Star Trek Continues is able to get. Lana disarms Sentek. They beam out (with the prisoner) just before the explosion. They're pursuing the Romulan ship but it'll enter the neutral zone before they catch up. Admiral Thesp orders him to enter the zone and pursue all the way to Romulus if necessary. Just get the espers back. Kirk doesn't look too impressed with this. Among other reasons that he probably realises, this is a suicide mission, but in addition to that, it could provoke a war. Spock asks Uhura to transmit an encrypted message. It's all a bit mysterious. Kirk has some hard questions for Lana. Why was that one romulan left on the planet? Why didn't she use her powers to overcome him? She theorises that he is a praetorian spy hidden among the dissidents. He fled to the hills. None of her answers sound particularly convincing. The Enterprise officially crosses the border. They are now in violation of treaty. Of course, so were the Romulans, but it seems they didn't represent the Romulan government so that will be a very weak excuse as far as they are concerned. A bird of prey decloaks. It's not the marauder. When Spock identifies the ship, Kirk shakes his head. He knows what Spock is up to. They are hailed by the Romulan commander from The Enterprise Incident. Played wonderfully by Amy Rydell, the daughter of the original actor to play the part in the TOS episode. She does a fantastic job, and almost convinces me she's the time-travelling original actor. She is referred to Charvanek in this episode but was never named on screen in The Enterprise Incident. She does whisper her name to Spock but we never learn what it is. The Name Charvanek was used in a number of non-canon sources. But she's also given other names in various novels and games. She doesn't attack but her words make it clear she considers a formal declaration of war is all but inevitable due to the Enterprise's entry into the zone. Kirk isn't impressed that Spock contacted her of his own volition. Spock admits the reason he didn't ask is because he knew Kirk wouldn't agree. How human you are becoming, Mister Spock. Spock believes he can convince her to assist them in pursuing the dissidents, due to their previous rapport. Kirk gives him 30 minutes. At the end of The Enterprise Incident, Charvanek was taken into Federation space and released on a world on our side of the border. It seems that Sarak was the one who negotiated the treaty that led to her return to Romulan space. It seems she was able to get her old command back. That must have taken some convincing on her part. Spock appeals to her loyalty to the Praetor. It doesn't take much to convince her to help stop the dissidents. The twist happens when she meets the prisoner. He is no Romulan commander that she knows, and she knows her fleet. She knows her fellow commanders. As he is discovered, Sentek beams out, apparently at Kirk's command, according to the transporter chief. Sentek tries to sabotage engineering. In the battle, Charvanek is rendered unconscious by something similar to a Vulcan nerve pinch. It's nice to see Doctor M'Benga again. McCoy has found that Sentek is actually a Vulcan who lived on the colony, and he's married to Lana. He had unusually high natural psionic ability, even for a Vulcan. They speculate that he wanted an equal for a mate. A human who could be uplifted to be his equal. They also speculate that Lana's trip through the barrier may not have been approved by Starfleet. When Kirk confronts Lana, she explains that she sees her uplifting as a way to accelerate human evolution, which she considers to have stalled. We get some very interesting worldbuilding. Apparently the barrier around our galaxy was artificially constructed and placed there by the preservers. I love this. It makes sense of what was a bit of a silly idea in TOS, and adds to the mystique and mythology of the Star Trek universe. It's a shame that Star Trek never explored the preservers more than it did. When she asks why the preservers did it, McCoy speculates that “it was probably to keep us in, to prevent our violence from spreading”. This reminds me somewhat of C.S Lewis's space trilogy, which suggests that the vast interstellar distances between stars are God's natural quarantine to keep sinful humanity confined. Lana has a different theory, that it was so that naturally superior lifeforms could be uplifted when they devised the technology to leave the galaxy. McCoy pushes back “you don't know what gods think.” It's very chilling when she replies “Yes. I do.” The implication, of course, being that she is a god. When humans start thinking of themselves as gods, you're probably in for trouble. It turns out, the ship the Enterprise has been following was just an illusion. Created, presumably, by Lana. But why does she want to start a war between the Romulans and the Federation? Uplifted espers seem to have very similar powers of illusion to the Talosians. It's nice to see Sulu taking command on the bridge. He's showing a good aptitude for the job he'll eventually have. Charvanek is still working with her old first officer, Tal. He doesn't seem interested in apologies. He's planning to destroy the Enterprise. This raises the question of where Charvanek is. If she's still on the Enterprise, he'll be killing her. More likely, she's on her ship, but left the bridge in the hands of her first office, much like Kirk has with Sulu. We get some interesting insight into Romulan religion when the commander says he hopes that Spock's katra finds its way to Vol-to-vor. We know from Star Trek 5, that vol-to-vor is the romulan's equivalent of Eden. So it seems in their religion, it is both a place of origin as well as a destination. This is somewhat different to Christianity, where Eden and heaven are distinct. The Romulans can't fire. They think they're pressing the button, but they're not. Lana's influence, no doubt. When Charvanek returns to the bridge we see that Tal has been overstepping his authority. She orders that they will assist the Enterprise with their mission. I smell a potential mutiny in their future. Kirk figures out the truth behind Lana's deception. There never were any dissidents. The espers weren't kidnapped by Romulans. There never were any Romulans on the planet. The espers stole the Halifax. The deception was to buy time for the espers to make it to the galactic barrier. This is what happened to the Hood. The espers convinced the crew to shut off their own life support. Just to see if they could. That's horrifically cold. These people truly see themselves as above humankind. Of more value. They have no regard for human life. Given that, it seems believable that Lana would be willing to start this war just as a distraction. There is no doubt now. Lana is a full villain Kirk is now questioning his judgement He calls those who were present at the events of “Where no man has gone before” which includes Smith, who is back on the ship now. Plus others who were not there. Spock asks Smith if there's anything she can share of her experience. She was holding Mitchell's hand when they crossed. She has nothing to add that wasn't in her report. But her demeanour suggests maybe she's holding something back. Scotty is keenly aware of what they're up against. Gary was difficult enough to defeat on his own. They're going to face an entire ship full of uplifted espers. Kirk takes solace in the fact that despite his powers, Gary was still just as susceptible to human frailty. Then he adds “he couldn't even remember my middle name” which is an amusing little nod to the “James R Kirk” tombstone in that episode. Canon fixed. Charvanek's takes the practical approach. Strike first, before they have the ability to grow in their power. Similar to Spock's recommendation all those years ago. Kirk won't have that. These are still Federation citizens. This is a rescue mission. I get it. I'm all for idealism, and I'd side with Kirk on this. You can't just shoot to kill while they're still human. But calling it a rescue mission? I believe that's a little naive. These people know what they're doing. They're actively trying to undergo this transformation. I guess the difference is that their egoes, their ambitions, will be increased along with their powers. (much like Khan with his genetically engineered nature) Sulu comes up with an ingenious way to catch up with the espers. Combine a traditional warp field with the space-folding singularity used by the Romulan ship, reminding us of his background in natural sciences, back in Where No Man Has Gone before. There's a lot of physics to flying a starship so it makes a lot of sense to me that a good helmsman would have a background in science. Lana decides it's time to escape captivity. She flings the forcefield away and then forces Drake to kill the other guard, and then slowly commit suicide. This is a very chilling scene, and again demonstrates how little regard she has for human life. Can you imagine the horror of that moment, feeling your arm moving, knowing you're about to disintegrate your body, and having no power to prevent it. It's horrifying. This moment is better than any other redshirt death that has ever happened in TOS, and possibly Star Trek in general. Firstly because we've gotten to know this character. He's been developed of a number of episodes. He's not just a nameless face. We know he's a person with a life, people who love him. In addition to that, it treats the moment with the gravity it deserves. I'm left feeling something very deeply, and that would probably even be the case even if we hadn't been introduced to him earlier in the season. Farewell, Drake. You will be missed. The Enterprise and the Romulan ship have made it to the galactic barrier. The Hallifax is at the border. But have they gone through yet or not? Kirk hails them. He offers aid, to be a go-between for them with Starfleet Command. He doesn't give the impression of a neutral party, though. They do, after all, work for Starfleet Command. But it's a trap. The Halifax is empty. Another ship appears behind them. A constitution class ship, The USS Kongo emerges from the barrier. It's too late. There are only around 12 people on board. We get a view of their bridge, and they all have silver eyes. If that wasn't bad enough, Lana and Sentek enter the Enterprise bridge. “Relinquish command or the Enterprise will suffer the same fate as the Hood.” To be concluded. This is a fantastic cliffhanger. Not quite up there with Best of Both Worlds, but better than most. This episode was a great set-up for the finale. I love how it pulled together so many threads, both from TOS and from Star Trek Continues itself. Only one left to go. It's been a wild ride. Don't forget to check out my original science fiction at AdamDavidCollings.com/books And I'll see you next time to discuss To Boldly Go, Part 2. Until then, Live Long and Prosper Make it so.

america god tv time canada australia canadian christianity beauty stars embracing writer stone created player discovery star trek farewell strike republic vol enterprise hood played similar absolute khan combine cage canon imdb tal sabotage gambit federation vic voyager scotty winds william shatner detailed chapel man of steel mccoy halifax stranded sas spock galileo expanse vulcans deep space nine tos strange new worlds gol tng starfleet original series romulus go part sulu flash forward uhura boldly go both worlds romulan romulans relinquish uplifted star trek the original series all good things david s goyer colin baker s lewis andorians star trek continues sixth doctor where no man has gone before robert j. sawyer gary mitchell turnabout intruder praetor cbs paramount starfleet command cas anvar surak to boldly go talosians james kerwin alex kamal gone before miranda jones kipleigh brown james r kirk

