Star Trek Voyager: Not Your Daddy's Star Trek

Moving into the tail end of Star Trek month, we’re taking a look at the last juggernaut Trek series to have aired, Star Trek Voyager. I mention that it wasn’t your daddy’s Star Trek mostly because I really had no idea how to sum it up accurately in one witty blurb. But the subtitle seemed appropriate because as a spin-off, Voyager was, well, kinda weird. It took the optimism of Next Generation, shoved it in an area of the galaxy that Trek had never explored before, peppered in some of the grittiness that made Deep Space Nine so good, and then populated it with the moist blatantly trying-way-too-hard-to-be-PC crew in Star Trek history, which I suppose is a nice nod back to the Original Series, but it just tried too hard. For these reasons, and many more, Voyager tends to elicit mixed results from fans of the franchise. Some applaud its innovative approach and its diversity, while others, myself included, see it as a diluted, and campy step backwards from the cutting social examination that we got out of DS9. At any rate, we’re not really here to examine the show on the whole as much as we’re taking a sampling of episodes that demonstrate that Star Trek DNA in action so let’s get to it.

I will admit that I’m not as familiar with Voyager as I would like to be. I’ve seen every episode at least one time. It’s just that so many of them are just not very memorable so when I was looking at which episodes to use for this piece, I may have gotten some guidance from the Oracle of Google in order to get pointed in the right direction, and my heartfelt thanks goes out to all of the fans who offered up superb suggestions. Ultimately, I settled on “Latent Image” as the most Trek-y episode of Voyager. You may not agree, and that’s totally okay, but the premise sounded intriguing, and it came highly recommended from many sources. It was a pretty fascinating exercise because “Image” deals with some of the same themes as DS9’s “Hard Time”. There’s the aspect of soul crushing guilt and depression following a particularly traumatic experience, and there’s commentary on the effectiveness of the myriad ways that we as human beings work through these things. The fascinating thing about it was how the two previously mentioned episodes covered similar ground from vastly different approaches. In “Hard Time” we already know why O’Brien is suffering, for the most part. There is the surprise at the end, but let’s not kid ourselves, it’s not that big of a surprise. In “Image” we’re presented with a good old fashioned mystery to work through. This is fitting since the episode that started it all, “The Man Trap”, was essentially the same thing.

The episode starts with the Doctor using holography to map the innards of the entire crew. In the process, he stumbles upon an anatomical abnormality within Harry Kim’s brain stem. This leads to a twisting, and entertaining investigation full of false starts and do overs, and aided by Seven of Nine. Eventually, we learn that the Doctor suffered a breakdown of his program due to a moral conflict within his ethical subroutine because he let one crewman die in order to save Kim even though each patient had an equal chance of survival. This caused a feedback loop that nearly led to his entire program imploding. As a result, Captain Janeway decided that the best course of action was to purge his memory of the incident and sweep the entire thing way under the rug so that the Doctor wouldn’t be put in a position where the same thing could reoccur. The ride is surprisingly fun in this episode because we as viewers kind of know that there’s something going on, but for the most part,the perspective is centered on the Doctor so things are only confirmed as the Doctor is able to verify new information. This lends a great bit of in universe grounding to situations like the Doctor accusing the entire senior staff of conspiracy on the bridge, a situation that would seem way over the top out of context, but works due in part because of the presentation style of the episode. Also, there was a lot of subtlety used in tipping off the viewer. Things like slight facial expressions, or changes in the music offer cues that we’re being let into the inner circle before the Doctor has figured something out, even if we don’t really comprehend what we’re seeing at the time. It’s very effective at building tension, and a lot of fun to watch.

I had a hard time nailing down specific themes that I could articulate verbally, at first, and even now, some of what I took away from the experience may seem a little disjointed. I write my notes as I watch so the thoughts get written down as I have them. It’s very messy, but I noticed a lot of questioning ethics, specifically where hiding the truth from those we love is involved. I found myself asking if that was okay in order to spare someone tremendous pain, or is it better to allow them access to that knowledge so that they can work through the associated pain in their own way, and as a result, grow as a person. I also found myself asking if forgetting the past and the traumas associated with that past was really the best way to deal with that trauma. Baring all, as a sufferer of depression and anxiety, albeit on a mild scale, I really connected with the Doctor’s struggle throughout this episode, and the story had me thinking about some really complex personal issues. There have been times when I’ve needed to be medicated in order to get ahead of the effects that depression and anxiety bring into my life, but I see those types of medications as being a lot like the memory wipe that Janeway performs on the Doctor after the catalyst event. Sure I’m able to function a lot more easily, but there are parts of myself that I cherish that get switched off in the process. Instead of finding myself not feeling depressed, I find myself not feeling anything at all. I feel no satisfying happiness, no love, but no depression. Thus, I ask myself, is the reprieve worth the loss? I personally feel a sense of accomplishment when I manage my own struggle with depression on my own terms. It’s not often an easy struggle, and much like the Doctor’s witch hunt, I sometimes find myself going down some pretty weird rabbit holes, but at least I’m living life on my own terms. And that’s the theme that really gets pushed by the end of the episode. After some philosophical debate with Seven, Janeway decides that in order for the Doctor to grow as an individual, he had to be left to make the decision as to how they were going to deal with his problems. It’s decided that he’ll keep his memories and the conflicts that they entail, and that he’ll have to learn how to deal with that conflict. It’s a milestone evolutionary jumping off point that he gets to decided to jump into, or stay away from. It shows some good character development.

