Trektember: Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad | Star Trek: Discovery
Read enough articles about Star Trek: Discovery, and you’ll start to see a repetitive phrase: “this is the first episode that really felt like Star Trek to me.” We’ve even had a couple of variations on that verbal “time loop”…
Trektember: If the Stars Should Appear | The Orville
If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God! —Ralph Waldo Emerson I wasn’t familiar with Emerson’s quote before I…
Trektember: Lethe | Star Trek: Discovery
As I watched “Lethe,” I couldn’t help but think about how the author of Ephesians (let’s acknowledge scholarly dispute over the epistle’s author, but go with the traditional designation of Paul for convenience) admonishes children to obey their parents. It’s…
Trektember: About a Girl | The Orville
The third episode of The Orville is, in many ways, a microcosm of both the flaws and strengths of the program (at least early on). Let’s begin with a plot rundown, which will be easy as there is not much…
Trektember: Choose Your Pain | Star Trek: Discovery
Recap Burnham raises concerns about the physical effects of spore drive jumps on the tardigrade creature, which places Stamets, Culber, and Acting Captain Saru at ethical odds after Captain Lorca is captured by the Klingons and the spore drive is…
Trektember: Star Trek: The Motion Picture | Classics
In Which Spock Gets His Heart I unabashedly love this movie, and pretty much have since I got it on a videotape. The opening scene is fantastic. It really *is* visually and musically a lovely movie. Almost 40 years after…
Trektember: The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry | Star Trek: Discovery
Author’s Note: Star Trek: Discovery is an unusually contiguous series in the franchise. As such, certain ideas and narratives cannot be discussed fully within the bounds of a single episode. For the purposes of this analysis, then, I’m going to…
Trektember: Command Performance | The Orville
What an odd choice for your second story, I thought – usually the kind of plot one puts closer to mid-season – along with a shameless plug for PETA. Nevertheless, I enjoyed “Command Performance” for what Seth MacFarlane’s sister allegedly…
Trektember: Context is for Kings | Star Trek: Discovery
“Universal law is for lackeys. Context is for kings.” – Captain Gabriel Lorca con•text /käntekst/ The circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed. Context…
Trektember: Old Wounds | The Orville
I’m guessing that, upon tuning into the first episode of The Orville, you already knew exactly what you were getting into. You know, a ship in space with a crew and missions and light speed and laser guns. We’ve seen…