Trektember: In the Pale Moonlight
What makes for a moral dilemma? It cannot be as simple as a hero choosing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good, nor can it be the courage of one’s convictions against overwhelming odds. No; while those are worthwhile stories,…
Trektember: Empok Nor
There isn’t any objective “up” or “down” in space. Which is why, objectively, it makes no sense that O’Brien and his salvage crew’s approach to Empok Nor feels so disquieting. The abandoned Cardassian station looks almost exactly like the familiar…
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: 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…