As with “Hard Time”, there isn’t a clear cut resolution to this episode. The Doctor isn’t magically better by the end, in fact, he’s still kind of in turmoil. But, right at the end, he takes a step towards understanding both himself and how the demons he’s fighting factor into his sense of self. That internal struggle is portrayed extremely well, and it was gratifying to see it done so. That beginning of understanding coupled with gigantic, loving efforts on behalf of his family leave the episode on a positive note. The episode isn’t perfect, and the Doctor isn’t exactly the most likeable character on the show, but I think that actually helps the impact of the narrative. Janeway, at one point, compared the Doctor to a replicator; insinuating that he’s just an inanimate appliance. That couldn’t have been done with any other character, and it really makes the Doctor more relatable ironically enough. How often in your own life have you felt like someone else’s disposable appliance? Perhaps this episode resonates so well with me because of the similarities in life circumstances that I pick up on, but it’s really worth the 42 minutes to watch. It’s a layered and thought provoking insight into the human condition, which is truly what Star Trek is all about.

Our anvil episode is, perhaps, going to feel a bit repetitive, but I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. It speaks to the heavy handed nature of the episode itself. We’re going to look at “Thirty Days”. This episode released two weeks before “Image”, and the contrast in quality is pretty stark. To steal a literary term, this episode is an epistolary episode wherein the entire story is presented via a letter that Tom Paris is writing to his father while he’s confined to the brig. I find this form of storytelling to be somewhat lazy, and cliche, and as you’ll see, that’s going to be a running theme throughout this episode. It starts, in the letter, with Voyager stumbling across a world comprised entirely of water. There’s an attack from the indigenous inhabitants, after which Janeway parlays a dialog. They find out that the inhabitants moved to that planet generations ago, and that it’s been a great home for them until recently, when they started noticing that the total volume of planetary water was shrinking. And there you go, this is going to be yet another environmental awareness episode. Look, I get it, we have one world at this point in our existence and once it’s gone, it’s gone. I remember doing the funky, and awkward early 90s environment PSA musical abominations as a kid, and getting caught up in Earth Day, and planting trees, and I’m definitely not saying that it’s an unworthy cause. What I am asking is how many times the Trek writers really felt that we needed to revisit the subject? This was 1998, and by that time, the message had been played out so many times, and in so many different ways that it had all but lost its impact. It had gotten so out of hand that South Park did a parody of this type of TV episode at least once a season. But, rant over. This is the precise reason I picked this episode as out anvil episode, and in all fairness, our anvil episodes aren’t necessarily bad, just heavy handed.

This episode really manages to shine, if only for a couple of reasons. First, we’re being spirited away to a world made up entirely of water. This would probably have been Roddenberry’s wet dream had he still been alive when this episode aired as it’s the pinnacle of achievement per Star Trek’s own mission statement. What’s more strange and alien to humans than a world made of nothing but water? Also, as a result of the setting, there are some really stunning visuals. Lastly, and this one might just be me, but the episode features Willie Garson who starred in an incredibly fun show called White Collar. He’s become one of my favorite bit actors. Look him up when you get a chance. But, back to the episode. So… We find out after a fairly cool expedition down to the dark depths of the ocean that the density of the water has risen due to the inhabitants mining oxygen out of it, which in turn, has put excess structural strain on the gravity generators that hold the whole planet together. As a result, the generators have to shunt power from holding the planet together in order to keep themselves from being crushed by the water pressure. Confused yet? Yeah, it’s a little convoluted. At any rate, Willie and Paris realize that the bureaucracy is just going to attempt to put a band-aid on things so that they won’t have to disrupt the standard way of life. This leads to the two of them attempting an act of eco-terrorism, which ends badly, and that’s why Paris ended up in jail for thirty days. *Sigh…*

Where do I even begin? There’s expositional ‘character development’. Yeah, we hear all about how before he joined Starfleet, little Tommy Paris wanted to sail the world on a ship. Fun. This leads to flashback ‘character development’ moments. Lazy. And as the cherry on the top of this crap sundae, Tom Paris learns absolutely nothing from his experiences, which is the only reasonable way that the character could have found any actual character development. It’s pretty egregious from a writing point of view. However, for the previously mentioned reasons, it’s still pretty fun to watch. Just don’t expect renaissance of the human spirit from the experience. And that’s all I’m going to say about that. Tune in next week as we finish up our 5oth anniversary celebration! We’ll be looking at Enterprise, and won’ that be a fascinating exercise?