Star Trek Continues ”What Ships Are For” - Detailed Analysis & Review

The Derek Diamond Experience

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2023 30:49

In this episode of Star Trek Continues, we are treated to the return of John De Lancie is a new role. But just because he's not playing Q, doesn't mean he isn't awesome. "What Ships Are For" explores an issue that has been topical in our world in recent years - immigration and refugees. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a nerd. This is episode 104 of the podcast. (Yes, I'm counting the chat about DC comics from last time) Today, we're talking about the Star Trek Continues episode “What Ships are For”. The description on IMDB reads Kirk struggles with aiding a society whose inhabitants view their isolated world in a very unique way. This teleplay was written by Kipleigh Brown With story by Vic Mignogna, James Kerwin, and Kipleigh Brown, It was directed by Vic Mignogna And it first aired on the 30th of July 2017 When I first heard that Star Trek Continues was bringing in the legendary John DeLancie, but that he'd be playing a character that wasn't Q, my initial reaction was “What a waste of John De Lancie.” My thinking went something like this. The idea of having Q visit Kirk's Enterprise would be fun. Something that could certainly happen in-universe because Q can travel through time with the click of a finger. But it couldn't have ever been done in TOS because The Next Generation didn't exist yet. It's the similar problem to having Kirk and Spock make references to Archer and T'Pol. While Enterprise took place before TOS, it was created more than 30 years later. These kinds of references and interactions can only be done by fan productions (or maybe Strange New Worlds). But as fun as it would be having Q show up in a TOS episode, it's unlikely a fan production would be able to get John DeLancie. But Star Trek Continues managed to get him. But they didn't use him for Q. They cast him as another character. Added to the disappointment of him not being Q, was the fact that De Lancie is a very recognisable guy, so seeing him as a different character would be odd to say the least. After watching the episode the first time, I had to back-pedal my thoughts on this because of De Lancie's great performance. He did a fantastic job with this character, and now it's hard to imagine this episode without him. The Enterprise is responding to a distress call from an inhabited asteroid with a limited warp capable society. I like that it's an inhabited asteroid. We always see people living on planets, but I think we need more inhibited moons and asteroids, not only in sci-fi, but in fantasy as well. If I ever write a fantasy book, the world I set it on will be a moon, rather than a planet. And a nice bit of ongoing continuity, we learn that two Federation starships have been dispatched to investigate what happened to the hood. Both have suffered unexplainable damage. We also learn that Nurse Chapel is already at Starfleet medical, studying to become a doctor. We know that by the time of Star Trek The Motion Picture, Chapen is a doctor. This is the first really big sign that Star Trek Continues is on a trajectory toward that movie, starting to set up some of the big changes that occurred off-screen between season 3 and the movie. You sometimes see nurses who decide to become doctors in both fiction and real life. It can be almost viewed as a promotion, which, I suspect it technically is, if you look at the hierarchy of authority in a hospital. But nursing certainly needn't be seen as a stepping stone to medicine. Nursing is a respected profession of highly intelligent people. And interestingly, my wife works with a nurse who used to be a doctor, but decided she'd rather be a nurse. You don't often see it go that direction. The other hint of the motion picture you see is the white medical uniform the doctor at Starfleet is wearing. Kirk jokes that you'll never get him in one of those things. The Hyalini have refused outside contact for centuries. We know little about them. We get a little TOS style womp-womp humour, which I don't really care for, but it's very authentic. When the landing party beam down to the asteroid, they are surprised to be seeing everything in black and white. When I heard that the creative team behind this show were looking for ways to do a black and white episode, I wasn't convinced. But the conceit they come up with works nicely for me as a science fiction concept, and also allows them to approach a topical issue in a very unique way. So good on ‘em. While they puzzle over what might be affecting their eyes, they are met by Galisti, leader of the inner council, played by De Lanci, and Thaius, their newly appointed ambassador to the Federation. Galisti is surprised that the human visitors look so much like Hyanoid bipeds. He was expecting a tentacle or two. Thaius is the first to notice that Spock is different from the others. I laughed out loud when she asked with all sincerity, if he was an Earth female. McCoy managed to get by with a stifled chuckle. She is also fascinated and delighted by Spock's kindness and gallantry revealed by pure calculated reason. She notes that in all her excitement at meeting aliens, she didn't see anything other than his ears. “How often we look but forget to see.” This is an important line, not only because of what it says, but because of who says it. As we'll see at the end of the episode. We also learn that Galisti and Thaius are married. Galisti says “How fortunate I am to call my friend, my wife.” And I totally get behind that. I believe that romantic love is best born out of friendship.That's why I don't understand this whole “friend zone” thing that “the kids” talk about these days. Kirk struggles to find the words to ask the aliens about the lack of colour. How do you describe colour to someone who has no concept of it? It would be a bit like describing colour to a blind person. There is simply no common frame of reference. Gaisti and Thaius don't really know what Kirk is getting at, but they assure him the way their world looks is the same as it has always been. They launch right into an explanation of their situation. Their isolation was never meant to end now. Hundreds of years ago, they united in a goal of becoming worthy to one day join the galactic community (clearly they knew, or believed, that alien life existed). They wanted to become a utopian society, somewhat like what Earth has become. Spock explains the black-and-white as the property of an unusual form of radiation from their sun, which impairs the cone cells in humanoid eyes. So far, this is just a strange quirk of this world. And Star Trek is all about discovering strange new worlds. But this will come into play in an important thematic way later in the episode. I love the establishing shot we see of the town. Feels reminiscent of the planet where Pike fought the warrior on Rigel in The Cage. I wonder where they shot it. Might even just be stock footage. When Kirk is introduced to Thaius's most promising student, Sekara, Kirk goes all … Kirk. When he meets an attractive woman, he can't help but flirt with her. Things get awkward when Tomiat, one of the council, points a gun to his head and yells that Galisti shouldn't have brought the aliens here. They are all ruined. His perspective seems to be that making contact with aliens, before they themselves are perfect, will destroy them. I can kind of understand why a group of people would want to perfect themselves before joining the larger community, but this guy's ideas seem odd and extreme. Evidently, the others of his people do not share the extremity of his view. He refers to himself as a “true believer”. But a believer in what? Their plan to perfect themselves? What leads him to take the mental jump from “This would be a good strategy” to “if it doesn't go as we planned, we're doomed”? It seems a bit of an absurd leap. I don't know what he's basing it on. Spock brings things to a peaceful end with a well-placed neck pinch. That's when Galisti explains that Sekara had a disease. She'll be dead before the year is out. This is why they broke their isolation with the distress signal. They don't know what it is, only what it isn't. These people seem to have medical knowledge at least in line with ours. McCoy is confident the disease is related to the same radiation that makes everything look black and white. Not sure how he concludes this. He wants to bring Sekara on board the Enterprise to examine her in sickbay, but Kirk sees a potential issue. On the Enterprise, she'll be shielded from the radiation. Spock isn't certain whether she'll see colour or not, but if she does, it could be traumatic. I can totally get that. Kirk tries to prepare her for what she might see. He does a good job of it. He warns her that it will be unusual, it might frighten her, but it will be safe. She accepts this. When she arrives in the transporter room, we get the reveal that her skin and hair colouring are not what you'd expect from a human. Greenish skin and purple hair. Cleverly concealed by the black-and-white nature of her asteroid home. She still sees in black and white for a moment. But then it happens. And as you can imagine, it's pretty overwhelming.She goes into a panic attack. She asks “is it alive?” Again, Kirk does a good job of calming and reassuring her. This was nicely done. It's taken millennia for the radiotoxins to induce acute radiation syndrome. Mccoy has started sekaras treatment Now that she's gotten used to it, Sekara has a real sense of wonder about colour. It's like nothing she's ever experienced before. I like how something that is so mundane to us is so awe-inspiring to her. The Hyalinans do have limited space travel, but they don't have shields that can block the radiation. That's why they still don't see colour when they travel through space, but Sekara can when on board the Enterprise. Anyway, treating them for the illness is only a bandaid. It will continue and re-occur as they are exposed to the radiation. But Spock has a daring idea. The spectral signature of the Hyalinus sun can be altered using a modified stellar probe. This is something I'd approach with caution. You're talking about fundamentally changing the nature of their sun. What un-expected side-effects could that have? What damage could they cause if they do it wrong? But, with lives on the line, they're right to try. They just wanna make sure they do it properly Sulu is going to accompany Spock down to the surface to see how the radiation has permeated the food chain. For once, he gets to use his botany for the story. Spock took some scans while he was down there. The tricorder doesn't rely on cone cells to detect colour. His can show there are multiple skin pigmentations on the planet. Sekara has greenish skin with purple hair, while many of the others have orange skin with black hair. I'm suprised at how shocked and dismayed the crew look. Earth has a number of different skin tones. This needn't be a surprise. But given the history of Earth, I guess the Hyalians might be in for a shock, and it could lead to treating people differently. Spock and McKenna conclude, in what I think is a bit of a leap, that Sekara and the other minority that share her pigmentation, are aliens. Not native to Hylinus. McCoy points out there could be other explanations, but Spock has apparently gathered enough data to know there are other differences. These people are unquestionable a race not currently native to Hyalinus. And that's a very interesting development. Uhura and Palmer are searching for any other habitable bodies nearby. They have to decide whether to confront Sekara about her origins. McKenna suggests not doing so yet. They don't know who she is, or even whether she knows herself. Kirk surmises that a species as isolationist as the Hyilini would never allow aliens to live on their world, but given their inability to distinguish colour, they probably don't know. Sekara was born on Hyalinus and orphaned at a young age. Her intense awkwardness in trying to answer when Kirk invites her in, suggests she may be as smitten with him as he is with her. She asks an interesting question. “What is the purpose of colour?” Is that something you've ever wondered? Probably not, as it's just such a normal part of our existence. Kirk suggests that it provides variety, vibrance, beauty. Like poetry for the eyes. This episode makes me wonder. We feel like our perception of vision is complete, but so did Sekara. What if there is something …. Other. Something additional that we can't perceive that another species might. What could that be? I can't even imagine it. It's so outside our realm of experience. It also reminds me of the Terry Pratchet book, The Colour of Magic. In that book, there is another colour called Octartine. While the book tries to describe it using a combination of other colours, we can't actually conceive of what a colour unknown to us would look like. Because as humans, we've already given names to all the colours that our eyes can perceive. There is nothing more alien than that which you cannot perceive, or conceive of. And then Kirk gets really creepy. At least, that's how it comes across. I'm not suggesting his advances are unwanted by Sekara. But it seems a little premature. But that's Kirk. At least, how he was portrayed in TOS. Palmer has found radio waves coming from another asteroid in the belt. 2 small shuttlepods approach. Unarmed and barely spaceworthy. The Hyalini lock weapon platforms on the shuttles. The council won't respond to Kirk's hails. He makes the decision to intervene. He destroys the platform after it gets off a missing shot. The Enterprise is now involved in this conflict. A potential prime directive issue. Now the council wants to talk. They demand an explanation for the destruction of their platform. Sekara describes the people on those shuttles as Abicians. They've been trying to sneak onto Hyalinus to escape the consequences of their own savagery for decades. They lie and conceal their identities so that they can benefit from the peace and prosperity that we've worked to achieve. One which they have not earned themselves. Kirk asks if they are criminals or refugees. Is it a crime to want to live peacefully? Sekara makes the point, that I think is fair, that Kirk doesn't know enough about the situation to stand in judgement. Her parents were murdered by abicians. Kirk concedes this. It's all too easy to criticise the policies of another until you lose someone those policies could have saved. Now, Kirk says something that I think is very wise. “Please tell me, Sekara. I want to understand.” Their world is in turmoil. Territories perpetually at war. Technological innovation fueled solely by the desire to build better, more lethal weapons. They have squandered their natural resources and polluted their world in the process. Her parents were part of a diplomatic envoy sent to help. To show the abicians a better way to live. Their ship returned to Hyalinus on auto-pilot and all 18 people on board were killed. Sekara was 10 years old. Kirk admits that those people who killed her parents were barbarians. But that doesn't mean they all are, does it? And I think that's the crux of the matter. The biggest issue with what the Hylians are doing is judging all members of a species based on the actions of their leaders. The reality is, the people on those shuttles probably disagree with the violent ways of their leaders. They only want to get away from the killing. As Kirk says, to be able to live in peace. Sekara says “you assume they think like us. They do not. They do not respect our laws. They do not value knowledge or honesty and they do not question their conscience before turning to violence. This sounds like something she's been taught, rather than something she knows factually about these people from experience. As Kirk says, have you ever met an abician? She admits her answer is no, but says they've managed to keep them off their world. This is the moment Kirk chooses to reveal the truth. There are hundreds of thousands of Abicians on Hyalinus. They look just like hyalians, unless you can see colour. You are abician. Your parents were abician. That must be an even greater shock for her to accept than the introduction of colour into her world. And Kirk didn't do much to prepare her for that shock. But what could he do? In the end, he had to just come out and say it. Can you imagine discovering you're a different species to what you thought you were. That you are actually the thing that you have always distrusted? Sekara now has to face the reality that not all abicians are the way she has pre-judged them to be. Spock and Sulu have found that the food chain has been affected by the radiation at almost every level, but there is no permanent mutation, which means after they've put their plan into action, future Hylanini should be healthy and free of the disease. Kirk is trying to reason with the council. Galisti asks if his people must meet some arbitrary moral standard set by Starfleet in order to receive help. Kirk assures him that is not the case. And that's good. Our compassion for people shouldn't be limited by our agreeing or disagreeing with them on moral issues. Kirk is trying to understand why the Hyalini see a few people who are desperate for a better life as such a threat. Galisti gets to the crux of it. “Granting entrance to some is an invitation for all. They would overrun our world.” They have limited resources. They're struggling to feed their own people. This is a legitimate concern. Kirk isn't suggesting that they open their borders to everyone, but he says they're defensive system is excessive. This was a very topical issue at the time this episode was made, especially in America, but also here in Australia. But it reminds me of the jewish people fleeing Nazi germany. They went from country to country in boats that were falling apart. But nobody would take them in. So they'd have to head back out into open sea, where they faced the very real risk that their boats might just sink. And I wonder, how can people be so heartless? I'm more conservative than the average Star Trek fan, but I don't have a problem with immigration - especially if the people are refugees. I believe in compassion. Kirk is trying to be reasonable here and see both sides of the issue. He is taking the Hyaliani's position seriously. But it's difficult to reach any sort of logical compromise when Galisti refers to Abicians as “vulgar, selfish and violent. A scourge .” This is a very interesting conversation between the characters. They both say some interesting things. Galisti has quantifiable proof that violent crime went up when they suspected Abicians of being on their world, and down again after they started using their weapon, but again, they're pre-judging all based on the actions of some. Galisti has valid concerns for the safety of his people, as their leader. But I really like Kirk's response to that. “Safety and compassion are not mutually exclusive. Conscience requires balance.” And that's what missing on Hylainus. Balance. Then Galisti points out the hypocrisy of the Prime Directive, in the way it is sometimes applied in Star Trek. “And you stand here before me, lecturing me about ‘compassion' about ‘balance” You condemn the many for the crimes of none. Who do you think you are? And I'm sorry to have to say it, Kirk, but he's got a point here. Not necessarily against Kirk specifically, but certainly against the Federation itself. I'm not saying the Hyalnini are right in the way they're viewing and treating their neighbours, but the Federation is definitely not morally perfect, as much as they'd like to think they are. Kirk is concerned about what will happen once they cure the Hyalini of their disease and their colour blindness. They'll be able to see the abicians all around them. He doesn't necessarily think they'll resort to violence and killing, but he's worried they'll round them all up and send them home, washing their hands of what happens to them. McKenna recongises that this is deeply personal for Kirk. He's not just angry, he's afraid. Afraid of what might happen to Sekara. He cares for her. Given the few minutes he's spent with her, I think it's probably more accurate to say he has the hots for her, but this is based on 60s episodic television. So I guess we have to suspect a little disbelief for the sake of truncated story-telling. Kirk sees that for all their piety, the hyaliani have no problem turning their backs on desperate people. They have no compassion. And piety without compassion leads to some dark places. They take help, but they won't give it. Kirk wonders if they deserve his help at all? But as a man of compassion himself, as a man of duty to his principles, does that make a difference? Do you only help those who deserve it? Or is this a case where Kirk has to exercise some costly grace? Because if he doesn't as McKenna points out, he'll be no better. He'll be turning his back on desperate people with nowhere else to go? Some of whom may not agree with the prejudice of their leaders. And that phrase “nowhere else to go” sparks an idea in Kirk. Sekara is feeling desperate. She's considering destroying the probe that will save Hyilinus. Because of what will happen next. People will turn on each other. They won't see neighbours and friends, they'll see the brutes and thieves they've heard about. She asks Kirk to help find another way to help her sun. One that won't change the way they see. But there is no other way. The two are inextricably linked. Kirk talks her down. She feels so powerless. Terrified of the people she'll return to. Their eyes will change but their hearts may not. Then again - her heart has changed. She is the one person who can change the hearts of their leaders. Galisti and his wife love her very much. She is the proof that Abicians are not all just savages. It's time to carry out the mission. Kirk warns Galisti that there are abicians living among them. If he repairs their sun, they will be able to see them. Despite their attitude toward the abicians, the hyalini have accomplished much to be proud of. They have achieved a peace and unity in a short time, that it took earth Milennia to achieve. All fueled by the hope that they will one day achieve readiness to join the galactic community. But how will they know when they are ready? The problem is, there is no one answer. An undefined finish line means they never have to finish. Your people will never have to leave the comfort and safety of what they have now. And if you'll permit me, just briefly, to get spiritual, this reminds me of how some people approach God. They feel they need to be perfect first. But of course, that's impossible. I believe that God says, come as you are. Then we get an explanation for the episodes' title. An old saying. “A ship in the harbour is safe, but that's not what ships are for. Do you serve the hope, or have you twisted it to serve you? After making an impassioned speech, Kirk reveals they launched the probe twenty minutes ago. Thaius tells Galisti their world is about to change forever, and reassure him her love for him will never ever change. Why would it? He must wonder, until he starts to see colour. I like how, even though the two races have different skin colour, this was never about colour. They didn't even know the difference. It was about fear and prejudice regarding the abician's character. But their blindness has given them the proof that they were wong. That they need to re-think their attitude toward abicians. There is the possibility that going into the future, some kind of skin-colour-related prejudice may arise, but maybe, just maybe, this experience has taught them the lessons to avoid that. Galisti marvels at this wonder called colour. But then he looks at his wife. She is abician. She's wanted to tell her for a long time, but she was afraid he'd reject her. “I'm still me, I'm still the same person,” she insists. But Galaisti pulls away from her. “This changes nothing,” he says. It seems Galisti is still clinging to his attitude. He can't accept the woman he loves. Kirk has fixed the sun but the asteroid is still bathed in radiation. It needs to be cleared. Galisti asks Kirk to proceed, but he can't. He says the Enterprise has been called away on an urgent mission and won't have the time. But then the surprise. It turns out the Abicians have the technology to fix your sun. “But why would they help us?” Galaisti asks. Why indeed. Because they now have something the abicians need. Medicine. Enough for both worlds. Turns out the abicians are suffering the same disease, but they've had it much longer. It's no wonder their world has fallen into chaos. These worlds can save each other, but they're going to have to put the past behind them and move on. Giving half of the solution each to two warring parties, so they are forced to work together, is a very Star Trek way to resolve a plot. It's very easy to judge Galisti at this moment. He's been given the proof. Why doesn't he see Kirk's point. He's still being a jerk - which he is. But changing your attitude and beliefs is not an easy thing to do. If we're fair, we can't expect Galisti to change his entire outlook in thirty seconds, but you can see that it is starting, as Thaius and Sekara say “there is no them anymore, only us.” This is an emotional journey for Galisti. One that will take time, but I have confidence that he will change. He has to. If he doesn't, his world will die. This was a powerfully written and performed episode. Another example of why Star Trek Continues deserves to be viewed in the same light as official Star Trek. Only two episodes remain - the two part finale that bridges the gap between TOS and The Motion Picture. But before we go there, next time we're going to take a brief detour. We're going to talk about an episode of another Star Trek fan show. Star Trek New Voyages “The Holiest Thing” I like to include this one when I do a re-watch of Star Trek Continues, because, like continues, it delves into the history of Star Trek and fleshes out a gap that exists between TOS and the movies. This episode will introduce us to a much younger Dr. Carol Marcus. Until then, Live long and prosper Make it so.

