Trektember: Trials and Tribble-ations
The original Star Trek was sometimes over-dramatic, but it was always dramatic. It was aiming for a kind of weighty seriousness, a sense that things really mattered; except in “The Trouble with Tribbles.” Then they just had fun, even poking…
Trektember: The Way of the Warrior
“Some things are worth waiting for…” Benjamin Sisko’s remark at the beginning of season four is in reference to his paramour, Kasidy Yates, but for me it resonated with the episode itself and the whole series. This wasn’t just a…
Trektember: Little Green Men
I’m a little tired of seeing first contact stories told from the humans’ perspective. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t hold it against anyone. Every author I’ve ever heard a story by has been from Earth, after all (at least…
Trektember: The Visitor
I used to think my parents were weird. They would often tell me how impossible it was to explain a parent’s love for their child, so they would simply say “you’ll understand one day.” Yeah sure, I thought before brushing…
Trektember: Explorers
In the Trektember Season 4 preview, I mentioned that “Explorers” is the first episode of any Star Trek that I remember watching live as it aired; and I also said that I felt like the climax of the episode’s character…
Trektember: Civil Defense
Our situation is already pretty bad, but it gets even worse. Therefore we try harder, but it only ever increases our need for help. But in our lowest moment, instead of comfort, our greatest enemy shows up to taunt us.…
Trektember: Profit and Loss
It doesn’t take much imagination to find the trappings of the 1942 classic Casablanca in the story of “Profit and Loss.” Oh, sure, some of the roles are switched, and instead of transit papers it’s a cloaking device that everyone’s…
Trektember: Cardassians
Really good and lasting sci-fi is, at its core, about people. Now, those people might have green skin, ears the size of dinner plates, or spoon-shaped indentations on their foreheads, but good sci-fi puts people into big and important situations…
Trektember: Duet
“Duet” remains my favorite episode of Deep Space Nine, derivative of Robert Shaw’s The Man in the Glass Booth as it may be. Not just mine; it was featured in The Museum of Television and Radio’s 1994 “Tribute to Excellence;”…
Trektember: Emissary
Ah, Deep Space Nine. My favourite Star Trek series. Known at the time as the red-headed stepchild of the franchise, Deep Space Nine gave us long-form serialisation, character arcs with slow payoffs, some of the most memorable recurring guest stars,…