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Taking a Different Approach to Trek

Trek month carries on as we *ahem*... trek into Deep Space Nine. I know that I’ve already covered this show once, but I want to cover a number of different aspects of the show with thisarticle. What makes this show so unique in the Trek universe is that it departs so heavily from the typical Trek formula, and yet it doesn’t. What i mean is that instead of gallivanting across the cosmos in a starship, DS9 takes place on a space station. Instead of exploring how humanity might become better in the future, that aspect takes a back seat to how prejudice and mistrust will probably still exist no matter how much we evolve. Instead of technology being this almighty saving grace like in Next Generation, it often betrays our heroes. The entire focus of the show is war and politics. It’s a very different take on Star Trek and as such, there are very few people that I’ve met that are indifferent to it. You either really enjoy it, or you don’t. Still, it’s legacy has managed to endure this long in such shows as Battlestar Galactica, Firefly,and quite a few other shows that I’m drawing a blank on at the moment. That said, let’s look at our episodes for this week!

Our most Trek-y episode from this series is one that I think might get overlooked far too often. It’s a quiet and unassuming episode that has a lot to say, but isn’t all up in your face about it. It’s a fourth season episode titled “Hard Time”. In the episode, O’Brien gets too curious about some alien technology and subsequently gets convicted of espionage. As punishment, the aliens put him through a simulated sentence of 20 years hard time. Get it? This all takes place over the course of just a few hours in real life, but MIles experiences it as if it all really happened. He comes out of the experience believing that he spent 20 years in prison, and as such, he has to readjust to his previous life. I love this episode because it’s a brilliant example of DS9 going places that Trek really hadn’t been able to effectively go before. The entire episode is a PSA about PTSD. Remember that this was at a time when PTSD was really only starting to become understood, and we were dealing with the ‘damaged’ combat veterans who were coming back after Operation Desert Storm. We knew that vets had been suffering for decades, but this was really the first time in human history that we as a species were actually able to put a name to what was going on, and that we were able to start helping these fine men and women to get the help that they desperately needed. This sort of story couldn’t have happened in a Next Generation episode, and we weren’t self-aware enough for the writers on TOS to even fathom such a notion. Because DS9 focused so heavily on war, it could tell these sorts of stories and they could make sense within the series framework.

This episode poignantly, and sensitively shows the viewer what it’s like to suffer from the demons of PTSD in a way that sticks and that really makes the viewer feel it. As the episode is unfolding, we’re seeing flashbacks of O’Brien’s time in prison. We see that he had a cellmate who taught him methods of coping with the prolonged periods of isolation, and who looked out for his physical well being. The episode flawlessly balances the flashbacks with the present day as we see Miles struggling to get back to being the man that he was before. The more he tries, the more depression and guilt take over and make him bitter and hard. I love that this episode takes time to show the issue not only from the side of the person suffering from PTSD, or really any mental illness, but it shows the issue from the side of the loved ones who care about the person as well. It’s actually pretty heart wrenching to put one’s self in either place as you watch. But we get to see the worry and the anguish that O’Brien’s friends and family experience as they try to understand what he’s going through. There are a lot of text book PTSD indicators portrayed throughout the episode. We’re show grief. We see Miles clinging to those anxious habits that kept him alive during his trauma. There’s stubborn and unbridled anger towards everything, but especially those who are trying to help, and of course, there’s the guilt and anguish that we later find out is a result of Miles killing his cellmate over food. That’s the moment when the entire episode clicks. Once we find out the source of O’Brien’s feelings, we’re able to better understand the reason he’s been on such a harrowing journey. It all makes for a really emotionally weighted episode. As the episode gets to the end and Miles is sitting in a cargo bay getting ready to commit suicide, I can’t help but shed a tear as a fellow sufferer from depression. And seeing Bashir give everything he is to try and pull Miles back from the abyss just hits me like a freight train.