#349: James Kerwin Panel from Pensacon 2023

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2023 45:41

Derek had the pleasure of chatting with filmmaker James Kerwin (Yesterday Was a Lie, Star Trek Continues) on the "Writing and Directing Independent Film" panel at Pensacon 2023! They talk about what inspired James to get into filmmaking, working on his first feature film, directing for hire vs. directing your own projects, and questions from the audience. Learn more about James at HERE Follow and subscribe to the show HERE

writing panel lie star trek continues pensacon james kerwin

Star Trek Continues ”Embracing The Winds” - Detailed Analysis & Review

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2023 23:58

In today's Star Trek Continues podcast, we talk about the episode "Embracing The Winds" which tries to address Janice Lester's claims that "your world of Starship captains doesn't welcome women" in the episode Turnabout Intruder. This episode does a good job of looking at a contemporary issue in a new way through a Star Trek lens. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars. And I am a Nerd. This is episode 101 of the podcast. Today, we're talking about the Star Trek Continues episode “Embracing the Winds.” And I'm excited to announce that the third book in my Jewel of The Stars series is now available in eBook and print from all the usual retailers. You can find links to many of them by going to books2read.com/jewel3 (and that's the number 2 in books 2 read) Let me quickly read the back cover blurb and then we'll jump into this episode. Tourists on a cruise. Stranded in an alien battleground When their warp drive mysteriously stops working, the luxury cruise ship Jewel of The Stars becomes easy pickings for humanity's enemy – the Dracnor. And there may be an enemy agent on board. Before the fall of Earth, a madman made doomsday predictions on Captain Les Miller's doorstop. How did he know the invasion was coming? Now that same man has been spotted walking the promenade. Les must stop him, but the evidence contradicts what he knows to be true. Will the legacy of an ancient war mean the end of the galaxy's last free humans? So if that sounds interesting to you, please consider checking it out. You can find the first links to all the books in the series at AdamDavidCollings.com/books The description on Star Trek Continues.com reads While the Enterprise is sent on a seemingly routine mission, Kirk is recalled to starbase where he faces an ethical dilemma that challenges the very core of Starfleet Command. This episode was written by James Kerwin and Vic Mignogna It was directed by James Kerwin And it first aired on the 3rd of September 2016 Star Trek has a problem which was introduced in the original series episode “Turnabout Intruder.” That episode postulates that women are not allowed to be Starship captains in Starfleet. Of course, we'll see a number of female captains after this, in Star Trek 4, Yesterday's Enterprise, and Voyager just to name a couple, and we even saw a female Captain before this, back in Enterprise. It seems a very out-dated concept to think that there are not female captains in the 23rd century. So how do you deal with this? This episode of Star Trek Continues is one approach to try to explain this issue, which I find very creative. Another approach, postulated by the youTuber Lorerunner, is simply that Janice Lester was mad (just look at her) and the whole rule against women being Starship captains was all in her mind. I don't mind that explanation either. Interestingly, Star Trek Continues re-shot the final scenes of Turnabout Intruder as a transitional short film to connect to the new show before their first episode. So Kirk and Spock have been called down to Corinth IV. Sulu is along for sightseeing and Mckennah for work research. We get a nice little bit of continuity back to the episode “Lolani” dealing with the fallout in the Orion Syndicate, and how things may be changing due to Lolani's influence. And that's beautiful. This is the kind of ongoing continuity you just didn't get in the original series. Not to this extent. Sulu makes reference to one of his ancestors being in an internment camp during World War 2, which is a nod to George Takai who actually lived that experience. I love the planet. Very TOS but with effects that couldn't have been done in the 60s. I have to ask, are there any high ranking Starfleet officers who don't indulge in Romulan ale? Perhaps Admiral Ross really was the only one. Even Spock relents and drinks after the news he's about to be given. They meet Commodore Gray. She and Kirk have had some differences. She also appeared in Lolani, where she ordered Kirk to return the Orion slave to her master. The Crew of Hood have been lost. Some sort of life support failure. No evidence of foul play Kirk and Spock have been called here because the Hood needs a new captain and crew. Starfleet have chosen Spock Kirk has mixed feelings. I get this. He's proud of Spock and happy for him, but he doesn't want to lose his first officer, and his friend. But there could be a complication with spock's promotion A Commander Garret had also applied for the job. They decided she wasn't the best suited for command. She has an excellent service record. She has filed an appeal that she's been selectively overlooked because she's a woman. The Federation was founded around the time of the Romulan war. Earth needed military allies. The Tellarites were founding member. Tellarite men are very adversarial and argumentative. And they frown on female starship captains. (They probably wouldn't be accepted into the federation at this point in time, certainly not in 24th century, but at the time of the Romulan war, Earth REALLY needed military allies, and the Tellarites were that. Plus they were one of the major races that Earth helped to broker peace with before the Federation was founded.) The Federation isn't technically bound by this but after the admission of Corridan (a continuity nod to Journey To Babel), the Tellarites are threatening to pull their seat from the council. Kirk says Starfleet has always had female captains (see Enterprise). Laura is an example, but she commands a starbase, not a constitution class ship There is no rule officially. Kirk and Spock are both of the opinion that Garrett deserves the ship and should be given command. But upon further reflection, Spock starts to consider that Starfleet may have been correct in their assessment of Commander Garrett. Maybe Spock IS the best person for the job. He says his opinion is not based on her gender. Kirk says something interesting. He says “maybe it should be.” Starfleet has never given a woman command of a constitution class starship. He's always thought that was just how the cards fell, but perhaps there is a greater good to be considered. Spock says that if they were to actively and deliberately choose a female officer, Commodore Gray would be the better option, but she doesn't want the job. And this is an issue which has certainly had relevance of the last century, even today. When you have an imbalance like this, the way I see it, there are two ways you can address it. The first is to simply remove the bias, and then proceed, hiring based solely on qualifications and suitability. If you have an equal number of candidates from each group, then theoretically, over time, the imbalance will go away, and you should have a roughly even split, though there could be many other factors that would make it not so simple. And in a sense, this seems like the fairest way. Just treat everyone on their merits. The problem with this approach is that it's slow. It could take a long time for that imbalance to be corrected. The other option, which is what Kirk seems to be proposing, is that you actively seek to correct it, by deliberately hiring from the minority group. In this case, females. You steer the ship the other way to correct it. This will set things right much quicker, but it has its own problem. It means that well-deserving people in the majority group will start to miss out. If you're a male candidate, and would make a great captain, your career is basically on hold. You'll miss out on a job you're qualified for because of your gender. Which, ironically, is the exact problem you're trying to solve. It's just that it's happening to people on the other side now. There are no perfect solutions. I'm sure people much smarter than me have been trying to solve this. Now Spock is willing to forgoe his own opportunity in favour of Garett, maybe partly because as a Vulcan he has less ambition for personal advancement, but mostly because I think he beleives that is what is right. Spock is a good person. So now that the desire and intention is there to hire Garret because she is part of that minority group, (and I mean minority in the sense of Starship captains, not in the sense of the population) there is one last thing to consider. Is she actually right for the job based on her merits? Kirk is firmly on team Garrett right now. But he's been ordered to interview her and form his own conclusions. Spock points out that perhaps Kirk's opinion is coloured by his desire to keep his first officer and friend on the Enterprise. He admits he can't deny that is part of what he's feeling. Garrett served on the Constitution, the original prototype that the class was named after. When Kirk mentions the loss of that ship, the death of her captain, at Nimbus III, nice little Star Trek 5 reference, Garrett clamps up and doesn't want to talk about it. Her testimony, and her personal logs are all on record. She feels she has nothing more to say, and doesn't want to discuss it face to face with Kirk, a matter he finds unusual, and perhaps a little troubling. Kirk has filled McKenna in on what's happening. She decides to check in on Spock to see how he's doing, and he seeks her advice. It may not be prudent to provoke the Tellarites at this time. McKenna says the Tellarites rarely make good on their threats, which makes Starfleet's hesitance to give a woman command of a Starship that much more problematic. (which in a sense, I think, takes away some of the drama) She thinks Spock's issue is something else. She had to work hard to convince people that having a counsellor on board a Starship was a necessary thing. (which I find extraordinary) but she never felt that the reluctance was because she was female. However, if there is bias in Starfleet it needs to be addressed. And I think that's a good word. I don't think Starfleet is being deliberately sexist, but there might be a bias, and it might not even be intentional. Spock, as someone whose appearance has often been perceived to be the most important aspect of his identity, has sometimes felt that bias as well. McKenna says if she ever has a daughter, she would want her to know that anything is within her reach if she works hard enough. And as someone who DOES have a daughter, I feel the same way. Spock points out that there are things in Garrett's past which require scrutiny. McKenna asks him if she'd be under the same scrutiny if she was a man. He feels she would. But one can never be certain about others' motives. McKenna adds “but we can certainly be clear about our own.” Gray growls at Kirk for antagonising Garrett, something he certainly didn't intend to do. In my opinion, Kirk certainly did nothing wrong. But Garrett has petitioned for an immediate decision. A hearing will be held, and Kirk will be one of those making the judgement. Probably the last thing he wanted. While all of this is happening, Scotty has taken the Enterprise to find what is left of the USS Hood. Star Trek regularly uses the AB Plot format. Where you have two distinct plots going through an episode. It's generally agreed that this works best if the two are linked in some way, either by plot, or theme. Although it honestly doesn't bother me when they are completely disconnected. But in this episode, the two plots are definitely connected. When they find the Hood, there are no lifesigns. But also no evidence of an anomaly. Something is ringing alarm bells in Scotty's head. He doesn't want to tow it back to the planet until he understands more. Chekov is going to remotely re-establish life support. Not sure exactly how that works, but it sounds handy. He asks to go on the landing party, but Scotty says “not this time,” and then gives the conn to another officer. Chekov is feeling overlooked. Uhura points out that he's gifted but unfocussed. He has wide interests, doing a little of everything, but has no speciality. Uhura recommends choosing something he's really passionate about and focusing on that. Interestingly, I'd imagine being a jack of all trades would be a very useful trait in a command officer. Maybe that's ultimately why he ends up as first officer of the Reliant. In any case, it's really nice to see Star Trek giving Chekov some character development. Who'd have thought it. Kirk was feeling certain in his decision to support Garrett before he met her, but now, after her evasiness about his questions, and now this push for a decision, he's not so sure. The courtroom is very reminiscent of the original series episode Court Martial, where witness take the stand, touch a glowing metal disk, and have their service record ready by the computer. (They actually used a similar idea in TNG The Measure of a man.) As usual, somebody always asks to forgo the reading, but Gray objects. Spock's qualifications are material to this case, which, of course, is true. Stonn asks Spock how he'd feel if her were to be given command of the Hood, remembering that he is half human. Before he can answer, he asks if his human side played a part in his decision to turn down a role in the Vulcan science academy. Spock says they did not, which the computer picks up as a lie. Interesting. Kirk objects to this questioning. Spock's race shouldn't have any more bearing on the decision than Garrett's gender. Stonn posits that a person's character, abilities, judgements and strengths are shaped, in part, by their heritage, beliefs, race, even gender. He says some people are uncomfortable with the idea of a female captain. I'm not totally clear on the point he's trying to make, but it seems he is in favour of Garrett. Kirk speaks plainly. He is convinced that it is absolutely time for a woman to command a constitution class starship. But he is not convinced that Garrett is that woman. Aspects like race or gender shouldn't be the reason a candidate is denied, but perhaps it shouldn't be the reason (or at least the sole reason) they are accepted either. Remember that officer a few episodes back who had the artificial arm? Well he's on the landing party and uses it to remove something from the Hood's engine. Another nice callback. I appreciate how Star Trek Continues is making use of semi-regular characters. DS9 was the absolute best at doing that. TOS was probably the worst, although the realities of 60s TV certainly play a part in that. Garrett has been awarded a Tucker memorial medal of honour as well as an aenar award for meritorious service to disadvantaged cultures. Two very nice callbacks to Enterprise. We get a little insight into what happened at Nimbus III. The official investigation found evidence of human error on Garrett's part. An investigation carried out by a Tellarite. She, and others, “plead the seventh guarantee” during the proceedings. I'm not sure exactly what this means, but Garrett says it cannot be taken as an admission of culpability. There are countless other examples in her file. BLooking at Garrett, Gray sees a pattern of somebody who has reacted with hostility and side-stepping whenever her actions have been called into question. She defends this saying that Hostility is an appropriate response to undue scrutiny and discrimination. The big question is, has that been the case? Has she been treated unfairly? Or does she have legitimate flaws that needs to be considered? Gray can't say for certain whether Garrett has been held to a difference standard because she is female, but regardless of that, She says it is the duty of a Starship captain to admit, and learn from mistakes. But Garrett is still defiant in her belief that she was not in the wrong. And as viewers we still don't really know if she's right. If not then her behaviour here is not appropriate, but if she truly did nothing wrong, then she's right to defiantly stand by her innocence. But could she have been right in every one of the incidences in her file? Can anyone be that perfect? Because that's what seems to be holding Gray back. Not the fact that Garrett has made some mistakes, but that she can't admit to them and learn from them. Nobody is saying a captain must be perfect. But they must be honest about themselves. There's a massive power surge in the hood's engines. The Enterprise can't beam them back because the Hood's shields have gone up. The reactor is going critical. Scotty can't eject the core. It's looking hopeless. We get some wonderful performances from Chris Doohan and Kim Stringer as Scotty and Uhura realise that they're going to die. Scotty places his hand on Uhura's. This could be seen as foreshadowing of the eventual relationship those two will have in the movie era, but I think it's more just a comfort thing, two colleagues, two friends, who know they're not going to make it. The look on Uhura's face is haunting. Scotty orders the Enterprise to get as far away ass possibler, to safety. But Chekov has an idea. Hadley chooses to trust him. It's a very risky manouvre, and it injures chekov, but it works. The landing party are beamed back to safety, The Enterprise escaping just as the Hood explosed. Back on the planet, the hearing is back in session. Each candidate can make a motion and then the board will give their verdict. Neither Spock nor Garrett has a motion to make. Stomm endorses Garrett. Gray endorses Spock. The deciding vote is up to Kirk. But before he can make it, they receive a transmission from the Enterprise. The Hood has been destroyed. There is no ship to command. So no promotions necessary. Kirk has been saved from a difficult decision by the bell. Garrett wants to make one final statement. There is an underlying issue that still remains. For decades, she believes Starfleet has overlooked officers for certain positions because they are women. They may admit it, it may not even be intentional, Kirk asks her if she believes a person should be given special treatment because of their gender, religion or race. She feels that yes, they should, if their gender, religion or race has historically been used to deny them consideration. Garrett now, has turned her focus from herself, specifically, to other female officers. “It may not be my time, but it most certainly is theirs.” And I think this is an important step in character growth for her. Gray says “We are all in agreement with that. Kirk and Stomm nod. As Spock leaves, Stomm says “Peace and long life” to him. I think that's his Vulcan way of saying, “nothing personal, Mate.” And Spock's reply of “Live long and prosper” seems to say, “Yeah, not worries. All good.” Chekov is awake and recovering in sickbay. Scotty scolds him a little. His stunt is worthy of a court-martial. Chekov is willing to take whatever consequence Scotty feels is appropriate. Then he realises that Scotty called him Lieutenant. “And thanks him for saving their lives.” And it turns out, this is the origin of the shield prefix code that Starfleet ships will have from now on. Refer to Star Trek II. Scotty suggests a career in tactical. But they still don't know what caused the overload in the Hood's engine. That worries Scotty. I don't remember if they follow up on this or not. But it would certainly be cool if they did. It's an interesting setup. Kirk talks to the Tellarite ambassador and learns that there is a growing movement on Tellar Prime that wants to change their policy regarding women in command. When Kirk says goodbye to Garrett, she speculates, “who knows, maybe some day a Garrett will command an Enterprise. And if you haven't figured it out already, this is when you realise that she is likely an ancestor of Captain Rachel Garrett, of the Enterprise C. The way she says it is a little on the nose, but I like it. This was another well-made episode of Star Trek Continues. I like how it delves into an issue that certainly has similarities and connections to the real world, but is just a little different. A little sideways. I think Star Trek, and sci-fi in general, tackles issues best when there isn't an exact one-to-one parallel to current events, but that it poses difficult questions that make you think. Next time, we'll be looking at the episode “Still Treads the Shadow”. I don't remember what this one is about, so I'll find out when I re-watch it. Don't forget to check out Jewel of the Stars Book 3 Until next time, Live long and prosper. Make it so.