The best aspect of this episode is the ending. It’s not a certain ending. O’Brien doesn’t miraculously overcome his feelings and carry on like nothing happened, but it ends on a hopeful note as MIles realizes the extent to which his demons have gained control over his life, and as he begins to accept the people around him who are desperate to help. That realization that he doesn’t have to go it alone ends the episode on a high note and gives insight into the ideal outcome for anyone in his situation. This is an episode that really drives a point home in a tasteful and enlightening way, and I can’t say enough about it, except that if you haven’t ever seen it, watch it now. There are several people I can think of in my own life who could use the message, and I’m certain that there are more than seems fair our there who need it as well.

Now our anvil episode is probably going to incite hate spew once again so let me point out, again, that these episodes are not necessarily bad, just heavy handed. Now that the disclaimer has been disclaimed again, our anvil episode from DS9 is “Far Beyond the Stars”.Go ahead and get it out of your system… Done yet? Good. Okay, so I was shocked to find that this episode scored an 8.7 on IMDb. Most good episodes of Trek score in the mid 7 range, but this one really kicks things up a notch. This episode is really unique both to DS9 and to Trek in general for a lot of different reasons that we’ll get into in a moment, but let me just preface our discussion with this: There is so much going on with this episode that it could very easily have imploded on itself and just been a mess, but I am really glad that it didn’t do that because it is great!

If you haven’t actually seen this episode, Sisko learns that an old and dear friend was killed by enemy forces during a space battle. This revelation starts him wondering if he’s actually doing any good in the galaxy, which in turn, gets him thinking about throwing in the towel so to speak. As he begins his introspective grapple with his feelings, he sees Odo walk by in 1950s attire. We find out that he’s essentially having a vision from the Bajoran prophets, and it’s a doozy! He finds himself back in 1950s New York I guess, and he’s working as a speculative fiction writer. This aspect of the episode is equal parts fascinating and fun as we get to see alternate counterparts to our beloved cast sans makeup. The relationships between these characters is a sight to behold. You got Quark arguing with Odo over the freshness of donuts, and you got Dax playing the ditzy secretary. Kira is the oppressed woman writer who has to use an alias. Worf plays major league baseball, Jake is a criminal, Nog sells newspapers, and Dukat and Weyoun are police officers. There’s just enough tightness in the parallels to give each alternate character a meaningful identity, but there’s also enough divergence that the entire exercise is fun and exciting.

In this mental reality, Sisko finds himself writing a short story about Deep Space Nine, and Captain Benjamin Sisko. He attempts to get the story published, but the magazine for which he works won’t have any of that because Captain Sisko is black. There are a lot of twists and turns during this journey as mental universe Sisko starts to blur the lines between ‘reality’ and ‘fantasy’. The underlying motivation though is Sisko getting his work published. I’d probably delve more into the story, but honestly, there’s so much going on that I’d probably need a full article just to cover that aspect of things so consider this the Reader’s Digest version. There are highs as when Sisko gets word that his story will finally be published, and there are lows as when Jake is shot and murdered by the police and Sisko himself gets beaten to within an inch of his life. The ultimate low point is when Sisko finds out that his publisher had the magazine shredded because he didn’t like the Deep Space Nine story. It’s all incredibly dramatic and thoroughly engaging!

There’s a ton to love about this episode, so much so that I needed to do a little research in preparation. First, it reminds me a great deal of literary classics like “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” because of the entire story taking place in the mind of the protagonist. Sisko finds himself going down the rabbit hole as it were, and everyone he encounters in his mind state represents an aspect of his real life. His father is the Bajoran prophets, Dukat and Weyoun are the sources of his struggles in real life, Worf is his potential replacement and competition, Dax is his cheerleader, Kira is one of an ensemble of people in his life that ground him and help him to stay true to himself. And so on. The atmosphere and setting of the mindscape are totally engrossing. The anachronistic details are wonderful, but be warned, they really committed to the period. If you’re easily offended by use of the ‘N’ word, cover your ears. The characters are a joy to watch as the story progresses and each stands out in their own way. There are some heavy hitting moments emotionally, and by the end of the episode, there’s some good old fashioned mind boggery. Really, this episode has it all, and it balances all of it exceptionally well.

“Then why is this your anvil episode,” you may be asking. Well remember that this whole ordeal starts with Sisko grappling with the stresses of leadership. He’s feeling down on himself and wondering about his effectiveness in the galaxy. He’s having a wee bit of a pity party. In response to this, the Bajoran prophets ‘bless’ him with this vision and this exercise. They’re essentially saying, “Remember that this thing that we’re showing you is your heritage, and that the people of this era had things way worse than you!” There’s a moment right after Jake is killed where Dukat and Weyoun beat on Sisko in the street, quite mercilessly I might add. He literally figuratively gets beaten down by his problems. It’s a moment that pretty much had to happen, but it’s the one moment where the metaphor just goes too far to maintain that balance well, and if the whole episode had ended up like that one 30 second scene, the entire episode probably would have been a disaster. I may seem to be grasping at straws, but if you feel that way, please reference Day Zero post where I kindly explain that I can be a contrarian simply for the sake of it. I do think that this is a brilliant episode, and I love it more and more every time I watch it, but in context of the things could be worse mentality, it does push things a bit too far to me. I don’t intend to be insensitive to the material, or any of the meaning behind it, I only point out that one particular aspect as a very minor blemish in an otherwise brilliant diamond of television history. Take it, or leave it. It’s a fantastic episode and highly recommend that you give it a watch! And stick around! We’re rounding the home stretch for our Star Trek 50th anniversary celebration, and next week is Voyager. What could possibly be in store? Who knows?! No really, I have no idea/ Okay,I might have a couple things percolating, but it’s still a surprise even to me so see me next week to find out what I finally came up with!

Happy 50th Birthday Star Trek!

It’s official! Fifty years ago today, in the United States, Star Trek premiere, and the world hasn’t been the same since. I feel it appropriate to say a few words concerning what Star Trek has meant to me over the years. I started watching Star Trek right around the age of three, and as I grew and matured over the years, I came to understand new and exciting layers of storytelling within the Star Trek mythos. I latched on to the examples set by my modern day heroes and tried to pattern my own actions and way of thinking off of the most noble attributes of the various characters in the shows. The show literally helped to shape me into the person I am today. There are thousands, maybe even millions who could share similar testimonials. From social evolution to technology, Star Trek has shaped the world in which we live today, and it all started 50 years ago.

It’s hardly a secret anymore that Star Trek had tried and failed to launch years before it was finally picked up by Desilu and NBC. In 1964, Roddenberry had made a pilot episode called “The Cage” which starred Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike, and Majel Barrett as Number One. It’s a fine episode to be sure, but the networks were a little concerned that the general masses wouldn’t understand it. Thus, Roddenberry went back to the drawing board and followed up that first attempt with a second pilot called “Where No Man Has Gone Before”. This episode features the cast that we can to know and love over the years and there were a lot of changes made to the aesthetics of the show to reflect developments based on the criticisms that had been made regarding the first pilot episode. It’s probably a good thing in hindsight that things didn’t pan out with that first pilot as Jeffrey Hunter would tragically pass away in 1969, and that would probably have been the end of Star Trek. But the universe was smiling on this quirky little sci-fi spaghetti western and it has managed to endure for five decades.

As I said last week,it’s far too convenient that September 8 would coincide with a Thursday and so we’re going to look at the first episode ever to be broadcast, “The Man Trap”. There are a few generally interesting things about this episode. First, in today’s television, we’ve grown accustomed to getting a pilot episode,and possibly an entire lengthy arc explaining the origins of the characters and setting of shows. It’s definitely not a bad thing. In writing they always say start from the beginning so it makes sense, but with “Man Trap”, that wasn’t the case. We’re plunged into this setting with these characters, and they’re made to develop over time from episode to episode. We’re not told how the Federation came to be, or given detailed explanations as to how Starfleet operates, we’re just shown one ship and one crew. I know that from time to time the universe was expanded a little in the Original Series, but that wasn’t the focus at the beginning. Instead, we’re given a fascinating mystery that unfolds in an exciting and unexpected way. Even having watched the episode so many times, I can still imagine sitting in front of the TV in 1966 and being blown away by the twists in the plot!

The second thing that’s unique about this episode as a pilot episode is that Kirk is not the primary focus. He’s the captain, and he does get his share of screen time, as well do the other characters, but the action does not center around him. Instead, the story centers on McCoy. This is a bold and telling decision in my opinion. From a production standpoint, it says that while there is someone at the top of the command totem pole, that person will not always be the main focus of the show. And indeed there were episodes where Kirk took a backseat to one of the other characters. It’s also cool because we’re getting to know McCoy before we’ve had a chance to meet Kirk and so we’re being given a glimpse into Kirk’s support network before we actually become more familiar with the man. It gives the show the possibility for creative longevity, and helps it to operate on a high level intellectually.

There are a number of things to love about the Original Series in general. One is the film techniques used. I love the melodramatic lighting and camera angles to accompany the melodramatic acting. There was particular attention paid to things like ambient noise. If the characters are on a planet, there’s alien ambient planet noise, if they’re on the ship, there’s ambient ship noise. This may have been to offset the limitations that the production staff faced in terms of set design budget, but for me, it really became a hallmark of original Star Trek. Also, the episodes rely heavily on the stories. This was a time when any special effects no matter how mundane would be cost prohibitive. Thus, the stories had to be strong. In the case of “Man Trap” there’s an unknown assailant murdering people and leaching the salt from their bodies. It’s the setup of a ‘B’ horror film, but mixed with other aspects, it works really well. The audience is left to guess the motivations of the assailant up until the point when all of that is finally revealed. It makes for fun viewing.