tv live earth peace stars embracing shadow captain nerds star trek constitution ebooks enterprise hood world war mate aspects federation orion voyager scotty winds detailed refer stranded spock starship lieutenant vulcans garret hostility deep space nine tos starfleet chekov reliant sulu uhura star trek ii romulan garett court martial star trek continues turnabout intruder starfleet command tellarite james kerwin tellarites enterprise c stonn george takai orion syndicate nimbus iii chris doohan

Yesterday Was A Lie

Sci-Fi Talk

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 31, 2022 43:51

A look at this interesting time related relationship film that mixes genres successfully. Interviews include producer and actor, Chase Masterson and fellow actors Kipleigh Brown and Nathan Mobley plus composer Kristopher Carter and director James Kerwin from 2012

interview chase masterson kristopher carter james kerwin kipleigh brown

Star Trek Continues ”Come Not Between The Dragons” - Detailed Analysis & Review

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 27, 2022 32:37

On this 100th episode of the Nerd Heaven Podcast, I discuss the Star Trek Continues episode "Come Not Between The Dragons" a deeply thematic episode starring aussie sci-fi royalty - Gigi Edgly of Farscape Fame. Join me as we discuss the episode and it's themes, and then reminisce a little over the last 100 podcasts. (Place button to listen at bottom of page) ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a nerd. And it's a big moment. This is episode 100 of the podcast. How insane is that? When TV shows make it to 100 episodes, it's a big deal and they usually celebrate by doing something special. I'm going to spend a bit of time reflecting on the past, and maybe having a little fun, at the end of this podcast, But first, we're going to be talking about the Star Trek Continues episode “Come Not Between The Dragons”. The description on IMDB reads A troubled creature pierces the Enterprise hull, pitting the crew against a pursuer that threatens to tear them apart. The teleplay was written by Greg Dykstra, James Kerwin and Vic Mignogna The story was by Greg Dykstra It was directed by Julian Higgins And it first aired on the 28th of May 2016. And just a little warning, this episode deals with themes of violent abuse by a parent. The first thing you'll notice that's special about this episode is the presence of Aussie sci-fi royalty - Gigi Edgley. Most famous for her role in Farscape as Chiana. In this episode, she plays Ensign Eliza Taylor. And the cool thing is, they let her keep her Australian accent for the role. I don't hear many familiar aussie accents in Star Trek, so I found that pretty cool. While I gave up on it too early back in the day, I've become quite a fan of Farscape, so it's very cool to see her here. By the way, I can't believe I didn't notice it, but a few episodes back, in The White Iris, the character of Amphidamas, the alien representative, was played by another member of sci-royalty, Colin Baker, who played the 6th Doctor on Doctor Who. I'm unbelievably embarrassed that I didn't notice and comment on it. Sorry about that. This one starts off seeming to be a monster story. But we'll soon learn that it's not. This is a real thematic message show, but one with a real difference. Scotty is currently in command. Eliza Taylor hands him a padd. And then Kirk enters. 8 ships have been destroyed studying an accretion disc. But the crew have been rescued It's very telling of Scotty when Kirk says “at least there were no casualties” and Scotty says “there were - the Lexington.” With the shift over, Smith and Eliza leave the bridge. Smith and McKennah are heading to the rec room, and they invite Eliza to join them. I get the impression she's not quite part of their little friendship circle, but they're welcoming her in. And isn't that just the way a friendship group should work? I know it's not easy. You really need an extrovert in your group to do the inviting, but cliques are not healthy, and being excluded can be quite hurtful - even for an introvert. The Enterprise suffers a hull breach from a meteorite travelling near light speed. As Chekov says, “that should be impossible.” But I'd have to believe that an object travelling that fast making impact with the ship would have to completely destroy it, so there must have been some substantial and rapid deceleration. Whatever it is, is moving through the ship, from Deck to deck. Scotty can't find it. As we end the teaser, we see that whatever it is has broken into Eliza's quarters. But we don't see it, only her reaction. This is an okay use of the ‘hide the monster' trope because we'll almost immediately see what she's seeing after the credits, but her reaction gives us a powerful hook. And Taylor isn't sure what she's looking at just yet. We experience it with her as the thing slowly unfolds. Some kind of lifeform. Hard and rocky with glowing eyes and a part that looks almost insectoid. This creature was a practical effect. The alien was designed by the writer of this episode, Greg Dykstra, who appeared in the previous episode as the union doctor. He pitched this story to Vic because it was very personal to him. We'll get to that. Dykstra designed the alien and then they got a creature effects company to actually build it. It was huge. An actor could wear it as a suit, but it was very heavy and hot, so the guy they cast needed to have breaks. I'm a big lover of CGI creatures, but I have to admit that this alien works very well as a practical effect. It looks awesome. It provides a link to the original series who always had to use practical effects, because CGI wasn't a thing yet. It's also fitting because we have a Farscape actor in this episode, and Farscape was really into practical creatures, being made by the Jim Henson company. The alien stands tall. Much bigger than a human. It's bipedal. Taylor cowers in the corner and throws something at it. It retreats. I'd say Taylor reacts in a very non starfleet way here. She's trained to experience the unexpected. But she may be a new officer. This might be her first experience with the unknown. And despite all your training, seeing something like that in person for the first time could be quite scary, especially if it suddenly appears in your quarters. So I can't judge her too harshly. It doesn't take long to find the intruder. It rips holes through walls. It's not exactly subtle. Kirk begins by assuming the intruder is intelligent. He asks if it understands him. The lack of reply certainly doesn't imply a lack of intelligence, though. Kirk calls the transporter room and asks the chief on duty to beam it out of here. Now when I hear that, it implies to me that Kirk wants it beamed into space. But he asked the chief about his intra-ship beaming skills. Either way, Kirk's order is very imprecise. Where exactly does he want the chief to beam the intruder to? In any case, the alien can shield itself from scanners so they can't transport it. Kirk's next action is strange. He throws some debris at the alien. The alien reacts pretty much as any lifeform would to being attacked. It lashes out in self defence, requiring security to stun it with a phaser. I'm not sure what Kirk was trying to accomplish there, but it certainly didn't help build any rapport of trust between them. Kirk and Bones have found some fascinating things about the creature's biology. It's a unique lifeform - probably natively spaceborn. It has multiple hearts and no lungs. But all McCoy's tricorder will register is a rock. Again, suggesting the creature can shield itself from their sensors. Spock and Uhura have configured the universal translator to better work with the alien's unique vocalisations. I don't know that we've ever seen a hand-held universal translator like this in TOS before, but I could be wrong. In the TNG era, we know that Starfleet universal translators are embedded in the com badge (while Ferengi use implants in the ear) Kirk gives the honour of speaking to the alien to Taylor, as she was the first human to encounter it. This is a big deal. First contact is what Starfleet are all about, afterall. Taylor seems to carefully consider what her first words should be. She wisely, in my opinion, chooses to start with “I'm sorry if I hurt you.” and then asks what it's called. It replies, Usdi. When asked why he came here, Usdi replies “Me. To. Hurt.” That doesn't sound good. Is it a threat? It's hard to tell with such a limited understanding between them. Usdi is an example of a cosmozoa, a space-fearing lifeform. His species is called the Utana. Something out there is using a form of echo-location to search for something. The shockwaves are damaging to the ship. When the next wave hits, Spock begins to act very strangely. His voice filled with anger, he calls Udsi disobedient and demands his respect. Fires a phaser at him. He then attacks Taylor when she tries to intervene, and blames it on Usdi. This, I believe, is a common thing with people who struggle with extreme anger problems. Blaming the subject of their anger for their own actions. Something is clearly going on with Spock. He's not himself. Perhaps in a literal sense. But others are feeling it too. Kirk is the first to vocalise his concern, in a way, opening it up for others in the bridge crew to discuss what they're experiencing without fear of judgement. Checkov is feeling suspicion and paranoia. Spock's in a bad way. We learn that the part of the brain responsible for suppressing emotions in Vulcans is called the mesiofrontal cortex. So that's pretty cool. But it's working so hard right now McCoy is worried it'll burn up. Spock is filled with powerful emotions. But they're not his. Spock is also physically injured. Possibly from his dust-up with the alien. He asks Spock to lock him up. He's dangerous. Something dark and dangerous in his Vulcan mind is being awoken. Kirk would do well to follow Spock's recommendation here. Spock knows what he's talking about, and currently still has the presence of mind to communicate it. The next wave is stronger than anything so far. It drives Spock to rampage through the ship after the alien. He says “Usdi is hiding from me.” He looks like he'll tear the alien limb from limb. After Kirk stuns him, he orders Spock put in the bridge. McCoy argues against this, because Spock is not himself. The funny thing is, Kirk is right. He's absolutely right. For the wrong reason. He's wanting to put Spock in the brig as punishment for insubordination. McCoy is right that Spock isn't himself, but he needs to be put in the brig for his own safety, and the safety of those on the ship. When McCoy helps Kirk realise that he's not himself either, that he's filled with unnatural anger, he changes his turn and has Spock taken back to sickbay under double restraint. Yeah, good luck with that. The brig was the best option for now. He still needs medical care, of course, but I wouldn't be trusting any restraints, double, triple, or quadruple, in sickbay when the next wave hits. By the way, this is the third episode in a row to have original music composed by Andy Farber. And I have to give it to the student musicians that are performing it, they're brilliant. While all of the crew are experiencing elevated levels of anger, and lowered patience, Kirk and Spock specifically seem to be experiencing anger directed at Usdi. It's like when Spock was stunned, Kirk became the new puppet of this force. Kirk refers to Udsi as a delinquent brat. He also describes him as disobedient and undisciplined. I'm embarrassed to say the first time I watched this, I didn't put it all together until later, but watching it now, it all seems so obvious what we're dealing with. Taylor is hiding Udsi in her quarters. She calls in McKenna for help. She doesn't know who else to turn to. Taylor has figured out that Udsi is familiar with these waves. And he gets more and more afraid each time one of them hits. McKenna is now having her rage directed at Udsi, as the latest wave hits. “You must have done something to deserve this,” she says. Could it be the proximity to Udsi is what focuses the rage, while those who've had little or no contact with him just feel general anger directed at whatever is at hand? But the most interesting thing of all is that it's pretty clear at this point that Taylor is not being affected. She may be the only one on the ship that is truly herself. McKenna is very aware of her condition. She's trying to push through it. But it's hard. Taylor made a wise choice here. As a trained counsellor, McKenna may have more tools at her disposal to fight this anger than the rest of the crew. She genuinely wants to be free of it. She needs alpha wave generators. When she says “Leave McCoy to me” I wasn't imagining she'd just slug him in the face and knock him out, but it was effective. She can't fight the anger in her, but here she was able to use it for something good. Well, not that punching McCoy is good, but it's for a good cause in helping her in her mission. She asks for the alpha generators from a nurse, but not chapel. She calls her Sarah. While I like seeing familiar characters show up in this show, it's kinda cool that they're filling out the medical staff. It often felt, in TOS, like McCoy and Chapel were the only two medical officers on the ship. We know this is not true, of course, but the budget likely didn't allow for filling sickbay with extras. Scotty is reacting to all of this a little differently. Rather than getting angry at everyone, he's having a lovely old time drinking. Scotty hasn't had contact with Udsi, so his priorities are different. He cares, as he always does, about his engines. They have now cured a couple of crew members of the anger influence. They have McKenna, Uhura and a redshirt. They figure that Usdi is hiding from the ship that is generating the waves. But he's not talking. The redshirt figures out if they move Usdi to engineering, the ship might have a harder time locating him. He's able to simulate Scotty's voice using the universal translator, and a little technical magic from Uhura. He calls for an evacuation of engineering. But Kirk sees through it, because he knows Scotty is in the brig. Once engineering is cleared, all they need to do is beam there with Udsi. Saves trying to drag him through the ship in front of crew who want to attack him. Smith