In true Star Trek fashion, there is a moral conundrum to be examined. From the McCoy point of view, he has been unexpectedly reunited with one of his old flames. He’s smitten all over again and he’s protective of his former lover. This is in direct opposition to her husband, who is also very protective of her. When it’s finally revealed that the creature that McCoy sees as his old lover is actually a salt vampire, McCoy has difficulty accepting this revelation, and understandably so. It’s only when he can finally see the creature for what it really is that he’s able to accept the loss of his lover and do what needs to be done. It’s a complex and poignant emotional component to an already great story. To further that and layer it, there’s also moral allegory involved. A comparison is drawn between the salt creature and the buffalo. It’s a little weak, but it still works. We find out that the salt creature is the last of its kind, and it’s killing for survival. This makes the creature just a little sympathetic, which is starkly contrasted with unrelenting ruthlessness. The whole setup makes for a very complex and layered episode. Also worthy of note, Spock totally has to resort to violence in order to solve a problem at the end. It would become so uncharacteristic that seeing it here makes it all the more entertaining. In all, I can say that this is one of the good ones. Perhaps it’s not one of the best, but it certainly has managed to carve out it place in history and there are millions of fans the world over who are glad that it did.

In keeping with last week’s formula, let’s take a look at our ‘anvil’ episode for the Original Series. Remember that these episodes are not what I would consider bad episodes, they’re just really heavy handed in their methodology. Disclaimer being done, our ‘anvil’ episode is “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield”. Now before you start spewing hate in my direction, let me say that I really like this episode for a lot of reasons. And it’s definitely considered to be one of the better episodes of Star Trek. Just hear me out and maybe you’ll see why I chose it for this particular distinction. The episode revolves around two alien from a planet called Cheron. One is a fugitive and the other has been sent out to apprehend him and bring him back for trial. The bounty hunter, Bele, at one point seizes control of the ship and directs it back towards his home planet. It’s a constant power struggle between Kirk and Bele for control of the ship. In the other corner as it were it the fugitive, Lokai. He lodges his power play in the form of inciting members of the crew to his side of the argument. Ultimately, the two return to their homeworld to find it destroyed and devoid of life. It’s all very dramatically portrayed and it’s very gripping.

Riddle me this, then why is it the ‘anvil’ episode? I’m going to just leave my hint right here:

Figured it out yet? For those who haven’t seen the episode, One is black on the right side while the other is white on the right. That’s right, it’s a racism and civil rights allegory. Now I don’t mean to put down, or make light of the social issues presented. In fact, I’d call that a strength based on the social climate today. However, the execution could have been perhaps a little more subtle. I can’t personally speak to the exact social climate of the late 1960s, I can only speculate based on whatever information I can gather after the fact. But based on research, the portrayal of the two sides of the civil rights movement are pretty well done. Of course they won’t be spot on, but the levels of unrelenting hatred and mistrust are not only poignant, but sometimes outright uncomfortable to watch, even today.

I commend those involved for bringing depth to the commentary. It would have been easy just to leave the issue skin deep… Go ahead and groan. But, the two characters are extremely different from one another in keeping with the two groups being represented. Lokai attempts to appeal to the common masses in order to gain numbers in support while Bele attempts to work through the ‘government’ in order to legislate himself into an advantageous position. It truly is a fascinating look into the social climate of the time, and the fact that these issues are coming around full circle puts the episode up there in the higher echelons of great science fiction. I also drew a parallel to the Maquis in Deep Space Nine. Their struggle is not terribly dissimilar to that of Lokai and I could see DS9 writers potentially drawing inspiration from this episode.

Also of note, the episode guest starred the great Frank Gorshin, who is most well known for playing the Riddler in the 1960s Batman. In all, this is still a really good episode of Star Trek. I might even go so far as to call it great. Certainly it flew in the face of the attitudes of its day and that takes guts. I’d highly recommend giving in a watch despite the heavy handed nature of the commentary. It’s exciting, it’s thought provoking, and it’s a prime example of Star Trek doing what Star Trek does best. We’re only two weeks into  Star Trek month so keep those hailing frequencies open because next week, we’re looking at Deep Space Nine!

Star Trek Anniversary Month!