finds McKenna and the transporter chief in the transporter room. She's still under the influence of the waves. Kirk should be here soon as he told Smith to meet him here. We're not sure what he's doing on the way yet. Smith insists that Udsi is going to get what he deserves. McKenna gets her to stop and think a little when she asks “Why”. Smith can't answer, because she's being motivated not by logic or reason, but by emotions. Emotions that are clearly not hers. McKenna's question, and her offer of an alpha generator definitely gives her pause. If Kirk hadn't called her, she might have relented, but a conflict ensures. Possibly not a great idea of McKenna's to attack her while she was distracted. Smith is clearly the better fighter, and the fight only serves to feed the anger. I'm noticing that in this episode, there's a real focus on the female characters. Taylor, McKenna, Smith, Uhura. They're all taking on significant and powerful roles. But the episode doesn't make a big deal about it. And I think that's the best way to do it. I recently watched the Star Trek animated episode “The Lorlelai Signal”. That episode came up with a convoluted way to put Uhura and other female officers in charge of the ship, and then have Uhura do very little. This episode succeeds well where that one failed. And I don't know if this was even a deliberate and active choice, to make this a female-centric episode, or if it just ended up that way. And I think it's better for it. Contrast this to that scene in Avengers Endgame which just felt a bit on-the-nose to me. Anyway, I'm loving it because these are great characters played by great actors, and I'm enjoying seeing them get to do much more than the original series would have allowed them. I'm especially enjoying how they're developing Smith. Usdi is communicating with Taylor again. She says she understands, but we're not hearing a verbal translation this time. So … I'm not sure how that works. Kirk beams in with Smith and several security officers. Kirk has a big phaser rifle, so that's what he was up to. That's not good. All 4 of them fire their phasers at Udsi. Luckily, he survives. His body is essentially made up of stone, afterall. Interestingly, the Utana feed on space-born rocks and minerals. Those under the influence are subdued, mostly because of quick thinking on the parts of Taylor and Uhura. With generators on their arms now, they'll all be able to think clearly. Honestly, I'm not sure it would have gone down that way. Kirk and his team seem to be the better fighters, and they all started armed with phasers. But let's apply a little suspicion of disbelief so the good guys can win and move the plot forward. The ship has arrived in visual range, but it's not a ship. As the image appears on the monitor, we see that it's another Utana, but much bigger than Usdi. The entire crew are wearing alpha generators now, so we've resolved that particular conflict and moved on to the next. I think that was a good choice for the script. We don't want an entire episode of mutiny among the crew, because ultimately, that's not what this episode is about. Kirk surmises the difference in size between Udsi and this attacker could be the difference between an adult and a child. And he's right. Greg Dykstra actually chose the Cherokee word Udsi, which means little, as the name of the alien. When we first see him, he seems anything but little, but now, as we realise he's a child, and he's very small compared to the adult outside, the name makes sense. Scotty apologises for his behaviour. Hardly necessary, since they were all in the same boat. Kirk's answer “I'll fire you later,” reminds me of a line he'll say much later in Star Trek 3. “Fine. I'll kill you later.” The adult refuses to respond to hails. It attacks the Enterprise. I wouldn't necessarily expect a space-born lifeform to be able to receive and respond to subspace radio signals. But anyway. Spock points out what might be their only logical option to survive this. Release Usdi into the adult's custody. But how can they? That thing wants to kill him. Kirk finds an alternative. Fire a torpedo at the part of the alien's body that seems to be generating the destructive waves. When Usdi sees the attack against the adult on the screen, he says “Usdi protect.” Taylor misunderstands. Usdi isn't asking for protection. He's stating that he must protect the adult. Taylor goes to the bridge to explain the situation. The alien out in space is Udsi's father. Usdi has left the ship. Positioned himself between the Enterprise and his father. The attack has stopped. If we haven't already figured it out, we realise at this moment what this episode is really all about. This is about parental abuse. Greg Dykstra wrote this story because there was a history of this kind of abuse in his family. His grandfather had been a violent abuser. It had affected his father and grandmother profoundly. He wanted to explore that theme, and a Star Trek episode turned out to be the perfect tool for that kind of thematic expiration. The creatures look at each other - moving their heads. Most likely engaged in communication we can't perceive. Now it's time for Kirk to make one of those famous Starfleet captain speeches. He points out that while all the entity's anger was directed at his child, Usdi still protected him. Udsi saved his life, because The Enterprise would have killed him. Only time will tell if that will make a difference. This is the heart of the message that Greg Dykstra wanted to get across. That despite the hurt and damage caused by an abusive parent, the victims of that abuse still love the parent. It's a complex paradox. A difficult one. There's a nice scene between Kirk and Spock. I'm noticing that over time, Todd Haberkorn is winning me over more and more as Spock. It just took a little longer than with Kirk and Scotty. But he really is doing a good job of it. Kirk is used to being able to persuade others with words. He's frustrated that he was unable to convince Udsi's father to change. Spock points out that the alien had a deeply ingrained behaviour. Did he really expect to be able to change that with words? With one conversation? This also, is very thematic. I'm sure there are many loved ones of violent abusers who want so desperately to change that person. But it's probably not an easy task. In the case of Greg Dykstra, his father learned to move on from the experience, but his grandfather never changed. Never overcame that darkness inside him. Ultimately, Kirk didn't expect silence. But maybe silence isn't so bad. Maybe silence represents thinking. Maybe a contemplation of one's own actions is better than lashing out. Kirk wonders, what would it take to change someone like that? Spock's answer, “one is better able to lead someone down an unfamiliar path when one has already been down that path oneself.” Wise words. Kirk is a little surprised to learn that Spock has regular conversations with McKenna about life and people. This, I believe, is the first hint of a growing connection between those two characters. We'll continue to explore it, to see where it might lead. They've found where Udsi and his father have gone. Kirk goes to see Taylor. “I wasn't able to reach him, but maybe you can.” Spock's words have sparked an idea in Kirk. And I think maybe he knows something about Taylor that we don't yet. Gigi Edgley's acting in this scene is wonderful. (not to mention the CGI shot of the Enterprise parked next to the cloud) Taylor knows that Usdi came to her for a reason. “Your son loves you very very much. Just like I love my father,” she says. “I know in your heart that you're not a monster, but every time you lash out in anger at your son, you become less the father he loves, and more the monster he fears. Please, find a way to heal yourself. Because my father never did.” The alien says one word back. “Heal.” “Change for Usdi.” I'm sure this alien has a difficult challenge ahead of him, but maybe, just maybe, he can do it. Because Taylor reached him. Wow, what an emotional scene. Huge credit to Gigi Edgely for this. What a legend. And huge credit to Greg Dykstra for a powerful story. This episode is something of a masterpiece. This is true Star Trek at its core. One of the things I love so much about this episode, is that it's a thematic episode, it's a message episode, but there's nothing political or controversial about it. It's the kind of message I've never seen in a TV show before, but it's an important message. The creators of this show found something important to say that not many others have said before. And I'm not saying sci-fi shouldn't address political or controversial issues, but I think this episode left the well-trod paths and found something new and interesting to say. When we watch a show like this, it's easy to think, “well, obviously this is not for me. This is for those deeply problematic people, those violent abusers, the ones with the real problems. But maybe rather than thinking about others we know who need to hear this, we should stop and think, what can I take away from this. Most of us are not violent abusers. But most of us who are parents, at some point, have become exasperated with our children. Have lashed out and treated our kids more harshly than they deserve, because of frustration. Maybe it's because the child has genuinely done something really bad, or maybe it's pressure in life that has nothing to do with them. I know from time to time, I've taken the time to stop and examine my parenting. To ask hard questions of whether I'm taking my frustrations out on my children in a way that I shouldn't. To see if there are any changes that I need to make in how I parent. And I think that's a healthy thing to do. For the sake of our kids. Anyway, Star Trek Continues never fails to impress me. It's just a whole other level above most other fan productions in so many ways, and honestly, sometimes better than actual real Star Trek. So as I said. This is episode 100. I still can't believe I've been talking about sci-fi for that long. It seems only yesterday that I started Nerd Heaven. It was the 6th of December 2019 when my first podcast went live. I talked about Star Trek: The Next Generation “Best of Both Worlds.” I was doing a little series in the lead-up to the launch of Star Trek Picard season 1. Covering episodes and movies that I had selected as a good lead up to the new series based on what I'd seen in trailers. It was a fun little series and allowed me to cover some old favourites. I remember I'd recorded just enough episodes to release one weekly until the premier of Picard episode 1. I did them in a big batch and scheduled them for release so they'd drip out while I was away on an extended Christmas holiday. We visited family in Tamworth, New South Wales, and then took a carnival cruise to New Caladonia and Vauatu. What a wonderful experience that was. After finishing Picard season 1, I did a few random things. I talked about my own history with the Star Trek franchise, I covered the remaining TNG movies I hadn't already talked about, and I watched Stargate Origins: Catherine for the first time. I also started looking at Lord of The Rings, both the book and the movies. I never actually finished that series though. I was doing a walk to Mordor challenge, but the unexpected pandemic kind of got in the way of that. I then started going through the movies of the DCEU. I really love some of those movies, like Man of Steel and Batman V Superman. And I had a lot to say about them. After making my way all the way to Shazam, it was time for Star Trek Discovery season 3 to come out, so once again, I covered this show live as I did with Picard. This was really challenging. I'd watch the episode on Friday night just for fun. Then I'd watch it again on Saturday morning, taking notes. Then I'd record the episode, and spend most of Saturday afternoon editing and publishing it. It really did consume a lot of my weekend. In addition to doing a travel vlog on youtube, this is when my writing life really took a hit. I no longer had time to work on my books. After I finished Discovery season 3, I knew I needed to make a change. I couldn't keep up this pace. And there were so many other content creators covering new Star Trek. I couldn't compete with them. Even today, after 100 episodes, I only average around 10 to 20 listeners per episode. Not big numbers. Not enough to justify the huge amount of work I was putting in. I needed to have the freedom to spend time with my family. So I made a switch to covering retro stuff. Doing re-watches of old classics. Stuff I'd loved in the past that I really wanted to talk about. The obvious choice there was Stargate Universe. A divisive show. A show that so many dismiss. But I knew the show had something to say. And I knew I had a lot to say about it, beyond just the question of whether it's good or bad. While this was a less crowded niche, I didn't suddenly become a superstar, but I did pick up some new passionate listeners, which I really appreciated. In any case, I now have a complete set of podcasts discussing every single episode of SGU. That will stand forever as something people can find and enjoy. And I'm really proud of that. After finishing SGU, I jumped into Star Trek Continues because again, there were things I wanted to say about it. And I'm having a blast. So what lies in the future? I'm not sure. I have plenty of ideas of shows I could talk about after I finish Star Trek Continues. The biggest challenge I face is balancing all my creative endeavours. This podcast, my travel vlog, and my writing. I still don't have all the answers, but at least I'm not burning myself out like I was this time last year. I'm pleased to say that I have got back into my writing and at the time of recording, I'm nearing the time where I'll finally publish book 3 of Jewel of The Stars. I can't wait to talk about that in a future episode of the podcast. I want to thank all those who have listened to this podcast. I'm sure my audience has changed over times as I've covered different shows. I don't know if there's anyone listening who's been around since the early days, but if there is, let me know. Because that would be really encouraging. Next time, we're talking about the Star Trek Continues episode “Embracing the Winds.” Until then, have a great two weeks. Live long and prosper. Make it so.

Star Trek Continues ”The White Iris” - Detailed Analysis& Review

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2022 25:23

While not as memorable as the big tentpole episodes, "The White Iris" is a true classic. This is a very emotional character-driven episode that advances Kirk's arc and adds depth to a number of previous Star Trek episodes. This episode is a great example of what makes Star Trek Continues so special. ----more---- Transcript Welcomed to Nerd Heaven. I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a nerd This is episode 98 of the podcast. Today, we're talking about the Star Trek Continues episode “The White Iris” The description on IMDB reads Captain Kirk finds himself haunted by guilt from his past as the fate of an alien world hangs in the balance. The teleplay was written by James Kerwin, Chris White, and Vic Mignogna Based on a story by Vic Mignogna and Chris White. The episode first aired on the 29th of May 2015. This episode was dedicated to the memory of Leonard Niymoy, placing it in time just after he passed away ,which was certainly a significant and sad moment for all Star Trek fans. Going into this one, I didn't remember the episode. Looking at the thumbnail and description on the Star Trek Continues website didn't ring any bells, but I knew I must have seen it before, because I've watched all of Star Trek Continues. It gets right into the action from the get go. Some aliens, the Calsins, are expressing their pleasure at the invitation to join the Federation when Kirk is unexpectedly attacked from behind by one of them. He's beamed to sickbay but is suffering fatal damage to the part of the brain responsible for emotional memories. Spock suggests an experimental drug. It hasn't even been tested yet. They don't know the dosage. Now I have a feeling that in the real world, by administering this drug to a patient, McCoy would be doing something highly unethical and probably illegal. Although Kirk does give his verbal consent. Still, giving an untested drug that doesn't have approval to a patient has got to be a huge risk. Kirk sees a vision of Rayna, an android woman Kirk had feelings for in the episode Requiem for Methuselah, one that I don't remember in huge detail either. Spock erased all memory of Rayna from Kirk's mind, to spare him the pain of her death. But now he remembers it all again. After just a few seconds of receiving the medication, Kirk is himself again. And then he's straight off the bed and back to duty. I get there's a time-critical situation on the planet, but minutes ago he was near death. Now he looks okay but he's been given a guessed dosage of an experimental drug. Who knows what kinds of side effects he might experience. I think it's kind of insane not to keep him in sickbay for observation for a while. Spock is an accomplished commander and a capable diplomat. And he can always liaise with Kirk from Sickbay. This was a big believability problem to me. Anyway, McCoy, Scotty and Uhura marvel at how nothing can keep Kirk down. Kirk has a lot of guilt over Rayna. In his opinion, while she started out as an android, she was human when he pushed her too far and she malfunctioned, unable to deal with the conflicting emotions inside of her. I'm not sure that human is the right word here, but Kirk clearly saw her as a sapient being. So Calsis, the planet they're currently orbiting, wants to join the Federation, but their sister world opposes it and will do anything, including assassinating Kirk, to prevent it. Although I do wonder how they think Kirk's murder will accomplish what they want. The Federation is giving them a defence grid to protect their world, but Kirk is suddenly hesitant. Possibly because he's seeing another vision. Time time, a woman named Nakia. She appears to be a new character created for Star Trek Continues. Interestingly, she is named after the actress that plays her - Nakia Burrise. Nakia is ghostly translucent. Kirk can't remember the passcode for the defence grid. He created the code himself, with the understanding he would make the final decision whether or not to give the grid to the Calsins. Nobody else knows it. See, this is why you use a password management product like KeePass. Kirk leaves Spock in charge while he reports to sickbay for further tests. Spock hopes that Checkov might be able to decrypt Kirk's forgotten password. It wouldn't be a very secure system if that were possible. But Checkov mentions that at the academy, he once decrypted something of Xindi origin. This is very cool as it's a reference to the Xindi who nearly destroyed Earth in Enterprise season 3, a story that took place chronologically long before TOS, but was, of course, produced long after TOS. I do appreciate these touches. On the way to sickbay, Kirk sees a little girl in the hallways. Who is she? So the sister planet fires a missile at Calsis. They're not mucking about. The representative is desperate for that defence network now. Why hasn't Kirk told anyone about his hallucinations? This is an annoying trope in Star Trek. A character is undergoing something super weird but they keep it to themselves. It's pretty annoying. McCoy senses there's something Kirk isn't telling him, but Kirk is a little non-committal as to what that is. There's something wrong with Kirk's heart. It's weakening and McCoy has no medical explanation. Spock asks Checkov if he's tried a brute force attack to guess the password. Checkov points out the computer on this device is designed to shut down on repeated failed login attempts. Well that's something. Honestly, if a brute force attack could work then Starfleet needs to fire their entire IT department, and Spock is pretty silly for suggesting it. Kirk finally opens up about Nakia. They served together on the Farragut 13 years ago. They were very close but she died in the line of duty and Kirk blamed himself. He's never spoken of her. He thought he could forget her. I quite like that they created a new character from Kirk's past to go alongside the older ones we've seen in the show previously. It means we're not just dwelling in nostalgia, as cool as that is, but we're also pushing things forward with new backstory. That's what sets this kind of writing apart from a lot of fan fiction. Technically, of course, this show is fan fiction, but it's of a very high quality. I'm really curious what a psycho-tricorder detects. There is a strong link between the biological and the mental, of course, when it comes to health. There are physiological things that affect the mind, the emotions. But a standard medical tricorder should show you all you need to know about the physiological, and how can a device like a tricorder tell you about the non-physiological aspects of mental health? It would have to be a telepathic device. Perhaps it's not so different from a standard medical tricorder, it's just configured to focus on aspects of the brain and body that are specifically related to mental health. In any case, Kirk's emotions are being affected. He's cranky. He's giving in to emotional outbursts that he'd normally control. He's ignoring very reasonable recommendations from McCoy and Spock, and honestly, being a little paranoid. The actres playing Edith Keeler is very well cast. She does a fantastic job of replicating Joan Collins' way of speaking. A replacement console is days away. Sulu emphasises to Uhura to inform Spock as well as Kirk, which already shows how he's starting to lose the confidence of his crew. Also, interesting to note that Smith is back, this time the prime universe version. So, she's probably been on the Enterprise this whole time since “Where No Man has Gone Before” which I think is cool. The Enterprise is unable to destroy the incoming missile because it seems to have disappeared. We're never really given an explanation for this. I assume the sister planet has some form of cloaking technology on their weapons. We get a little more insight into the cultures of these sister planets. The people of Calsis developed a spiritual culture while the others became more materialistic, and disdainful of the Calsis way. Now this is an example of the planet of hats problem which Star Trek does so often, where an entire planet's population will share a specific personality trait. And this concept has been rightly criticised by many. But on the other hand, I think there's room for a little of it. If we look at the countries of Earth we see there are some commonly shared traits. For example, the British people are often thought of as stiff while we Australians have a reputation for being laid back. You could say that Americans are generally quite materialistic as a people, but some European cultures might be focussed more on family. It's all generalisations and stereotypes which will, of course, break down, but that doesn't mean there can't be some truth to these kinds of perceptions. So I'm willing to let the episode get away with this. Spock is meeting with McCoy and McKenna to discuss Kirk's state of mind. The physical injury is healed. His problems might be related to the experimental drug but there's no evidence of this. McKenna can't assess his mental state without Kirk's cooperation. This might be one of the big differences between physical and mental health. While patient consent is certainly a big issue in medicine, you don't need much input from the patient to set a broken leg, but you can't help a patient with mental health difficulties unless they're willing to be a big part of it. And Kirk is certainly not willing. He dismisses McKenna to discuss the issue at hand with his officers. The next hallucination Kirk sees is Miramanee, Kirk's late wife from the planet Amerind, where Kirk spent some extended time, having lost his memory. That episode had a number of issues, but it also dared to do some darker character stuff you wouldn't typically see in the 60s. For that, and the introduction of the mysterious preservers, I quite like The Paradise Sydrome. It's biggest flaw, of course, is that it has zero consequences. We never hear of Miramanee and her child again. It's as if Kirk is just over it. But that's more of flaw of the series, and 60s television mentality in general, than it is a flaw of this particular episode. Anyway, that's where Star Trek Continues comes in. The little girl shows up again. I wonder if Kirk is starting to put it together yet? McCoy is surprised to note that Spock is considering that what Kirk is seeing may be more than just hallucinations. Vulcans believe in the katra. McCoy uses an argument I've often heard. “I thought Vulcans were a people of science,” implying that being a person of science precludes a belief in anything spiritual. Spock counters this by saying “To be a people of science is to acknowledge that sometimes science points to something more. Vulcans are also a people of spirit. The two are not as contradictory as people assume.” I think it can be argued whether this statement is consistent with Spock's character as established in TOS, but I really liked its inclusion. Star Trek usually comes from such a strictly naturalistic point of view, that it's nice when it does acknowledge the possibility of something more. Smith reports a drag on the enterprise's flight path. I like the moment when both she and Sulu put it together at the same time and share a knowing look. This drag could be caused by the missile, and this might be their clue to locating it. Kirk is so distracted by the ghosts of his former lovers that he can't give the order to fire. Spock very wisely gives the order himself. Technically this is a breach of the chain of command, but Kirk is clearly not himself. This was the right call. When Kirk gives an outburst in front of everyone, addressing his hallucinations, he finally realises how compromised he has become. He should have known it a lot sooner, but that was probably another symptom of his condition. He relieves himself and hands the ship over to Spock. I mean he relieves himself of command, of course, not the other kind of relieving oneself. The camera pans to Spock and holds there for a few seconds. He has a satisfied look on his face, but it's not because he has ambition. It's not because he wants Kirk's job. It's because his friend has finally seen the light and done what's best for him, and others. McCoy reminds me, on purpose I'm sure, of Doctor Boyd when he brings Kirk a dose of brandy. But he needs a distraction to scan him. His heart is working at 15% efficiency. Another arrest is inevitable. When Kirk doesn't respond to McCoy as a doctor, he tries to engage him as McCoy the friend. But Kirk doesn't believe he's not alone. He's reminded of the women he has lost. Duty first. Kirk asks McCoy if he thinks Kirk loved those women. McCoy answers, “I think you've loved a lot of women, Jim.” Kirk does have a reputation as a ladies man. But that's not what Kirk is asking. Yes, he's had a lot of lovers in the past, but did he actually love them? Kirk answers yes. He did love them. And he can't let them go. Bones assume Kirk was just a playboy who wanted a string of one night stands. But deep down, Kirk wants more than that. He always has. But command leaves no room for those kinds of indulgences. At least at this point in Star Trek history. By the 24th century we'll see captains marry and have families, raising them on Starships. But this is not that kind of Starfleet. Not yet. This is where things get really interesting. Spock enters as Kirk is seeing all three women. He mind melds, and he sees them. He asks them what they want. So what does this mean? Does it suggest they are more than just hallucinations? Can a Vulcan see another's delusions through a mind meld? I'm honestly not sure. Delusions and hallucinations happen in the brain, in the mind, and it is the minds that are connected. Spock says they need resolution. Closure. Of a type only Kirk can offer. So he's viewing them as something more substantial. Kirk is heading down to the planet with the console, against McCoy's recommendation. But is this different than before? He's relieved himself of duty, so Spock is currently in command, but maybe Kirk still needs to play a part in all this. If he can get better, maybe he can remember the password. Except, that's not where he goes. So maybe I misunderstood. When he enters McKenna's quarters, there's a little moment that kind of mirrors one in the first episode, where McKenna walking in on Kirk shirtless. McKenna is hardly naked, but she does seem taken aback and kind of covers her shoulder. I think the show might be suggesting there's some mutual attraction between these two, possibly because the actors were together in real life, but from memory, that doesn't go anywhere. Kirk doesn't know why he's here. But he's looking for answers. McKenna thinks this isn't about resolution. It's about guilt. Kirk is the one who needs the resolution. He needs to explain to them why he failed them, which he never had the chance to do before they died. These hallucinations give Kirk a unique opportunity that few of us ever get. Enter the pseudo holodeck. I'd forgotten that the show revisited this. He meets the women from his past in the place where he last met them. And he better hurry because there's 23 new tri-cobalt warheads headed for the planet. Edith wants to know why Kirk held McCoy back from saving her. Why did he deliberately let her die. She forgives him. She understands. I think it's possible the real Edith Keeler may have understood as well. She dreamed of the world he was saving. Next he visits the Farragut. Nakia knew the risks when she signed up for Starfleet. She doesn't blame him. She doesn't forgive him because she says there's nothing to forgive. “No more guilt, Jim”. Back on Amerind, Kirk says his farewell to his wife, Mirramanee. He says that she, and their baby, were gifts he could never repay. And she says something interesting. One does not repay a gift. And that's true. That's what makes it a gift. “The great spirit calls us to forgiveness, of others, and ourselves.” It's a hard moment. Of all the woman Kirk has loved, Miaramanee was the longest and most committed relationship. They were married. They conceived a child together. We always remember Edith Keeler and Carol Marcus. But we forget Miramanee. We shouldn't do that. Rayna is last, and she doesn't look impressed. This might be the hardest one of all. But then her face softens into a smile. There are no words exchanged. It seems none are necessary. It's a good performance from the actors. It's done. Kirk has experienced closure with all of them. But he still doesn't remember the password, and Calsis only has 6 minutes. Spock recommends withdrawal. When you have failed, there is nothing left but to try to survive. But Kirk has another idea. Put the Enterprise in the path of the missiles with full shields. Spock surprisingly say they might be able to survive that, but they can't block all the missiles. But it's all they've got. This is the starfleet way. You put your life on the line to protect others. Kirk is still seeing the little girl. Perhaps that's why his memory hasn't returned He chases her through the ship. She offers him a gift. The same patterned stitching on the native american headbands from Amerind. Realisation dawns on him. This is his unborn daughter. She has no name because he never gave her one. And at this point in the episode, my heart is just shattering. Kirk apologises to her that she never had a chance. He promises to love and remember her all the days of his life. As a father this is a very emotional moment for me to watch. I can well believe that Kirk will think of her every day for the rest of his life. Of course, we'll never see that, because this story was written long after the TOS movies that follow it chronologically. But it would be nice to see some sign that he continues to think about her in future episodes of Star Trek Continues. As she fades away she whispers something in Kirk's ear Evidently, this final closure allowed Kirk to remember the code. Kirk's log entry makes that sufficiently clear. The episode doesn't need to spend any more time on it. After seeing the technological might of the Federation, the Eritrans have requested formal peace negotiations. That's a good outcome. We come to understand later, that Irises, the word that Kirk's daughter whispered in his ear, was the password. Kirk is now sold on the need for a ship's counsellor. He has approved a dedicated office for McKenna. I guess she had to use her quarters beforehand. You need privacy for her kind of work. It turns out, the password was likely inspired by the painting by Vincent Van Gough. It is said he only painted one of the irises white because he was lonely. Just like Kirk. If that's what he chose for his password it shows just how lonely he really does feel. The episode closes with McCoy suggesting that the part of Kirk's heart that wouldn't give up belongs to another lady. The obvious meaning to this would be the Enterprise. She has always been Kirk's lady. But I couldn't help but think about Carol Marcus. The other great love of Kirk's life who wasn't mentioned in this episode. Probably because he hasn't met her yet. In fact, another fan series, Star Trek New Voyages, did an episode that told the story of Kirk and Marcus's first meeting. I'm kinda tempted to add that episode into the mix as we're going through Star Trek Continues. I can't believe I didn't remember this episode, though it started to come back as I watched it. This is a beautiful character piece. It helps to solve one of the big problems of TOS, lack of continuity. This episode provides consequence and continuation to some important emotional beats for Kirk in previous episodes. And much like how Avengers Endgame made some of the weaker Marvel movies more meaningful in retrospect, this episode adds power to those previous Star Trek episodes. So I think this is a triumph. Star Trek Continues actually reminds me a lot of Enterprise season 4. It seems to be trying to do a similar thing. Next time, we'll be travelling through time with another episode that I don't remember much about. Divided We Stand. In the meantime, have a great two weeks. Live long and proper Make it so.