It’s Star Trek’s 50th anniversary!! I couldn’t be more excited!! It’s taking all of my will just to refrain from YELLING AT YOU!! (Kidding.) This is a momentous occasion and I thought it would be really fun to review some of the more ‘Trek-y’ episodes from the various series. This has nothing to do with the fact that one of the Thursdays this month falls on Sept 8, which is that day that the first episode of Star Trek aired in 1966. (It has everything to do with that.) That’s not to say that these are necessarily the ‘best’ episodes of their respective series, just that they embody the core formula of what makes a Star Trek episode uniquely Star Trek. To make sure we’re on the same page, I’ve graciously come up with a brief list of criteria that I looked at when choosing each episode. First, I looked at character usage and development. Star Trek has always been about the characters and the audience learning lessons through the characters. Second, I looked at the lessons taught. Roddenberry always intended Star Trek to be an exploration of the human condition, and a platform where viewers could learn about the world around them, as well as themselves. Third, I looked at the efficacy of the analogy(ies) used, if there were any used. Metaphor is a fantastic way to teach a lesson without brow beating your audience and when Star Trek is on its game, it does this exceptionally well. This list of criteria is in no what comprehensive, and it’s definitely still subjective, but it does give us a common frame of reference so that you can hopefully see my reasoning as I choose episodes that maybe you would not have thought to choose. Also, I did only choose one episode per show to review in this fashion. However, as an added bonus, and because reviewing one episode would make for a painfully short article, I took the advice of an esteemed colleague of mine and I’ve included what he refers to as ‘anvil’ episodes. These are episodes that meet the above criteria, but come down really heavyhandedly on their moral principles. You’ll get the idea when we get there…

Being as the second Thursday in September is the 8th, I felt it would only be fitting to save my Original Series review for that week. So which episode is going to kick off our little celebration? I decided to do Next Generation first, and one of my personal favorites, as well as one of the more Trek-y in my opinion is Peak Performance. I've already touched on this episode once before. However, it’s one that is definitely worth looking at a second time. The premise of the episode is that the Enterprise and her crew are going to engage in some battle simulations. It’s interesting that both Picard and Riker point out that they see no need for this as Starfleet is not considered a military organization, but in light of their recent encounter with the Borg, Picard saw some wisdom in learning to properly defend themselves. It’s decided that Riker will command a derelict ship and challenge the Enterprise. Joining to judge the exercise is a gentleman by the name of Kolrami. Kolrami is of a species that are considered the best tacticians in the galaxy. The actor who plays the character plays him annoyingly smugly,and that really works in this case because you just want to strangle him until he dies, but he’s supposed to be smug so mission accomplished.

There’s a game that Kolrami’s people play called Strategema, and Riker challenges Kolrami to a game. *SPOILER ALERT: Riker gets pwned.* The entire match is over in just a few seconds. Meanwhile, Dr. Pulaski decides that it would be a stroke of brilliance to challenge Kolrami on Data’s behalf, surmising that Kolrami would be unable to keep up with a super computer. Goaded into the challenge, Data plays against Kolrami as well. *ANOTHER SPOILER: Data also gets pwned.* This is where the life lesson kicks in for this episode. Even though Data is an android, and devoid of emotion, his ego is bruised and he removes himself from duty. Both Troi and Pulaski attempt to assuage his feelings, but to no avail. So they enlist Picard to take care of the situation. Picard has a brief conversation with Data, and then he makes one of the most profound observations to ever come out of Star Trek. Ever. He tells Data that it’s possible to do everything right and still fail. That this is not a flaw, it’s life. Geez, I wish I had learned that earlier in life! It’s a lesson that’s poignant no matter the century, and no matter the situation. It’s just brilliance.

Meanwhile, Riker has been prepping his ‘ship’ for ‘combat’ and once the preparations are complete, the battle will commence. There are a couple of things to point out here. First, Wesley cheats the established Star Trek lore by beaming his antimatter experiment to Riker’s ship. That’s a huge deal because it was established at some point that antimatter can’t be transported. Second, Picard has a really revealing conversation with Kolrami. Up to that point Kolrami had been doing his condescension thing against Riker so Picard puts him right in his place. Kolrami explains that he sees Riker’s joviality as a weakness and Picard kindly informs him that joviality is just Riker’s style and it’s his way of gaining the trust and loyalty of his crew. There’s a huge amount of respect for Riker portrayed here on Picard’s behalf and it really helps to further solidify their relationship.

Anyway, the exercise starts. Riker, on Worf’s suggestion uses a ruse to throw the Enterprise off balance and score some devastating hits. Everything is going swimmingly, when a Ferengi ship comes out of nowhere and actually attacks the Enterprise. They lay claim to the derelict, and demand that Picard deliver. To drive them off, Riker and Picard fake the destruction of the derelict, and while the Ferengi are still off balance, Riker uses a sensor trick to scare them all off. After all is said and done, Data takes Kolrami on in a rematch where he drives the game to a stalemate, which frustrates Kolrami into forfeiture. Data wins and everyone is happy. The end.  I know that was a lengthy synopsis, but you really need the framework in order to understand the context here.