Star Trek Continues ”Fairest of Them All” - Detailed Analysis & Review

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 16, 2022 20:45

Today's episode of Star Trek Continues, "Fairest of Them All" takes us back to the mirror universe, for a direct sequel to the original Star Trek episode "Mirror Mirror". We get to see what happened next after prime Kirk planted the seeds of change in mirror Spock's mind. It's a fun and meaningful story. Let's dig in and talk about it. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars. And I am a nerd. This is episode 97 of the podcast. Today, we're talking about the Star Trek Continues episode “Fairest of Them All” The description on StartrekContinues.com reads In the Mirror Universe, Spock faces a choice that determines the future of the Terran Empire. The teleplay was written by James Kerwin and Vic Mignogna Based on a story by Vic Mignogna It was directed by James Kerwin And it first aired on 15th of June 2014. You'll notice as we go along, that many episodes of Star Trek Continues are sequels, either direct, or subtle, to TOS episodes. This is the second one that is a direct sequel, in this case, to Mirror Mirror. The mirror universe is an interesting thing. When you start to think about it, the idea breaks down quickly. The more the universes diverge, the less likely it would be to see the same people. For example, how astonishingly unlikely, in this universe, that Sarak still married Amanda, a Terran, and brought Spock into the world. At its core, the mirror universe is silly. I've heard some argue that because of this, mirror universe episode should be campy. I strongly disagree with that. Mirror Mirror, while built on the somewhat silly premise, was serious drama. The only hint of campiness, to me, was mirror Kirk's over-acting, but even that was done for dramatic effect. When DS9 started doing mirror universe episodes, it also took the premise seriously and made gritty drama about it. Sadly, as these episodes went on, they got progressively sillier, the last of them, in season 7, being a Ferengi comedy. People point to Spock's beard, claiming this is a campy idea, but I think that's mainly just because it's become such a meme. At the time, putting a goatee on Spock served a very practical purpose. Not only did it make him look more menacing, but it very quickly and effectively showed us, visually, that something was different. This wasn't our Spock. Even the trend of having other mirror universe Vulcans wear the same beard doesn't feel like a campy move to me. We know that vulcans are creatures of tradition. They practically all have the same hairstyle, so it's only reasonable to assume that having a goatee would be a cultural imperative for mirror Vulcans. Look at the real-world culture of the Amish, who all grow a beard after they marry. So, yeah, my point is, I'm up for treating the mirror universe as fodder for serious drama. And this episode follows its predecessor in just that. The episode begins with Kirk's closing speech to Spock at the end of Mirror Mirror. It's a great speech. He has some very compelling words for Spock. It was always a favourite part of that episode. And I love how at the end of it, Spock says “I shall consider it.” And with that note of hopefulness, We follow Kirk and his crew back to the prime universe. But in this episode, we instead stay in the mirror universe with Spock, to see what he does next. And I have to say this is a brilliant move. From the moment I first heard Intendant Kira tell the story of how Mirror Spock had dismantled the Terran Empire, turning it into a more reasonable and peace-loving organisation, and then its subsequent conquest by the alliance, I've been enthralled by the idea of seeing that play out. During early DS9, Leonard Nimoy was still young enough to play this. I imagined a TV movie, set during the TOS movie era, where an older Spock had risen to emperor and was taking the dangerous steps of trying to change the culture. This episode of Star Trek Continues is the closest we'll likely ever get to that. But this tells the very beginning of the story. Spock's first steps into the light. The return of mirror Kirk is bad news for the Halkans. Our Kirk did everything he could to try to spare them, but now that this universe's Kirk has returned, his first order of business is to destroy their city. Rather than just destroying one city with the phasers, Kirk decides to use a full spread of photon torpedoes. The radiation of which is likely to make the entire species extinct. Spock argues for leniency and diplomacy. Prime Kirk's words are already having an effect on him. But mirror Kirk isn't interested. He does, however, have his first hint that his prime counterpart has sowed seeds of revolution in Spock's mind. This episode takes a page out of Enterprise's book and creates specific mirror-universe opening titles, much as “In a Mirror Darkly” did. It was awesome in Enterprise, and it's awesome here. Note also that this is the first episode that doesn't have Larry Nemechek as McCoy. We have a new actor - Chuck Huber. I wondered what the reason for the cast change might have been. I found a Facebook post by Star Trek Continues, stating that Nemecek filled in for Chuck Huber in the first two episodes. This suggests that Larry was never intended to be the long-term actor in this role, but maybe Chuck Huber wasn't available for the first two? I don't know. It's also the first appearance, in Star Trek Continues, of Smith, a character we last saw as a yeoman in “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” In that episode, Kirk kept calling her Jones. It seems mirror Kirk is still making that mistake all these years later. The original series had a pretty male-dominated cast. Continues adds in a few more female characters to be regulars and semi-regulars. We already know it's added McKenna, as a brand new character, but I like how they went back to the well and used this old character. This episode won't be the last we'll see of her. You'll notice Spock is the clear protagonist of this episode. We get a personal log from Spock, rather than a captain's log from Kirk. There's a really interesting dynamic going on between these two, even now. Kirk confronts Spock for questioning his orders. Spock again tries to point out the logic of his alternate approach. When Kirk asks Uhura to make his report back to the empire, he makes it very clear that he personally destroyed the Halkens, and he asks Uhura to include Spock's objections. On the surface, this may seem like he's respecting Spock's opinion, but of course this is the opposite. Kirk is letting his superiors know that Spock made a very controversial suggestion. A suggestion that could get him in a lot of trouble. A suggestion that might make them question giving him a command of his own. This is a subtle power play against Spock, and I'm sure Spock is aware of it. New twist, something planted in the planet by the Halkens means that the torpedo barrage is setting off a chain reaction that could destroy all of that precious dilithium the empire wants to strip mine out of the planet. All of a sudden, Spock is looking like the more reasonable person, and Kirk's overkill is going to cost them a lot. And that message has already been sent to the Empire. Very interesting. Kirk does his best to turn things around again, by insisting that Spock should have detected that the dilithium was rigged to explode. But it sounds a little hollow. Uhura sounds a very valid warning. Kirk's enemies don't stick around very long. Spock already knows about the device in Kirk's quarters, and that's just where Kirk is headed. If Spock isn't careful, he may disintegrate. So two Andorian ships arrive, and we know from Discovery that the mirror Andorians were part of a rebellion with the Tellarites and Vulcans, but this was written before discovery. The Andorians say they witnessed the destruction of the Halkens and no longer recognise the authority of the Terran Empire. I think you can make this work. While many Andorians were rebels, years earlier at the time of Discovery, I'm not sure all of them were. Some were probably willing subjects of the empire. I mean, Spock himself is first officer of a Terran ship, and he's Vulcan, who were also part of the rebellion, (which features Spock's own father). But the more important thing here is that Kirk's prediction is already coming true. Other races are rebelling against the empire. It doesn't line up exactly because it implies there hasn't been any rebellion up until now. And we hear the computer voice, which in the mirror universe, is Male. Excitingly, the voice is Michael Dorn, who, of course, played Worf. That's a nice touch. When Kirk orders Spock to attack the Andorian ships, he openly refuses to obey. Naturally, Kirk assumes Spock is making some kind of play, because that's how things work in the Mirror Universe, but he also recognises that his Prime universe counterpart has had some influence on Spock, and maybe on Moreau as well. He turns on the tantalus field, and spies Spock speaking of mutiny with Uhura. But when he pushes the button to kill Spock, it fritzes out and dies. It's not working. I think Kirk suspects Moreau of doing something to the device at first, but stops short of having her taken away by security. Spock's next target is Scotty. He tries to recruit him, appealing to the peace he witnessed in the prime universe. Scotty saw that peace as weakness, but is he just parroting the party line? His biggest concern is not a fundamental disagreement with Spock, but fear of committing mutiny, which is a very dangerous game in the mirror universe. I don't think Spock was successful in recruiting Uhura, but she's wishing she wasn't on the ship. If I have one criticism of this episode, it's that, other than Kirk, none of the crew are really mirror-universe enough. I'm not seeing the angry bloodthirsty callousness that I'm expecting, I'm mainly seeing fear. But then, fear would be a natural state for most people living in a world like that. We actually get our first real glimpse of this with McCoy. He's injecting a security officer with something. He casually remarks “I've never used this much before.” Then grins and says “I wonder what will happen.” I think doctors provide the best opportunity for highlighting the difference between mirror and prime characters. Because Doctors have such strong ethics in our world, and a doctor without ethics is terrifying. This idea is so powerful that the showrunners of Star Trek Discovery's first season said they would never show a mirror universe version of Culber, because it would be so dark it would tarnish the memory of that character. Of course, that didn't stop them showing a version of Georgaeu who would eat the meat of sentient lifeforms. Now that Kirk knows where Spock is, the only thing keeping him alive is the malfunction in the tantalus field. Checkov is wise to join Spock's side when given the chance. Spock's use of the stun setting on his phaser is a powerful statement that really gets Checkov thinking. “Murder is the way of the empire. The captain's way.” Kirk put Checkov in the front lines as cannon fodder to die. He has much better hope for a future with Spock than with Kirk, even if he doesn't share Spock's values. Of course, I am surprised that a mirror universe phaser would even have a stun setting, but perhaps it could be useful occasionally. After all, you can't torture someone who is dead., Spock gives a rousing speech over the comm system. He's getting through to Uhura. You can see it on her face. Moreau joins Spock in Auxiliary Control. She tells him their best hope is to get to Kirk's quarters. The tantalus field is the key, just as Prime Kirk said it would be. Kirk is starting to realise the seriousness of his situation. Crew are not reporting for duty. They're starting to switch sides. Smith is willing to serve Kirk, but his anger at her is eroding any goodwill she has for him. He does something really stupid. He relieves her of her commission and tells her to report to the brig. She was one of the few allies he had, and he's just given her to Spock because she's unable to do what would be reasonably accepted to be impossible in her situation. Kirk realises his mistake when Sulu arrives and reports that Checkov has turned. He tells Smith to resume her post, but the damage is already done. She's not going to respect Kirk anymore. The only thing that's been holding her here is fear, and that fear will continue to erode as Spock gains more and more power. We get confirmation that Moreau sabotaged the tantalus field. Now she offers it to Spock. When Moreau says “Yes, she is the captain's woman, but not this captain,” I believe she's thinking about prime Kirk. He changed her way of thinking. He gave her a new hope. She's doing this based on his example, and possibly even out of love for him. But Spock isn't willing to use it. “No revolution can succeed using the same methods that failed in the previous one.” Wise words. There may come a day when Spock has to use this device to protect himself, but he's not going to stoop to Kirk's level. He's not going to become the monster he's trying to defeat. The key is not using the device himself, but ensuring that Kirk can't use it. Moreau wants to be sent to the prime universe, something Spock can't do. But together maybe they can recreate something of the prime universe here. Kirk is learning. He's realising that screaming and ranting is not going to get him anywhere. So he's trying a more reasonable approach. At least, an approach that seems reasonable. He tells Spock that he sees the merit in his logic. He's lying, obviously, but he's calmed down enough to be able to try this tactic. Moreau cautions against this. It's obviously a trap. Scotty knows this. Spock knows this. But if there is any hope for the empire to change, he must give Kirk the opportunity to change as well. So he walks into what is almost certainly a trap. Because he has to give Kirk a chance. It's interesting. I can see his logic. Scotty and Moraeu are right. This is a foolish step that can likely achieve nothing. But this is exactly what Spock has been preaching. Sit down and talk rather than fight. To refuse would be to go against the essence of the message he's preaching. And I think Kirk knows this. I couldn't help but notice the camera shot panning up from the chessboard to Spock and then seeing Kirk enter. Very symbolic of the chess game Kirk and Spock are currently engaged in. A game in which they are currently locked in a stalemate. Kirk brings up the valid point that there are many other ships out there loyal to the empire. Even if Spock wins control of the Enterprise, he'll still have a very difficult fight ahead of him. A fight against the odds. When Kirk tries to shoot Spock, we learn that Scotty has put an energy dampening forcefield on the entire deck. Spock has given Kirk his chance, but also given him a chance to prove he cannot be trusted. The dilithium on the planet is overloading. They have to warp away to avoid being destroyed. Spock is offering the crew an alternative. Kirk shows what he really thinks of them. “They're pawns. They don't need alternatives. Pawns need a king. He sees no intrinsic human value in any of them. And this is why Kirk will lose. This happens sooner than expected when we realise that Spock had activated the intercom. The entire crew heard Kirk ranting about them. Uhura and Smith already have knives at Sulu's throat. Security arrive in the rec lounge to take Kirk into custody. Spock demonstrates compassion by giving Kirk and his followers a shuttle, sparing their lives. Part way through this scene I got a little excited when I realised they'd built a shuttle for this show. You see, I get so caught up in this that sometimes I just think I'm watching TOS. And then I realise, oh yeah, this is a fan show. Fans had to build that life-size shuttle. I'm sure the hanger deck itself is CG, but it looks as it should. Apparently there were some Halken survivors. I'm surprised by that. I thought Kirk slaughtered them all. I think the Halkens would be glad to know, survivors or not, that their sacrifice had helped to secure the end of the empire, and the beginning of peace. At least, until the Klingons and Cardassians form the Alliance, but that's a whole other story. So Spock orders a speed of warp 2 with no heading, prompting Checkov to ask for the heading. Spock replies “forward.” This reminded me of Kirk's “first star to the right” quote from Peter Pan at the end of Star Trek 6. And I get it. It's poetic. That's nice and all. But…..what exactly is Checkov supposed to do with that? Spock is there waiting for the ship to move. Checkov pushes some buttons. Is he just making up his own course? Maybe plotting for the nearest Maccas fly-through? These moments kind of bother me. So, the Enterprise flies off into the sunset, having taken the very first step into a better future. I really enjoyed this one. It was a great script, exploring how Spock took Kirk's advice and made changes in the mirror universe. It's the kind of episode I'm not sure they could have done in “real” Star Trek. It doesn't actually move the story forward in our world at all. But it's a perfect story for a fan series to explore. Not so much a ‘what-if' story, but certainly a side quest, but a very meaningful one. Next time, we'll be talking about an episode that I don't really remember - The White Iris. Looking forward to it. Don't forget to check out my original science fiction at AdamDavidCollings.com/books In the meantime, have a great two weeks, live long and prosper Make it so.

Supplemental 72 - How Far Is Too Far? The One From Las Vegas 2022

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2022 57:32

Recorded live at the Creation "56 Year Mission" Convention in Las Vegas - Norm and John welcome special guests Robert J. Sawyer and James Kerwin to discuss the times that Star Trek pushes the creative envelope beyond our comfort zones. Don't miss this conversation with surprise guests and audience participation! Robert J. Sawyer -

las vegas star trek supplemental robert j. sawyer james kerwin year mission convention

Supplemental 72 - How Far Is Too Far? The One From Las Vegas 2022

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2022 57:32

las vegas star trek supplemental robert j. sawyer james kerwin year mission convention

Mission Log: A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast Supplemental 72 - How Far Is Too Far? The One From Las Vegas 2022

director award winning lie screenwriters star trek continues screenwriter director james kerwin

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2022 57:32

James Kerwin (A Conversation With)

3 Geeks Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 9, 2022 17:15

Justin sits down with James Kerwin to chat!! DIRECTOR JAMES KERWIN's work has earned distinctions such as the Webby, the Telly, the Geekie, the Accolade, and the Panavision New Filmmaker Grant, in addition to numerous film festival grand jury prizes. He was named "Best Director" and "Best Screenwriter" by New York Visionfest for Yesterday Was a Lie, his feature film debut from Entertainment One and IndiePix. For several years, James served as a writer/director on the acclaimed fan-favorite web series Star Trek Continues. He's a member of Mensa and Phi Beta Kappa, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. https://www.contre-coup.com/ to sign up for newsletter updates and the Indiegogo link is on that page as well!! Follow us @3geekspodcast

conversations arts fellow lie royal society indiegogo best director mensa webby phi beta kappa telly accolade star trek continues entertainment one geekie james kerwin best screenwriter

Interview with Award Winning Screenwriter and Director James Kerwin

The Stage Door Show

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2022 28:32

Award winning Screenwriter/Director, James Kerwin stopped by The Stage Door Show to discuss his career and new projects he's working on. James has been recognized in the industry on multiple occasions for his works, including “Yesterday was a Lie”, “When the Train Stops”, “Star Trek Continues” among many other pieces. Besides covering his extensive past work, we also hear about a new feature film from James “Contre-Coup” where you can become involved in getting the film past the finish line! Listen to find out how. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thestagedoorshow/message

James Kerwin Ep 58 "Taught In The Old School, Teaching In The New School"

Sucio_Talk

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 25, 2021 85:22

Sucio.Talk.Podcast Presents James Kerwin. James Kerwin Is The Executive Chef At Wild Dunes Resort In Charleston, South Carolina. Father, Husband, Chef, Taught In The Old School, Leading In The New School. It Was Good To Meet James After Talking With The Man Over The Interweb. A Chef Who Takes His Craft Seriously, And Put In The Time And Hard Work In To Get To Where He Is Today. He Details Coming Up In The Industry, The Differences Between Cooking And Leading, Mistakes We've All Made, And What It Took To Win Cochon555 in 2020. Ladies & Gentleman Please EnjoyEpisode 58"Taught In The Old School, Teaching In The New School"#Sucio_Talk Also Available On@SpreakerPodcast@GooglePodcast@ApplePodcast@AudiblePodcasts@youtubeSUBSCRIBE.REACH OUT.REPOST.SHARE.SUCIOTALK@GMAIL.COMWRITE IN KITCHEN STORIES TO BE FEATURED ON THE SHOW.SHOW SOME LOVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA.LET PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE FOOD PODCAST.#sucio_talk #suciotalk #suciotalks #david_sucio #davidguilloty #chefdavidguilloty #boricua #puertorico #100x35 #420 #badassesingeneral #spreakerpodcasts #foodie #chefs #chef #cook #cooks #cooking #cuisine #history #travel #entrepreneur #food #love#brownchefsPEACE!

That Time When We Reflected on Star Trek: Continues with James Kerwin

Trekzone Podcasts

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2021 12:47

Take a trip back to That Time When James Kerwin beamed in to chat about the biggest Star Trek fan film of them all… months before he'd get a panel together for us in our biggest podcast ever! Catch this podcast in full from the archive right here. The post That Time When We Reflected on Star Trek: Continues with James Kerwin appeared first on Trekzone.

star trek reflected star trek continues james kerwin

The Legacy of Star Trek: Continues

Trekzone Podcasts

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2021 56:04

We're thrilled to welcome a panel of guests to the show for this special edition of A Trekzone Conversation. James Kerwin, Larry Nemecek, Todd Haberkorn and Chris Doohan beam in to reflect on the legacy of one of the giant Star Trek Fan Films- Star Trek Continues… The post The Legacy of Star Trek: Continues appeared first on Trekzone.

star trek continues larry nemecek todd haberkorn james kerwin chris doohan

Interview 45 with James Kerwin - part 2

Chasing Bandos Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2021 50:44

In part 2 of the interview with English urbexer/photographer James Kerwin we continue exchanging exploring stories. James mentioned notorious underwater ballroom which turned out to be a bit altercation with the caretaker. Exploring in Labanon, Namibia and France and more. We also discussed what urbexing means and touched upon “blowing up spots” by publishing their photographs on the Internet and James gave an alternative view on that popular topic. You can find James on Instagram at james.kerwin or by visiting his website jameskerwinphotographic.com Chasing Bandos Podcast is available on chasingbandospodcast.com or your favourite podcasting app. Check out the pictures of our guest on Instagram at chasingbandospod. Video interviews available on Chasing Bandos Podcast Youtube channel. You can get in contact by email: contact@gregabandoned.com Intro song is Watcha Gon' Do is performed by Chris Shards [EPIDEMIC SOUND MUSIC LICENSE] Viewer discretion announcement at the beginning of the episode was done by Adrian Wunderler-Selby.

english internet france video exploring namibia james kerwin

Interview 45 with James Kerwin - part 1

Chasing Bandos Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2021 67:54

Today on the podcast I am talking to James Kerwin who is a British explorer living in Georgia. We talked about what is it like to go full time photographer, how was it to emigrate to Georgia (country) and we also explore some obscure facts about his new country of residence including Joseph Stalin's museum but mostly we focused on urbex side and famous abandoned sanatoriums. Also James mentioned exploring car cave in Wales and he shared few stories including the one and only about renting a car and driving in Italy and camping overnight in abandoned locations. This is part 1. Stay tuned for next part and more stories from James. You can find James on Instagram at james.kerwin or by visiting his website jameskerwinphotographic.com Chasing Bandos Podcast is available on chasingbandospodcast.com or your favourite podcasting app. Check out the pictures of our guest on Instagram at chasingbandospod. Video interviews available on Chasing Bandos Podcast Youtube channel. You can get in contact by email: contact@gregabandoned.com Intro song is Watcha Gon' Do is performed by Chris Shards [EPIDEMIC SOUND MUSIC LICENSE] Viewer discretion announcement at the beginning of the episode was done by Adrian Wunderler-Selby.

british video italy wales joseph stalin james kerwin

SciFi5: R.U.R. TV broadcast - February 11, 1938