This was a season 2 episode, and during that season, as well as some of the first season, rejected scripts from another failed project were being repurposed as Next Generation episodes. The episodes were very hit and miss. Also, Gates McFadden had taken a break from the show, and to replace her, Diana Muldaur was brought in. I’ve never been a huge fan of Pulaski, in fact very few people are. She’s an awkward retread of Dr. McCoy. She’s not very well rounded as a character, and she was not in the show long enough to be developed into one. That said, this is one of maybe three episodes where she’s tolerable to watch. Her purpose in this episode is well defined and she as a character is well used. It’s a really interesting look into what could have become of the character had she remained on the show.

Speaking of, there’s a certain je ne sais quoi element to Star Trek wherein everything intangible clicks and the shows really hit their stride. You can really see that happening in this episode. The cast, and probably the crew, were finally starting to get their heads around what the show needed to be in order to be successful, and all of those stray elements that were just blowing in the wind finally came together to become more than the sum of their parts. Yes this is a second season episode, but if the uniforms hadn’t changed, and Dr. Crusher were in it, you wouldn’t be able to differentiate it from, say, a season four episode. From a technical aspect, there are some pretty cool things going on, specifically with the derelict that Riker inherits, it’s the USS Hathaway by the way. The Hathaway is a motion picture era Constellation class ship similar to Picard’s Stargazer, probably because the SFX guys already had that model. Starfleet ships are usually so clean and put together. It’s not often that we get to see them in any state of disarray. However, when we do, it’s a lot of fun. Consoles are missing, wiring is hanging from the ceilings, rooms are a lot darker than we’re used to. It’s like stepping into a Star Trek themed haunted house! In all, this is an episode that I will quickly and wholeheartedly recommend to anyone whether you’re a fan or not.

On the flip side of this is our ‘anvil’ episode. Again, this is an episode where the elements were there, but the message was too heavy handed, and to me, there’s no bigger culprit than the season 7 episode Force of Nature. The Enterprise gets called in to investigate the disappearance of another ship in a corridor of space that’s surrounded by violent plasma storms, or some such. They find a Ferengi vessel that appears to be disabled, but that was a lie. In actuality, only their warp drive is offline. The crew help the Ferengi and send them on their way only to have the same thing happen to themselves. A couple of aliens come aboard and tell them that use of warp drive is destabilizing space within the corridor, and that they need to stop using it there right away. Picard has Data do an analysis, which concludes that there’s insufficient data to draw a conclusion so Picard kind of writes the whole thing off. In response, one of the aliens creates a warp engine cascade in order to trigger the very event that she’s trying to prevent. This puts that other ship that you probably forgot about in danger of being dragged into the anomaly so the Enterprise has to save them in a very dramatic sequence of events. This all leads to Starfleet issuing a speed limit for warp travel until a more permanent solution can be found.

Let me be clear, this is not a bad episode by any stretch. It’s actually a lot of fun to watch. Mingled with all of the dramatic stuff, Data is trying to train his cat, which provides so classic moments. Also, the idea behind the metaphor is poignant, it’s just so heavy handed that it’s not veiled at all. It’s obvious once the episode establishes what it’s really about that it’s about environmental awareness, specifically the ozone layer and how our use of fossil fuels is destroying it. It could apply to any other type of eco-awareness cause, but this is what I think is intended based on the fact that there are several scenes where Geordi LaForge is literally trying to soup up the Enterprise’s engines. I understand that this was a hot button issue back in the early 90s. I remember being fed the propaganda about switching from regular gas to natural gas. I was exposed to all sorts of media in school about protecting our environment and preserving it for posterity. I don’t disagree with those ideas, but I’m also not a loud and proud member of Greenpeace. I was not aware that anyone associated with Next Generation was either, but here we are with an episode about eco-terrorists. This may not even have been an ‘anvil’ episode except that it’s a season 7 episode. I’m not saying that every episode to come out of that season was gold, but the bulk were more hit than miss, and the bar was pretty high. That fact combined with the blatantly forced analogy puts this one just a little over the top to be considered a genuine Trek-y episode, even if all of the components were there. Still, I would recommend giving it a watch, especially for the Data moments. That’s going to wrap up our first week of Star Trek month! Stay tuned for next week when we’ll take a look at the first episode of Star Trek ever to air on television and one that came down like a ton of bricks with its message!